tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-330811132024-03-19T05:33:38.804-04:00Yeshivat Deah VeHaskel“And I will give you leaders according to My heart, and they will lead you with knowledge and understanding." (Jeremiah 3:16)Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-25979188516172152562017-12-07T16:00:00.000-05:002017-12-07T16:02:31.605-05:00The Celebration of Hanukkah: "Rededicating" the Original Winter Festival<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Rabbis of the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 8A) tell an incredible story about the experiences of Adam, the first man, immediately following his expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The sin and exile of Adam and Eve took place in late Autumn, just around the time of year when the days start to become progressively shorter, the sun rising later and setting earlier on a daily basis. Adam took note of this gradual, worrisome change and assumed that it was a further sign of Divine punishment, the death that had been decreed upon him for violating God’s command. Eventually, he reasoned, there would be no more daylight at all, and plants, animals, and human beings would perish forever. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />Fearing for his life, Adam spent eight days in prayer and repentance, beseeching the Almighty for a second chance. Then the winter solstice arrived, and the days began to lengthen again, little by little. When Adam observed this, he realized that the systematic variation in the amount of daylight was nothing to be scared of. It was simply part of the incredible, breathtaking, self-renewing natural order that Hashem had designed in His infinite wisdom. Thrilled and comforted by this new insight, Adam celebrated his discovery for eight days. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />The following year, Adam established a sixteen day holiday - eight days prior to the solstice and eight days afterwards - to commemorate what he now understood to be the predictable pattern of the seasons. Although his intent was to honor Hashem with this festival, it was later corrupted into two pagan holidays (Saturnalia and Kalenda) that were observed by the Romans consecutively from December 17th through January 1st. These dates sound familiar to us because they coincide with what we now know as the “holiday season”, an institution derived from pagan Rome that was adopted by later religious traditions and is perpetuated until today.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />It is noteworthy that our Torah includes no winter holidays whatsoever. The Yamim Tovim of the Torah are all observed in the Spring, Summer and Fall. One might argue that this is due to the fact that the holidays of the Torah are all linked to the annual process of harvesting and gathering produce from the fields, a process that concludes before the advent of the colder months. However, it seems that there is a deeper and more fundamental reason why the Torah carefully avoided establishing any festivals in the wintertime.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />It is hard to escape the conclusion that the Torah’s rejection of winter holidays is directly related, in some way, to the fact that idolatrous religion embraces them. After all, one of the essential objectives of the Torah is the uprooting of idolatry and the elimination of any vestige of pagan ideology from civilization. But what is it about the worship of idols and its attendant rituals that the Torah regards as especially abhorrent? Why is the Torah so passionately opposed to the religious fervor of well-meaning, sincere idolaters? And what does the pagan mind find so compelling in the idea of a winter festival?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />The primary motivation behind idolatrous religion is the emotion of fear - fear of hunger, fear of sickness, and, most importantly, fear of death. Ancient mankind was driven to invent a pantheon of gods that they imagined would provide them with security against the existential threats posed to them by the unpredictable forces of nature and by their own frailty and mortality. Typically, the mythology of these pagan religious traditions included rich, vivid descriptions of the afterlife and elaborate rituals designed to ensure that one would eventually obtain eternal life. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The approach of winter was undoubtedly a frightening experience for humans in antiquity. Days shortened, temperatures dropped, trees lost their leaves and fruits, animals hibernated, food was scarce, and illness was rampant. Even the wise Adam found a reason to be anxious as Autumn came to a close, but his discovery of the consistency and beauty in the Divinely ordained patterns of nature led him away from raw terror to a greater, more satisfying recognition of God and His handiwork.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />The fear that gripped ignorant pagans during this time, by contrast, inspired them to turn even further away from the realities of nature and to seek superficial reassurance from their superstitions, believing that the “magic” of their rituals would ward off the danger posed by the cold indifference of winter. The rituals centered around chasing away the darkness, cold and death of winter, and therefore entailed kindling lights and bringing evergreen trees into the home (as if to say that, just as evergreen trees survive the winter fully intact, so should we.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This explains why the most prominent and emotionally intense celebrations on the pagan calendar took place in the wintertime. The more frightened the idolaters were, the more fervent they became in their religious engagement.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />The Torah promotes religion based not on fear and anxiety, but on love of wisdom, justice and truth. Therefore, despite the fact that Adam established a holiday at the end of December to honor God and His magnificent creation, the Torah did not incorporate it into the Jewish calendar, for fear that it would feed into the idolatrous and superstitious impulses of people who were scared of winter temperatures and winter darkness.<br /><br />Similarly, because the pagan mind was deeply preoccupied with its fear of death and desire for immortality, idolatrous religion and ritual was obsessively focused on preventing death and, where that failed, guaranteeing eternity. By contrast, although Judaism fully subscribes to a belief in the afterlife for those who pass away, it does not write one word about the World to Come, forbids kohanim (“priests”) from any involvement with the dead, and prohibits a person who has contact with a corpse from entering the Temple or offering sacrifices, assigning him the severest form of ritual impurity. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Without a doubt, the goal of the Torah here was to differentiate itself from the fear-driven superstitions of idol worship. The Torah does not want us to run away from our fears and into the embrace of religion. It wants us to serve God, seek knowledge and pursue mitzvah observance out of love, for their own sake. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />If the Torah was so careful to avoid the establishment of any winter celebrations, why did the Rabbis advocate the institution of Hanukkah, which practically coincides with the “holiday season” of the gentiles? Moreover, how could they allow it to become a “festival of lights”, seemingly an endorsement of the pagan overtones of this time of year?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />It seems that our Sages understood that the very nature of the miracles of Hanukkah provided them a golden opportunity to reclaim the original “winter festival”, initiated by Adam and Eve, that had been hijacked and corrupted by the vile forces of paganism. This is because the events commemorated on Hanukkah embodied the ultimate triumph of genuine faith, wisdom and truth against paganism, moral bankruptcy and primitive superstition. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The Syrian Greeks sought to impose their materialist, idolatrous worldview upon all of their subjects and to rid the earth of the contrary influence of monotheism, justice, and Torah that was championed by the Jews. The victory of a small, untrained group of kohanim over the mighty army of the Syrian Greeks, followed by the rededication of the Temple and the reestablishment of Jewish religious life in the land of Israel against all odds, was really a victory for Divine Wisdom and truth over primitive paganism, ignorance and superstition. The lights of the menorah, rather than magically “warding off” demonic forces of death and destruction, reflected the eternally enlightening power of Torah and wisdom that no human regime, however evil, determined or unscrupulous, will ever manage to extinguish or eliminate. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Because the Hanukkah celebration was in its essence a celebration of the defeat of idolatry and the primacy of Torah truth, the Sages had no fear that this “winter festival” would ever be corrupted or distorted by the insidious influence of paganism. On the contrary, Hanukkah became the ideal occasion for us to acknowledge the real light that illuminates and warms us even amidst the cold darkness of the winter months - the light of Hashem’s wisdom, Hashem’s Torah and Hashem’s commandments. <br /> </span></span>Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-38517413534905441332017-03-05T19:04:00.001-05:002017-03-05T22:13:55.278-05:00Letter to My Daughter - Thoughts on Jewish Feminism<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dearest Zehara,<br /><br />When you were born<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>we made a huge catered party because we wanted to be sure that it was clear that our celebration of the birth of a girl was no less joyous and exciting than the celebration we held for the birth of your brother just a few years previously. We were honestly thrilled to be blessed with you, even though, judging by your fussiness, you weren’t as thrilled to be joining us.<br /><br />Zehara, we never intended to educate you any differently than we educated your brothers. Our hope was that you would grow up exactly as you are today - a young woman who is naturally a feminist, confident but not self conscious or pretentious in her feminism. You are proud of being a Jewish woman, you were in awe of becoming a Bat Mitzvah, you love studying Torah and keeping the mitzvot, but you don’t feel the need to “protest” against the voices in the Orthodox community who think that your religious life is less important than that of a boy.<br /><br />When you became a Bat Mitzvah, you insisted that accommodations be made so that you would be able to eat breakfast after davening, not before. Your insistence was a gentle one but you did not compromise your principles one iota. The school was wrong for offering breakfast after davening only in the seventh grade, when the boys become Bar Mitzvah, and not in sixth grade, when the girls become Benot Mitzvah. <br /><br />The administration of the school made a weak attempt to talk you out of your position, mentioning that some rabbis hold that women are allowed to eat before Shaharit, or that, according to some, women don’t really have to pray Shemoneh Esreh at all. But you correctly responded that this made no sense, because men and women have exactly the same prayer obligations. You were having none of it, and you won. That is my ZZ.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the idea of you reading the Megillah was suggested, you did not worry about the social or political implications of having a woman perform this mitzvah publicly. You didn’t think of it as controversial - of course a girl can read the Megillah according to halakha, she is equally included in the mitzvah, so what need was there for any further discussion? Neither did you try to show off or ruffle the feathers of those who may be uncomfortable with it. You just accepted the challenge and started studying. <br /><br />Your identity as a Jew and your identity as a woman are not in conflict with one another. They are beautifully integrated within you, like the many strands of a havdala candle combine together to produce a single, sacred flame that cuts the darkness effortlessly. You have always had the ability to continue forward with confidence, trusting Hashem implicitly, and He has always been there for you, illuminating the path ahead.<br /><br />In our society, we often hear talk of the “glass ceiling”. The glass ceiling refers to the idea that there is an invisible barrier that prevents women from rising too high or achieving too much in their chosen fields. We can’t see this barrier because it is not a physical ceiling. It is a cultural barrier, a concept, a limit on how much our society believes it is “OK” for a woman to succeed before the men feel threatened. When a woman reaches great heights, our society, without even thinking, naturally places obstacles in her path and attempts to stop her from advancing any further. <br /><br />Zehara, if ever a glass ceiling was above your head, you’ve shattered it and you haven’t even noticed. You’ve followed your dreams with positivity and determination and have never ceased soaring heavenward. Nothing has stopped you yet, and I don’t believe anything will in the future, because Hashem is with you. And the reason he is with you is because, in your heart and mind, you’ve always been with Him. <br /><br />We will never forget the time you submitted artwork for the Montgomery County Water Authority contest. The prize was <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">one hundred</span> dollars and the honor of having your drawing featured on one of the pages of that year’s calendar. Thousands of students from dozens of schools participated in the contest, but this did not matter to you - you were already planning what you would do with the money. <br /><br />I did not want to discourage you or detract from your boundless optimism, but I felt obligated to remind you that there were thousands of participants, and that you might not actually win. You ignored this inconvenient detail and proceeded on the assumption that you would win. And, as we all know, you turned out to be right. Win you did. Again.<br /><br />Then there was the time that I was earnestly seeking an alternative to the rabbinate. I wanted to stop working as a shul rabbi and seek some other form of employment, some other career. You were not happy about this; for some unknown reason, you wanted me to remain a shul rabbi. You insisted on it. Well, once again, your prayer was answered, and I wound up the rabbi not of one, but of two shuls at the same time! Thanks a lot, ZZ.<br /><br />Zehara, now that you are a woman, I would like to share with you just a small part of the story of how I became a so-called Jewish feminist. After all, in most ways, I am very traditional, religiously and otherwise. I’m even a bit old fashioned. How did I wind up a vocal advocate for women’s learning, committed to equal educational opportunities for boys and girls? <br /><br />The truth is that I did not always think this way. There was a time that I accepted the more traditional view about women, a view that suggests that their Torah learning should be more limited than the boys’ and is not as important. I imagine that if you had grown up with a father that believed those things, if you had been raised in a household with the previous version of me, you would have had a very different experience! <br /><br />Obviously, today, I am very, very far from that traditional view. In fact, I reject that view. I’m not going to provide you with a detailed map of the path I have traveled or a catalogue of the choices I have made and the consequences I have endured as a result. And I’m not going to use this as an opportunity to offer you a full, comprehensive picture of all that I feel and think about how the role of women in Judaism should be understood. But I would like to tell you about how and why I began the process of changing my perspective and moving away from the old fashioned one. <br /><br />Zehara, in life, we can’t always pinpoint the very moment that the direction of our thinking about a subject began to shift. But I will never forget the day that my mind was opened and my perspective on feminism changed forever. A professor of mine in graduate school was teaching us about the history of education of deaf and mute children. <br /><br />Did you know that for most of history, it was assumed that people who could not hear or speak were also unable to think or learn? Did you know that children who were deaf and mute were considered mentally retarded and were not given any education at all? Nowadays, we know that even though these children have special challenges, they can still be just as brilliant, thoughtful, and curious as anyone else. They can learn just as well as anyone else. We just have to use different methods of teaching them, methods that don’t involve the listening and talking we usually depend on.<br /><br />This may not seem earth shattering to you, but to me, at that time, it was. After all, the Mishnah and Gemara, the Halakha, declares that deaf-mutes are not responsible for keeping the mitzvot because they lack intelligence. Our own great Rabbis believed that deaf-mutes were mentally retarded and could not be educated. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They didn’t think this way because they disliked people with disabilities or wanted to discriminate against them. They thought this way because this was the way that everyone thought back then. This was the “science” of their times, science that continued to be believed, and taught, and followed until just about a hundred years ago.<br /><br />Our Rabbis knew that people who were mentally retarded could not be expected to keep the mitzvot. They also “knew”, based on the best information available to them, that people who were deaf-mutes were mentally retarded. Through no fault of their own, they made a mistake.<br /><br />It slowly dawned on me that the Rabbis’ thoughts about women and girls must also have been based on the science of their times. They saw that women were not as intellectually inclined, as academically sophisticated or as curious about the world as men were. They saw that girls behaved more emotionally, more sensitively, more playfully and less seriously and studiously than boys. <br /><br />They assumed what everyone else at that point in history assumed - that girls naturally had less intelligence than boys, that women were better suited to housework than homework, that the highest goal of a woman should be motherhood rather than Torah knowledge, and that females should be educated differently than males, or not at all.<br /><br />Our Rabbis cannot be blamed for this error any more than they can be blamed for believing the world was flat or that the sun revolved around the Earth. The holy Sages were not, G-D forbid, misogynists - they did not hate women or disrespect women. On the contrary, they passed many, many laws - laws that became part of the Halakha - in order to protect the rights and dignity of women, to prevent them from being abused or mistreated by the men in their lives or in their communities, to ensure that they would be shielded from any harm. <br /><br />Women were always treated with respect and reverence in the Jewish world. The Book of Melakhim tells us about how Shelomo Hamelekh, King Solomon, reacted when his mother came to visit him in his palace, “And when Batsheva came to Shelomo to speak with him…the King stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for her. She sat at his right hand.” King Solomon showed the ultimate respect to his mother. He did not accord any less honor to his mother than he would to his father, and neither should we. <br /><br />The Rabbis knew that women are precious to Hashem and created in His image. However, they believed that women were granted less intellectual ability than men and that they were not capable of achieving the heights in Torah and spirituality that men could. They based their view on what they believed to be scientific observation - the same scientific observation that led Aristotle, the greatest of the Greek philosophers, to believe that women were not equal to men. <br /><br />But there was another great Greek philosopher with a different opinion: Aristotle’s teacher, the illustrious Plato. Plato taught that men and women were absolutely equal in every way, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. He was ahead of his time, because he realized that appearances can be deceiving. He said that sometimes we need to ignore appearances completely and look beyond the surface in order to discover what is, as you used to say, “for really real.”<br /><br />It was true that women behaved differently from men. It was true that girls had less serious interests than boys. It was true that the females focused more on food and clothing and relationships than the males did. But this didn’t stem from their inner nature as women or girls. It did not have to be that way. It happened because the girls were raised differently than the boys. <br /><br />Girls weren’t encouraged by their parents or by their communities to study seriously, to develop their minds, or to think deeply. So they didn’t. Girls were taught how to cook, sew, keep house, and raise children. So they did. But if they had been given the same opportunities as the boys, and had been educated the same way as the boys, then they would have equalled or surpassed the boys in knowledge, sophistication and wisdom. <br /><br />People mistakenly believed there were real differences of mind and soul between men and women. Great people, including Aristotle and even our Sages, were convinced that women were less intellectually and spiritually capable than men, that educating women would be a waste of time. But what these thinkers were actually observing were differences in the way men and women were taught, trained, and raised, not differences in how men and women were created.<br /><br />Plato understood this, and in understanding this he was over 2,000 years ahead of the rest of the human race. Even his own student, Aristotle, couldn’t see what his wise teacher saw. Plato lived in the fifth century BCE, about 2500 years ago. That was about 2300 years before John Stuart Mill, who lived in the 19th century, would begin writing and speaking out about these ideas and insisting that women be given more and better educational opportunities. Today, we know that Plato and John Stuart Mill had it right when almost everyone else had it wrong.<br /><br />If the Rabbis of the Talmud had known all that we know today about deaf-mutes and their ability to learn, there is no doubt in my mind that they would have taught and applied the Halakha differently than they did. Had they possessed more accurate scientific knowledge, they would not have treated deaf-mutes as mentally retarded and would not have excluded them from the community of Torah learners and mitzvah-performers.<br /><br />Similarly, had our Sages understood what we do today about the innate equality of males and females - if they had had the privilege of seeing brilliant female brain surgeons, lawyers, mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and Torah scholars - there is no question that they would have had a totally different view of the proper role of women in Jewish life. <br /><br />Many of the statements about women in the Talmud and Midrash, and some of the halakhot applicable to women, reflect the Rabbis’ own beliefs about women, beliefs that they mistakenly thought were “scientific facts.” Today we realize that many of these ideas were totally incorrect. But just because we know more than the Rabbis did about women doesn’t automatically mean that we can change the rules of Jewish law on our own. <br /><br />On the contrary, we must continue to observe the Halakha as it was formulated by our Rabbis thousands of years ago. That is the way the system of Torah that Hashem gave us is supposed to work - its laws remain fixed and can only be changed by an official Rabbinic Supreme Court called a Sanhedrin. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, we eagerly await the arrival of Mashiach and the establishment of a new Sanhedrin that will review and update any laws that are incompatible with current scientific knowledge, including knowledge about the equality of the sexes. In the meantime, though, within the limits of the halakha as it exists now, we must live out our Judaism in light of our awareness that there is no intellectual or spiritual difference between women and men. <br /><br />Zehara, to me, you are the ultimate proof of this eternal truth. You embrace your uniquely female qualities. You love being a young woman and enjoy the blessings of femininity. Yet you also engage in Torah study with the fullness of your mind and soul; not as a girl or woman, but as a Jew who seeks knowledge. You pray with intensity and sincerity, not as a girl or woman, but as a human being who yearns for closeness to Hashem.<br /><br />Zehara Yehudit Maroof, your name means “Famous Jewish Light”. You are a source of “Jewish” light and inspiration to us with your amazing Megillah reading, in your study of Torah and performance of mitzvot, and in the beauty of your kind, generous and compassionate personality. <br /><br />ZZ Joon [dear ZZ], you have never been one to seek attention. But you are loved and admired by all who know you and have come to recognize your remarkable intelligence, your warmth, your concern for others, and your deep commitment to Hashem and to Torah. You really are a “Famous Jewish Light” that we pray will continue to shine brightly for many years to come. <br /><br />Like the farmer who won that big award, you are outstanding in your field! <br /><br />Love Always, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Abba</span></span>Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-14398721840595853692015-12-22T13:06:00.005-05:002020-08-13T13:12:19.003-04:00Not So Fast<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the most famous chapters in the Hebrew Bible is
Isaiah Chapter 58. General familiarity with it is due, no doubt, to the fact that it was selected by our Sages as the Haftara reading for Yom Kippur. However, its harsh and
unrelenting critique of religious hypocrisy and the shallowness of mechanical ritual
observance is most definitely the source of its immense and enduring power. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
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Contemporaries of the Prophet Isaiah complained that despite
their fasting and self-flagellation their prayers elicited no response from the
Almighty. They cast doubt upon the omniscience of God and insinuated that He
did not see their holy deeds or turned a deaf ear to their plaintive cries. The
Jews simply could not fathom why their acts of piety had no results.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;"><i>For day after day they seek me out;</i></span><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;"><i>they seem eager
to know My ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not
forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager
for God to come near them.<sup> </sup>‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,</i></span><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;"><i>‘and you have not
seen it? Why have we afflicted ourselves,</i></span><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;"><i>and you have not
noticed?’</i></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
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The prophet’s rejoinder to the people is clear and straightforward
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;"><i>“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as
you please</i></span><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;"><i>and exploit all your debtors.</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br />
<span class="text"><sup><span id="en-NIV-18791">4 </span></sup>Your fasting ends in
quarreling and strife,</span> <span class="text">and in striking each other with wicked fists.</span><br />
<span class="text">You cannot fast as you do today</span><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and expect your voice to be
heard on high.<sup>5 </sup>Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,</span><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">only a day for people to afflict
themselves?Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed</span><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and for lying in sackcloth
and ashes? Is that what you call a fast,</span><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">a day acceptable to Hashem</span><span class="text">?</span></i></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">Fasting had become a ritualistic activity, a
kind of magic strategy for winning God’s goodwill. But the fast day was mere
pageantry; there was no self-reflection, no introspection, no genuine change. Indeed,
the same unjust, violent and selfish objectives pursued on ordinary days continued
on the “sacred” days of fasting. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">Isaiah does not stop at offering a critique of
the fasting, however. He provides recommendations for a better approach to
replace it:</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<br />
<i>Is not this the fast that I have chosen - to loose the fetters of
wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free,
and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and
that you bring the poor that are<span class="textexposedshow"> cast out into your
house? When you see the naked, cover him, and that you hide not yourself from
your own flesh? </span>Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and
your healing shall spring forth speedily; and your righteousness shall go
before you, the glory of Hashem shall be your rear guard. Then shall you
call, and Hashem will answer; you shall cry, and He will say: 'Here I am.' If
you take away from the midst of you the yoke, finger-pointing, and speaking
wickedness; And if you pour out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the
afflicted soul; then shall your light rise in darkness, and your gloom be as
the noon-day." </i><br />
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">A true fast, the prophet insists, has nothing to
do with abstaining from food and drink or with dressing in sackcloth; rather,
it is a day of freeing the imprisoned and taking care of the poor, needy and
homeless. It is a day of uprooting injustice and wickedness from our midst and of
eradicating the forces of oppression. Were this to transpire on a fast day, the
prophet tells us, God would unquestionably respond to the prayers of the Jewish
people and alleviate their suffering.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">We must ask one basic question about the lesson
of Isaiah in this chapter. We can fully understand and sympathize with his
condemnation of the hypocrisy of those who afflict themselves through avoidance
of nourishment, expecting God to favor them, while continuing to pursue evil.
We can also appreciate his emphasis on the importance of facing the REAL
problems that plague Jewish society – indifference to the poor, exploitation of
the needy, obsession with material goods and power and endless conflict over them.
Addressing these issues would mean seeking to implement real, lasting change in
our communities.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">Why, though, does Isaiah claim that “this” – the
struggle against injustice – “is the fast that God has chosen”? After all, a
fast has a specific definition – it is a day of no physical indulgences, or at
the very least, no eating and drinking. Isaiah should have said “forget about
fasting – it’s not necessary – just do these things, care for the needy and the
oppressed, battle the wicked and arrogant, and then you will be redeemed”. But
he does not say that. He says that the fight for justice IS the fast. How can
this be?</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">I believe that Isaiah offers a profound insight
here that is relevant to every single one of us. Before revealing that, though,
let’s consider a more general question, a perennial mystery that is deeply
vexing and is worth exploring.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">Religious people seem to have little difficulty
observing rituals. Indeed, not only will they go to great lengths to keep the
commandments, they even embrace additional stringencies that can invite further
hardships and complications upon them. They may adopt stricter practices in the
laws of kashrut, Shabbat, or the wearing of Tefillin, and this is part and
parcel of what it means to be a religious Jew. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">At the same time, for some inexplicable reason,
religious people have tremendous difficulty keeping even the most BASIC laws
that govern conduct between themselves and other human beings. They struggle
mightily to refrain from gossip, slander, insulting or embarrassing others,
cheating in business, and other such violations of the Torah. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">Prophets and rabbis, from time immemorial, have
commented upon and bemoaned this inconsistency and hypocrisy. How can we take
our relationship with God so seriously while neglecting our relationships with
our fellow men and women – especially when these relationships are also meant
to be governed by the wisdom and laws of the Torah we revere? Why aren’t we just
as careful, just as strict, just as amenable to self-sacrifice in the area of
interpersonal mitzvoth as we are when it comes to the mitzvoth between us and
our Creator? After all, these commandments are all written in the same Torah!</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">I would like to suggest that there is a very
basic reason for this double standard. Religious ritual, because it is between the
individual and his God, is thought to elevate the person, bringing him even
closer to his Creator. In fact, when someone is more stringent in his observance,
he may believe that this makes him superior to others who are less meticulous
in their practice. In other words, at least in our imaginations, rituals can set
us apart from and above our fellows and have the power to situate us “closer to
God”, as it were. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">It is inherently appealing and relatively easy to embrace a
lifestyle that reinforces our pre-existent sense that we are especially
important to and adored by the Almighty, not to mention much more valuable in
His eyes than most of the other inhabitants of this planet.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">Laws that govern our interactions with other
people, by contrast, have just the opposite effect. They emphasize that, in
reality, we are NOT more precious, special or worthy than others simply by
virtue of some minor religious, practical or material advantage we may possess.
The homeless person who sleeps on the street is no less deserving of dignity than
I am, no less entitled to a warm bed or a hot meal than I am, and no less of a
beloved creature to God than I am. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">The person toward whom I harbor negative
feelings or who owes me money or who works for me is just as significant a
member of the human race as I am. I have no right to mistreat him, slander him
or oppress him. I have to think about his feelings, his concerns, his welfare
and his struggles. To observe these laws requires me to humble myself, to
recognize that I stand in this world on an even playing field with those around
me and that I have no inherent right or prerogative to place my needs and
desires above those of my fellow human beings.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">Let us return to the issue at hand – fasting. The
purpose of fasting is to humble oneself, to break down one’s ego, drop one’s
defenses, and honestly evaluate one’s character and conduct. However, fasting
can also be transformed into a ritual action, a ceremony that makes me feel
holier, purer, and closer to God. It can reinforce my innate sense of
superiority, encouraging me to think even more highly of myself than I did
previously and to feel even more entitled than I did before. This is precisely
what was happening in the era of Isaiah (and what continues to happen today!). </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">The fasting, rather than fostering humility and repentance, merely served to
inflate the egos of the participants, causing them to expect even more from the
Almighty and to be even less sensitive to the needs of those whom they believed
were not as important as themselves.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">This is why Isaiah explains that we
have the
concept of fasting all wrong. The essence of fasting is not pumping up
your ego
with an extra dose of piety through self-affliction but is focusing on
your
unworthiness, your flaws, and your defects. It is not about looking
heavenward
and saying “look how great I am, how much better I am than these less
religious dullards, I must be so precious to you, Oh God, so please
answer me.” </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text" style="font-size: medium;">Instead, it is about
looking at the human beings around you who are created in the image of God just
like you are and who have problems just like you do and who have families and
emotions just like you do and who are suffering from poverty and oppression,
and saying “I am NOT better than you are, I am not more entitled to blessing than
you are, I have no right to exploit or mistreat you, and I have no right to sit
idly by while you suffer the indignity and pain of being oppressed or
persecuted.” </span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><div class="line"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This, Isaiah says, is the essence of fasting –
internalizing an attitude of humility and a consciousness of our shared
humanity which will put an end to callous indifference and selfishness and will
inspire the sincere pursuit of justice world over. Abstaining from food and
drink is one way of opening our hearts to these insights but when we fail to “fast”
properly we reduce the whole exercise to an empty, and even counterproductive,
ritual. Not eating and drinking merely scratches the surface of what a genuine
fast is all about. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-56443538094343064792014-10-07T16:14:00.002-04:002014-10-07T16:14:59.561-04:00Sukkot - Bringing Heaven Down to Earth (Revised 5775)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://vesomsechel.blogspot.com/2006/10/sukkot-bringing-heaven-down-to-earth.html"><span style="color: windowtext;"></span></a> </span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">This article on Sukkot is dedicated to the
memory of my paternal grandfather, <b>Azizollah ben Michael Maroof</b>, who
passed away on the fourth day of Sukkot 5767. May his soul find its rest
in the bond of eternal life. Amen.</span></i><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br />
<br />
A Busy Month</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br />
<br />
The month of Tishre is filled to the brim with holidays. Rosh Hashana initiates
a spiritual momentum that reaches its zenith ten days later on Yom Kippur. Only
four days are then given to us to recuperate from the intensity of the Day of
Atonement before the joyous holiday of Sukkot begins. Although Rosh Hashana and
Yom Kippur share a common theme - repentance - it is more difficult to account
for the observance of Sukkot at a time of year that is already overscheduled.
Indeed, in view of the fact that Sukkot is a commemoration of our dwelling in
the wilderness of Sinai after our departure from Egypt, it could just as easily
(and, we might argue, even more logically) have been established in the
springtime after Passover. Apparently, for a deeper reason, the Torah intended
for Sukkot to be closely linked to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. What is the
conceptual relationship between the High Holidays and Sukkot that the Torah
wishes to teach us?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Enigma of the Four Species</b><br />
<br />
Before attempting to answer this fundamental question, let us examine another
aspect of the Sukkot festival. On Sukkot, The Torah commands us to "take
for ourselves" four species - a palm branch (lulav), myrtle branches
(hadasim), willow branches (aravot) and a citron (etrog) and to rejoice with
them during the holiday. In the Holy Temple, this mitsvah was performed all
seven days of Sukkot. Outside of Jerusalem, it was observed only on the first
day. After the destruction of the Temple, however, the Rabbis decreed that the
waving of the Four Species be enacted across the globe on all seven days so as
to commemorate the Temple service.<br />
<br />
The commandment of waving the species stands out from among all other
holiday-related mitsvot in one respect: The Torah offers no reason for it! The
Torah provides a rationale for eating matsah on Passover, fasting on Yom Kippur
and even for dwelling in booths on Sukkot. However, it presents us with no
explanation at all for the mitsvah of taking the Four Species.<br />
<br />
In fact, the way in which the Torah presents the obligation to celebrate with
the Lulav and Etrog in Parashat Emor is itself quite unusual:<br />
<br />
<i>And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: "Speak to the Children of Israel,
saying, 'On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is a festival of booths -
seven days dedicated to Hashem. On the first day will be a holy convocation,
you shall do no laborious work. For seven days, you shall offer fire-offerings
to Hashem; on the eighth day, it shall be for you a holy convocation, you shall
do no laborious work. These are the holidays of Hashem, holy convocations, that
you shall declare in their proper times - to offer fire-offerings to Hashem,
burnt offerings, meal offerings, peace offerings and libations, each day
according to its requirements...'"<br />
<br />
</i>At this point, it would be reasonable for the reader to conclude that the
discussion of the festivals has been concluded. But not so fast! The Torah
suddenly reverses course and reopens the subject of the holidays:<i><br />
<br />
'...However, on the fifteen day of the seventh month, when you are gathering
the produce of the land, celebrate the holiday of Hashem for seven days - the
first day shall be a rest day, and the eighth day shall be a rest day. And you
shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a beautiful tree
[etrog], palm branches, the branch of a myrtle tree and willow branches, and
you shall rejoice before Hashem your God seven days... In booth shall you dwell
for seven days....' And Moshe told the holidays of Hashem to the Children of
Israel.<br />
</i><br />
On the surface, it seems as if the mitsvot of Sukkot are appended to the
discussion of the holidays as an "afterthought". Why did the Torah
first summarize its entire treatment of the festivals and only then revisit
Sukkot in more detail? Couldn't the Torah have provided us with a complete
account of the holiday the first time around? Furthermore, we must wonder why
the final section of the Parasha begins with the word "however".
"However" usually introduces a new statement that will contradict
expectations generated by a previous statement (ex. "it was hot outside;
however, Jim did not turn on the air conditioning"). Here though, not only
does the presentation of Sukkot not contradict the preceding material, it
actually elaborates on and clarifies it! There is no doubt that the striking
manner in which the Torah teaches us about the laws of Sukkot is meant to give
us insight into their underlying significance.<br />
<br />
<b><br />
Adam, Eve and Mother Earth<br />
<br />
</b>In order to solve the mystery of the Four Species and develop a better
appreciation of Sukkot in general, let us consider the teachings of our Rabbis
on the subject. Nachmanides in particular offers us several hints that we may be
able to utilize in our quest for an explanation of the Species. In his
commentary to Parashat Emor, he mentions that the purpose of the commandment is
to rectify the sin of Adam, the first man, who consumed the fruit of the Tree
of Knowledge of Good and Evil. According to one Midrashic opinion, the fruit
that Adam erred with was the Etrog. Apparently, through utilizing the Etrog for
a mitsvah, we obtain atonement for the mistake of our ancestor. Nachmanides
also cites a Midrash that, at first blush, sounds quite surprising:<br />
<br />
<i>"Fruit of a beautiful (hadar) tree" - this is the Holy One,
Blessed is He, as it states, "Glory and splendor (hadar) are before
Him".<br />
"Palm branches (temarim)" - this is the Holy One, Blessed is He, as
it states, "The Righteous One sprouts like a palm."<br />
"Myrtle branches" - this is the Holy One, Blessed is He, as it
states, "And He stands among the myrtles".<br />
"Willow branches (aravot)" - this is the Holy One, Blessed is He, as
it states, "Praise He Who rides above the heavens (aravot)."<br />
</i><br />
How can the Midrash suggest that the Four Species represent Hashem Himself?
Taken literally, this notion is not only blasphemous, it would be idolatrous.
What did the Rabbis intend to teach us with this homiletic interpretation?<br />
<br />
Let us consider one further Midrash of our Sages concerning the Lulav and
Etrog. We know that in addition to holding the Four Species in our hands, we
wave them in every direction during the Hallel prayer. This is said to be done
in imitation of the trees of the field that tremble with joy when they witness
the judgment of God. The Rabbis base this concept upon a verse in the Book of
Psalms:<br />
<br />
<i>"The field will exult and all that is in it."<br />
<br />
"The field will exult" - this refers to the world.<br />
<br />
"And all that is in it" - this refers to the creatures.<br />
<br />
"Then all the trees of the forest will rejoice - before Hashem, for He has
come to judge the Earth."<br />
<br />
Why do the trees rejoice? Because Hashem has come on Rosh Hashana and Yom
Kippur. And what has He come to do? "He will judge the Earth in righteousness
and the peoples in fairness."<br />
</i><br />
Here the Rabbis emphasize a thematic connection between Rosh Hashana, Yom
Kippur and Sukkot that manifests itself specifically in the waving of the Four
Species. Through performing the mitsvah of Lulav and Etrog, we participate with
nature, as it were, in its celebration of the Divine judgment that was
finalized on Yom Kippur. To some extent, we understand that the description of
trees rejoicing is meant in a metaphoric or poetic vein. But what do the
Psalmist, and the Rabbis who elucidated his words, intend to teach us by
utilizing this imagery? After all, what significance could Hashem's evaluation
of human beings possibly have for the vegetation of the Earth?<br />
<br />
<b><br />
Yom Kippur and Sukkot<br />
<br />
</b>I believe we are now in a position to develop a more comprehensive and
meaningful approach to understanding the Tishre holidays in general and Sukkot
in particular. Let us begin by considering the thematic objectives of Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur in greater depth.<br />
<br />
The overarching purpose of the High Holidays is for the Jewish people to repent
before God. However, repentance is not a simple mitsvah. It is interesting to
note that, no matter how much we repent, there always seems to be more to do.
The process never reaches any definite conclusion. What accounts for this
unusual state of affairs?<br />
<br />
An analogy will lead us to the answer. Consider the removal of weeds from a
garden. No matter how many times one hacks away weeds, they regrow quickly if
the roots are not dug out. Cutting the vegetation above the surface of the
ground is not sufficient because it is really just a manifestation of the root
beneath. In the same sense, it is clear that the problems addressed in
repentance - i.e., the particular sins we commit and promise to discontinue -
are merely symptoms of an underlying spiritual "disorder" that cannot
be resolved in a superficial way. If we are to develop as Jews, we must proceed
to the "root" and attempt to dislodge it. Fortunately, the Torah
helps us by identifying the character of the ailment we've diagnosed as well as
providing us with a remedy for it.<br />
<br />
The Torah teaches that from time immemorial, we human beings have found
ourselves grappling with a fundamental moral dilemma that makes itself felt in
every area of our individual and collective activity. On one hand, we recognize
that we are small, frail beings with limited lifespans who stand in the
presence of an Eternal and Inscrutable Creator. Every element of the material
Universe, whether grand or minute, is governed by the principles of God's
infinite knowledge. Intuitively, we realize that, as part of the created order,
we too should admire and adhere to the dictates of His wisdom. Human life, if
it is to have any lasting significance, must be organized around and shaped by
a study of God's truth. Human beings must seek a connection with the ultimate
reality if they have any hope of "being real" themselves.<br />
<br />
At the same time, though, we naturally seek to dominate our environments and
yearn to establish our own independent criteria of truth and morality. We
strive to create personal, financial or political empires that will testify to
the fact that we are "gods, knowing good and evil." In order to fully
devote ourselves to these goals, we must ignore or deny the fact that we are
nothing more than tiny parts of a Divinely governed Universe. We must orient
ourselves to our environments in a utilitarian, pleasure-seeking manner that
focuses us on the sensual aspects of world and blinds us from perceiving the
intrinsic beauty and wisdom that they manifest. Only then can we manage to
nurture our fantasies of grandeur and style ourselves creators rather than
creations.<br />
<br />
Before they sinned, Adam and Eve oriented themselves to the world as seekers of
truth whose primary desire was to understand the Universe and their place in
it. However, once they began manipulating their environment for purposes of
pleasure, they became conscious of their own moral freedom and their ability to
generate a manmade value system that would revolve around their own personal
agendas rather than God's plan. This immediately hurled them into the throes of
a painful internal conflict, i.e., they were attracted to the pursuit of wisdom
but could not release themselves from the grip of their newfound egotistical
and hedonistic fantasies. We, as the descendants of Adam and Eve, continue to
contend with the intellectual and moral dilemma they bequeathed to us. The vast
majority of our sins result from setbacks in our constant struggle with this
problem.<br />
<br />
The power of the High Holidays lies in the fact that they throw this
fundamental conflict into clear relief. The sound of the Shofar on Rosh Hashana
awakens us from our self-imposed dogmatic slumbers and refocuses our minds on
the reality of God's Kingship and its implications. On Yom Kippur, we go even
further, demonstrating our recognition of Hashem's holiness through a complete
renunciation of the materialistic worldview that enticed Adam and Eve.
Separating from all bodily pleasures and selfish pursuits, devoting every
moment of our time to reflection on Hashem's greatness, we immerse ourselves in
the ultimate truth. On this day we reach the pinnacle of awareness of God, such
that the Torah says "<b><i>before Hashem</i></b>, shall you be
purified." The very process of tearing away our illusions and focusing on
God's transcendence can purify and transform us. Yom Kippur, then, is the
intellectual antidote to the tradition of sin that has its roots in the Garden
of Eden.<br />
<br />
It should be immediately obvious that Yom Kippur, though necessary for our
growth, is by no means sufficient. Prayers and fasting certainly offer us a
powerful experience of clarification and intensive focus. However, we know full
well that, as soon as we return to our conventional daily routines, whatever effects
Yom Kippur has had will wear off quickly. Involvement in the day-to-day pursuit
of a livelihood as well as exposure to temptations of pleasure and prestige
will overtake us and cause us to lose a handle on the ideas that seemed so
clear at Neilah time. Simply stated, real change cannot be effected in the
abstract. It requires a shift in how we actually perceive, understand and
respond to the concrete realia of everyday life. How can a more effective
bridge be made from the spiritual heights of Yom Kippur to the mundane world of
the physical and temporal?<br />
<br />
Sukkot is the Torah's answer to this problem. On Sukkot, it is precisely the
physical dimension of our existence that is addressed. We eat, drink, and sleep
in the Sukkah. Every act of dwelling, no matter how apparently insignificant,
is transformed into a mitsvah. Through fulfilling the commandment of Sukkah, we
remain "before Hashem" - cognizant of His transcendence - while
engaging in the very activities that usually distract us from Him. This is why,
in describing Sukkot, the Torah states "And you shall celebrate <b><i>before
Hashem</i></b> for seven days." The institution of Sukkot does not allow
us to leave our experience of God's presence behind after Yom Kippur. On the
contrary, we must extend it and carry it along with us into the Sukkah. Only
then can our new level of abstract understanding begin to exert a substantial
influence on the way we live our lives.<br />
<br />
<b><br />
Giving a New Meaning to the Term "Fieldwork"<br />
<br />
</b>What is it about the Sukkah that makes it the ideal vehicle for 'extending'
the Yom Kippur experience? Further reflection on the primary cause of human sin
will help us appreciate the Torah's wisdom in its selection of Sukkot for this
purpose.<br />
<br />
As mentioned above, human beings fall into error when they disconnect
themselves from nature and its lawfulness. Rather than seeing themselves as
part of the Creation that should be living in harmony with it, they separate
from it and attempt to lord over it. The Sukkah reverses this trend by placing
us back "into the field", as it were, like Adam and Eve before their
sin. Unlike a house whose artificial character reinforces our illusion of
isolation from the Universe, the Sukkah reintegrates us with the natural world
and its Source.<br />
<br />
Thus, the Sukkah allows us to keep God at the forefront of our minds, even as
we eat, drink and rejoice. In this sense, it gives us a taste of the ideal
state of human perfection, as formulated by Maimonides in his laws of Character
Traits:<br />
<br />
<i>A person must direct all of his actions toward achieving knowledge of God
alone. So that his sitting, standing, and speech are all instrumental to this
goal...Thus, a person who walks in this way all of his days is serving Hashem
constantly - even at the times that he is engaged in business dealings and even
when he is involved in marital relations - because his purpose in doing these
activities is to satisfy his bodily needs so he can serve Hashem. And even at
the time he is sleeping, if he sleeps so that his mind can rest and his body
doesn't become sick - for it is impossible to serve Hashem when one is sick -
then it turns out that his sleeping is service of God, blessed be He. And it is
regarding this topic that our Rabbis commanded and said, "All of your
actions should be for the sake of Heaven." And so did King Solomon say in
his wisdom, "In all your ways you should know Him."</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Demystifying the Midrashim<br />
<br />
</b>With this foundation in place, we can begin to understand the Midrashim
introduced earlier. We wondered about the meaning of the
"personification" of the trees of the field that we find in the
poetry of the Psalms and in the discourses of our Rabbis. Now, the thrust of
these texts becomes much clearer. The natural world, the "field"
mentioned in Psalms, is already praising its Creator through conforming to His
laws and statutes. On Sukkot, we literally enter the "field", and we
grasp the produce of the "field" in our hands as we give thanks to
God in Hallel. Through this, we demonstrate our sense of unity and solidarity
with Creation. No longer are we struggling to distinguish ourselves from the
rest of the Universe. On the contrary, we now seek to study, extol, and live in
accordance with the magnificent design of the Almighty.<br />
<br />
The Rabbis imply that, metaphorically speaking, the trees of the field "await"
our arrival after the High Holidays. The entire physical Universe reflects the
infinite wisdom of its Creator without resistance or reservation. Only mankind
diverges from this pattern and attempts to establish an artificial, alternative
world order that suits human ambitions and aspirations. As long as human beings
remain out of step with the rest of the Universe, the natural world is somewhat
deficient in its praise of God.<br />
<br />
When the Jewish people returns to Hashem on Yom Kippur, we lay the groundwork
for a spiritual renaissance - for reassuming our position as servants of Hashem
rather than slaves of human agenda. This itself is reason enough for the rest
of creation to rejoice. However, these feelings of optimism will be short-lived
unless the sense of God's presence that we achieved on Yom Kippur is allowed to
permeate our worldview in its totality and effect permanent change in our
outlook. Our observance of Sukkot is meant to encourage us to translate the
momentary epiphany of Neilah into a completely new orientation toward the
material world. When we enter the Sukkah and grasp the Four Species,
identifying with the vegetation of the Earth, we begin to view our own role in
the world from a much more realistic standpoint - a standpoint that will we
will hopefully internalize for good.<br />
<br />
This also sheds light on the surprising Midrash that seemed to equate each of
the Four Species with Hashem. Understood properly, the Rabbis did not, God
forbid, intend to imply that physical objects could serve as representations of
the Almighty. Instead, they meant to point out that the transformation we
undergo on the High Holidays revolutionizes the way in which we view our
environment. The instinctually or egotistically driven person who sees an Etrog
will immediately consider it in terms of his own agenda - what does it taste
like? Would it make a nice stew? Could I go into the Etrog farming business and
be successful? Approaching the world through this framework is a tremendous
liability, because it feeds into a human-centered view of the Universe. The
more a person with this attitude is exposed to the resources of the material
world, the further he will become steeped in the pursuit of instinctual
gratification.<br />
<br />
The person of Torah, by contrast, sees in the diverse qualities of the Species
the providential design of the Creator that is revealed through them. Holding
the Species together underscores the fact that, despite the differences they
exhibit on a superficial, sensory level, all four of them derive from the same
harmonious system of natural law. When he gazes upon the Lulav, Etrog, Hadassim
and Aravot, he sees Hashem - in other words, he moves beyond their physical
characteristics and perceives the Divine wisdom they embody. The framework
through which he processes his experiences is fundamentally different than that
of the materialist, and this impacts the way he understands his environment and
behaves within it. Because his whole perspective on the material world is
rooted in his knowledge of God, exposure to its beauty can only propel him
toward further dedication to Divine service.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Uniqueness of Sukkot<br />
<br />
</b>At this juncture we can make sense out of the unusual structure of Parashat
Emor. Why does the Torah introduce Sukkot, seem to conclude the treatment of
the holidays, and then introduce and explain Sukkot in greater detail? And why
is the revisiting of Sukkot begun with the term "however"?<br />
<br />
A closer examination of the Parasha's words will reveal the answer. In the
first "conclusion" of Emor, we read:<br />
<br />
<i>These are the holidays of Hashem, holy convocations, that you shall declare
in their proper times - to offer fire-offerings to Hashem, burnt offerings,
meal offerings, peace offerings and libations, each day according to its
requirements. This is in addition to the Sabbaths of Hashem, and in addition to
all of the gifts, pledges and donations that you give to Hashem. However, on
the fifteenth day of the seventh month....<br />
<br />
</i>The Torah did not intend to close its discussion of the holidays at this
point. Rather, the Torah meant to emphasize a crucial distinction between
Sukkot and the remainder of Biblical holidays. On all other holidays, the
ultimate experience of being "before Hashem" is restricted to the
Holy Temple where offerings are brought. Average Israelites would visit the
Temple on the Festivals and would draw profound inspiration from it, but their
role would never be crossed with that of the Kohanim.<br />
<br />
On Sukkot, though, the concept of being "before Hashem" becomes
common property. It is firmly implanted in our minds on Yom Kippur and
integrated into our experience of daily living through the Sukkah and Four
Species. On Sukkot, we achieve the ideal of becoming a kingdom of priests and a
holy nation, of incorporating awareness of God into the most mundane aspects of
our existence. The clearest indication of this new status is the mitsvah of
waving the Four Species, which - although it is considered part of the
seven-day Temple service for Sukkot, and should logically be restricted to
Kohanim in Jerusalem - is performed by all Jews world over on the first day of
Sukkot (and, since the destruction of the Temple, for all seven days of the
holiday.) Because Sukkot transforms the very manner in which we relate to our
environment, and ourselves it has the capacity of extending the holiness of the
Mikdash beyond its physical borders. On this Festival, the Jewish people create
their own personal sanctuaries in the form of Sukkot and are slightly less
dependent upon the Holy Temple to represent God's presence for them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">This idea helps us to appreciate a fascinating
pattern in Jewish history the first indication of which we may observe in the
account of the dedication of the First Temple in Jerusalem. King Solomon
selected what would seem to be a peculiar time to schedule the epic celebration
that would accompany the “grand opening” event:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“And King Solomon gathered all of the people
of Israel in the Month of Etanim, at the time of the Festival (Sukkot) which
was in the seventh month…And at that time Solomon observed the holiday amidst a
great assembly that stretched from the approach to Hamath until the river of
Egypt, before Hashem our God, seven days and seven days for a total of fourteen
days. And on the eighth day (Shemini Atseret) he sent the people home…”</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">For some reason, the wisest of kings chose to
plan the seven day dedication of the Temple such that it seamlessly flowed into
the holiday of Sukkot, another seven day period of rejoicing. On the surface,
this would appear to be a poor decision – overwhelming the nation with an
excess of festivity rather than allowing them a few weeks or months to recover
before the holiday. Interestingly, however, we find that Ezra, upon
consecrating the Second Temple, opted for similar timing:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“And all of Israel gathered like one person in
the street before the Water Gate and asked Ezra the Scribe to bring the Torah
Scroll of Moshe that Hashem had commanded the people of Israel. And Ezra the
Kohen brought the Torah before the people – men, women and anyone with
understanding to listen – on the first day of the seventh month (Rosh Hashana)…And
they found written in the Torah what Hashem commanded by the hand of Moshe,
that the Children of Israel should dwell in booths during the festival of the
seventh month…and the entire assembly of returnees from captivity constructed
booths and dwelled in them – for the Children of Israel had not done so from
the time of Joshua the son of Nun until that day – and it was a very great joy.”</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In light of what we now understand, the
explanation of this trend is clear. Sukkot is inextricably linked to the
holiness of the Mikdash and its expansion outward to include the entire Jewish people
who are dwelling in their own personal Sukkot. What greater opportunity to
highlight this concept than to proceed directly from the dedication of the Holy
Temple to the holiday that provides us with the most direct and intimate
experience of its sanctity? Both King Solomon and Ezra intended to accentuate
this element of the Sukkot festival so as to strengthen and deepen the relationship
between the people of Israel and their newly consecrated House of God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br />
<b>Commemoration of the Exodus<br />
<br />
</b>We can now understand how Sukkot can function both as a commemoration of
our dwelling in the Wilderness of Sinai as well as an addendum to the High
Holidays. Yom Kippur leaves us in the lurch, bringing us to a spiritual high
that is difficult to sustain once we've gone back to our usual routines. Sukkot
enables us to extend the heightened awareness of God that we've attained - our
state of being "before Hashem" - and to bring it back "down to
earth" in the form of Sukkah and Lulav. This is precisely the purpose that
the sojourn in the wilderness had for the Jewish people. Experiences of Divine
revelation in Egypt and at Sinai were powerful and transformational, but their
impact could have easily become diminished if the Jews had not been given the
opportunity to fully absorb their implications. During their time in the
desert, the Jewish people proceeded under the direct, intimate and watchful eye
of Divine Providence. This offered them the chance to internalize God's message
by<i> living it </i>before they would have to meet the challenge of
conventional existence in the Land of Israel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br />
<b>The Time of Our Joy<br />
<br />
</b>Our study of Sukkot has revealed to us the reason why the Torah established
it as the culmination of the annual cycle of holidays. Whereas Passover,
Shavuot and the Days of Awe teach us the fundamental ideas and principles of
Judaism, Sukkot focuses on integrating the ideals of Torah with realities of
mundane existence in this world. Through Sukkot, we become connected with nature
on a different level, and this enables us to relate our daily activities to our
intellectual and spiritual mission.<br />
<br />
This understanding of Sukkot can explain another aspect of its identity. The
Torah describes Sukkot as an especially festive holiday:<br />
<br />
<i>Seven days shall you celebrate this holiday of Hashem, in the place which
Hashem will choose - for Hashem, your God, has blessed you with your produce
and all the work of your hands, and you shall be purely joyous.</i><br />
<br />
The Rabbis of the Talmud elaborate on this further:<br />
<br />
<i>The Rabbis stated that one who never had the opportunity to see the
celebration of Sukkot (Simhat Bet Hashoeva) never saw real joy in his entire
life.<br />
<br />
</i>Indeed, even in our prayers on Sukkot, we refer to it as "the time of
our Joy", a phrase we don't apply to any other holiday, no matter how
joyous. What is it about Sukkot that introduces an additional element of
happiness into its observance?<br />
<br />
I believe that the answer to this question is provided by Maimonides at the end
of his Laws of Shofar, Sukkah and Lulav. He writes:<br />
<br />
<i>Even though it is a mitsvah to celebrate on all of the holidays, on the
holiday of Sukkot there was a higher level of celebration in the Temple, as it
is written, "you shall rejoice before Hashem for seven days"....The
happiness a person experiences in the performance of the commandments and in
the love of God who commanded them is a great form of service. And anyone who
holds himself back from this joy deserves to be punished, as the Torah states,
"because you did not serve Hashem your God with joy and a good
heart." And anyone who behaves arrogantly and assigns honor to himself and
overestimates his importance in these areas is a sinner and a fool....<br />
<br />
</i>Maimonides echoes the statement of our Rabbis that Sukkot is the epitome of
joyous holidays. He then proceeds to expound upon the importance of joy in the
context of Divine service in general. On the surface, the Rambam's description
here seems strange. How can being happy be a form of <i>service</i>? Isn't it
simply a state of mind that either does or does not affect us?<br />
<br />
In reality, the Rambam is offering us a profound insight. An illustration drawn
from common experience will clarify his point. We have all found ourselves in
circumstances where, because of preoccupation or distraction, we are unable to
enjoy a happy occasion. We may be in attendance at a wedding but our concerns
weigh upon us so heavily that we are not able to "throw ourselves"
into the unrestrained joy that surrounds us. The presence of inhibition or
inner conflict stops us from immersing ourselves in the pleasure of dancing,
singing, etc. We may go through the motions, but our heart is not fully
invested in the process. For this reason, our experience of the celebration
remains incomplete.<br />
<br />
The same circumstance obtains on all holidays of the Jewish year, except for
Sukkot. On Passover, Shavuot, etc., although we are happy, we still experience
an element of inner strain, an inability to fully engage in celebration. A
dissonance exists between the abstract ideas we are studying and our own
spiritual state. We are not yet "at one" with the theme of the
holiday, its message still needs to be internalized. Even from a practical
perspective, the harvest - which is another element of our holiday observances
- has not yet been concluded, so we have concrete reasons to be preoccupied as
well.<br />
<br />
By contrast, on Sukkot, we have become fully integrated personalities. We find
ourselves in harmony with our environment, with our value system and with
Hashem. Inner turmoil is absent. Furthermore, Sukkot comes at a time when the
produce has been collected from the fields, so that our agricultural concerns
can safely be put to rest. Because we feel free of inhibition, preoccupation or
reservation, we are capable of being fully engaged in the holiday experience.
We can invest the entirety of our being - intellectual, emotional and physical
- into the mitsvot of Sukkot, thus taking unmitigated pleasure in serving God.<br />
<br />
It is now clear why the internal sense of joy we feel on the holidays is vitally
important for our growth. The more completely we immerse ourselves in Torah and
mitsvot, the more we develop our appreciation of Hashem's wisdom and cleave to
His commandments. At the same time, we can now see why it is a state we are
commanded to enter - it is a form of service - and not a simple emotional
response. As the Rambam teaches us, true happiness can only occur within the
soul of an individual who is willing to set aside other concerns and allow
himself to feel it. We can always find things to worry about that can sap our
energy and dilute the intensity of our intellectual and spiritual focus. It is
our obligation to rise above these distracting elements and fully partake in
the holiday spirit.<br />
<b><br />
</b>Sukkot, the time of our joy, provides us with optimal conditions for true
happiness. The Torah directs us to take advantage of this special opportunity
and to use it as a vehicle for drawing closer to our Creator.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Sukkot and the Final Redemption </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">There is one more fascinating aspect of Sukkot
that bears mention – the fact that, according to the Hebrew Bible, all the nations
of the world will participate in it in the Messianic era. The prophet Zecharya writes: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“And it will be that whoever remains of all of
the nations that mobilize against Jerusalem shall come up each year to bow
before the King, Hashem, Master of Legions, and to celebrate the festival of
Sukkot. And it shall be that anyone from amongst the families of the Earth who
does not go up to Jerusalem to bow before the King, Hashem, Master of Legions,
no rain will fall upon them. And if the family of Egypt does not arise and does
not come, then not upon them [will be rain], and upon them will be the plague
with which Hashem will strike the nations that do not go up to celebrate the
festival of Sukkot. This will be the crime of Egypt and of all the nations who
do not go up to celebrate the festival of Sukkot…”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It is very difficult to understand the basis
of this prediction. After all, our tradition teaches that all human beings are
bound by a code of moral and ethical conduct known as the “Seven Noachide Laws”;
only Jews are bound by 613 commandments and expected to observe Sukkot and its various mitsvot.
Why should the gentiles be held responsible for failing to live by legislation that was never intended for them and is not really applicable to them? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Moreover, it is noteworthy that the prophecy
refers to Hashem specifically as “the King, Hashem, Master of Legions.” The
Kingship of Hashem, highlighted emphatically on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur,
is not generally considered one of the signature themes of Sukkot. Why does Zecharya stress the
notion of Divine Kingship in a message about the observance of
Sukkot, a festival associated more with wholehearted rejoicing than with Kingship?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Based on our analysis above, we may be
able to suggest an answer. Sukkot is indeed a holiday that brings our
recognition of Hashem’s majesty “down to Earth” in the form of the concrete commandments
of the festival. On Sukkot, we take the intellectual awareness of Hashem that the
High Holidays inspired us to cultivate and develop within our minds and
translate it into perceivable actions we perform with our bodies. The mitsvot
of the festival are living testimony to the Kingship of Hashem as realized not
only in our thoughts and feelings but in our lifestyle and environment. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">For this very reason, it is critical that the
nations of the world visit Jerusalem annually to celebrate the Holiday of
Sukkot. Although they certainly have no legal or halakhic obligation to observe
the festival – they are not Jewish, their ancestors didn’t sojourn in the
wilderness for forty years, and they have not completed a process of repentance
and purification that reached its culmination on Yom Kippur – they do have a
moral obligation to observe the Jewish people in celebration of the holiday. Witnessing
the Chosen People of Hashem at their finest hour, living in harmony with His
wisdom and with the rest of His creation, constitutes a golden opportunity for
the nations of the world to learn about the One God of Israel, gain an
appreciation of the beauty of His Torah and commandments, and wholeheartedly
embrace His Kingship. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The inner changes that occur in the minds and
hearts of the Jewish people on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are invisible and
provide no spectacle for others to gaze upon or admire. Sukkot, however, offers
all of humanity the chance to see firsthand the greatness of Hashem, the glory
of His Torah, the holiness of His nation, and the unmitigated joy experienced
in serving Him. They will then declare, in the words of the non-Jewish prophet
Bilaam, “How goodly are your tents, oh Jacob, and your dwelling places, oh
Israel!” And we, as the Children of Israel, may thereby fulfill our sacred
mandate to sanctify the name of the Almighty in this world, as Isaiah stated, “And
He said: You are My servant; Israel, through whom I shall be glorified.”</span></div>
Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-14636214112288951172014-04-08T18:58:00.005-04:002020-08-13T14:31:28.297-04:00Ten Commandments of the Rabbinate - Words of Wisdom for My Successor<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Genuinely love your congregation with all of
your heart and soul, like a father loves his children. Don’t stand aloof at the
sidelines and don’t be afraid to experience or show raw emotion. Celebrate with
your congregants in times of joy, stay up all night worrying about them when they are in crisis,
make your presence felt in their lives when they are sick, down in the dumps, or lonely, and cry
for them at their funerals. If you don’t love every member of your community,
including your critics, then you’re in the wrong business. Get out of it as
soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
<br />
</span></span></span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Not all of your congregants will love you back.
This is a reality that you must accept or you will be forever frustrated and
demoralized by your inability to win them over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
<br />
</span></span></span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>Never dismiss, belittle or ignore a congregant’s
concern or fail to respond to a congregant’s question, need, phone call or
email. This will be perceived as the ultimate disrespect and will come back to
haunt you in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
<br />
</span></span></span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Don’t give up on any congregant for any reason. You’re
their rabbi and their last hope and it is your job to find a path to reach them.
If their rabbi doesn’t believe in them, nobody will. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
<br />
</span></span></span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will form
close relationships with certain members of your congregation who will one day distance
themselves from you for reasons you don’t or can’t understand. This is
extraordinarily painful, but fear of this should not prevent you from building
these intimate personal connections in the first place. And make sure to be patient and cautiously optimistic and to leave
the door open. Eventually some of these individuals will reenter your life as
suddenly and mysteriously as they once disappeared from it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
<br />
</span></span></span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Be yourself and be real. If you like hip hop,
opera, Karaoke, or Steven Seagal movies, there is no shame in that and no good
reason to hide it. These qualities and quirks are part of what make you an approachable, normal human
being and revealing them will endear you to the majority of your congregants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
<br />
</span></span></span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>Never use email as a medium to communicate about
contentious issues or to settle arguments or disputes. No matter how
well-reasoned, logical and persuasive your email is, and no matter how smart,
witty or skilled a writer you think you are, it is guaranteed to backfire and
you will lose<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EVERY SINGLE TIME. I speak
from experience. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
<br />
</span></span></span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If you absolutely cannot resist the temptation
to use email to communicate your thoughts and feelings, then by all means, compose
the most non-confrontational, intelligent, conciliatory and convincing message
possible. Don’t send it right away; instead, save it as a draft overnight. The
next morning, open the draft and reread it. Then delete it forever. Or file it
in a folder entitled “Stupid Mistakes I Almost Made.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
<br />
</span></span></span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Listen to the advice of those wiser and more
experienced than yourself and consider it carefully. In the end, you must
always act in a way that you think is best for you and your congregation. But looking
back I have learned that the counsel of veteran rabbis was almost always what I
would have thought was best had I been able to see the situation as clearly as
they were able to see it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>In those tense moments when you find yourself in conflict
with members of your congregation, keep in mind that you are still their
spiritual leader and you have a sacred obligation to teach them by example and to sanctify God's name. Avoid succumbing to the temptations of pettiness, gossip,
vindictiveness, anger and sarcasm. Speak kindly and
constructively, carry yourself with humility and grace, and behave in a manner
that you know will ultimately make you and your community proud. Then, even if
you are defeated, you will have won in all the ways that really count.</span></span></span></div>
Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-30474809797465685192013-10-07T11:15:00.004-04:002013-10-07T11:15:49.338-04:00HaRav Ovadiah Yosef Z"LI'm too distraught at the moment to fully formulate my thoughts...So I will surely have more to say about this tragic event later. In the meantime, let me remark that Rav Ovadiah Z"L was without a doubt the greatest Sephardic scholar of (at least) the past several centuries. He possessed a legendary and encyclopedic mastery of Jewish Law and was deeply sensitive and compassionate in his leadership and his halakhic decision making. <br />
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An awe-inspiring luminary who towered above and commanded the respect of Ashkenazic and Sephardic rabbis alike, Hakham Ovadiah Z"L enabled us (Sephardim) to take pride in the customs, traditions and Torah scholars that are uniquely our own. He was the architect of a renaissance of Sephardic learning and culture of which we have all been the beneficiaries and his legacy will impact countless generations. May his memory be a blessing. </div>
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Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-73261494076189396042013-09-29T20:59:00.002-04:002020-08-13T14:32:06.177-04:00Who Wrote The Book of Life?<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>This is a piece I wrote that was published in the Washington Jewish Week a couple of years ago. Although the High Holiday season has passed, I was reminded of the article and present it here:</i><br />
<br />
The liturgy of the High Holidays abounds in sublime and
majestic poetry. Among the richest and most memorable images presented to us on
the High Holidays is that of the Book of Life that is opened before the Creator
on Rosh Hashana, only to be sealed at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. We are told
that the fate of every individual, community and of the world at large is
somehow indelibly inscribed in the pages of this fearsome Book each year. We
wish one another “ketiva vehatima tova” – a good inscription and sealing –
which is based upon this powerful depiction of G-d’s absolute and irrevocable
judgment.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It goes without
saying that an omniscient Creator has no need for a book to keep track of
records or lay down His judgment. The Book of Life is a metaphor adopted by our
Sages to offer us a glimpse into the mechanics of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
It cannot be taken as a literal depiction of the manner in which God evaluates
our merits or determines our fate. How, then, does the image of a grand Book
filled with inscriptions, signed and sealed On High, help us appreciate the
cosmic significance of the High Holidays? How can we move beyond the simplistic
picture of a heavenly bureaucracy and access the deeper meaning of this
parable? </span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I believe that the key to understanding the “Book of Life”
properly is recognizing who, in fact, is the author of the book. Contrary to
popular belief, it is not God who records our deeds in the pages of some
mysterious tome. Indeed, in the words of the Talmud, <i>three</i> books are
“opened” before the Almighty on Rosh Hashana. One book lists those who are
righteous, one book lists those who are wicked, and one book lists those who
are in between. We must ask ourselves, if the judgment has not been passed yet,
on what basis were we assigned to our respective books? Apparently, it is not
God who is classifying us as righteous, wicked, or “in between” – He is merely
examining books that are already written! So who is responsible for the actual
content of these Books?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Sephardic Jews have an ancient and beloved custom of rising
early in the morning to recite Selihot from the second day of the month of Elul
through Yom Kippur – a total of approximately forty days. Sephardic Selihot are
filled not only with prayers but with beautiful poetry that is chanted aloud in
traditional melodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these
pieces, authored by Rabbi Yehuda Ibn Balaam of the 12<span><sup>th</sup> Century, includes
these lines:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“How can he complain or protest, what can he say to justify
himself? He who is but a creature of clay whose body will one day revert to
fine dust! What can man give to You, whether he be righteous or wicked? Behold,
his words and deeds are written in the book of his days.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
In this passage, Ibn Balaam provides us with a totally new
perspective on the “Book of Life” that is such a big part of our High Holiday lexicon.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our words and actions are not of
consequence to God because they affect Him. The Creator of the Universe has no
need or inclination to transcribe or peruse our personal histories. The Book of
Life is written by us – <i>we</i> are the authors of our own histories, and it
is these very histories, set down, as it were, in our own cosmic autobiographies,
that will form the foundation of our destiny whether we like it or not. Through
exercising our freedom of choice we have already written ourselves into one of
the three Books that will be presented - <br />opened" - before the Almighty, and it is up to us,
if we so desire, to write ourselves into a different one before it is too late.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This approach gives a whole new meaning to the central theme
of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur – personal growth and repentance. The reason we
are inspired to repent and improve ourselves during this time of year is not
because we want God to be impressed with our efforts and reward us with great
bounty. The reason why we are moved in the direction of positive change is because
we recognize that we alone - with God’s endorsement, assistance and support - are
the ones responsible for our own future. The decisions and commitments we make
now, the words we inscribe in our Books of Life today, will determine the
course of the year ahead. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As songstress
Natasha Bedingfield put it,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
“I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned<br />
Staring at the blank page before you…<br />
Today is where your book begins<br />
The rest is still unwritten.”<o:p></o:p><br />
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</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">True, we cannot hope to erase the chapters of our life
stories that have already been composed and submitted to the Divine Editor for
publication. Nor can we anticipate with any certainty precisely what the
details of the next chapter’s plot will look like. However, as long as the
current chapter of our Book of Life is still a work in progress, we have the
power to conclude it in a way that will ensure that the tone set for future
chapters is a positive and blessed one. And we do so with the confidence that
God will seal and deliver those chapters as promised.</span></span> </span></div>
Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-70048507561405246012013-09-16T20:01:00.004-04:002020-08-13T14:32:28.634-04:00Wisdom in Consolation<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Chapter 14 of Avot DeRabbi Natan, we read a fascinating story about consoling mourners in their time of bereavement. Specifically, we are told how Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai, the spiritual leader of the Jewish people in the wake of the destruction of the Holy Temple, lost his son and how his students attempted to comfort him:<br />
<br />
<i>When the son of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai died, his disciples came to comfort him. Rabbi Eliezer entered and sat down before him. He said to him, "My master, do you wish for me to say one thing before you?" [Rabban Yohanan] responded, "speak." [Rabbi Eliezer] said, "Adam the first had a son who died, and he was able to be consoled. How do we know that he was able to be consoled? Because it is written, 'And Adam again knew his wife, etc.' You too should be consoled!"</i><br />
<br />
<i>Rabban Yohanan said to him: "Is it not enough for me to be upset about my own tragedy that you mention to me the suffering of Adam the first?"</i><br />
<br />
<i>Rabbi Yehoshua entered and said, "Do you wish for me to say one thing before you?" Rabban Yohanan said, "Speak." Rabbi Yehoshua said, "Iyov (Job) had sons and daughters and they all died on one day, yet he was consoled for them - so too should you be consoled! And how do we know that Iyov was consoled? As it is written, "Hashem has given and Hashem has taken away; may the name of Hashem be blessed." </i><br />
<br />
<i>Rabban Yohanan said to him: "Is it not enough for me to be upset about my own tragedy that you mention to me the suffering of Iyov?"</i><br />
<br />
<i>Rabbi Yose entered and sat before him. He said to him, "Do you wish for me to say one thing before you?" [Rabban Yohanan] said to him, "Speak." He said, "Aharon had two great sons and both of them died on the same day, yet he was consoled for them, as it says 'and Aharon was silent', and silence can only mean consolation. You too should be consoled!"</i><br />
<br />
<i>Rabban Yohanan said to him: "Is it not enough for me to be upset about my own tragedy that you mention to me the suffering of Aharon?"</i><br />
<br />
<i>Rabbi Shimon entered and said, "Do you wish for me to say one thing before you?" Rabban Yohanan said, "Speak." Rabbi Shimon said, "King David had a son who died and yet he was consoled. You too should be consoled! And how do we know that King David was consoled? As it is written, 'And David consoled Bat-Sheva, his wife, and came to her and lay with her, and she gave birth to a son and he called him Shelomo.' You too, my master, be consoled!"</i><br />
<br />
<i>Rabban Yohanan said to him: "Is it not enough for me to be upset about my own tragedy that you mention to me the suffering of David?"</i><br />
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Then Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya entered. When he [Rabban Yohanan] saw him, he said to his servant: "Take a vessel before me to the bathhouse, for he is a </i>great<i> man and I cannot stand before him." He [Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya] entered and sat before him and said: "I will offer you a parable - to what can this matter be compared? To a man to whom the King entrusted a deposit. Each and every day the man cries and shouts and says, 'Woe is to me, when will I part from this deposit in peace?' So it is with you, my master. You had a son. He read Torah, Prophets, Writings, Mishnah, Halakha and Aggada, and he left the world without sin. You should be consoled that you returned the deposit intact."</i><br />
<br />
<i>He said to him: "Rabbi Elazar, my son, you have consoled me in the manner that human beings console."</i><br />
<br />
There are many noteworthy details in this account that deserve an explanation; however, for now, I'd like to focus on two basic questions that trouble the reader about this narrative:<br />
<br />
1) The first four rabbis who offer words of comfort seem to approach the issue with similar methodologies. Each highlights the suffering of a famous Biblical personality and encourages Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai to be consoled just as that historical character was consoled. What led them to adopt this approach to begin with, and, once it was rejected by Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai the first time, why did each subsequent student insist on trying variations of the same rejected theme?<br />
<br />
2) What was the essential difference in the way that Rabbi Elazar Ben Azarya addressed Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai's suffering, and what can we learn from it?<br />
<br />
I believe that the premise of the students was a simple one: The experience of suffering is emotional and essentially irrational, and the key to coping with suffering is rising above it, escaping from the grip of the pain and taking refuge in philosophical ideas that neutralize it. Let us see how each student attempted to facilitate this transition in Rabban Yohanan:<br />
<br />
Rabbi Eliezer cited the example of Adam. In doing so, he suggested that from the dawn of human civilization parents have lost children, and yet they maintained their resolve to perpetuate the human race regardless. If we allow ourselves to be paralyzed by tragedy, human civilization as we know it would come to an end. In other words, Rabbi Eliezer was encouraging Rabban Yohanan to stop focusing on his personal tragedy and focus on the humanity and the imperative to perpetuate our species, the proverbial "big picture" of what is "truly important". Rabban Yohanan was not consoled. <br />
<br />
Then Rabbi Yehoshua cited the example of Iyov. Iyov recognized and accepted that tragedy and loss is an inescapable part of human life. To live and to love is to expose oneself to the pain of death and mourning. "Hashem has given and Hashem has given away, blessed is the name of Hashem." If we are to partake of Hashem's blessings, we must also be prepared to endure His withdrawal of blessing. We can't have one without the other, and so we shouldn't be overwhelmed when tragedy strikes. This philosophical idea did not console Rabban Yohanan either.<br />
<br />
Next, Rabbi Yose mentioned the case of Aharon, who lost two sons on the day that the Tabernacle was finally dedicated. Despite the horror of this tragedy, the service of God went on, Aharon and his remaining sons set aside their inner pain and continued their faithful implementation of the Divine Will. Rabbi Yose's point was that Rabban Yohanan, as well, should not allow his feelings of despondence to overwhelm him and interfere with his study of Torah and observance of Mitzvot. He should remember that the continuity of the Masorah, our sacred tradition, is a paramount value for the sake of which all other concerns must be sacrificed. The service of God is greater than anything in our personal lives and must be perpetuated! This, too, did not console Rabban Yohanan. <br />
<br />
The fourth student to enter is Rabbi Shimon, who cites the case of King David. Although King David lost a son (actually, a few sons!) this did not undermine his commitment to the Jewish people as their political leader and the forger of their destiny. He ensured that a stable monarchy would be established regardless of any personal suffering he experienced along the way. So too, argued Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Yohanan needed to look beyond the loss of his son and consider his obligations to the community as their leader and the source of their stability, as the man who was laying the groundwork for their future as a nation. This idea also failed to satisfy Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai.<br />
<br />
Finally, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azarya enters and offers his brilliant allegory, which succeeds in comforting the ailing Rabban Yohanan. What was so different about his approach? Rather than try to move Rabban Yohanan's mind AWAY from his inner turmoil and sense of loss, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azarya infused the loss with great meaning. Instead of distracting Rabban Yohanan from his experience of suffering or downplaying its significance relative to the "ultimate truth", the allegory deepened his perspective on the experience, affirming that it was, indeed, significant.<br />
<br />
There is a profound lesson for all of us in this narrative. When offering comfort or consolation to someone, philosophizing is not the way to go. No one wants to be "talked out" of suffering, distracted or told to move on because there are greater or more important things to live for or to focus on. The key to helping someone cope with loss is not to downplay it but to enable them to find meaning within the tragedy, to help them develop a perspective on their experience that is deeper, healthier, and more adaptive. <br />
<br />
In fact, the word for consolation - נחם - in Hebrew comes from the same root as "to change one's mind", because its essence is not getting one's mind off of tragedy but transforming the way one keeps one's mind ON the tragedy. </span></span>Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-2116193886217646442013-08-19T16:55:00.006-04:002020-08-13T14:33:19.281-04:00The Sabbath: A Cornerstone of Judaism<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I just rediscovered this essay, which I believe I wrote when I was about seventeen years old (approximately twenty years ago). There is a lot here that I would rephrase/edit/add/subtract today, but I resist the temptation to revise history and therefore present it to you in its original form.</i><br />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>The Sabbath: A Cornerstone of
Judaism<o:p></o:p></u><br />
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<o:p> </o:p><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Ten
Commandments, revealed to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai, contain the
fundamental principles of religious belief, morality, and ethics by which every
devout individual guides his life. The commandments to believe in God and honor
one's parents, along with the injunctions against murder, stealing and adultery
are all included in the famous and time honored code. Beliefs and practices
such as these are clearly essential components of the lifestyle and philosophy
of any religious person. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
examining some of the Ten Commandments, however, it is much more difficult to
perceive their profound significance. Belief in God and abstention from
unethical and immoral activity are certainly cornerstones of any religion;
however, they were not the only commandments etched into the stone tablets.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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The
fourth commandment, that of observance of the Sabbath, is clearly neither a
fundamental belief nor a rule of ethical or moral conduct. The Sabbath is a
ritualistic institution, a commemoration of God's creation of the Universe. As
the Torah explicitly states, "For in six days God made the heavens and the
earth, the seas and all that is in them and He rested on the seventh day;
therefore, God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a></span></span>
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The question arises quite powerfully - why has a relatively insignificant rite
of commemoration been placed among the ranks of "thou shalt not kill"
and "thou shalt not steal" - laws of the utmost importance,
foundations upon which all of civilized society rests? The question of the
apparent overemphasis of the Sabbath's importance does not stop here. In Exodus
35:2 the Torah prescribes the most severe death penalty, that of stoning, for
the Sabbath violator. The Talmud states emphatically and unequivocally that
"anyone who willfully violates the Sabbath is considered to have
worshipped idolatry."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
These statements clearly contradict the commonly held opinion that the Sabbath
is a relatively unimportant ritual, a mere celebration of the birthday of the
Universe.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In order to
resolve these difficulties, one's idea of the nature of the Sabbath must be
clarified considerably. On the Sabbath, it is true, we commemorate God's
creation of the Universe by refraining from all creative activity (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">melakha</i>)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i> In reality, however, the significance of the Sabbath extends much
further than a mere "commemoration." </span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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On the Sabbath, we are given an
opportunity to approach the Universe in an entirely different manner than we
are accustomed to during the week. Sunday through Friday, we manipulate God's
creation in accordance with our wishes - changing things to better suit our
desires, improving things to better satisfy our needs, and creating things to
help us accomplish our tasks more efficiently. On the seventh day, we step back
from any creative involvement in the Universe and attempt to appreciate it
objectively - not as a tool for accomplishing our needs and desires, but as an
awesome manifestation of the infinite wisdom of the Creator. We contemplate the
perfection and grandeur of the Universe, and we are compelled to realize what
an insignificant component of it we truly are.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a></span></span>
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Indeed, despite all of our thoughtfulness and creativity we remain helplessly
subject to the unchanging laws of the magnificent Universe of which we are but
a small part.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
Jewish law demands that we partake of three meals during the Sabbath so that we
are physically satisfied and emotionally prepared to enter the world of
abstract thought. The practices of lighting candles, bathing, and donning fine
clothing prior to the Sabbath all serve to emphasize the honorable nature of
the day's pursuits, and to create an atmosphere ideal for and conducive to
intellectual activity. In fact, according to the strict legislation of Jewish
law, one is required to refrain from any discussion that does not pertain to
the acquisition of knowledge or that may distract one from involvement in its
apprehension.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a></span></span>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
On the Sabbath, we approach the Universe with our minds rather than our hands,
and we relax, free of the troubles of everyday life, to enjoy the most
delightful beauty we are capable of perceiving - the profound wisdom manifest in Nature. As the Psalmist states, "The heavens declare the glory of
God, and the firmament displays His handiwork."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
Our Sages teach us that human perfection and true happiness can be achieved
only through the acquisition of knowledge. In the words of Maimonides,
"when a person ponders His great and wondrous works and creations and
recognizes thereby His wisdom that is immeasurable and infinite he immediately
loves, praises, and extols and is filled with a great desire to know the
Supreme Being...And when he contemplates these things he is immediately drawn
back with great reverence, realizing that he is a tiny, insignificant,
unenlightened creature standing with his frail intellect before He Who is
perfect in knowledge."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Similarly, he writes: "the commandment to love God requires that we
analyze and gain an understanding of His commandments, statements and actions
until we acquire true knowledge of Him and experience by way of this knowledge
the ultimate enjoyment...Thus I have explained that through contemplation you
will arrive at true knowledge and experience the aforementioned enjoyment, and
the love will of necessity follow."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
This concept is constantly reiterated throughout Scripture,<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
the Talmud and the writings of later sages. In the Ethics of the Fathers we are
taught that "an ignorant person cannot be righteous."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
Our Sages believed wholeheartedly that the laws of the Torah were fashioned
purely for the purpose of guiding all of us toward true wisdom and
understanding.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
The Torah itself expresses this in Deuteronomy,<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
"For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the people,
who will hear all these statutes and say, surely this great people is a wise
and understanding nation."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
The Sabbath, a day set aside for thought, contemplation, and honest
appreciation of the wisdom inherent in the Universe, is the clearest expression
of our unique philosophic system in which the acquisition of knowledge is
viewed as the ultimate goal for mankind.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[17]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<br />
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Idolatry,
however, stands in absolute contradiction to this approach to the Universe. Faced
with the daunting grandeur of God's creation, the idolater is gripped with an
overpowering sense of helplessness and despair. As a child, he had been
sheltered and provided for by his parents. Even during the most difficult
times, he had been able to find comfort in the knowledge that his parents would
always be there for him - to feed him, clothe him, and protect him from all
harm. Now that he has attained maturity, the feeling of security which had
sustained him since childhood has been torn from him mercilessly. Peering out
at the vast Universe, he witnesses the wonders and the horrors of Nature:
life-giving rainfalls and destructive floods, plentiful harvests and widespread
famines, the miracle of birth and the mystery of death. The anxiety and feeling
of utter defenselessness before Mother Nature is too much for the primitive
individual to handle. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Thus, the idolater "creates", by way of his
imagination, myriads of forces, spirits, and deities whom he can manipulate to
fulfill his desires. Once again he is safe, shielded from harm by
"gods" who are greater than he and who regulate and direct the laws
of nature. Dominated by his physical needs and desires, he is compelled to deny
the absolute and unchanging system of the laws of Nature anytime that it
conflicts with his wishes. Imprisoned in shackles of self-centered emotion, he
is unable to perceive knowledge and to enjoy its beauty and profundity.
Whenever the idolater meets with difficulty in the satisfaction of his
instincts he appeals to his gods through prayer or sacrifice,<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[18]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
begging them to assist him by causing the Universe to operate in accordance
with his will. With a little imagination the idolater has restored the peaceful
situation of his childhood. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Einstein, in observation of this phenomenon, wrote
"Now what are the feelings and needs that have led men to religious thought
and belief in the widest sense of the word?....With primitive man it is above
all fear that evokes religious notions - fear of hunger, wild beasts, sickness,
death. Since at this stage understanding of causal connections is usually
poorly developed, the human mind creates illusory beings more or less analogous
to itself on whose wills and actions these fearful happenings depend. Thus one
tries to secure the favor of these beings by carrying out actions and offering
sacrifices, which, according to the tradition handed down from generation to
generation...makes them well disposed toward a mortal."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[19]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
Sigmund Freud wrote along similar lines, "It can clearly be seen that
possession of these (religious) ideas protects him (the idolater) in two
directions -against the dangers of nature and Fate, and against the injuries
that threaten him from human society itself."<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[20]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a></span></span>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
The idolatrous personality cannot conceive of the Universe outside of the
framework of his own needs and desires. In his philosophy, the Universe's very
existence is only valuable in so far as it provides him with the tools to
pursue and satisfy his instincts. Thus, the concept of a Sabbath is utterly
alien to the primitive individual. In his mind, an attempt to relate to the
Universe with anything other than one's animalistic drives would be unheard of,
even objectionable. The base, sense-perception oriented philosophy of idolatry
is diametrically opposed to any system of thought which would produce a
Sabbath. A day for contemplation of abstract beauty and objective appreciation
of the Universe has no place in the lifestyle of the individual steeped in idol
worship.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[21]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<br />
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It now
becomes clear why the Sabbath is so essential to Judaism, as well as why
desecration of the Sabbath is considered by our Sages to be tantamount to idol
worship. Violation of the sanctity of the Sabbath is equivalent to a rejection
of the philosophic principles upon which it is founded; and it is the rejection
of these principles, as our Sages rightly observed, that constitutes the very
essence of idolatry. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Observance of the Sabbath clearly distinguishes Judaism, a
religion based on knowledge and created to facilitate intellectual perfection,
from the pagan religions, all of which were formed in attempts to provide false
security to primitive mankind. Belief in idolatrous religious principles is
truly destructive to human beings, causing them to deny reality, convincing
them to shun wisdom, breeding ignorance and demanding blind faith. For all
intents and purposes, the idolater conducts his life like an animal, obeying
his instincts and retarding his intellectual growth. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
The Sabbath, on the other
hand, brings one who observes it properly the truest form of human happiness, that
which results from the acquisition of knowledge and understanding.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[22]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[23]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
It expresses quite clearly the unique philosophy and value system of Judaism.
In the poetic words of the Sabbath prayer service,<a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[24]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
"those who observe the Sabbath with joy will forever possess glory...those
who love its ideas have chosen true greatness."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<br />
</span></span><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
</span></span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<!--[endif]-->
</span></span><div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Exodus
20:11<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<o:p><span> </span></o:p></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Tractate
Chullin 5a, as well as Maimonides' <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Laws
of the Sabbath </i>30:15, and numerous other places in the Talmud.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>The
Prophetic books abound with praise of the greatness and importance of the
Sabbath. For example, in Isaiah 58:13-14, we read "If you restrain your
foot because of the Sabbath, from pursuing your business on My holy day; if you
refer to the Sabbath as 'a delight', to the holy day of the Lord as
'honorable'; and you honor it, by not pursuing your business or speaking of
worthless matters, then you shall delight yourself in knowledge of the Lord;
and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth..."
Statements like these are made quite frequently in the book of Isaiah as well
as in other books of the prophets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>In
the words of King David (Psalms 8:4-5), "When I consider Your heavens, the
work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You have established - what is
man that You should take notice of him?"<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>This
is not meant to imply that Judaism rejects the concept of Divine Providence. On
the contrary,it is a fundamental tenet of Jewish philosophy that God extends a
measure of His Providence to individual human beings which is in proportion to
the degree of perfection which they have attained. As Psalms asserts (91:14),
"For he has yearned for Me and I will deliver him, I will elevate him
because he knows My name." Our Sages teach us that God's "name"
refers to His wisdom as it is expressed in His actions, i.e., the laws of
nature. (See Maimonides' <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guide for the
Perplexed</i>, Book One, Chapters 61-64,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>where this topic is dealt with in its entirety, as well as the
commentaries of Rabbi Obadya Sforno and Ibn Ezra on Exodus 3:14-15 and 6:2-3
and the commentaries of Ibn Ezra and Radak on Zechariah 14:9.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Tractate
Shabbat 113a as well as Maimonides' <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Laws
of the Sabbath </i>24:4-5 and Shulchan Aruch, Mishnah Berurah and Tur Shulchan
Aruch Section 307.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Psalms
19:2<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Maimonides,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Laws of the Fundamentals of the Torah, </i>Chapter
II, Law II.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Compare
Albert Einstein, "Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of
science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the
Universe, a spirit vastly superior to man and one in the face of which we with
our modest powers must feel humble."(Albert Einstein, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Human Side</i>, Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, p.33)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Maimonides,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Book of The Commandments</i>, Positive
Commandment III.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>In
fact, two books of the Bible, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, are devoted
exclusively to praise of the life guided by wisdom.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Note
the statement of King Solomon (Proverbs 3:13-18), "Happy is the man who
finds wisdom, and the man who acquires understanding. For the value of it is
greater than the value of silver, and its gain than that of fine gold. She is
more precious than rubies, and all things you may desire are not to be compared
to her...Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is
a tree of life to those who hold fast to her; happy are those who rely upon
her."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn13" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Ethics
of the Fathers, 2:5<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn14" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Maimonides
discusses this point at length in his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guide
for The Perplexed</i>, as do Gersonides (see, for example, his introduction to
his commentary on the Bible and his comments on Genesis chapters 1-3), Rabbi
Obadya Sforno (see, for example, his introduction to his commentary on the
Bible and his comments on Genesis chapters 1-3, as well as his introduction to
his commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes), Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra, the
Chinuch (see, for example, his explanation of the philosophic basis for the
commandment to fast on the Day of Atonement), the Meiri (see, for example, his
introduction to his commentary on the Talmud), Rabbi David Kimchi (also known
as the Radak; see, for example, his introduction to his commentary on the Bible
as well as his introduction to the Book of Joshua), Rav Saadiah Gaon, Rabbi
Bachya ibn Pekuda, Rabbi Joseph Albo, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato (refer, for
example, to his work entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Way of Wisdom</i>), and many later
authorities. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn15" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>4:6<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn16" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Similarly,
the Psalmist declares (Psalms 19:8), "The ordinances of the Lord are
trustworthy, making the simple one wise."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn17" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[17]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Compare
the words of King David (Psalms 92:1, 2 and 5-6), "A psalm, a song for the
Sabbath day. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praise to Your
name, O Exalted One....For You have gladdened me through Your deeds, when I
perceive the works of Your hands I sing glad song. How great are Your deeds, O
Lord; exceedingly profound are Your thoughts."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn18" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[18]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>For
an explanation of the concepts of prayer and sacrifice in the highly
sophisticated and rational framework of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Judaism</i>,
see "The Role of the Sacrificial Service in Judaism" by this author.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn19" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[19]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Albert
Einstein<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, Religion and Science, </i>1930.
Found in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ideas and Opinions.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn20" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[20]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Sigmund
Freud<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, The Future of an Illusion, </i>1927.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn21" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[21]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>The
stark contrast between the world view of the idolater and that of the Jew is
the basis of the Talmudic adage (Tractate Kiddushin 40a), "Anyone who
accepts idolatry is considered to have rejected the entire Torah, and anyone
who rejects idolatry is considered to have accepted the entire Torah." Along
similar lines, Maimonides stated in his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guide
</i>that "the principle objective of the Torah is the extirpation of
idolatry."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn22" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[22]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Einstein
expressed his unconventionally religious love for and devotion to knowledge in
the following manner: "To know that what is impenetrable for us truly
exists and manifests itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty
whose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties , this
knowledge, this feeling...that is the core of the true religious sentiment. In
this sense....I rank myself among profoundly religious men."(Albert
Einstein, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Man and his Theories, </i>Hilary
Cuny, P.149) <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn23" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[23]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Maimonides
writes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Laws of the Sabbath</i>, 30:10),
"...This was the custom of the pious men of old on the Sabbath day: they
would pray the morning and additional service in the Synagogue, then return to
their houses to eat the afternoon meal; after this they would go to the House
of Study..until the afternoon service.." Similarly, the Jerusalem Talmud
states, "The Sabbath was given to the Jewish people only to provide them
with free time to engage in Torah study." See also the Meiri's
introduction to his commentary on the Talmud, the Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah 31
and 32, Maimonides in his final letter to his son,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the introduction of Abraham son of Maimonides
to his work<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Guide for Worshipers of
God</i>, the commentaries of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, Rabbi Obadya Sforno, Rabbi
David Kimchi and Gersonides on Genesis 2:3 and Exodus 20:8-11, the Shulchan
Aruch, Mishna Berurah and Tur Shulchan Aruch 290:2, and Midrash Tanchuma
Vayakhel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div id="ftn24" style="mso-element: footnote;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Joshua/Dropbox/SABBAT.DOC#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[24]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span>Siddur,
Additional Prayer for the Sabbath (Mussaf)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<o:p><span> </span></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-67283128295253629992013-07-15T16:43:00.001-04:002013-07-15T16:43:19.250-04:00The Two "Tisha B'Av"'s of MaimonidesGenerally speaking, Jewish law is formulated so as to apply to everyone equally. There are no double standards in halakha. Yet, when it comes to the laws of Tisha B'av as codified by Maimonides (Rambam), it would seem as if there were two completely different sets of rules at play simultaneously. Specifically, the Rambam expects Torah scholars to adhere to practices far more stringent in nature than what is required of laypersons. The Rambam legislates this in four contexts:<br /><br />1) In discussing the pre-Tisha B'Av meal, or Seudah Hamafseqet, the Rambam codifies the basic principles that only one cooked dish may be served, no meat or wine may be included, that the rules apply only to the final meal and only when the meal is eaten after midday, etc. Then he describes the ideal to which scholars should aspire - sitting on the floor, devastated with nothing but bread and water like one who has just lost a dear relative - and mentions that he never in his life had any cooked dish, even of lentils, on the Eve of Tisha B'av.<br /><br />2) The Rambam discourages work on Tisha B'av but states that it is a matter of communal custom and not strict halakha. Then he qualifies this assertion by saying that "in all places, the Torah scholars do not work on Tisha B'av."<br /><br />3) When he discusses social interaction on Tisha B'av, he mentions that Torah scholars do not greet each other on Tisha B'av; they sit in agony like mourners (this is in contradistinction to our practice, which is that nobody greets anybody on Tisha B'av). He goes on to mention Torah subject matter that is either prohibited or permitted for study during the fast for the community - but not for the Torah scholars, who remain silent and do not study anything.<br /><br />4) When it comes to wearing tefillin, the Rambam mentions that "some of the scholars didn't wear the head tefillin" on Tisha B'Av (the prevalent custom is for nobody to wear any tefillin in the morning on Tisha B'Av; we defer them till Minha).<br /><br />We see, then, that the Rambam promotes a double standard with regard to Tisha B'Av. In the world of Maimonides, the Tisha B'Av observance of the scholar differs substantially from that of the average person. Why should this be so?<br /><br />I believe the answer is as follows: Mourning always involves both the intellect and the emotions. When it comes to personal mourning, one is naturally overwhelmed with feelings of melancholy and it is the job of the mind to temper those feelings and place them into perspective so that adjustment, adaptation and transition forward can occur. The emotional response is automatic in any healthy individual; the intellectual response is conscious and deliberate, an attempt to contextualize and thereby rise above the powerful tide of feeling that has welled up in his broken heart. Slowly but surely the intensity of the feelings diminishes, slowly but surely life returns to normal as the currently tragic event recedes into the past.<br /><br />Tisha B'Av embodies precisely the opposite concept. Here, we "build up to", rather than back away from, full fledged mourning in a gradual manner, by slowly adding to our repertoire of restrictions from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av. This is because in this kind of mourning, the engagement of the intellect necessarily precedes and guides that of the emotions. <br /><br />It is only when we think deeply into the significance of the losses represented by Tisha B'Av that we can really feel something. The expressions of mourning on Tisha B'Av are not natural reactions to a personal and very tangible loss; rather, they are manifestations of an underlying intellectual awareness that must be cultivated and enriched in order to have an impact.<br /><br />Thus, unlike the framework of familial mourning in which everyone is equal - we are all equally subject to our emotions and equally in need of some intellectual process to work through and contextualize them - in the framework of mourning for the Temple intellectual understanding must precede emotionality. The response one has to Tisha B'Av is not a visceral one like the loss of a loved one; it is the consequence of thought and reflection a long time in the making.<br /><br />So it makes sense why Torah scholars will experience and observe the day differently from their lay brethren. Torah scholars have a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of the significance of the tragedies of Tisha B'Av, and their actions must mirror that understanding.<br /><br />While for others it may be OK to have a decent meal on the Eve of Tisha B'Av, to socialize a little, to go to work or wear tefillin, this is because they are not totally overwhelmed by the tragedy - the reality is that they retain some of their selfish interest in pleasure and comfort (food), social proclivity (socializing), desire for financial advancement (working) and their sense of dignity (tefillin, a sign of honor) even in the face of Tisha B'Av.<br /><br />A Torah scholar, however, is expected to experience Tisha B'Av on a totally different level. His despair and agony are especially powerful and poignant because they emerge from a genuine internal appreciation of the tragedy. And as the Rambam states in Hilkhot Deot (the Laws of Character Development), a wise person is obligated to demonstrate the truth of his principles and convictions through his behavior, so as to educate and inspire others. The scholars serve as models for us of genuine Torah knowledge which we have the opportunity to study and emulate, and it is part of their responsibility to serve in that capacity.<br /><br />Furthermore, the Prophets - for example, Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) in the Haftara for Tisha B'Av morning - the importance of the "wise man" reflecting upon and responding to the implications of the tragic withdrawal of Divine Providence from the Jewish Nation. Clearly, he assigns a special role to the scholars whose duty it is to study, conceptualize and explain the meaning of the dark chapters of Jewish history to the rest of us.<br /><br />Thus, the Rambam bases himself on the Prophets when he insists that the Torah scholar is both expected and required to have a uniquely intense Tisha B'Av experience, an experience from which the community as a whole can derive insight and inspiration.Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-31367573439009902822013-03-08T14:00:00.005-05:002013-03-08T14:29:06.809-05:00Essential Laws of Pesah 5773 <span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">קיצור הלכות פסח</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Essential Laws of Pesah by Rabbi J. Maroof</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /> <b>איסור החמץ - The Prohibition of Hametz</b><br /><br />1. On Pesah we are not permitted to eat or to possess any hametz. This includes any food product that contains one of the five grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye or spelt) or one of their many derivatives, unless it has been properly supervised for Pesah use. <br /><br />2. In addition to the prohibition of eating and possessing hametz, the Torah prohibits us to benefit from it in any way. Therefore, we may not sell it, present it as a gift or feed it to any animals on Pesah.<br /><br />3. Containers of condiments and spreads like butter, cream cheese and fruit preserves that have been opened and used with hametz should be thrown out and new ones purchased for Pesah. <br /><br />4. Since spices, oils and other additives are sometimes poured directly into a pot over the fire and may have absorbed hametz from its steam, one should purchase new, unopened ones for Pesah. However, the old ones do not need to be thrown out or sold, just put away. <br /><br />5. The prohibition of hametz also requires us to treat all of the pots, pans, utensils and other cookware that have been used with hametz as non-Kosher for Pesah use. <br /><br />6. In addition to the restriction on eating actual hametz, Ashkenazim also refrain from eating kitniyot (‘legumes’, such as rice, corn, and beans) during Pesah. However, they are permitted to possess kitniyot and may utilize pots, pans, dishes and utensils that have been used with kitniyot.<br /><br />7. The restriction on kitniyot only applies to foods that are primarily made up of kitniyot. Food products that contain kitniyot as an incidental ingredient and in which the kitniyot are not recognizable, like soft drinks that contain corn syrup, are permitted even for Ashkenazim on Pesah. <br /><br />8. Sephardim who are accustomed not to eat kitniyot during Pesah may discontinue their custom if they so desire. Ideally, they should ‘annul’ the custom before a Jewish court (bet din). <br /><br />9. Nowadays, Sephardim who eat kitniyot such as rice that are packaged commercially are not obligated to check them for traces of hametz because the companies that prepare these products have already purified them. However, if one happens to find a grain of hametz mixed in with rice, it must be removed. If one has already cooked the rice, consult a Rabbi about how to proceed (many factors are involved). <br /><br />10. <b>Sephardim</b> are permitted to eat ‘egg matza’ on Pesah, provided that it is prepared under proper supervision. <b>Ashkenazim</b> only allow egg matza for the sick and elderly who cannot digest regular matza. <br /><br />11. Some authorities permit both kitniyot and egg matza even for Ashkenazim on Erev Pesah.<br /><br />12. Items that are not edible, such as shoe polish, aluminum foil, glue, cosmetics, toiletries, shampoos and medicines do not need to be kosher for Pesah (or in general), because they are not foods. Pet food, however, must be kosher for Pesah, because it is considered an edible item.<br /><br />13. The prohibition of eating hametz will begin on the eve of Pesah – Monday, March 25th - in Rockville, Maryland at 11:11 AM this year. The prohibition to possess, sell or otherwise benefit from hametz will begin at 12:12 PM. <br /><br /><br /> <b>בדיקת חמץ- The Search for Hametz</b><br /><br />1. On the night before Pesah begins – this year, Sunday, March 24th - every Jew is required to search their property for any hametz. The search should be a genuine, serious inspection for hametz, not a ritualistic walk through the house with a feather and a candle.<br /><br />2. The search for hametz should begin twenty minutes after sunset or as soon as possible thereafter. <br /><br />3. Before the search, we recite the appropriate beracha (found either in the Haggada or Pesah prayerbook) and proceed to inspect all areas that we may have brought hametz into during the year. This includes our homes, cars, offices, coat pockets, etc. <br /><br />4. A flashlight should be used during the search so that one can inspect all of the necessary areas with sufficient lighting. <br /><br />5. There is no need for ‘spring cleaning’ during the search for hametz. One should concentrate on finding substantial pieces of hametz (like a cookie or pretzel) rather than sweeping up crumbs. If there is extra time, removing even smaller bits of hametz is an enhancement of the mitzvah.<br /><br />6. After the search for hametz, one should gather all the hametz one intends to save for dinner or breakfast and keep it in one place. <br /><br />7. When the search for hametz is concluded, one must say the nullification of hametz (‘bittul hametz’) formula found in the Haggada or Mahazor. The nullification statement is repeated in a slightly different form in the morning, right after one destroys or eats the last of one’s hametz. <br /><br />8. If one is going away for the holiday before the night of the search but is leaving less than a month before Pesah one must conduct a proper search for hametz without a beracha on the last night that one is still home. One should recite the nighttime ‘bittul hametz’ formula immediately after the search, but should wait until erev Pesah to make the daytime “bittul” statement.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br /> <b>ערב פסח - The Eve of Pesah</b><br /><br />1. On the eve of Pesah – this year, Monday, March 25th - it is prohibited to eat matza, so that the matza eaten at the seder will be special. Egg matza is permitted for Sephardim as well as for those Ashkenazim who are lenient in this matter on Erev Pesah.<br /><br />2. It is customary that every firstborn male fasts on the eve of Pesah. The fast may be broken if one attends a ‘Siyum Masechet’, a celebration held when somebody completes the study of an entire tractate of the Talmud.<br /><br />3. Where possible, first born females should attend the Siyum as well, since many authorities maintain that they are also obligated to fast. <br /><br />4. One is not permitted to begin work projects that are very involved after midday on Erev Pesah so that one can fully devote one’s energy to preparing for the seder. <br /><br />5. Beginning about two and a half hours before sunset on Erev Pesah, one is not permitted to eat the equivalent of a meal (even of egg matza), so that he/she will be hungry enough to enjoy dining at the seder. Snacks of fruits and vegetables are permitted.<br /><br /><b><br />הכשר כלים -Kashering Vessels</b><br /><br />1. Many people keep separate sets of cookware and utensils for Pesah use. If, however, one wishes to use one’s year-round kitchenware for Pesah, it must first undergo a process of ‘kashering’. In order to avoid complications, it is best to complete this process before hametz becomes prohibited (i.e., before 11:11 AM on March 25th this year).<br /><br />2. Only metal, stone, wood and plastic vessels can be kashered. Items made from earthenware, such as china, cannot be kashered.<br /><br />3. <b>Sephardim </b>do not require any kashering for glass or Pyrex vessels and are permitted to use them after a thorough cleaning. <b>Ashkenazim</b> treat these items like earthenware and prohibit their use for Pesah unless they have been used exclusively with cold food. <br /><br />4. The method used to kasher an item is always based on the way in which the item is used. A vessel that is used for cooking liquidy substances, such as a pot, should be kashered by boiling water in it and then dropping a hot rock or hot piece of metal into it so that it boils over on all sides. Utensils such as soup ladles and carving knives that are placed directly into hot pots are kashered by completely submerging them in a pot filled with boiling water. Serving platters and strainers that have food poured onto them from hot pots are generally kashered in this way as well. <br /><br />5. After kashering a vessel with boiling water, it is customary to rinse the item off with cold water. <br /><br />6. Customs differ with regard to kashering vessels that are used for eating hot food but have no direct contact with hot cookware (for example, forks, spoons, knives, etc.) <b>Sephardim</b> may kasher these utensils by cleaning them thoroughly and then running them through a regular cycle in a kosher-for-Pesah dishwasher. <b>Ashkenazim</b> require all vessels that come into contact with hot food to be kashered through placement in a pot of boiling hot water. <br /><br />7. According to <b>Ashkenazic</b> practice, a vessel must be left unused for 24 hours before being purged with boiling water for Pesah use. <b>Sephardim</b> are only required to observe this stringency in two cases: (1) when kashering a microwave and (2) when kashering meat and dairy vessels together in the same vat. However, it is meritorious for Sephardim to follow the stringent practice in all cases if possible. <br /><br />8. Before a vessel can be kashered with boiling water, it must be totally clean. When cleaning a vessel to prepare it for kashering, one may come across food substances that adhere to it and cannot be removed. In such cases, simply apply a caustic cleaner such as bleach or detergent to the substance in order to render it inedible. <br /><br />9. A vessel upon which dry food is directly placed to cook, like a grill or baking pan, should be kashered by cleaning it carefully and then heating it until it is red hot (libun). This is the most intense form of kashering, and vessels kashered in this way do not need to be left unused for 24 hours beforehand. <br /><br />10. Vessels used for cold food only, such as goblets for Kiddush or cups used for cold drinks, need only to be rinsed with water and are permitted for Pesah use.<br /><br />11. According to <b>Sephardim</b>, if a vessel is used in different ways at different times, the method of kashering that is applied will follow the primary usage. For example, if a pot normally used for cooking liquidy foods were used for dry cooking once or twice, it would still be kashered by boiling water inside. Similarly, if a fork normally used for eating was used to stir a pot over the fire a couple of times, it could still be kashered by a run through the dishwasher. However, if the vessel was used in a more intense way than usual during the past 24 hours, the more intense method of kashering must be applied.<br /><br />12. <b>Ashkenazim</b> always kasher based on the most intense way that the vessel has been used with food, even if it has been used that way only once. Therefore, in the two cases mentioned in Law #11, the pot would need to be heated until red hot and the fork would need to be placed in a pot of boiling water.<br /><br />13. If one carefully cleans one’s oven racks and covers all food placed in the oven with single sheets of tin foil, there is no need to kasher the oven because there is no way for food cooked in the oven to absorb hametz from it. <br /><br />14. If one does decide to kasher an oven, self-cleaning is perfectly acceptable. If one’s oven does not have a self-cleaning option, one should carefully clean the racks and walls of the oven and then - after leaving it unused for 24 hours - place the oven on its highest temperature setting for one hour.<br /><br />15. For <b>Sephardim</b>, the grates on which pots are placed on a gas or electric stovetop need only to be spotlessly cleaned to be kosher for Pesah. As an added measure of stringency, some Sephardim also place them into a pot of boiling hot water. <br /><br />16. After cleaning the grates, <b>Ashkenazim </b>are required to heat them to the temperature at which a tissue that touched them would ignite.<br /><br />17. Sephardim may kasher dishwashers, regardless of the material they are made of, by leaving them unused for 24 hours and then running them (without dishes inside) through at least one complete cycle with detergent. Ideally, for Ashkenazim, three complete dishwasher cycles should be run (only one needs to include detergent). The racks do not need to be changed. <br /><br />18. For <b>Sephardim,</b> sinks, countertops and tabletops require nothing more than a careful cleaning to be kosher for Pesah (however, please be sure to consult Law #20.) Some Sephardim are stringent with sinks and, in addition to cleaning them, pour boiling hot water over them<br /><br />19. <b>Ashkenazim</b> are advised not to use their sinks, countertops or tabletops without kashering them first. They should either (1) not use these items with anything hot for 24 hours and then pour boiling water over them OR (2) simply clean and then cover them. <br /><br />20. If a sink, countertop, tabletop or stove grate is known to have had contact with hot hametz during the past 24 hours, then Sephardim are required to kasher them according to the same standards as Ashkenazim.<br /> <br />21. Dish sponges and toothbrushes should be cleaned thoroughly with hot water or replaced for the holiday. <br /><br />22. A microwave can be kashered by leaving it over for 24 hours, cleaning the inside thoroughly and then heating a dish of water in the microwave until it is filled with steam. <br /><br />23. Refrigerators and cabinets need only to be wiped down with water to be kosher for Pesah. Dish strainers on which clean dishes are placed to dry do not require any kashering at all. <br /><br />24. If one is not planning on using a particular vessel or appliance for Pesah, it does not require any kashering. Non-Pesah vessels should be cleaned and put away, preferably in a cabinet that is taped up or locked.<br /><br /> <b>ליל הסדר - The Seder Night</b><br /><br />1. One may not begin the Pesah Seder until at least 45 minutes after sunset.<br /><br />2. Men, women and children are obligated to fulfill all the mitzvot of the night. It is especially important for children to have the Haggada explained to them.<br /><br />3. The custom of <b>Sephardim</b> is to use red wine for the Four Cups, even if superior white wine is available. The custom of <b>Ashkenazim</b> is to use red wine unless a superior white wine is available.<br /><br />4. The minimum amount of wine that must be contained in each of the four cups is approximately 3 fluid ounces. One must drink more than half of each cup (about 1.6 fl. oz.) to fulfill the mitzvah.<br /><br />5. Almost any vegetable may be used for karpas, provided that its blessing is bore peri ha-adama. One should make sure that any vegetables eaten at the Seder (and all year round) have been carefully inspected for bugs.<br /><br />6. It is preferable to use handmade matza shemura for the Seder. However, machine-made shemura is also acceptable.<br /><br />7. It is ideal to use Romaine lettuce for Maror.<br /><br />8. Everyone participating in the Seder is required to lean to the left when drinking any of the four cups or eating the matza, korech, or the afikoman. If a man forgot to lean while performing one of the mitzvot he must go back and redo it. Women may be lenient and need not repeat the mitzvah.<br /><br />9. <b>Sephardim </b>recite the beracha of Borei Pri Hagefen only on the first and third cups. <b>Ashkenazim</b> say a beracha on all four cups.<br /><br />10. The most essential part of the Haggada is “Rabban Gamliel Haya Omer”, in which the special mitzvot of the night are explained.<br /><br />11. The minimum amount of matza that must be eaten for each mitzva is a little more than one third of a medium size handmade matza. However, for motzi matza on the first night, one should eat at least half of a handmade matza. The minimum amount of maror one must eat for each mitzvah is approximately 28 grams.<br /><br />12. One should make every effort to complete the entire Seder, including Hallel, before “midnight” (in Rockville this year, 1:15 AM). If this is not possible, one should at least eat the afikoman before this time. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span>Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-35384735138843237122012-11-10T20:51:00.002-05:002015-11-11T13:53:21.668-05:00Invocation for Veterans Day 2012<i>I was honored to be invited by the City of Rockville to deliver the invocation at the Veterans Day Ceremony tomorrow. Here is the text I composed for the occasion:</i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Almighty God, we gather today to honor the beloved veterans
of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, brave men and women who
have fought valiantly to defend our freedoms and to preserve our liberties. We are
humbled by their commitment, their patriotism and their courage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are inspired by their selfless sacrifices
and their indomitable spirit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please God, grant our veterans strength and support so that
they may continue to serve as examples of true heroism for us and for our
children. Heal those who have been wounded physically or emotionally and
comfort those who have suffered loss. Bless the faithful and devoted families of
our veterans with good health and success; watch over them and protect them
always.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As for the citizens of this great Nation, implant in our
hearts wisdom, discernment and compassion, so that we may acknowledge and
appreciate all that we have received from our veterans and so that we pay
fitting tribute to their service. May we be ever mindful of our obligation to
treat them with the full measure of respect to which their deeds have entitled
them. Let us never take our lives, our freedoms or our civil rights for
granted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As for our active servicemen and women, wherever they may be
- on land, in the air or at sea - protect them, shield them, and bring them
home to their families speedily and unharmed. Let their battles for the sake of
human dignity, justice and democracy be victorious, and may their principled and
noble conduct illuminate our world and enlighten its inhabitants.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As for those revered men and women who have lost their lives
in service to our country, bless their souls and their memories forever. Preserve
their names, their families and the legacy of their heroism for generations to
come. Console the bereaved – parents, spouses, siblings and children left
behind - who continue to mourn their absence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We seek not war but peace, not discord, but harmony and
brotherhood. Creator of the Universe Who makes Peace on High, do not let the
sacrifices of our veterans be in vain. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Help
the United States of America to lead its fellow nations in the quest for true
and lasting peace on Earth, and may we be fortunate enough to witness the
fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, “and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May this be the will
of God, and let us say, Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-84844995350449820502012-11-02T12:40:00.005-04:002012-11-02T12:40:47.837-04:00Washington Jewish Week on Marriage Equality<div class="_38 direction_ltr">
<i>As you may or may not know, in the State of Maryland, several referendum questions will be presented to voters in the ballot box on Election Day. Question #6 asks the voter whether he or she supports "marriage equality" - in other words, whether we believe that the government should grant gay marriage the same status and recognition as traditional marriage in our state. </i><br />
<br />
<i>In its latest edition, the Washington Jewish Week <a href="http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=133&SubSectionID=273&ArticleID=18282&TM=44788.43">ran a piece</a> entitled "The Kashrut of The Questions", in which members of the staff attempt to identify the proper "text-based" and/or "Jewish" way to
vote on several of the issues (a number of them, including one that will further legalize gambling and allow casinos to operate in Maryland, have a moral as well as a political dimension). </i><br />
<br />
<i>It is worth a quick read of the piece to get a sense of the surprisingly cavalier approach that was taken to these very sensitive subjects. To the casual reader it is immediately obvious that, rather than research these topics from a Torah standpoint, the authors made up their own minds and then searched for Jewish texts and/or scholars to support their opinions.On the issue of "Question #6", for example, the paper
unequivocally states that the Torah and Jewish community fully supports
marriage equality and that those who want to vote Jewishly based on
Jewish texts should support it...In response, I wrote this:</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dear Editor,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I
was profoundly dismayed to read the pre-election editorial piece in which your
staff presented their conclusions as to the proper and text-based
"Jewish view" on the various referendum questions that are set to be
decided by Marylanders in the ballot box this Election Day. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In
particular, I thought it was irresponsible and inappropriate for the
Washington Jewish Week to speak for the "Jewish Community" and "the
Torah" in its support for so-called marriage equality, without
mentioning so much as a single dissenting viewpoint.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While
correct in noting that companionship is a value promoted by the Torah,
the author of the column failed to mention the most basic principle of
all - namely, the fact that the homosexual lifestyle is clearly and
unequivocally forbidden by Jewish law, both for Jews and Gentiles. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It
is unfair and offensive of the paper to claim to represent the Jewish
community as a whole - which should include those among us who are
Orthodox, traditional and Sephardic - when its political and ideological
views are squarely at odds with many of ours. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Personally, I am
opposed to discrimination and prejudice in all forms and I strongly
condemn any and all gay-bashing. I believe that all American citizens
should enjoy the same civil rights and that our government should
establish rules and regulations for domestic partnerships (not
marriages) that do not involve endorsing, validating or rejecting
anyone's values, inclinations or personal choices. I would prefer if our
legislatures didn't handle marriage at all, restricting themselves to
civil and domestic arrangements and leaving concepts like "marriage" to
religious and social orders to define and regulate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Moreover, I
support efforts to make sure that Jews of all backgrounds and
orientations have a home in the synagogue, whether or not their
lifestyles are consistent with the principles upon which it is founded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nevertheless, I stand by the Torah's definition of marriage and believe
that it is an eternal, universal and inviolable one. I do not believe
that it is the government's place to redefine a sacred and time-honored
institution by legislation or referendum in this manner. And I know that
I speak on behalf of many laypersons and leaders of the Orthodox and
Sephardic community as well.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the future, kindly refrain from
implying that the views and opinions of your editorial staff accurately
represent those of the Torah or the Jewish community and please do not
encourage people to act or vote based on a vision of Judaism that is
purely your own and with which many of us vehemently disagree.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sincerely Yours, </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rabbi Joshua Maroof </span><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<textarea class="uiTextareaNoResize uiTextareaAutogrow _1rv DOMControl_placeholder" name="message_body" placeholder="Write a reply..." rows="3"></textarea>Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-38512223146103472602012-10-28T08:19:00.002-04:002012-10-28T08:19:28.595-04:00Derekh Hokhma - The Way of Wisdom I am pleased to present my translation of Derekh Hokhma, The Way of Wisdom, written by the illustrious Rabbi Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto. Rabbi Luzzatto, better known as the Ramchal, is perhaps most famous for his classic ethical work, Mesilat Yesharim. In Derekh Hokhma, which is structured as a dialogue between a teacher and a student, the Ramchal lays out a philosophy and methodology of Torah study that clarifies the purpose of learning and the proper prioritization of subject matter therein.<br />
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After discussing his general vision he works out the particulars of which subjects and texts should be learned, why they should be learned, in what order they should be learned, according to what method they should be learned and to what extent each respective area should be learned.<br />
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It is a brief and deceptively simple work that is enormously insightful; it is a guide to Torah Study the same way that Mesilat Yesharim is a guide to ethical and religious conduct. You can find my translation <a href="http://sephardicbetmidrash.blogspot.com/2012/10/derekh-hokhma-complete-translation.html">here</a>. Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-88230203243337010692012-10-25T23:57:00.005-04:002012-10-26T00:11:13.289-04:00The Rabbi's ElephantMany people have already viewed "<a href="http://vimeo.com/49837592">The Rabbi's Daughter</a>", a moving film that offers the viewer a glimpse of the lives of three young women whose fathers are prominent Orthodox Rabbis but who themselves are no longer religiously observant. The movie is powerful and should not be missed. One cannot help but feel empathy for the estranged daughters who struggle to remain connected with and win acceptance from their families as well as for the parents who must be profoundly disappointed in their children's choices yet continue to love and support them.<br />
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Commentary on the video has astutely observed that the Rabbinic fathers are cast in a rather positive light as sensitive and caring parents. Others have pointed out that at least two of the three daughters featured in the film have strong artistic, even "hippie-like" tendencies, and that these qualities may have made any attempt to fit them into the Orthodox mold an even greater challenge.<br />
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However, no one has yet addressed the most obvious and most troubling issue of all, the elephant sitting smugly in the corner of the room: All three children showcased in the movie are daughters, not sons. <br />
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These young women are expected to dress a certain way and to behave a certain way. The external measures of conformity for Orthodox women are very strict. A woman's irreligiosity is palpable and perceivable - all she needs to do is wear pants or short sleeves, for example, and anyone who sees her will immediately conclude that she has left the Orthodox fold. <br />
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Were any of these daughters not a daughter but a son, he could conceal his ideological departure from the belief system of his family with little more than a baseball cap. Men who leave Orthodoxy can hide it with minimal effort and probably do, keeping their changes of heart to themselves. <br />
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But there is another, more significant aspect to this disturbing picture. After all, a "rabbi's son" is held to higher standards and experiences communal pressure just like a "rabbi's daughter"; however, for the son, there are benefits as well - he is held in <strong>high esteem</strong> as well!<br />
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The son may decide to follow in his father's footsteps and become a rabbi, teacher or community leader. He can pursue Torah learning opportunities of the highest caliber, attend the best yeshivot and perhaps one day inherit his father's position. <strong>There is a place for a rabbi's son in the Orthodox community</strong>.<br />
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The male offspring of a rabbi experience more than just the pressure, restrictions and standards that their female counterparts endure. Expectations of greatness are formed, hopes are hoped and dreams are dreamt for the rabbi's son and what he may become.<br />
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Not so for the rabbi's daughter. She is not held up on any pedestal, except insofar as marriage prospects are concerned. She is not hailed as a scholar or a prodigy. Her position in the rabbi's family doesn't prepare her for or lead her down any clear career path. For obvious reasons, she would be discouraged from and even condemned for considering anything remotely similar to the career path of her father.<br />
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This, I believe, is the crux of the problem. <strong>Where is the rabbi's daughter to go? What place is there for her in the Orthodox world?</strong> Beyond the responsibilities, the pressure, and the stress of growing up with the label "rabbi's daughter" permanently emblazoned upon her identity, what does she have to show for it, where does it leave her?<br />
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It is particularly ironic that the same week "The Rabbi's Daughter" is making waves on the Internet, Rav Aviner - who is prominently and sympathetically featured, with his daughter Tamar, in the video - is also in the news for <a href="http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=289132">this</a>. <br />
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I have tremendous respect for Rav Aviner and it is not for me to criticize his halakhic analysis (as a Sephardic Rabbi, I follow the view of Chief Sephardic Rishon Letsion HaRav Uzziel Z"L that it is permitted for women to serve in the government as democratically elected representatives). However, from a philosophical perspective, it is hard to overlook the connection between these media reports. After all, it stands to reason that Rav Aviner's view of women in general has exerted an influence on the way in which he has raised and educated his daughter. This, in turn, has undoubtedly contributed to the spiritual and emotional dilemma in which his daughter now finds herself.<br />
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There is little room for doubt that barring women from the world of Torah and denying them the opportunity to contribute their spiritual talents to our communities in some recognized capacity is a disservice to them. Truthfully, all of our daughters are at an innate disadvantage because of our failure or our tacit refusal to make room for them in our midst.<br />
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Precisely because of the fact that so many doors are open to women in our society and so many other options are made available to them, we cannot content ourselves with moving over a little so that they can squeeze in at the far end of someone else's bench. That's as good as saying "you can rest here temporarily but you're not really welcome here, find somewhere else to sit as soon as possible."<br />
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Instead, we must identify and sanctify a bona fide place for Orthodox Jewish women, a spiritual path and destination that belongs to them and that grants them the dignity of belonging, a goal for which they can yearn and an objective toward which they can strive. <br />
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Otherwise, the highly talented young women of this generation will find their potential both unacknowledged and unfulfilled and will feel themselves stifled, frustrated and shut out of our community. And if there is one lesson we can learn from the video, it is that, in the end, the Rabbis' daughters will suffer the most.<br />
<br />Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-74895579206670226482012-10-22T16:20:00.000-04:002012-10-22T17:24:46.119-04:00Why The "Bar Mitzvah" Must GoIt is a well-known fact that many families maintain their synagogue membership only to ensure that their children will be able to have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony when they come of age. This is particularly true among non-traditional or generally unaffiliated Jews; parents who are disinterested in religion per se may still feel a sense of obligation to see to it that their offspring experience this rite of passage in one form or another, and that means joining a congregation of some sort.<br />
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Without a doubt, the draw of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah provides an opportunity for the synagogue community to connect with and engage many children and adults who would otherwise have no involvement with Judaism, Jewish learning or Jewish practice. In this sense, the conventional institution of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a positive thing; at the very least, it persuades Jews who are quite distant from their religion to enter the realm of Jewish community and participate in synagogue life.<br />
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Nevertheless, it is equally well-known that many such families abruptly terminate their involvement with their chosen congregations as soon as the Bar/Bat Mitzvah obligation has been met. The event has no discernible long-term effects. Most of the time, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child, now a young man or woman, has not been inspired to continue his/her attendance at services or study of Torah.<br />
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On the contrary, it is frequently the case that the "graduate" of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah course is left with an antipathy to synagogue, is haunted by terrible memories of the stress, rote drilling and gloom associated with the demands of practice and preparation for the big day, and is tremendously relieved to know that it is all over.<br />
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Why is it that the Jewish community routinely botches this golden opportunity to engage unaffiliated families? Why is it that we fail to inspire the youngsters in our Hebrew Schools and Bar/Bat Mitzvah classes? How come this momentous rite of passage that our children absolutely MUST experience (or endure) leaves them running away from, instead of running in pursuit of, more Judaism and more Torah?<br />
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I believe the problem is not the concept of the Bar Mitzvah, but the conventional form of the Bar Mitzvah: specifically, the notion that the student's goal should be to memorize and chant the Torah portion and Haftara and then deliver a token speech. One need not look far beyond the surface to see that the Bar Mitzvah ceremonies of today do not reflect and actually contradict many of the values that we teach and emphasize in Torah contexts. The format of the Bar Mitzvah fails us in three respects:<br />
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1. <u><b>Improper Emphasis on Public Performance</b> </u>- Today's Bar Mitzvah is all about showbusiness and pageantry. (I am speaking of the synagogue service, not the ridiculously lavish parties, the shallowness of which speaks for itself.) The Bar Mitzvah is preparing for a well-attended public performance during which he will showcase himself. The personal growth, knowledge and character of the Bar Mitzvah are not highlighted. The focus is exclusively on the external trappings of religion, even when those superficial trappings are entirely devoid of substance.<br />
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Moreover, in Orthodox, traditional and Sephardic synagogues, this transforms the Bar Mitzvah into a ceremony of exclusion - boys have the opportunity to "shine", to do what everyone seems to think is important and worthy of effusive accolades, while girls are summarily denied that privilege. This problem has sent many Modern Orthodox in search of creative ways to allow young women to participate in synagogue services in a more public fashion; however, as I have argued previously, <a href="http://vesomsechel.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-womens-ritual-participation-is-not_4636.html">I do not think this is the correct approach.</a><br />
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2. <u><b>Meaningless Preparation</b></u> - I spend several hours a week preparing students for Bar Mitzvah at my synagogue, and several hours more lamenting what a waste of time it is. The process of repetition and rote memorization is boring and spiritually deadening for both student and teacher. There is no intellectual stimulation, no give-and-take, no excitement. It doesn't lead the learner to a deeper connection with Torah nor to an understanding of the significance of the portion being read. It is the ultimate example of a מצות אנשים מלומדה, a mindless regimen performed out of habit, which our Prophets continually warned us against. And it is the visceral distaste for this painful and empty routine that sends young men running from the synagogue once their Bar Mitzvah is over!<br />
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3. <u><b>No Lasting Results</b></u> - Teaching a youngster once a week for a year so that he can read one parasha or haftara seems like quite an accomplishment. When the resulting performance is a flawless one, lots of praise is heaped on the performer and his tutor. However, in reality, it is all a disheartening illusion. The Bar Mitzvah has gained nothing enduring from his year of study. He hasn't emerged a better person or a better Jew. He hasn't internalized any knowledge that will enrich his life, deepen his thought or inform his conduct. The skill he has spent one year acquiring will quickly evaporate from lack of practice and lack of interest. On the off chance that he shows up on the same Shabbat in subsequent years, he may be able to provide an encore performance - but even that is never quite as good as the first one, it is rusty from neglect.<br />
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For these three reasons and more, I am calling upon the leaders of the Jewish community to abolish the format of the "Bar Mitzvah" as we know it. It will be difficult; we will likely meet with fierce resistance. The synagogue "stage parents" who have patiently awaited their children's moment in the limelight will find much to oppose in this suggestion. But if we are genuinely concerned with the future of the Jewish people and we are committed to saving the next generation of young men and women, it is incumbernt upon us to act now!<br />
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What will replace the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies? How can we merely dispense with such an important rite of passage, a signature life cycle event in our communities? I would like to suggest the following:<br />
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<b>Instead of a performance, instead of preparing a child for twelve months so that he can read a parasha for less than an hour, let's require every Bat/Bat Mitzvah student to participate in a course of serious Torah study for one full year. </b><br />
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We can require the boys and girls in our communities to study - at the very minimum - their entire Bar/Bat Mitzvah parasha (or some other relevant Jewish text, as deemed appropriate) in depth, with the Rabbi or a qualified tutor, and to explore its themes, its commentaries, its difficulties, its message...How beautiful it would be were a Bar or Bat Mitzvah to have the experience of genuine one-on-one Torah study, guided by a seasoned teacher, once a week for a whole year! What a transformative process it would have the potential to be, how it would encourage intellectual exchange and the formation of close bonds between student and tutor/rabbi, and how it would engage the mind, heart and soul of the youngster with Judaism and Jewishness at a level we can hardly imagine...<br />
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This would be a worthwhile and substantial investment in the child and their relationship with Torah and would be an outstanding substitute for the enormous but ultimately futile investments we have already been making in the "Bar Mitzvah" - an event that unfortunately makes little or no contribution to the religious education or Jewish identity of the participants.<br />
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This revolutionary approach to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah would yield the following benefits:<br />
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1. <b>The Concept of Siyum </b>- The completion of a course of Torah study would be a true occasion for celebration. Putting all pomp, circumstance and pageantry aside, it would signify a real graduation, a new stage of growth reached in the intellectual and spiritual life of the student. <br />
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2. <b>Relationships Formed</b> - The Bar/Bat Mitzvah would have the opportunity to form a deep and lasting bond with his/her teacher. Rather than a simple, mechanical "tutoring" arrangement that ends with the passage of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah date, the shared experience of Torah study and the exchange of ideas would foster a relationship with the potential to withstand the test of time - the tutor is now a mentor, a confidante. The possibility that student and teacher might stay in touch for decades afterward and continue to interact with one another meaningfully is not at all far-fetched. <br />
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3. <b>Authentic Experience</b> - This model of Bar/Bat Mitzvah training would expose the child to the beauty of Torah and Judaism in all of its richness, with no repetitive, brain-numbing practice to carry out at home. It would open the mind and heart of the pupil to everything Judaism has to offer, in an intimate, warm, one-on-one setting. <br />
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4. <b>Meaningful Results</b> - The insights gained in Torah study may stay with a student for a lifetime. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah will walk away with new ideas, principles and values that he or she can apply to real-life situations inside and outside of the synagogue. And when the students experience the sheer enjoyment of Torah study and intellectual discovery, when they associate Judaism with something positive, enduring and exciting, the chance that they will return for more is increased a thousandfold.<br />
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In fact, teaching Torah is the most effective marketing strategy we have in our arsenal - when we allow the children to see for themselves just how amazing, powerful and transformational Torah knowledge can be, there is reason to believe that they will diligently seek it rather than run from it.<br />
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5.<b> Egalitarian</b> - This model of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, because it is based on Torah study and not on public performance, is naturally and ideally suited to both boys and girls, even in a strictly traditional setting. The same effort and investment will be expected from both genders, and the same genuinely positive outcomes will be sought. Torah learning is the greatest equalizer as well as the greatest wellspring of nourishment and inspiration for the Jewish soul.<br />
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Simply put, the conventional "Bar Mitzvah" must go!<br />
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I realize that this proposal may seem radical to some. I am fully prepared to hear comments and constructive criticism from the readership. In fact, I encourage it and look forward to it. I am hopeful that the observations and suggestions that I have laid out here will serve as the beginning of a critical discussion about Jewish education, Jewish continuity and what steps we must take to ensure that our sacred traditions are preserved and successfully transmitted to the next generation.<br />
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<br />Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-2937743798478225922012-10-19T00:39:00.001-04:002012-10-19T10:09:59.012-04:00Torah, Science and Women's Issues<a href="http://torahmusings.com/2012/10/women-and-judaism-refocusing-the-discussion/">In the latest post on Hirhurim</a>, Rabbi Raphael Davidovich responds to Rabbi Broyde's recent article on Women's Torah reading with a basic ideological critique. He accuses Rabbi Broyde of essentially burying his head in the sand of halakhic minutiae rather than confronting the ideological and theological erosion taking place in Modern Orthodoxy right before his eyes. <br />
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While halakhic analysis of what is permitted or forbidden for women in the context of Orthodoxy is certainly welcome, Rabbi Davidovich argues that it sidesteps the more fundamental issue - namely, the fact that what many modern Orthodox Jews really have a problem with is not the specific halakhic parameters being followed but one of the foundational teachings of the Written and Oral Torah themselves.<br />
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In other words, they are disputing, disparaging and dismissing the idea - codified and canonized in our tradition - that men and women are different and are, as a result, subject to different rules, regulations and obligations. Rabbi Davidovich brings much persuasive evidence for the fact that the Torah does, indeed, enshrine a very specific vision of men, women and their roles in society and in the world, as well as in their relationships with one another and with Hashem.<br />
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<a href="http://vesomsechel.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-womens-ritual-participation-is-not_4636.html">I have already weighed in</a> on the issue of increased ritual participation for women. I strongly oppose it; I would much rather see increased Torah learning, tefillah, acts of kindess, and pursuit of justice among both men and women. Nevertheless, upon reflection, it became clear to me that the various rabbis weighing in on these issues are talking past one another. They are failing to directly address the underlying difficulty that lies beneath this entire controversy and, in reality, comes between them. Without a head-on confrontation with this problem, their debates will never yield any fruitful conclusion. <br />
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Rabbi Davidovich astutely observes that there is much more at stake here than some particular halakhic ruling or another. Focusing on the halakhic issues is missing the forest for the trees. Despite the title and ostensible goal of his post, however, I don't think Rabbi Davidovich really succeeds in "refocusing the discussion". After all, what is the real substance of the dispute over women's status in Orthodoxy, what is the basis of this war raging between representatives of the Left, Right and Center of our movement?<br />
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I would argue that what we are in fact witnessing is another incarnation of the classic Torah-Science conflict. The Torah and Talmud present a vision of men and women, their relationships, societal roles, intellectual and emotional makeup, etc., that seemingly clashes with much of what modern civilization perceives, believes and teaches about these matters. There is a contradiction between what we know or have been taught by our tradition and what we see or experience with our senses. And as with any such Torah-Science conundrum, three rational responses are available to us. <br />
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One is to uphold the traditional viewpoint unquestioningly and to dismiss whatever external evidence appears to contradict it. The difficulty with this approach is well known: While it resolves the problem for all practical and theological purposes, it leaves us somewhat intellectually dissatisfied. <br />
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Granted, the Torah gives us an eternal, sacrosanct and absolute set of principles through which to understand males and females and their respective places in the world. And certainly, just as we can accept a straightforward reading of the Biblical Creation story on faith and remain skeptical of modern science, so too can we take refuge in our Divinely revealed tradition and derive much comfort, confidence and solace from it. <br />
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But how do we explain the odd fact that women today are scientists, doctors, lawyers, judges, etc.? How do we account for the reality that modern women seem more capable, intellectually sophisticated and emotionally independent than the Torah and Talmud would suggest? I don't know the answer to these questions, but I think it would be highly instructive were proponents of the traditionalist approach like Rabbi Davidovich to provide some tentative responses to them.<br />
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The second option for dealing with this "Torah and Science" conflict, taken up by Rabbi Broyde and to a greater or lesser extent by many Left-of-Center Modern Orthodox rabbis, is to find refuge not in the absolute theological teachings of the Torah but in the more flexible and neutral realm of halakha.<br />
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By working out compromise solutions that are halakhically defensible and socially acceptable, we can avoid confronting the deeper ideological problem that actually faces us. Rather than take sides on the question of the nature of women and their differences from men - specifically, rather than openly endorse the traditional or the modern view - we can cobble together practical strategies and public policies that foster compromise, quiet the protests and relieve us of the responsibility to tackle the weightier and more controversial matters at hand. <br />
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The third response available when we discover a conflict between Torah and Science or between theory and empirical data is to downplay or dismiss the former in favor of the latter. Some variation of this stance, which is highly troubling to those in the traditionalist camp, seems to be the one adopted by many of the advocates of Open Orthodoxy.<br />
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While they do not reject the truth of the Torah or the authority of the Talmud, many proponents of Open Orthodoxy may question whether the teachings of the Talmud on scientific subjects, including the nature, emotional makeup, intellectual proclivities and societal role of women, carry the binding force of law, or whether, instead, they can be understood as reflecting the scientific and cultural views that were widely held at that point in history. As Rabbi Davidovich points out, their manner of framing the issues goes beyond quibbling about details of halakha - it represents a fundamental ideological parting-of-ways with much of Mainstream Orthodox thought on these matters. <br />
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Open Orthodox Rabbis see a world filled with female scientists, judges, world leaders, philosophers, etc., and reach the conclusion that we live in a different world than the ancients did. Just as they have set aside medicinal, astronomical and biological teachings of the Talmudic Sages in deference to today's scientific findings, so too have they set aside or at least augmented the beliefs about women that were current in Talmudic times and adopted more modern, egalitarian and liberal perspectives. They argue, in the spirit of the Gaonim, Maimonides and many others, that we are not obligated to accept the scientific and sociological statements recorded in the Talmud, just as we are not obligated to embrace the literal truth of its many Aggadic and homiletic passages.<br />
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There is a fourth option, of course, which would be to find some cogent, persuasive and theologically acceptable middle ground between these views, a way to integrate the truths of tradition with the facts on the ground. This might proceed along the same lines that some thinkers have proposed to reconcile the Torah's account of Genesis with modern cosmology and physics - not by choosing one over the other, not by declaring one version right the other wrong, but by creatively reinterpreting the two as somehow complementary, understanding them as two sides of the same coin. <br />
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As I said, I don't have a definite answer to the questions I have raised here. The objective of this post was not to settle any disputes as much as it was to reframe the discussion as yet another instance of the classic Torah-Science conflict.<br />
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Not all cases of apparent dissonance between traditional belief and empirical science need to be resolved in precisely the same way. Each genuine or apparent difficulty must be evaluated on its own merits before a conclusion is reached.<br />
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However, in order for meaningful discussion to be had, and in order for our global conversation to move forward, we must address the philosophical or ideological issue of the nature and role of women in Judaism as if it were a real or apparent contradiction between Torah and science.<br />
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Our responses, whenever and however we formulate them, should confront this fundamental source of tension dead-on and should include a clear explanation of how we interpret it and propose to resolve it.<br />
<br />Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-71175167768596775582012-10-15T16:25:00.006-04:002020-10-11T21:21:33.853-04:00Why Women's Ritual Participation is Not The Answer<span style="font-size: large;">One of the signature features of Orthodoxy is the assignment of different public roles to men and women, and the reservation of specific ritual duties to males and females, respectively. In the past, I have been invited to a number of discussion forums that dealt with the idea of empowering Jewish women by expanding the scope of their ritual participation in the home and the synagogue. Apparently, those familiar with my stance as an outspoken advocate for women's Torah Study expected me to support this initiative as well.<br />
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However, much to their chagrin, I was and I am strongly opposed to this approach. I do not believe it offers an authentic and satisfactory response to the concerns raised by Modern Orthodox women. In fact, I believe that this tactic is poorly conceived and fundamentally misguided.<br />
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This is why I was interested to see the arguments put forth in <a href="http://morethodoxy.org/2012/10/15/womens-participation-in-ritual-time-for-a-paradigm-shift-by-rabbi-zev-farber/">this article</a> from Open Orthodox Rabbi Zev Farber in which he vigorously promotes expanding the range of ritual participation available to Modern Orthodox women. His suggestion is that we go back to basics, reexamining each and every area in which distinctions have been made between men and women and questioning whether these distinctions have a legitimate halakhic basis or are simply customs by default, "the way it's always been done". On the surface, such a reconsideration of common practice in the light of traditional sources sounds reasonable and healthy. Certainly no harm can come from the advancement of knowledge and understanding.<br />
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Rabbi Farber's article also makes some outstanding points about the double-standard that is applied to the motives of men and of women vis a vis ritual participation. There is a tendency in the Orthodox world to criticize women who express interest in ritual activity. The movement to establish women's prayer groups, Torah readings, etc., is attributed to their ignoble desire for fame, honor, or power. Yet the men, who are subject to these same petty desires and impulses, who enjoy receiving honors and basking in the limelight just as much, are granted the opportunity to participate in these rituals as a matter of course, without having their agendas scrutinized or their motives questioned. These are very fair and accurate observations.<br />
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However, while I sympathize with his sentiments and accept the cogency of much of his reasoning, I strongly disagree with Rabbi Farber's conclusions. In my opinion, the solution is not to encourage MORE ritual participation among women. On the contrary, the objective should be to educate our communities to an understanding that ritual participation is not the sin qua none of Divine Service.<br />
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Participation brings with it the thrill of performance in front of a group, the widely coveted opportunity to shine. However, in essence, it is not outward ritual that perfects us. It is not reading the Torah publicly, nor leading the prayers before the congregation, nor reciting Qaddish that draws us nearer to Hashem and actualizes our spiritual, intellectual or moral potential.<br />
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This objective, the ultimate objective of all of Torah and mitzvot, is realized only through authentic study of Torah and pure and sincere observance of mitzvot, particularly the mitzvot of Tefillah (genuine prayer) and the pursuit of justice, charity and kindness. The greatest Sages and Prophets of our history did not scale the heights of Divine Knowledge by virtue of serving as the cantors, rabbis or Torah readers in their synagogues; they were, by and large, loners and mavericks who pursued the truth relentlessly and independently, neither seeking public recognition nor caving to public pressure. This message is a message that both men and women need to hear. It is a principle that must regain its central footing in our religious consciousness and experience.<br />
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Were an archaic version of Rabbi Farber to have lived in the days of the prophets Hosea, Isaiah, or Jeremiah, we can envision the scene: He would have climbed the rooftops or the hilltops (there were no blogs back then) and proclaimed his dream of egalitarian ritual participation in the Bet Hamiqdash, the Holy Temple. He would have encouraged religious leaders to welcome women who wished to bring sacrifices to the Temple and to lean on them before they were offered (the Talmud in Rosh Hashana and Hagigah deals with the parameters of this halakhic subject). He would probably have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the halakhic principle that a non-Kohen can perform sacrificial slaughter, and sought to create opportunities for women to do so. He would have struggled mightily to involve women in the Temple Service to the full extent that Jewish Law allowed.<br />
<br />
And yet, after all this work, he would be headed in the wrong direction, and he would be leading others down a literally God-forsaken path. "What need have I of your abundant sacrifices, the Word of Hashem," Isaiah proclaimed. Jeremiah preached, "But I spoke not unto your forefathers...Regarding burnt offering or sacrifice. But this thing I commanded them: Do My bidding, that I may be your God and you may be My people; walk only in the way I instruct you..."<br />
<br />
Hosea may have said it best, when he declared, "For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; knowledge of God, and not burnt offerings."<br />
<br />
The sacrifices of yesteryear (may they speedily return with the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, God willing) are analogous to the public rituals of today. Our goal should not be the offering of more sacrifices, so to speak. Nor should we be clamoring to involve more people in officiating at our "sacrificial services". Instead, we should be promoting, encouraging and championing the life-changing and self-transformative study of Torah among both men and women of all ages.<br />
<br />
It is only first and foremost through the deep and passionate study of Torah and then - in light of that Torah knowledge - through sincere and authentic prayer, acts of kindness and compassion, and the ceaseless pursuit of justice and charity that our people will find its way back to Hashem once and for all.<br />
<br />
Emphasis on expanding women's roles in ritual performance will contribute more to the problem than to the solution. It reinforces an ancient, deeply entrenched and distorted view of Torah and further misdirects the focus of our religious life toward the outward signs, rather than the substance, of true knowledge of God and Divine service. To borrow a poignant phrase from the Rambam, this kind of initiative "leads neither to the fear of Hashem nor to the love of Him."<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-1826660978079502432012-10-11T12:03:00.004-04:002012-10-11T12:03:55.974-04:00International Day of The Girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZivbvAGa5SU/UHbtQOqmWFI/AAAAAAAAAD0/Ty6IfMv9b0o/s1600/because+I+am+a+girl+shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZivbvAGa5SU/UHbtQOqmWFI/AAAAAAAAAD0/Ty6IfMv9b0o/s1600/because+I+am+a+girl+shirt.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Today has been designated by the United Nations as the first annual "International Day of the Girl" in recognition of the fact that "<strong>in many countries girls get left behind in all areas of life from school to work and many are prevented from fulfilling their true potential by severe discrimination and prejudice</strong>."</span><br />
<br />
<em>Invest in a girl and she will change the world!</em> - PlanUSA "Because I am a Girl" CampaignRabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-88164906916189264722012-10-07T14:58:00.002-04:002012-10-07T14:58:17.179-04:00Random Thoughts on Hoshana RabbaThere is a widely accepted tradition that the judgment determined on
Yom Kippur is finalized, once and for all, on Hoshanna Rabba, the last
day of the Festival of Sukkot. The liturgy and melodies of Hoshana Rabba
reflect this idea by imitating or borrowing from those of the High
Holidays. Yet, when we examine the Torah and Talmud, we find no
indication that Hoshana Rabba is singled out for any special treatment
or has any distinct status. What is the basis for attaching such
tremendous significance to the last day of Sukkot?<br />
<br />
While
it is true that there is no clear reference to Hoshana Rabba as a day
of judgment in the Torah, we can identify a hint in the text that leads
us to the answer. In Parashat Pinhas, the sacrificial order for every
holiday is presented. On Rosh Hodesh, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashana,
Yom Kippur and Sukkot we are commanded to offer a combination of
sacrifices unique to those days. <br />
<br />
It is easy to gloss
over the details in Parashat Pinhas, particularly when it comes to the
exact number of bulls, rams and sheep offered on a specific day of the
year. However, the diligent student is struck by one fascinating
pattern. Three days of the year have an identical "menu" of offerings,
and all three fall in the Hebrew month of Tishre. Those days are Rosh
Hashana, Yom Kippur and Shemini Atseret! In a subtle way, the Torah is
suggesting that Shemini Atseret is linked to the High Holidays, Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur. It is not simply a postscript to Sukkot; it is a
return, as it were, to the themes of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. How
does this work?<br />
<br />
As I have explained in the past,
Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot represent a spiritual progression of
sorts. Rosh Hashana sounds an alarm, encouraging us to liberate
ourselves from unthinking habit and to reflect on the ultimate reality
of God's Kingship. Yom Kippur is the natural reaction to that awareness -
a rushing to the opposite extreme, escaping from the material and
mundane and immersing ourselves in exclusive focus on Hashem and His
transcendence. Sukkot attempts to strike a healthy and joyous balance
between the two - we engage with the physical, we enjoy and even embrace
the natural and the beautiful, but we devote it to a transcendent
purpose. In other words, we relate to the physical not as a distraction
from or contradiction to the truth but as a vehicle that, when
understood and used properly, can enable us to reach ever greater
heights of intellectual and moral development.<br />
<br />
We can
see, then, why Sukkot cannot possibly be an end in itself. After our
experience of reconciliation and reconnection with Hashem on Yom Kippur,
we are not quite ready to dive back into ordinary life - we still need
the Sukkah, the Lulav and the Etrog as safety nets that keep us
connected to transcendence while we tentatively reengage with the
natural world. Like a patient released from drug rehab, immediately
returning to our old dysfunctional environment would be a recipe for
disaster. Instead, we gradually move back to the material and the
sensual, with the Sukkah and Four Species as our "lifeline" along the
way. Eventually, however, the umbilical cord must be cut - we need to
stand up and face life on our own, without the elaborate support system
put in place on Sukkot.<br />
<br />
Shemini Atseret, then, is
the moment of truth. Bereft of the Sukkah, on our own, in our familiar,
temptation-filled environment, we are now in a position to really gauge
how much of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur has become a part of who we
are...How much of its inspiration, insight and call to repentance have
we genuinely internalized? Have the holidays changed us, or has the
apparent "new beginning" been nothing other than an artificial effect
created by the continued presence of so many mitzvot, so many reminders,
so much structure that has kept our connection with the truths of Yom
Kippur alive?<br />
<br />
Precisely because Shemini Atseret is a
throwback to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, its sacrificial order is
radically different than that of the other days of Sukkot, repeating,
instead, the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur Temple Service. Sukkot was a
necessary bridge from the High Holidays, with all of their grandeur and
transcendence, and the less-inspiring, more murky existence we struggle
with the rest of the year. But once we've crossed the bridge, we are
faced with a test - have the effects of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
rubbed off on us as PEOPLE? Do we still have a deeper, more robust
relationship with Hashem and His Torah, something worth celebrating even
WITHOUT the fanfare of Sukkah and Lulav?<br />
<br />
And this is
why, I believe, Hoshana Rabba is so significant. It is the last
opportunity we have to ensure that our observance of Sukkot has reached
its objective and has helped us internalize the lessons of the Holidays
of Tishre. We call out "Ana Hashem", help us, Hashem! Help us to remain
true to the ideals that began inspiring us during Selihot and have
stayed with us until now. Help us even as we are taking leave of the
Lulav and Etrog and we are bidding farewell to the Sukkah. Give us the
inner strength and courage to survive the intellectual and moral
challenges we will face this year, and to continue on the course we
charted for ourselves during the High Holidays even when Your presence
is more distant from our consciousness than it is right now. Don't allow
us to be overwhelmed by our impulses, our emotions or by the endless
pressures and demands of everyday life and to abandon what we have
worked so hard this month to achieve!<br />
<br />
One last
observation, that really deserves its own essay: One of the most
prominent themes of the Hoshanot, including those of Hoshana Rabba, is
our yearning for the Messianic redemption.We invoke a rare and unusual
name of Hashem, "Ani Vahu", which according to the Rambam, is a
reference to the verse in Haazinu "Ani Ani Hu" - I, I am He - the
declaration Hashem will make to the nations of the world when He ends
our exile, once and for all. What is the reason for this Messianic
fervor? <br />
<br />
I believe the answer is that our existence in a
perpetual state of exile is, in and of itself, the true measure of our
progress (or lack thereof) as the Chosen People. We pray, therefore,
that the strides we have made this month will serve as the first steps
toward our ultimate goal - the redemption of the Jewish people and, by
extension, the redemption of all of humanity. <br />
<br />
Yes,
we've hopefully progressed, we've implemented changes and committed to
new resolutions. And in the meantime, we have prayed for the gift of
time - another year of life during which to grow in our knowledge and
observance of Torah.But our repentance has a grander and more
revolutionary objective, one that reaches far beyond the realm of
personal development or self-improvement: namely, the fulfillment of our
role as a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation, sanctifying G-d's name
in the world and inspiring all of mankind to join us in our quest for
knowledge of the Creator and to partner with us in our struggle to
establish justice, peace and harmony on Earth. For this reason, even
after all of our prayers and supplications, even after all of our
introspection and self-correction, we still must cry out to Hashem with
Hoshanot, yearning for His help to transform our individual processes of
repentance into a national, collective process of reawakening,
rejuvenation and redemption.<br />
<br />
I would love to compose
another note explaining what I think is the significance of beating the
Aravot on the ground on Hoshana Rabba. Hopefully I'll have the time and
the inclination to do so after the Holiday. Ana Hashem Hoshia Na!Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-10041882612546863242012-07-30T23:58:00.002-04:002012-07-31T00:11:03.184-04:00Eliminate Denominations - Objection #2<br />
In last week's Washington Jewish Week, two letters were printed in response to
my letter "Eliminate Denominations". Feel free to look at them <a href="http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=31&ArticleID=17641&TM=43509.26"><span style="color: #5588aa;">here</span></a>. I responded to the first of them in great detail<a href="http://vesomsechel.blogspot.com/2012/07/eliminate-denominations-objection-1.html"> here</a>. In this post, I reproduce the text of the second objection, followed by my detailed
response.<br />
<br />
<em><b>A people divided</b>
</em><br />
<br />
<em>My Rockville neighbor, Rabbi Joshua Maroof, surely wrote his letter
("Eliminate denominations," Letters, WJW, July 12) about eliminating Ashkenazic
denominations with several tongues in cheek. He surely knows that Jews have been
a people divided - often creatively - through history by "denominations" or
movements or parties.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>When were we not? The biblical text tells us we were divided even under
Moses. The Pharisees opposed the Sadducees, the House of Hillel and Shamai, the
same, Chasidim and Mitnagdim scuffled more recently and on and on to this day.
Thank God for options and alternatives enriching our lives with choices, however
faulty and inadequate they all are.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>And all admit to being imperfect save for the Orthodox who self-proclaim to
be authentic. Besides, Reform Judaism, it should be remembered, predates
Orthodox Judaism. These "denominations" representing critical differences are
our profoundest strength: one people, a multiplicity of ideas and religious
sensibilities.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>Rabbi Maroof calls Jewish Orthodoxy unaltered. He cannot be serious. Judaism
has always altered. Orthodoxy as well. That's what makes Judaism authentic and
alive. But what kind of model does Orthodoxy represent - whether Ashkenazic or
Sephardic - when its understanding of Judaism chains women as agunot to nasty
husbands who won't do the right thing by their separated wives; manifests as a
denomination that treats women as second-class Jews with no aliyot, no
ordination, as acquired property in marriage, segregated from families at shul?
Never mind attitudes towards non-heterosexuals.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>As for Israel's Rabbinate, the state ought not employ and pay salaries to any
clergy except military chaplains and hospital chaplains as in the U.S. and other
democratic countries. The greater the separation of state and religion, the
better. Even for Israel.
</em><br />
<b><em>RABBI REEVE BRENNER </em></b><br />
<br />
<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">My Response </span></u></strong><br />
<br />
Like Mr. Finkel's, Rabbi Brenner's letter is replete with misrepresentations of Jewish history and tradition. He points to divisions between Hillel and Shammai, Hassidim and Mitnagdim, Sadduccees and Pharisees, etc., as examples of “denominations” that predate our contemporary ones. <br />
<br />
Disagreement, difference of opinion and division into schools of thought have all, indeed, characterized Jewish life since the proverbial days of old. However, it is imperative that we distinguish between the existence of schools with variant interpretations of canonical texts and law and the emergence of movements that dispute the Divine origin, truth or validity of those texts or that law. The former are part and parcel of traditional Judaism; the latter are separatists from traditional Judaism (the Sadduccees, incidentally, would fit in the latter category as well.)<br />
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Rabbi Brenner then writes, “<em>B</em><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>ut what kind of model does Orthodoxy represent - whether Ashkenazic or Sephardic - when its understanding of Judaism chains women as agunot to nasty husbands who won't do the right thing by their separated wives; manifests as a denomination that treats women as second-class Jews with no aliyot, no ordination, as acquired property in marriage, segregated from families at shul? Never mind attitudes towards non-heterosexuals</em></span>.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span>One may feel uncomfortable with certain aspects of Torah law, but criticizing the laws does not take away from the fact that those who maintain them are, in fact, upholding the original principles of Judaism as represented in the Written and Oral traditions. </div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Shifting the argument to whether you find the way the Torah structures divorce, the Talmud's laws that distinguish between genders with regard to prayer roles, or the Torah's clear prohibition of homosexuality to be agreeable to your "sensibilities" evades the question of whether or not your personal philosophy represents authentic Judaism. </div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Feel however you wish, but do not claim that the sum total of religious practices with which you are comfortable equates to some kind of "better" Judaism. Judaism's teachings on these issues are quite well-defined, and it is the Sephardim and so-called "Orthodox" Jews who have preserved them for generations. It is Judaism you dislike, not the traditionalists who have clung to it. </div>
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<br />
A few points of factual clarification: </div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
First, nowhere in the Torah or Talmud are specific "attitudes" toward homosexuals legislated or promoted. The Torah prohibits homosexual relations but does not view homosexuality as any different than, for example, desecrating the Sabbath. Nowhere is it written that we should treat practicing homosexuals any differently than we treat those who fail to observe the Sabbath. Put simply, there is no correlation whatsoever between forbidding an activity and promoting negative or hateful attitudes toward individuals who engage in that activity. </div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Second, women are not "segregated from families" in the synagogue. Men and women sit separately in traditional synagogues just as they stood separately in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The reason is to remove the distractions that inevitably attend mingling with members of the opposite sex. If anything, in non-traditional synagogues in which principles of modest dress are not observed, there is an even greater need to separate men and women so that decorum and focus on prayer can be maintained. After all, prayer is not a social event. It is a time to commune with God. It shouldn't matter who is sitting next to you. And if it does, that's why you need a divider in your synagogue.</div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Third, I fail to see why women not being given aliyot means that they are second class citizens. Judaism is a religion of responsibilities, obligations and service of God, not service of the self. We should not be seeking or promoting the "honor" of receiving aliyot or being ordained as rabbis.</div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Those who are obligated to read from the Torah according to Jewish law are the ones who receive aliyot in order to fulfill their obligation, not to demonstrate their superiority or their status as "first class" citizens. Those who are not obligated should have no need for it. </div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Similarly, those obligated to teach Torah to the community and lead services according to Jewish law are the ones who need to be ordained in order to qualify them for this position. One is ordained to fulfill these duties for the congregation, not in order to become the recipient of of honor and accolades from them. Since women are not charged with these specific responsibilities (they have many others that men don't have), they should have no need for ordination.</div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
If women feel a need for ordination, it is because they wrongly perceive the title of rabbi as a mark of distinction and privilege that is being denied to them. Instead, they should see it as a tool that allows men to fulfill certain religious obligations that women don't necessarily have. </div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Fourth, nowhere in the Torah, Talmud or codes does it say that women are acquired as property in marriage. That is simply absurd. I would urge Rabbi Brenner to more carefully study the laws of marriage and divorce in the relevant rabbinic sources where he will discover that this claim is neither fair nor accurate. </div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv2140809286MsoNormal">
<br />
Moreover, in the course of his learning he will hopefully come to understand why religious divorce proceeds according to the principles he saw fit to denigrate in his letter. There is rhyme, reason and logic to everything in Judaism, but it takes many years of serious study for one to recognize and appreciate that fact.</div>
<div>
</div>Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-49617501302062108882012-07-30T12:16:00.004-04:002012-07-30T23:59:10.713-04:00"Eliminate Denominations" Objection #1In last week's Washington Jewish Week, two letters were printed in response to my letter "Eliminate Denominations". Feel free to look at them <a href="http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=31&ArticleID=17641&TM=43509.26">here</a>. I will reproduce the text of the objections here as well, followed by my detailed response to each letter.<br />
<br />
<em><u>Objection Letter #1</u></em><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>In his
letter urging the elimination of non-Orthodox denominations ("Eliminate
denominations," Letters, WJW, July 12), Rabbi Joshua Maroof contends that
Orthodoxy is the "one, unaltered, authentic, traditional Judaism," the
"original" version dating back 3,500 years.</em>
</span><br />
<em>This contention is not supported by the historical record. To name just a few
major changes or modifications of the "original" Judaism: </em><br />
<br />
<em>
</em><br />
<em>• Animal sacrifice has been eliminated, replaced by prayer. </em><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<br />
<em>• Daughters can receive an inheritance, contrary to the sons-only stipulation
in the Torah.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>• The legal subterfuge known as "Prosbul" circumvents the Torah's requirement
that debts be forgiven in the Sabbatical year.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>• Rabbi Gershom ben Judah's edict prohibiting polygamous marriages.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>• The failure to carry out (thankfully) the many death penalties mandated in
the Torah.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>In the area of beliefs, there is the introduction of a hereafter, a theme
nowhere to be found in the Torah. We also recite, in the Amidah, our belief in
the resurrection of the dead. Whence comes this notion?
</em><br />
<br />
<em>One should feel free to criticize Conservative and Reform Judaism's practices
and trends, but to claim that only they are departures from an "original"
version is either naive or unbelievably disingenuous. The bottom line is that we
are all Jews. When we have so few friends into the world, it ill-behooves us to
foster alienation within our own ranks.
</em><br />
<br />
<em>ABRAHAM FINKEL </em><br />
<br />
<br />
<u><strong>My Response to Mr. Finkel</strong></u><br />
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</div>
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Mr. Finkel's letter claims that my statement that authentic Judaism has not changed over time is not supported by the historical record. To bolster his argument, he cites a number of pieces of "evidence" that he feels disprove my point. While his letter may seem convincing on the surface, an examination of his list of "changes" in Judaism reveals many gaps in his Jewish education. I will respond briefly, point by point, to the issues he raises:</div>
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</div>
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<br />
1 – Mr. Finkel states that the absence of animal sacrifice in Judaism and its “replacement” with prayer is a sign that the religion evolved. However, animal sacrifice was not "eliminated and replaced with prayer" as he claims. Animal sacrifice was only permitted in the Holy Temple, where it coexisted with prayer, as the Bible clearly states. Animal sacrifice was discontinued because the Temple was destroyed. Prayer was not "invented" to replace sacrifice, although the schedule of prayer was later modeled after the Temple service.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv1934918509MsoNormal">
2 – Mr. Finkel claims that the Torah does not allow daughters to inherit but that, nowadays, daughters do inherit. The truth is that nowhere in Jewish law does it say that daughters cannot receive an inheritance if the parent stipulates this before his/her death. If the parent dies without a will, Jewish law dictates that the sons inherit. This law was never modified in any way. I am not sure where Mr. Finkel heard otherwise.</div>
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<br /></div>
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3 – Mr. Finkel argues that the Prozbul, instituted by Hillel to encourage lending by sidestepping the cancelation of loans in the Shemitta year, demonstrates that Judaism was, in fact, altered over time. It is beyond the scope of this brief response to explain the logic behind "prozbul". However, it is not effectuating a change in the law, but is working around (or through) a loophole in the law for a good purpose. There is a big difference between modifying and working within/around the system. The latter is done all the time, in all legal systems, and does not amount to changing them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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4 – Mr. Finkel points to the decree of Rabbenu Gershom, forbidding polygamy, is an example of Judaism changing with the times. However, an official decree of policy made by one rabbi which was accepted as custom by many (not all) Jewish communities is hardly a "change in Judaism". No one claims that the Torah changed. Everyone acknowledged that polygamy remained permitted, at least on a Biblical level. However, Rabbenu Gershom decided to institute a rabbinical ban on polygamy in the countries under his authority.</div>
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5 – Mr. Finkel further claims that the fact that the death penalties legislated by the Torah are not implemented suggests that Judaism has changed. Death penalties are not carried out because we don't have a Sanhedrin authorized to carry them out, not because the religion has been changed. Even when the Sanhedrin existed, the death penalty was used sparingly. But its complete absence from contemporary life is the result of a change in the external world (the lack of a Sanhedrin) not a change in the Torah.</div>
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<br />
<br />
Mr. Finkel proceeds to claim not only that Jewish practices changed, but that many Jewish beliefs were added to the religion later and did not exist in Biblical times. Specifically, he asks where the belief in the afterlife or the resurrection of the dead, widely held among traditional Jews, could possibly have come from. The concept of the afterlife, while certainly not the focus of Biblical or post-Biblical-Era Judaism, is alluded to in the Book of Psalms and in the Book of Ecclesiastes, and the resurrection of the dead is mentioned in several places, most notably the Book of Ezekiel and the Book of Daniel. </div>
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<br />
<br />
Moreover, with respect to belief in the afterlife, it is most certain that the Jews subscribed to it throughout their history, since it would be quite bizarre for any nation existing 4000 years ago to have not only denied but to have failed to address or even mention an idea that was a fundamental cornerstone of every other religion en vogue at that time, particularly the Egyptian cults. Its omission from the Torah and relegation to oral tradition is understandable when we consider that it is a topic subject to great misunderstanding and distortion when approached improperly.</div>
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<br />
Mr. Finkel concludes with these words: "<em>The bottom line is that we are all Jews. When we have so few friends into the world, it ill-behooves us to foster alienation within our own ranks. "</em><br />
<br />
My point exactly! This is why we were given one Torah and no denominations into which to group ourselves.Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-42374832041350171582012-07-27T11:03:00.002-04:002012-07-27T11:07:08.558-04:00Tisha B'Av Letter 5772<div class="mbl notesBlogText clearfix">
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<i>Every year, I send a message to my congregation before Tisha B'Av. Here is the letter I composed and sent before Tisha B'Av 5772/2012.</i> <br />
<br />
Dear Members and Friends,<br />
<br />
This
Saturday night marks the beginning of the darkest and saddest day on
the Jewish calendar, the fast of Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av commemorates a
host of tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people throughout the
course of their history, including the destruction of the First and
Second Temples in Jerusalem. In addition to being a day of solemn
mourning and deep reflection, Tisha B’Av is the most serious and
stringent fast day of the year, second only to Yom Kippur.<br />
<br />
Tragically,
Tisha B’Av is often neglected or overlooked by contemporary Jews. Many
are unaware of its existence. Those who are familiar with Tisha B’Av
may feel alienated from its message of sadness and gloom. As a result,
despite the supreme importance of the day, it is not as widely
acknowledged or observed in the Diaspora as it should be.<br />
<br />
Tisha
B’Av is a reminder to all of us that we live in a dark and unjust
world, a world marred by profound ignorance, immorality, materialism,
poverty, racism, misogyny, tyranny, and selfishness, and that it is our
responsibility as the Chosen People to correct this sorry state of
affairs.<br />
<br />
The purpose of our focus on a wide array of
painful and unspeakable tragedies is not to depress, debilitate or
demoralize us but to awaken within us a sincere desire to avoid such
calamities in the future. This means realizing that the terrible
occurrences of the past were not accidental; rather, they were the
inevitable and inescapable consequences of the corruption of the
society in which we live.<br />
<br />
The mourning of Tisha B’Av is
designed to create a powerful sense of unity among all members of the
Jewish people, both in terms of our shared historical fate and in terms
of our shared national destiny, so that, together, we can strive for a
genuinely better tomorrow.<br />
<br />
We understand that the
process of redeeming our broken society cannot begin until we face the
stark, harsh and painful realities that surround us. We know that the
joyous rebuilding of Jewish community and the achievement of the
Prophetic ideals of peace on earth and universal brotherhood will be
inspired and fueled by the feelings of sadness and despair we
experience on Tisha B’Av.<br />
<br />
The message of Tisha B’Av is
meant to resonate and should resonate with all those who are sensitive
to the plight of mankind and are truly concerned about the injustices
and abuses - physical, moral and intellectual - that are perpetrated
daily across the globe.<br />
<br />
When we, as a people, cannot
tolerate this state of affairs any longer; when we are finally willing
to set aside all of our trivial concerns and petty disagreements for
the sake of a greater good; when the lessons of Tisha B’Av finally
penetrate our hearts and we are fully prepared to do whatever it takes
to transform a disappointing and diseased world into the inspiring and
idyllic one of which we have dreamed for centuries - then, and only
then, will the light of true redemption burst forth in all its glory.<br />
<br />
Tisha
B’Av begins on Shabbat evening at 8:22PM. Please join us at Magen
David Sephardic Congregation for our deeply moving services Saturday
Night at 9:30PM, Sunday morning at 8:30AM and Sunday evening at 7:45PM.
<br />
<br />
At 4:30PM on Sunday, we will be screening three
fascinating and educational films that highlight the experiences of
Sephardic Jews in exile. I hope you will attend the screening and
thereby enrich your experience of this incredibly important day.<br />
<br />
Shabbat Shalom and Best Regards,<br />
<br />
Rabbi Joshua Maroof</div>
</div>Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-16859466121712371402012-07-24T00:54:00.002-04:002012-07-27T11:06:04.800-04:00Why the Nine Days Don't "Work"From the first day of the Hebrew Month of Av through the Fast of the Ninth of Av (Tisha B'Av), Jews observe various mourning practices in commemoration of the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. They refrain from eating meat, drinking wine, having parties, listening to music, and a variety of other enjoyable or celebratory activities as determined by communal custom. While they have been expanded, modified and adjusted with the passage of time, the roots of these observances are thousands of years old, and the concept of mourning for the loss of the Temple is found in the Bible itself.<br />
<br />
This leads us to the obvious question: Jews have been carefully observing the Nine Days for thousands of years. They have scrupulously avoided parties, weddings, meat, wine, etc., consulting with their rabbis to clarify what is or is not permitted during this time. They have mourned for Jerusalem in precise accordance with Jewish Law. So why hasn't God taken note of our punctilious behavior and rebuilt the Temple already?<br />
<br />
The answer is that our observance of the Nine Days has become yet another exemplification of the underlying problem with our observance of Jewish law in general, and it is this deeply entrenched problem that was the cause of our exile to begin with. Rather than awaken us to our distorted relationship with Jewish Law, the customs of mourning have fallen victim to the same distortion. <br />
<br />
During the era when the Temple stood (and this seems to be true not only of the Second Temple but even of the First), the Jews observed many, if not all, of the commandments of the Torah. They were concerned about the holiness of the Sabbath and the kashruth of their food. They visited the Temple on holidays and brought sacrifices as required by the Law. On a ritual level, their conduct left little to be desired.<br />
<br />
Yet the Prophets, most notably Isaiah and Jeremiah, castigated the Jews for their failure to adhere to the Torah - not the laws of the Torah, but its spirit and purpose. The Prophets saw that the Jews were outwardly observant, but had not internalized the principles, values and ideals that observance is supposed to instill in us. They may have consulted with Rabbis to determine the precise legal ramifications of their actions, but they showed little concern for the metaphysical, spiritual and ethical implications thereof.<br />
<br />
For instance, Isaiah famously criticizes the Jews not merely for desecrating the Sabbath through work, but for speaking about mundane pursuits on the Sabbath day and for failing to enjoy the Sabbath to the fullest. His message was that technical observance is not enough - one must consider the ultimate purpose and meaning of the observance, the objective it is designed to achieve.<br />
<br />
This is most beautifully exemplified in my favorite passage in Jeremiah, chapter 34, which is the Haftara for Parashat Mishpatim. (Unfortunately, it is rarely read in the synagogue, because it is usually Parashat Sheqalim, so the regular Haftara is almost always replaced with another). <br />
<br />
Tzidqiyahu, the King of Judah, attempts to return the Jews to the observance of the Torah, and gathers them in the Temple to make a solemn covenant with them. Specifically, he has the people promise to adhere to the commandment to free slaves after six years of servitude. The assembled group makes a covenant with God and commits to abide by the law. In fact, they do go ahead and release their slaves.<br />
<br />
There is only one problem: After setting them free, the Jews immediately chase down their slaves and recapture them!<br />
<br />
God tells Jeremiah to commend the Jews for doing what previous generations had failed to do - freeing the slaves in accordance with the Law. However, He then informs the people that their subsequent reversal not only erased their good deed, it sealed the decree of their destruction.<br />
<br />
The fact that they desecrated God's name, violated their solemn oath and retook their slaves was sufficient reason in God's eyes to condemn them. We must wonder - what were they thinking? Why did they go all out, commit to this vow, keep it, and then break it?<br />
<br />
On the surface, it seems absurd, but consider this: They never violated their oath. In the minds of the Jews, they had observed their vow to the letter and had released the slaves as they were commanded. They never promised they wouldn't recapture the slaves afterward! Who said anything about not recapturing?<br />
<br />
From the technical, legal standpoint, the Jews were totally justified in their actions. From a "halakhic" perspective, the perspective of Jewish law, they had done nothing wrong, and probably felt proud that they had acted precisely in accordance with the requirements of the Torah. <br />
<br />
The message of the Prophet was exactly this - technical compliance with the Law is not what God wants from you. He wants devotion to the purpose of the Law and its spirit. Why did God command us to free the slaves after six years of labor? Certainly not to enact a formalistic ritual of releasing the slaves and then to recapture them! <br />
<br />
The temporary character of servitude is a reflection of the humanity of the slave and his right to have an independent, autonomous existence in the world. Freeing the slaves demonstrates our understanding that no human being can own another human being. Every person is created in the image of God, answers only to God and is given the power of free choice by God to live his or her own life on this Earth, hopefully in the service of God. <br />
<br />
The Jews in the story acted in what would today be considered a stereotypically "Orthodox" fashion, demonstrating a painstaking adherence to the letter of the law (think of the legalistic "selling" of hametz to a non-Jew before Passover as a contemporary instance of this approach). However, their observance of the commandment did not promote the values and ideals it was supposed to; on the contrary, it did exactly the opposite!<br />
<br />
The "release" of slaves by the generation of Tzidqiyahu totally subverted and undermined the essential spirit of the law. Rather than serving as a genuine demonstration of the principle that man cannot permanently enslave his fellow man, the Jews transformed the "freeing of slaves" into a ritualistic legal mechanism that would permit them to hold onto their servants forever with impunity! <br />
<br />
When observance of the Law is perverted from a vehicle of true philosophical and ethical ideas into a method of working around or even uprooting and eliminating those ideas, there is no hope for Torah Judaism anymore. The people's whole orientation to God's Law is fundamentally distorted and must be rebuilt from the ground up - hence the harsh decree of wanton destruction, famine and exile from the Land of Israel pronounced by Jeremiah in Chapter 34. <br />
<br />
In order to really appreciate the Nine Days and Tisha B'Av, we must see the lesson of Jeremiah in ourselves...We must identify the ritualizing of our observance, not only the absence of spirit, direction and purpose in our conduct but the literal replacement of of lofty ideals and values with dry, technical, behavioristic formulas.<br />
<br />
Jewish law and custom is eternally binding, and there is no question that we are obligated to keep all of the practices of mourning that our Prophets and Sages deemed obligatory during this time of the year. Nevertheless, as long as we are more concerned with the minutiae of the legal requirements of the Nine Days than we are with the absence of the Temple and what that means about the spiritual state of our nation, this indicates that the customs we work so hard to observe have failed to achieve their aim. In fact, it means that they have become yet another symptom of the core problem that is responsible for our lengthy dispersion across the globe.Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33081113.post-58566469000447775922012-07-12T14:20:00.003-04:002012-07-30T23:59:26.007-04:00Eliminate Denominations<i>This is a letter that I submitted to the Washington Jewish Week and was published in the current edition:</i><br />
<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
<br />
Chief Sephardic Rabbi
Shlomo Amar was roundly criticized for his negative statements about
Conservative and Reform rabbis in a recent issue of Washington Jewish
Week. ("Message to the 'wicked,' " WJW, June 28). Although he employed
harsh language, I believe that Rabbi Amar's essential point was cogent
and compelling. The existence of denominations in Judaism has created
havoc in the Diaspora, undermining Jewish unity and complicating Jewish
identity in multiple ways.<br />
<br />
It continually strikes me as
bizarre that Conservative and Reform rabbis, after unilaterally
deciding to change the hallowed theological beliefs and practices of
traditional Judaism, suddenly cry foul when defenders of the tradition
refuse to accept the validity of their movements. After denying the
truth of the Torah, disregarding the laws of Shabbat and kashrut and
most recently "sanctifying" gay marriage, they consider those of us who
wish to uphold our 3,500-year-old beliefs and laws to be "intolerant"
and demand that their modified version of our religion be acknowledged
as "Judaism" on par with the original form thereof. If they wish to
institute radical changes, then they should be prepared to deal with
the consequences of those changes.<br />
<br />
I don't think the
solution to the problem is for Orthodoxy to prevail over the other
denominations; rather, I believe that the only answer is the
elimination of denominations altogether. Many of those who attend
Sephardic synagogues, like those who attend Conservative synagogues and
Reform temples, drive on Shabbat and are not very observant. Yet they
are passionate about Judaism, the one, unaltered, authentic,
traditional Judaism with which they were raised, and they would not
want to have it any other way.<br />
<br />
Sephardic Judaism has been
able to eschew denominationalism and preserve its original form without
excluding or rejecting individuals whose personal observance or level
of belief falls short of the mark. I would encourage Ashkenazic Jews to
drop their labels and divisions and return to the faith of their
ancestors as it was taught for thousands of years. This, and not the
creation and validation of competing movements, is what will help us
progress one step closer to our ultimate redemption as a people.<br />
<br />
<b>RABBI JOSHUA MAROOF </b>Rabbi Joshua Maroofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12585369620887846940noreply@blogger.com7