Yesterday I talked about the story of Rabbi Shimon and the cave. I wanted to talk about that a little.
When he first came out of the cave and he saw some Jews hard at work in the field, and they were so shocked that someone could waste their life on anything other than Torah study. "How could anyone forsake eternal life by indulging in mundane, worldly pursuits?" he said. Rabbi Shimon then cast his gaze upon the farmers -- and they were immediately vaporized, due to the power of Rabbi Shimon's spiritual stature.
At that point, a voice from heaven proclaimed: "My world is not to be destroyed! Return to your cave!"
The question is why did G-d send him back into the cave? Rabbi Shimon’s problem seemed to be that he had studied so much that he was on to high a spiritual level. So why send him back to study more? It would seem that the better solution would have been to send him down to Eilat to “chill” on the beach for a while.
To understand this, let’s look at an unrelated story in the Talmud. The story is told of Rabbi Hillel who had 80 students. The lowest of which was Yochanan ben Zachi (who we know became the leading Rabbi of his time) who was said to have known the entire Torah, Mishna and every bit of Jewish thinking ever taught. The greatest of the students was said to have known all of that, and when he studied, he did it with such intensity that if a bird would fly overhead, it would be consumed by fire.
About 150 years ago, a Chasidic story is told of a student asking his master about this passage about Rabbi Hillel’s students. The student asked his master a simple question. If the student studied with such intensity that a bird would be consumed by fire, how great was Rabbi Hillel?
The answer was that Rabbi Hillel was so great that if a bird would fly overhead while he was studying, absolutely nothing would happen. (I could say that I’m on that level, but that would be missing the point). The lesson here is simple. To be good, you need to know the information, to be great you need intensity, to me a master you need to be able to control that intensity.
So that’s why Rabbi Shimon was send back into the cave, to learn to master his intensity.
Monday, May 10, 2004
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Lag B’Omer – Kabalistic Meaning
For the Kabalah movement, Lag B’Omer is a very important holiday. It’s the day that the secrets of the Zohar (the major book of Kabbalah) were revieled.
This story centers around Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He was sentenced to death for speaking badly about the Romans. So he went into hiding with his son.
The two of them hid in a cave for 12 years, spending the entire time learning Torah. After 12 years, they heard that the decree for their death had been lifted, so the came out of the cave. The saw some Jews hard at work in the field, and they were so shocked that someone could waste their life on anything other than Torah study. "How could anyone forsake eternal life by indulging in mundane, worldly pursuits?" he said. Rabbi Shimon then cast his gaze upon the farmers -- and they were immediately vaporized, due to the power of Rabbi Shimon's spiritual stature.
At that point, a voice from heaven proclaimed: "My world is not to be destroyed! Return to your cave!"
Rabbi Shimon and his son returned to the cave, in order to learn better how to control their spiritual powers. At the end of one year, a voice from heaven announced: "Emerge from your cave!"
The date that Rabbi Shimon emerged from the cave (both times) was Lag B’Omer.
Rabbi Shimon went on to become the greatest Torah teacher of his generation. When he reached the final day of his life, he called together his students and told them to pay close attention.
The Zohar (3:291b) describes the scene:
Rabbi Shimon spent the entire day in a prophetic stream of consciousness, revealing the deepest mystical secrets of Torah. He told his students: "Until now, I have held the secrets close to my heart. But now, before I die, I wish to reveal all."
These teachings formed the basis of the Zhoar. The date of Rabbi Shimon’s death, was Lag B’Omer.
This story centers around Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He was sentenced to death for speaking badly about the Romans. So he went into hiding with his son.
The two of them hid in a cave for 12 years, spending the entire time learning Torah. After 12 years, they heard that the decree for their death had been lifted, so the came out of the cave. The saw some Jews hard at work in the field, and they were so shocked that someone could waste their life on anything other than Torah study. "How could anyone forsake eternal life by indulging in mundane, worldly pursuits?" he said. Rabbi Shimon then cast his gaze upon the farmers -- and they were immediately vaporized, due to the power of Rabbi Shimon's spiritual stature.
At that point, a voice from heaven proclaimed: "My world is not to be destroyed! Return to your cave!"
Rabbi Shimon and his son returned to the cave, in order to learn better how to control their spiritual powers. At the end of one year, a voice from heaven announced: "Emerge from your cave!"
The date that Rabbi Shimon emerged from the cave (both times) was Lag B’Omer.
Rabbi Shimon went on to become the greatest Torah teacher of his generation. When he reached the final day of his life, he called together his students and told them to pay close attention.
The Zohar (3:291b) describes the scene:
Rabbi Shimon spent the entire day in a prophetic stream of consciousness, revealing the deepest mystical secrets of Torah. He told his students: "Until now, I have held the secrets close to my heart. But now, before I die, I wish to reveal all."
These teachings formed the basis of the Zhoar. The date of Rabbi Shimon’s death, was Lag B’Omer.
Lag B’Omer
Today is Lag B’Omer, which literally means the 33rd day of the Omer. The Omer are the 50 days that we count between Passover and Shavout.
There are two interpretations of the holiday; I’ll briefly discuss them both.
First, there is the traditional meaning of the holiday. Back in the 2nd century CD (around the time of the Bar Kochba revolt), the major Rabbi was Rabbi Avikah. He was such a prolific teacher, that he has 24,000 students.
We’re told that between Passover and Lag B’Omer, these students started dieing of an unknown plague. Sources tell us that this was a spiritual plague brought about because the students did not treat each other with respect. The Plague stopped on Lag B’Omer, so we celebrate it as a holiday.
It’s because of this same story that we observe the first 32 days of the Omer as days of mourning.
The question is why do we have a special holiday for these students? There have been many cases in Jewish history where many people died – even many Torah scholars? Why is this one special?
The answer is that these 24,000 students made up the bulk of the Torah scholars in the world at that time. Had they all died of the plague, Torah would have been lost forever.
There are two interpretations of the holiday; I’ll briefly discuss them both.
First, there is the traditional meaning of the holiday. Back in the 2nd century CD (around the time of the Bar Kochba revolt), the major Rabbi was Rabbi Avikah. He was such a prolific teacher, that he has 24,000 students.
We’re told that between Passover and Lag B’Omer, these students started dieing of an unknown plague. Sources tell us that this was a spiritual plague brought about because the students did not treat each other with respect. The Plague stopped on Lag B’Omer, so we celebrate it as a holiday.
It’s because of this same story that we observe the first 32 days of the Omer as days of mourning.
The question is why do we have a special holiday for these students? There have been many cases in Jewish history where many people died – even many Torah scholars? Why is this one special?
The answer is that these 24,000 students made up the bulk of the Torah scholars in the world at that time. Had they all died of the plague, Torah would have been lost forever.
Friday, May 07, 2004
Parahsat Emor – Of Man and Beast
This weeks Torah portion starts with various laws relating to the Kohenim (the Priests). Laws about them not touching dead bodies, expect those of close relatives. Laws about whom they can marry, who can eat from the food allotted for the priests… Then we get a listing of all the Holidays of the Jewish year. We close with a curious story about a man who blasphemed G-d’s name with a curse and a discussion of what the punishment should be. It is in this story that we get the famous verse “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.
“An Eye for an Eye” obviously doesn’t mean that you should be punished in the same manner of your crime. If you break a man’s arm, the punishment is not to have your arm broken. The principle is ‘proportional punishment” In the ancient world it was common for rules to execute people for trivial crimes. G-d makes it clear that practice is unacceptable. The punishment must fit the crime.
What I wanted to talk about is one line in this discussion about proportional punishment. We read “And one who injures an animal shall pay for it. And one who strikes a person shall be put to death.”[Leviticus 24:21]. Judaism is well known for its laws about kindness to animals. We are not to muzzle a work animal in the field; it should be able to eat from your crops as it harvests them. We can’t use animals of equal strength to pull the same cart, since it makes the weaker animal work too hard. We have to unload all our animals before we load other ones. The well being of animals is very important in Judaism. But it is important to note, that while animals are important and to be treated kindly, they are not human. That’s why we see a less severe punishment for striking an animal compared to striking a human.
The Torah is very clear, while animals are creations of G-d, they are on an lower level than Humans. Animal rights groups (like PETA) try to tell us that animals are humans are on the same level, and anything we would not do to a fellow human being, we should not do to animals. This is ridiculous. Animals and humans are not on the same level, and there is no way to raise an animal to the level of humans (since animals do not have a Neshama – human soul). The only way for PETA to achieve its goal of having humans and animals on the same level, is lo lower ourselves to the level of animals. That is just what they do.
By displaying billboards equating chickens in pens to Jews in Nazi concentration camps, PETA does not humanize chickens; they dehumanize humans (more specifically Jews). While I think PETA desire to improve the treatment of animals is noble, and I support it fully, they need to take a closer look at their methods to make sure that people are getting the right message.
Shabbat Shalom
“An Eye for an Eye” obviously doesn’t mean that you should be punished in the same manner of your crime. If you break a man’s arm, the punishment is not to have your arm broken. The principle is ‘proportional punishment” In the ancient world it was common for rules to execute people for trivial crimes. G-d makes it clear that practice is unacceptable. The punishment must fit the crime.
What I wanted to talk about is one line in this discussion about proportional punishment. We read “And one who injures an animal shall pay for it. And one who strikes a person shall be put to death.”[Leviticus 24:21]. Judaism is well known for its laws about kindness to animals. We are not to muzzle a work animal in the field; it should be able to eat from your crops as it harvests them. We can’t use animals of equal strength to pull the same cart, since it makes the weaker animal work too hard. We have to unload all our animals before we load other ones. The well being of animals is very important in Judaism. But it is important to note, that while animals are important and to be treated kindly, they are not human. That’s why we see a less severe punishment for striking an animal compared to striking a human.
The Torah is very clear, while animals are creations of G-d, they are on an lower level than Humans. Animal rights groups (like PETA) try to tell us that animals are humans are on the same level, and anything we would not do to a fellow human being, we should not do to animals. This is ridiculous. Animals and humans are not on the same level, and there is no way to raise an animal to the level of humans (since animals do not have a Neshama – human soul). The only way for PETA to achieve its goal of having humans and animals on the same level, is lo lower ourselves to the level of animals. That is just what they do.
By displaying billboards equating chickens in pens to Jews in Nazi concentration camps, PETA does not humanize chickens; they dehumanize humans (more specifically Jews). While I think PETA desire to improve the treatment of animals is noble, and I support it fully, they need to take a closer look at their methods to make sure that people are getting the right message.
Shabbat Shalom
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Would you like fries with that…
Kabalah teaches that; “Food is to the body as wisdom is to the soul.” On the surface, this sounds like a nice catch phrase, but when you think it through, it provides some important rules for life.
Everybody wants wisdom, but obtaining it is not easy. It requires time and hard work. Very often we hear students (who supposedly are trying to seek wisdom) say “I studied all day yesterday, I don’t have to learn today.” But if we apply that to the food analogy, we see how ridiculous a statement it is. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I ate yesterday, I don’t have to eat today.” Just like the body needs to constantly ingest food to stay healthy, the soul needs to constant ingest wisdom to remain vibrant.
The Kabalah takes this further – there is a counterpart in wisdom to every type of food. It says that bread is the most basic of food; it’s the rules for living – Halacha. Meat is the questions and answers. It’s digesting wisdom. Then after you’ve finished eating, comes the wine, which represents mysticism. It’s the appreciation and meaning of the wisdom.
Just like the order for eating is bread, then meat, then wine. The order of learning is Mishna (which is a description of the laws), then Talmud (debating the laws to get to the core), then Zohar (mysticism). And just like you don’t drink wine on an empty stomach, one shouldn’t jump into the Zohar without first obtaining a firm basis in Mishna and Talmud. In fact, one is not suppose to start learning Kabalah until they are 40 years old and have mastered the more basic levels of Jewish thought.
If you don’t understand the basics of how to love your fellow man, what’s driving you, what is greatness, what is free will, how to make decisions, and how do you know what you know; all the things that one would learn by studying Mishna and Talmud; then when you get into mysticism your soul will respond to the wisom as your body would respond to wine on an empty stomach.
Everybody wants wisdom, but obtaining it is not easy. It requires time and hard work. Very often we hear students (who supposedly are trying to seek wisdom) say “I studied all day yesterday, I don’t have to learn today.” But if we apply that to the food analogy, we see how ridiculous a statement it is. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I ate yesterday, I don’t have to eat today.” Just like the body needs to constantly ingest food to stay healthy, the soul needs to constant ingest wisdom to remain vibrant.
The Kabalah takes this further – there is a counterpart in wisdom to every type of food. It says that bread is the most basic of food; it’s the rules for living – Halacha. Meat is the questions and answers. It’s digesting wisdom. Then after you’ve finished eating, comes the wine, which represents mysticism. It’s the appreciation and meaning of the wisdom.
Just like the order for eating is bread, then meat, then wine. The order of learning is Mishna (which is a description of the laws), then Talmud (debating the laws to get to the core), then Zohar (mysticism). And just like you don’t drink wine on an empty stomach, one shouldn’t jump into the Zohar without first obtaining a firm basis in Mishna and Talmud. In fact, one is not suppose to start learning Kabalah until they are 40 years old and have mastered the more basic levels of Jewish thought.
If you don’t understand the basics of how to love your fellow man, what’s driving you, what is greatness, what is free will, how to make decisions, and how do you know what you know; all the things that one would learn by studying Mishna and Talmud; then when you get into mysticism your soul will respond to the wisom as your body would respond to wine on an empty stomach.
Monday, May 03, 2004
Zionism
The founders of Zionism stated their goal as the desire to have a state where “Jewish criminals are arrested by Jewish police officers, tried before Jewish judges and incarcerated in a Jewish prison.” Basically, they wanted to have a nation like any other nation.
It has occurred to me that this goal is off the mark. The desire should be to have a state where there are no Jewish criminals, no need for Jewish police offices or Judges or prisons. We should be setting our sights higher than being a nation like any other nation – our goal should be to be “A light onto the nations”. Many years ago, the Jews brought to the world many important concepts.
“Certainly, the world without the Jews would have been a radically different place. Humanity might have eventually stumbled upon all the Jewish insights. But we cannot be sure. All the great conceptual discoveries of the human intellect seem obvious and inescapable once they had been revealed, but it requires a special genius to formulate them for the first time. The Jews had this gift. To them we owe the idea of equality before the law, both divine and human; of the sanctity of life and the dignity of human person; of the individual conscience and so a personal redemption; of collective conscience and so of social responsibility; of peace as an abstract ideal and love as the foundation of justice, and many other items which constitute the basic moral furniture of the human mind. Without Jews it might have been a much emptier place." (Paul Johnson, Christian historian, author of A History of the Jews and A History of Christianity)
Our goal for the modern State of Israel should be no less lofty.
It has occurred to me that this goal is off the mark. The desire should be to have a state where there are no Jewish criminals, no need for Jewish police offices or Judges or prisons. We should be setting our sights higher than being a nation like any other nation – our goal should be to be “A light onto the nations”. Many years ago, the Jews brought to the world many important concepts.
“Certainly, the world without the Jews would have been a radically different place. Humanity might have eventually stumbled upon all the Jewish insights. But we cannot be sure. All the great conceptual discoveries of the human intellect seem obvious and inescapable once they had been revealed, but it requires a special genius to formulate them for the first time. The Jews had this gift. To them we owe the idea of equality before the law, both divine and human; of the sanctity of life and the dignity of human person; of the individual conscience and so a personal redemption; of collective conscience and so of social responsibility; of peace as an abstract ideal and love as the foundation of justice, and many other items which constitute the basic moral furniture of the human mind. Without Jews it might have been a much emptier place." (Paul Johnson, Christian historian, author of A History of the Jews and A History of Christianity)
Our goal for the modern State of Israel should be no less lofty.
Friday, April 30, 2004
Parahat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim
Another double portion this week. The portion read as a law text; basically it listing off law after law. It starts off with a description of the duties of the High Priest on Yom Kippur, then the prohibition of offering a sacrifice outside of the Temple. Israel is then warned against imitating the ways of the nations, including religious and sexual immorality. It gives of long list of whose “nakedness” you cannot uncover. Then comes the famous, “You shall not lie down with a male, as with a woman: this is an abomination” [Lev 18:22]. Finally there are a series of laws about how to make a Holy society.
There is certainly a lot of laws I could talk about in this portion. But instead, I wanted to talk about the order of the laws. After the first section, we read law after law about sexual practices, sacrifices, keeping kosher, gossip, stealing, lying… But before all that we read about the duties of the High Priest on Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a day when we can obtain atonement for our sins. Before G-d tells us the details of all these laws, he wants us to know regardless of your sin, atonement is possible. Had the order been reversed, we would have seem something like this: G-d gives the people the laws, and they complain “G-d, there is no way that we can do all of this.’ G-d then responds “OK, fine I’ll give you a method to atone when you sin.” That is a very different story that the one we get here. G-d is telling us up front, “Look, I know there is no way that you can be perfect and keep all of these laws. But the point is that you should strive for it. When you sin, you can atone and continue striving for perfection.”
It’s instructive to note, that the Hebrew word that is generally translated as sin, actually means “mistake” or “missing the target”. So in Jewish consciousness, a sin is not the terrible thing that the Christians would have you believe, it simply means you made a mistake, you wee aiming for perfection and missed the mark. In this context, Yom Kippur is a way to realign your sights, and get you back on the right path.
Shabbat Shalom
There is certainly a lot of laws I could talk about in this portion. But instead, I wanted to talk about the order of the laws. After the first section, we read law after law about sexual practices, sacrifices, keeping kosher, gossip, stealing, lying… But before all that we read about the duties of the High Priest on Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a day when we can obtain atonement for our sins. Before G-d tells us the details of all these laws, he wants us to know regardless of your sin, atonement is possible. Had the order been reversed, we would have seem something like this: G-d gives the people the laws, and they complain “G-d, there is no way that we can do all of this.’ G-d then responds “OK, fine I’ll give you a method to atone when you sin.” That is a very different story that the one we get here. G-d is telling us up front, “Look, I know there is no way that you can be perfect and keep all of these laws. But the point is that you should strive for it. When you sin, you can atone and continue striving for perfection.”
It’s instructive to note, that the Hebrew word that is generally translated as sin, actually means “mistake” or “missing the target”. So in Jewish consciousness, a sin is not the terrible thing that the Christians would have you believe, it simply means you made a mistake, you wee aiming for perfection and missed the mark. In this context, Yom Kippur is a way to realign your sights, and get you back on the right path.
Shabbat Shalom
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Happy Birthday Israel
Today is Yom Ha’Atzmaut – Israel’s Independence Day.
In the aftermath of the Shoa (the Holocaust), the UN voted to partition the piece of land then known as Palestine (the name was given to the land by the Romans when they expelled the Jews in the 2nd century); one part for a Jewish State and one part for an Arab state. The official date given by the United Nations in their partition vote for the creation of the two new entities was May 15th, 1948.
Thus, May 14th was to be the last day of the British Mandate. At 4 p.m., the British lowered their flag and immediately the Jews raised their own.
It was a flag designed in 1897 by the First Zionist Congress. It was white (the color of newness and purity), and it had two blue stripes (the color of heaven) like the stripes of a tallit, the prayer shawl, which symbolized the transmission of Jewish tradition. In its center was the Star of David.
Thus on May 14, 1948 at 4:00 p.m., Hay Iyar, the 5th of Iyar, Israel declared itself a state.
After 2,000 years, the land of Israel was once more in the hands of the Jews.
David Ben Gurion read the Declaration of Independence over the radio:
Everyone was dancing in the streets. But not for long.
Almost immediately five Arab countries declared war and Egypt bombed Tel Aviv.
Little Israel, which had virtually no heavy artillery, no tanks, no airplanes, had to defend itself against Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq! That's 600,000 Jews against 45 million Arabs, while the United Nations did nothing. Despite a cease fire the next year, the war of independence never really ended, since the Arab world has constantly sought to “drive the Zionist entity into the sea”.
This 56-year war has had had times of hope and times of distress. Currently, we are in a time of great distress. We are fighting for our very existence against an enemy who wants to kill every one of us. In these difficult times, Jews around the world wonder how to respond. The Chief Rabbi of Great Britain gives this advice.
At the very heart of Judaism is the word emunah. Emunah is often translated as faith, but that is not what it means. It means faithfulness, loyalty, being there for someone else when they need you and not walking away when times are hard. That is what Israel needs of us, the Jews of the Diaspora, at this time. It does not ask us to support this government, that Prime Minister, this party, that policy. About these things we are entitled to disagree. What Israel needs of us right now is loyalty. Yes, there are times when we can be critics. But not when Israel is in distress. Then we must show support. "As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you and in Jerusalem you will find comfort."
There are many ways to bring comfort: by defending Israel's case, by writing to the press or to the local MP, by phoning friends and relatives in Israel to let them know we are with them, or simply by prayer, our oldest and greatest source of strength. Let us show the people of Israel that they are not alone; that we are with them. And let us remember Isaiah's faith that God, who brought His people home, would one day give them peace. No people need it more. No people have earned it more.
Hashem oz le-amo yiten - May God give strength to His people in this hour of trial.
Hashem yevarech et amo vashalom - And may He give them the one blessing they cherished more than any other. Peace, speedily in our days, Amen.
In the aftermath of the Shoa (the Holocaust), the UN voted to partition the piece of land then known as Palestine (the name was given to the land by the Romans when they expelled the Jews in the 2nd century); one part for a Jewish State and one part for an Arab state. The official date given by the United Nations in their partition vote for the creation of the two new entities was May 15th, 1948.
Thus, May 14th was to be the last day of the British Mandate. At 4 p.m., the British lowered their flag and immediately the Jews raised their own.
It was a flag designed in 1897 by the First Zionist Congress. It was white (the color of newness and purity), and it had two blue stripes (the color of heaven) like the stripes of a tallit, the prayer shawl, which symbolized the transmission of Jewish tradition. In its center was the Star of David.
Thus on May 14, 1948 at 4:00 p.m., Hay Iyar, the 5th of Iyar, Israel declared itself a state.
After 2,000 years, the land of Israel was once more in the hands of the Jews.
David Ben Gurion read the Declaration of Independence over the radio:
"The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here the spiritual, religious and national identity was formed. Here they achieved independence and created a culture of national and universal significance. Here they wrote and gave the Bible to the world...
"Exiled from Palestine, the Jewish people remained faithful to it in all the countries of the dispersion, never ceasing to pray and hope for their return and restoration of their national freedom.
"Accordingly we, the members of the National Council met together in solemn assembly today and by virtue of the natural and historic right of the Jewish people and with the support of the resolution of the General of the United Nations, hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine to be called Israel...
"We offer peace and amity to all neighboring states and their peoples and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all...
"With trust in the Rock of Israel, we set our hands to this declaration at this session of the Provisional State Council in the city of Tel Aviv on Sabbath Eve, 5th Iyar 5708, 14th day of May 1948."
Everyone was dancing in the streets. But not for long.
Almost immediately five Arab countries declared war and Egypt bombed Tel Aviv.
Little Israel, which had virtually no heavy artillery, no tanks, no airplanes, had to defend itself against Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq! That's 600,000 Jews against 45 million Arabs, while the United Nations did nothing. Despite a cease fire the next year, the war of independence never really ended, since the Arab world has constantly sought to “drive the Zionist entity into the sea”.
This 56-year war has had had times of hope and times of distress. Currently, we are in a time of great distress. We are fighting for our very existence against an enemy who wants to kill every one of us. In these difficult times, Jews around the world wonder how to respond. The Chief Rabbi of Great Britain gives this advice.
At the very heart of Judaism is the word emunah. Emunah is often translated as faith, but that is not what it means. It means faithfulness, loyalty, being there for someone else when they need you and not walking away when times are hard. That is what Israel needs of us, the Jews of the Diaspora, at this time. It does not ask us to support this government, that Prime Minister, this party, that policy. About these things we are entitled to disagree. What Israel needs of us right now is loyalty. Yes, there are times when we can be critics. But not when Israel is in distress. Then we must show support. "As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you and in Jerusalem you will find comfort."
There are many ways to bring comfort: by defending Israel's case, by writing to the press or to the local MP, by phoning friends and relatives in Israel to let them know we are with them, or simply by prayer, our oldest and greatest source of strength. Let us show the people of Israel that they are not alone; that we are with them. And let us remember Isaiah's faith that God, who brought His people home, would one day give them peace. No people need it more. No people have earned it more.
Hashem oz le-amo yiten - May God give strength to His people in this hour of trial.
Hashem yevarech et amo vashalom - And may He give them the one blessing they cherished more than any other. Peace, speedily in our days, Amen.
Monday, April 26, 2004
In Memory of the Fallen
Today, the day before we celebrate the birth of the State of Israel, is Yom Ha’Zikaron – Israel’s remembrance day for all those civilians, soldiers and security personnel who have been killed defending the State of Israel from her enemies.
20,196 servicemen and women who have fallen in defence of the state since November 1947.
In the past year 184 members of the Israel Police, IDF, Border Police, Prisons Service, General Security Service, and other organizations were killed in the service of the state.
This does not include the 1000’s of innocent civilians who have been killed in the 10’s of thousands of terrorist attacks that Israel has inured since it’s inceptions.
They gave their lives so that the people of Israel could live - "Am Yisrael Chai".
Let us never forget their sacrifice, and let not allow their sacrifice to be in vain.
20,196 servicemen and women who have fallen in defence of the state since November 1947.
In the past year 184 members of the Israel Police, IDF, Border Police, Prisons Service, General Security Service, and other organizations were killed in the service of the state.
This does not include the 1000’s of innocent civilians who have been killed in the 10’s of thousands of terrorist attacks that Israel has inured since it’s inceptions.
They gave their lives so that the people of Israel could live - "Am Yisrael Chai".
Let us never forget their sacrifice, and let not allow their sacrifice to be in vain.
Friday, April 23, 2004
Parashat Tazria
This weeks Torah reading is a double portion of Tazria and Metzora. The reason we sometimes have a double portion is that the entire Torah has 54 portions. Which is the number of weeks in a leap year. So in leap years, we read one a week. During non leap years, we only have 50 weeks, so we need to double up on 4 portions to get it all read in one year. This is one of those doubling up weeks.
This week we read about “tzora”, which is generally translated as leprosy, but all commentators agree that it’s not actually talking about the physical disease of leprosy, but a spiritual disease with symptoms that resemble leprosy.
The commentary tells us that tzora is cased by improper use of speech (called Lashon Hara – or Evil Speak - basically gossip). With this in mind, we can understand why we are told to go to the high priest if we experience the symptoms of tzora, instead of a doctor. The doctor can tell us the the symptoms are consistent with leprosy, but the priest is the one who can tell us is the problem is a physical one or a spiritual one.
Tzroa is really a huge gift. There are many aspects of our spiritual life that we have no idea if we are doing properly. G-d doesn’t send us an evaluation telling us if we pray properly, if we get the most out of Shabbos, but G-d does tell us when we are harming our souls through speech. Why is speech so important? Because it can e so destructive.
The Torah tells us, that when we gossip, we gossip we harm three people, the speaker, the listener, and the one being gossiped about. The story is told of a man who engages in gossip. After doing so, he feels so terrible that he goes to his Rabbi and asks how he can fix what he did. The Rabbi tells him to go and get a feather pillow and bring it to the Rabbi. Once he has that, the Rabbi tells him to rip open the pillow and release all the feathers into the wind. The man does as he is told, and then asks the Rabbi how this will help. The Rabbi answers, now go and collect all the feathers, it is only one you have them that you can truly fix what you did by gossip.
That’s the thing about speech, once the words are out of your mouth, their like the feathers of the pillow, there is no way to get them back.
Next time we’re in a situation that there is gossip; lets try to stop it to save us from having to collect the feathers.
Shabbat Shalom.
This week we read about “tzora”, which is generally translated as leprosy, but all commentators agree that it’s not actually talking about the physical disease of leprosy, but a spiritual disease with symptoms that resemble leprosy.
The commentary tells us that tzora is cased by improper use of speech (called Lashon Hara – or Evil Speak - basically gossip). With this in mind, we can understand why we are told to go to the high priest if we experience the symptoms of tzora, instead of a doctor. The doctor can tell us the the symptoms are consistent with leprosy, but the priest is the one who can tell us is the problem is a physical one or a spiritual one.
Tzroa is really a huge gift. There are many aspects of our spiritual life that we have no idea if we are doing properly. G-d doesn’t send us an evaluation telling us if we pray properly, if we get the most out of Shabbos, but G-d does tell us when we are harming our souls through speech. Why is speech so important? Because it can e so destructive.
The Torah tells us, that when we gossip, we gossip we harm three people, the speaker, the listener, and the one being gossiped about. The story is told of a man who engages in gossip. After doing so, he feels so terrible that he goes to his Rabbi and asks how he can fix what he did. The Rabbi tells him to go and get a feather pillow and bring it to the Rabbi. Once he has that, the Rabbi tells him to rip open the pillow and release all the feathers into the wind. The man does as he is told, and then asks the Rabbi how this will help. The Rabbi answers, now go and collect all the feathers, it is only one you have them that you can truly fix what you did by gossip.
That’s the thing about speech, once the words are out of your mouth, their like the feathers of the pillow, there is no way to get them back.
Next time we’re in a situation that there is gossip; lets try to stop it to save us from having to collect the feathers.
Shabbat Shalom.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Counting the Omer
Starting on the 2nd day of Passover, there is a 50 days period, which brings us to the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The date of Shavuot is never mentioned in the Torah, it’s just recorded as 50 days after Passover.
The Torah commands us to “count 50 days”, known as the counting of the Omer. So every night in the evening prayers, we say a special blessing and then “count the days”. “This is day one of the Omer”, “This is day 10, which is 1 week and 2 days of the Omer”.
Counting the days leading up to a big event is not uncommon (and what event could be bigger than encountering G-d, as we did at Mount Sinai). The difference is that we generally count down to a bid day; “5 more days until my birthday”, “6 more days until we get our new car”. But with the Omer, we count up, adding one each day until we reach day 50. What can we learn from this?
The sages teach, that there are 50 levels of holiness. While in Egypt, the Jews slipped all the way down to the 2nd lowest level (had we slipped all the way to the lowest level, we’re told that we would not have been redeemed from Egypt). Being on such a low level, it would have been impossible for us to receive the Torah. We needed to elevate ourselves to the highest level of holiness.
Each day we peel away another layer of gunk revealing the original, pure soul that we each possess. So we’re not counting down the days to the big event; we’re counting how many layers we’ve peeled away, we’re counting how many stairs on the staircase to the heavens we’re climbed.
This is just as applicable to us today, as it was when we left Egypt. We all have spiritual growth that we can do. A major impediment to growth is the feeling of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task. But Judaism is not all-or-nothing. If I cannot have 1,000 gold coins, does that mean I should not strive to have even one?! The key to growth is to know what direction you want to go in, and be sure to stay on the path. The Kabbalists say that spiritual growth is "two steps forward and one step back." We will inevitably have setbacks. What's important is that we're heading in the right direction.
Jewish holiness is about striving to be closer to G-d. So it doesn’t matter which stair you’re on, what matters is which direction you are heading.
Ideally, at the end of the Omer process, we will have experienced a journey of self-improvement and be ready to receive the Torah. The holiday we're working toward is called "Shavuot," which means "weeks." The name itself tells us that without the weeks of preparation beforehand, there is no Shavuot. So don't just count the Omer -- make the Omer count.
The Torah commands us to “count 50 days”, known as the counting of the Omer. So every night in the evening prayers, we say a special blessing and then “count the days”. “This is day one of the Omer”, “This is day 10, which is 1 week and 2 days of the Omer”.
Counting the days leading up to a big event is not uncommon (and what event could be bigger than encountering G-d, as we did at Mount Sinai). The difference is that we generally count down to a bid day; “5 more days until my birthday”, “6 more days until we get our new car”. But with the Omer, we count up, adding one each day until we reach day 50. What can we learn from this?
The sages teach, that there are 50 levels of holiness. While in Egypt, the Jews slipped all the way down to the 2nd lowest level (had we slipped all the way to the lowest level, we’re told that we would not have been redeemed from Egypt). Being on such a low level, it would have been impossible for us to receive the Torah. We needed to elevate ourselves to the highest level of holiness.
Each day we peel away another layer of gunk revealing the original, pure soul that we each possess. So we’re not counting down the days to the big event; we’re counting how many layers we’ve peeled away, we’re counting how many stairs on the staircase to the heavens we’re climbed.
This is just as applicable to us today, as it was when we left Egypt. We all have spiritual growth that we can do. A major impediment to growth is the feeling of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task. But Judaism is not all-or-nothing. If I cannot have 1,000 gold coins, does that mean I should not strive to have even one?! The key to growth is to know what direction you want to go in, and be sure to stay on the path. The Kabbalists say that spiritual growth is "two steps forward and one step back." We will inevitably have setbacks. What's important is that we're heading in the right direction.
Jewish holiness is about striving to be closer to G-d. So it doesn’t matter which stair you’re on, what matters is which direction you are heading.
Ideally, at the end of the Omer process, we will have experienced a journey of self-improvement and be ready to receive the Torah. The holiday we're working toward is called "Shavuot," which means "weeks." The name itself tells us that without the weeks of preparation beforehand, there is no Shavuot. So don't just count the Omer -- make the Omer count.
Monday, April 19, 2004
When G-d Knocks
On the intermediate Sabbath of Passover, we read ‘The Song of Songs’, which is a love poem written by King Solomon. In chapter 5 we read:
On this surface, ‘Song of Songs” is a love story between a man and woman. In this section, we read the man knocking at the door after the woman had gone to bed. The woman doesn’t want to get out of bed, so leave the man knocking. Eventually she decides to answer the door, but it’s too late. The man had left.
All commentaries agree, that “Song of Songs” is not a love story between man and woman; it’s between G-d and his people. So in this context, the above excerpt is about man not answering G-d when he calls.
Most of us would agree, that if G-d came knocking at your door, you would run to greet him. But how many of us really do? We hear a knock at our spiritual door, and we’re too tired to go answer it. We hear something that peaks our interest, but we’re too tired to study it. We experience something that could be considered miraculous, but we’re content to call it coincidence, so that we don’t have to question our beliefs.
My process of teshuva (return) was started when I decided to go see who was knocking at my door during a very difficult time in my life. Most of the past 2 years has been spent answering the door. The question is, how am I going to react when I see who is on the other side?
"I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
'Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is drenched with dew,
My locks with the damp of the night.'
"I have taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
"I arose to open to my beloved;
But my beloved had turned away and had gone!
I searched for him but I did not find him;
I called him but he did not answer me.
On this surface, ‘Song of Songs” is a love story between a man and woman. In this section, we read the man knocking at the door after the woman had gone to bed. The woman doesn’t want to get out of bed, so leave the man knocking. Eventually she decides to answer the door, but it’s too late. The man had left.
All commentaries agree, that “Song of Songs” is not a love story between man and woman; it’s between G-d and his people. So in this context, the above excerpt is about man not answering G-d when he calls.
Most of us would agree, that if G-d came knocking at your door, you would run to greet him. But how many of us really do? We hear a knock at our spiritual door, and we’re too tired to go answer it. We hear something that peaks our interest, but we’re too tired to study it. We experience something that could be considered miraculous, but we’re content to call it coincidence, so that we don’t have to question our beliefs.
My process of teshuva (return) was started when I decided to go see who was knocking at my door during a very difficult time in my life. Most of the past 2 years has been spent answering the door. The question is, how am I going to react when I see who is on the other side?
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Parashat – Smini
Last week, the Torah portion leaves the regular cycle to read a special passage for Passover. This week we’re back to the narrative. We pick up the story with the dedication ceremony for the Mishkan. And then go on to some of the laws of kashrus.
On the eighth (and final) day of the dedication, after Aaron brought the prescribed korbonot, tragedy strikes. Aarons two sons are suddenly killed when they try to bring their own offering. This has caused many Rabbis to ask two questions, “what did they do wrong” and ‘why did that warrant such a harsh penalty?” I’ll offer a few of the traditional explanations, and then I’ll try to add something of my own.
This story happens right after we’re told about the laws against a priest performing a service while drunk. So some commentaries suggest that Aaron’s sons brought their offering while drunk. Others suggest that the problem was their offering wasn’t asked for. But what’s wrong with that? Here’s my understanding.
This issue is related to one I discussed a few weeks ago, when I asked why making the golden calf was so terrible, while building the golden cherubs (as part of the cover for the arc) was good. The answer is based on the concept of “avodah zarah” – strange worship. Bringing an offering that G-d did not ask for is worshiping him in ways G-d didn’t set out. In today’s thinking, this is often viewed as a good thing, we hear statements like “we should all relate to G-d in a way that is meaningful to us.” But that notion is not in line with traditional jewish thinking (although we do hear it from Jewish sources).
Man deciding how he’s going to worship G-d, puts man at the centre of the G-d / Man relationship. Jewish thinking says that G-d should be at the centre. G-d took the time to specify how we are to worship him. G-d knows the human condition far better than we do. It’s presumptuous of us to think we can improve on G-d instructions. That’s what Aaron’s sons did wrong. They thought to improve on G-d’s laws.
But then there’s the other side of the question, why was this a capital offence? The answer is one that we need to keep in mind when we look at the mistakes of any Biblical leader. “According to your level of knowledge is your level of responsibility. According to your level of responsibility is your level of accountability.” Aaron’s sons were priests, they should have known better. The greater you are, the bigger the impact of your decisions, therefore you must be held to an extremely high standard. As we see time and time again in the Bible, the mistakes of people in positions of power have huge consequences. Indeed, we read Moses explaining this very idea to Aaron a few verses later. The irony is that Moses ends up paying a huge price (arguably higher than the death penalty) for a seemingly minor mistake (as we’ll see in coming weeks).
Shabbat Shalom
On the eighth (and final) day of the dedication, after Aaron brought the prescribed korbonot, tragedy strikes. Aarons two sons are suddenly killed when they try to bring their own offering. This has caused many Rabbis to ask two questions, “what did they do wrong” and ‘why did that warrant such a harsh penalty?” I’ll offer a few of the traditional explanations, and then I’ll try to add something of my own.
This story happens right after we’re told about the laws against a priest performing a service while drunk. So some commentaries suggest that Aaron’s sons brought their offering while drunk. Others suggest that the problem was their offering wasn’t asked for. But what’s wrong with that? Here’s my understanding.
This issue is related to one I discussed a few weeks ago, when I asked why making the golden calf was so terrible, while building the golden cherubs (as part of the cover for the arc) was good. The answer is based on the concept of “avodah zarah” – strange worship. Bringing an offering that G-d did not ask for is worshiping him in ways G-d didn’t set out. In today’s thinking, this is often viewed as a good thing, we hear statements like “we should all relate to G-d in a way that is meaningful to us.” But that notion is not in line with traditional jewish thinking (although we do hear it from Jewish sources).
Man deciding how he’s going to worship G-d, puts man at the centre of the G-d / Man relationship. Jewish thinking says that G-d should be at the centre. G-d took the time to specify how we are to worship him. G-d knows the human condition far better than we do. It’s presumptuous of us to think we can improve on G-d instructions. That’s what Aaron’s sons did wrong. They thought to improve on G-d’s laws.
But then there’s the other side of the question, why was this a capital offence? The answer is one that we need to keep in mind when we look at the mistakes of any Biblical leader. “According to your level of knowledge is your level of responsibility. According to your level of responsibility is your level of accountability.” Aaron’s sons were priests, they should have known better. The greater you are, the bigger the impact of your decisions, therefore you must be held to an extremely high standard. As we see time and time again in the Bible, the mistakes of people in positions of power have huge consequences. Indeed, we read Moses explaining this very idea to Aaron a few verses later. The irony is that Moses ends up paying a huge price (arguably higher than the death penalty) for a seemingly minor mistake (as we’ll see in coming weeks).
Shabbat Shalom
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Passover Recap
With Passover having ended last night, I wanted to comment on how easy I found the Passover diet this year. Part of that can be explained by the fact that the only part about Passover eating I tend to find difficult is packing lunches, and this year I only had to pack a lunch 2 times (thanks to the Yom Tov’s, weekends, and the secular holiday).
But the other part is more spiritual, much in the same vein as why I found the fast on Yom Kippur to be so easy this past year. In past years I was focused on the limitations of Passover. What I can’t eat. This year, I looked at it differently. I was focused on “why” rather than the ‘how”. I asked myself the question, “why do I have to be careful what I eat?” The answer that I gave myself was that if it wasn’t for G-d acting to bring me out of Egypt, I would not be here writing this blog, I’d be building store cities for whatever Pharaoh was in power today (I’ll assume that with millions of Jewish slaves, Egypt would never have been concurred). So I owe everything to what G-d did at this time of year, 3500 years ago. As an act of gratitude and remembrance, G-d asks us to alter our diet for a week. In that light is seems quite selfish to spend the week complaining.
The key part to the answer, is the word “me’. We have to understand the phrase in the Haggadah that in each generation we have to look at ourselves as if we came out of Egypt. Once you are able to really relate to that sentence (which I was able to do with much learning), giving up bread for a week is a piece of cake (sorry, I had to get that pun in somewhere)
But the other part is more spiritual, much in the same vein as why I found the fast on Yom Kippur to be so easy this past year. In past years I was focused on the limitations of Passover. What I can’t eat. This year, I looked at it differently. I was focused on “why” rather than the ‘how”. I asked myself the question, “why do I have to be careful what I eat?” The answer that I gave myself was that if it wasn’t for G-d acting to bring me out of Egypt, I would not be here writing this blog, I’d be building store cities for whatever Pharaoh was in power today (I’ll assume that with millions of Jewish slaves, Egypt would never have been concurred). So I owe everything to what G-d did at this time of year, 3500 years ago. As an act of gratitude and remembrance, G-d asks us to alter our diet for a week. In that light is seems quite selfish to spend the week complaining.
The key part to the answer, is the word “me’. We have to understand the phrase in the Haggadah that in each generation we have to look at ourselves as if we came out of Egypt. Once you are able to really relate to that sentence (which I was able to do with much learning), giving up bread for a week is a piece of cake (sorry, I had to get that pun in somewhere)
Friday, April 09, 2004
The world of the Messiah
Nachmanides (the RamBan), in a commentary about the Messiah, states that the coming of the Messiah is not just a political thing. Living in a world free of war, where the lamb lies with the lion, does not mean the Messiah is here.
He explains that when good things happen we say a blessing “Blessed is G-d, who is good and does good.” When bad things happen we say “Blessed is G-d, the true Judge.” We know the good and bad all come from G-d, and even if we don’t really believe it at the time that a bad thing happens, we know that G-d is the true Judge, and there is a reason for this bad thing.
RamBan says that when the Messiah comes, we’ll be able to look back on all these ‘bad’ things and say, “Blessed is G-d, who is good and does good.”. We will be able to look at all these “bad” things and see why they are really “good” things.
If we look back on the destruction of the Temple, and the Holocaust and say “I see why these things needed to happen”, then the Messiah has not come yet. When we are able to look back on them and say “Blessed is G-d, who is good and does good”, then we are living in the Messianic age.
Shabbat Shalom.
He explains that when good things happen we say a blessing “Blessed is G-d, who is good and does good.” When bad things happen we say “Blessed is G-d, the true Judge.” We know the good and bad all come from G-d, and even if we don’t really believe it at the time that a bad thing happens, we know that G-d is the true Judge, and there is a reason for this bad thing.
RamBan says that when the Messiah comes, we’ll be able to look back on all these ‘bad’ things and say, “Blessed is G-d, who is good and does good.”. We will be able to look at all these “bad” things and see why they are really “good” things.
If we look back on the destruction of the Temple, and the Holocaust and say “I see why these things needed to happen”, then the Messiah has not come yet. When we are able to look back on them and say “Blessed is G-d, who is good and does good”, then we are living in the Messianic age.
Shabbat Shalom.
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Pasach, Matzoh, Marror…
In the Haggadah, we read that we are obliged to talk about three things; Pasach (the Passover sacrifice), matzoh (unleavened bread), and marror (bitter herbs). We read that that the reason we eat these is to remind us of slavery, and that when we left Egypt, we didn’t have time to let our bread rise. The end of chapter 12 of Exodus is given as the sorce.
The problem is that the beginning of chapter 12 of Exodus has a different story. It says that on the 1st of Nissan, G-d told Moses (to tell the people) that on the 14th of the month “they shall eat the flesh, roasted over the fire, and unleavened cakes; with bitter herbs they shall eat it.” [Exodus [12:8] So 2 weeks before the “first Sedar” G-d told the people to eat pesach, matzoh and marror. So obviously it had nothing to do with not having time for the bread to rise… they had 2 weeks to make it!
The explanation is quite profound. Remember that this happens the night before the exodus. Just as we eat these things to remind us of slavery, so to, did they eat them to remind them of slavery. But why do they need to be reminded? They were still slaves.
Even though they were physically still slaves (they would not leave Egypt until the next day), they had complete faith in G-d and they knew that they would be leaving the next day. So spiritually, they were already free, and needed to be reminded of what it was like to be a slave.
The problem is that the beginning of chapter 12 of Exodus has a different story. It says that on the 1st of Nissan, G-d told Moses (to tell the people) that on the 14th of the month “they shall eat the flesh, roasted over the fire, and unleavened cakes; with bitter herbs they shall eat it.” [Exodus [12:8] So 2 weeks before the “first Sedar” G-d told the people to eat pesach, matzoh and marror. So obviously it had nothing to do with not having time for the bread to rise… they had 2 weeks to make it!
The explanation is quite profound. Remember that this happens the night before the exodus. Just as we eat these things to remind us of slavery, so to, did they eat them to remind them of slavery. But why do they need to be reminded? They were still slaves.
Even though they were physically still slaves (they would not leave Egypt until the next day), they had complete faith in G-d and they knew that they would be leaving the next day. So spiritually, they were already free, and needed to be reminded of what it was like to be a slave.
Monday, April 05, 2004
A thought for your Sedar…
We generally ask on Passover, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” Before we answer that question with the reading of the Haggadah, I’d like to ask a different question. “Why should this Passover be different from all other Passovers”?
The answer, is because no holiday should leave us the same as we were when it began. Jewish holidays are not parties or mere celebrations; they are opportunities for growth. And that takes preparation. But on Passover, we are so busy physically preparing for the holiday, with all the cleaning, shopping and cooking, that we tend to not take the time to prepare ourselves for growth.
So lets prepare.
On Passover, every Jew is obligated to see himself as if he personally had gone out of Egypt. This strains the imaginative powers of even the most imaginative of us. Back-breaking labor, massive bricks, the crack of the whip of the Egyptian taskmaster, the humiliations and torture of slavery are all so remote from our experience that, try as we may, the empirical sense of being enslaved eludes us. How, then, can each of us personally experience liberation from slavery?
I propose, that seeing yourself as if you had personally gone out of Egypt, is not about liberation, it’s about freedom. But what is freedom?
In the western world, freedom is generally defined as “the ability to do what ever you want.” But Israel did not obtain liberation in order to go party in the desert. The purpose of the exodus was to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. Equating Torah with freedom is surprising. The 613 commandments of the Torah are often regarded as 613 restrictions. How can they be synonymous with freedom?
The answer can be seen by observing the elections held in countries ruled by dictators. All the accoutrements of free elections are there, such as voting booths and secret ballots. But if only one candidate is running, the election is clearly not "free." Freedom requires choice.
When God gave the Jewish people the Torah, He gave us 613 choices. Observe Shabbat or not. Love your neighbor or not. Gossip or not. Unlike Pharaoh, God, as you might have noticed, brooks a great deal of disobedience. That's why a person who violates a Divine commandment is not struck by lightening. Immediate punishment would limit our freedom of choice. The ability to make moral choices is a Divine gift. It's the only true freedom humans have.
Freedom is not about having no one to tell you what to do; it’s about being able to choose who to listen to. “Blessed is the servant of G-d, who is not the servant of Pharaoh.”
Only in the moral realm do you have free choice. When your inner tape says to give tit for tat, to respond to an insult with an even more lethal barb, you have the power to change the tape. You have the power to ask yourself, "Is this who I really want to be?" The very act of choosing between your knee-jerk response and the Divine imperative to be kind is freedom.
Each of us at every moment is heeding the voice of Pharaoh or the voice of God. The voice of Pharaoh commands us to do what is instinctive, automatic, reflexive. "Doing what comes naturally," is ultimate bondage because we exercise no power of choice.
The voice of God, on the other hand, offers an alternative to instinct. For example, by commanding us not to take revenge [Lev. 19:18], God in effect is saying: "Your instinct is to hurt those who hurt you. By commanding you to act otherwise, I'm offering you the ability to choose a different course."
The exercise of choice is the essence of freedom. Forget the taskmaster's whip and the massive bricks. Each of us is enslaved every time we act on automatic pilot, every time we react according to our instinctual programming.
To experience liberation this Passover, we need only to break the bonds of instinct, to learn to deliberate and decide what we shall do or what we shall say, based on who we want to become -- a slave of Pharaoh or a servant of God.
The answer, is because no holiday should leave us the same as we were when it began. Jewish holidays are not parties or mere celebrations; they are opportunities for growth. And that takes preparation. But on Passover, we are so busy physically preparing for the holiday, with all the cleaning, shopping and cooking, that we tend to not take the time to prepare ourselves for growth.
So lets prepare.
On Passover, every Jew is obligated to see himself as if he personally had gone out of Egypt. This strains the imaginative powers of even the most imaginative of us. Back-breaking labor, massive bricks, the crack of the whip of the Egyptian taskmaster, the humiliations and torture of slavery are all so remote from our experience that, try as we may, the empirical sense of being enslaved eludes us. How, then, can each of us personally experience liberation from slavery?
I propose, that seeing yourself as if you had personally gone out of Egypt, is not about liberation, it’s about freedom. But what is freedom?
In the western world, freedom is generally defined as “the ability to do what ever you want.” But Israel did not obtain liberation in order to go party in the desert. The purpose of the exodus was to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. Equating Torah with freedom is surprising. The 613 commandments of the Torah are often regarded as 613 restrictions. How can they be synonymous with freedom?
The answer can be seen by observing the elections held in countries ruled by dictators. All the accoutrements of free elections are there, such as voting booths and secret ballots. But if only one candidate is running, the election is clearly not "free." Freedom requires choice.
When God gave the Jewish people the Torah, He gave us 613 choices. Observe Shabbat or not. Love your neighbor or not. Gossip or not. Unlike Pharaoh, God, as you might have noticed, brooks a great deal of disobedience. That's why a person who violates a Divine commandment is not struck by lightening. Immediate punishment would limit our freedom of choice. The ability to make moral choices is a Divine gift. It's the only true freedom humans have.
Freedom is not about having no one to tell you what to do; it’s about being able to choose who to listen to. “Blessed is the servant of G-d, who is not the servant of Pharaoh.”
Only in the moral realm do you have free choice. When your inner tape says to give tit for tat, to respond to an insult with an even more lethal barb, you have the power to change the tape. You have the power to ask yourself, "Is this who I really want to be?" The very act of choosing between your knee-jerk response and the Divine imperative to be kind is freedom.
Each of us at every moment is heeding the voice of Pharaoh or the voice of God. The voice of Pharaoh commands us to do what is instinctive, automatic, reflexive. "Doing what comes naturally," is ultimate bondage because we exercise no power of choice.
The voice of God, on the other hand, offers an alternative to instinct. For example, by commanding us not to take revenge [Lev. 19:18], God in effect is saying: "Your instinct is to hurt those who hurt you. By commanding you to act otherwise, I'm offering you the ability to choose a different course."
The exercise of choice is the essence of freedom. Forget the taskmaster's whip and the massive bricks. Each of us is enslaved every time we act on automatic pilot, every time we react according to our instinctual programming.
To experience liberation this Passover, we need only to break the bonds of instinct, to learn to deliberate and decide what we shall do or what we shall say, based on who we want to become -- a slave of Pharaoh or a servant of God.
Friday, April 02, 2004
Parashat Tzav – Passover Cleaning
Fittingly, just before the festival of Passover, we have a tie in from the weekly Torah portion.
Many people look at the extreme measures that we are suppose to go to in order to kosherize out homes for Passover (boiling metal pots, using blow torches on others, not being able to kosherize earth ware…), and think that some Rabbi made up these rules. But in fact they have basis in the Torah, as we read this week.
The passage is talking about the meat from a sacrifice. If it isn’t eaten within a certain time limit, it, and the vessel it’s in, become unclean. The passage details how to purify the vessels again. It talks about a clay pot has to be broken, since you can not purify it, and that a copper pot needs to be either boiled, or immersed in fire until it becomes red hot. The ancient commentaries talk about the reasons for this (food particles getting in the pores of the vessels).
The same rules and reasons apply today when you want to make a pot kosher for Passover, or convert it from milk to meat, or just make a pot kosher.
I’ll need to read this section closely, since I want to kosherize all my kitchen stuff when I move into my new house, so we can have a strictly kosher kitchen.
Many people look at the extreme measures that we are suppose to go to in order to kosherize out homes for Passover (boiling metal pots, using blow torches on others, not being able to kosherize earth ware…), and think that some Rabbi made up these rules. But in fact they have basis in the Torah, as we read this week.
The passage is talking about the meat from a sacrifice. If it isn’t eaten within a certain time limit, it, and the vessel it’s in, become unclean. The passage details how to purify the vessels again. It talks about a clay pot has to be broken, since you can not purify it, and that a copper pot needs to be either boiled, or immersed in fire until it becomes red hot. The ancient commentaries talk about the reasons for this (food particles getting in the pores of the vessels).
The same rules and reasons apply today when you want to make a pot kosher for Passover, or convert it from milk to meat, or just make a pot kosher.
I’ll need to read this section closely, since I want to kosherize all my kitchen stuff when I move into my new house, so we can have a strictly kosher kitchen.
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Parashat Tzav – Guilt
Despite the common link between Jewish mothers ad guilt, Judaism, as a religion, specifically tries to avoid guilt and shame. There are laws in Judaism that making a person blush out of shame (or embarrassment) is as if you spilt their blood.
This week, we continue to read about the bringing of korbanot (sacrifices) in the temple. We read about the free will offering, that one can bring at any time, for any reason, and the sin offering, that one brings when they sinned without knowing it, then realized it later (e.g. your forget that it’s Shabbat and you spend money).
For every offering, there is a different spot in the courtyard of the Temple that you were suppose to bring the offering to. The Kohen (priest) would meet you there and take the offering, and sacrifice it on the alter. However, the free will offering and sin offering are both brought to the same spot.
The explanation is that if you had a specific spot to bring a sin offering, then everyone would see you go there and know you sinned. This way, no one (other than you, and the Kohen) knows if you sinned, or are bringing a free will offering.
Even in sin, Judaism is a compassionate religion.
This week, we continue to read about the bringing of korbanot (sacrifices) in the temple. We read about the free will offering, that one can bring at any time, for any reason, and the sin offering, that one brings when they sinned without knowing it, then realized it later (e.g. your forget that it’s Shabbat and you spend money).
For every offering, there is a different spot in the courtyard of the Temple that you were suppose to bring the offering to. The Kohen (priest) would meet you there and take the offering, and sacrifice it on the alter. However, the free will offering and sin offering are both brought to the same spot.
The explanation is that if you had a specific spot to bring a sin offering, then everyone would see you go there and know you sinned. This way, no one (other than you, and the Kohen) knows if you sinned, or are bringing a free will offering.
Even in sin, Judaism is a compassionate religion.
Passover and Freedom
The holiday of Passover is often described as the holiday of Freedom.
In the western world, freedom is often defined as the ability to do whatever you like whenever you like, without some oppressive authority telling you what to do. But that’s not how Judaism defines freedom.
G-d did not take us out of Egypt so that we could party in the desert. We were taken out of Egypt (notice I said we, not our ancient ancestors) in order that we would be able to stand at Mount Sinai and receive the Torah.
The Torah’s definition of freedom is best described by the famous Talmudic verse “Praised be the servant of G-d who is not the servant of Pharaoh.” Some would describe this situation as freedom being a means to and end, I would take a different position.
I would say that liberation from Egypt is a means to an end, but freedom IS receiving the Torah. That is, we were not truly free until we received the Torah.
If we view elections held in countries ruled by dictators, we see all the elements of free elections; voting booths, secret ballots. But if there is only one name on the ballot, the election is not truly free. Most would agree that choice is a requirement for freedom, but I would say that freedom IS choice.
Before the Torah, we were slaves to our instinct; our only real option was to respond to a situation based on instinct. With the giving of the Torah, we were giving another option, instead of choosing instinct; we can choose the moral path given in the Torah. We now have a choice. Respond to an insult with an even more lethal barb, or respond with kindness. Gossip, or don’t. Keep kosher, or don’t.
The 613 mitzvot are not restrictions on our freedom. They provide us with choice, thus they are our freedom.
In the western world, freedom is often defined as the ability to do whatever you like whenever you like, without some oppressive authority telling you what to do. But that’s not how Judaism defines freedom.
G-d did not take us out of Egypt so that we could party in the desert. We were taken out of Egypt (notice I said we, not our ancient ancestors) in order that we would be able to stand at Mount Sinai and receive the Torah.
The Torah’s definition of freedom is best described by the famous Talmudic verse “Praised be the servant of G-d who is not the servant of Pharaoh.” Some would describe this situation as freedom being a means to and end, I would take a different position.
I would say that liberation from Egypt is a means to an end, but freedom IS receiving the Torah. That is, we were not truly free until we received the Torah.
If we view elections held in countries ruled by dictators, we see all the elements of free elections; voting booths, secret ballots. But if there is only one name on the ballot, the election is not truly free. Most would agree that choice is a requirement for freedom, but I would say that freedom IS choice.
Before the Torah, we were slaves to our instinct; our only real option was to respond to a situation based on instinct. With the giving of the Torah, we were giving another option, instead of choosing instinct; we can choose the moral path given in the Torah. We now have a choice. Respond to an insult with an even more lethal barb, or respond with kindness. Gossip, or don’t. Keep kosher, or don’t.
The 613 mitzvot are not restrictions on our freedom. They provide us with choice, thus they are our freedom.
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