Pintele Yid - The Blog

Meditation for Yom HaShoah

2010-04-11T20:42:00.002-04:00

As I light this Yellow Candle, I vow never to forget the lives of the Jewish men, women and children who are symbolized by this flame. They were tortured and brutalized by human beings who acted like beasts; their lives were taken in cruelty. May we be inspired to learn more about our six million brothers and sisters as individuals and as communities, to recall their memory throughout the year,

Parashat Lech Lecha and George Orwell’s 1984

2008-11-07T10:46:00.001-05:00

Comparing the Torah, a book handed down from God containing timeless truths for all humanity, with a work of fiction may seem odd, even blasphemous. And for the most part, the comparison is silly. But there is one line in 1984 that could have come straight out of this week’s paraha.Remember that 1984 is tells the story of Winston Smith, a functionary at the Ministry of Truth, whose work consists

Parshat Noah - The forecast calls for Rain

2008-10-31T10:35:00.000-04:00

The Torah is filled with mitzvoth – 613 of them in fact. Some are big ones, like "Thou shalt not murder." It’s easy to see the implication of these. Others seems smaller, more mundane, like "Men must not shave the hair off the sides of their head" – it’s a little harder to see the impact of these ones.However, Jewish tradition doesn’t differentiate between these, all mitzvoth come from God and,

2008-10-24T11:45:00.001-04:00

A new cycle of Torah has begun, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to up my learning.For the past year I’ve been participating in the "Perek Yomi" program where you read a chapter of the complete bible per day. I’m going to continue that program this year (it takes 3 years to complete the Bible), and I hope to write about that occasionally, but I’d like to do more than that. I’d like to

Joshua - Chapter 15

2007-10-19T23:38:00.000-04:00

1. What type of "map" would the author have had available in order to decline the borders, as he has, in such detail?Maps have been in use long before Joshua's time, so it is possible a map was available; but I don't think a map is needed to explain this language. Remember that God is the general here, and from his vantage point, he doesn't need a map to define borders. 2. In verse 2 we find

Joshua - Chapter 14

2007-10-18T23:07:00.000-04:00

1. What is the relationship of verse 4 to verse 33 in the prior chapter?Both talk about the tribe of Levi, and that they were not given land of their own. Verse 4 indicates that although Levi was not given their own "heritage", they were given cities to dwell in, and fields for their livestock by each of the other tribes. 2. What is the claim of Kalev ben Y'funeh? With different vowelization,

Joshua - Chapter 13

2007-10-17T23:05:00.000-04:00

1. How does the beginning of this chapter seem to take issue with verse 23 at the close of chapter 11?Chapter 11 closes by saying "Joshua took the entire land"; but this chapter starts by indicating that there is more to conquer. 2. How does verse 7 (and those which follow) relate to verse 23 at the end of chapter 11?Similar to question 1 - chapter 11 says the land was divided among the

Joshua - Chapter 12

2007-10-16T22:15:00.000-04:00

1. Does the conquest as listed here include only Joshua's "victories"? No, it also includes the conquest on the east side of the Jordan by Moses.2. Are the listings in verses 7 through 24 specified in the earlier chapters? Not by name. These verses seem to fill in the names of the cities that seem to be passed over with lines like “Joshua smote the entire land – the mountains, the South,

Joshua - Chapter 11

2007-10-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

1. How is the alliance described in the opening section of Chapter 11 different from the earlier alliance which marched against the Gibeonites? Is there any reference to a different type of military resources (see verse 6) which might have elicited some new concerns on the part of the Israelites? This alliance was formed to wage war on Israel; as opposed to the previous alliance which waged

Joshua - Chapter 10

2007-10-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

1. What leads King Adoni Tzedek to attack Gibeon and what is the literal translation of "Adoni Tzedek"? Is there any echo of this particular name in the Five Books and in the Abraham story where an alliance of kings also narrated? “Adoni Tzedek” literally means “Righteous God”; he is identified as the king of Jerusalem. In the story of Abraham and the war of the 5 kings, there was a kind

Joshua - Chapter 9

2007-10-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

1. What is the response of the residents of Canaan after having heard what became of Ai? (And as a matter of fact, does the first verse indicate that this was the report that they heard, or is this an assumption?)While it doesn’t’ specifically say that the report they heard was about Ai – it’s reasonable to assume they heard about at least Jericho and probably Ai as well. The Art scroll give

Joshua - Chapter 8

2007-10-12T21:42:00.000-04:00

1. Why, in the light of preceding events, would Chapter 8 begin with the reassuring statement to Joshua?I think it is exactly because of the preceding events that Joshua needed reassurance. After a defeat in battle and having to put to death one of his own men, Joshua’s 9and all the people’s) moral was probably low. Having God tell you “Have no fear” is a good way to being up their spirits.

Joshua - Chapter 7

2007-10-11T22:29:00.000-04:00

1. From what tribe does the violator of the instruction regarding the herem derive? Would one have expected it to have been from another tribe?The transgressor came from the tribe of Judah. This is surprising, because both Jakob and Moses speak highly of the tribe of Judah in their respective blessings. Perhaps Simeon would have been more expected - since both Moses and Jakob castigated him

Joshua - Chapter 6

2007-10-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

1. Who determined the strategy for the conquest of Jericho? Joshua may be the leader and General in the field, but the strategy is clearly coming directly from God. 2. Is the conquest to be effected by way of "military strength" or through some other means? Clearly, the breaching of the walls of the city had nothing to do with military might. The walls fell when the Arc marched

Joshua - Chapter 5

2007-10-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

1. Why is it necessary to provide for a second circumcision operation?2. And, how does verse 2 relate to verse 4, since the former makes reference to "a second time" and verse 4 would seem to indicate that this would be "the first time"?3. Does verse 5 resolve this tension? Why does the word "brit? not appear in this particular narration?These first three questions are all related, so I'll

Joshua - Chapter 4

2007-10-08T21:42:00.000-04:00

1. Is the symbolism of the 12 stones directed toward history or toward performance mandate (there were 12 stones which were prominent in the closing chapters of D'varim as well)? The verse certainly suggests the stones were for historical purposes. Verse 6 says “When your children ask ‘what are these stones to you’, you shall answer…”. This is similar language to the verses we read about

Joshua - Chapter 3

2007-10-07T22:36:00.000-04:00

1. Does the verb "to awaken early" resonate in terms of the Five Books of Moses and, if so, with what personality (or personalities)? Avraham and Yitzchak arose early to fulfill the command Avraham received from God to sacrifice his son. Joshua was just as eager to fulfill God’s command, as his forefathers were to fulfill theirs.2. The terminology in verse 3 mentions "the ark of God's

Joshua - Chapter 2

2007-10-07T22:34:00.000-04:00

1. Why do the commentators at times translate "isha zonah" not as a prostitute but as one who "dispenses mazon," that is, "restauranteur"? What makes them "restive"? From content, you easily come to the conclusion that the woman was a prostitute, but because of the merit of her actions the commentators chose to portray her in a more flattering light.2. How does verse 9 clearly indicate that

Joshua - Chapter 1

2007-10-07T22:32:00.000-04:00

1. Why is there no indication of the location, the time of day, or the mode of address in the very first sentence of Joshua? The last few chapters of Deuteronomy and the start of the book of Joshua can really be viewed and a single book – with the first chapter of Joshua following immediately after the account of Moses’ death. The change in book really only reflects a change of authour - God

I'm Back!

2007-10-03T22:47:00.000-04:00

After a brief hiatus (ok, just under 3 years is hardly brief, but I did move twice, have a second son, and become Vice President of my Shul) I’m back.I’ve decided to start a regular learning program. You may be familiar with “Daf Yomi”, a program started almost a hundred years ago where Jews all over the world undertake to study a page of Talmud per day, completing the entire Talmud in about 7

Dvar Torah for Young Members Shabbat

2004-11-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

Tonight I’m holding a Young Members Shabbat dinner at my Shul for members in their 20’s and 30’s. It’s the second one we’ve done. I’ll be delivering a Dvar Torah. It’s based on the one I gave (and wrote about) last year when I hosted a Shabbat Dinner at home for my friends. Here it is… This week we read Parashat Toldot. The portion is book ended by two stories that, on the surface, seem to

Does G-d change his mind?

2004-11-07T10:57:00.000-05:00

At Shabbas Dinner last week, my brother posed a very good question. While reading Lech Lecha a few weeks ago, he read that G-d promised Abraham that Isaac would be made into a great nation; this promise was repeated in the next parashat when Sarah told Abraham to send Ishmael away. Why then, when G-d told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, did Abraham not know it was a bluff? Why would Abraham think

Parashat V’Zot Ha’Bracha

2004-10-01T10:13:00.000-04:00

This week we read the final parashat of the Torah. The Torah ends with the following: So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-Peor; but no man knows his grave till this day. And Moses was 120 years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And

Sukkot – Praying for what?

2004-09-29T14:13:00.000-04:00

his is a busy time of year. We just finished the High Holydays and now we’re right into Sukkot. Since nothing in the Torah is there by chance, there must be some reason that Rosh HaShanna, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot fall so close together. The relationship between Rosh Ha’Shanna and Yom Kippur is clear. On Rosh Ha’Shanna we’re judged based on how well we used our lot in the past year and on how we

Ready for Yom Kippur

2004-09-24T11:34:00.000-04:00

Rosh Ha'Shanah is about generalities. We pray for favourable judgements for the entire Jewish people, all of humanity, and all creatures in the universe, because we all stand before G-d in Judgement that day. our actions of the past year, and plan for the new year are taken as a whole and we're judged based on that. Yom Kippur is different. It's about specifics. The central prayer on Yom Kippur

My theme for the new year – Selichah

2004-09-19T16:33:00.000-04:00

Each year, I try to choose one character trait to improve on. Last year it was charity; the year before it was prayer. This year it will be selichah, forgiveness. Usually when we think about forgiveness, we think about forgiving others when they have wronged you; not carrying a grudge. This is actually not something I generally have a problem with. I don’t tend to carry grudges; I forgive people

Parashat Ha’azinu – The greatness of Moses

2004-09-17T10:12:00.000-04:00

This week, we read the second last parashat in the Torah. As we read the Torah’s closing chapters, we see Moses take a different course. Until now, Moses has either taught or re-taught G-d’s commandments, or rebuked the people for their misdeeds. In this week’s portion, Moses breaks into song. This is not the first time that Moses sings; the most famous being Shir Ha’Yam, Song by the Sea, which

How did I do?

2004-09-15T16:42:00.000-04:00

As we’re about to enter another Rosh Ha’Shanah, I though I should try to look back on the past year, and see how I did. Last Rosh HaShanah, I proposed a theme for the new year. The theme was focused on improving myself through the performance of just one mitzvoh. The mitzvoh I choose was the very important mitzvah of tzdukah, charity. I wanted to give more and give better. On year later,

Rosh Hashanah

2004-09-14T16:58:00.000-04:00

The concept that people generally relate to Rosh Hashana is that of reward and punishment. The idea being, that your relative levels of reward and punishment for the upcoming year, will be based on the mitzvoth and sins your committed in the past year. The Talmud is quite clear, that this is not the correct way to look at things. The Talmud says that mitzvoth cannot be rewarded in this world;

Regret vs. Guilt

2004-09-13T16:39:00.000-04:00

On of the key steps in true teshuva is that we have to regret the mistakes we have made. Amongst Jews, the concept of regret is often confused with the concept of guilt. However, there is a fundamental difference between the two. Regret and guilt are not the same thing. Guilt creates paralysis. Regret creates redefinition. Guilt is passive - e.g. I can't deal with this right now. I think I'll

Time Travel through Teshuva

2004-09-13T16:29:00.000-04:00

The theme of the High Holidays is Teshuva (usually translated as “repentance”, but more accurately as “return”). According to tradition, before G-d created the world, he crated teshuva. The usual interpretation of this is that when G-d created the world, he knew that man was fallible, he would make mistakes, he would sin. So before G-d created the world, he put in place a process in which man can

The Month of Elul – Why do we need to prepare?

2004-09-12T12:59:00.000-04:00

The month leading up to Rosh HaShana is a time of soul searching and preparation. Ideally, I would have liked the month to have been filled with posts here at Pintele Yid, but my little Jonah has made regular posting difficult. But in the final few days on the month, I wanted to try to get some reflections committed in writing. Rosh HaShana is the Day of Judgment, the day when we stand before

Parashat Nitzavim – Vayelech

2004-09-10T11:27:00.000-04:00

The week we read a double Torah portion, which marks the final section of the book of Deuteronomy, and the Torah. We have reached the last day of Moses’ life, and we read his final address to the people. It is here that the reigns of leadership are passed from Moses to Joshua. While Joshua was a worthy leader, how can anyone compare to Moses? In comparing the two, the Talmud (and Rashi)

Parahat Ki Tavo

2004-09-03T10:49:00.000-04:00

This week’s Torah portion starts with an interesting commandment. Upon entering the promise land, the Jews are to take the first of the fruits and bring them as an offering to G-d. Durring the 40 years in the desert, the Israeli people had a very clear world view; everything comes from G-d. This was clear because they saw it, the food came down from the heavens, a well of water followed them

Parashat Ki Tetzei

2004-08-27T10:48:00.000-04:00

This week’s Torah portion is made up of many different topics. But what I wanted to talk about today is the first part of the first sentence of the parashat; “When you go out to war against your enemies”. It then continues to talk about morality in times of war, specifically; it talks about how to deal with “beautiful women” among the captives taken during war. There are many questions we can

Parashat Shoftim – Bribery

2004-08-20T19:27:00.000-04:00

As we near the end of the final book of the Torah, the Jews are getting closer and closer to entering into the land of Israel. This week’s Torah portion talks about some of the things the people will have to do once they enter. The Parashat tells the people that once they enter the land, they must set up judges and police in all of their cities.

Parashat Re-ei – Why Idolatry

2004-08-13T17:22:00.000-04:00

In this week’s Torah portion, Moses asks the people to choose between two paths, the path of G-d and the path of idolatry. “I place before you on this day a blessing and a curse.” The blessing is if they follow G-d, and the curse if they do not. It’s interesting to note, that it’s only in modern times that Jews fully choose the curse. We know

Jonah's Bris

2004-08-08T13:44:00.000-04:00

Jonah's Bris was this morning, here is the speech Mandy and I made to our 150 guests. ---------------------- Mandy and I would like to thank everyone for being here today to join us in this simchah. The fact that so many people came out to participate in our fulfilling the mitzvah of Brit Milah, is an indication of the amount of love and warmth that will be with Jonah his entire life.

Parashat Ekev – G-d’s Threats

2004-08-06T14:57:00.001-04:00

In this week’s portion, Moses continues his farewell address to the Jewish people. This portion contains the second verse of the Shema, where G-d tells of all the good that will come if they follow G-d’s commandments, and the bad that will happen if they don’tA friend was talking to me about the Shema. He told me that he has a lot of trouble with the second verse, and often he can’t bring himself

Praying as a Father

2004-08-02T16:31:00.000-04:00

This morning I davened Shacharit for the first time as a father. I read the same words that I have read (just about) every day for more than 2 years, I find many passages take on a totally new meaning. There are two passages in particular that I’ve always felt have spoken to me, suddenly took on an entirely new meaning. The first one is part of “Birkot Ha’Shachar”, the series of 15

Praying every day

2004-08-01T16:02:00.000-04:00

More than two years ago I made the commitment to dawn tefillin and daven Shacharit every day. Before today, I have only missed one day. That was the day we went to Israel. We had to leave our house well before dawn, so I couldn’t daven before we left, and although I really wanted to, I was not yet comfortable davening in the middle of the terminal, or on the flight (especially since the flight

Welcome Jonah Aaron

2004-08-01T15:47:00.000-04:00

Early this morning, Mandy and I welcomed our first child, Jonah Aaron into the world. This was, without doubt, the most moving religious experience of my life. You’ve seen it on TV hundreds of times (or thousands if you, like Mandy, are addicted to Life Network and TLC), but when I heard Jonah’s cry and the doctor announced “it’s a boy”, my eyes filled with tears, and a feeling came over me

Parashat Va’Etchanan – The Dynamics of Prayer

2004-07-30T17:19:00.000-04:00

This week’s Torah portion is, spiritually, on of the richest in the Torah. The 10 commandments are here, the Shema is here, and a lot of instructions from Moses. Put them all together and you have a very impressive collection of teachings. The portion begins with a very strange episode. G-d has told Moses that he will not enter into the land of

Parashat D'Varim

2004-07-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

I have recently started a committee at our Shul (along with our Cantor) to attract young members (25-35 years old) and encourage their active involvement in the Shul, and in Jewish life. Tonight we hold our first event, a Shabbos Dinner. This was supposed to take place in the Cantor's home, but the response was so great, that we needed to move to a larger space! I will be delivering the Dvar

What’s in a name?

2004-07-21T09:41:00.000-04:00

I’ve always wondered where the English names for the books of the Torah come from. For the most part they seems quite unrelated to the Hebrew names. The first book makes sense; the Hebrew name “Bereishit”, which means “in the beginning”, clearly relates to the English name “Genesis”. But what about the other 4 books? How does “Shmos”, which means “the names” relate to “Exodus”? How does “

Parashat Matot-Massei

2004-07-16T09:38:00.000-04:00

This week we conclude the book of Bamidbar (Numbers) with the reading of the double portion of Matot and Massei. Among the many themes discussed in this week’s portion, we read the story of the Tribes of Reuben and Gad asking Moses for permission to stay on the east side of the Jordan river so that they can raise their sheep. Moses agrees to their request, but it is decided that they must still

Parashat Pinchas –Women’s Rights

2004-07-09T13:24:00.000-04:00

This week’s Torah portion is deals with many different issues. It starts with the conclusion of the story of Pinchas (which started at the end of last week’s portion), where he is made a Cohen, by Divine decree. We then read that G-d commands Moses to wage war on Midian in retribution for the licentious plot the Midianites perpetrated upon the Israelites. A census is then taken for two reasons;

Parashat Balak - Prophecy

2004-07-02T14:43:00.000-04:00

This week we read a famous section. The Israelites are in a war with the Moabites, and the fighting is at a stalemate. The King of Moab, Balak seeks out a non Jewish prophet, Bilam, to curse the Jews and turn the war in Moab’s favour. But every time Bilam tries to curse the Jews, what comes out of his mouth is a blessing. As usual there is lots here I could talk about, but what is most

Parashat Chukat - Moses, the Rock and the Land of Israel

2004-06-25T15:02:00.000-04:00

Read this weeks Torah portion and ask yourself the question “How many people die in this weeks portion?” You should easily come up with at least 2; the text clearly talks about the deaths of Miriam and Aaron. What’s less clear is that the answer is really in the hundreds of thousands. This portion is the transition from the generation that stood at Sinai to the one that will enter the Land of

Parashat Shlach L’Cha – The sin of the Spies

2004-06-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

This week, we read one of the most tragic portions in the Torah. The Jews are standing at the border of Israel, about to enter and fulfill G-d’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but instead of entering, they decide to send in “spies” to scout out the land. The spies return with a huge bunch of grapes and say, "You all see the size of these grapes? You should see the size of the people who

Slow posts for the next little while

2004-06-08T09:12:00.000-04:00

I’m about to move from a city with a tiny Jewish population (Burlington) to one with one of the highest Jewish Populations in Canada (Richmond Hill). Because of the move related activities, posting will be minimal over the next few weeks until I get settled in the new place.

Parashat Be'halot'cha

2004-06-04T17:07:00.000-04:00

This week we read about the laws of the Temple Menorah, the Jews celebrate their first Passover since leaving Egypt, we rebel against G-d because of the poor taste of Mannah and the lack of meat in our diets (G-d responds by sending Quail and by killing off those who rebelled) and we finish with an interesting section about Miriam (Moses’ sister). The text says that Miriam spoke badly about

Parashat Naso

2004-05-28T14:40:00.000-04:00

This weeks Torah portion is one of the longest ones of the year. Many items are covered, but the one I wanted to talk about was the instructions for the ‘Priestly Blessing”. To this day, the Kohanim (who are the descendants of Aaron) say a special blessing over the people. The origins of this blessing are found in this Parashat. We read that G-d tells Moses to tell Aaron to bless the people.

Accepting the Torah

2004-05-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

Last post I talked about the Kabalistic story of how the soul of Torah was created 974 generations before Adam, and was finally given a body at Mount Sinai. There is a very interesting story in the Misha about the giving of the Torah. The story goes that G-d told the Torah to go to Adam, but the Torah refused because Adam was a sinner. Then G-d told the Torah to go to Noah, but the Torah refused

The Soul of Torah

2004-05-25T09:12:00.000-04:00

Shavout commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. But exactly what was it that was given to Moses at Mount Sinai? On one level, this has been the major division point amount the various movements in Judaism. The Orthodox view is that G-d gave Moses the613 commandments and the principles of how to apply them – the Oral Torah. The written Torah (the 5 books of Moses) was given to Moses

Eating dairy on Shavuot

2004-05-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

There is a universal customs among Jews to eat a dairy meal on the night of Shavuot. There are a variety of explanations of where this came from. For me, the most convincing is the following; because that’s what the Jews ate the night they got the Torah. Until the Torah was given, Jews were not obliged to keep kosher. But once it was reveled on Mount Sinai, the Jews had to keep kosher. So, of

The least known of the major holidays

2004-05-23T14:43:00.000-04:00

It’s ironic that Shavuot is such a little known holiday; because in fact, Shavuot commemorates the single most important event in Jewish history – the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Not only is this the central event in Jewish history, but it’s probably one of the most amazing events in human history. On this day, some 3300 years ago, G-d spoke to the entire Jewish people. Not to one person

Parashat Bamidbar

2004-05-21T13:29:00.000-04:00

This week we start the fourth book of the Torah – Bamidbar (or Numbers, as it’s called in English). We clearly see when the English name comes from; the book starts with the counting of the Jewish people. This was not the first census since leaving Egypt nor would it be the last. As Rashi points out this constant counting reflects the Divine love that G-d has for each and every one of us. We

Days and Months

2004-05-18T14:29:00.000-04:00

The Friday night Kiddush ends with the blessing “Blessed are you, O’ Lord, who sanctifies the Sabbath.” For holidays, we get a slightly different formula for the blessing; “Blessed are you, O’ Lord, who sanctifies Israel and the Holidays.” Why the difference? The issue revolves around how the Jewish calendar works. G-d controls the heavens and the earth. The sun rises and sets because G-d

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai

2004-05-14T13:12:00.000-04:00

Once again, we have a double portion this week. We read about the laws of the Sabbatical cycles (leaving the fields to rest every seventh year) and the Jubilee year (every 50th year all land reverts back to it’s original owner, slaves are freed, debts forgiven…). We then conclude the book of Vayikra (Leviticus). The first two books of the Torah have very clear themes. This is not the case with

Rabbi Shimon and the Cave

2004-05-10T13:53:00.000-04:00

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

Lag B’Omer – Kabalistic Meaning

2004-05-09T13:09:00.000-04:00

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

Lag B’Omer

2004-05-09T13:08:00.000-04:00

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

Parahsat Emor – Of Man and Beast

2004-05-07T16:28:00.000-04:00

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

Would you like fries with that…

2004-05-05T16:29:00.000-04:00

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

Zionism

2004-05-03T13:12:00.000-04:00

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

Parahat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim

2004-04-30T12:39:00.000-04:00

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 “

Happy Birthday Israel

2004-04-27T22:03:00.000-04:00

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

In Memory of the Fallen

2004-04-26T13:17:00.000-04:00

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

Parashat Tazria

2004-04-23T15:35:00.000-04:00

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.

Counting the Omer

2004-04-21T19:10:00.000-04:00

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

When G-d Knocks

2004-04-19T16:01:00.000-04:00

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: "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

Parashat – Smini

2004-04-17T00:33:00.000-04:00

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

Passover Recap

2004-04-14T21:24:00.000-04:00

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

The world of the Messiah

2004-04-09T14:35:00.000-04:00

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.”

Pasach, Matzoh, Marror…

2004-04-08T17:22:00.000-04:00

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

A thought for your Sedar…

2004-04-05T09:38:00.000-04:00

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

Parashat Tzav – Passover Cleaning

2004-04-02T17:21:00.000-05:00

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

Parashat Tzav – Guilt

2004-04-01T17:04:00.000-05:00

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

Passover and Freedom

2004-04-01T09:34:00.000-05:00

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,

A joke for your Seder table:

2004-03-30T09:33:00.000-05:00

A Jewish man is waiting in line to be knighted by the Queen of England. He is supposed to kneel and recite a sentence in Latin. When it comes his turn, the Queen taps him on the shoulders with the sword -- and in the panic of excitement he forgets the Latin line. Thinking quickly, he recites the only other line he knows in a foreign language, which he remembers from the Passover Seder: "Mah

Passover and History

2004-03-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

A recent survey indicates that the Passover Sedar as recently replaces Yom Kippur as the most observed Jewish ritual. More Jews participate in a Sedar (to one extent or another) than fast on Yom Kippur. How come? In modern society, the idea of a conscience is going out of style. The idea that people walk around all year thinking that they are sinning, and need one day a year to clear their

Comments?

2004-03-26T15:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks to HaloScan, I've now added a comments feature. Fell free to use it... even just to let me know that someone other than me is reading this:)

Parashat Vayikra – Why animal offerings?

2004-03-26T14:41:00.000-05:00

This weeks Torah portion presents a lengthy, detailed description of bringing korbanot in the Temple. The Hebrew work ‘korban’ is generally translated as offering or sacrifice. Neither of these is accurate. “Sacrifice” implies giving up something. It implies that we are saying to G-d, ‘G-d, look how much I love you, instead of selling my finest lamb to pay for my physical needs, I’m giving it to

Freedom vs. Happiness

2004-03-25T14:41:00.000-05:00

In a recent lecture, Rabbi Kahn made an interesting point. He was talking about the difference between the English name of the second book of the Torah, “Exodus”, and the name the Rambam uses ‘Redemption”. I’ve talked about that before. He contends that both have to do with freedom, but Exodus is just a physical freedom from Egypt, while “Redemption” implies that real freedom requires an

Order of the Books of the Torah

2004-03-23T14:40:00.000-05:00

Chronologically, the book of Leviticus seems to be out of place. Exodus ends with the dedication of the Mishkan in the first month of the second year. Skip ahead one book to Numbers, and it picks up in the second month of the second year (and later backtracks to the first month of the second year). In terms of narrating a story, Numbers should come directly after Exodus; but in a thematic sense

The Book of Vayikra (Leviticus)

2004-03-22T13:19:00.000-05:00

This week we start reading the book of Vayikra. When children are first introduced to the world of Torah, their learning is supposed to start with the book of Vayikra. This seems like a strange choice. The book deals with the laws of korbanot - sacrifices or offerings. These laws do not apply to day (since we no longer have a temple) and their purpose is a matter of much dispute among the most

Parashat Vayakhel – P’Kudei

2004-03-19T08:42:00.000-05:00

This week, finish the book of Exodus by reading about the completion of the Mishkan. "In the first month of the second year on the first of the month the tabernacle was erected" [40:2]. Interestingly, it was exactly one year earlier that G-d said to Moses “this month shall be the head month to you. It shall be the first month of the year" [12:1]. So the year Jewish calendar starts with both the

What’s in a name?

2004-03-15T16:29:00.000-05:00

This week we finish reading the second book of the Torah, the book of Exodus. Maimonides refers to this book as “The Book of the Redemption”. Where as in the modern world titles are often selected to increase sales, Biblically speaking, the titles that our sages give to these books can provide valuable insight into the book itself. The Christian’s titled the book Exodus, because the exodus from

Parahat Ki Tasi

2004-03-12T14:55:00.000-05:00

I’ve talked a little about the events of this weeks Torah portion already. The key event this week is the incident of the Golden Calf. This event is probably the one that has generated the most commentary in the entire bible. I can’t possibly do it justice, but what I want to do is talk about one issue and one meta issue that this story brings up. First a brief run down of events, remember that

The Jewish Theological Seminary

2004-03-11T11:42:00.000-05:00

I went to an information session last night from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) to hear about the rabbinical school. I’ve never really said this publicly before, it’s always been an interest of mine to become a Rabbi. I don’t know if I’d want to be a full time pulpit Rabbi, but there are other things that a Rabbi can do; only about half the graduates from JTS go on to take full time pulpit

To Kippah or Not To Kippah

2004-03-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

When one starts the process of becoming a Bal Tesuvah (someone who was raised non religious, and decides to return to traditional Judaism), there are two paths one can take. You can outwardly transform yourself overnight and immediately start keeping all the observances, even though they will be meaningless to you at first, and then grow into the meaning. Or you can take it slow, and learn about

Why do bad things happen to good people?

2004-03-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

(This post is based on an article by Rabbi Benjamin Belch) This is really the ultimate theological question. It’s one that has troubled all the great Jewish thinkers, including the greatest of all, Moses. In this week’s Torah Portion, Moses asks this question to The One Who Knows The Answer. At first glance the passage appears cryptic, but even if you don’t understand it, it one of those

Parashat T'tzave

2004-03-05T19:21:00.000-05:00

This weeks Torah portion deals with the construction of the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary, or the Tabernacle). As Jew’s, we’re so used to the idea of “G-d’s house” (The Mishkan, the Temple, a Shul, a Synagogue…) that we don’t really appreciate what a strange idea it is. If G-d is infinite and transcendent, how can his presence be localized in one particular spot? Even though this portion

Purim 2

2004-03-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today is the Fast of Esther. This day is to mark the three days of fasting all the Jews of Shushan did in preparation for Esther going before the Queen to plead ask for the Jews to be saved from Haman’s evil plan. As a rule, Jewish holidays have two aspects; a spiritual side (special prayers) and a physical side (eating special foods). There are two exceptions to this rule; Yom Kippur, which is

Purim 1

2004-03-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

With Purim coming up this Sunday, I thought I’d spend most of the week talking about Purim. The book of Esther is unique among all books of the Bible; it is the only one that does not mention the name of G-d. Despite this, many (including myself) argue that it is in the book of Esther that the face of G-d is most clearly seen. This morning my Rabbi pointed out that not only does the name of G-d

Parashat Truma

2004-02-27T10:32:00.000-05:00

This week’s Torah portion talks about the building of the Mishkan (the portable Temple) and some of its vessels. One of the vessels are the two Cherubs that make up the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The Cherubs are made from gold and are in the form of winged children. Next week we'll read about the sin of the golden calf. If we were punished for making a golden calf, then why is it ok to make

Parashat Mishpatim and Purim

2004-02-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

There is a passage in this weeks Torah portion, where G-d is offering the Torah to the Jewish people at Sinai. The text says that the Jewish people stood under the mountain. The Midrash explains, that G-d lifted up the mountain and held it over the Jewish people and said, “Accept the Torah, or there will be your grave.” So, first off, this doesn’t sound like the Jews accepted the Torah out of

Parashat Mishpatim – We will do and we will listen

2004-02-18T08:36:00.000-05:00

This weeks Torah portion continues with the account of the revelation at Sinai, and contains the famous statement by the Jewish people, “Na-asai v’Nishma” – “We will do and we will listen”. This phrase is often offered as an indication of how great the way that we accepted the Torah was. We didn’t say that we’ll listen to what G-d has to say, and then decide if we will do it. We said “I

Good vs. Evil

2004-02-16T09:40:00.000-05:00

Many religions talk about the internal struggle between good and evil. Rabbi Kahn in his lecture “An introduction to Jewish Mysticism” says that is not entirely accurate. When you got up this morning, did you think to yourself; “Should I get up and go to work, or should I rape and pillage”? Most of us don’t have to struggle with real evil (that’s not to say there aren’t people who do have to