Candlelight - The Maccabeats

משחק–Create a New Game

Create a new game for Chanukah. We all love dreidle, but we need new games as well. As a family create a new game that is Jewish and fun that your family can play each year. We will ask you to share your invented game with us, so we can put together a collection of new Chanukah games for our community.

ישראל–Israel

Israel is a central part of modern Judaism. We are deeply connected to our Homeland. But do we know what is happening there all the time? On this last night of Chanukah we will examine the שם/Sham, “there,” from the “Great Miracle Happened There,” on our dreidles. We will send you some articles from the daily news in Israel for your family to read together and gain a deeper sense of our Homeland.

checkout websites like:

http://www.jpost.com

http://www.haaretz.com

http://www.israelnationalnews.com

http://www.ynetnews.com

http://www.jta.org

צדקה–Justice

It is better to give than to receive and on this holiday when so many of us receive so much it is all the better to remember for one night that we too can give. On this night nobody in the house receives gifts, but gifts will be given… Choose any charity and donate the money that would have been spent on all of the gifts for that night and donate the money to that charity. You could also participate in one of the many needy children’s gift donation programs.

מרשם משפחתי–Family Recipe

We connect with our tradition in many ways. One of the most beloved of ways is through our stomachs. On this night choose a family recipe (one that your grandmother used to make) and make that delicious dish together as a family for dinner.

סרט יהודי–Jewish Movie Night

Jewish movie night. Pick out your favorite Jewish movie or one your family has never seen before and pop some popcorn to watch the movie together.

שבת–Celebrate Shabbat

Its שבת/Shabbat, celebrate Chanukah and Shabbat together this evening, be sure to light your Chanukah candles before your Shabbat ones. Then enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner together.

הכנסת אורחים–Hospitality

Invite another family over to your house this night and practice the מצוה/Mitzvah, commandment, of הכנסת אורחים/Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests.

מזוזה - Mezuzah

Tonight hold a real rededication of your house through purchasing a new מזוזה/Mezuzah for any doorway or gateway in your house and affix it with the ברכה/Berachah, blessing, on this evening.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to place the Mezuzah.

חג אורים שמח–Happy Chanukah 5771

Here is the much spoken about Chanukat HaBayit blog site:

After this initial post you will find eight additional posts.  I have assigned a “night” to each of the cards, but you can do them in any order you choose.  Please post a reply to each night’s activity after your family has completed it, so that we can share…  Thanks again and Chag Sameach.

It’s Chanukah 5771, and we are so excited to be able to introduce our new program for our community.  This year we are offering you and your family the opportunity to give Chanukah a little more meaning.  The word Chanukah means dedication.  We call this holiday Chanukah because it commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. This year we can all rededicate our modern day “Temples,” our homes, to our religion and our people. We are asking you to use the enclosed cards to enrich your celebration of Chanukah with a nightly mitzvah or tradition.

Here’s How:

1. On the day before the first candle is lit, as a family, choose an activity card for the first night of Chanukah.
   
2. On each subsequent night choose the next night’s card (some of the cards need to be pre-selected, like Shabbat)
   
3. On each night of Chanukah, after you have lit the Chanukiya and sung some songs, as a family perform that night’s designated activity. (Remember to then draw the card for the next evening.)
   
4. Please post on Rabbi Hearshen’s blog: http://ravhearshen.blogspot.com, your experiences as a family. There will be a space for each night’s review.
   
5. Enjoy this experience and keep an open mind...

 

And now for the cards: (Note: these are a reproduction of the actual cards that were handed out, they do not look exactly as they did when handed out.)

	Tonight hold a real rededication of your house through purchasing a new מזוזה/Mezuzah for any doorway or gateway in your house and affix it with the ברכה/Berachah, blessing, on this evening.
	Invite another family over to your house this night and practice the מצוה/Mitzvah, commandment, of הכנסת אורחים/Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests.
	Jewish movie night. Pick out your favorite Jewish movie or one your family has never seen before and pop some popcorn to watch the movie together.
	Its שבת/Shabbat, celebrate Chanukah and Shabbat together this evening, be sure to light your Chanukah candles before your Shabbat ones. Then enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner together.
	We connect with our tradition in many ways. One of the most beloved of ways is through our stomachs. On this night choose a family recipe (one that your grandmother used to make) and make that delicious dish together as a family for dinner.
	It is better to give than to receive and on this holiday when so many of us receive so much it is all the better to remember for one night that we too can give. On this night nobody in the house receives gifts, but gifts will be given… Choose any charity and donate the money that would have been spent on all of the gifts for that night and donate the money to that charity. You could also participate in one of the many needy children’s gift donation programs.
	Israel is a central part of modern Judaism. We are deeply connected to our Homeland. But do we know what is happening there all the time? On this last night of Chanukah we will examine the שם/Sham, “there,” from the “Great Miracle Happened There,” on our dreidles. We will send you some articles from the daily news in Israel for your family to read together and gain a deeper sense of our Homeland.
	Create a new game for Chanukah. We all love dreidle, but we need new games as well. As a family create a new game that is Jewish and fun that your family can play each year. We will ask you to share your invented game with us, so we can put together a collection of new Chanukah games for our community.

 

 

Where do we go from here?

After this initial post you will find eight additional posts.  I have assigned a “night” to each of the cards, but you can do them in any order you choose.  Please post a reply to each night’s activity after your family has completed it, so that we can share…  Thanks again and Chag Sameach.

Parshat Chayei Sarah

This weeks post is taken from the shiur I delivered last night to our Parshah and Poker group here at MJC.

פרשה and Poker – פרשת חיי שרה

Rabbi Josh Hearshen

Welcome to Midway Jewish Center’s first פרשה and Poker night. We are hoping to grow this program into a regular monthly study group that gathers for תורה, socializing and fun. The program is simple: People RSVP and pay $10 to play. We study for 45 minutes, and then we play poker for the remainder of the night, until there is a winner. The winner will receive a gift certificate. The money that you paid at the beginning will be donated to a pre-determined charity. Tonight we are donating to Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.

Questions:

• How do you decide when you have enough money?
• What does it mean to be wealthy?
• What does it mean to be happy?

Text 1

פרקי אבות ד:א

א בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט), מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִּי. אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז), טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר. אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר הַשָמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קכח), יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְטוֹב לָךְ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד, הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א ב), כִּי מְכַבְּדַי אֲכַבֵּד וּבֹזַי יֵקָלוּ:

Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said (Ps. 119:99): "From all my teachers have I gained understanding." Who is mighty? He who conquers his passions, as it is said (Prov. 16:32): "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." Who is wealthy? He who rejoices in his portion, as it is said (Ps. 128:2) "When you eat the labor of your hands, happy shall you be, and it shall be well with you." Happy shall you be - in this world; and shall be well with you - in the world-to-come. Who is honored? He who honors others, as it is said, (l Sam. 2:30): "for them who honor Me I will honor, and they who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. "

1. What is בן זומא saying here?

2. How does this משנה define wealth?

3. Is it odd that happiness and wealth seem to be interchangeable here?

4. How do we live by this?

Now for some text from the פרשה…

בראשית כד

א וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַֽיהוָֹה בֵּרַךְ אֶת־אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּֽל: ב וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל־עַבְדּוֹ זְקַן בֵּיתוֹ הַמּשֵׁל בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ שִׂים־נָא יָֽדְךָ תַּחַת יְרֵכִֽי: ג וְאַשְׁבִּיעֲךָ בַּֽיהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וֵֽאלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־תִקַּח אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי מִבְּנוֹת הַֽכְּנַֽעֲנִי אֲשֶׁר אָֽנֹכִי יוֹשֵׁב בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ: ד כִּי אֶל־אַרְצִי וְאֶל־מֽוֹלַדְתִּי תֵּלֵךְ וְלָֽקַחְתָּ אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי לְיִצְחָֽק: ה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הָעֶבֶד אוּלַי לֹֽא־תֹאבֶה הָֽאִשָּׁה לָלֶכֶת אַֽחֲרַי אֶל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת הֶֽהָשֵׁב אָשִׁיב אֶת־בִּנְךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יָצָאתָ מִשָּֽׁם: ו וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַבְרָהָם הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־תָּשִׁיב אֶת־בְּנִי שָֽׁמָּה: ז יְהוָֹה | אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם אֲשֶׁר לְקָחַנִי מִבֵּית אָבִי וּמֵאֶרֶץ מֽוֹלַדְתִּי וַֽאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־לִי וַֽאֲשֶׁר נִֽשְׁבַּֽע־לִי לֵאמֹר לְזַרְעֲךָ אֶתֵּן אֶת־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת הוּא יִשְׁלַח מַלְאָכוֹ לְפָנֶיךָ וְלָֽקַחְתָּ אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי מִשָּֽׁם: ח וְאִם־לֹא תֹאבֶה הָֽאִשָּׁה לָלֶכֶת אַֽחֲרֶיךָ וְנִקִּיתָ מִשְּׁבֻֽעָתִי זֹאת רַק אֶת־בְּנִי לֹא תָשֵׁב שָֽׁמָּה: ט וַיָּשֶׂם הָעֶבֶד אֶת־יָדוֹ תַּחַת יֶרֶךְ אַבְרָהָם אֲדֹנָיו וַיִּשָּׁבַֽע לוֹ עַל־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּֽה:

1. And Abraham was old, and well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2. And Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, Put, I beg you, your hand under my thigh; 3. And I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live; 4. But you shall go to my country, and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac. 5. And the servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land; must I need bring your son again to the land from where you came? 6. And Abraham said to him, Beware that you bring not my son there again. 7. The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, To your seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8. And if the woman will not be willing to follow you, then you shall be free from this my oath; only bring not my son there again. 9. And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning that matter.

Now some of My Questions:

• What is this narrative about?
• How does אברהם try to kill his son and then try to find him a wife?
• Why does he care so much?

Commentary

And Abraham was old...and Hashem had blessed him in all things (Genesis 24:1)

To be content with one's lot one must have reached old age. Because young people always want more than they have, no matter how much it may be. Only when one has reached old age does he realize that whatever he possesses is enough. And this realization is in itself a blessing--the blessing of בכל(Bachol).

Source: Tiferet Uziel

1. How is this text different from the פרקי אבות one?

2. Does age matter in this discussion?

3. Seeing as we are all at different places in our lives, how do we incorporate this into our lives?

Putting it to use

1. How will you change because of this?

2. How will you remain the same?

סוכות At an amusement park… Crazier things have happened…

I am writing from the midst of I-78 (exit 71ish area) in Pennsylvania.  Our USY chapter is returning from Hershey Park… It is a great place, but I do not like roller coasters so… not so perfect for me.  The kids enjoyed the trip and had a great time.  It is peculiar to observe Jewish rituals and law in different situations.  This morning as we left at 7:00am I davened on the bus. But I could not go waving the לולב and אתרוג/Lulav and Etrog, on the bus, you could take an eye put… And so there I was after lunch under a stadium with people looking at me doing הלל/Hallel.  But you should be questioning, how did we eat lunch in a סוכה? That is an excellent question. Each year in Lancaster county there is the enormous חול המועד/Chol HaMoed (the intermediary days) celebration for סוכות.  And so we went ahead and began to plan this trip. We hit a snag when we discovered that the enormous סוכה at Hershey Park (where they have a Glatt Kosher food stand year round) would only be open on the Monday of סוכות, but we needed to go on Sunday. So we purchased a PopUp סוכה, and there we were right before lunch in a parking lot erecting a tent like structure and placing a bamboo mats on top of it. People looked and people asked what it was, but at the end we were just so pleased to bring our youth to an incredible place and have them celebrate being Jewish and fulfill the מצות/Mitzvot, commandments, of the holiday. We were aiming to demonstrate to them that the name of the holiday is זמן שמחתינו, our happy time. And so it got me thinking about the concept of being happy and the concept of סוכות. We are happy during סוכות because when we have concluded the High Holy Days we have exited with clean slates. We have done the difficult work of making a mends and we have accepted that it is time to move on. We have defeated the greatest enemy of all… our own evil inclination. After all, it is our own evil inclination that provides us with the false impression, that we are not sinners, that we have done no wrong.  It is our own egos that stand in the way of us moving forward, and doing better. Our זמן שמחתינו/Zman Simachateinu, our happy time, is that we have successfully shown God that we are not hiding any longer, we are not hiding from Him and we are not hiding from ourselves. I recall when I was younger, like all young people I had a habit of lying. Then I realized at a certain point in time that when we lie we are either ashamed of something about ourselves or we have done something wrong. But when we stop telling lies, we prove that we are content and happy with who we are and we accept that we no longer can or should have to hide from ourselves… We grow and try to stop missing the mark. 

So what did I learn today with our teenagers in Hershey Park, in a makeshift סוכה? I learned that זמן שמחתינו comes from Jewish people being open to be themselves and to not lying to the world about who they are. It comes from us being willing to be Jews even when it is tough, and when we need to work hard to be that person. I learned that our youth are phenomenal and we should be happy that our future looks great. We have so much to be joyful for… The question for us all is what it is that we are each happiest for and what are we as Jews happiest for…

 

מועדים לשמחה

Special סליחות Program

Last night at Midway Jewish Center we commenced the practice of daily recitation of special prayers of repentance.  We began the evening with the viewing of the movie Outsourced.  I found this movie to be incredible when I first saw it only a few months ago but did not know what the deeper Jewish meaning was.  The next morning I realized that it could be a great way to examine our relationships in the framework of Martin Buber’s I:Thou/I:It rubric as found in his book I and Thou.  Here is my outline for the teaching:

Outline of Outsourced סליחות Program

1. Your computer is broken and you pick up your phone to dial the manufacturer of your computer. As you sit and wait for the answer, you hear the familiar ringing of the telephone. What goes on in your mind at that moment?
1. Are you thinking about what is happening in the place where the other side is ringing?
2. Are you making notes about what you hope to achieve with the phone call?
3. Are you getting disappointed that your computer is no longer malfunctioning at the moment?
4. Perhaps you are guessing where the voice on the other end of the phone is sitting?
5. Regardless the reality is that when we make such calls, we are not interested in getting to know somebody else.
1. This is a call for a utility, not for a metaphysical relationship.
2. You are calling only to achieve something: a working computer.
1. I once had a problem with a computer and so I called the manufacturer and the once on the other end (clearly from India) instructed me to format my hard-drive (erase everything). The anger I had for that person was immense. I created this image in my head of incompetence, I continuously was raging about how this person knew nothing.
1. This was for a good reason: I didn’t know him, and he did not know me
2. I only needed him to perform a task for me: get my computer working better. Without that, this interaction had no point.
6. With all of this in mind, we will begin our film. Keep these relationships in mind through the film.
1. Look for good paradigms of good relationships. And of bad relationships.
2. After the movie: “You saved my life.” “No, you saved mine.”
1. Discussion questions:
1. What was the most positive of relationships in the movie?
2. What was the most negative relationship in the movie?
3. What was the point at which Todd changed?
4. What is our “third eye” in regards to relationships?
2. Buber:
1. Martin Buber, a great Jewish philosopher in his greatest book, I and Thou, explains that humans have two ways of relating with the world:
1. I : It relationships
1. This is a relationship where the other person is a means to an end.
2. Utilitarian
3. At least one person is using the other side, but both could be using one another
4. The person is always “other,” from the opposite person or thing.
5. It is the same way that we relate to physical objects
1. We use them to derive benefit from them, and that is all. We contribute little to them.
6. The interactions with these relationships are called experiences, probably because of the usury implied by such a term.
1. In experiences people collect data, analyze it, classifies it and theorizes about it.
2. I : Though relationships
1. These are the relationships where both sides are communicating, and neither is the “other.”
2. We have commonality
3. We both feel a sense of gain and not just beneficial gain, but gaining and sense of appreciation.
4. These are not utilitarian, these are meaningful and thoughtful.
1. The other is not seen as a means to an end, but an end in and of itself.
5. The interactions in these are called encounters
1. We enter into a relationship with the Thou in these, and thus both the I and the Thou are transformed by this relationship.
2. We can apply this to God as well.
1. The goal is to have I:Thou relationships with God, but we often relegate such interactions to the realm of usury. Where is God when we are not desperate? Where are we when we do not “need” God immediately?
1. Read arguments for coming to shul or belonging to a community, it is all about when the need arises.
2. How can we assure we encounter God and not just experience?
3. At this time of the year we need to look at ourselves and our relationships, both בין אדם לחבירו and בין אדם למקום. How are we doing? How can we do better?
1. Are we the corporation?
2. Are we Todd and Puro, or Todd and Asha?
3. How are we doing?

 

I also put together some סליחות resources for people to use over the coming weeks… Here they are:

Some resources to examine our relationships with...

סליחות 5770

משנה מסכת סנהדרין פרק ד משנה ה

משנה. כיצד מאיימין את העדים? על עידי נפשות, היו מכניסין אותן ומאיימין עליהן: שמא תאמרו מאומד ומשמועה, עד מפי עד, ומפי אדם נאמן. שמא אי אתם יודעין שסופנו לבדוק אתכם בדרישה ובחקירה. הוו יודעין שלא כדיני ממונות דיני נפשות. דיני ממונות ־ אדם נותן ממון ומתכפר לו, דיני נפשות ־ דמו ודם זרעותיו תלויין בו עד סוף העולם, שכן מצינו בקין שהרג את אחיו, שנאמר (בראשית ד׳) דמי אחיך צעקים, אינו אומר דם אחיך אלא דמי אחיך ־ דמו ודם זרעותיו. דבר אחר: דמי אחיך ־ שהיה דמו מושלך על העצים ועל האבנים. לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי, ללמדך שכל המאבד נפש אחת מישראל ־ מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא, וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל ־ מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם מלא. ומפני שלום הבריות, שלא יאמר אדם לחבירו אבא גדול מאביך, ושלא יהו המינים אומרים: הרבה רשויות בשמים. ולהגיד גדולתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא, שאדם טובע כמה מטבעות בחותם אחד ־ כולן דומין זה לזה, ומלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש ברוך הוא טבע כל אדם בחותמו של אדם הראשון ־ ואין אחד מהן דומה לחבירו. לפיכך כל אחד ואחד חייב לומר: בשבילי נברא העולם. ושמא תאמרו מה לנו ולצרה הזאת? והלא כבר נאמר (ויקרא ה׳) והוא עד או ראה או ידע אם לוא יגיד וגו׳. ושמא תאמרו: מה לנו לחוב בדמו של זה? והלא כבר נאמר (משלי י״א) באבד רשעים רנה.

Mishnah. How were the witnesses inspired with awe? Witnesses in capital charges were brought in and intimidated [thus]: perhaps what ye say is based only on conjecture, or hearsay, or is evidence from the mouth of another witness, or even from the mouth of a trustworthy person: perhaps ye are unaware that ultimately we shall scrutinize your evidence by cross examination and inquiry? Know then that capital cases are not like monetary cases. In civil suits, one can make monetary restitution and thereby effect his atonement; but in capital cases he is held responsible for his blood [sc. The accused] and the blood of his [potential] descendants until the end of time, for thus we find in the case of Cain, who killed his brother, that it is written: the bloods of thy brother cry unto me: not the blood of thy brother, but the bloods of thy brother, is said — i.e., his blood and the blood of his [potential] descendants. (alternatively, the bloods of thy brother, teaches that his blood was splashed over trees and stones.) For this reason was man created alone, to teach thee that whosoever destroys a single soul of Israel, scripture imputes [guilt] to him as though he had destroyed a complete world; and whosoever preserves a single soul of Israel, scripture ascribes [merit] to him as though he had preserved a complete world. Furthermore, [he was created alone] for the sake of peace among men, that one might not say to his fellow, ‘my father was greater than yours, and that the minim might not say, there are many ruling powers in heaven; again, to proclaim the greatness of the holy one, blessed be he: for if a man strikes many coins from one mould, they all resemble one another, but the supreme king of kings, the holy one, blessed be he, fashioned every man in the stamp op the first man, and yet not one of them resembles his fellow. Therefore every single person is obliged to say: the world was created for my sake. Perhaps ye will say: why should we incur this anxiety? [know then:] is it not already written, and he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter it? And should ye say: why should we bear guilt for the blood of this [man]: — surely, however, it is said, when the wicked perish, there is joy!

Listen... Really Listen

As a young scholar, Martin Buber (1878-1965), author of I and Thou, the classic philosophic work on the importance of dialogue and communication, was hard at work editing a mystical text when his doorbell rang. An anxious and distraught young man asked if he could speak with Buber, who invited the man inside and answered the questions he asked. But, as he later confided, he was anxious to return to his work, and "I didn't try to answer the questions he didn't ask."

A short time later, Buber learned that the man had died, apparently a suicide. "Later... not long after, I learned from one of his friends that he had come to see me not casually, but borne by destiny, not for a chat but for a decision." The meeting's unhappy aftermath changed Buber forever. From then on, he concluded, encounters with people must take precedence over scholarship and mystical speculation.

Today, and throughout the week, when somebody seeks you out in person or over the telephone, listen. While he or she is speaking, stay focused; don't let your mind wander to other subjects, or to personal concerns.

Listen—really listen.

(Source: The Book of Jewish Values: A day by day guide to ethical living, by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin)

Do You Love Me???

The Chasidic rebbe Moshe Leib of Sassoz (1745-1807), claimed to have learned the meaning of love from a peasant who was sitting near him in a tavern. "He was sitting in an inn along with other peasants, drinking. For a long time he was as silent as all the rest, but when he was moved by the wine, he asked one of the men seated beside him, “Tell me, do you love me or don't you love me?” The other replied, “I love you very much.” But the first peasant replied, “You say that you love me, but you do not know what I need. If you really loved me, you would know.” The other had not a word to say to this, and the peasant who had put the question fell silent again. But I understood. To know the needs of men and to bear the burden of their sorrow, that is the true love of men. "

(as retold by Martin Buber)

פרשת נצבים – וילך … But really a pre High Holy Day post

תשובה

What does it mean to repent, and how do we understand forgiveness?

On Saturday night this week after הבדלה we will commence the recitation of סליחות, prayers of repentance.  We began the process of making תשובה/repentance at the beginning of the month of אלול/Elul, with the recitation of a special Psalm and the sounding of the שופר/Shofar. Now we crank it up a notch each morning with these additional special prayers. This week we will explore the traditional sources of personal reflection, repentance, and forgiveness. While reflecting on these sources please think of how we can work on these concepts together and put them into our own lives.

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Prayer does half--repentance does all.

- Midrash: Vayikra Rabbah - 10.5

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As long as the candle burns--I can still do some mending.

- Rabbi Salanter, Israel

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“Then they shall confess their sin which they have done; and he shall make restitution for his trespass in full, and add to it its fifth part, and give it to him against whom he has trespassed.” (במדבר ה:ז)

The beginning and the middle of this verse which speaks of verbal repentance for sin are written in the plural והתודו/Then they shall confess, but the end which speaks of returning the object which was stolen is written in the singular והשיב/and he shall make restitution, which teaches us that when it comes to mere verbal confession of sin, multitudes rush to do so; but when repentance requires some measure of actual sacrifice or discomfort only a few are prepared to this manner of repentance.

- Merotz Hatzvi ,Chapter 3

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This shall be the law (lit. "the Torah") of the leper on the day of his cleaning... (Leviticus 14:2)

The sacred studies in which the leper engages will be accepted only on the day of his cleansing. Only if the leper will repent and cleanse himself from his sin will his studies be accepted and credited to him as good deeds. As long as he has not done so, all his studies will be to no avail."

- Kametz HaMincha

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האומר אחטא ואשוב, אחטא ואשוב ־ אין מספיקין בידו לעשות תשובה, אחטא ויום הכפורים מכפר ־ אין יום הכפורים מכפר. עבירות שבין אדם למקום ־ יום הכפורים מכפר עבירות שבין אדם לחבירו ־ אין יום הכפורים מכפר, עד שירצה את חבירו. דרש רבי אלעזר בן עזריה: (ויקרא טז) מכל חטאתיכם לפני ה׳ תטהרו עבירות שבין אדם למקום ־ יום הכפורים מכפר, עבירות שבין אדם לחבירו ־ אין יום הכפורים מכפר, עד שירצה את חבירו.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת יומא פה.ב

He who says, I will sin and repent -- will not be given an opportunity to repent. He who says, I will sin and Yom Kippur will forgive -- will not be forgiven on Yom Kippur. Transgressions against a fellow-man are not forgiven on Yom Kippur unless the offended person is first reconciled. This is what Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: It is written, Of all your sins before Hashem you will be cleansed." (Leviticus 16:30) Yom-Kippur forgives only sins against Hashem, while sins against a fellow-man are not forgiven until forgiveness is obtained from the person offended.

- Talmud: Yoma 85b

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No sin is so light that it may be overlooked; no sin is so heavy that it may not be repented of.

- Ibn Ezra, Moses - Shirat Yisrael

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תנו רבנן: יש מהן אומרים אשרי ילדותנו שלא ביישה את זקנותנו ־ אלו חסידים ואנשי מעשה, ויש מהן אומרים אשרי זקנותנו שכפרה את ילדותנו ־ אלו בעלי תשובה. אלו ואלו אומרים אשרי מי שלא חטא, ומי שחטא ישוב וימחול לו.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוכה נג.א

(During the Celebration of Succot), there were those who said: (men whose entire lives had been spent in righteous living) “Happy for our youth that has not disgraced our old age." These were the righteous. The penitents among them would say, however, "Happy our old age which has atoned for our youth." Both would say, "Happy is the person who has not sinned, but let him who has sinned return to Hashem and He will pardon him."

- Talmud: Succah 53a

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When Rabbi Barukh had burned the leaven on the eve of Passover and scattered the ashes, he said the words prescribed for this and expounded them. "'Any kind of leaven which remains in my possession'--all that boils (very strong); 'which I have or have not seen'--even though I believe I have looked into myself thoroughly, I have probably not looked thoroughly at all; 'which I have burned or not burned'--the Evil Urge within me tries to convince me that I have burned everything, but not until now do I see that I have not burned it, and so I beg of you, God, 'it shall be null and accounted as the dust of the earth'"

- Hasidic Tale

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(ויאמר יהוה אל משה מה תצעק אלי דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו (שמות יד:טו

And God said to Moses, why do you cry out to me (Exodus 14:15)

R. Menahem Mendl of Kotzk said: "I dearly love R. Shlomo Leib of Lentashna, but why does he cry out the whole day to the Holy One, Blessed be He, to send the Messiah? It would be better for him to cry out to the Jews to repent, and then the Messiah will come on his own. That is what God told Moses: "Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the Children of Israel and let them go forward!"

- Rabbi Menahem Hacohen, Passover Haggadah

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וישבו איש מדרכו הרעה ומן החמס אשר בכפיהם. (יונה ג:ח) מאי ומן החמס אשר בכפיהם? אמר שמואל: אפילו גזל מריש ובנאו בבירה ־ מקעקע כל הבירה כולה ומחזיר מריש לבעליו. אמר רב אדא בר אהבה: אדם שיש בידו עבירה, ומתודה ואינו חוזר בה למה הוא דומה ־ לאדם שתופס שרץ בידו, שאפילו טובל בכל מימות שבעולם ־ לא עלתה לו טבילה. זרקו מידו, כיון שטבל בארבעים סאה ־ מיד עלתה לו טבילה, שנאמר ומודה ועזב ירחם(משלי כח:יג), ואומר נשא לבבנו אל כפים אל אל בשמים. (איכה ג:מא)

תלמוד בבלי מסכת טענית טז.א

Let them turn everyone from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands. What is the meaning of, ‘From the violence that is in their hands’? — Samuel said: Even if one had stolen a beam and built it into his castle he should raze the entire castle to the ground and return the beam to its owner. R. Adda b. Ahaba said: One who has sinned and confesses his sin but does not repent may be compared to a man holding a dead reptile in his hand, for although he may immerse himself in all the waters of the world his immersion is of no avail unto him; but if he throws it away from his hand then as soon as he immerses himself in forty se'ahs of water, immediately his immersion becomes effective, as it is said, But he, who confesses and renounces them, shall obtain mercy. And it is further said, Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

- Talmud Bavli Taanit 16a

Questions to Ponder?

• What is the Jewish concept of Teshuvah? How can a person go about making up for past wrong doings?
• Is there one way to absolve all transgressions?
• Are all transgressions equal?
• What does Prayer do for repentance?
• Why do we use the Hebrew word that comes from the word “to return” for repentance?
• When is a good time to repent?

פרשת כי תבוא

This summer is flying by way too soon.  It is so difficult to stop time, oh wait, its impossible to stop time.  Okay, so I guess we just need to embrace it, and live with it.  Time is of the essence right now as we are nearing the ימים נוראים, the High Holy Days.  ראש השנה is first and as a rabbi I am fully aware of its nearing each day… I have often pondered the following question: is ראש השנה meant to be a serious day of reflection and requests, or is it a day of celebration of time?  Or… perhaps it is something in the middle.  Not everything can be so readily classified, but what do you think?

Now to the meat of the post: the weekly פרשה/Portion:

From chapter 27:14 – All of chapter 28, we have a very interesting discussion.  When we crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land, we were to hold this ceremony where the Levites were to proclaim some curses that we would see if we did certain bad things.  We were to say אמן/amen, after each and every single one of them.  Then משה/Moses continues to enumerate a list of blessings that we will receive for our obedience to the תורה/Torah.  But this is quickly followed up with a second set of more in depth curses that we will absorb if we are not obedient, and just a little warning, some of them are gross, okay a lot of them are gross.

What I am most interested in is the Levite ceremony.  Here is the text:

Chapter 27

¹¹ Thereupon Moses charged the people, saying: ¹² After you have crossed the Jordan, the following shall stand on Mount Gerizim when the blessing for the people is spoken: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³ And for the curse, the following shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphthali. ¹⁴ The Levites shall then proclaim in a loud voice to all the people of Israel:

¹⁵ Cursed be anyone who makes a sculptured or molten image, abhorred by the Lord, a craftsman's handiwork, and sets it up in secret. — And all the people shall respond, Amen.
¹⁶ Cursed be he who insults his father or mother. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
¹⁷ Cursed be he who moves his fellow countryman's landmark. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
¹⁸ Cursed be he who misdirects a blind person on his way. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
¹⁹ Cursed be he who subverts the rights of the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
²⁰ Cursed be he who lies with his father's wife, for he has removed his father's garment. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
²¹ Cursed be he who lies with any beast. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
²² Cursed be he who lies with his sister, whether daughter of his father or of his mother. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
²³ Cursed be he who lies with his mother-in-law. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
²⁴ Cursed be he who strikes down his fellow countryman in secret. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
²⁵ Cursed be he who accepts a bribe in the case of the murder of an innocent person. — And all the people shall say, Amen.
²⁶ Cursed be he who will not uphold the terms of this Teaching and observe them. — And all the people shall say, Amen.

This ceremony, this very public ceremony does not mention the good, only the bad… Why?  According to the description of the ceremony in verses 11 through 13 we find some tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim for the blessing, and others were to stand on Mount Ebal for the curses, the Levites and Kohenim were to stand in the valley between the two and orchestrate this whole ceremony.  But where are the blessings in this text?

This is a photo of the two mountains with the valley in the middle…

 

The blessings found in chapter 28 are not the ones that we are looking for.  Those were blessings that משה was expressing for general obedience and are better linked to the curses that follow them.  רש’’י/Rashi draws our attention to the תלמוד/Talmud in מסכת סוטה/Tractate Sotah, to explain the procedure:

“Six tribes ascended the summit of Mount Gerizim, six tribes ascended the summit of Mount Ebal, and the Kohenim and Levites with the ark were stationed below in the center.  The Levites turned their faces towards Mount Gerizim and began the blessing: blessed be the man that does not make a sculpture or molten idol. And these and these responded: Amen. They then turned their faces towards mount Ebal and opened with the curse: cursed be the man that makes a sculpture or molten idol, and both parties responded amen. [so they continue] until they complete the blessings and curses.”

So the question needs to be asked as to why the text was written in such a fashion.  רש’’י provided us with a very rational understanding.  But there are other ways:

The כלי יקר/Kli Yakar explains it in the following way: “Before reciting the curse, the Levites recited each verse in the form of the blessing. (רש’’י?) Nevertheless, the Torah itself only records the curses.  The blessings are not explicitly mentioned, to allude to the fact that the principal reward for the performance of Mitzvot is not seen in this world.  It will come only in the spiritual realm of the World to Come.”

I really like this idea because of the mentality it sets up.  We cannot expect to see rewards for doing things.  We cannot do good simply because we expect to be rewarded in some tangible way.  We must do good because we believe it is the right thing to do. But we need to believe that when we do bad there are real consequences and that we will need to accept those consequences.  It is okay to have a worldview where the bad are punished but the good is just maintaining the status quo, not to be praised and not to be rewarded.

Then there is the viewpoint of בית שמואל אחרון/Beit Shmuel Acharon: Whoever sins in public, there is hope that he will turn around and repent his deeds.  But whoever sins in secret there is no hope.

I can live with this one because we all know that when we miss the mark in private we are a little more okay with it because nobody saw it.  The curses that were enumerated in the chapter seem to allude to the types of sins that we would commit in private, and not in public and so the curses are being used as a deterrent and a motivation to repentance. 

This jives well with the אבני אזל who explained:

“The worst sin of all is to make a graven or molten image, an idol, and offense to Hashem and set it up not for all to see but in secret… To hide the idol beneath a veil of pretty speeches and high sounding ideals such as “culture” and “civilization.”  For this reason the Torah deals so harshly with one who sets up his idol in secret.”

Okay so we have all of these different concepts, none seems to exclude the others.  But I still have one issue to resolve and that is the saying the word אמן/Amen after each curse.  When we say אמן what are we saying?  There are actually some disputes about this, but we understand it in the way that the Septuagint understood it.  The word אמן means “Let it be so…”  In other words, “I agree with that statement and you are saying it on my behalf.”  We answer אמן when we want to be included in something somebody else said.  We also answer אמן whenever we hear a blessing to show we are agreeing.  Recently our daughter Ayelet has taken to saying אמן whenever we say a blessing in our house.  It is beautiful, and it makes us so happy.  This concept of curses and our daughter saying אמן has led me to ponder the issue of what we are teaching our children through our own behavior.  I am sure that we all can agree that we have taught them good and bad… But imagine for just one second if we all constantly thought that what we were doing would be a lesson (positive or negative) learned by our children and the children of others.  What would the impact be?  Would it be a blessing or a curse?

Your Turn…

צא ולומד – Go and Learn

פרשת כי תצא

I would like to begin this week with some introductory questions… These are intended to stimulate your mind, and get you thinking.  Just make a mental note of your answers:

• What are some of the things that you frequently lose?
• How do you get those items back?
• What if you find someone else’s lost object?
  • What do you do with it and why?

Now, let’s examine some text from the weekly פרשה/portion:

Chapter 22 1 If you see your fellow's ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your fellow. 2 If your fellow does not live near you or you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home and it shall remain with you until your fellow claims it; then you shall give it back to him. 3 You shall do the same with his ass; you shall do the same with his garment; and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses and you find: you must not remain indifferent. 4 If you see your fellow's ass or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it; you must help him raise it. 5 A woman must not put on man's apparel, nor shall a man wear woman's clothing; for whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord your God. 6 If, along the road, you chance upon a bird's nest, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs and the mother sitting over the fledglings or on the eggs, do not take the mother together with her young. 7 Let the mother go, and take only the young, in order that you may fare well and have a long life. 8 When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it. 9 You shall not sow your vineyard with a second kind of seed, else the crop — from the seed you have sown — and the yield of the vineyard may not be used. 10 You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together. 11 You shall not wear cloth combining wool and linen. 12 You shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.

פרק כב א לֹֽא־תִרְאֶה אֶת־שׁוֹר אָחִיךָ אוֹ אֶת־שֵׂיוֹ נִדָּחִים וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ מֵהֶם הָשֵׁב תְּשִׁיבֵם לְאָחִֽיךָ ב וְאִם־לֹא קָרוֹב אָחִיךָ אֵלֶיךָ וְלֹא יְדַעְתּוֹ וַֽאֲסַפְתּוֹ אֶל־תּוֹךְ בֵּיתֶךָ וְהָיָה עִמְּךָ עַד דְּרֹשׁ אָחִיךָ אֹתוֹ וַֽהֲשֵֽׁבֹתוֹ לֽוֹ ג וְכֵן תַּֽעֲשֶׂה לַֽחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֵן תַּֽעֲשֶׂה לְשִׂמְלָתוֹ וְכֵן תַּֽעֲשֶׂה לְכָל־אֲבֵדַת אָחִיךָ אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאבַד מִמֶּנּוּ וּמְצָאתָהּ לֹא תוּכַל לְהִתְעַלֵּֽם: ס ד לֹֽא־תִרְאֶה אֶת־חֲמוֹר אָחִיךָ אוֹ שׁוֹרוֹ נֹֽפְלִים בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ מֵהֶם הָקֵם תָּקִים עִמּֽוֹ: ס ה לֹא־יִֽהְיֶה כְלִי־גֶבֶר עַל־אִשָּׁה וְלֹֽא־יִלְבַּשׁ גֶּבֶר שִׂמְלַת אִשָּׁה כִּי תֽוֹעֲבַת יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כָּל־עֹשֵׂה אֵֽלֶּה: פ ו כִּי יִקָּרֵא קַן־צִפּוֹר | לְפָנֶיךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּכָל־עֵץ | אוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֶפְרֹחִים אוֹ בֵיצִים וְהָאֵם רֹבֶצֶת עַל־הָאֶפְרֹחִים אוֹ עַל־הַבֵּיצִים לֹֽא־תִקַּח הָאֵם עַל־הַבָּנִֽים ז שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח אֶת־הָאֵם וְאֶת־הַבָּנִים תִּֽקַּֽח־לָךְ לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ וְהַֽאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִֽים: ס ח כִּי תִבְנֶה בַּיִת חָדָשׁ וְעָשִׂיתָ מַֽעֲקֶה לְגַגֶּךָ וְלֹֽא־תָשִׂים דָּמִים בְּבֵיתֶךָ כִּֽי־יִפֹּל הַנֹּפֵל מִמֶּֽנּוּ ט לֹֽא־תִזְרַע כַּרְמְךָ כִּלְאָיִם פֶּן־תִּקְדַּשׁ הַֽמְלֵאָה הַזֶּרַע אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרָע וּתְבוּאַת הַכָּֽרֶם: ס י לֹא־תַֽחֲרֹשׁ בְּשׁוֹר־וּבַֽחֲמֹר יַחְדָּֽ יא לֹא תִלְבַּשׁ שַֽׁעַטְנֵז צֶמֶר וּפִשְׁתִּים יַחְדָּֽו: ס יב גְּדִלִים תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּךְ עַל־אַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת כְּסֽוּתְךָ אֲשֶׁר תְּכַסֶּה־בָּֽהּ

I would like to ask some more questions again, and this time why not consider sharing some of your answers in the response section at the end of this post:

• What are we responsible to do according to this?
  • Is any of this a little much?
• Are you able to categorize all of these laws or at least most of them?
• What types of objects are considered being lost in the first verse, the one that is in the bold print?
  • Is there anything else that could be included?

 

The תורה/Torah does not exist in a vacuum and needs to be examined through various lenses.  One way we do this is through looking at commentaries that our ancestors wrote.  Here are the thoughts of Rabbi Mordekhai Hacohen as found in Al Hatorah, Devarim.

(t' cf ohrcs) lhjtk ocha, cav ovn ,nkg,vu ohjsb uha ,t ut lhjt rua ,t vtr, tk

You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep gone astray and hide yourself from seeing them, you shall surely return them to your brother (Deuteronomy 22:1)

vnf ,jt kg apbv ,sctc 'vru, vrhvzv if iunn ,sctc ot .hbzuen van hcr rnut

hgaupku hk vn rnt, tka /ovn ,nkg,vu ohjsb ohjt vtr, tk v,gn urnt /vnfu

/vcua,k orrugku orhgvk cujv kyun lhkg "ocha, cav" tkt'ukkv ktrah

Rabbi Moses of Koznitz states: "If in the case of losing money the Torah warned thus, how much more so does this apply to losing souls. You shall not see brothers gone astray and hide yourself from them. You should not say, 'Why should I care about these sinners of Israel', but 'you shall surely return them'--you are obliged to arouse them and appeal to them to repent."

 

So now that brings me to the major discussion that I would like to have here in cyberspace with all of you.  I have three questions for you to comment on:

1. How does the rabbi interpret the lost objects?
2. it fair to be responsible to help others find their souls?
3. Do we need to help them not lose them in the first place?

צא ולומד – Go and Learn…

פרשת שופטים

Well it is interesting that in our little poll at the top of the page we have not received a single vote for יום כיפור, but the day is still young.  This week we have entered the month of אלול, the month immediately preceding the High Holy Days.  We will not be celebrating ראש חודש/Rosh Chodesh for next month in the regular way, it will not be a regular day it will be ראש השנה/Rosh Hashanah.  We will not celebrate the day with הלל/Hallel, and the typical fixings, we will be celebrating the day with שופר and with all sorts of other unique traditions.  The שופר commenced its daily sounding this morning to wake us out of our slumber, and to help us to embrace the reality that we have fallen short and that we have been reluctant to change.  The שופר is the sound that says “hey… change… its not too late… you can do it… God is waiting for you to change, to be closer to Him…”  If you listen closely to the sounds of the שופר you will hear it saying those very words to you.

This week we will read פרשת שופטים, a פרשה that deals with justice in this world and the need for us to be champions for justice.  The famous words צדק צדק תרדף – Justice Justice You shall pursue are found in this week’s פרשה. And I would like to offer some ways in which these beautiful words relate to the season we are embarking upon:

1. Justice, Justice, You shall pursue: The doubling of the word justice has been a cause of question for our commentators for generations.  Nothing in the תורה is extraneous, and so the second mention of the word must come to tell us something.  When God wanted to stop אברהם/Abraham from sacrificing יצחק/Isaac the angel of God said: Avraham, Avraham… When God wanted to grab משה/Moses’ attention and get him to agree to be His partner in the Exodus from Egypt, He said: Moses, Moses… Why the doubling there, and why doubling here?  Well the doubling there is for another discussion, but the doubling here is the subject of much commentary throughout the ages.  The great Biblical commentator רש’’י says that it means that we are to go after the words of a good court, perhaps he was expounding the the second צדק was there to show us that we need good courts and not just mediocre.  Not to disagree with רש’'י, but I have always liked the interpretation of Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhak of Przysucha who said: This means that one must pursue justice with justice. The means by which you seek to attain justice must be righteous also. Do not allow yourself to be guided by the Godless principle that “the end justifies the means.”  This means that we need to do good by means of good, and not allow ourselves to be fooled into believing that simply because in the end the whole thing helped people, we are excused for having done injustices in the world.
2. Justice, Justice, You shall pursue: According to מדרש תנאים דברים ט’’ז and מדרש זוטא שיר השירים פרק א (and yes these are very obscure sources but the lesson is incredible) this is what it means.  The מדרשים here are questioning the term תרדף, which means to pursue.  The concept of pursuing is not commonly commanded.  So why in connection with justice is it commanded to pursue it? The answer is that it is possible for a person to only give צדקה/charity when a person comes and asks for it.  From where do we know that we are commanded to seek out avenues to give צדקה? From the verse in question, we must pursue it.  We must make opportunities happen in which we can give money.  We do not wait for it to happen to us we make it happen.
3. Justice, Justice, You shall pursue: we have to accept repentance as part of justice.  In a just world and society people have the capacity to improve and change.  Justice means a guilty person being able to be forgiven when they have changed and atoned for their sins. The justice systems of our world and the justice system of the תורה are built on the basic concept of correcting the wrongs of the world and making a better world for tomorrow.  Two theories of justice are restorative justice and retributive justice.  Restorative is the idea that we must get back to good, that the victim must be appeased and all losses accounted for, and the perpetrator must be the one to actually do the restoring.  Whereas in retributive justice we are more concerned with the concept of punishment for the breach of law.  The תורה actually sees both sides of this divide and we find time and again that both are present in the Jewish legal system.  As we are now in the month of אלול and preparing for the High Holy Days, we must see that both of these are part of our lives and part of our tradition.  We must work to remedy our faults and to restore that which we damaged.  But I believe at the root of the restorative system is the basic belief in forgiveness and in the idea of change.  The word תשובה means to return, and this means that we are able to return to where we were before we missed the mark.  I would like to share the רמב’’ם’s (Maimonidies) laws of repentance for all of us to think about over the next month or so:

רמב''ם הלכות תשובה פרק ב

1. What is true repentance? If the repentant individual has the opportunity and the ability to sin and refrains because the individual has repented rather than because the individual is afraid or because that person lacks the capacity to sin, then that is true and complete repentance. For example, were a man to have sinned sexually with a woman, and after a period of time, having repented, he is alone with her in the same context where previously he had sinned and still desiring her, physically able to sin again, he does not, such a person has truly repented. King Solomon alluded to such a case when he wrote, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth" (Ecclesiastes 12: 1). However, were a person to repent in old age at a time when the repetition of the sin would be physically impossible, even such a deficient act of penitence would be efficacious. Such a per­son would indeed be considered having done teshuvah. Were a person to have been a sinner all her life and yet repent on the day of her death, and to have died while still repenting, all her sins would be forgiven. This is suggested by the verse "Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain" (Ecclesiastes 12:2). From this we learn that if one remembered the Creator (Ecclesiastes 12:1) and repented before death, that person would be forgiven.

2. What is repentance? It is that the sinner should leave sin and turn from (evil) thought and conclude never do that sin again, as it says, "Let the wicked leave that way and so on" (Isaiah 55:7). The individual will then be remorseful for transgressing, as it says, "After I repented, I had remorse" (Jeremiah 31: 18). The One that knows the secret things will attest that the indi­vidual will never again return to that particular sin, as it says, "We will not call the work of our hands our God" (Hosea 14:4). All these matters that the penitent has already decided in the heart should be confessed with the lips.

3. However, whoever confesses merely with words but has not decided to stop sinning is like one who immerses oneself in a ritual bath still holding a [contaminating] reptile. The immer­sion will not be effective until the person who "confesses and forsakes sin shall gain compassion" (Proverbs 28: 13). The peni­tent should confess one's sin in detail, as it says, "011, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them a god of gold" (Exodus 32:31).

4. One of the ways of repentance is for the penitent to cry out weeping and in supplication continually before God and give tzedakah charity according to one's ability, keeping far from the context in which the person has sinned. The person should change one's name as if to say, "I am a different person. I am not the one who did those things." That person should endeavor to change all of one's ways in order to do good and go the proper way. That person may even go into exile, since exile atones for guilt. It causes one to humble oneself, to become meek and humble of spirit.

5. It is extremely praiseworthy to confess publicly and to make known one's sins to all, to reveal one's transgressions be­tween oneself and others and say to all, "Indeed, I have sinned against so-and-so and I did thus and such. Today, I have repented and shown remorse. Whoever arrogantly hides one's sins and will not make them known will not achieve full repentance, as it says, "The one who hides one's sins will not succeed" (Prov­erbs 38:13). To what do these words refer? To those transgres­sions between person and person. However, with regard to trans­gressions between persons and God, one need not publicize them. It would indeed be arrogant to reveal them. Rather let such a person repent before God and detail the sins before God. A simple undetailed public confession is sufficient. Such sim­plicity is better than not revealing the transgression, as it says, "Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is hidden" (Psalm 32: 1).

6. Although it is always good to repent and to cry out [to God], it is even better to do so on the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. At that time, such acts are instantly accepted, as it says, "Seek Adonai where God may be found" (Isaiah 55:6).

7. Yom Kippur is a time of teshuvah for all, for individu­als and for communities. It is also a time of forgiveness and compassion for Israel. Therefore, all [Jews] are obligated to re­pent and confess on Yom Kippur. The obligation of confession on Yom Kippur begins on Erev Yom Kippur before the person eats [the final meal] in order to preclude the possibility of chok­ing and prevent the person from confessing. However, even though one has confessed prior to eating, the individual must confess again on Erev Yom Kippur during the Evening Service and confess again during the Morning Service, and again dur­ing the Afternoon Service and yet again during Neilah [closing] Service. The individual worshiper should confess after reciting theAmidah. The Shaliach Tzeebor confesses in the midst of the Amidah after the fourth benediction.

8. The essence of the customary Jewish confession is con­tained in the words "But we have sinned." The transgressions for which one has confessed on one Yom Kippur may be con­fessed on the next, even if one has remained steadfast in one's teshuvah, as it says, "I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me" (Psalm 51:5).

9. Teshuvah and Yom Kippur bring atonement only for transgression between individuals and God. Such is the case for one who ate something forbidden or engaged in forbidden sexual relations and similar matters. However, in transgressions between individuals, such as in the case of one who injured one's neighbor or who cursed one's neighbor or who robbed that person and similar matters, one is not forgiven until one restores [whatever is necessary] to the injured party and gains that person's favor once again. For example, if one paid back the money owed to another, that person would still have to gain that person's favor by asking for forgiveness. Even were one to pro­voke another with words alone, such a person would still have to appease the other, entreating forgiveness. If the other were not willing to forgive, then the one [asking for forgiveness] should bring three individuals to shout, to entreat, and to re­quest the other person to indeed forgive. If that person (the in­jured party) remains adamant and is unwilling to forgive, then the person asking for forgiveness should bring a second and a third group of people. If the person still refuses, then the per­son asking for forgiveness should leave and go on his or her way. The one who would not forgive is now the sinner! If, however, the affronted party were the other individual's teacher, then the student must come and go even a thousand times until forgiven.

10. It is forbidden for a person to be cruel and unwilling to be appeased; rather one should be easy to appease and hard to provoke. When the sinner asks to be forgiven, it should be done with a whole heart and with a willing soul. Even if one has provoked and sinned against another a number of times, the individual should not be vengeful or carry a grudge. This is the way of the descendents of Israel whose heart is proper. It is dif­ferent for idolaters, these uncircumcised of heart, who hold a grudge forever. Thus Scripture describes the Gibeonites who, because they were unwilling to forgive or become appeased, were " ... not [part] of the children of Israel" (2 Samuel 21:2).

11. The one who sins against a person who dies before one can ask forgiveness should bring a minyan [ten individuals] to that person's grave and say in their presence, "I have sinned against Adonai the God of Israel and against this person. I did thus and so." If the individual were obligated to pay money to the deceased, that person should pay that money to that person's heirs. If the individual does not know who the heirs are, the individual should leave that money with the court and confess.

There are lessons to be learned from each and everyone of these 11 laws.  The most important is the realization that we indeed are not to be judged by that which we did wrong.  We are not to believe that we will never be better.  We are not to believe that we have to live with the guilt of wrong doings of the past forever.  And even more important we have to realize that all of these statements in a society filled with justice ring true for those around us as well.

So here is what I would like you to discuss for this week:  Which of the three interpretations of צדק צדק תרדף do you agree with the most and why?  And what are some the concepts that you will take from the רמב’’ם with you this year into the High Holidays.

 

צא ולומד Go and Learn

Parshat Re’eh

This week around the world we will read the words of פרשת ראה. The פרשה begins in the following way: ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה. See I place before you today a blessing a curse… It is hard to study these words this week when all we see is the וקללה… the curse. Just this week Israel has been attacked in the North, in the South and in the West. Just this week we have been reminded that there are people in this world who will stop at nothing to destroy this precious world. Then there was Tuesday in Connecticut in a beer distribution facility. An employee was asked to resign or be fired, he chose to resign and then proceeded to kill eight people along with himself, and injure two others. It feels as if we are living in an age of being cursed, without being blessed.

But I do not believe that to be the case. We live in an age where the human capability to inflict harm on other people is far too great. We live in an age where far too many people in our world are being denied the basic human right of security and safety. We are living in an age where humans are constantly intervening with the blessings that God has given us, and thus we have the appearance of being cursed, when in fact humans are negating the blessings that we so desire.

Lets look at the opening words of the פרשה a little more closely:

Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17

This translation was taken from the JPS Tanakh

26 See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: 27 blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin upon you this day; 28 and curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced. 29 When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are about to enter and possess, you shall pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal. — 30 Both are on the other side of the Jordan, beyond the west road that is in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah — near Gilgal, by the terebinths of Moreh.
31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and possess the land that the Lord your God is assigning to you. When you have occupied it and are settled in it, 32 take care to observe all the laws and rules that I have set before you this day.

Chapter 12

1 These are the laws and rules that you must carefully observe in the land that the Lord, God of your fathers, is giving you to possess, as long as you live on earth.
2 You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshiped their gods, whether on lofty mountains and on hills or under any luxuriant tree. 3 Tear down their altars, smash their pillars, put their sacred posts to the fire, and cut down the images of their gods, obliterating their name from that site.

What does this leave us with? An argument can be made that we need to uproot and obliterate the evil in our midst, and that we all need to become warriors for goodness and decency. An argument can be made that we as humans need to overcome our obsessions with violence and our desire wealth and all things that other people have. This argument means that we are experiencing curses, and that might be the case… But are the two mutually exclusive? Can we only experience either the blessing or the curse? Or, is it possible to be living in an age where we experience both? Do we see the curses and the blessings? Sadly, all too often, people only see the curse and ignore the blessing staring them in the face. Sadly we are blind to the many blessings that exist in our world. This is in part due to our magnification of the curses, but it has much more to do with our unwillingness to simply count the blessings for what they are… BLESSINGS. This week I would like to ask you to please list in the comment area the blessings that you see in your life and in the world today. We will then have at our disposal a constant reminder of all of the ברכות/Blessings, in our world today.

Count your blessings, and destroy that which helps to make curses thrive today…

יעקב and עקב: anything in common aside from some letters?

Welcome to our new blog.  Allow me to introduce myself… My name is Rabbi Josh Hearshen.  I am the Associate Rabbi at Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, NY.   I have created this blog to create another avenue for more people to learn תורה/Torah.  I hope you will enjoy this.

This week we will be reading the words of פרשת עקב.  I have always found it to be rather interesting that this פרשה is named with the letters of the root of our patriarch יעקב’s name:  Notice that this is פרשה עקב, and that Jacob’s name was spelled יעקב.  Now why was he called יעקב?  Here is the story of how it all happened:

This is from בראשית כה Genesis 25:

¹⁹ This is the story of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac. ²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he took to wife Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. ²¹ Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord responded to his plea, and his wife Rebekah conceived. ²² But the children struggled in her womb, and she said, "If so, why do I exist?" She went to inquire of the Lord, ²³ and the Lord answered her,

"Two nations are in your womb,
Two separate peoples shall issue from your body;
One people shall be mightier than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger."

²⁴ When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau. ²⁶ Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

²⁷ When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed in camp. ²⁸ Isaac favored Esau because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah favored Jacob.

יעקב was the name that he was given at birth, and it is a name that is dependent on his brother… We all have many names, we all have names from birth, but there are also the names that we make for ourselves.  We have names that we acquire through education and attaining a level of learning, for instance I am a rabbi.  We have names that we receive from friends that are nicknames and are usually tied to an event.  We have names that we receive from those who love us, pet names, and these have an ability to make us feel loved… All sorts of names.  Jacob went all these years being known as the heel grabber, because he was holding his brother’s heel at birth.  Eventually he acquired his own name in that he had a great struggle with a Godly creature.  This is the episode in chapter 32 of בראשית/Geneis:

²³ That same night he arose, and taking his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children, he crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²⁴ After taking them across the stream, he sent across all his possessions. ²⁵ Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. ²⁶ When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob's hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him. ²⁷ Then he said, "Let me go, for dawn is breaking." But he answered, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." ²⁸ Said the other, "What is your name?" He replied, "Jacob." ²⁹ Said he, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed." ³⁰ Jacob asked, "Pray tell me your name." But he said, "You must not ask my name!" And he took leave of him there. ³¹ So Jacob named the place Peniel, meaning, "I have seen a divine being face to face, yet my life has been preserved." ³² The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping on his hip. ³³ That is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob's hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle.

This name that he earned was one of respect and one of awe.  It spoke of his relationship with God and his demand for more than just blind acceptance.  In our weekly פרשה we find in the opening words: “¹² And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, the Lord your God will maintain faithfully for you the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers: ¹³ He will favor you and bless you and multiply you; He will bless the issue of your womb and the produce of your soil, your new grain and wine and oil, the calving of your herd and the lambing of your flock, in the land that He swore to your fathers to assign to you.”  The word עקב that refers to יעקב’s having held his brother’s heel, that was our patriarch’s birth name, is now being used as a demand that we “heel” to God’s commandments. These commandments were not meant to be easy, they were not meant to be simple… They were meant to encourage dialogue and debate.  The תלמוד where we find the rabbis arguing and debating the laws of the תורה teaches us all a great deal about struggle with the Infinite, and with the human desire to understand.  God is at the center of יעקב as a person and as a lesson, and God is at the core of our being.  There are many descriptions of God in this week’s פרשה.  I have chosen a handful for you to study and then in the comment section to tell us what you think.

All of the following texts are from the JPS translation of the book Deuteronomy/דברים. What type of image of God do they paint?

 

Chapter 7 12 And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, the Lord your God will maintain faithfully for you the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers: 13 He will favor you and bless you and multiply you; He will bless the issue of your womb and the produce of your soil, your new grain and wine and oil, the calving of your herd and the lambing of your flock, in the land that He swore to your fathers to assign to you. 14 You shall be blessed above all other peoples: there shall be no sterile male or female among you or among your livestock. 15 The Lord will ward off from you all sickness; He will not bring upon you any of the dreadful diseases of Egypt, about which you know, but will inflict them upon all your enemies.

Chapter 7 16 You shall destroy all the peoples that the Lord your God delivers to you, showing them no pity. And you shall not worship their gods, for that would be a snare to you. 17 Should you say to yourselves, "These nations are more numerous than we; how can we dispossess them?" 18 You need have no fear of them. You have but to bear in mind what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians: 19 the wondrous acts that you saw with your own eyes, the signs and the portents, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God liberated you. Thus will the Lord your God do to all the peoples you now fear.

Chapter 8 1 You shall faithfully observe all the Instruction that I enjoin upon you today, that you may thrive and increase and be able to possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your fathers. 2 Remember the long way that the Lord your God has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, that He might test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts: whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that the Lord decrees. 4 The clothes upon you did not wear out, nor did your feet swell these forty years. 5 Bear in mind that the Lord your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son. 6 Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God: walk in His ways and revere Him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; 9 a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. 10 When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

Chapter 9 11 At the end of those forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the Tablets of the Covenant. 12 And the Lord said to me, "Hurry, go down from here at once, for the people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted wickedly; they have been quick to stray from the path that I enjoined upon them; they have made themselves a molten image." 13 The Lord further said to me, "I see that this is a stiffnecked people. 14 Let Me alone and I will destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make you a nation far more numerous than they."

Chapter 10 12 And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God demand of you? Only this: to revere the Lord your God, to walk only in His paths, to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, 13 keeping the Lord's commandments and laws, which I enjoin upon you today, for your good. 14 Mark, the heavens to their uttermost reaches belong to the Lord your God, the earth and all that is on it! 15 Yet it was to your fathers that the Lord was drawn in His love for them, so that He chose you, their lineal descendants, from among all peoples — as is now the case.

So which one do you feel closest to?

Which do you feel most distant from?

Would you like to combine any of them?

How do you think יעקב would have reacted to these words?

צא ולמד – Go and Learn