This week's entry in the Jewish Star. This one was written with the dvar torah that made me famous in mind (read comments there for entertainment purposes only).
If you'd like to hear an expanded audio version of this class, see it here: https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/913694/rabbi-avi-billet/avrahams-age-at-discovering-god,-and-was-he-saved-from-a-furnace/
Parshat Lech Lecha: “Three” is one opinion
By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of October 30 2009/ 12 Cheshvan 5770
On my children’s bookshelf there is a book entitled “A Little Boy Named Avram.” The book follows one of the midrashic interpretations that suggests little Avram lived in a cave as a child until he was three years old, at which point he emerged and recognized the existence of G-d.
A different midrash suggests Avram’s mother ran away from her husband, who worked for Nimrod, to give birth in a cave. The midrash says she told the baby she is leaving him there, preferring he possibly die at the hands of the elements, than at the hands of Nimrod who practiced infanticide.
The midrash says G-d sent the angel Gabriel to care for him for ten days. Having benefited from divine “milk” and sustenance, he emerged from the cave after ten days with the ability to walk. After twenty days, Gabriel appeared to him again, and identified himself as a messenger of G-d, Creator of the world, to whom the boy began to pray.
Meanwhile, feeling guilty and remorseful, his mother returned to the cave looking for her son. She found a little boy nearby, walking and speaking like an adult. After a little back and forth, he told her he was her son and she marveled at how much he’d grown in such a short time. He told her, “You should know, my mother, that there is a great and mighty living G-d Who sees and is not seen, and He is in the heavens and His glory fills the world.” (Both of these midrashic accounts can be found in the book Otzar Hamidrashim.)
The main source for the midrash that Avraham was three when he discovered G-d is the verse in Bereishit 26:5, when G-d promises Yitzchak that He’ll fulfill certain promises “eikev” that Avraham listened to His voice. The word “eikev” means “on account of,” and its gematria (numerical value in Jewish numerology) is 172. Since Avraham lived to be 175 (25:7), and he listened to G-d’s voice for 172 years, he must have been 3 when he discovered G-d’s voice.
The problem is that Avraham was told the same thing in 22:18, after the story of the Akeidah (binding of Yitzchak), when Avraham was somewhere between 113 and 137 years of age. He certainly hadn’t heeded G-d’s voice for 172 years at that point.
To round out other options, consider that in the exact place where Resh Lakish suggests Avraham was 3 when he recognized G-d (Bereishit Rabbh 95:3), another opinion is recorded that Avraham was 48 years old when he recognized G-d.
Pesikta Rabati 21 interprets the word choice of the Ten Commandments, and says the first word “Anokhi” is to be divided: Aleph stands for Avraham. Nun equals 50, Avraham’s age when he recognized G-d [though Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Yochanan believe he was 48, and Resh Lakish believes he was 3]. Khaf equals 20 — he taught G-d’s word to twenty generations (or corrected what had transpired after twenty generations). Yud equals ten, referring to the ten trials Avraham underwent and passed.
[I put two more opinions in the comments - Rambam says he was 40, and the Talmud says he was 52 - AB 10/2014]
20 days, 3 years, 48 years, 50 years. Each one is legitimately sourced and accounted for.
Which one do you prefer? Does it really matter? Does it shake the core of your belief? Does it change the meaning of your Judaism? Does it make you feel you’ve been duped? Does it change the way you perceive the Torah you’ve been taught and the way you’ve always understood things?
The Torah (Tanakh), Talmud and Midrash are vast books filled with an endless source of knowledge. Never take anything for granted. Never take anyone’s “statements of fact” as true until they show it to you inside a text.
Homiletics and interpretation are a different story — we all can take whatever lessons or messages from the text that relate to our life experience, and we all see things in a different way.
The 20 day old and the 3 year old are clearly divinely inspired, making Avraham an extremely special human from the get-go. But a Baal Teshuva might appreciate the possibility that Avraham was an incredible, yet normal man who came to a very important realization a little later in his intellectual, theological and philosophical development.
The Torah tells Avraham’s age at Lech Lecha — 75 (12:4), Birth of Yishmael — 86 (16:16), Bris Milah — 99 (17:1), Birth of Yitzchak — 100 (21:5), and death — 175 (25:7), but not when he recognized G-d. I am happy the Torah leaves it vague, because it allows all kinds of people to draw inspiration.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Home Study with Temple Beth El - Shabbat
Last night we had the second round of our home study for parents whose children attend the Religious School at Temple Beth El in Hollywood.
Our topic surrounded "Home Observances on Erev Shabbat and Havdalah on Saturday evening."
For the handout, I compiled a list of all the times I could find Shabbat mentioned in the Bible - about 15 times in the Torah (Five Books of Moses), and about the same number in the words of the prophets and Writings.
The rest of the sources included essays or articles written by people from across the spectrum of Jewish identifications who have written something about Shabbat and its value.
Hillel Halkin (a secular writer who lives in Israel)
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, former professor of Ethics and Mysticism at JTS (and author of the book "The Sabbath" from which this article is based.)
This article about the Reform movement looking to bring more people into a kind of Shabbat observance
And this blog, written by Dr. Carol Ochs, Adjunct Professor of Jewish Religious Thought in Hebrew Union College.
Each of these approaches brings something to the table, and each one values a celebration of Shabbat - albeit perhaps differently from everyone else in the group.
Aditionally, the packet included pages 382 to 383 of Joseph Telushkin's "Jewish Wisdom" - a highly recommended book.
BEGINNING
We began reading excerpts of a passage from a Talmudic text - The Mishnah of Rabbi Eliezer - who discusses why work is a good thing. We are obligated to work in order to survive. The human being works in order to create, in order to produce, in order to achieve. (As an aside, this source indirectly frowns upon those who are capable of working and do not.)
After giving six profound reasons why work and a work ethic is considered to be "great," the Mishnah explains why Shabbat is also "Great." The first reason is that it overpowers our need to create and do work. It includes many suggestions for how best to observe the Shabbat - what to do to give a person the restful and peaceful experience that makes the Shabbat experience unique.
A LIST FROM THE TOP OF A GOOGLE SEARCH
We looked at this list of so-called universally encouraged Shabbat practices in all of Jewry. And we had our own suggestions as to how to add things, in order to get children involved - particularly to help create memories, and to help them acquire Shabbat experiences for themselves.
These include:
For Friday Night
lighting candles, blessing children, saying the kiddush, setting the table, Ignoring the Phone
For Saturday Evening
Have the kids find the three stars that indicate the conclusion of Shabbat, Say havdalah, use something that was not used on Shabbat - to mark the distinction between the holiness of the day of Shabbat, and the regularity of the rest of the week.
A key element to the radiance of Shabbat comes from the realization of its holiness. This is something we began to touch upon, and hope to explore perhaps in a future session.
All in all, we concluded that Shabbat can be a wonderful family bonding period, there are plenty of ways to experience it together, and that any observance of Shabbat a person wants to commit to should begin small and slow without expectations of an overhaul of one's persona and practices.
Participants in our small but intimate group shared the efforts they make in their own homes to experience Shabbat in some way. Coming from different upbringings and backgrounds, it is amazing to discover what a person remembers from childhood and tries to recreate when the roles are reversed, and we become parents wanting to create for our own children what we experienced when we were their age.
Our topic surrounded "Home Observances on Erev Shabbat and Havdalah on Saturday evening."
For the handout, I compiled a list of all the times I could find Shabbat mentioned in the Bible - about 15 times in the Torah (Five Books of Moses), and about the same number in the words of the prophets and Writings.
The rest of the sources included essays or articles written by people from across the spectrum of Jewish identifications who have written something about Shabbat and its value.
Hillel Halkin (a secular writer who lives in Israel)
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, former professor of Ethics and Mysticism at JTS (and author of the book "The Sabbath" from which this article is based.)
This article about the Reform movement looking to bring more people into a kind of Shabbat observance
And this blog, written by Dr. Carol Ochs, Adjunct Professor of Jewish Religious Thought in Hebrew Union College.
Each of these approaches brings something to the table, and each one values a celebration of Shabbat - albeit perhaps differently from everyone else in the group.
Aditionally, the packet included pages 382 to 383 of Joseph Telushkin's "Jewish Wisdom" - a highly recommended book.
BEGINNING
We began reading excerpts of a passage from a Talmudic text - The Mishnah of Rabbi Eliezer - who discusses why work is a good thing. We are obligated to work in order to survive. The human being works in order to create, in order to produce, in order to achieve. (As an aside, this source indirectly frowns upon those who are capable of working and do not.)
After giving six profound reasons why work and a work ethic is considered to be "great," the Mishnah explains why Shabbat is also "Great." The first reason is that it overpowers our need to create and do work. It includes many suggestions for how best to observe the Shabbat - what to do to give a person the restful and peaceful experience that makes the Shabbat experience unique.
A LIST FROM THE TOP OF A GOOGLE SEARCH
We looked at this list of so-called universally encouraged Shabbat practices in all of Jewry. And we had our own suggestions as to how to add things, in order to get children involved - particularly to help create memories, and to help them acquire Shabbat experiences for themselves.
These include:
For Friday Night
lighting candles, blessing children, saying the kiddush, setting the table, Ignoring the Phone
For Saturday Evening
Have the kids find the three stars that indicate the conclusion of Shabbat, Say havdalah, use something that was not used on Shabbat - to mark the distinction between the holiness of the day of Shabbat, and the regularity of the rest of the week.
A key element to the radiance of Shabbat comes from the realization of its holiness. This is something we began to touch upon, and hope to explore perhaps in a future session.
All in all, we concluded that Shabbat can be a wonderful family bonding period, there are plenty of ways to experience it together, and that any observance of Shabbat a person wants to commit to should begin small and slow without expectations of an overhaul of one's persona and practices.
Participants in our small but intimate group shared the efforts they make in their own homes to experience Shabbat in some way. Coming from different upbringings and backgrounds, it is amazing to discover what a person remembers from childhood and tries to recreate when the roles are reversed, and we become parents wanting to create for our own children what we experienced when we were their age.
Parsha Drama - Noach
What an experience I had! Five hundred years old! Spending a hundred years building an ark! And all to let my seven family members (eight, once you include me) along with a bunch of animals, live on a boat for a little over a year.
No matter. I built the ark, by myself, and proved I was devout and believed in God.
It was a little cold due to all the rain, so all the ladies huddled under a blanket to share warmth.
And we needed to wear a little gear to protect us from the rain (or at least a hat).
It's incredible when you consider the amount of water it takes to fill the world, rising 15 cubits higher than even the tallest mountains.
After the whole ordeal, I offered some animals as sacrificial offerings, I saw the rainbow in the sky, and I planted a vineyard from which I took grapes and made wine.
There's nothing like a glass of wine to get you a little tipsy. And if you know what I've been through, you understand why I had a bit to drink.
Nonetheless, getting drunk and taking off clothes is not very modest or decent. Luckily two of my sons covered me with a blanket.
Which caused me to wake up and realize what had happened. My sons were partly responsible, partly not responsible. But they did try to cover me and were, for the most part, successful at protecting me. Except for Cham, who has his own issues to deal with.
We concluded with the story of the Tower of Babel, and a preview to our next story, which is that of our patriarch Abraham. We'll learn more about that in Parshat Lekh Lekha!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Two Classes - Rabbi Mordechai Breuer Style
For the two classes I taught today, I utilized the teachings of the innovative Tanakh scholar, Rabbi Mordechai Breuer. In Yeshivat Har Etzion (a.k.a. Gush), Rabbi Breuer taught a weekly class for many years - I attended for part of a year - until he died a couple of years ago.
The Gush students called his approach "Shitat ha'bechinot," the "Aspects approach."
Rabbi Breuer approached all Torah texts from a very critical view (perhaps inspired by Biblical criticism), but maintained his stance that the Torah is from God and Sinai, and that there is depth to the Torah beyond simplified and "write-off" answers that may or may not be on target, at times are just cute, or don't satisfy his questions.
He would often focus on the name of God, in the form of אלקים (Elokim), or in the form of יקוק (Shem havaya, a.k.a. the Tetragrammaton) to explain how some things are written invoking one name of God, and therefore one aspect of God's goodness, versus when the choice is made to use the other name of God.
The classic example cites the two accounts of creation, Genesis 1 (Elokim) and Genesis 2 (Shem havaya).
Noach
A simple glance through chapters 6 and 7 demonstrate a clear separation between Noach being instructed by Elokim and Noach being instructed by Shem Havaya. Many of the descriptions and instructions are repeated. For example: the sin of humanity and their punishment, that Noach was righteous, that all animals and humans not on the ark will die, that the animals on the ark will be saved, that the people and animals entered the ark, that all the people and animals in the world did, in fact, die during the flood, to leave the ark, the promise of the covenant.
The questions and contradictions can be resolved with an open heart, and an open mind to a new idea, that challenges the method of traditional thinking, but remains steadfastly loyal to the traditions, and mesorah.
Ultimately, God judged the world using both of his attributes: mercy/compassion and judgment.
The two interplay in the way the Noach story plays out, through the way the flood happened (rain or flooding of waters of the deep), the animals came to the ark (were they gathered by Noach or did they come 'on their own' at God's direction), and ultimately how God created the covenant he shares with humanity not to destroy the world through rain.
Dispersion
The episode of the dispersion, in light of Rabbi Breuer's teachings and method, is one of the most fascinating in all of the Torah. 9 verses long, it contains immeasurable depth, and a powerful, timeless message of Jewish survival.
He divides the beginning verses of chapter 11 into two depictions of attempts at creating a national unity.
* Natural - people who move together to establish an area they can call their own (like the Mormons did once upon a time, or like Indian tribes did when threatened, or when circumstances dictated the need to move - both my examples)
* Un-natural - people who by dint of living in one land, or under one rulership, and sharing a same language, are defined as being united. (Think of any civilization that tried to colonize the world, only to have the colony become its own country one day)
How he divides the terms in the verses is a subject of a longer study, but essentially he says the former group was determined by their concerns of being spread across the land, while the latter group was concerned with making themselves a name and building a city and tower because they were already one group who needed to assert themselves.
Ultimately, Rabbi Breuer is aware that the two accounts are intermixed and intermingled, which is why he does not say they were two groups. The Torah is giving us two accounts of people trying to achieve something in a manner which is unpleasing to God.
They are both punished measure for measure - the ones who thought they were united based on their common language had their languages changed. The ones who were attempting to affirm their unity lest they be spread across the world were spread across the world.
Rabbi Breuer's conclusion is solid gold.
The natural separation and division into nationalities and languages is the way of the world. You can't put people into a box and expect them to follow it. [This is one of the triumphant nods to liberty versus tyranny in the Bible.]
When you take people and separate them, they lose their original language, they lose their original nationality and they take on the traits of the places to where they move.
Unless there is something greater which binds them, which goes above simple geographical commonality.
In the case of Judaism, which has defied these rules at all odds, we have the Torah which binds us, and a national unity which forever yearns for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, no matter how far away we are and how comfortable we are in the places we live.
The Dispersion crowd wanted to build a tower to reach the heavens for whatever reason. The Jews build a Temple in Jerusalem as a "tower" but not to reach God, but for God to come down to us. It is not to make a name for ourselves, but to make a name for God.
That is the essence of that our experience. That is the essence of the brotherhood of the Jewish people.
p.s. For more on this subject, please see my article in the Jewish Star from last year
The Gush students called his approach "Shitat ha'bechinot," the "Aspects approach."
Rabbi Breuer approached all Torah texts from a very critical view (perhaps inspired by Biblical criticism), but maintained his stance that the Torah is from God and Sinai, and that there is depth to the Torah beyond simplified and "write-off" answers that may or may not be on target, at times are just cute, or don't satisfy his questions.
He would often focus on the name of God, in the form of אלקים (Elokim), or in the form of יקוק (Shem havaya, a.k.a. the Tetragrammaton) to explain how some things are written invoking one name of God, and therefore one aspect of God's goodness, versus when the choice is made to use the other name of God.
The classic example cites the two accounts of creation, Genesis 1 (Elokim) and Genesis 2 (Shem havaya).
Noach
A simple glance through chapters 6 and 7 demonstrate a clear separation between Noach being instructed by Elokim and Noach being instructed by Shem Havaya. Many of the descriptions and instructions are repeated. For example: the sin of humanity and their punishment, that Noach was righteous, that all animals and humans not on the ark will die, that the animals on the ark will be saved, that the people and animals entered the ark, that all the people and animals in the world did, in fact, die during the flood, to leave the ark, the promise of the covenant.
The questions and contradictions can be resolved with an open heart, and an open mind to a new idea, that challenges the method of traditional thinking, but remains steadfastly loyal to the traditions, and mesorah.
Ultimately, God judged the world using both of his attributes: mercy/compassion and judgment.
The two interplay in the way the Noach story plays out, through the way the flood happened (rain or flooding of waters of the deep), the animals came to the ark (were they gathered by Noach or did they come 'on their own' at God's direction), and ultimately how God created the covenant he shares with humanity not to destroy the world through rain.
Dispersion
The episode of the dispersion, in light of Rabbi Breuer's teachings and method, is one of the most fascinating in all of the Torah. 9 verses long, it contains immeasurable depth, and a powerful, timeless message of Jewish survival.
He divides the beginning verses of chapter 11 into two depictions of attempts at creating a national unity.
* Natural - people who move together to establish an area they can call their own (like the Mormons did once upon a time, or like Indian tribes did when threatened, or when circumstances dictated the need to move - both my examples)
* Un-natural - people who by dint of living in one land, or under one rulership, and sharing a same language, are defined as being united. (Think of any civilization that tried to colonize the world, only to have the colony become its own country one day)
How he divides the terms in the verses is a subject of a longer study, but essentially he says the former group was determined by their concerns of being spread across the land, while the latter group was concerned with making themselves a name and building a city and tower because they were already one group who needed to assert themselves.
Ultimately, Rabbi Breuer is aware that the two accounts are intermixed and intermingled, which is why he does not say they were two groups. The Torah is giving us two accounts of people trying to achieve something in a manner which is unpleasing to God.
They are both punished measure for measure - the ones who thought they were united based on their common language had their languages changed. The ones who were attempting to affirm their unity lest they be spread across the world were spread across the world.
Rabbi Breuer's conclusion is solid gold.
The natural separation and division into nationalities and languages is the way of the world. You can't put people into a box and expect them to follow it. [This is one of the triumphant nods to liberty versus tyranny in the Bible.]
When you take people and separate them, they lose their original language, they lose their original nationality and they take on the traits of the places to where they move.
Unless there is something greater which binds them, which goes above simple geographical commonality.
In the case of Judaism, which has defied these rules at all odds, we have the Torah which binds us, and a national unity which forever yearns for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, no matter how far away we are and how comfortable we are in the places we live.
The Dispersion crowd wanted to build a tower to reach the heavens for whatever reason. The Jews build a Temple in Jerusalem as a "tower" but not to reach God, but for God to come down to us. It is not to make a name for ourselves, but to make a name for God.
That is the essence of that our experience. That is the essence of the brotherhood of the Jewish people.
p.s. For more on this subject, please see my article in the Jewish Star from last year
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Canaan, Son of Cham
Parshat Noach
By Rabbi Avi Billet
In 7:7, Noach and his wife, along with his three sons and their wives, entered the ark. The Ba’al Haturim points out in 2:21 that the word “vayisgor” — and he closed — appears only twice in the Torah. We read the first one last week when G-d closed flesh around Chava. The second time appears in 7:16, when G-d closes the ark, protecting it from the rainwaters.
From these comparisons he infers the source of the midrash that marital relations were forbidden on the ark, for both the human couples and animal couples.
When it is time to leave the ark, in 9:18, we see Noach’s sons listed in this order: Shem, Cham, and Yefet. Then we are told, “and Cham is the father of Canaan.”
Why would Canaan be mentioned in this context? Was he born on the ark? Or was he not yet born? In either case, he isn’t one of the sons of Noach!
There are differences of opinion as to whether Canaan was born when this declaration is made, so we can go either way. But the Medrash Tanchuma (Noach, 12) says that three beings violated the rule of celibacy in the ark: Cham, the dog and the raven. In Cham’s case, his son Canaan was the result (see Chizkuni 9:18).
In the next few verses, Cham is again referred to as “Cham the father of Canaan,” when he witnesses his father in a drunken stupor (9:22), and Canaan is the one who is cursed in 9:25 over the way his father mocked Noach instead of covering his nakedness.
Seems a little unfair to Canaan.
Rashi says Canaan is mentioned in these capacities since he will be cursed on account of his dad, we need to know where he comes from. That still seems a little unfair to Canaan.
The Shakh (Siftei Cohen) suggests that Cham was not supposed to leave the ark alive because of the rule he had violated: the only reason he came off the boat was so that Canaan could be born. It was Canaan’s destiny to ultimately be beholden, as a servant, to his uncles, on the one hand, and on the other hand to build up the land of Canaan — also known as the Land of Israel — so the Children of Israel could one day inherit it (ala Deuteronomy 6:10-11).
According to this approach, Cham is constantly described as Canaan’s father because only in the merit of his unborn son (Canaan) did he disembark from the ark on his own two feet.
If we follow the interpretation of Ramban, however, we find that the punishment meted out to Canaan is more a punishment to his father than anyone else. While the parallel is not exact, many ask why a “mamzer” is labeled such and maintains his status (“may not enter the community of G-d”) when he did nothing — his biological parents are to blame as they conceived him through an adulterous affair.
Most answers are not satisfactory, but the most obvious one is that the ultimate punishment to those who have sinned is to have their children live as a constant reminder of their wrong deeds.
In our world, the misdeeds of those who have been guilty of any kind of crime are not quickly forgotten. With the help of the internet and blogs we have become an extremely judgmental and unforgiving generation. Sometimes we judge the children of these people based on the deeds of their parents, even though they had nothing to do with their parents’ actions and often reject every mistake their parents made. In some cases, the children of the infamous will change their last names to avoid such unfortunate and unwarranted retribution.
Canaan is not to be blamed for the misdeeds of his father. But his father has an obligation to live his life in such a manner that Canaan can never be held responsible by anyone for his father’s wrongdoings.
A friend of mine once put it to me this way: “I live my life in such a way that I will never have to explain to my daughter why my name is splashed across the front page of the newspaper.”
Loving parents would never want their children to have repercussions from their own misdeeds. It requires following the rules all the time, and an occasional long, hard look in the mirror.
By Rabbi Avi Billet
In 7:7, Noach and his wife, along with his three sons and their wives, entered the ark. The Ba’al Haturim points out in 2:21 that the word “vayisgor” — and he closed — appears only twice in the Torah. We read the first one last week when G-d closed flesh around Chava. The second time appears in 7:16, when G-d closes the ark, protecting it from the rainwaters.
From these comparisons he infers the source of the midrash that marital relations were forbidden on the ark, for both the human couples and animal couples.
When it is time to leave the ark, in 9:18, we see Noach’s sons listed in this order: Shem, Cham, and Yefet. Then we are told, “and Cham is the father of Canaan.”
Why would Canaan be mentioned in this context? Was he born on the ark? Or was he not yet born? In either case, he isn’t one of the sons of Noach!
There are differences of opinion as to whether Canaan was born when this declaration is made, so we can go either way. But the Medrash Tanchuma (Noach, 12) says that three beings violated the rule of celibacy in the ark: Cham, the dog and the raven. In Cham’s case, his son Canaan was the result (see Chizkuni 9:18).
In the next few verses, Cham is again referred to as “Cham the father of Canaan,” when he witnesses his father in a drunken stupor (9:22), and Canaan is the one who is cursed in 9:25 over the way his father mocked Noach instead of covering his nakedness.
Seems a little unfair to Canaan.
Rashi says Canaan is mentioned in these capacities since he will be cursed on account of his dad, we need to know where he comes from. That still seems a little unfair to Canaan.
The Shakh (Siftei Cohen) suggests that Cham was not supposed to leave the ark alive because of the rule he had violated: the only reason he came off the boat was so that Canaan could be born. It was Canaan’s destiny to ultimately be beholden, as a servant, to his uncles, on the one hand, and on the other hand to build up the land of Canaan — also known as the Land of Israel — so the Children of Israel could one day inherit it (ala Deuteronomy 6:10-11).
According to this approach, Cham is constantly described as Canaan’s father because only in the merit of his unborn son (Canaan) did he disembark from the ark on his own two feet.
If we follow the interpretation of Ramban, however, we find that the punishment meted out to Canaan is more a punishment to his father than anyone else. While the parallel is not exact, many ask why a “mamzer” is labeled such and maintains his status (“may not enter the community of G-d”) when he did nothing — his biological parents are to blame as they conceived him through an adulterous affair.
Most answers are not satisfactory, but the most obvious one is that the ultimate punishment to those who have sinned is to have their children live as a constant reminder of their wrong deeds.
In our world, the misdeeds of those who have been guilty of any kind of crime are not quickly forgotten. With the help of the internet and blogs we have become an extremely judgmental and unforgiving generation. Sometimes we judge the children of these people based on the deeds of their parents, even though they had nothing to do with their parents’ actions and often reject every mistake their parents made. In some cases, the children of the infamous will change their last names to avoid such unfortunate and unwarranted retribution.
Canaan is not to be blamed for the misdeeds of his father. But his father has an obligation to live his life in such a manner that Canaan can never be held responsible by anyone for his father’s wrongdoings.
A friend of mine once put it to me this way: “I live my life in such a way that I will never have to explain to my daughter why my name is splashed across the front page of the newspaper.”
Loving parents would never want their children to have repercussions from their own misdeeds. It requires following the rules all the time, and an occasional long, hard look in the mirror.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Family Relationships
A little belated, this article can be found here, on the Jewish Star's web site
Parshat Bereishit
What Cain said is not important
By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of October 16 2009/ 29 Tishrei 5770
Chava bears two children, Kayin (Cain) and Hevel, and each one takes on a profession. Time passes, Kayin brings an offering to G-d, and Hevel follows suit. Then the Torah describes the events that transpire:
4:4. G-d paid heed to Hevel and his offering 5. but to Kayin and his offering, He paid no heed. Kayin became very furious and depressed. 6. G-d said to Kayin, ‘Why are you so furious? Why are you depressed? 7. If you do good, will there not be special privilege? And if you do not do good, sin is crouching at the door. It lusts after you, but you can dominate it. 8 Kayin said to Hevel, his brother. Then, when they happened to be in the field, Kayin rose up against Hevel his brother, and killed him.
It is important to never trust a translation. Look up these verses in their original Hebrew if you want to get the most out of the following ideas.
In verse 8, the big question is what did Kayin say to Hevel his brother? The Torah does not say. Rashi makes our lives simple by saying, “There are midrashim about this, but essentially they got into an argument which came to blows.”
Ibn Ezra is a little more practical and says that a more appropriate translation would be “Kayin told Hevel, his brother” about his conversation with G-d. Toldot Yitzchak agrees, and says Kayin told him this to set the stage to kill Hevel deceptively. When a person “puts himself out there” by making a confession, the listener generally lets his guard down in empathy and sympathy. Hevel was cautious of Kayin’s temper, but with Kayin’s confession he felt more comfortable.
Using the midrashic idea that Hevel was actually stronger than Kayin, the Vilna Gaon agrees that Kayin was a trickster, but also explains that what Kayin said was “Achiv” — that he called Hevel “brother,” in order to get Hevel to feel comfortable and relaxed. This explains why in the later verses, G-d says, “Where is Hevel your brother?” G-d, in essence, was saying, “Where is Hevel whom you have been calling ‘Brother?’ What happened to that relationship?”
Kli Yakar suggests Kayin was really rebuking Hevel saying, “I am better than you. I was the first to give an offering to G-d. You only brought an offering because you saw I had offered one.”
Different midrashim suggest, as Rashi hints, that they may have argued over a number of things including: division of the world — as in real estate versus tangible objects; division of the worlds — who will rule over this world versus who will rule over the world to come; on whose land the Holy Temple will one day be built; something relating to Chava; inheritance rights; or who would get to marry Hevel’s more beautiful twin.
Targum Yonatan explains the verse as a string of existential and philosophical arguments that ended with Kayin smashing Hevel’s head, killing him.
One of the most innovative explanations is offered by the Ktav V’Hakabalah, who suggests Kayin was responding to G-d’s question in verse 8. The world “el,” that until now we have translated as “to,” can also be translated as “bishvil,” meaning “on account of.” In other words, in response to G-d’s “Why are you sad?” he responded, “on account of Hevel his brother.”
Finally, the Shakh says the Torah deliberately left out what Kayin said out of respect for the firstborn. Certainly whatever they argued about was petty and Kayin’s words — either a cheap shot or a silly argument — are unnecessary to record for posterity. It is bad enough that the murder is recorded; let it stand as it is.
I agree with the Shakh that if indeed Kayin did say something to Hevel, the specific words are not necessary to be recorded. Most arguments that take place between family members could probably be avoided, and often begin over very petty things.
We allow ourselves to get upset with family, and we excuse behavior that would not be tolerated anywhere else, thinking “It is my family member. Surely I will be forgiven and the incident will be forgotten later. We love each other anyway, no matter what.”
While members of our community are not likely to commit actual murder on account of disputes, verbal and emotional fights can wage on for weeks, months, years, decades, and even across generations. If you don’t want to be someone’s friend anymore, that is one discussion, but when these fights take place within a family, it is heartbreaking.
Is it really worth it?
If you are the one who said the wrong thing once (or many times), apologize already. Own up. And if you are the one who was on the receiving end of abusive or hurtful language, hopefully when that phone call comes, you will have the wherewithal to accept the apology, forgive and move on.
The story of Cain and Abel need not continue.
Parshat Bereishit
What Cain said is not important
By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of October 16 2009/ 29 Tishrei 5770
Chava bears two children, Kayin (Cain) and Hevel, and each one takes on a profession. Time passes, Kayin brings an offering to G-d, and Hevel follows suit. Then the Torah describes the events that transpire:
4:4. G-d paid heed to Hevel and his offering 5. but to Kayin and his offering, He paid no heed. Kayin became very furious and depressed. 6. G-d said to Kayin, ‘Why are you so furious? Why are you depressed? 7. If you do good, will there not be special privilege? And if you do not do good, sin is crouching at the door. It lusts after you, but you can dominate it. 8 Kayin said to Hevel, his brother. Then, when they happened to be in the field, Kayin rose up against Hevel his brother, and killed him.
It is important to never trust a translation. Look up these verses in their original Hebrew if you want to get the most out of the following ideas.
In verse 8, the big question is what did Kayin say to Hevel his brother? The Torah does not say. Rashi makes our lives simple by saying, “There are midrashim about this, but essentially they got into an argument which came to blows.”
Ibn Ezra is a little more practical and says that a more appropriate translation would be “Kayin told Hevel, his brother” about his conversation with G-d. Toldot Yitzchak agrees, and says Kayin told him this to set the stage to kill Hevel deceptively. When a person “puts himself out there” by making a confession, the listener generally lets his guard down in empathy and sympathy. Hevel was cautious of Kayin’s temper, but with Kayin’s confession he felt more comfortable.
Using the midrashic idea that Hevel was actually stronger than Kayin, the Vilna Gaon agrees that Kayin was a trickster, but also explains that what Kayin said was “Achiv” — that he called Hevel “brother,” in order to get Hevel to feel comfortable and relaxed. This explains why in the later verses, G-d says, “Where is Hevel your brother?” G-d, in essence, was saying, “Where is Hevel whom you have been calling ‘Brother?’ What happened to that relationship?”
Kli Yakar suggests Kayin was really rebuking Hevel saying, “I am better than you. I was the first to give an offering to G-d. You only brought an offering because you saw I had offered one.”
Different midrashim suggest, as Rashi hints, that they may have argued over a number of things including: division of the world — as in real estate versus tangible objects; division of the worlds — who will rule over this world versus who will rule over the world to come; on whose land the Holy Temple will one day be built; something relating to Chava; inheritance rights; or who would get to marry Hevel’s more beautiful twin.
Targum Yonatan explains the verse as a string of existential and philosophical arguments that ended with Kayin smashing Hevel’s head, killing him.
One of the most innovative explanations is offered by the Ktav V’Hakabalah, who suggests Kayin was responding to G-d’s question in verse 8. The world “el,” that until now we have translated as “to,” can also be translated as “bishvil,” meaning “on account of.” In other words, in response to G-d’s “Why are you sad?” he responded, “on account of Hevel his brother.”
Finally, the Shakh says the Torah deliberately left out what Kayin said out of respect for the firstborn. Certainly whatever they argued about was petty and Kayin’s words — either a cheap shot or a silly argument — are unnecessary to record for posterity. It is bad enough that the murder is recorded; let it stand as it is.
I agree with the Shakh that if indeed Kayin did say something to Hevel, the specific words are not necessary to be recorded. Most arguments that take place between family members could probably be avoided, and often begin over very petty things.
We allow ourselves to get upset with family, and we excuse behavior that would not be tolerated anywhere else, thinking “It is my family member. Surely I will be forgiven and the incident will be forgotten later. We love each other anyway, no matter what.”
While members of our community are not likely to commit actual murder on account of disputes, verbal and emotional fights can wage on for weeks, months, years, decades, and even across generations. If you don’t want to be someone’s friend anymore, that is one discussion, but when these fights take place within a family, it is heartbreaking.
Is it really worth it?
If you are the one who said the wrong thing once (or many times), apologize already. Own up. And if you are the one who was on the receiving end of abusive or hurtful language, hopefully when that phone call comes, you will have the wherewithal to accept the apology, forgive and move on.
The story of Cain and Abel need not continue.
A Pluralistic Message - Parshat Noach
While the link is still live, this can be seen on the website of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
For all-time, it can be viewed below:
Noach
by Rabbi Avi Billet
Community Fellow of Yeshiva University’s Center for Jewish Future of South Florida
“The Colors of the Rainbow”
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a rainbow!
Growing up, some of my teachers tried to suggest that a rainbow is a bad omen. Perhaps it can be considered evil. After all, God used it as a symbol to remind Himself that He promised never again to destroy the world with a flood. (Bereshit 9:11-16)
This would mean that when we see a rainbow, God meant to destroy the world in this recent rain, but did not because of His promise.
Not so fast.
The rainbow is not necessarily meant to be a reminder to God to stop Him from unleashing His wrath at this moment. It is a reminder to God of His promise — that no matter how bad things look down here from His perspective, rain cannot be used to wipe out the world.
To be sure, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis can all happen. Many lives can be lost. We’ve seen all of these happen in the last five years alone.
But the rainbow is also a reminder to us that as bad as a storm may be, and as much havoc as waters can cause, storm waters will never destroy virtually all of humanity as it did back then, in the time of Noach. And this has remained true.
There are those who suggest its presence is a sign that the generation of humans who see it may be guilty of the same deeds that caused the floods in the days of Noach (Rabbenu Bachaya). [Open The Miami Herald and you see this is the case every day.]
Others suggest the positioning of the bow is likened to the way archers turn their bows when they are no longer shooting, making it a sign of peace between former foes (Chizkuni).
All things considered, the rainbow is meant to be, in the words of Rabbenu Bachaya, “a gift.” It is a sign of a hope that people will improve and better their ways. Considering its beauty, it is surely appreciated as the gift it is when it appears below the clouds.
Why was the rainbow chosen as the symbol? Why could the symbol not be a “really cool” cloud formation? Why could it not be a single-color band, such as gold perhaps, in the sky? Why all the colors?
According to howstuffworks.com, the scientific explanation for a rainbow begins with “the refraction and reflection of sunlight by drops of water… [or] by light scattered by large numbers of water droplets. Although each droplet separates sunlight into colors, the different colors in a rainbow come to the eye of a viewer from different groups of droplets.”
To take science to a different level, let us suggest the rainbow is a symbolic reflection of humanity. It is a unique and rare fusion of different colors and (curved) stripes living together in harmony, reflecting the warmth and shining light of the Master of the World who is responsible for all of our being on this earth.
One of the beautiful marks of our Jewish experience is that we are not one race, have never been one race, and will never be only one race. Like the rainbow, we come in all different colors and stripes. Not only do we come from all kinds of different backgrounds, but anyone who sincerely wants to join the Jewish family and is committed to living a Jewish lifestyle as defined by Jewish law and tradition is welcome to join our ranks.
When we live in peace and harmony amongst ourselves, we are a sight as beautiful to behold as the serenity of a rainbow.
For all-time, it can be viewed below:
Noach
by Rabbi Avi Billet
Community Fellow of Yeshiva University’s Center for Jewish Future of South Florida
“The Colors of the Rainbow”
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a rainbow!
Growing up, some of my teachers tried to suggest that a rainbow is a bad omen. Perhaps it can be considered evil. After all, God used it as a symbol to remind Himself that He promised never again to destroy the world with a flood. (Bereshit 9:11-16)
This would mean that when we see a rainbow, God meant to destroy the world in this recent rain, but did not because of His promise.
Not so fast.
The rainbow is not necessarily meant to be a reminder to God to stop Him from unleashing His wrath at this moment. It is a reminder to God of His promise — that no matter how bad things look down here from His perspective, rain cannot be used to wipe out the world.
To be sure, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis can all happen. Many lives can be lost. We’ve seen all of these happen in the last five years alone.
But the rainbow is also a reminder to us that as bad as a storm may be, and as much havoc as waters can cause, storm waters will never destroy virtually all of humanity as it did back then, in the time of Noach. And this has remained true.
There are those who suggest its presence is a sign that the generation of humans who see it may be guilty of the same deeds that caused the floods in the days of Noach (Rabbenu Bachaya). [Open The Miami Herald and you see this is the case every day.]
Others suggest the positioning of the bow is likened to the way archers turn their bows when they are no longer shooting, making it a sign of peace between former foes (Chizkuni).
All things considered, the rainbow is meant to be, in the words of Rabbenu Bachaya, “a gift.” It is a sign of a hope that people will improve and better their ways. Considering its beauty, it is surely appreciated as the gift it is when it appears below the clouds.
Why was the rainbow chosen as the symbol? Why could the symbol not be a “really cool” cloud formation? Why could it not be a single-color band, such as gold perhaps, in the sky? Why all the colors?
According to howstuffworks.com, the scientific explanation for a rainbow begins with “the refraction and reflection of sunlight by drops of water… [or] by light scattered by large numbers of water droplets. Although each droplet separates sunlight into colors, the different colors in a rainbow come to the eye of a viewer from different groups of droplets.”
To take science to a different level, let us suggest the rainbow is a symbolic reflection of humanity. It is a unique and rare fusion of different colors and (curved) stripes living together in harmony, reflecting the warmth and shining light of the Master of the World who is responsible for all of our being on this earth.
One of the beautiful marks of our Jewish experience is that we are not one race, have never been one race, and will never be only one race. Like the rainbow, we come in all different colors and stripes. Not only do we come from all kinds of different backgrounds, but anyone who sincerely wants to join the Jewish family and is committed to living a Jewish lifestyle as defined by Jewish law and tradition is welcome to join our ranks.
When we live in peace and harmony amongst ourselves, we are a sight as beautiful to behold as the serenity of a rainbow.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Parsha Drama - Bereishis/t
Now that the holidays are over, we can now get back into the swing of things with PARSHA DRAMA!!! Starting with the first parsha in the Torah, the BMA students had a blast this week, learning about Creation, Adam and Chava (Eve), the original snake, Kayin and Hevel, and the generations from Adam to Noach.
Here are some photos from one of the classrooms.
"Go on! EAT IT!"
Here are some photos from one of the classrooms.
First there was darkness (the dark shirt), then God divided between the waters (blue shirt), and then the dry, grassy (presumably green-colored) land.
Here are our models of Adam and Eve - sideways - following the opinion that the first human was made with two faces, and that woman was created by splitting the original human in half, closing the flesh around the open wound from detachment surgery.
The snake entices Eve, who stands under the tree of knowledge. (There are differences of opinion as to what kind of fruit was on the tree. Some argue it was one of the seven species of fruit of the land of Israel. Others say it may have been an etrog...)
"Go on! EAT IT!"
Adam and Eve cover themselves when they realize they're not wearing clothing.
After the banishment from Gan (Garden of) Eden, a flaming sword was placed in front of the tree of life, so one would get a chance to come close to it.
Kayin and Hevel demonstrate their fighting moves
Kayin is given his punishment for having killed Hevel.
After the banishment from Gan (Garden of) Eden, a flaming sword was placed in front of the tree of life, so one would get a chance to come close to it.
Kayin and Hevel demonstrate their fighting moves
Kayin is given his punishment for having killed Hevel.
Stay tuned for future updates, as we hope to take more pictures in other classes and get many more children involved.
Shabbos in Boynton Beach
This blog post was written in October 2009. Looking back now close to 15 years later, it is hard to imagine this reality any more. The community has exploded in its growth. There are easily over 600 homes, condos and apartments owned by Orthodox Jews in the local area - many for "snowbirds" (all of winter) and "snowflakes" (come in for weekends or for short stints), as well as many full-timers and younger families.. What you'll read below is a little nostalgic, because things have changed dramatically in the neighborhood.
Check out accbb.org and our Education/Program Book to see the kinds of things which are going on at Anshei Chesed today!
**************
One aspect of my job this year consists of being the part-time or visiting rabbi in Anshei Chesed Congregation of Boynton Beach. Anshei Chesed is the Ashkenazic shul in a relatively sizable Orthodox community in Boynton Beach. We have arranged to come for many shabboses throughout the 5770 calendar year. [See my latest blog about Anshei Chesed from April 2012] [See Part III here!!! Lots of amazing things happening in Boynton Beach!]
Top 5 Reasons Why My Family and I Love Going to Boynton Beach for Shabbos
1. Small and Intimate Crowd
The congregation consists of about 15 to 20 families that live in the neighborhood year-round. In addition to these families, there are a number of so-called "snowbirds" who live in Florida from November until Pesach time who make the shul's membership and wintertime attendance considerably greater.
Because the crowd has been relatively small until now, everyone participates in the minyan in some way every shabbos (this will change when we have 50 people in the men's section on a shabbos). Whether a person serves as baal tefillah, reads the Torah, is the gabbai or gets an aliyah, no one is left out. The decorum has been very good as well.
Also, because everyone knows everyone else, the age gaps are dropped. There are some people with very young children, and some people in their seventies and eighties. But everyone knows everyone else by name, all are friendly, and the senior members delight in seeing the children of the younger families.
2. No pressure
The shul is so chilled out. There is no pressure to dress any way, there are no fashion shows, and no attempts to outdo anyone - neither overtly or covertly. [I would say in most places no one means to put such pressures on others, but the pressures nonetheless exist. Not so in AC of BB.]
There is also no pressure to do anything other than what people come to shul to do: To pray to God, in the company of like-minded people, and to enjoy each other's company in celebration of the holy day.
3. Appreciation
People genuinely appreciate what others do to make the minyanim run smoothly. Everyone who comes in is greeted by those already present. Attendees appreciate that others have made the effort to come.
Those who play the leadership roles are appreciated for doing their jobs efficiently and without shtick. The person who serves as baal tefillah (whoever he may be for whichever part of the service) is given due thanks and notice. The persons who share Torah-reading responsibilities are quite skilled in the art of Torah reading, and are appreciated as such.
4. In my element
Some rabbis enjoy speaking and teaching. I thrive on the opportunity to serve as rabbi on shabbos. I enjoy preparing and look forward to delivering sermons. I get a special thrill out of preparing classes, and a tremendous satisfaction out of sharing what I've prepared, and challenging participants to anticipate the next point in a class before we learn it from a text.
Outside of a class I may give, there are two types of questions people will ask: Ones I can answer off the cuff, and those for which I need to get back to them. When the former type of question is raised, there is a tremendous satisfaction which comes from not only answering it, but explaining the reasoning, and getting a response such as "I never knew that was the reason."
5. Like a vacation
My family has come to enjoy living our shabboses in Boynton Beach with minimal amenities. We bring just enough food for our meals (and snacks), we bring legos and baby legos (which are much bigger than regular legos), and a few books, and we relax and enjoy. The kids use their imaginations in their playing, and it's a delight to see them adjust to the change in scenery (the shul has arranged for us to stay in a furnished vacation home, which makes our stay so enjoyable).
And when we go out to take a walk, we meet new people every time, and enjoy being the "new faces on the block."
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ANSHEI CHESED
ANSHEI CHESED CONGREGATION (O)
P.O. Box 740291
Boynton Beach, FL 33474
www.accbb.org
Check out accbb.org and our Education/Program Book to see the kinds of things which are going on at Anshei Chesed today!
**************
One aspect of my job this year consists of being the part-time or visiting rabbi in Anshei Chesed Congregation of Boynton Beach. Anshei Chesed is the Ashkenazic shul in a relatively sizable Orthodox community in Boynton Beach. We have arranged to come for many shabboses throughout the 5770 calendar year. [See my latest blog about Anshei Chesed from April 2012] [See Part III here!!! Lots of amazing things happening in Boynton Beach!]
Top 5 Reasons Why My Family and I Love Going to Boynton Beach for Shabbos
1. Small and Intimate Crowd
The congregation consists of about 15 to 20 families that live in the neighborhood year-round. In addition to these families, there are a number of so-called "snowbirds" who live in Florida from November until Pesach time who make the shul's membership and wintertime attendance considerably greater.
Because the crowd has been relatively small until now, everyone participates in the minyan in some way every shabbos (this will change when we have 50 people in the men's section on a shabbos). Whether a person serves as baal tefillah, reads the Torah, is the gabbai or gets an aliyah, no one is left out. The decorum has been very good as well.
Also, because everyone knows everyone else, the age gaps are dropped. There are some people with very young children, and some people in their seventies and eighties. But everyone knows everyone else by name, all are friendly, and the senior members delight in seeing the children of the younger families.
2. No pressure
The shul is so chilled out. There is no pressure to dress any way, there are no fashion shows, and no attempts to outdo anyone - neither overtly or covertly. [I would say in most places no one means to put such pressures on others, but the pressures nonetheless exist. Not so in AC of BB.]
There is also no pressure to do anything other than what people come to shul to do: To pray to God, in the company of like-minded people, and to enjoy each other's company in celebration of the holy day.
3. Appreciation
People genuinely appreciate what others do to make the minyanim run smoothly. Everyone who comes in is greeted by those already present. Attendees appreciate that others have made the effort to come.
Those who play the leadership roles are appreciated for doing their jobs efficiently and without shtick. The person who serves as baal tefillah (whoever he may be for whichever part of the service) is given due thanks and notice. The persons who share Torah-reading responsibilities are quite skilled in the art of Torah reading, and are appreciated as such.
4. In my element
Some rabbis enjoy speaking and teaching. I thrive on the opportunity to serve as rabbi on shabbos. I enjoy preparing and look forward to delivering sermons. I get a special thrill out of preparing classes, and a tremendous satisfaction out of sharing what I've prepared, and challenging participants to anticipate the next point in a class before we learn it from a text.
Outside of a class I may give, there are two types of questions people will ask: Ones I can answer off the cuff, and those for which I need to get back to them. When the former type of question is raised, there is a tremendous satisfaction which comes from not only answering it, but explaining the reasoning, and getting a response such as "I never knew that was the reason."
5. Like a vacation
My family has come to enjoy living our shabboses in Boynton Beach with minimal amenities. We bring just enough food for our meals (and snacks), we bring legos and baby legos (which are much bigger than regular legos), and a few books, and we relax and enjoy. The kids use their imaginations in their playing, and it's a delight to see them adjust to the change in scenery (the shul has arranged for us to stay in a furnished vacation home, which makes our stay so enjoyable).
And when we go out to take a walk, we meet new people every time, and enjoy being the "new faces on the block."
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ANSHEI CHESED
ANSHEI CHESED CONGREGATION (O)
P.O. Box 740291
Boynton Beach, FL 33474
www.accbb.org
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Siddur and Hebrew class resumes
Tuesdays at the Young Israel of Hollywood - 7:30pm!
We will continue our exploration of common and uncommon prayers in the siddur (prayer book). We read together, and translate word for word and discuss the simple and/or deeper meanings of the texts we study together.
If you can read Hebrew and would like to:
See you tonight (and every Tuesday) at 7:30pm, upstairs in the Young Israel of Hollywood.
We will continue our exploration of common and uncommon prayers in the siddur (prayer book). We read together, and translate word for word and discuss the simple and/or deeper meanings of the texts we study together.
If you can read Hebrew and would like to:
- Practice reading with no pressure to keep an impossible pace
- Understand the prayers you are familiar or even unfamiliar reading
- Discuss topics of Jewish faith, thought, philosophy, in a friendly, non-pressured, intimate environment
- Have fun in the process
See you tonight (and every Tuesday) at 7:30pm, upstairs in the Young Israel of Hollywood.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Eight Verses
My thanks to colleague Rabbi Joshua Flug for providing some of the source material for this class.
Read Devarim 31:26. 'Take this Torah scroll and place it to the side of the ark of God your Lord's covenant, leaving it there as a witness.'
What Torah scroll could Moshe be referring to? Surely not a Torah scroll that had not been completed yet, because he is not yet dead, and the last eight verses in the Torah describe happenings that follow his death.
Netziv says Moshe did not say קח - as in "take now." He said לקוח which means it will be taken at its proper time.
In What Manner was the Torah given to Moshe on Sinai?
We discussed different possibilities as to the form in which the Torah was given. For starters, the Torah is essentially a law book. All in attendance agreed that all of the commandments were given at Sinai. But what about the narrative of the Torah? Could the people at Sinai possibly be given the tale of the Golden Calf, or the spies, or the Korach rebellion? Could Moshe have known the cause of his punishment not to enter the land before he had done anything wrong?
Different suggestions
Read Devarim 31:26. 'Take this Torah scroll and place it to the side of the ark of God your Lord's covenant, leaving it there as a witness.'
What Torah scroll could Moshe be referring to? Surely not a Torah scroll that had not been completed yet, because he is not yet dead, and the last eight verses in the Torah describe happenings that follow his death.
Netziv says Moshe did not say קח - as in "take now." He said לקוח which means it will be taken at its proper time.
In What Manner was the Torah given to Moshe on Sinai?
We discussed different possibilities as to the form in which the Torah was given. For starters, the Torah is essentially a law book. All in attendance agreed that all of the commandments were given at Sinai. But what about the narrative of the Torah? Could the people at Sinai possibly be given the tale of the Golden Calf, or the spies, or the Korach rebellion? Could Moshe have known the cause of his punishment not to enter the land before he had done anything wrong?
Different suggestions
A. The Torah was "given" in its entirety, but presented scroll by scroll after the events transpired.
B. The Torah was given complete with narrative from creation through the Exodus, and was updated regularly, with narrative interspersed between the segments of the law.
C. The laws were given, and Moshe transcribed the entire Torah towards the end of his life, as per God's dictation.
D. As per the midrash, the Torah predated the world by 2,000 years, so this question is moot.
Obviously, each of these possibilities opens a pandoras box of questions and possibilities.
Next Step
We then read through the last chapter of the Torah which describes Moshe going up Mt. Nebo to see the land he may not enter, he dies there, is buried, and we read of the aftermath of his death down below, where the people mourn for thirty days, as they embrace Joshua, their new leader.
The Talmud (Bava Batra 15a) declares that Joshua wrote his book and the last eight verses of the Torah because Moshe could not write about his own death before it happened. (Mar says this, which is supported by either Rabbi Yehuda or Rabbi Nechemiah).
Rabbi Shimon disagrees arguing there is no way Moshe left the people with an incomplete Torah. Rather, up until that point, God would dictate and Moshe would repeat and then record. When they got to the last eight verses, God dictated, and Moshe wrote with[out repeating and using] tears בדמע instead of with the usual ink. [Others suggest Moshe wrote while crying because he was writing about his own death, but this is not the general consensus amongst rabbinic authorities.]
In this way, Moshe was not "writing" a falsehood as tears are not considered permanent and are more like a disappearing ink. With this explanation, Joshua went over the verses afterwards with real ink, but they had been written by Moshe.
Not Satisfactory
All of this is nice, but there are more obvious questions. The beginning of the chapter says Moshe went up the mountain, and it is pretty clear he did not return even for one last goodbye. Our question extends to the last 12 verses, not just the last eight, unless we want to assume Moshe wrote what God told him on the top of the mountain, and then left a Torah for people to find, so Joshua could fix up the last eight verses as described above.
Come on! If no one is supposed to follow him, no one will be going up to get the Torah. Furthermore, there is a known midrash that Moshe wrote a Torah for each tribe, and one to be placed in the ark, on the last day of his life. Could he have left all of them incomplete?
The Commentaries
We explored three commentaries who address these verses:
Ibn Ezra - Joshua must have written the last verses, and he did so through prophesy, as is clear based on the things he knew about Moshe without having seen the final moments of Moshe's life.
Rabbenu Bachaye - He feels Ibn Ezra wrote his comment because, as a rationalist, he could not justify Moshe writing about his own death in the past tense. Instead, R"B suggests Moshe was like a scribe who wrote down based on God's dictation - as if copying from a book, letter by letter. There is no problem with Moshe writing something which will come to fruition shortly.
Gaon of Vilna - Both approaches in the talmud are correct: Joshua wrote it, and Moshe wrote it. As the Torah was written 2,000 years before the world's creation, the question of 8 verses is irrelevant. None of what is written in the Torah existed when the Torah was written.
Rather, the Torah was written as the name of God, through various combinations of letters which only God understands. Only after He created the world, gave the Torah to the nation of Israel, and surrounded them with commandments which are done in limited time and space, did He reveal how the words and letters divide to make sense to humans.
Only the greatest scholars understand the innermost secrets.
The way the last verses were written was different than the other verses. Were Moshe to repeat what was dictated to him, it would look like a lie. So instead, for these last verses, Moshe wrote it in the secret form, using the combinations of God's name. In this way, Moshe is finishing all the letters, but Joshua clarifies the secrets once Moshe has died.
In this manner, the verses Moshe left did not read "And Moshe died," but the letters which spell this were there - just in a secret formulation.
The Vilan Gaon concludes: This fits in line with the other interpretation of the word which until now we've been translating "with tears" - בדמע. The words מדומע refers to something changing its status after the passage of some time. As Moshe was writing something whose status was set in motion to change from secret to revealed, there is no problem with him writing it and Joshua revealing the secret.
LESSONS LEARNED
There is tremendous depth to the Torah, on many levels. It is our task to challenge ourselves to open the texts, try to reach an understanding of what it is teaching us, and then explore deeper.
Words in the Torah can sometimes have multiple meanings, and those meanings leave us open to finding multiple interpretations.
As far as the authorship of the Torah goes, we are allowed to ask questions. We are encouraged to ask questions. The difference between our approach to the Torah and that of Bible critics is that we reconcile our problems with answers rooted in our faith and our tradition. Bible critics find a problem they can't reconcile so they claim the fault is in the Torah and not in them.
Questions are important, but a good portion of the value of our heritage is in our fundamental faith. When we ask questions, it is the attitude behind these questions that determines in which direction we will take our exploration, and where we will stand once we've found answers that satisfy us, or if we never find answers that satisfy us.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Sukkot: Only Joy (from the Jewish Star)
See my article in the Jewish Star over here or read it below.
Sukkot: Only Joy
Oct. 2, 2009 / 14 Tishrei 5770
The Torah commands us twice to rejoice on Sukkot. For Shavuot it only says 
to rejoice one time. For Pesach “joy” is not mentioned at all: it’s hard to rejoice when you’re thinking about the chametz you might still have in your house.
“V’samachta b’chagekha… v’hayita’ akh sa’me’ach.” [Devarim 16:14-15] You shall rejoice, and be only happy.
Only happy! Does that mean you can’t be sad at all? Does that mean you can’t have any not-so-happy thoughts or feelings? How does a person do that?
Rabbi Nachman of Braslav introduced the idea which has become a popular song — most of us probably know the song better than we know how to live up to its teaching — Mitzvah Gedolah Lihyot B’simcha Tamid. It’s a great mitzvah to be joyous always.
Rabbi Nachman acknowledges that it is human nature to be more easily depressed than overjoyed, and that life has its ways of doing that to a person. So a person must strive to overcome the difficulties. “For all ailments come only from sadness and depression. Therefore we must rejoice with all that we can, even with words of nonsense.” This could mean to tell jokes. It could mean to talk about nothing. It could mean to act silly. Whatever it takes to help you be happy, that’s what you need to do.
The Talmud (Taanit 8a) says, “Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi says, ‘if you are happy (or accepting) of the trials life gives you — you bring salvation to the world!’”
Life is a test. Sometimes there are ups and sometimes there are downs. The economic climate this year is not what it was a year ago. Some of us are not doing as well as we were before things took a bad turn. Some of us are out of work and are struggling.
The Mishnah in Avot (4:1) says, “Who is wealthy? The one who is happy with his portion.” In other words, non-physical wealth is determined by the state of your heart. If you are at peace with the situation life puts you in, you are “wealthy.”
The Torah tells us in the middle of the tokhacha of Ki Tavo, one of the reasons why these curses come upon us is “when you had plenty of everything, you would not serve G-d your Lord with happiness and a glad heart.” When times were good, the Torah is saying, we needed to serve G-d with pure joy. We need to remember to thank G-d for the good things in our lives: “Thank you, G-d. Thank you for all the good in my life. Thank you for the friends and the love in my life. The joy I experience from being alive. The joy I experience from serving you. The joy I get out of being a Jew. The joy I get out of doing for others. The joy I get from learning Torah. The joy I get from living Shabbos. The joy I get from celebrating that we have the Torah. The joy I get from having a relationship with You!”
On these verses in Devarim, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch says, “the joy of your blessedness comes not from your source of income, or your sources of entertainment, but from the Lord your G-d Who bestows this bountiful blessing on you from the place of His Torah and through the means of His Teaching, if you dwell in His tent faithfully.”
It was King David who wrote in Psalm 122, “I rejoiced with those who said ‘Let us go to the House of G-d.’” David himself provided an example of how a person can completely rejoice — letting go of all inhibition — in the service of G-d. Samuel II chapter 6 tells the tale of how he danced in front of the Ark as it was brought to Ir David, Jerusalem, in anticipation of the building of the Temple.
This is how we begin to experience true joy.
Twice a day synagogue-goers have been saying “L’David Hashem Ori” for close to two months. “One request I ask of G-d,” L’David reads. “Let me dwell in the House of G-d all the days of my life. To gaze upon the pleasant ways of G-d and to meditate in His sanctuary.”
If you had one request to make of G-d, what would it be? Why would King David write this as his sole request? Maybe King David did not have a mortgage and tuition bills.
Only one thing mattered to King David — the joy he could get out of life. And he knew, all real joy emanates from where it begins. Joy starts in the House of G-d where we seed our relationship with Him; where we can let go of every inhibition, where we can sing and dance and rejoice in our lives dedicated to the service of G-d. When everything else goes, we still have G-d.
And that is something for which we all can be truly joyous.
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