A Breathing, Walking Temple

Modern technological advances have made old-fashioned handwriting almost obsolete. Letters are typed and e-mails are downloaded. Memos are recorded on a dictaphone or scribbled on a palm-pilot. Halacha however, still requires certain Jewish documents to be hand-written. One example is the divorce document, a Get. So while a Kesubah (marriage document) can be printed for mass marketing, the Get still employs the services of a human scribe.

The Talmud questions the legal status of an engraved divorce and examines two scenarios. The first is a raised stamp that produces an engraved image. The Talmud classifies this as an act of “writing” and such a Get would be valid. 

Regarding the stamp with a sunken image that leaves a raised picture,...

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Holy Money

This week’s Biblical reading describes in painstaking detail the Priestly garmrnts,  still it is not the Torah’s first ‘fashion’ statement. Clothing (in its current form) was introduced after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit when, “Their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked.” This represented a drastic change from seven verses earlier when,“They were naked…and they were not ashamed.”  What altered their perspective?  The Tree of Knowledge!

Prior to the sin, the concept of clothing also existed. Indeed, the original and ideal garment was built into Adam, It was the human body that ‘clothed’ the Divine soul. But then, man’s skin was quite different. It was made of nail,  which is why Adam did not physically require…

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The Sanctuary Within

The Torah portions of these last two weeks, (Terumah and Tetzaveh) deal with the command to build a Sanctuary. At first glance, the Temple and its various vessels (menorah, altar, priestly garments etc.) have no relevance to our present situation. What possible contemporary application can there be when we have no Sanctuary and no priestly class?

However, since Torah is the word of G-d who is infinite, it is itself infinite. Infinite in time, because it is eternally binding and infinite in meaning, because every verse has innumerable layers of interpretation and significance.

An example of this is the passage in which G-d told Moses to erect a Sanctuary. He said, “They shall make Me a Sanctuary and I will…

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A Medrash of Value

Admittedly, I’m no expert. But then again, who says that all the marketing specialists that dictate current fashion and style are any wiser than I. True they are aware of the latest trends, but that which is presently fashionable should not be automatically equated with good taste. “Put your faith in us,” the know-it-all designers declare. “And you could achieve great things. We’ll show you how to dress for success. Who better than us to follow. After all, we are the mayvins.”

If the truth be told, we don’t need to turn to Paris for discover that “Clothes Make the Man”. All that is required is a careful reading of this week’s Biblical portion to understand the importance of proper…

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The Covenant

his week’s reading begins with the command that has forever been a distinguishing mark of Jewish identity, circumcision. The traditional name for this act is brit milah, literally, “the covenant of circumcision.” It is the only command that explicitly binds the Jew to G-d. Clearly this mitzvah which carries immense significance, is less a state of doing than a state of being.

That circumcision, for males, is the primary way in which Jews enter into the Mosaic covenant was already apparent, even to others, in the days of the Patriarchs. Recall the episode in which the prince Shechem abducts and rapes Jacob’s daughter. Dina’s brothers respond, “We can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would…

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You Can't Say It Enough

The Torah’s economy of words is legendary. Entire laws are derived at times from one extra letter. Unnecessary repetitions are thus suspect, and usually lead to volumes of commentary and interpretation. In this week’s Biblical reading, one need not look too far to experience this phenomena. “Hashem said to Moshe: Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: To a dead person he shall not become impure.”

The redundancy is immediately obvious by the double usage of the term, “Say… and say to them.” Rashi, quoting the Talmud understands this to mean that the elder Kohanim must expend extra effort teaching their youngsters that they not defile themselves to a dead person.

Although this is certainly…

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Second Chance

The Talmud, basing itself on the very first verse in this week’s Torah portion of Emor, tells us about responsibilities.  According to our Sages the “great” (adults) have the obligation to instruct the “small” (children) in the observance of mitzvot.
In Chassidic philosophy these terms are not limited to interpersonal relationships.  Just as there are “the great” and “the small” in the world at large, within the microcosm of man these concepts also exist.  The great, meaning the mind and intelligence, are there to guide and teach the small - the limbs, the practical implementation.  Does one learn only in order to know, or also to do?  Assuredly, the greatness of Torah study is that it brings about Torah action….

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Blood, Worms & Holiness

A commitment to education stems from the recognition that perfection of self is insufficient. For the Jew, this means enlightening other Jews with the divine wisdom of Torah and prevailing upon him to implement its precepts in his daily life. On three separate occasions, the Torah emphasizes that, “The great are to be charged regarding the small” obligating the older generation to pass on their knowledge and experience.
It is noteworthy that these three particular mitzvot exemplify areas in which we tend to doubt our ability to influence. Indeed, this is why the Torah chooses them as the contexts in which to establish the responsibility of education.

The first time we are enjoined to teach the small is by the…

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You Are Not Always a Rabbi

The third Book of Leviticus, like all of its Biblical partners, possesses more than one name. Since time immemorial, Rabbinic tradition has referred to this book as Toras Kohanim, the Laws of the Priests. The reason for this is obvious. A great part of this work deals with the service in the Sanctuary; the sacrifices and various Temple ritual all attended to by the Kohanim. Indeed, the very law that distinguishes the priests from the rest of the nation is enshrined in this Book of Va-yikrah.

In consistency, this week’s Torah reading of Emor spells out the specific obligations and prohibitions pertaining to the priests in perpetuity. None of theses laws have any Halachic governance over Levites or Israelites, just…

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The “holy” Truth

To the Kohanim: “Each of you shall not contaminate himself…They shall be holy to their G-d.” To the Children of Israel: “Hashem’s appointed festivals that you are to designate as holy.” The two dominant themes of this week’s reading repeatedly refer to a particular class of people and specific days as holy. What exactly is holy? What makes one group of individuals or dates holier than others?
    I remember the first time I went to Israel. It was the holiday of Succos, or as the Torah titles it, the Season of our Rejoicing. It was with great anticipation that we left our hotel and walked through the old Jewish quarter. Our first glimpse of the Wall was magnificent. I could…

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Don’t Be a Jewish Humpty Dumpty

Counting can be the most boring, exciting, or worrying activity I can think of. Boring, if you’re counting sheep; exciting, if it is the lottery prize money you’ve just taken home; and worrying, if you’re tallying your bills.  One aspect shared by all counting is that they inform you of movement. Sometimes the count broadcasts your progress, other times it sadly reports your regression.
Between the festivals of Pesach and Shavuos, Jews count the Omer. For many years, I viewed this ritual as a way of marking not just time, but spiritual development. Every day, a Jew had to move further away from the constraints of his personal Egypt and advance towards his appointment with destiny, Torah and Sinai. It…

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By Day and by Night

In recounting the travels of the Jewish people across the Sinai desert, the Torah clearly states that, “They went by day and by night.” However, according to the Midrash, their travels could be more accurately characterized as being “Borne on the wings of eagles.” In fact, some of our Sages have no problem asserting that their journey was indeed nothing short of miraculous, in that they covered a distance of 120 mil in the brief span of one hour. Which of course leaves us with the question, what need was there then for nocturnal travel?

The trek across the hot sands was more than a geographical excursion. It was the physical manifestation of a spiritual journey. Each day elevated the…

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The Palace and the Flames

Religious western thought can be summed up with these words: G-d exists. He just doesn’t want to get involved. By contrast, in Judaism, G-d is not only engaged, He invites humanity to be His partner. He does this by conferring legitimacy on man’s view.
This idea will help us understand the problem of evil; a topic on which Torah records several passionate conversations. The first is Abraham’s challenge to G-d about the prospective fate of Sodom: “Chalilah lecha/G-d forbid that You should do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked…Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?”
How could Abraham speak to G-d so? In any other faith these words would be blasphemy! And yet…

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Prayer: a Divine Dialogue

Some people can sit in the synagogue, wrapped in their Tallis, swaying in rhythm, their lips moving as they recite the correct prayers, while their thoughts are on their business affairs.

With the Patriarch Abraham, it was just the reverse. While sitting at the door of his tent; gazing at the scenery; recovering from a painful surgery; if his thoughts had been diverted by any of these distractions, it would have been understandable. Instead, Abraham sat there waiting for a guest because his thoughts were only on serving G-d.

Prayer is one of the most difficult of Jewish rituals to master. I don’t mean the technical details of when to stand, when to bow, what blessings are said or omitted…

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A Mitzvah Opportunity

The surgery had not yet completely healed. Still, that did not deter the venerable Abraham from sitting at the entrance of his tent in the hope that he might invite a hungry traveler. Suddenly, the landscape was filled with an aura of holiness. The Almighty Himself had come to visit the sick patriarch who was still recovering from his recent circumcision. Abraham surely felt honored.

The day was a hot one. It didn’t seem likely that anyone would be on the road. Imagine Abraham’s surprise to see not one, but two strangers. The man who was to father the Jewish nation excused himself. Leaving the presence of G-d, Abraham ran to catch the wandering trio.

Ponder this scenario for a…

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The Case for Divine Justice

It happens every day. It begins with someone feeling unwell, a heartbreaking diagnosis, a debilitating illness and finally death. Yesterday this sickening cycle of devastation struck our community. A parent of one of our students at the Chabad Hebrew Academy succumbed to cancer. Why did it happen? Where is justice? These questions, like sickness itself, have forever plagued mankind.

Among the well-known sayings of the first Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, is that one should live with the times. Of course, the Rebbe was not advocating a lifestyle as fickle as the ever-changing fads of California or the fashions of Paris. Rather, his intent was that one should find direction and guidance from the weekly Biblical portion. In…

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Stuck Under a Shalsheles

Since Torah scrolls contain no vowels or musical notes, Torah ‘readers’ first review using printed texts with Teamim (graphic signs representing musical notes). Besides providing the melody, the Teamim often reveal hidden meanings. Indeed, biblical commentator Abraham Ibn Ezra (1093-1167) writes that Biblical interpretations should always correlate with the Teamim.

Though the original chant dates from Sinai, the signs were fixed much later by Aaron ben Asher (900-960 in Tiberias). The 28 Teamim are divided into two main categories: Mechabrim-conjunctives and Mafsikim-pausals. Among the latter is the rare note, shalsheles, which appears only four times in the entire Torah. It looks like a streak of lightning, ‘zigzagging’ back and forth, as if unable to move to the next note. Rabbi…

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No Laughing Matter

Take the time to read this week’s Biblical portion. Therein you will find pearls of wisdom concerning child rearing techniques. Among them is the issue of, ‘Having fun.’ Clearly, there is a great to-do in the narrative about laughter. G-d Himself comes along and names the child born to Abraham and Sarah as “laughter,” Yitzchok in Hebrew. But can “laughter” be the child who inherits the Patriarch’s position?

Ishmael, the other child of Abraham through his wife Hagar, is also seen as a “metzachek - one who laughs.” Yet it is precisely this “laughter,” as we are told, that disqualifies Ishmael from passing on the tradition. One wonders of course, why the laughter of one is deemed praiseworthy, while the…

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Down to Earth

While Adam and Eve may be the first husband and wife, Abraham and Sarah are the first father and mother. Does the Torah characterize their two perspectives of dealing with children as different?  Judge for yourself!
Abraham, from his lofty, detached viewpoint prays that Ishmael, his oldest son will follow G-d’s path.  Sarah however realizes how much harm Ishmael’s devastating influence will have on the spiritual harmony of the home and in particular over her own son Isaac. 

She therefore demands that Abraham send Ishmael away.  Abraham cannot find peace with the idea and only after G-d Himself declares to the first Patriarch, “In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice, for in Isaac shall your descendants…

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“go Forth”

“Go forth” is the title and theme of this week’s Torah portion.  It is also the way all great tests begin.
In this case, it is Abraham who is being commanded by G-d to leave everything behind.  To leave all that he knows, all his family ties, and all his hopes for something far away and unknown.  To go to a place yet uncharted, a destination undefined.  Such was the trek that our forefather undertook from Ur of the Chaldees.

This is not the saga of Abraham alone.  It is the journey of the first Jew and every Jew.  In the teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidus, this journey is the enforced descent of the Divine soul from the spiritual realms…

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The Four Monarchies

One of the most powerful scenes ever painted by the renowned Chassidic artist, Zalman Kleinman, is based upon the Covenant that is graphically described in this week’s Torah reading.  “I am Hashem Who brought you out of Ur Kasdim to give you this land to inherit it…Take to Me three heifers, three goats, three rams… He (Abraham) took all these, he cut them in the center and placed each piece opposite its counterpart…Birds of prey descended ... A deep sleep fell upon Abraham And behold, a dread, great darkness fell upon him.”

According to the Midrash, this final sentence is an allusion to the four exiles Israel would have to undergo. The word, dread, refers to Babylon which destroyed the…

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