B"H
Vaikra (Leviticus) Chapter 19:8 reads as follows:
ואכליו עונו ישא כי את קדש ה` חלל
Loosely translated:
v. 8: And whoever eats it shall carry his iniquities, for he has profaned that which is holy to G-d.
Rashi explains (and indeed proves from scripture) that this verse requires that a person should have the intention of eating the sacrifice in the alloted place (i.e., the Temple.)
From Rashi's explanation we can actually see that a person who goes ahead and eats the sacrifice outside the alloted place is not liable of כרת (=being spiritually cut off) as is the case of פִּגּוּל (see verse 7.)
Verse 8 appears to deal with a more pragmatic, specific and practical rule pertaining to sacrifices, as opposed to a general principle in- (or indeed the whole concept of) sacrifices -- hence the leniency.
So, actually eating the sacrifice at the wrong place does not invalidate the entire sacrifice, and albeit the sacrifice has not been offered in the most perfect or ideal manner, it is nonetheless accepted. (Perhaps a bit more effort is needed next time to make things perfect.)
We can also learn a lesson from this something relating day-to-day Jewish life:
A person might have some issues with the the pragmatic & practical observance of some of the 613 Mitzvot (G-d's commandments). This analogous to eating the sacrifice at the wrong place: perhaps his observance is not most perfect and ideal.
Nonetheless he/she is not in odds with the general principle of Mitzvot (analogous to having the wrong temporal intentions of verses 6 and 7). For that reason, his sacrifice, as it were, is accepted nonetheless. And indeed it's precious to Hashem -- the fact that he/she has issues with one Mitzvah, or another, does not detract from the value of his/her observance of yet a third Mitzvah.
Each Mitzvah stands on it's own and each one is wholly pleasurable to Hashem. Perform a Mitzvah when you get an opportunity, even if you do not feel you can commit to continuously performing it, and even if you do not feel the difference.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Rabbi Yochanan
B"H
An interesting story about Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakay can be found in Tractate Brachot 28b:
וכשחלה רבי יוחנן בן זכאי נכנסו תלמידיו לבקרו כיון שראה אותם התחיל לבכות... שיש לפני שני דרכים אחת של גן עדן ואחת של גיהנם ואיני יודע באיזו מוליכים אותי ולא אבכה
Loosely translated:
When Rabbi Yochana ben Zakay became terminally ill, his students came to visit him. When he saw them he began to cry.... (They asked him: "Why are you crying?"... He answered:) There are two paths before me. One path leads to Gan Eden (="heaven") while the other path leads to Gehinnom (="purgatory"), and I do not know on which path I will placed (i.e. end up) on, and I shouldn't cry?
A bit odd that Rabbi Yochanan should be concerned that he may be going to the purgatory. After all, he was a holy Tana, a person who never ceased to toil in Torah. He was after all one of the great sages of the Gemara. Surely he would be placed on the path leading to heaven. So, why did he cry. (Surely this is not a case of misplaced humility.)
To get an idea of why this may have happen we can take a look at the Mishna. The Mishna in Pirkey Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), Chapter 2:9 reads:
הוא היה אומר: אם עשית תורה הרבה אל תחזיק טובה לעצמך כי לכך נוצרת
Loosely translated:
So he (Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakay) would say: if you toiled a lot in Torah, don't keep the benefit to yourself, for that what you've been created for.
Some commentary equates טובה (=benefit) with תורה (Torah). So, the verse can be rendered as:
If you toiled a lot in Torah, don't keep all the Torah to yourself, for that is what you were created for.
In other words, a person who's involved in learning Torah, should disseminate what he/she has learned to others. For all a person knows, this may be very reason he was created.
Since the Mishna uses the term הוא היה אומר (=So he would say) we learn that this Mishna is an intrinsic part of Rabbi Yochanan's essence. In other words, the very essence of Rabbi Yochana be Zakay is to learn Torah in order to teach it to others. With this he was occupied his entire life.
Now comes the time (as described in the Gemera above) that Rabbi Yochana is on his death-bed and his students come to visit him. He sees his students and realizes that he's in no position to teach (since he's very sick). The very reason for his existence can no longer be fulfilled. This is the first time in his life that he's not occupied with Torah, and now he avails himself to think about his own self: his own life, his own achievements, his own accomplishment and what he has not yet achieved. Sort of a soul-accounting (חשבון נפש).
He finds himself crying because he's sincerely concerned that he has not yet fulfilled his purpose and therefore may be placed on the path to the purgatory.
The lesson to be learned here is that no matter how great a person might be (even as great as Rabbi Yochana be Zakay), he/she should always be concerned, lest there is something that he/she are yet to achieve. Particularly in the field of helping others grow and develop to become menches.
An interesting story about Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakay can be found in Tractate Brachot 28b:
וכשחלה רבי יוחנן בן זכאי נכנסו תלמידיו לבקרו כיון שראה אותם התחיל לבכות... שיש לפני שני דרכים אחת של גן עדן ואחת של גיהנם ואיני יודע באיזו מוליכים אותי ולא אבכה
Loosely translated:
When Rabbi Yochana ben Zakay became terminally ill, his students came to visit him. When he saw them he began to cry.... (They asked him: "Why are you crying?"... He answered:) There are two paths before me. One path leads to Gan Eden (="heaven") while the other path leads to Gehinnom (="purgatory"), and I do not know on which path I will placed (i.e. end up) on, and I shouldn't cry?
A bit odd that Rabbi Yochanan should be concerned that he may be going to the purgatory. After all, he was a holy Tana, a person who never ceased to toil in Torah. He was after all one of the great sages of the Gemara. Surely he would be placed on the path leading to heaven. So, why did he cry. (Surely this is not a case of misplaced humility.)
To get an idea of why this may have happen we can take a look at the Mishna. The Mishna in Pirkey Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), Chapter 2:9 reads:
הוא היה אומר: אם עשית תורה הרבה אל תחזיק טובה לעצמך כי לכך נוצרת
Loosely translated:
So he (Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakay) would say: if you toiled a lot in Torah, don't keep the benefit to yourself, for that what you've been created for.
Some commentary equates טובה (=benefit) with תורה (Torah). So, the verse can be rendered as:
If you toiled a lot in Torah, don't keep all the Torah to yourself, for that is what you were created for.
In other words, a person who's involved in learning Torah, should disseminate what he/she has learned to others. For all a person knows, this may be very reason he was created.
Since the Mishna uses the term הוא היה אומר (=So he would say) we learn that this Mishna is an intrinsic part of Rabbi Yochanan's essence. In other words, the very essence of Rabbi Yochana be Zakay is to learn Torah in order to teach it to others. With this he was occupied his entire life.
Now comes the time (as described in the Gemera above) that Rabbi Yochana is on his death-bed and his students come to visit him. He sees his students and realizes that he's in no position to teach (since he's very sick). The very reason for his existence can no longer be fulfilled. This is the first time in his life that he's not occupied with Torah, and now he avails himself to think about his own self: his own life, his own achievements, his own accomplishment and what he has not yet achieved. Sort of a soul-accounting (חשבון נפש).
He finds himself crying because he's sincerely concerned that he has not yet fulfilled his purpose and therefore may be placed on the path to the purgatory.
The lesson to be learned here is that no matter how great a person might be (even as great as Rabbi Yochana be Zakay), he/she should always be concerned, lest there is something that he/she are yet to achieve. Particularly in the field of helping others grow and develop to become menches.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Dermatology in scripture???
B"H
Rosh Chodes Eeyar.
Vaikra (Leviticus) Ch. 14:2 reads:
זֹאת תִּהְיֶה תּוֹרַת הַמְּצֹרָע בּיוֹם טָהֳרָתוֹ וְהוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן.
Loosely translated:
These shall be the laws of the metzorah on the day he shall be purified: he shall be brought to the Cohen...
The Torah details a long list of laws pertaining to צרעת (pron. tzaraas or tzaraat) -- a skin decease, a form of a physical manifestation of a spiritual ailment caused by לשון הרע (=defamation and other "evil language".) It manifested first as spots on the skin with hair color-changes, then as spots on clothing and finally on the walls of the inflicted person's home. The inflicted person is labeled metzorah (הַמְּצֹרָע).
Note: the English translations of Torah often mistranslate tzaraas as leprosy and subsequently metzorah is also mistranslated as leper.
The interesting thing about tzaraas is the form of treatment: it must be a Cohen (הַכֹּהֵן -- a person from the priestly clan) who diagnoses the ailment, and proceeds to treat the person inflicted by it. No one else can do it. (Even if the Cohen is not an expert in the field, he must consult an expert (who is not necessarily a Cohen himself), who will assist him making the diagnosis, but ultimately, it must be the Cohen himself who makes the final call and gives treatment.)
This is all a bit odd, at first, for aren't the priests busy? They're working in the Holy Temple and taking care of the whole nation's needs. Surely they're too busy for this type of stuff, especially since it involves a lowly slanderer.
So, why does the Torah require a Cohen to handle this? There appears to be a a good reason for this: The Cohen is a decedent of Aaron, the high-priest.
And here's the explanation:
Aaron was אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה (i.e., brining harmony to people using pleasant methods etc..) A trait inherited by his descendants for generations to come.
Furthermore, the morning blessings include the following: אלה דברים שאדם אוכל פרותיהם... והבאת שלום בין אדם לתבירו. ("These are the things whose dividents a person enjoys in this world and whose principle is reserved for him in the world to come:... creating peace between a person and his fellow...")
This is where Aaron and his descendants excel: making peace between jews by brining harmony in pleasant ways (ומקרבן לתורה -- דרכיה דרכי נועם וכל נתיבותיה שלום.) Since tzaraas was an infliction caused by לשון הרע which cases פירוד לבבות (slander which causes disunion between jews) therefore it must be specifically a Cohen who takes the roll of treating and handling it, comforting and guiding the inflicted, etc...
The more severe the ailment is (לשון הרע) the more specialized the doctor has to be (אוהב שלום ורדף שלום).
May this new month אייר (Pron. Eeyar) which is an acronym for "אני השם רופאך" (I am the L-rd your healer) be a month of much healing to the entire Jewish community and the world at-large, both physically and more importantly spiritually!
Rosh Chodes Eeyar.
Vaikra (Leviticus) Ch. 14:2 reads:
זֹאת תִּהְיֶה תּוֹרַת הַמְּצֹרָע בּיוֹם טָהֳרָתוֹ וְהוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן.
Loosely translated:
These shall be the laws of the metzorah on the day he shall be purified: he shall be brought to the Cohen...
The Torah details a long list of laws pertaining to צרעת (pron. tzaraas or tzaraat) -- a skin decease, a form of a physical manifestation of a spiritual ailment caused by לשון הרע (=defamation and other "evil language".) It manifested first as spots on the skin with hair color-changes, then as spots on clothing and finally on the walls of the inflicted person's home. The inflicted person is labeled metzorah (הַמְּצֹרָע).
Note: the English translations of Torah often mistranslate tzaraas as leprosy and subsequently metzorah is also mistranslated as leper.
The interesting thing about tzaraas is the form of treatment: it must be a Cohen (הַכֹּהֵן -- a person from the priestly clan) who diagnoses the ailment, and proceeds to treat the person inflicted by it. No one else can do it. (Even if the Cohen is not an expert in the field, he must consult an expert (who is not necessarily a Cohen himself), who will assist him making the diagnosis, but ultimately, it must be the Cohen himself who makes the final call and gives treatment.)
This is all a bit odd, at first, for aren't the priests busy? They're working in the Holy Temple and taking care of the whole nation's needs. Surely they're too busy for this type of stuff, especially since it involves a lowly slanderer.
So, why does the Torah require a Cohen to handle this? There appears to be a a good reason for this: The Cohen is a decedent of Aaron, the high-priest.
And here's the explanation:
Aaron was אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה (i.e., brining harmony to people using pleasant methods etc..) A trait inherited by his descendants for generations to come.
Furthermore, the morning blessings include the following: אלה דברים שאדם אוכל פרותיהם... והבאת שלום בין אדם לתבירו. ("These are the things whose dividents a person enjoys in this world and whose principle is reserved for him in the world to come:... creating peace between a person and his fellow...")
This is where Aaron and his descendants excel: making peace between jews by brining harmony in pleasant ways (ומקרבן לתורה -- דרכיה דרכי נועם וכל נתיבותיה שלום.) Since tzaraas was an infliction caused by לשון הרע which cases פירוד לבבות (slander which causes disunion between jews) therefore it must be specifically a Cohen who takes the roll of treating and handling it, comforting and guiding the inflicted, etc...
The more severe the ailment is (לשון הרע) the more specialized the doctor has to be (אוהב שלום ורדף שלום).
May this new month אייר (Pron. Eeyar) which is an acronym for "אני השם רופאך" (I am the L-rd your healer) be a month of much healing to the entire Jewish community and the world at-large, both physically and more importantly spiritually!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Act sanctified or be sanctified?
B"H
Vaikra (Leviticus), Chapter 11:44 reads:
והתקדשתם והייתם קְדֹשִׁים כי קדוש אני
Loosely translated as follows:
And you shall sanctify your so that you shall become sanctified, for I'm sanctified.
I heard a very nice drasha the Rabbi on Shabbat Parashat Shmini. To paraphrase the main point:
The language used in the passage is a bit odd. If we take an example from day-to-day life we can see why. If you tell a child: "Get dressed so that you shall be dressed" we will get a bizarre stare from the child, no doubt. After all, what's the point of getting dressed if not to be dressed. There seems to be some sort of redundancy redundancy here.
So to in our passage. The aforementioned passage from Leviticus could have just as easy read: והתקדשתם, כי קדוש אני (=sanctify yourself for I am sanctified). So, why indeed does it uses a wordier phrase than necessary -- sanctified yourself and you shall be sanctified, for I am sanctified.
The answer in a way of an example: we might approach a person and tell him/her: "Listen, why not keep Kosher? <or some other mitzvah>" To which his/her reply might be "Who me? Don't you know I don't keep <insert your favorite mitzvah here>
In either cases, the Torah preempts this by saying: והתקדשתם (=you shall sanctify yourself.) The first step is to actively do what is expected of us. Be it keeping Kosher, or keeping Shabbat, or any one of the other 611 mitzvahs (commandments).
Once a person is actively involved in performing the mitzvahs, he/she will come the next stage: והייתם קדשים (=and you shall be sanctified) In other words, everyone and anyone can reach sanctity, but there must be an initiative by the person.
In other words, an awakening from below (והתקדשתם) will initiate and awakening from above (והייתם קדשים).
This follows the principle outlined in Talmud Yerushalmi, Tractate Pe'ah, chapter 8:
וכל מי שאינו לא חיגר ולא סומא ולא פיסח ועושה עצמו כאחד מהן אינו מת מן הזקנה עד שיהא כאחד מהן
Loosely translated:
Any anyone who's not crippled, blind or limping but behaves as such, does not pass-away from old age until he indeeds becomes such.
So too in the positive case anyone who is not sanctified but behaves as such, will not be allowed to leave this world until eventually he/she becomes such.
We see this also in the example of a Jewish wedding: everyone joyously dancing and singing with the bride and groom. Everyone, except one person, that is, just stands there with his arms crossed looking more like he's in a funeral (לא עלינו).
When asked why he's not participating, you might get the answer: "I'm not feeling particularly happy at the moment, but as soon as I do, you'll certainly see me joining in."
To which we answer: "אחרי הלבבות ימשכו המעשים (the feeling follows the deed.) Join the fun, behave as though you're happy and eventually you will be happy. Guaranteed!"
The point is that by והתקדשתם, i.e., doing on our on accord, from below, even if we're not 100% sincere -- Hashem promises to sanctify us from above, והייתם קדשים.
Dedicated to the memory of the 6 million קדשים Jews who were killed by the Nazis.
לזכר וע"נ שש-מאות ריבוא קדושים, מאחינו ב"י שנרצחו על קידוש-השם, בידי הנאצים י"ש וזכרם. ת.נ.צ.ב.ה
Vaikra (Leviticus), Chapter 11:44 reads:
והתקדשתם והייתם קְדֹשִׁים כי קדוש אני
Loosely translated as follows:
And you shall sanctify your so that you shall become sanctified, for I'm sanctified.
I heard a very nice drasha the Rabbi on Shabbat Parashat Shmini. To paraphrase the main point:
The language used in the passage is a bit odd. If we take an example from day-to-day life we can see why. If you tell a child: "Get dressed so that you shall be dressed" we will get a bizarre stare from the child, no doubt. After all, what's the point of getting dressed if not to be dressed. There seems to be some sort of redundancy redundancy here.
So to in our passage. The aforementioned passage from Leviticus could have just as easy read: והתקדשתם, כי קדוש אני (=sanctify yourself for I am sanctified). So, why indeed does it uses a wordier phrase than necessary -- sanctified yourself and you shall be sanctified, for I am sanctified.
The answer in a way of an example: we might approach a person and tell him/her: "Listen, why not keep Kosher? <or some other mitzvah>" To which his/her reply might be "Who me? Don't you know I don't keep <insert your favorite mitzvah here>
In either cases, the Torah preempts this by saying: והתקדשתם (=you shall sanctify yourself.) The first step is to actively do what is expected of us. Be it keeping Kosher, or keeping Shabbat, or any one of the other 611 mitzvahs (commandments).
Once a person is actively involved in performing the mitzvahs, he/she will come the next stage: והייתם קדשים (=and you shall be sanctified) In other words, everyone and anyone can reach sanctity, but there must be an initiative by the person.
In other words, an awakening from below (והתקדשתם) will initiate and awakening from above (והייתם קדשים).
This follows the principle outlined in Talmud Yerushalmi, Tractate Pe'ah, chapter 8:
וכל מי שאינו לא חיגר ולא סומא ולא פיסח ועושה עצמו כאחד מהן אינו מת מן הזקנה עד שיהא כאחד מהן
Loosely translated:
Any anyone who's not crippled, blind or limping but behaves as such, does not pass-away from old age until he indeeds becomes such.
So too in the positive case anyone who is not sanctified but behaves as such, will not be allowed to leave this world until eventually he/she becomes such.
We see this also in the example of a Jewish wedding: everyone joyously dancing and singing with the bride and groom. Everyone, except one person, that is, just stands there with his arms crossed looking more like he's in a funeral (לא עלינו).
When asked why he's not participating, you might get the answer: "I'm not feeling particularly happy at the moment, but as soon as I do, you'll certainly see me joining in."
To which we answer: "אחרי הלבבות ימשכו המעשים (the feeling follows the deed.) Join the fun, behave as though you're happy and eventually you will be happy. Guaranteed!"
The point is that by והתקדשתם, i.e., doing on our on accord, from below, even if we're not 100% sincere -- Hashem promises to sanctify us from above, והייתם קדשים.
Dedicated to the memory of the 6 million קדשים Jews who were killed by the Nazis.
לזכר וע"נ שש-מאות ריבוא קדושים, מאחינו ב"י שנרצחו על קידוש-השם, בידי הנאצים י"ש וזכרם. ת.נ.צ.ב.ה
Friday, April 13, 2007
Perfect Awe
B"H
Mishlei (Proverbs), Ch. 2:4-5 reads:
אִם תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף וְכַמַּטְמוֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה אָז תָּבִין יִרְאַת השם
In pshat simple reading, this quote can be translated loosely as follows:
If you seek her (=understanding) like silver and search for her like treasures, then you shall come to understand the awe (also = fear) of G-d.
I was reading this today and rendered it like so:
If you seek כַכָּסֶף with love, (etymologically related to כסופים, נכסוף נכספתי - meaning love),
ְמַּטְמוֹנִים to correct and refine your midot (comes from 'מט forty-nine, מונים we count - referring to the 49 days we count the Omer, to refine our midot -- 49 character traits and attributes).
Then you shall reach יִרְאַת השם (awe of G-d) at the level of תָּבִין, that is to say you shall reach an higher level of awe (יראה עילאה).
Explanation:
This type of fear (יראה) is not the "lower level" fear (יראה תתאה) that a person feel when he/she is at the position to transgress. But simply because of the punishment he/she is destined to received (and other possible repercussions to him- or herself) he/she shows restraint and avoids the transgression.
For if there was no punishment there would be no impetus to avoid transgression -- there would be no repercussions. Because this level of fear is predicated on punishment avoidance, it is considered a lower level of fear.
Rather, because of מט' מונים with כסופים, a person reaches a higher level of awe (יראה עילאה). This is the type of awe that a person feels when he/she contemplates the awesomeness, greatness and infinity of G-d Almighty, the fact that G-d is incomparably greater than the entire universe (שלא בערך לעולם) and the fact that the Almighty fill the whole universe (מלא כל הארץ כבודו, כבודו מלא עולם). And ultimately there's really nothing other than G-d (אין עוד מלבדו) i.e., all of creation is really a manifestation of G-d through countless concealments and there's no independent existence from G-d.
When all this contemplation is done using a person's בינה (viz. תָּבִין) i.e., intellectual faculty of understanding, it causes him/her to avoid transgressions, not out of pure fear of punishment (as in יראה תתאה), but rather from a deep feeling of shame before the creator -- to transgress against an all-seeing, all-knowing, omni-present, omni-conscient G-d would be simply unfathomable! Impossible! Indeed, this is the level of יראה עילאה.
Good Shabbos.
Mishlei (Proverbs), Ch. 2:4-5 reads:
אִם תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף וְכַמַּטְמוֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה אָז תָּבִין יִרְאַת השם
In pshat simple reading, this quote can be translated loosely as follows:
If you seek her (=understanding) like silver and search for her like treasures, then you shall come to understand the awe (also = fear) of G-d.
I was reading this today and rendered it like so:
If you seek כַכָּסֶף with love, (etymologically related to כסופים, נכסוף נכספתי - meaning love),
ְמַּטְמוֹנִים to correct and refine your midot (comes from 'מט forty-nine, מונים we count - referring to the 49 days we count the Omer, to refine our midot -- 49 character traits and attributes).
Then you shall reach יִרְאַת השם (awe of G-d) at the level of תָּבִין, that is to say you shall reach an higher level of awe (יראה עילאה).
Explanation:
This type of fear (יראה) is not the "lower level" fear (יראה תתאה) that a person feel when he/she is at the position to transgress. But simply because of the punishment he/she is destined to received (and other possible repercussions to him- or herself) he/she shows restraint and avoids the transgression.
For if there was no punishment there would be no impetus to avoid transgression -- there would be no repercussions. Because this level of fear is predicated on punishment avoidance, it is considered a lower level of fear.
Rather, because of מט' מונים with כסופים, a person reaches a higher level of awe (יראה עילאה). This is the type of awe that a person feels when he/she contemplates the awesomeness, greatness and infinity of G-d Almighty, the fact that G-d is incomparably greater than the entire universe (שלא בערך לעולם) and the fact that the Almighty fill the whole universe (מלא כל הארץ כבודו, כבודו מלא עולם). And ultimately there's really nothing other than G-d (אין עוד מלבדו) i.e., all of creation is really a manifestation of G-d through countless concealments and there's no independent existence from G-d.
When all this contemplation is done using a person's בינה (viz. תָּבִין) i.e., intellectual faculty of understanding, it causes him/her to avoid transgressions, not out of pure fear of punishment (as in יראה תתאה), but rather from a deep feeling of shame before the creator -- to transgress against an all-seeing, all-knowing, omni-present, omni-conscient G-d would be simply unfathomable! Impossible! Indeed, this is the level of יראה עילאה.
Good Shabbos.
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