Talmudic Discourse 18

 1. Why do you think saying the blessing upon seeing the lights fell by the
wayside? 

FIRST, MAY I WISH ALL Y'ALL A HAPPY CHANUKAH AND A JOYOUS SHABBAT TONIGHT.

I WAS NOT AWARE THAT WE AS JEWS HAVE FORGOTTEN TO SAY "she-asa nisim la-avotenu ba-yamim ha-hem ba-zeman ha-zeh," WHENEVER WE SEE ANOTHER CHANUKEAH LIT.

 

 IT IS NOT A  BLESSING OVER LIGHTING THE CANDLES, BUT ONE THAT CAN BE SAID THRU OUT THE 8 DAY HOLIDAY AND WHEN SEEING ANOTHER'S LIT CHANUKEAH.

 

I WAS TAUGHT IT AS A CHILD AND I AM FROM A JEWISH LIBERAL BACK GROUND AND REMAIN SO TODAY.

 

IF IT HAS FALLEN BY THE WAY SIDE, AS MANY OTHERS OF OUR TRADITIONS AND MITZVOTH HAVE, IT IS DUE TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS WHICH I WILL LEAVE FOR ANOTHER DAY.

 

 Will you add this to your celebration of Hannukkah? 

I HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS.

 

 Let me know
how it goes  ACTUALLY, RABBI ABRAMS, SADLY, I GET TO SAY THIS PRAYER, LESS AND LESS. JEWISH HOMES I WENT TO THIS WEEK, HAVE XMAS TREES, AND UNLIT CHANUKEAHS, IF THERE WAS A CHANUKEAH AT ALL. PERHAPS I SHOULD NOT CALL THEM JEWISH HOMES AS A RARELY SEE MEZUZOTH ON DOOR POSTS AS WELL. I END UP KISSING BARE WOOD.

 1. What do you think of women being bound to do this mitzvah? 

WONDERFUL, AS ITS EXTEMPORANEOUS AND NOT REALLY TIME BOUND.

 Does it
undermine the whole women dont do time-bound, positive mitsvot idea? 

NO.

 Can
you think of other examples?

iN BEROCHOT, MISHNA 3-3, WOMEN ARE OBLIGATED TO DO TEFILAH, MEZUZAH, AND BIRKAT HA MAZON. THEY ARE POSITIVE AND THE LAST TWO ARE TIMELY. THE FIRST, SHE MAY DO, AT HER OWN SCHEDULE.

 

 KIDDUSHIN 33B, GIVES WOMEN A PASS ON ALL NEGATIVE MITZVOTH EXCEPT TWO: TRIMMING BEARDS, AND VIEWING THE DEAD. HENCE A WOMAN CAN VIEW THE DEAD, AND IF SHE WERE ABLE TO GROW  A BEARD, SHE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO TRIM IT OFF.

 

WOMEN MUST DO THE RULES OF NIDDAH AND MICKVAH AS PER THEIR MENSES CYCLE AND THESE ARE POSITIVE COMMANDMENTS AND VERY TIME BOUND.

 

THEY MUST ON SHABBAT SAY KIDDISH ON THE WINE, AS THE 4TH COMMANDMENT  OF REMEMBERING THE SABBATH WAS GIVEN TO WOMEN ALSO. AND THEY MUST LIGHT THE CHANUKAH CANDLES.

 

WOMEN ARE OBLIGATED TO LIGHT SHABBAT CANDLES, AS PER SHABBAT 31B, BUT FOR AN ODD REASON. THEY ARE ATONING FOR EVE'S SIN OF BRINGING DEATH INTO THE WORLD, BY KILLING ADAM'S PURE SOUL, BY FEEDING HIM THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT.  PROVERBS 20:27 SAYS "THE CANDLE OF GOD IS THE SOUL OF MAN." SO A WOMEN MUST LIGHT SHABBAT CANDLES TO BRING LIFE AND LIGHT BACK INTO THE WORLD.

 

THE RAMBAM IN HILKHOT TEMDIM V'MUSAFIN CHAPTER 3 REPEATS THIS BUT ADDS THAT ITS A WOMENS DUTY ANYWAY TO DO HOUSE HOLD CHORES, AND MORE SO, WOMEN HAVE MORE SPIRITUALITY THAN MEN DO, SO THEY ARE GIVEN THIS SPIRITUAL MITZVAH.

 

WOMEN WERE OBLIGATED  TO MAKE THE THREE PILGRIMAGES, OFFER THE PASSOVER SACRIFICE, AND OFFER THE TODAH (THANKSGIVING ) SACRIFICE WHEN THEY GAVE BIRTH. THESE WERE POSITIVE COMMANDMENTS AND TIME BOUND, BUT SINCE 70 CE, WHEN THE TEMPLE WAS DESTROYED, NO LONGER CAN BE PERFORMED.
 
Happy Hannukkah! THANK YOU, AND TO YOU AND YOURS AS WELL. MANY BLESSINGS, RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL

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