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Having a Spiritual Shabbat
How to Have a Spiritual Shabbat in Modern Times
"…It was evening and it was morning, the sixth day. And the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their host. And God completed on the seventh day His work, which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work, which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because in it he rested from all his work which God had created, to make..." (Genesis 1:31-2:3).
As modern Jews seeking Jewish Spiritual Renewal, we intrinsically understand that an omnipotent God does not need to rest. This is especially obvious because one of the aspects of spirituality is knowing that God is always available to us and that God "neither slumbers nor sleeps." (Ps. 121:4).
Hence, His instructions are often given to us metaphorically so that we will understand them. If God needs to rest on Shabbat, so do we need rest. He knows our nature. He knows that without telling us to rest and to set aside a day specifically for spirituality, we will not. Furthermore, if we do not live spiritually, being consciously connected to God at all times, we will not live a spiritual life. For example, if one goes to Shabbat services only once a week and does nothing spiritual throughout the rest of the week, one will not live a spiritual life.
The Shabbat service finished and the congregation was invited to a Kiddush lunch in the shul hall. During the Kiddush, Mordechai approached Rabbi Bloom, shook his hand and said, "Rabbi, you gave a good sermon today. You should have it published. "Thank you," said Rabbi Bloom, "but just between you and me, I'm planning to have all my sermons published posthumously."
"That's good news," said Mordechai. "The sooner the better!"
Never confuse feeling spiritual with living spiritually. As we all know, we can hold hands and dance the hora while singing "How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity. Heenai ma tov oo-manayim, shevet achim gam yachad," (Ps. 133.1) and ten minutes later drive past someone needing help with a flat tire.
This chapter is not going to be about how to have a halachah-based kosher Shabbat. If at some point in your Jewish Spiritual Renewal you decide that this strict observance has meaning to you, there are plenty of books, Web sites and a whole Tractate of Talmud (Shabbat) to tell you how. I am going to teach you how to have a spiritual Shabbat, one that you will grow in many ways over time.
Shabbat has always been a special time for Jews. The sages say that it is a gift from God and that the Sabbath was made for us, not we for it. The rabbis call the Sabbath an appetizer of the World to Come. It is like a bit of Heaven on Earth, so to speak. (Talmud Bavli Tractate Beracoth 57b).
God said to Moses, "I have a precious gift in My treasure house, and I present it to
The Sabbath has mystical qualities for those who wish to accept them. In Sarah's tent, a special miracle proclaimed that The Divine presence dwelled therein. The lamp she lit every Friday evening in honor of the Divine day of rest miraculously kept burning all week until the next Friday evening. When Sarah died, the miracle of her Shabbat lamp ceased. On the day of Sarah's passing, Rebecca was born. When Rebecca was brought to Sarah's tent as the destined wife of Sarah's son, Isaac, the miracle of the lamp returned! Once again the light of Shabbat filled the tent of the matriarch of
Abe had done very well in business and had amassed a small fortune. Now he was looking to create the most unique and spectacular bar mitzvah ever for his son David. But what should it be? He dismissed the bar mitzvah Safari – too many families had already done it. But then, after much investigation, Abe was sure he had cracked it. He would rent a spaceship and David would be the first bar mitzvah space boy. He started on the plans immediately.
In due course, the spaceship took off with his family and friends (and his Rabbi, of course) on board. When they returned, the media was there to find out how the journey had gone.
The first person off the shuttle was the bubbe.
"How was the service, grandma?" asked the Jewish News reporter.
"OK," she replied.
"And how was David's speech?"
"OK."
"So how was the food?"
"OK."
"Everything was just OK? Why aren't you more enthusiastic? What went wrong?"
"There was no atmosphere."
Your home should be a spiritual center, a "merkaz ruchani." Celebrating Shabbat at home is a wonderful way to do this, but how do you start? It can seem so daunting.
Well, take what you would normally do on a Friday night and put a Shabbat spin on it. If you're used to going out for dinner with friends, invite them over, even if they're not Jewish. My non-Jewish friends love and appreciate the Shabbats in my home because they always find something to learn about their own religions or the roots of their religions.
Maurice and Sadie invited Nigel, their gentile neighbor for a Shabbat dinner. The first course was served and Sadie said to Nigel, "This is matzah ball soup."
When Nigel saw the two large matzah balls in the soup, he was hesitant to taste this strange-looking brew. But Maurice gently persuaded him to try it. "Just have a taste. If you don't like it, you don't have to finish it, honestly."
So Nigel dug his spoon in and picked up a small piece of matzoh ball with some soup. He tasted it gingerly and found that he liked it very much. Nigel quickly devoured the whole bowl.
"That was delicious", said Nigel. "Can you eat any other part of the matzoh?"
Order two challahs from your local chain grocery a day or two before Friday. Yes, chain groceries will make challah for you. Why two? "See, God has given you the Shabbat. Therefore, on the sixth day, He gives you manna for two days. Let each man remain in his place; let no man leave his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day." (Exodus 16:29-30). In the wilderness for forty years, God gave the Hebrews manna every day except on Saturdays. On Friday He gave the Hebrews a double portion, so they would have food on Saturday and not have to work on Saturday harvesting it.
Today we place two challah loaves on the Shabbat table and cover them with a cloth to represent the dew-covered, double portion of manna that came down from heaven in honor of Shabbat. Spiritually this reminds us that God is always looking out for us. You can explain this to your guests.
"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day you shall have sanctity, a day of complete rest to God." (Exodus 35:2). The sages teach that work is defined as what we would do to make a home for God out of the materials of our physical lives and that this work is the work we must cease on Shabbat.
Studying God's detailed instructions to Moses for the making of the Sanctuary, the rabbis (Talmud Bavli, Tractate Shabbat 73a) identified thirty-nine "melachot" (categories of creative work) that were involved in the making of the Sanctuary. These include: all stages of agricultural work from plowing and sowing to reaping and winnowing and baking, weaving and sewing, writing, building, and lighting a fire. The 39 melachot and their derivatives form the basis and core of the laws of Shabbat rest.
If there is something on this list that can wait until Sunday, try putting it off until then. Personally, I can honestly say that I have never committed the sin of winnowing on Shabbat nor have I ever done winnowing on the other six days of the week!
A good sermon should have a good beginning and a good ending…and they should be as close together as possible!
Light the two Shabbat candles at your table with a blessing to God, thanking Him for the Sabbath, and make a blessing to God for giving us fruit of the vine, such as wine or grape juice, and of course the challah bread. You can refer back to the chapter on prayer for these blessings. Why two candles? Talmud Bavli Tractates Shavuot 20b and Sanhedrin 119b tell us that we are obligated to light the Shabbat candles as they represent the two versions of the Ten Commandments (Ex. and Deut.) with the different words: shamor v' zachor, guard (obey) and remember.
Serve some special foods that you would normally not eat during the week. Shabbat is special, so make the night special! Caesar asked Rabbi Joshua ben Channanya, "Why do Shabbat foods smell so good? Said he to him: We have a special spice, 'Shabbat' is its name..." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 119a).
You might ask how the sages prepared for Shabbat. "It was said of the sage Shammai that all his days he ate for the honor of the Shabbat. How so? For when he found a prime calf, he would say, 'This is for Shabbat.' Then, if he found a better one, he would set aside that one for Shabbat and eat the first one...." (Talmud Bavli, Tractate Beitza 16b).
"Said R. Judah in the name of Rav, 'So was the custom of R. Judah bar Illa'i: On Friday, they would bring before him a tub filled with hot water, and he would wash his face, hands, and feet; he then wrapped himself in fringed sheets and would have the appearance of an angel of God.'" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 25b).
Rava would personally prepare the fish for Shabbat. Rav Chisda chopped vegetables. Raba and Rav Yosef chopped wood. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak would be seen running about on Friday carrying bundles on his shoulders. Many of these were wealthy men who had numerous servants to do their work, yet they insisted on personally toiling in honor of the Shabbat. (Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 119a).
What did Rabbi Ahad Ha'am mean when he said, "More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews?" An Erev Shabbat meal with appropriate blessings is a wonderful encore for one who has been away from Judaism to return, to be renewed. For those on a path of Jewish Spiritual Renewal, Shabbat is day to which one can look forward to sharing with family and friends and which should be set aside as a time for rest and spiritual renewal.
The phone rang at a leading law firm.
The receptionist answered, "Levy, Minkoff and Rokenson. How may I help you?"
"Hello." said the caller, "May I speak to Mr. Levy please?"
"Mr. Levy is out of the office," answered the receptionist, "this is Shabbat."
"OK, Miss Shabbat. Would you please give him the message that his car is fixed and he can pick it up any time?"
The Shabbat table is a place for sacred conversation. Discuss the Torah portion, or a bit of Ethics of the Fathers. Trust me when I tell you that your non-Jewish friends will enjoy and have much to share. This elevates the meal from simply a dinner to a Shabbat spiritual experience. Avoid secular conversation such as Sunday's football action. Steer clear of the water-cooler talk because it could lead to gossip, and you know what we think about that!
"The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world. He who wants to enter the holiness of the day must first lay down the profanity of clattering commerce, of being yoked to toil. He must go away from the screech of dissonant days, from the nervousness and fury of acquisitiveness and the betrayal in embezzling his own life. He must say farewell to manual work and learn to understand that the world has already been created and will survive without the help of man. Six days a week we wrestle with the world, wringing profit from the earth; the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul," (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel).
Make your Shabbat about relationships. The 16th century Safed (a town in
"Come my beloved to welcome the bride, the Shabbat presence, let us receive 'Safeguard' and 'remember' said in a single utterance, the one and only God made us hear. The Lord is One; His Name is One, for renown, for splendor and for praise. To greet Shabbat, come let us go, for it is a source of blessing. From the beginning from antiquity she was honored. Last in deed but first in thought...Enter in peace, the husband's crown, even in gladness and good cheer, amid the faithful of a chosen people. Enter O Bride! Enter O Bride!"
Psalm 92 was written especially for Shabbat. It is a good poem to read and discuss at the table. Is the evil in the Psalm outside us? Or is it the evil thoughts that are inside us? Is the Psalm telling us that by keeping Shabbat and keeping God close to us every moment of every day, helps us overcome our yetzer ha ra?
i. A psalm, a song for Shabbat day.
ii. It is good to give thanks to God, and to sing to your name, Most High!
iii. To tell over your kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness in the night.
iv. On an instrument of ten strings, and on the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
v. Because you, God, have made me happy through your actions; I will triumph through the works of your hands.
vi. How great is your work, God! Very deep are your intentions!
vii. A stupid man does not know, a fool does not understand this.
viii. When wicked people bloom like grass, and all the workers of evil flourish; it is in order to destroy them forever.
ix. And You, God, are most high forever.
x. For, behold, your enemies, God, for, behold, Your enemies will perish, all the workers of evil will be scattered.
xi. But you will raise my horn like the horn of a wild ox; I will be anointed with fresh oil.
xii. My eye has seen the downfall of my enemies, and my ears have heard the doom of the wicked who rise up against me.
xiii. The righteous person blooms like a palm tree, he grows like a cedar in
xiv. Those that are planted in the house of God, in the courtyards of God they shall bloom.
xv. They still grow fruit in old age; they are fat and flourishing.
xvi. To declare that God is upright, He is my rock and there is no imperfection in Him.
Beat the Rosh Hashanah rush, enjoy this week's Shabbat. Don't give up on your spiritual growth. Even Moses was once a "basket case"!
Shabbat does require some preparation. "If you don't put in the effort the day before, what are you going to eat on Shabbat?" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Avodah Zarah 3a). Like everything else you have done toward your Jewish Spiritual Renewal, it is work well worth the effort. After you keep Shabbat a few times, you will develop a routine and it will be easy and joyful.
Resh Lakish said that on Shabbat Eve one is given an extra soul, and when Shabbat leaves, it is taken from him. (Talmud Bavli Tractate Beitza 16a). As mentioned, you should make Shabbat special even if at first you do only one thing different than on other nights. "One must do something extra for Shabbat." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Pesachim 112a).
You can also ask God to bless your friends, your spouse and your children. For children who are present, ask God by placing both hands on the child's head and, for boys say:
May you grow to be like Ephraim and Menasah. Ye-simkha elohim k-ephraim v khe-m'nasheh.
For girls say:
May you grow to be like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. Ye-simakh elohim ke-sara rivka rahel v laeh.
For all children, including those not present, continue with the Priestly Benediction:
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord never turn His face from you. May the Lord always look on you kindly and give you peace. Y'varekhe-kha Adonai v'yish-mrekha. Ya'er Adonai panav ei-lekha ve-khoonekha. Ye-sah Adonai panav ei-lekha v'yasem lekha shalom.
For a wife it is customary for her husband to read to her from the end of the book of Proverbs, a Woman of Valor, Eshet Chayil. Proverbs 31:
"Eshet chayil mi yimtza v'rachok mip'ninim michrah. A woman of valor, who can find? Her value is far beyond rubies. Batach bah lev ba'lah v'shalal lo yechsar. Her husband's heart relies on her and he shall lack no fortune. G'malathu tov v'lo ra kol y'mei chayeiha. She does him good and not evil, all the days of her life.''
To bless your friends or your husband, just say a prayer to God with words from your heart with kavenah, pure spiritual intention.
Don't forget to say the blessings after the meal (see Chapter 8). When you are comfortable, add Shabbat prayers from your Jewish prayer book (siddur) to your Shabbat evening and morning prayers.
When Saturday arrives make your prayer and meditation sessions special. If you are ready to add special Shabbat prayers to your normal routine, do so. If you have a God-based spiritually-oriented synagogue to attend, where you feel comfortable, go and hear the words of Torah and Talmud and, hopefully, a sermon that brings you closer to God. You can pray and read Torah at home if you are in an area where the synagogue is closed on Shabbat, or you are not comfortable with the spirituality of the rabbi or congregants. God can still hear you. In fact, He will hear you better, as your mind will not be cluttered with noise, others' body movements and secular conversation.
Sadie had a problem so she went to see the very wise Rabbi Levy. She asked him, "Two members of our shul, Bernard Himmelfarb and Jacob Gold, are both in love with me, Rabbi. Who will be the lucky one?"
Rabbi Levy replies, "Jacob will marry you, Sadie, but Bernard will be the lucky one."
Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Beracoth 1:5 reads: "Shabbat is equal to all of the other commandments of the Torah combined."
Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Shabbat 15a reads: "Shabbat was given to us in order to study Torah."
Rabbi Bachya, on Shemot {Exodus} 20:8 writes: "On Shabbat, King David would spend the entire day studying Torah."
Sefer Ben Ish Chai, Parashat Shemot tells us: "One hour of Torah study on Shabbat is equal to a thousand hours of Torah study during the week."
Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Ta'anit, 3B reads: "If all Jews would observe one Shabbat properly, the messiah would come immediately."
All of this study, prayer and rest can be done at home with your family. You can invite like-minded friends to study with you and pray with you. Judaism has become an organized religion (an oxymoron) with building funds, rabbinic salaries, and board member infighting all of which has detracted from the spirituality of Judaism. While this text is by no means meant to be anti-synagogue, it is very possible to have Jewish Spiritual Renewal outside of the walls of a synagogue if you cannot find one that meets your spiritual needs.
The Talmud backs this up and further stresses the importance of inviting guests to your home for Shabbat in lieu of going to synagogue. The Talmud speaks about the centrality of welcoming guests in Jewish tradition. "On Shabbat one is allowed to remove four or five large bundles of straw or wheat in order to make room for guests and to prevent people from leaving because of over crowding." (Babylonian Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 127b). The rabbis are letting us carry, which is something normally prohibited on Shabbat, for the sake of dining with friends on Shabbat.
Commenting on this in the Talmud, Rabbi Yochanan said, "Welcoming guests is as great as rising early to go to the Beit Midrash (synagogue) as it is taught in the Mishnah: 'In order to make room for guests on Shabbat and to prevent people from leaving.'" Rabbi Dimi from Nahardea said, "Welcoming guests is greater, because the Mishna teaches it first and then talks about making room for students." Rabbi Yahudah said in the name of Rav, "Welcoming guests is greater than receiving the face of the Shekhinah (the Divine presence) as it is written." About Abraham, Genesis 18 says, "My lords if it pleases you do not go on past your servant. Let a little water be brought."
So let your home be open to guests on Shabbat for meals, blessings, prayer, study and spiritual conversation. God will be with you even if you are not at a synagogue. Mishna Pirkei Avot 3:3: "When two sit together and words of Torah pass between them, the Divine Presence rests between them, as it is written." Malachi 3:16: "Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name."
If you are without human companionship on Shabbat, you are not alone. The Mishna continues, "Scripture speaks here of two. Whence do we learn that if even one sits and occupies himself in the Torah, the Holy One blessed be he, appoints him a reward? Because it is written (Lamentations 3:28) 'to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it.'"
Nathan went to shul (synagogue) one Shabbat and Rabbi Bloom nearly fainted when he saw him. Nathan had not set foot inside a shul since his bar mitzvah. At the end of the Service, Rabbi Bloom said to Nathan, "I'm very pleased to see you here today, what made you come?"
Nathan replied, "I'll be honest with you, rabbi. I lost my favorite hat about 3 months ago and I really miss it. A friend of mine told me that Kenneth Gold has a hat just like mine. He also told me that Gold comes to shul every Shabbat, always takes off his hat before Service begins, leaves it in the cloakroom at the back of the shul and replaces it with his yarmulke. So I was going to leave after the Torah reading and steal Gold's hat."
Rabbi Bloom answered, "Well Nathan, I notice that you didn't steal Gold's hat after all. While I'm very glad, please tell me why you changed your mind."
"Well rabbi," said Nathan, "after I heard your sermon on the Ten Commandments, I decided that I didn't need to steal Gold's hat."
Rabbi Bloom smiled and said, 'I suppose you decided against it after you heard me talking about 'Thou Shalt Not Steal"?"
"Not exactly, rabbi," replied Nathan. "After you talked about 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' I remembered where I left my hat."
When nightfall arrives on Saturday, Shabbat is over. You can have another dinner and start it with a short Havdallah service. This literally means "separation" between Shabbat and the six-day week, which begins when three stars are discernable on Saturday night. All you need is wine or grape juice, a special Havdallah candle which is braided and can be ordered from many Web sites and Judaic stores, and some spice, like cloves or cinnamon. You can buy a Havdallah spice box. But if you wish to do Havdallah this Saturday night and have the cloves and two regular candles that can be held or melted together, you are ready to perform the ceremony.
The first of the four Havdallah blessings is made over wine:
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melech ha'olam,
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe.
Borei p'ri hagafen. (Amen) Who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)
The second blessing is recited over fragrant spices. The spices represent a compensation for the loss of the special Sabbath spirit. The spices commonly used are cloves, cinnamon or bay leaves. They are commonly kept in a special decorated holder called a b'samim (spice) box.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melech ha'olam, borei minei v'samim. (Amen)
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe, Who creates varieties of spices. (Amen)
The third blessing is recited over the special, multi-wicked Havdallah candle. Havdallah candles can be obtained from Jewish gift stores. They have six wicks and make a beautiful flame. The six wicks remind us of the six secular days we are about to enter. If you cannot obtain a Havdallah candle, you can hold two candles close together so that their flames overlap. Use long, thin candles that you have warmed and twisted together. Lighting a flame is a vivid way of marking the distinction between the Sabbath and the weekday because we cannot kindle a flame on the Sabbath.
After the blessing is recited, hold your hands up to the flame with curved fingers so you can see the shadow of your fingers on your palms. Check to see that your fingernails are clean. Why? On Shabbat, one cannot light a flame and do work by it. As minor as checking one's fingernails for dirt under a flame, it is prohibited work. This ritual lets us see and do something that is allowed on the normal six days of the week. We light the candle because it would be improper to recite a blessing for a commandment and then not perform the mitzvah.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melech ha'olam.
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe. borei m'orei ha'eish. (Amen)
Who creates the light of the fire. (Amen)
The final blessing is the Havdallah blessing itself, which is the blessing over the separation of different things. The blessing is recited over the wine. After the blessing is complete, drink the wine. Then use a few drops of wine to extinguish the candle's flame.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melech ha'olam.
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
hamav'dil bein kodesh l'chol
Who separates between sacred and secular.
bein or l'choshekh bein Yis'ra'eil la'amim
between light and darkness, between
bein yom hash'vi'i l'sheishet y'mei hama'aseh.
between the seventh day and the six days of labor.
Baruch atah Adonai, hamav'dil bein kodesh l'chol (Amen).
Blessed are You, Lord, who separates between sacred and secular. (Amen)
The Havdallah ceremony concludes with singing songs. Two traditional songs are Shavuah Tov and Eliahu HaNavi.
Shavuah Tov (A Good Week):
Shavuah tov, Shavuah tov, Shavuah tov, Shavuah tov, Shavuah tov, Shavuah tov, Shavuah tov, Shavuah tov.
A good week, a week of peace, may gladness reign and joy increase.
Eliahu Ha Navi (Elijah the Prophet):
Eliahu Ha Navi, Eliahu Ha Tishbi, Eliahu Ha Giladi. Bimheira, yavo aleinu, im mashiach ben David, im mashiach ben David. Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah the Gileadite.
With speed, come to us, With the Messiah, the son of David.
Peter, a street trader, set up his pitch right outside the synagogue. One day Peter's friend, Jed, who is also a trader, happens to walk by the synagogue and sees Peter. "Hey Peter, I hear you're doing very well here. What's your secret then?"
"It's easy," replied Peter. "When one of my clients comes out of the synagogue, I always say something like, 'good Shabbos, Mr. Levy, how was the Kiddush?' or 'good yontif Mr. Cohen, how was the service today?'"
"But how do you remember all these words?" asks Jed.
"Easy." said Peter, pointing to his head, "I keep them right up here in my toches!"
Note that you use all of your senses in this short but spiritual ceremony: seeing the flame, smelling the spices, tasting the wine, feeling your fingers curling backwards, hearing the flame as it is extinguished with wine and voices singing praises of thanks to God. The use of the senses creates memories that will sustain you through the week until the next Shabbat.
Shabbat is now over and you have enjoyed a respite from the world with your family, friends, God and your growing spirituality. Remember, Shabbat is a celebration of your relationship with God and with the people in your life. Sometimes these relationships are difficult. We all experience moments of anger, frustration, even doubt of God's presence in our lives. This is when you must access God, especially when in doubt, and ask Him to remove these thoughts. The Kabbalistic prayer Lecha Dodi teaches that at the root of your relationship with God is the love and understanding of a parent or perhaps a loving spouse. May you live with wholeness, (shlema), joy, shalom, and freedom in knowing that God, with His gift of Shabbat, is present in your life.
In the next class, we will look at the spiritual lessons you can learn from each of the Jewish holidays as they cycle through the calendar.
As always a D'var Torah on this Shabbat's Torah portion follows.
Shalom,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
via Shamash Org, on-line class service
Hilton Head Island,SC
Bluffton,SC
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:CHUMASH CANDESCENCE: PARASHA KI TAVO:DEUTERONOMY 26:01-29:08
CHUMASH CANDESCENCE
DEUTERONOMY 26:01-29:08
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
via Shamash Org, on-line class service
Hilton Head Island,SC
Bluffton,SC
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
"He's Making His List, He's Checking it Twice, He's Gonna Find Out if You're Naughty or Nice..."
(A reader asked to define Chumash and Parasha :
the Hebrew word for the number five. A parasha is a section of the
Chumash. We usually have one parasha for each Shabbat and special ones
for the Holy Days and holidays. The Chumash and all of its parashat
(plural of parasha) is read on a yearly cycle that begins and ends on the
holiday of Simchat Torah, in which we rejoice in the giving of the
Torah. This is 8 days after the fall harvest festival of Sukkoth (feast
of Booths, i.e., the Jewish Thanksgiving) begins.)
This Shabbat's parasha gives us the rules of the tithing of the first
fruits, and the famous blessings and the infamous curses. To read why two
tailors had a fist fight on the bimah as well as more insight into this
portion, please read on.
Just before the Israelites were about to cross the Jordan and enter the
Land of Israel, Moses read them a series of 12 commandments. The
Israelites were commanded to write "this Torah" (Deut. 27:04) on stones
covered in plaster. It is clear that it was to be this particular
teaching (the Hebrew word Torah means instruction), and not the entire
Chumash which would have been impossible to fit onto two stones. The
sages in Talmud Tractate Sotah 32A say that the entire Chumash was
inscribed on these two stones. Rashi adds that it was done in the 70
known languages of the time as well. Rabbi Saadiah Gaon (Saadiah the
Genius of the ninth-century CE) says the stones had only the 613
commandments and not the text of the Torah. Other scholars, quoting
Josephus (first century CE Jewish-Roman historian), say it clearly means
the stones had only these 12 commandments from this parasha.
Before I review these twelve commandments, let me review briefly the
curses and the blessings. The blessings are given first and the curses
follow. The curses are the opposite of the blessings. If there is a
blessing to have rain and good crops, there is a curse to have drought
and no food. There are 68 verses of blessings and curses. The curses do
not paint a pretty picture. If you have watched any World War Two
Holocaust movies, these curses come close to describing the horrors of
that Shoah. The traditional view is that if you follow the commandments,
you will be blessed, and if you do not, you will be cursed.
Traditionally, God is the blesser or the curser.
Let us review these 12 commandments. These were mitzvoth (commandments)
that were so important that they were to be written on stones. The were
so important, that the entire nation was divided into two. Each half
ascended one of two mountains. The Levites yelled these commandments with
everyone screaming "Amen!!" (Deut. 27:11-14).
Here are these twelve commands, paraphrased:
1. No idols.
2. No degrading your parents.
3. No moving of another's real estate boundary marker.
4. No leading a blind man astray.
5. No perverting justice of the widow, orphan or stranger.
6. No incest with your father's wife.
7. No sex with animals.
8. No incest with your sister.
9. No incest with your mother-in-law.
10. No striking another secretly.
11. No bribe taking.
12. No ignoring of "this instruction."
Let's categorize them. Mitzvoth 6,7,8 and 9 are clearly laws against
incest and bestiality. Mitzvoth 5 and 11 are telling us to have fair and
honest court systems. Number 2 is similar to honoring one's parents but
does not give the positive command of honoring, just the negative command
of not degrading. Number One is not telling us to believe in God, or the
God of the Jews, but just not to make or worship idols. Commandments 3
and 4 are mitzvoth not to steal, but also to have fair business
practices. We have learned that a person coming into a shop or even a
professional's office is "blind" and can be easily taken advantage. The
idea of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) is not a Jewish idea. Number
10 is both an admonition not to hit, but also not to murder. It is also a
warning not to do loshan hara (evil speech) and gossip behind the
someone's back, as this can kill one's reputation. The 12th commandment
is telling us to pay attention to these eleven commandments, so there are
really only eleven commandments folded into six categories. Do these six
categories sound familiar?
In the chapter on Noah which we will come to this November, we will read
about the seven Noahide laws. These seven laws are what all peoples are
to follow to be considered righteous. They are: no idols, no blaspheming
of God, establishing courts of justice, no murder, no adultery or incest,
no robbing, and no eating of meat cut from a living animal. The
Deuteronomy categories have the law about not degrading one's parents
added, but have the laws against blaspheming God and eating live animal
flesh deleted. If we assume that we can roll the "no blasphemy" rule
into the "no idol" rule, and if we further assume that the eating of live
limbs from animals stopped after Noah's time, and therefore no law was
needed for this practice at this time, we are really left with the
Noahide laws. Von Rad in his text, Deuteronomium, calls these twelve
laws the Shechem Dodecalogue and says they are the oldest list of
prohibitions in the Torah.
The Levites are not on the mountain tops yelling about the kosher
dietary rules. They are not screaming about the laws of sacrifice. They
are not even yelling about Shabbat or other Jewish holidays. The are
admonishing the nation of Israel to be righteous in their dealing with
their fellow human beings, Jew and non-Jew alike. Any nation that treated
each other in a way opposite these six category's rules would fail within
time. God would not be the agent of the curses. Man himself would be his
own agent.
Traditionally the entire Torah portion is chanted on Shabbat and seven
different people are called to the Torah to either chant the Hebrew
themselves or make a blessing and allow the Rabbi to chant for him. The
honor of being called up to the bimah (pulpit) is called an alliyah (from
the Hebrew word "to go up"). However it was considered a dishonor to be
called for an alliyah to chant these curses from this week's Torah
portion. Sometimes the sexton of the synagogue would be paid to do this
duty. Instead of being called up to the Torah by his name, as is the
custom, he would be called to the bimah as "he who wishes." When these
curses are read, they are read quickly and in hushed tones.
In some congregations, the community's worst sinner would be called up to
take this alliyah. One cannot refuse this calling to the Torah. The story
is told of a gabbai (the one in charge of giving out bimah honors) who
was a tailor in an eastern European town. He did not get along with his
competitor tailor who he suspected of using cheaper materials, stealing
his business, and working of the Sabbath. In those days, everyone in
town, except the very ill, showed up for Shabbat services. So the
gabbai-tailor called his competitor to the bimah to take the alliyah of
the reading of the curses. This was a major insult to the second tailor
whose entire family and many clients were in the synagogue. A shouting
match ensued which turned into a fist fight on the bimah. Our negative
actions can bring about our own curses.
As we learned in this D'var Torah today one of the six major categories
of heinous crimes is "striking a man in secret." Our sages interpret this
as doing loshan hara, as well as murder. Loshan hara is not only
gossiping untruths about another, it is even talking about negative
truths about another. But the rules of loshan hara as defined by Rabbi
Israel Kagan of 20th-century Europe, known as the Chofeitz Chaim, are
more detailed. It is a sin for person A to approach person B with a
negative comment about person C. It is an equal sin for person B to
allow person A to continue the conversation. Person B's obligation,
under the man-to-man laws which modern Judaism has not abrogated, is to
advise person A to talk to person C directly. If person B received a
letter from person A about person C, he should return the letter with
this advice and without further comment. Under no circumstance should
person B go and tell person C that person A has complaints about him, and
worse yet, person B should never say to person C that an unnamed person
has complaints about him. This type of behavior tends to divide people
and not bring them together.
compromise, communicate, and get along. We have to be polite, assertive
and honest with one another. Saying that it is a Southern way to smile at
someone and then talk behind their back is not a valid excuse. This is
truly "uga-ly." If we are to be the people of Shalom (peace) and be a
light unto the other nations to help bring about world peace, how can we
show that we can achieve Shalom Olam (world peace) when we cannot
accomplish Shalom Bayat (peace in the house)? We cannot expect our
individual congregants to grasp this concept if they were not taught it.
However, the URJ guidelines for officers of a Holy Congregation do
teach these ethics. If our leaders engage in loshan hara, how can we
expect our congregants not to follow suit?
The Mishna teaches that "whoever occupies himself with the study of Torah
for its own sake merits many things. He is called a friend and a beloved.
He loves God and he loves God's created beings. He brings joy to God and
he brings joy to God's created beings. The Torah garbs him in
humility...it keeps him far from sin and closer to meritorious deeds. The
Torah (not man) bestows upon him royalty, authority, and judgment. He
becomes a fountain which flows with ever-increasing strength. He becomes
modest, patient, and forgiving of insult." We are told that in Torah,
we were "given good teachings"(Proverbs 4:2). We are told in the same
verse "not to forsake them." As we have learned in this series, there is
so much more to Torah than laws of ritual minutia. It really can be a way
of life. Yet those who study it in modern temple are sometimes considered
odd and out-of-place.
Some congregants actually feel threatened by Torah study in their
temples or threaten by those who know more than they do.
in some of our modern temples, are missing out on beautiful instructions
that will help them lead and guide ethically and fairly.
To those that look at Torah study as a threat to their way of prayer or
Judaism, I say that it is not. If anything, Torah study shows that all
are beloved of God. Even the Talmud, which our traditional brothers and
sisters think is the word of God, says that abbreviated prayer in your
own language with concentrated attention is better than a complete Hebrew
prayer service with no understanding. Modern Judaism is about choice. And
just as we abhor those in other movements who call modern Jews "not real
Jews", we would abhor anyone in our own Temple calling Jews who choose
not to attend class or services "lesser Jews." We would abhor anyone
calling Torah study attendees "too Jewish."
Judaism. There is no halakah (Jewish law codes) for one to follow. We
are all equal. And whether we say "Shabbat Shalom" or "Good Shabbos",
whether we wear Kipot (skull caps) or not, or whether we like the Friday
night services with its Hebrew melodies or the Saturday morning service
with its classical hymns, we are all beloved by God. We need to be
all beloved by each other. This is our blessing.
the last two weeks of this month of Elul to make our lives a blessing.
When the New Year comes in Tishrei we will know we have all done our
best to bring blessings to our congregations and not curses.
Shabbat Shalom,
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
via Shamash Org, on-line class service
Hilton Head Island,SC
Bluffton,SC
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
original version written when Scholar-in-Residence at Congregation Temple Mickve Israel, Savannah, GA.
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