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RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:SAVRI MARANAN
Shalom:
In keeping with the Talmudic adage of 'learning more from one's students than learning from one's teachers, ' I am proud to publish a Talmid's comment to RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: EMBARRASSED CHALLAH .
From S. Cohen-Kay: '' While I have found the exact quote in the Tur, the Arba'ah Turim , by 13-14th century Spanish Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher on challah having 'feelings' when the Beracah is said for the wine before being said before the challah in a siman in the Orach Chayim section, I could not find this quoted in Talmud Yerushalmi. Sorry. It may be part of the Oral Tradition that did not make it into the text, or a cute Midrash, or just a medieval folk legend giving an ethical
lesson on why challah is covered.
However, I did find some other references to emotions and challah, and also to the earth.
Before saying the Beracah of ha Motzi thanking God for bread, we make a small scratch into the bread with a knife, but are careful not to cut and 'hurt' the bread, until we have blessed God and the bread is now ready to be cut quickly and eaten.
If we say Kiddush over bread and not wine on Shabbat, we still add Savri Maranan ve-rabanan ve-rabotai: according to the Tur as Kabbalistically it brings each prayer to the same number of 72 words.
lesson on why challah is covered.
However, I did find some other references to emotions and challah, and also to the earth.
Before saying the Beracah of ha Motzi thanking God for bread, we make a small scratch into the bread with a knife, but are careful not to cut and 'hurt' the bread, until we have blessed God and the bread is now ready to be cut quickly and eaten.
If we say Kiddush over bread and not wine on Shabbat, we still add Savri Maranan ve-rabanan ve-rabotai: according to the Tur as Kabbalistically it brings each prayer to the same number of 72 words.
What is Savri Maranan some reading may ask? Literally it means ''Attention gentlemen,'' or ''Gentlemen, what is your opinion?'' We are asking permission, in the case of wine, to drink the wine, because grapes, the Talmud teaches was the fruit that Adam ate and brought sin and hence death into the world. Wine was also used in Hebraic times, the Talmud, as sedative before executing someone. So the leader is asking for permission to use something which can be used for 'bad' to be used for 'good'. The others in attendance respond with L'Chayim, meaning we are using the wine for life-affirming Shabbat and are not hurting the feelings of the wine and blaming it for things its ancestors did in the past.
Now the idea of all inert objects having feelings is completely Jewish and not 'new age.' The Prophet Habakkuk says : "A stone in the wall will cry out and a beam from the tree will respond." [Hab. 2:11]. The sages use this to state that when Moshiac comes, all objects will speak and tell us of their emotions.
In this realm of life, trees, bread, the ground, et. al. are all silent. Many humans treat them with indifference. But in a future time, the sages teach, the ground will say: "Why did so and so trample on me when he was not even thinking or speaking words of Torah?''
What separates us from the animals is our power to speak prayers and to learn Torah. For eons animals have trampled over the inert objects of the earth, the forests, the seas, lakes, grass, etc. God is waiting, the sages teach, for just two Jews to walk the earth while just discussing Torah. Until that time, the earth is thinking, "You too are just like the animals.''
So this is a little more of how inert objects are said to have emotions and teach us mere mortals lessons.
Have a blessed Shabbat.''
Now the idea of all inert objects having feelings is completely Jewish and not 'new age.' The Prophet Habakkuk says : "A stone in the wall will cry out and a beam from the tree will respond." [Hab. 2:11]. The sages use this to state that when Moshiac comes, all objects will speak and tell us of their emotions.
In this realm of life, trees, bread, the ground, et. al. are all silent. Many humans treat them with indifference. But in a future time, the sages teach, the ground will say: "Why did so and so trample on me when he was not even thinking or speaking words of Torah?''
What separates us from the animals is our power to speak prayers and to learn Torah. For eons animals have trampled over the inert objects of the earth, the forests, the seas, lakes, grass, etc. God is waiting, the sages teach, for just two Jews to walk the earth while just discussing Torah. Until that time, the earth is thinking, "You too are just like the animals.''
So this is a little more of how inert objects are said to have emotions and teach us mere mortals lessons.
Have a blessed Shabbat.''
Ditto!
Rabbi Arthur Segal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Hilton Head Island, SC
Bluffton, SC
Savannah, GA
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