Bamidbar Haftorah: Why we read Hosea before the festival Of Pentecost - Shavuot and other Shavuot tid bits

BS”D

 

SHAVUOT

 

The deeper aspect of the 10 Commandments

 

I learnt from Rabbi Chaim Velozhiner's book  Nefesh HaChaim (he was a prominent student of the Vilna Gaon ztl,) that there are 3 faculties we have to serve Hashem

 

Thoughts  

Actions

Speech

 

I was thinking when we daven Shacharit we use all of these, represented by the  Tefellin shel Rosh (straps around our head), The Tefellin shel Yad (straps around our hand) and of course the words we use when we pray is Speech (Shema Yisrael).

I have written a post in January 2013 based on the commentary of the Ibn Ezra on these faculties as presented to us by Hashem in the 10 commandments to view this post, which is one of my most popular ones in terms of hits, click the heading on the top of this Blog page Cause of all causes – it will take you to the home page and click the arrows at the bottom until you find the post on the  Ten Commandments Part 1, to get there, scroll down to the post 22/1/2013 and 27/1/2013 for part 2,

 

Rav Pinchas ztl on Shavout (heard from David Mazabow)

 

Why no Mitzvahs for the specific Holiday  as we find on the other three holidays Sukkot (e.g. Command to take the 4 species of plants…) and Pesach (e.g. Command to eat Matzah…) but none on this day?

 

Why on Shavuos are there so few Mitzvot compared to any other Chag. On the other hand there are a fortune of minhagim such as staying up at night, cheesecake, decorating the shul etc.

The answer is that Shavuos is our wedding to Hashem. Thus it demonstrates our personal desire to want to marry Hashem. At a time like that it would not be appropriate for us to have commandments that we have to do...since it is all about choosing Hashem without being commanded...like a marriage. However there are a lot of minhagim since these represent our own desire to come close to Hashem through our own choice  The groom does not make demands of the bride on her Wedding day, she does for she loves.

 

On a Minhag

Is there a reason we eat milk and honey on Shavuot.

 

On the theme of marriage in ch. 4 V 11 of Shir ha Shirim King Shlomo says Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue.

 

We have a minhag to eat both Honey and Milk  - Rabbi Zale said both of these substances come from non-kosher sources a bee is not Kosher but it produces a Kosher product honey,  and the blood (not Kosher) of a ladies breast that transforms to milk (is Kosher), this is compared to when we received the Torah, we came from impurity to being Kosher! The Milk the Honey and the Jewish Nation all transformed into something Kosher! On breastfeeding that too is  a great wonder - the design of Hashem's creatures in Rabbi Bachya's book Duties of the heart he points out how a baby can suckle, we see how the design of the female body allows for this, with minimal leakage, how could anyone deny the wonders of our creator!

 

Our Vows are read this Shabbat the one that falls before Shavuot:

 

Bamidbar Haftorah HOSEA - Chapter 2

We betroth ourselves to Hashem every morning when winding the Tefillin staps around our hand and fingers saying Hosea’s words:

I will betroth you to me for ever;

I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, love and compassion;

I will betroth you to me in faithfulness,

And you will know G-d, (note in Hosea ch2 v 21 Hosea uses the term YkVk for G-d this represents Hashem's name as the Merciful father, in chapter 2 v 19-20 the original quotes of betrothal possibly speak about Elokim - the master creator, i.e. a less personal relationship that starts at the outset of the covenant, we work towards discovering the name YkVk (mercy) within the marriage! - (I heard this concept from Rabbi Weinberg this week)

The message we receive before entering into our marriage with Hashem on Sinai, is a vow we take before the wedding, should we be true to it we will know Hashem and experience him as the merciful G-d he is

 

A Good Shabbos and Yom tov

Michael


http://www.chiefrabbi.co.za/2013/05/generation-sinai-the-power-of-torah/

The Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein on Torah learning well worth reading

Today, Rosh Chodesh Sivan, is a very special day – the day of Generation Sinai. Jewish day schools throughout South Africa, and in fact throughout the world – in London, Manchester, Sidney, Melbourne, Rio, Buenos Aires and many other cities – are participating in this program, where parents and children learn Torah together at the start of the school day. It is so exciting and special that parents and children on different continents and across different time zones will all be gathering together to learn the same passage in the Torah – the Shema.
This campaign is an awesome demonstration of Jewish unity and the power of Torah not only to unify thousands of Jews all over the world but to connect us to generations of Jews who came before us, all of whom said the Shema and had a strong tradition of parents and children learning Torah together. Generation Sinai is sending out a very loud message to the world about the importance of Torah learning in general, and specifically between parents and children.
Children’s Torah learning sustains the world
There is an amazing passage in the Gemara (Shabbat 119b) which says that if the opportunity to build the Temple arose but in order to do so children would need to be taken out of school, away from their Torah learning, the children’s learning actually takes precedence. If the Mashiach were to arrive, even if he were in need of manpower to help build the Temple, we would not take the children out of school in order to go help build the Temple, because their learning is more important. As the Gemara says: “The world exists in the merit of children learning Torah.”
One would think that the building of the Temple takes precedence, as it has such long-term and far-reaching implications; what could be more important than building G-d’s house? Yet we see from this Gemara that children’s Torah learning is everything. There is nothing comparable to the power of Torah learning in sustaining the Jewish people – both on a national level and for each one of us in our own personal lives. It is our heart and soul, collectively and individually.
This point is illustrated by a passage in the Talmud which describes a crucial moment in Jewish history, when one of the great Talmudic Sages, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, was presented with an awful choice and had to make a split-second decision. The Roman general who had laid siege to the city of Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple had just been appointed Caesar. This newly appointed Caesar had great respect for Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, and because of this, he told him that he will grant him any one request. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had the opportunity to save the city of Jerusalem from destruction, as well as the Temple; but he was afraid to ask for too much lest he get nothing, and so he said to the Caesar, Ten li Yavneh vechachameha, “Give me Yavneh and its Sages,” as Yavneh at that time was the hub of Torah learning.
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai asked that Yavneh be spared, because He realised that the future of the Jewish people was more dependent on Torah learning than on the Temple. However precious and important the Temple in Jerusalem was, without Torah learning there would be no Jewish people; for it is through Torah learning that we understand the Divine vision of who we are, where we come from, why we are here and what we need to be doing.
The importance of Torah study
Generation Sinai is sending out a very loud, powerful message that Torah learning underpins our destiny, and is at the heart and soul of what it means to be a Jew. It attests to the importance of the bond between parents and children, as our heritage and values are passed from one generation to the next. Torah learning gives us the inspiration and direction for the future, and this is why the Talmud says Talmud Torah k’negged kulam, “The study of Torah is equivalent to all [the mitzvot].”
Elsewhere, where the Gemara talks about the questions that we are going to be asked in the heavenly court in the World to Come, the Gemara says that one of the very first questions we are going to be asked is Kavata itim laTorah, “did you set aside time to learn Torah?”
Torah learning is a daily obligation. We all need to set aside a fixed time for Torah study. It is a fundamental part of who we are, the very oxygen we breathe; it’s what sustains us as individuals and as the Jewish people. We must ensure that the effect of Generation Sinai is not just for today; the magnitude of this experience should inspire us to continue learning throughout the year.
Torah learning supersedes all
One may wonder, why is learning Torah so important, so much so that it is equivalent to all the other mitzvot? Why is Kavata itim laTorah one of the first questions we are going to be asked in the heavenly court?
One aspect is the clarity that the Torah gives us. The Gemara (Sotah, 21a) compares this world to a walk in a dark forest, where we can’t see what lies ahead. A candle will illuminate our immediate surroundings and help us somewhat in finding our way; but when the sun rises in the morning, the entire forest is illuminated. Then the dangers and uncertainties of the forest disappear and we can see exactly what is going on. When the sun rises, we are able to see the road signs guiding us where to go.
The Gemara uses this analogy to explain the difference between the mitzvot and Torah learning itself. We think of Torah learning as being just one of the mitzvot, but it is actually in a category of its own. The mitzvot are the physical actions we do, and they are certainly important as Judaism believes in a practical way of life, not just in theory. But the mitzvot, says the Gemara, are like holding the candle in the dark forest; they illuminate somewhat. Torah learning, however, is like the rising sun which illuminates the signposts, enabling us to see everything and know where to go. As the verse states, “For the mitzvah is a lamp, and the Torah [learning] is light”.
Life in this world can indeed be very confusing; but the Torah provides us with the clarity necessary to navigate through it. We can only begin to understand our lives and our purpose on this earth through learning Hashem’s wisdom. Often we are so busy with the immediate tasks in life that we don’t see the full picture; we don’t fully understand the values and the vision behind Judaism. But when we learn Torah, we get to see everything in our lives with clarity and the right perspective, which keeps us on track in the dark forest of this world. We need to know why we are here and how we can achieve our purpose in this world, and the way to achieve that is through learning Torah.
Torah study is not merely an intellectual pursuit
It’s important to realise that Torah learning is not just an intellectual pursuit. Of course Torah learning is an awesome intellectual experience because it is the wisdom of Hashem, but it should not be regarded simply as a book of information. There is an indispensible spiritual and the emotional component to it.
Rav Yerucham Levovitz, one of our great rabbinic thinkers of the twentieth century, says that this is why, when G-d gave us the Torah on Mount Sinai (which we will commemorate in a few days’ time, on Shavuot), the event was accompanied by thunder and lightning. It was an amazing experience, not simply because it was the handing over of information. The thunder and lightning, the sound effects and everything that happened, was not there as a prop or side show to the giving over of the text. Rav Yerucham says the reason the world literally shook when the Torah was given is because it is Hashem’s wisdom and therefore it had such a powerful impact.
The Torah is not just information, and therefore we must not treat it as such. Learning Torah is not like learning a maths text book or a history lesson. It’s Hashem’s wisdom and thoughts, and enables us to connect with Him. It has a spiritual energy that comes with it and we have to be sensitive to it and allow it to have an effect on us. The spiritual energy of the Torah connects with the neshama within each one of us, and therefore the experience of learning Torah is not something that can be explained in purely clinical terms. There is something much more powerful about it, something which touches us at our very core, and that is why Generation Sinai has had such an impact.
For the last three years, there has been such an outpouring of emotion following Generation Sinai. It touched a chord within people, more so than any ordinary experience. This is the power of Torah learning: ultimately, it is there to bring us joy and inspiration. Our Judaism is not meant to be a burden that weighs us down. It is meant to be uplifting, to show us a much better way to live life and become better people. We find inspiration in Judaism when we are grounded in Torah learning; it opens our hearts and enables us to better understand G-d’s wisdom, thus bringing us to a higher level of inspiration and joy.
This is why in the blessings said before learning Torah we say: Veha’arev na, asking Hashem to “make the words of the Torah sweet in our mouths.” Torah study is meant to be joyful, something from which we can derive real pleasure. And because the Torah is so vast and there are so many different topics to learn, each one of us can and should find that part which speaks to us personally and brings us joy. Torah study should be an integral part of our lives, not just another task to be completed, but something which uplifts and inspires us.
By participating in Generation Sinai, we are making the loudest possible proclamation – to ourselves and to the world – that Torah learning is everything. It is the foundation of who we are as a people and as individuals. It is our guiding light, the source of our inspiration and joy, the driving force behind our destiny and the basis for our future.
 

Behar and Bechukosai- The Jubilee and Sabbatical years appreciating our Creator

BS’D

 

This past Shabbos we read a double portion, the last two sedra’s of Leviticus.

Behar – Means: On the mountain

Bechukosai – Means: Laws or Statutes

Some background:

The Sedra Behar starts on the mountain of Sinai i.e. the place the Jewish Nation of Israel received the Torah and it laws and explanations, here we entered into a Covenant, a marriage with Hashem.

The Haftorah we read just before Shavuot, Parasha Bamidbar here Hosea concludes with these words

I will betroth you to me for ever;
I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, love and compassion;
I will betroth you to me in faithfulness,
And you will know G-d. (note in Hosea ch2 v 21 Hosea uses the term YkVk for G-d this represents Hashem's name as the Merciful father, in chapter 2 v 19-20 the original quotes of betrothal possibly speak about Elokim - the master creator, i.e. a less personal relationship  that starts at the outset of the covenant, we work towards discovering the name YkVk within the marriage! - (I heard this concept from Rabbi Weinberg)

The message we receive before entering into our marriage with Hashem on Sinai,  is a vow we take before the wedding, should we be true to it we will know Hashem as the Passuk from Bechukosai states ch 26 v 11,12 if we obey  "I will set my Sanctuary among you and my spirit will not Loath or reject you, I will walk among you and will be a G-d for you and you will be My People. "

 

We received both the Written and Oral laws at Sinai and we need to learn these laws well in order to understand Hashem’s will  in order to connect and come closer.  People always say just be good that is what counts, but what does good actually mean, we need to understand acceptable and unacceptable behaviour from the perspective of the Cause of all Causes, and this is an instruction in the Parasha Ch 26 v 3 The Hebrew “IM BECHUKOSAI TELCHU” it means "If you go forward (following) in my laws..."  Rashi of blessed memory teaches us "going forward" or following the laws means to grow through Torah study, as we begin to learn we can perform the will of G-d with more depth and in turn this allows us to come closer to G-d.

What then removes us from G-d, possibly unwillingness to change or reflect on the gift of life, or perhaps ignorance so even with good intentions we may fail, or it also may happen that we do start to grow and then lose momentum we get too comfortable, or lazy to continue, we stop appreciating or recognizing the source of our blessings. At times we do feel connected and then arrogance starts to creep in or through our accumulated wealth and achievements begin to feel like self-made men (Rabbi Taback equates this with denying G-d in the relationship), and G-d forbid forget  G-d's role and blessings in our efforts and our achievements, this attitude may well  then lead to stagnation and eventually (G-d Forbid) distancing from Hakodesh Baruch Hu  the Holy One, blessed is he.  This is a key lesson and warning in the double portion we have just completed reading.

I think the reason that prior to receiving the Torah we first had to come out of slavery, we experianced being enslaved to a human being with no freedom to grow, no independent spirit - like work horses or mules: this to teach us that true freedom comes from using our minds and hearts souls and resources in service of our beloved caring and all knowing creator, to truly be free to serve with purpose and meaning as opposed to the futile service to mere flesh and blood whom often only keep slaves or servants for their own selfish interests and power, as opposed to the Holy one Blessed is he - who bestows so much goodness on his children, every single day.  Slavery made us appreciate service so much more, also through suffering one has the potential to elevate the soul, suffering is also potentially a cleansing process, when it is directed correctly - why because it humbles us, humilty is key to receiving divine growth.  The late Lebuvitcher Rebbi ztl. stated the word Nisiyoin (trials and tribulations) contains within its roots the meaning to elevate or uplift.  This theme comes across in the double portion we read, first by higlighting the importance of liberty (rights of slaves to be freed) and also the importance of following the correct path of loyalty and service to G-d,  if we veer off course to keep us on track "curses" come our way, with a final promise that in the pain he will bring us back and never truly desert us, Ch 26 v 42 "I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My Covenant with Issac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the Land, (the order of the forefathers is reversed showing Hashem will look backwards from the present and our sin to the greatness of each of our Forefathers, who where each worthy of our redemption in their own right - Rashi) V 45 says "I will remember for them the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt..."

To elaborate:

We were slaves under the Rule of Pharaoh a self-proclaimed deity, today people falling into the same trap refer to themselves as self-made men. (Rabbi Taback) 

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The counting of the Omer from Pesach to Shavuot (Pentecost) - The name is symbolic of our connection and acknowledgement that G-d is the first and ultimate provider:

In Parsha Emor we read Leviticus Ch 23 v 15

“You should count for yourselves, from the day after the day of rest, from the day you bring the Omer wave offering (Barley offering) seven complete weeks they shall be” v16 "until the day after the seventh week, you shall count 50 days.”

 

It is no coincidence that we we started counting the Omer from the second day of Passover (the holiday we celebrate our freedom from slavery), the day the Israelites brought the Omer offering. We count 7 complete weeks =7*7= 49 days and we then enter on the 50^th day after the Omer offering was given into Shavuot the holy holiday of Pentecost (our wedding day to Hashem) – the day we received of our Holy Torah with all its treasures and secrets, a detailed blue print on how to live our lives as the holy nation we undertook to be, and how this is an enabler to our connection with Hashem above!

Rabbi Taback mentioned that the newly harvested crops are not allowed to be eaten until the bringing of the Omer, the Omer offering was the separation of the first of the harvest, the part we set aside for Hashem, to be given to the Kohanim (G-d’s closest servants) in recognition that we could not of benefited from the yields had it not been for Hashem who provided us the skills to work the land, the plants, and rain from above – we thus set aside the first produce for the Kohanim as a gift to Hashem, and we are not allowed to partake of the new crop until this offering has been given.

On a mystical level the numbers used in the count parallel the 7 days of creation (Hashem is the cause of all causes he preceded creation), each of the days of the week being the six days of  creation culminating in the 7^th day the Sabbath (G-d's day)….

In the same way the Sabbatical year count is a similar declaration.

The 6 years we needed to work the land of Israel from the time Joshua conquered it and we settled it, planting and harvesting  and resting the Land every seventh year on G-d's instructions.

Shabbat is Hebrew translated means to complete and rest or abstain.  When we rest on a simple level we come to a place of appreciation and reflection and most importantly we appreciate the provider or enabler of these actions and an appreciation of our Freedom. To give honour to our enabler the Creator who gives us the faculties to live and function, our thoughts, speech and actions. We step out of our creating mode and into a reflecting mode. We need to do this to appreciate the Cause of all Causes the ultimate creator the source of Life itself, of whom there is no other.

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Behar and Bechukosai connecting the Torah laws to Sinai

Leviticus ch 25 v 1 states Hashem spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai saying: v2 "Speak to the Children of Israel say to them, when you come into the land which I give you the land shall be at rest – a Sabbath for Hashem."

Leviticus ch 26 v 46 states These are the statutes, the laws and the teachings that Hashem set between himself and between the Children of Israel, on Mount Sinai, through the hand of Moshe.

The start of  Behar talks of Sinai and comes full circle and in the end of the Sedra of Bechukosai, the end of book of Leviticus states

Leviticus ch 27 v 34 These are the commandments which Hashem commanded Moshe for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

Notice the constant emphasis on the nation of Israel being at Sinai, (wedding day) the time of the covenant and the commandments which if followed connect us to the Cause of all Causes - Hashem Blessed is he.

Now look at the importance of the message of us being freed from human slavery in these two Sedra's, in redeeming us Hashem gave us the privilege and freedom, a freedom and honour to be his servants, his firstborn, we mutually entered into this relationship in doing so we accepted our duties to fulfil the commandments, we will do and we will hear, and if we do so the Parsha promises there is no greater reward, Rain > Food > Children, > Peace, the Laws allow us to attain Peace, (One of G-d's names is peace -Shalom) and there is no greater gift than that, through the Laws we find a pathway and finally an entrance into the palace of the King of Kings where true peace resides, if we fail to do our duty we unfortunately (G-d Forbid) get punished to bring us back in line and this is the main theme of Leviticus ch26. We see a connection of the Laws of service, appreciating the privilage of being freed and responsibilites we undertook when entering into a mutual marriage the the covenant of holiness and connection we undertook to maintain.

SLAVERY - IN THE PARASHAOT

Leviticus 25 v 38

I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of the Land of Egypt to give you the Land of Canaan, to be a G-d to you

Leviticus 25 v 42

For they are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they should not be sold in the Market as Slaves.

Leviticus 25 v 55

For the children of Israel are my servants whom I have brought out of the Land of Egypt,  I am Hashem your G-d.

Leviticus 26 v 13

I am Hashem your G-d who brought you out of the Land of Egypt from where you were slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and led you forth standing upright.

So we see an emphasis on the fact that Hashem took us out of slavery to redeem us and also to allow us to come close to him, how - through the commandments given to us on Sinai!!! 

ISRAEL - Connection Revealed

We also see the scriptual link of the Land of Israel to the Jewish people, the land receives blessing, rain, produce... or the opposite (G-d forbid) through not fulfilling our duties,  -we get dispersed and the land will reject us we get expelled and Israel will lie desolate, amazingly no other nation will be able to make the land flourish another Biblical proof to the divinity of the Torah:

Leviticus Ch 26 v 32 I will make the land so desolate that your enemies who live on it will be astonished.

When we failed in our duties : Ch 26 v 33 states, I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword after you.  (Wow this actually happened, the Holocaust, and other Jewish exiles that occurred prior to that - there are many prophesies throughout Tanach that prove the divinity of the Torah) it shall then have its rest…(the Land of Israel)

Let us define some of the Hebrew words we see in these last chapters of Leviticus:

Shemitta – Sabbatical year it means to leave alone, just like at creation when the first count to seven days occurred, and G-d completed his work and rested from creating, so we are instructed to work the land of Israel for six years (from the point where we had settled it), and let it rest every seventh year. No planting, harvesting or pruning, just keeping the existing plants alive was allowed.  We are allowed to eat from these existing plants that remained from the sixth year but they are hefker (ownerless), meaning anyone can eat of it, not only the owners of the field or vineyards, our neighbours and strangers living amongst us anyone, even domestic and wild animals, and the owners are not allowed to profit from the 7^th year fruits at all, it is during this year the produce is for all. Ultimately to demonstrate all we have is from Hashem and reflect on this as he did on the Sabbath as testimony that he is our Creator. 

Leviticus 25 v 21

I will ordain my blessing for you in the sixth year and it will yield a crop sufficient for the three year period.

(the Meforshim reflect on the promise that the 6^th year will yield enough produce for the next three years could only be made by Hashem who controls nature, it was promised to the nation as a whole, though individuals with sin or who lacked faith might not achieve the blessing.) Many in Israel who keep Shemmita attest to this Blessing!

So we also learn from the Torah the holiness of the Land of Israel.  “G-ds eyes never leave it", (refer to Deuteronomy Ch 11 V 12) Rabbi Taback stated Israel is a land the antithesis of Egypt.  Israel is a land of faith it consists of Mountains and Hills, there is no Nile to irrigate the crops like Egypt, we need G-d given rain to survive.  When my grandfather who was one of the returning pioneers went to the Land, in the 1920's it was mainly swamps confirming the prophecy of it remaining desolate under other nations. We see here Hashem wants us to have faith, there is no certainty, no contingency reserves - the manna fell each and every day, and a double portion on the Sabbath. But we were not given storehouses for reserve stock, we needed to pray every day.  The Shemmita or Sabbatical year was to test this Faith, you will not need to work the land in the 7th year, and you will find my blessing in this very special Land I have given you.

Israel a special Land: From the four corners of the world many pray for this holy piece of Land and its people, all these prayers decend on Tzion (Jerusalem) where our Temple once stood, where Jacob had the dream and vision of the ladder rising to the gateway of heaven.  To stop working this holy land was to ask the Israelites to show tremendous faith in Hashem. The underlying message is Hashem hitting home the importance to understand a person’s livelihood comes from above, to plant, and to harvest and reap takes work but in the end it is still dependent on the Grace of the Almighty, who brings our rain, a gift from above to feed us, our livestock and the plants, to allow the land to lie fallow and put your faith in G-d to provide was a recognition of this fact that all ultimately is in the hands of G-d – To paraphrase again there is no such a thing as a self-made man, many work very hard and are bright but they never succeed, others work very little and succeed, bottom line your Mazal ("luck") comes from on High.  That is why the first of the yield of our profits 10% is given to Hashem via the priests in appreciation and recognition that profit would not have happened without the grace of  G-d. The tithings belong to G-d Almighty, We also see in the Sedra when we make a vow or take an Oath, we pay the value,  our words  should not be light in our eyes, we need to deliver on our promises or we disconnect from Hashem!

We need to appreciate our G-d given freedom and use it in service to G-d for our own good, our blessings depend on it, we made a promise (our word) we would keep the Law, and if we do the blessings will follow - that is G-d's promise. 

The wealthy need to say Brochas every day to remind themselves where that Brocha comes from, and to use it wisely and in creative productive ways, not to follow materialistic persuits but rather to use it to come closer to our father in Heaven, to forget to do this is a recipe for dulling spiritual growth and very dangerous as we may disconnect from the source - the worst type of fate for anyone, this was the fate of Pharoh, when he said, who is Hashem that I should take heed of him? As Jews who witnessed the wonders of the Exodus this is a serious sin.

Yovel or Jubilee year – Yovel is another name for Shofar it was blown to signify that after 7 complete Shemitta (Sabbatical) years 7*7=49years we come into the 50^th year or the Jubilee year, The Shofar of liberty is blown, as we do on Rosh Ha Shana and Yom Kippur and as was done at Mount Sinai announcing the arrival of the True King, (and the need to be subservient to him and no other) and all rights of redemption come into play, laws about releasing slaves (we cannot be free to appreciate and serve our creator when we are an oppressed people.) I read  a drasha from Rabbi Frand that it is not easy to give up cheap or free labour, so the Shofar let everyone know we are all in the same boat – time to let the Jewish slaves free

In the ancient days before slavery was abolished Hashem commanded that after six years in the seventh year all Israelite slaves must be allowed to go free, and needed to be rewarded at that point for their years of service, some slaves chose to stay as they loved their masters and family situation –these slaves had to have their ears pierced on a doorpost, the ear that heard but never took the opportunities offered by Hashem to them at Sinai, to connect to come close to him, to bring the world closer to recognising the greatness of G-d Almighty! In the Jubilee year these slaves must be freed to serve the true master of all masters the King of Kings the Holy one blessed be he!

Laws again emphasizing ultimately everything belongs to G-d, no matter how much we actually acquire in our lives, we are fortunate to have rights and liberties which enable us to grow and achieve despite this we should never lose sight that ultimately it is with G-d’s blessing and desire to have entrusted us with that freedom and wealth, and at times accepting the lack of it.  We thus find laws of freeing slaves, returning land to those with ancestral rights to it,  redeeming our kinsman, not oppressing a slave, looking after the poor, allowing them to eat off all "our" lands  and laws to not charge our kinsman interest, but to rather fear Hashem. The theme again all in recognition that we are never truly masters of our own destiny or assets but we are all ultimately subservient to the King of Kings, who is the life force of this physical world, the true owner, and on the contrary if we do not recognise this fact, that very blessing we find will G-d forbid become a curse.

We should please G-d endear ourselves to G-d with our full heart, soul and wealth  these when used in service of the Creator, allow us to become a partner in creation that is the ultimate expression of giving and bestowing on others as the Cause of Causes himself continues to bestow every moment of our existence through the many blessings we continue to enjoy like rain given to us - the ultimate source of life, leading to produce for all living creatures, and please   G-d the gift of health and most importantly peace, the message is we should never lose sight of this fact to take time out enjoy the Sabbath, take time to reflect and count our blessings every single day.  The lesson also - there is a point to suffering, though I for one do not always understand why good honest and righteous people suffer when the wicked seem to flourish. Maybe as the prophets say through the suffering of the righteous that the ultimate redemption will come, and this is a promise.  Perhaps those good people that suffer the most allow for the redemption of the many, if so may their reward be forthcoming in the world to come! 

THE WEDDING DAY IS COMING:

I the year 1312 BCE 3million of our ancestors surrounded Mt Sinai and witnessed Hashem revealing himself, the only time it has ever happened to an entire living nation. Why the desert, Rabbi Aurbach taught us Hashem did not give us the law in a city but in the wilderness a place of desolation and emptiness. It was not given on the biggest of mountains but rather on the humble Mt Sinai – it was given in an uninhabited  desert, it belonged to no city or place, but rather it was a public event for all the Israelites for all time, an entire nation witnessed it being given and received, and it was given with a promise of the ability to connect and come close to Hashem if only we Listen.

In keeping the Laws there is ample reward, marital bliss...

If we fail to listen Hashem will humble us, enventually The holy Land of Israel also a gift to the nation will reject us, and we will be dispersed into the Diaspora to the four corners of the earth.  And we all know this actually happened, but Hashem when we get punished and exiled promised through these hardships and all the curses that have come upon us he will never leave us completely and will remember the faithful who came before and, we can follow in their footsteps and please G-d he will once again redeem us with the ingathering of exiles back to Israel, this will occur  as foretold by Isaiah ch 43 v 5and 6, the process has begun may it be hastened speedily in our time.  The message is keep the commandments, keep the faith, recognise our G-d, no matter what your situation is in life, and be Blessed no matter what happens with peace, and ultimately see the verse in Leviticus Ch 26 v 11 and12 fulfilled, "I will set my Sanctuary among you and my spirit will not loath or reject you, I will walk among you and will be a G-d for you and you will be My People." and you will know G-d,  say Omain



G-d Bless
Michael

Torah and an Eye for an Eye - are you really supposed to poke another persons eye out!

B”SD

Weekly reflection tid bit

Have you ever thought about the billions of people on the planet – no one is the same in terms of looks, personality and amazingly even fingerprints – we are all unique, not one exactly alike – How great is the Cause of all Causes !

 

Parasha Emor – to speak gently!

We concluded the last Sedra with the Torah asking for us to become a Holy nation, and now we move onto the requirement standards for those who were closest of all to the Shechina the high priests:

Emor means– Said softly – An instruction to the Priests to keep pure and not defile themselves for example by being in the presence of a corpse – Rabbi Tanchuma Likens this to princes who reside in the palace of the King, they need to always be clean.  Why Emor the Hebrew word to speak gently as opposed to Daber – which if to speak firmly, we see from here according to the Tanchuma the Holy one was being sensitive to his priests he was denying the Kohen Gadol permission to bury his direct relatives and the other Kohanim their close friends, he was sensitive that this was not an easy thing he thus speaks with softness gently!

 

Insight into Give and Eye for an Eye

Leviticus Ch24 v 20

Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he inflicted an injury upon a person, so shall it be given to him. Heb. כֵּן יִנָּתֵן בּוֹ. Our Rabbis explained that this does not mean the actual infliction of a wound, but payment of money. [And how is an injury estimated? The victim] is evaluated as a slave [if he would not have had the injury, and how much with the injury, and the difference is the compensation]. This is why Scripture uses the expression נְתִינָה, “giving,” [thereby alluding to] something that is “handed over (הַנָתוּן)” from hand to hand. — [B.K. 84a] so shall be done to him: Heb. כֵּן יִנָּתֵן בּוֹ. Our Rabbis explained that this does not mean the actual infliction of a wound, but payment of money. [And how is an injury estimated? The victim] is evaluated as a slave [if he would not have had the injury, and how much with the injury, and the difference is the compensation]. This is why Scripture uses the expression נְתִינָה, “giving,” [thereby alluding to] something that is “handed over (הַנָתוּן)” from hand to hand. — [B.K.

I wanted to highlight the danger of translating a text without a mastery of the Hebrew language, we have had movies called an Eye for and Eye – the theme of this movie is revenge.  However in Parsha Emor Rashi clearly points out the word Notain (Give him)


Give and Eye for an Eye. Obviously a Benevolent and kind G-d would not want us to inflict a wound by pulling out another person’s eye, yet many translations interpret this verse like this.  The text does not say inflict or wound, it says give an eye for an eye in other words it refers to repairing medical treatment and compensation to the wounded for what the eye is worth.  We know the Sanhedrin never pulled out eye’s there was a known methodology for calculating the worth of the damaged body part based on age and profession and imposing a penalty for its worth.

 

I think this is inadequately understood so with permission I include a synopsis on the validity of Rashi’s interpretation

http://www.aishdas.org/toratemet/en_mishpatim.html

CHALLENGE -Did the sages distort the biblical phrase "an eye for an eye"? -Did Rabbi Eliezer believe that we damage an assailant's eye in punishment?

The Problem

The biblical concept of "an eye for an eye" is well known. The way it is frequently understood is that one is punished with exactly what one inflicts on another. Therefore, someone who damages another's eye will have his eye damaged. Someone who knocks out another's tooth will have his tooth knocked out. However, rabbinic literature has never understood it this way. The Mechilta on Exodus 21:24 and the Talmud in Ketuvot 32b and Bava Kamma 83b understand "an eye for an eye" as meaning that someone who damage's an eye must pay the value of that eye. An eye's worth for an eye.

Is this an example of the rabbis overriding the Bible? Did the sages distort the Torah because they found it objectionable? The verse clearly states "an eye for an eye". How could the rabbis change it?

The answer is that understanding the Bible requires more than reading one verse. You have to read that verse in its context and compare its language with similar language throughout the Bible. Our contention is that "an eye for an eye" in its most literal and simple meaning is "an eye's worth for an eye".

Let us look at the two passages in the Torah that have the phrase "an eye for an eye" and analyze them carefully.

When individuals quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or fist so that the injured party, though not dead, is confined to bed, but recovers and walks around outside with the help of a staff, then the assailant shall be free of liability, except to give for the loss of time, and to arrange for full recovery.

When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no further harm follows, the one responsible shall be fined... If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

(Exodus 21:18-19, 22-25)

Anyone who kills a human being shall be put to death. Anyone who kills an animal shall make restitution for it, life for life. Anyone who maims another, what he inflicted will be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; what injury he gave to another will be given to him. One who kills an animal shall make restitution for it; but one who kills a human being shall be put to death.

(Leviticus 24:17-21)

Context

Let us first consider the passage in Exodus. It begins in verses 18-19 with two individuals quarreling and then one injuring the other. This is a case of intentional damage. What is the punishment for such intentional damage? If the injured party survives and this is not a case of murder, then the punishment is "the assailant shall be free of liability, except to pay for the loss of time, and to arrange for full recovery". In the case of intentional damage the punishment is purely financial. (Verses 20-21 discuss intentional damage to a slave which is not our topic)

Verses 22-25 discuss the case of two people who are fighting and accidentally hurt a third party. In this case of accidental damage, the punishment is an "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand..." Is it possible that an intentional injury is only punished with monetary damages but an accidental injury is punished more harshly with an actual physical punishment?

Bodily Harm Inflicted By Man On His Fellow Verses 18-19 - Intentional Damage - Monetary Punishment (Verses 20-21 - Intentional Damage To Slaves) Verses 22-25 - Accidental Damage - ? Punishment (Verses 26-27 - Accidental Damage To Slaves)

Moreover, the passage regarding the accidental injury of a pregnant woman reads very smoothly the way we quoted it. Read it again above. If there is only a miscarriage then the injurer is fined for the miscarriage. If the woman is injured, then the accidental assailant is additionally fined for the woman's precise injury.

Looking at the progression of the narrative, we are led to conclude that the phrase "an eye for an eye" does not refer to actual physical punishment (Benno Jacob as cited by Nehama Leibowitz). But can this be borne out by the actual words of the text?

Language

The Hebrew phrasing of "an eye for an eye" is ayin tachat ayin       which is very unusual usage. Dr. Benno Jacob, certainly no traditionalist, argued that the word tachat   never means that one part has to give or suffer something because another party has. Rather, it means that one party must give or suffer something that another party cannot do. For example, when a king dies his son succeeds tachat his father the previous king (e.g. 1 Kings 1:30). The new king rules in the place of the previous king who can no longer rule himself. Similarly, Genesis 44:33 reads, "Now therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord in place of the boy; and let the boy go back with his brothers." Yehuda is asking to be a slave because his younger brother Binyamin cannot be one. While tachat can mean a monetary exchange, that is when two objects are exchanged for each other. When dealing with actions, it only refers to doing something for someone who cannot.

Most relevant to our context is Joshua 2:14. "The men said to her, 'Our lives for (tachat) yours!'" The spies told Rachav that if she keeps their secret then they will place their lives to be killed in order to save hers. They will die so that she will not!

We therefore see that the word tachat does not mean that an injurer will be punished with the injury that he has inflicted. It means he will receive a punishment that was not done to the victim. But if that is what this phrase means, what about the phrases in the parallel passage in Leviticus. "Anyone who maims another, what he inflicted will be done to him."           "What injury he gave to another will be given to him."            

The first phrase has a parallel in Judges 15:11. Shimshon said regarding the Phillistines, "As they did to me, so I have done to them." However, he did not do the exact same thing to them as they did to him. The Phillistines had taken Shimshon's wife and given her to another man. In response, he burned their fields. We see that the phrase used does not imply exact equality between the two actions. There is therefore no compulsion to understand the phrase in Leviticus as meaning that the exact same injury that one party inflicted must be inflicted back upon him. The language does not necessarily mean that, as we have proven from Judges (Ibn Ezra, Lev. 24:19).

Similarly, in our own passage we find the word "give" used in reference to payment. "The assailant shall be free of liability, except to give for the loss of time." Here, give refers to paying the victim for lost time. Similarly in our case "give" refers to paying for the injury inflicted (Rambam, Hilchot Chovel Umazik 1:4).

Prooftexts

We can also deduce the true meaning of our passage by looking at other laws that are explicit in the Bible and inferring from them. For example, Numbers 35:31 says, "Moreover you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is subject to the death penalty." Why would anyone think that a court would accept a ransom for a murderer's life? From where would this idea of paying instead of physical punishment come from? This verse is telling us that only in regard to a murderer can the court not accept payment. For other bodily harm, however, the court does accept payment (Talmud, Bava Kamma 83b).

The preceding were all examples of understanding the Bible based on a broad view. We have looked at the passage's internal structure, similar usage of language, and other relevant laws. They all lead to the conclusion that the phrase "an eye for an eye" means that the assailant is fined an eye's worth for the damage of an eye. However, there is another method used by commentators to arrive at this conclusion.

Logical Arguments

The verse immediately following the passage in Leviticus (24:22) is "One law there shall be for you". The Torah demands equal treatment for all assailants. But what would happen if a blind man blinded another? How could he be punished via "an eye for an eye"? He has no functioning eyes! Similarly, what if a man with no legs damaged someone else's legs? He has no legs with which to be punished. "An eye for an eye" understood colloquially does not afford equity among assailants. In order to keep the biblical mandate of "an eye for an eye" from conflicting with the mandate in Leviticus to give out equal punishments the phrase "an eye for an eye" must refer to monetary punishment. Otherwise, it conflicts with the verse "one law there shall be for you" (Bava Kamma 83b-84a).

Similarly, how is it possible to be so precise in injuring an assailant that we can give him the exact same injuries that he gave his victim? Complications are almost a given so that destroying a person's arm can lead to further damage and even death. If "an eye for an eye" meant that a court must inflict on an assailant the same injury he inflicted on his victim, then a court could never punish the assailant at all out of concern for the likely occurence that the punishment will yield more injury than the assailant inflicted (Bava Kamma 84a).

Rabbi Eliezer

A side issue is the common claim that Rabbi Eliezer was of the view that the phrase "an eye for an eye" means that an assailant's eye must be damaged if he damaged his victim's eye. The Talmud has the following discussion in Bava Kamma 84a.

It is taught: Rabbi Eliezer said: An eye for an eye - really. Would you think he meant really? Does Rabbi Eliezer disagree with all the previous sages?... Rav Ashi said: He meant that we do not evaluate the value of the victim's eye but of the assailant's eye.

There are those who claim that Rabbi Eliezer meant that we damage an assailant's eye as punishment and that the Talmud distorted his statement. However, we have to understand the context in which Rabbi Eliezer's statement was made and was interpreted. The method of study in the talmudic period was entirely orally. Therefore, rabbis would simplify statements and students would memorize them. There was no room for lengthy explanations because these would be confused. Rather, the teachings were codified in the most simple way, maintaining an economy of words, so that they could be easily memorized. Rabbi Eliezer probably spoke for hours in his yeshiva on the topic of "an eye for an eye". However, he formalized his teaching in the phrase "an eye for an eye - really". What were his thoughts when he created that phrase? In what context did he say it and did he know it would be understood?

For centuries, beginning at the time of Yehoshua, courts had to deal with issues of bodily injuries. The question of how an assailant is punished must have come up many times each year. Even if one were to (incorrectly) assume that this did not come into existence until the time of the rabbis/Pharisees, Rabbi Eliezer lived at the end of the first century CE. This was after the time of Hillel and Shammai, Rabban Gamliel Hazaken, and the destruction of the Temple. There was undoubtedly an established law in this case. Rabbi Eliezer knew this as did all of his students and colleagues. When he created the phrase "an eye for an eye - really", he must have known that no one would have thought that he was contradicting established law that had been in existence for centuries. He knew that no one would believe that he would disagree with every other major sage on a basic matter such as this. He therefore felt comfortable using this phraseology and knew that with a little study his economic phrase could be understood.

What Rabbi Eliezer meant was that "an eye for an eye" must be taken literally in the sense that the amount determined as the monetary damage must be based on the eye of the assailant. If the victim was a photographer and the assailant a grave-digger, we determine the value of an eye based on the assailant. Even though the photographer's eye is more valuable, the assailant only pays his "eye" for the eye he damaged.

Reading Rabbi Eliezer's statement in context and understanding what he really said is not an apologetic attempt. Even an academic talmudic critic like Professor David Weiss Halivni of Columbia University agreed that Rabbi Eliezer never meant that an assailant must have his eye damaged (Mekorot Umesorot, Bava Kamma ad loc.). To claim that would be to take Rabbi Eliezer's statement out of its cultural and intellectual context.

 

Have a blessed Shabbis

 

Michael