Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
December 22, 2003
Number 5764-12 Prayer I: The Basic Structure of Jewish Prayer
All religions share a basic format for a worship service. They take a central prayer or ritual and then construct the service around that ritual, to highlight that central part of the service. Like spokes around a wheel, each part of the service points to the central core of what the religion is all about. Usually we find one of two types of rituals at the center. Most western religions have a public ritual at the center. A ritual that must be done when people have gathered together to affirm their belief in the central tenet of the faith. It demands that the service have a set time and a set format. Everyone who gathers needs to know what is expected of them and when they need to gather to affirm their commitment. It is a very strong way to anchor a service. When people gather together to affirm their beliefs, the communal action strengthens the faith of the individuals. It is very unlikely in this construction for people to stray from the path of the faith. But there is one weak spot. While communal action is strong, not every individual may feel like gathering at the appointed time and place. It may not always be convenient for everyone. At such times there may be some present who are mouthing the words and not fully committed to the central ritual.
The other kind of ritual at the center is found in many Eastern religions. At the center of their worship is a very individual kind of ritual. Such rituals do not depend on a set time or place. Any time or any place can be right for prayer. In fact, in some Eastern religions, the temples are open any time of the day or night so all can enter to pray when they are so moved. Time is not important, but commitment is crucial. It is a very strong commitment to faith, but it too has a weak spot. Individuals can go a long time between moments of worship. Years could pass before the desire to express one’s faith arises again.
Judaism is a religion that straddles both the east and the west. Therefore, when Jews gather to worship rather than a wheel with spokes extending from the center, our worship is more like and ellipse, a circle that has two centers. One center around which half the service revolves is a public prayer requiring a set time and place. The other center is an individual prayer that requires separation from the community.
The central public prayer of Judaism is the Shema. It’s place in the service begins with the Borchu and ends just before the Amida. It is recited aloud, often sung by the entire congregation. It is encased in blessings and sometimes with poetry. The early parts of the service point to this climax of prayer when we recite the three passages from the Torah that make up the Shema.
The central individual prayer of Judaism is the Amida. It is recited individually (not just silently), one stands apart from the congregation and can adjust or add to the formula in the Siddur according to one’s needs. The later parts of the service point to this climax of prayer, when we stand and pour out our hearts before G-d. As the days and seasons change, so do our needs, so the Amida changes with the ebb and flow of the calendar.
The Shacharit (Morning) service has both centers. The Mincha (afternoon) service has only the private center since it is done while we are still working and it is not easy to gather for public prayer. The Maariv (evening) service has only the public center (although an Amida was later added to its format) recognizing that at the end of the day we can and should gather together in prayer to strengthen each other to face the darkness of night.
We will begin next week, to examine in detail these crucial central rituals and then look to see how the rest of the service points to the center.
Next week: Prayer II: The Shema
Monday, December 22, 2003
Monday, December 15, 2003
HMS; 5764-11 Hanukkah III: Dreidles, Latkes and other Hanukkah Customs
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
December 15, 2003
Number 5764-11 Hanukkah III: Dreidles, Latkes and other Hanukkah Customs
Hanukkah is a relatively minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, but it has long held a strong pull on Jewish minds. Many customs have grown up around the holiday and they add to the texture of our celebration.
The most important customs surrounding Hanukkah center on oil. Because of the miracle of the lights, and the fact that the first Hanukkah lights were oil lamps, the oil that should have burned one day, lasted eight days until new oil could be made, oil becomes one of the themes of the holiday. It should come as no surprise that foods cooked in oil have become central to Hanukkah. Latkes (or their Hebrew name, Levivot) are potato pancakes fried in oil. It seems as if every family has a secret recipe for extraordinary Latkes. Served with either sour cream or applesauce, they are an Ashkenazic staple for Hanukkah dining. Since the founding of the State of Israel, there is a new food on the block for Hanukkah. In Israel, they serve Sufganiot, or jelly doughnuts as a Hanukkah treat since they too are cooked in oil. And while candles are certainly permitted to be used in the Hanukiah, some say that they will only use pure olive oil for their Hanukkah lights.
The history of the Dreidle (Sivivon in Hebrew) is shrouded in some mystery. It is clear that the custom of this Hanukkah game comes from the Jewish Community in Germany sometime in the middle ages. There is a tradition that this game has ties to Christmas. Since on this Christian holiday, Jews were not permitted to trade or engage in business, they took to playing games with dice, cards and dreidles. It was a kind of gambling game that helped pass the time on a day that had no significance to the Jewish community. Eventually the game became associated with Hanukkah and soon we see all kinds of explanations as to what the letters on the top mean. I think it is clear that the letters originally were the "rules of the game" each letter standing for the German instructions for the game: Gimel for "gantz" meaning "everything", Hay for "halb" for "half the pot etc. Someone clever noted that the four letters could stand for "nes gadol haya sham" meaning "a great miracle happened there" and the connection with Hanukkah was complete. I should note that today, when one buys a sivivon in Israel, it says "nes gadol haya PO" meaning "a great miracle happened HERE". It is an effort to be historically accurate with the game.
There is a long standing custom of giving gifts on Hanukkah that extends way back in Jewish History. The giving of gifts is an ancient mid-winter custom. While there is no reason that anyone has to give a gift each day of Hanukkah, one can choose to give Hanukkah "gelt", money, especially coins that can be used to play dreidle. Since playing dreidle is supposed to be fun and not a source of gambling income, the amount of gelt can be kept small. My father used to play a game with us, buying a roll of pennies and covering the first coin in the stack and giving it to the child that guessed closest to the date on the coin. My father could make that one roll of pennies last the entire eight days.
Hanukkah is designed to be a quiet family celebration without the restrictions that come with major holidays on the Jewish calendar. In synagogue we add "Al HaNisism" to the Amidah and we recite Hallel in honor of the military victory of the Hasmonean family over the Syrian Greeks. At home, we celebrate the miracle of the oil and richness of living a Jewish life.
Hanukkah begins this Friday night. We light Hanukkah Candles before we light the Shabbat candles. We wish all of our readers a "Urim Sameach", a Happy Festival of Lights.
Next week: Prayer I: The Basic Structure of Jewish Prayer
December 15, 2003
Number 5764-11 Hanukkah III: Dreidles, Latkes and other Hanukkah Customs
Hanukkah is a relatively minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, but it has long held a strong pull on Jewish minds. Many customs have grown up around the holiday and they add to the texture of our celebration.
The most important customs surrounding Hanukkah center on oil. Because of the miracle of the lights, and the fact that the first Hanukkah lights were oil lamps, the oil that should have burned one day, lasted eight days until new oil could be made, oil becomes one of the themes of the holiday. It should come as no surprise that foods cooked in oil have become central to Hanukkah. Latkes (or their Hebrew name, Levivot) are potato pancakes fried in oil. It seems as if every family has a secret recipe for extraordinary Latkes. Served with either sour cream or applesauce, they are an Ashkenazic staple for Hanukkah dining. Since the founding of the State of Israel, there is a new food on the block for Hanukkah. In Israel, they serve Sufganiot, or jelly doughnuts as a Hanukkah treat since they too are cooked in oil. And while candles are certainly permitted to be used in the Hanukiah, some say that they will only use pure olive oil for their Hanukkah lights.
The history of the Dreidle (Sivivon in Hebrew) is shrouded in some mystery. It is clear that the custom of this Hanukkah game comes from the Jewish Community in Germany sometime in the middle ages. There is a tradition that this game has ties to Christmas. Since on this Christian holiday, Jews were not permitted to trade or engage in business, they took to playing games with dice, cards and dreidles. It was a kind of gambling game that helped pass the time on a day that had no significance to the Jewish community. Eventually the game became associated with Hanukkah and soon we see all kinds of explanations as to what the letters on the top mean. I think it is clear that the letters originally were the "rules of the game" each letter standing for the German instructions for the game: Gimel for "gantz" meaning "everything", Hay for "halb" for "half the pot etc. Someone clever noted that the four letters could stand for "nes gadol haya sham" meaning "a great miracle happened there" and the connection with Hanukkah was complete. I should note that today, when one buys a sivivon in Israel, it says "nes gadol haya PO" meaning "a great miracle happened HERE". It is an effort to be historically accurate with the game.
There is a long standing custom of giving gifts on Hanukkah that extends way back in Jewish History. The giving of gifts is an ancient mid-winter custom. While there is no reason that anyone has to give a gift each day of Hanukkah, one can choose to give Hanukkah "gelt", money, especially coins that can be used to play dreidle. Since playing dreidle is supposed to be fun and not a source of gambling income, the amount of gelt can be kept small. My father used to play a game with us, buying a roll of pennies and covering the first coin in the stack and giving it to the child that guessed closest to the date on the coin. My father could make that one roll of pennies last the entire eight days.
Hanukkah is designed to be a quiet family celebration without the restrictions that come with major holidays on the Jewish calendar. In synagogue we add "Al HaNisism" to the Amidah and we recite Hallel in honor of the military victory of the Hasmonean family over the Syrian Greeks. At home, we celebrate the miracle of the oil and richness of living a Jewish life.
Hanukkah begins this Friday night. We light Hanukkah Candles before we light the Shabbat candles. We wish all of our readers a "Urim Sameach", a Happy Festival of Lights.
Next week: Prayer I: The Basic Structure of Jewish Prayer
Monday, December 8, 2003
HMS; 5764-10 Hanukkah I: Hanukkah Halacha
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
December 8, 2003
Number 5764-10 Hanukkah I: Hanukkah Halacha
Hanukkah celebrates the first known battle for religious freedom. The Hasmonean Jews fought for their right to practice Judaism a world where Greek Hellenism was prevalent. When they won their battles and the right to practice the rituals of their faith, they immediately went to the Temple in Jerusalem and relit the great candelabra. There was not much oil left to burn but they had faith that more would come and they lit the central light that was to burn perpetually in the sacred space. By a miracle, the little oil lasted eight days until new oil could be prepared and the Festival of Lights, The Festival of Dedication, or Hanukkah was commanded to be an annual celebration.
It is no surprise that the festival centers on lights and oil. The most important ritual of Hanukkah is to light a Hanukia, (what we used to call a menorah) in order to publicize the miracle. The first thing we need therefore is a kosher Hanukia. A kosher Hanukia is a lamp that has eight lights. Each light must be exactly the same. They should all be at the same level and in a straight line. Since no one day of Hanukkah is greater than the other, the eight lights should all be the same. The Hanukia should also have a ninth light. This ninth light is called the "shammas" or the "helper" candle. Since it is not part of the miracle, it should be clearly different from the other eight lights. Either higher, lower, or off to one side or the other. Most authorities prefer oil lights to candles, but candles are permitted as lights. Electric lights can be used as decorations but one should not say a blessing over them.
The lights should begin at the far right side of the Hanukia. The first light at the far right and on the second night we add a light to the left of the first light working our way from right to left each night of the holiday. However, we always kindle the lights from left to right, that is, we light the new candle first and work back to the right. The Shammash is used to light the other lights, and it is not extinguished when we are finished, but placed back in its holder and allowed to burn out. We recite two blessings before we light the lights. Praised are you, Lord our G-d, ruler of the universe who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah Lights. We then add, Praised are you, Lord our G-d, ruler of the universe, who has performed miracles for our ancestors at this time in ancient days. On the first night we add the Shehechiyanu as a third blessing.
The Hanukia should be placed in a window or by the door where it can be see from the street. It is part of the ritual to "proclaim" the miracle so the Hanukia should be in a place where those passing by can see it. In some cases, if we put the Hanukia in the window and light is as we face it, from outside it will look as if we kindled it backwards. Do not turn it around. If you use an electric Hanukia, then since it is not used for the blessing it should be lit the right way as one is facing it from the street.
Hanukkah lights should burn for at least ½ hour after dark. Usually this is not a problem. On Shabbat, however, the Hanukia should be lit before Shabbat candles, which are lit no later than 18 minutes before sunset. This means that the Hanukia should burn for almost an hour to burn ½ hour after dark. One should try to get longer candles or add extra oil to the lights to make sure they burn long enough.
Since the purpose of the lights is to proclaim the miracle, one can not use the light of a Hanukia for any other purpose. There should always be another light on in the room when they are lit. One should not read or maneuver around the room by the light of a Hanukia but if for some reason you err and use the light for some other reason. Since the Shammas is still burning, one can say that it was the light of the Shammash that was used and not the other lights. Please also remember basic fire safety when there are many candles burning. Keep the flames away from drapes and other flammable objects and place the Hanukia in a place where children and pets will not knock it over.
Next week: Hanukkah III: Dreidles, Latkes and other Hanukkah Customs
December 8, 2003
Number 5764-10 Hanukkah I: Hanukkah Halacha
Hanukkah celebrates the first known battle for religious freedom. The Hasmonean Jews fought for their right to practice Judaism a world where Greek Hellenism was prevalent. When they won their battles and the right to practice the rituals of their faith, they immediately went to the Temple in Jerusalem and relit the great candelabra. There was not much oil left to burn but they had faith that more would come and they lit the central light that was to burn perpetually in the sacred space. By a miracle, the little oil lasted eight days until new oil could be prepared and the Festival of Lights, The Festival of Dedication, or Hanukkah was commanded to be an annual celebration.
It is no surprise that the festival centers on lights and oil. The most important ritual of Hanukkah is to light a Hanukia, (what we used to call a menorah) in order to publicize the miracle. The first thing we need therefore is a kosher Hanukia. A kosher Hanukia is a lamp that has eight lights. Each light must be exactly the same. They should all be at the same level and in a straight line. Since no one day of Hanukkah is greater than the other, the eight lights should all be the same. The Hanukia should also have a ninth light. This ninth light is called the "shammas" or the "helper" candle. Since it is not part of the miracle, it should be clearly different from the other eight lights. Either higher, lower, or off to one side or the other. Most authorities prefer oil lights to candles, but candles are permitted as lights. Electric lights can be used as decorations but one should not say a blessing over them.
The lights should begin at the far right side of the Hanukia. The first light at the far right and on the second night we add a light to the left of the first light working our way from right to left each night of the holiday. However, we always kindle the lights from left to right, that is, we light the new candle first and work back to the right. The Shammash is used to light the other lights, and it is not extinguished when we are finished, but placed back in its holder and allowed to burn out. We recite two blessings before we light the lights. Praised are you, Lord our G-d, ruler of the universe who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah Lights. We then add, Praised are you, Lord our G-d, ruler of the universe, who has performed miracles for our ancestors at this time in ancient days. On the first night we add the Shehechiyanu as a third blessing.
The Hanukia should be placed in a window or by the door where it can be see from the street. It is part of the ritual to "proclaim" the miracle so the Hanukia should be in a place where those passing by can see it. In some cases, if we put the Hanukia in the window and light is as we face it, from outside it will look as if we kindled it backwards. Do not turn it around. If you use an electric Hanukia, then since it is not used for the blessing it should be lit the right way as one is facing it from the street.
Hanukkah lights should burn for at least ½ hour after dark. Usually this is not a problem. On Shabbat, however, the Hanukia should be lit before Shabbat candles, which are lit no later than 18 minutes before sunset. This means that the Hanukia should burn for almost an hour to burn ½ hour after dark. One should try to get longer candles or add extra oil to the lights to make sure they burn long enough.
Since the purpose of the lights is to proclaim the miracle, one can not use the light of a Hanukia for any other purpose. There should always be another light on in the room when they are lit. One should not read or maneuver around the room by the light of a Hanukia but if for some reason you err and use the light for some other reason. Since the Shammas is still burning, one can say that it was the light of the Shammash that was used and not the other lights. Please also remember basic fire safety when there are many candles burning. Keep the flames away from drapes and other flammable objects and place the Hanukia in a place where children and pets will not knock it over.
Next week: Hanukkah III: Dreidles, Latkes and other Hanukkah Customs
Monday, December 1, 2003
HMS; 5764-9 Hanukkah I: The Holiday Season
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
December 1, 2003
Number 5764-9 Hanukkah I: The Holiday Season
As the Thanksgiving holiday draws to a close, our Christian neighbors begin to put up their decorations in preparation for Christmas. For some Jews, this is a time of difficult decisions. Hanukkah is a wonderful holiday that comes at the midwinter time of year. It is many things on the Jewish calendar, but "the Jewish Christmas" it is NOT. The irony is that Hanukkah represents the first known fight for freedom of Religion. The Maccabees fought for the right to worship as they please. Mattathias and his sons defeated the forces of Hellenism in ancient Israel. The Hellenists were Jews who practiced the customs of the ancient Greeks. Today’s Jews imitate the practices of their Christian neighbors. It is not good for Judaism, and not good for Jewish-Christian relations either.
My Christian colleagues themselves work all month to "put the Christ back in Christmas." This should be a reminder to the Jewish community that for all it’s "secularism", Christmas is a Christian holiday and is for Christians. If we are offended by a Christian who pretends to be Jewish, who could blame a Christian for being offended when a Jew co-opts their rituals. Here are some do’s and don’ts for getting through the holiday season.
Don’t put any Christmas lights on your home at this time of year. Even if they are blue and white or say "Happy Hanukkah". It is not in keeping with Judaism, and is offensive to Christians. Don’t put up a fir tree in your home with or without lights. Jews celebrate trees in February on Tu b’Shevat and we decorate our homes in October on Sukkot. Families where one of the parents is a Jew by Choice should only have Hanukkah in their home even if there are grandparents who celebrate Christmas. Do take your children to see holiday light displays in your neighborhood or in the many parks and carnivals that dot the county. It is a good time to talk to Jewish children about knowing what other faiths are all about and answering their questions as to why there are so many lights. If you don’t know the answer to their questions, why not invite a Christian neighbor, or their children to explain the meaning of the holiday, or ask your Rabbi for resources and recommendations.
Do share the holiday season with non-Jewish friends. Do wish them a Merry Christmas. Do send them holiday cards (non- religious cards only). Do have a holiday party for your non-Jewish employees but make sure that it recognizes all the different traditions celebrated by those in your business. Don’t sponsor a Christmas Party for business associates or vendors. Your party should be in honor of Hanukkah. Do drop in on Christmas parties sponsored by Christian vendors or business associates when you are invited.
Do invite non-Jewish friends over to your home when you light your Hanukkia (Hanukkah menorah). Be prepared to answer their questions about the holiday. Do give gifts to your children (it is a custom that actually predates Christmas) but Don’t feel the need to buy expensive gifts for all eight days of the holiday. Hanukkah is a fun holiday, don’t burden yourself with crippling debt to keep up with some department stores idea of how the holiday should be celebrated. Don’t visit Christian friends on Christmas day. It is a very private, family oriented holiday. Children should wait until their Christian friends come outside to play and not knock on the door to see what their friends got. Plan on spending Dec. 25 with some family time of your own, take in a movie or go out to eat (The Kosher restaurants are all open) or spend the day filling in at the soup kitchen or homeless shelter so the Christian volunteers can be home with their families. Many Synagogues sponsor programs or concerts on that day for you to take advantage of while the rest of the country shuts down. Do remember to thank G-d that we live in a country that has a long history of religious tolerance. Let this be a season of Joy for everyone, Jew, Christian and those of every other faith. If we can make it work in our own communities, than perhaps it bodes well for "peace on Earth" someday.
Next week: Hanukkah II: Hanukkah Halacha
December 1, 2003
Number 5764-9 Hanukkah I: The Holiday Season
As the Thanksgiving holiday draws to a close, our Christian neighbors begin to put up their decorations in preparation for Christmas. For some Jews, this is a time of difficult decisions. Hanukkah is a wonderful holiday that comes at the midwinter time of year. It is many things on the Jewish calendar, but "the Jewish Christmas" it is NOT. The irony is that Hanukkah represents the first known fight for freedom of Religion. The Maccabees fought for the right to worship as they please. Mattathias and his sons defeated the forces of Hellenism in ancient Israel. The Hellenists were Jews who practiced the customs of the ancient Greeks. Today’s Jews imitate the practices of their Christian neighbors. It is not good for Judaism, and not good for Jewish-Christian relations either.
My Christian colleagues themselves work all month to "put the Christ back in Christmas." This should be a reminder to the Jewish community that for all it’s "secularism", Christmas is a Christian holiday and is for Christians. If we are offended by a Christian who pretends to be Jewish, who could blame a Christian for being offended when a Jew co-opts their rituals. Here are some do’s and don’ts for getting through the holiday season.
Don’t put any Christmas lights on your home at this time of year. Even if they are blue and white or say "Happy Hanukkah". It is not in keeping with Judaism, and is offensive to Christians. Don’t put up a fir tree in your home with or without lights. Jews celebrate trees in February on Tu b’Shevat and we decorate our homes in October on Sukkot. Families where one of the parents is a Jew by Choice should only have Hanukkah in their home even if there are grandparents who celebrate Christmas. Do take your children to see holiday light displays in your neighborhood or in the many parks and carnivals that dot the county. It is a good time to talk to Jewish children about knowing what other faiths are all about and answering their questions as to why there are so many lights. If you don’t know the answer to their questions, why not invite a Christian neighbor, or their children to explain the meaning of the holiday, or ask your Rabbi for resources and recommendations.
Do share the holiday season with non-Jewish friends. Do wish them a Merry Christmas. Do send them holiday cards (non- religious cards only). Do have a holiday party for your non-Jewish employees but make sure that it recognizes all the different traditions celebrated by those in your business. Don’t sponsor a Christmas Party for business associates or vendors. Your party should be in honor of Hanukkah. Do drop in on Christmas parties sponsored by Christian vendors or business associates when you are invited.
Do invite non-Jewish friends over to your home when you light your Hanukkia (Hanukkah menorah). Be prepared to answer their questions about the holiday. Do give gifts to your children (it is a custom that actually predates Christmas) but Don’t feel the need to buy expensive gifts for all eight days of the holiday. Hanukkah is a fun holiday, don’t burden yourself with crippling debt to keep up with some department stores idea of how the holiday should be celebrated. Don’t visit Christian friends on Christmas day. It is a very private, family oriented holiday. Children should wait until their Christian friends come outside to play and not knock on the door to see what their friends got. Plan on spending Dec. 25 with some family time of your own, take in a movie or go out to eat (The Kosher restaurants are all open) or spend the day filling in at the soup kitchen or homeless shelter so the Christian volunteers can be home with their families. Many Synagogues sponsor programs or concerts on that day for you to take advantage of while the rest of the country shuts down. Do remember to thank G-d that we live in a country that has a long history of religious tolerance. Let this be a season of Joy for everyone, Jew, Christian and those of every other faith. If we can make it work in our own communities, than perhaps it bodes well for "peace on Earth" someday.
Next week: Hanukkah II: Hanukkah Halacha
Monday, November 24, 2003
HMS; 5764-8 Thanksgiving
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
November 24, 2003
Number 5764-8 Thanksgiving
We like to think of Thanksgiving as an American holiday. Its history goes back to Christian pilgrims to our shore, and to the Native Americans who helped them through a bitter winter and who taught them the skills to survive in this new land. It was this spirit of co-operation and gratitude that inspired later generations to make the last Thursday of November a national holiday of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving, however, is built on Jewish roots. The Pilgrims, fundamentalist Christians all, knew their Bible well. They knew all about a festival in the fall to thank G-d for the blessings of the harvest. They understood that Sukkot was a time to thank G-d for the miracle of growing crops, for the balance of sunshine and rain, and the strength they needed to tend the gardens and hunt for food. Their holiday was modeled after the Biblical Sukkot, the traditional time of thanksgiving for Jews.
While I advise Jews to stay away from celebrating Christmas, St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s day and Halloween, I make no such claim against Thanksgiving. There is a very Jewish dimension to Thanksgiving. The final sections in the book of Deuteronomy are concerned with showing gratitude to G-d for our many blessings and the curses and dooms that will come if we forget to acknowledge our debt to our creator. The Sages of the Talmud decreed that the proper way to show our thanks and appreciation is to say a blessing before we take advantage of any part of our life. There are blessings for the foods we eat, fruits, vegetables, bread, and all other kinds of food. After we eat our fill, we once again thank our Creator for not only the food we eat, but for all the many kind things that G-d showers down upon us every day. In the presence of the wonders of nature, storms, mountains, rainbows, oceans, in the presence of great wisdom, beauty or even unusual shapes for human beings, there is a blessing to recite. At all the different seasons of the year, holidays, special days, happy times, and sad times, and the first time we do something new, there is a blessing to recite. The Ancient Rabbis taught that there are no less than 100 reasons each day to bless and thank G-d. With a list of blessings, they tried to make sure that we never neglect the things in life that are really important.
All too often today we forget to be grateful. We pass people on the street who help us in so many ways, and we never say a word to them. Most of our time on Thanksgiving is dedicated to eating and football. We give little thought to what Thanksgiving stands for and think only of shopping and sports. So many people are there to help us every day, and we ignore their actions. The telephone repairmen, the grocery clerks, the hairdresser, the delivery boy, police officers, firefighters and paramedics, we need to acknowledge how much we rely on them and thank them for their diligent efforts on our behalf. Life would be so much more difficult if they were not working on our behalf.
Sometime this Thanksgiving day, pause with your family and make a list of 100 things for which we are thankful. Make sure to write it all down. Post it on your refrigerator to remind you, every day, the 100 ways we have to thanking G-d. Take nothing for granted, and take no one for granted. Spread around your feelings of thankfulness and you will be surprised at the response you get back. Just saying a Thank you to the server who fills your water glass in a restaurant, will insure that your glass will never be empty. You can make a difference in someone’s life, even save a life, just by expressing our gratitude to G-d for all the many blessings in our life.
Let us all be thankful on this Thanksgiving day. It is the American and the Jewish thing to do.
November 24, 2003
Number 5764-8 Thanksgiving
We like to think of Thanksgiving as an American holiday. Its history goes back to Christian pilgrims to our shore, and to the Native Americans who helped them through a bitter winter and who taught them the skills to survive in this new land. It was this spirit of co-operation and gratitude that inspired later generations to make the last Thursday of November a national holiday of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving, however, is built on Jewish roots. The Pilgrims, fundamentalist Christians all, knew their Bible well. They knew all about a festival in the fall to thank G-d for the blessings of the harvest. They understood that Sukkot was a time to thank G-d for the miracle of growing crops, for the balance of sunshine and rain, and the strength they needed to tend the gardens and hunt for food. Their holiday was modeled after the Biblical Sukkot, the traditional time of thanksgiving for Jews.
While I advise Jews to stay away from celebrating Christmas, St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s day and Halloween, I make no such claim against Thanksgiving. There is a very Jewish dimension to Thanksgiving. The final sections in the book of Deuteronomy are concerned with showing gratitude to G-d for our many blessings and the curses and dooms that will come if we forget to acknowledge our debt to our creator. The Sages of the Talmud decreed that the proper way to show our thanks and appreciation is to say a blessing before we take advantage of any part of our life. There are blessings for the foods we eat, fruits, vegetables, bread, and all other kinds of food. After we eat our fill, we once again thank our Creator for not only the food we eat, but for all the many kind things that G-d showers down upon us every day. In the presence of the wonders of nature, storms, mountains, rainbows, oceans, in the presence of great wisdom, beauty or even unusual shapes for human beings, there is a blessing to recite. At all the different seasons of the year, holidays, special days, happy times, and sad times, and the first time we do something new, there is a blessing to recite. The Ancient Rabbis taught that there are no less than 100 reasons each day to bless and thank G-d. With a list of blessings, they tried to make sure that we never neglect the things in life that are really important.
All too often today we forget to be grateful. We pass people on the street who help us in so many ways, and we never say a word to them. Most of our time on Thanksgiving is dedicated to eating and football. We give little thought to what Thanksgiving stands for and think only of shopping and sports. So many people are there to help us every day, and we ignore their actions. The telephone repairmen, the grocery clerks, the hairdresser, the delivery boy, police officers, firefighters and paramedics, we need to acknowledge how much we rely on them and thank them for their diligent efforts on our behalf. Life would be so much more difficult if they were not working on our behalf.
Sometime this Thanksgiving day, pause with your family and make a list of 100 things for which we are thankful. Make sure to write it all down. Post it on your refrigerator to remind you, every day, the 100 ways we have to thanking G-d. Take nothing for granted, and take no one for granted. Spread around your feelings of thankfulness and you will be surprised at the response you get back. Just saying a Thank you to the server who fills your water glass in a restaurant, will insure that your glass will never be empty. You can make a difference in someone’s life, even save a life, just by expressing our gratitude to G-d for all the many blessings in our life.
Let us all be thankful on this Thanksgiving day. It is the American and the Jewish thing to do.
Monday, November 17, 2003
HMS; 5764-7 Shabbat III - Physical vs Spiritual Pursuits
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
November 17, 2003
Number 5764-7 Shabbat III - Physical vs Spiritual Pursuits
While everyone wants to have the spiritual benefits of Shabbat, many do not realize the preparation that must go into Shabbat to experience these benefits. Author and Play write, Herman Woulk not only noticed that Shabbat took all the tension and stress out of his work week, but that the quiet of Shabbat also enabled him to do his best work once he returned after the holiday (Herman Woulk, "This is My God", see: A Personal Digression)
To understand how Shabbat works we need to see that as our physical activities wane, our spiritual resources increase. Let us look at the four different parts of Shabbat and see how this change takes place. In chronological order, these four parts are: Friday Night; Sat. Morning/Lunch; Sat. Afternoon; and Sat. Night. These understandings are based on the work of Franz Rosenzweig, a Jewish Philosopher in the 1800's
Friday Night - Friday night is rich in Physical stimulation. There is the Kabbalat Shabbat service which is sung traditionally in 3/4 time (Waltz Time) a very grand and stately kind of music. The Theme of the service is G-d as Creator, the physical actions of G-d. The Friday night service is a coronation/wedding of Shabbat as a royal bride, with all the pomp and ceremony of this event. The Shabbat Dinner is a full course dinner, usually the best dinner of the week. Jews would save their money to make Shabbat dinner the best it could possibly be. The Zemirot tend to speak to the food of the dinner as a way of celebrating Shabbat. The lighting of candles, the rich egg challah, the blessings of family and food all designed to stress the physical side of life. Even the mandate that Friday night is also a special time for sexual relations between a husband and wife highlight the physical nature of this part of Shabbat. Spiritually, though, things are very low. We often arrive at Friday night tired from a long hard work week, and tired from the frantic push to get Shabbat ready before candles must be lit. Spiritual concerns are far from our mind during this part of Shabbat
Saturday Morning/Lunch - We awaken Saturday morning refreshed and rejuvenated and ready for the main service of the day, Shacharit. During this service we will offer a special Amida for Shabbat and a Musaf Amida in honor of the day. We will pause to read from the Torah, to get some religious learning in as well as a reading from the Prophets in the Haphtara. Clearly our Spiritual side is rising. Without the distractions of job and responsibilities, we are free to let our spiritual side shine. There is still some significant physical aspects to Shabbat here. The time of the music is 4/4 (March Time) and the theme is G-d as King. Lunch is not the sumptuous feast of Friday Night, but, prepared in advance, the lunch menu is still satisfying and complete. Often guests will join us for the meal and for the singing. The Zemirot stress more spiritual themes, however, focusing on Shabbat Rest and learning. During this part of Shabbat, with spirituality rising and the physical declining, they are about even on the chart.
Saturday Afternoon - The physical almost disappears as the afternoon wears on. Shabbat Afternoon is often the time for a Shabbat nap, a Shabbat walk or time to read a Shabbat book. There are no schedules to keep, phones to answer or problems to solve. It is a time to talk to our children, perhaps play some unhurried games with them. The third meal of Shabbat is almost no meal at all. Perhaps a hard boiled egg, some cheese, perhaps some tuna salad and bread. It is a pretty spartan meal. The songs sung during the meal are often wordless niggunim, songs best hummed or filled with La-la-la’s and Bim bam bim. Spiritually we are very high, feeling a part of nature, not an opponent of nature. Our life has slowed down to the point where we even begin to lose track of time, noting only that the sun is slowly setting and that Shabbat will, eventually come to an end. The theme of the afternoon service is Redemption, a theme based in the future, and we contemplate a world where it is Shabbat all the time. We are feeling closer to G-d and have a better understanding of our place in G-d’s universe.
Saturday Night - Having reached a spiritual high in the afternoon, as soon as the sun sets and Shabbat ends, we are suddenly free to re-enter the chaos of the week. It is a spectacular crash as spiritual perfection meets reality once again. While the crash is unavoidable, the Havdala service is designed to cushion the fall. Havdala consists of four blessings. One for wine - reminding us that there are other reasons to celebrate beside Shabbat. The second blessing is over spices - reminding us that there are other sweet things in life beside Shabbat. The third blessing is over the Havdala candle, a multi-wick candle that resembles a torch, to light our way into the darkness of the new week, and a final blessing to G-d for creating a distinction between secular and holy days. The spirituality of Shabbat leaves us and we once again return to work and chores. Still, the spiritual time of Shabbat has changed us and we are able to look at the new week with new eyes and with a refreshed soul.
Next week: Thanksgiving
November 17, 2003
Number 5764-7 Shabbat III - Physical vs Spiritual Pursuits
While everyone wants to have the spiritual benefits of Shabbat, many do not realize the preparation that must go into Shabbat to experience these benefits. Author and Play write, Herman Woulk not only noticed that Shabbat took all the tension and stress out of his work week, but that the quiet of Shabbat also enabled him to do his best work once he returned after the holiday (Herman Woulk, "This is My God", see: A Personal Digression)
To understand how Shabbat works we need to see that as our physical activities wane, our spiritual resources increase. Let us look at the four different parts of Shabbat and see how this change takes place. In chronological order, these four parts are: Friday Night; Sat. Morning/Lunch; Sat. Afternoon; and Sat. Night. These understandings are based on the work of Franz Rosenzweig, a Jewish Philosopher in the 1800's
Friday Night - Friday night is rich in Physical stimulation. There is the Kabbalat Shabbat service which is sung traditionally in 3/4 time (Waltz Time) a very grand and stately kind of music. The Theme of the service is G-d as Creator, the physical actions of G-d. The Friday night service is a coronation/wedding of Shabbat as a royal bride, with all the pomp and ceremony of this event. The Shabbat Dinner is a full course dinner, usually the best dinner of the week. Jews would save their money to make Shabbat dinner the best it could possibly be. The Zemirot tend to speak to the food of the dinner as a way of celebrating Shabbat. The lighting of candles, the rich egg challah, the blessings of family and food all designed to stress the physical side of life. Even the mandate that Friday night is also a special time for sexual relations between a husband and wife highlight the physical nature of this part of Shabbat. Spiritually, though, things are very low. We often arrive at Friday night tired from a long hard work week, and tired from the frantic push to get Shabbat ready before candles must be lit. Spiritual concerns are far from our mind during this part of Shabbat
Saturday Morning/Lunch - We awaken Saturday morning refreshed and rejuvenated and ready for the main service of the day, Shacharit. During this service we will offer a special Amida for Shabbat and a Musaf Amida in honor of the day. We will pause to read from the Torah, to get some religious learning in as well as a reading from the Prophets in the Haphtara. Clearly our Spiritual side is rising. Without the distractions of job and responsibilities, we are free to let our spiritual side shine. There is still some significant physical aspects to Shabbat here. The time of the music is 4/4 (March Time) and the theme is G-d as King. Lunch is not the sumptuous feast of Friday Night, but, prepared in advance, the lunch menu is still satisfying and complete. Often guests will join us for the meal and for the singing. The Zemirot stress more spiritual themes, however, focusing on Shabbat Rest and learning. During this part of Shabbat, with spirituality rising and the physical declining, they are about even on the chart.
Saturday Afternoon - The physical almost disappears as the afternoon wears on. Shabbat Afternoon is often the time for a Shabbat nap, a Shabbat walk or time to read a Shabbat book. There are no schedules to keep, phones to answer or problems to solve. It is a time to talk to our children, perhaps play some unhurried games with them. The third meal of Shabbat is almost no meal at all. Perhaps a hard boiled egg, some cheese, perhaps some tuna salad and bread. It is a pretty spartan meal. The songs sung during the meal are often wordless niggunim, songs best hummed or filled with La-la-la’s and Bim bam bim. Spiritually we are very high, feeling a part of nature, not an opponent of nature. Our life has slowed down to the point where we even begin to lose track of time, noting only that the sun is slowly setting and that Shabbat will, eventually come to an end. The theme of the afternoon service is Redemption, a theme based in the future, and we contemplate a world where it is Shabbat all the time. We are feeling closer to G-d and have a better understanding of our place in G-d’s universe.
Saturday Night - Having reached a spiritual high in the afternoon, as soon as the sun sets and Shabbat ends, we are suddenly free to re-enter the chaos of the week. It is a spectacular crash as spiritual perfection meets reality once again. While the crash is unavoidable, the Havdala service is designed to cushion the fall. Havdala consists of four blessings. One for wine - reminding us that there are other reasons to celebrate beside Shabbat. The second blessing is over spices - reminding us that there are other sweet things in life beside Shabbat. The third blessing is over the Havdala candle, a multi-wick candle that resembles a torch, to light our way into the darkness of the new week, and a final blessing to G-d for creating a distinction between secular and holy days. The spirituality of Shabbat leaves us and we once again return to work and chores. Still, the spiritual time of Shabbat has changed us and we are able to look at the new week with new eyes and with a refreshed soul.
Next week: Thanksgiving
Monday, November 10, 2003
HMS; 5764-6 Shabbat II - Work and Shabbat
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
November 10, 2003
Number 5764-6 Shabbat II - Work and Shabbat
The most widely know detail of Shabbat is the prohibition against work from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. It is the most widely known law and one of the most misunderstood.
The Torah is very precise that "Melacha" is forbidden on Shabbat. It says many times that we must not do "Melacha" on Shabbat. What the Torah does not say is what the word "Melacha" means. The usual word for work is "Avoda" so the Sages understand that "Melacha" must be a special kind of work. Without a definition the word would have no meaning. Therefore the Sages looked through the Torah to find where the definition of "Melacha" could be implied. They found, at the beginning of Parshat Vayakel (Exodus 35:1-3) The command to refrain from "Melacha" on Shabbat just before the building of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary, begins. The Rabbis ruled that whatever "Melacha" is, it must actions that are implied in the construction project that is about to begin. They then deduced 39 categories of work that are thus forbidden on Shabbat. These master categories prohibit: Ploughing, sowing, reaping, sheaf-making, threshing, winnowing, selecting, sifting, grinding, kneading, baking, sheep-shearing, bleaching, combing raw materials, dyeing, spinning, inserting thread into a loom, weaving, removing a finished article from a loom, separating into threads, tying a knot, untying a knot, sewing, tearing, trapping, slaughtering, skinning, tanning, scraping, marking out a pattern, cutting to shape, writing, erasing, building demolishing, kindling a fire, extinguishing a fire, the final hammer blow and carrying from one domain to another (public or private). Since the Torah calls for capital punishment for these offenses, the Sages then added another layer of prohibitions to keep people away from the major offenses. For example, if writing is not allowed, we do not allow sharpening a pencil since this may lead to writing. Some say that swimming is not allowed because placing a swim suit in water may constitute "washing"! Or we may tear off a branch from a tree to use as a swim aid. The Sages determined that one should not read by candle light on Friday night lest you tilt the candle holder to increase the flame. If, however another person is reading with you, you can read by candle light since the other person will remind you that it is Shabbat and the flame can not be increased. A third layer adds an additional fence around the law, so that carrying a pencil late Friday afternoon is also forbidden lest you forget you have it and write with it later that evening. Thus if you go around with a pencil behind your ear all day, or a needle and thread in your lapel for alterations, you have to put these away on Erev Shabbat lest you forget they are there and use them on Shabbat.
Many Sages from ancient to modern times see in this list creative acts, actions that bring about some change in the natural world. Since G-d rested from creative acts on Shabbat, so too we should let the physical world rest as we observe Shabbat, and not seek to change the world around us. It is this general rule that helps us understand if new things should be permitted or prohibited on Shabbat. For example, should electricity be used on Shabbat. If you consider electricity as fire, it would be prohibited, if not, it could be used. Clearly we can not use electricity to do another prohibited act. Sewing is prohibited so a sewing machine is also prohibited, as is an electric razor. Cooking is prohibited, even if the food is being cooked not on an open flame, but on an electric burner. What about electric lights? Are they a "flame" or not? Opinions vary. Some use electric lights others do not. To avoid a problem, some use timers to control the lights and thus the operation is automatic and not caused by our action. One could not adjust a timer on Shabbat but could use the light or other device that is set up to be run automatically by a timer. Television is a different problem. While a timer could be used to turn on an off the set, there is another problem of commercials. Do we want advertisements soliciting us to buy on a day when we can not handle money?
While there are interesting paradoxes, for example you can move your piano upstairs on Shabbat (since it stays in one domain) but you can’t carry a handkerchief outside (since it is moving from the private to the public domain), the general rule applies, we should not seek to change our world but to live in it and enjoy it the way G-d created it. Life is certainly different when walk instead of ride, and live without our cell phone, PDA or computer. When was the last time you had time in the afternoon to read a book or take a short nap? Not only does it refresh our soul but there is an added bonus that come from putting our work aside. After Shabbat, when we return to the working world, often we do our most creative work after our day of rest.
Next week: Shabbat III - Physical vs Spiritual Pursuits
November 10, 2003
Number 5764-6 Shabbat II - Work and Shabbat
The most widely know detail of Shabbat is the prohibition against work from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. It is the most widely known law and one of the most misunderstood.
The Torah is very precise that "Melacha" is forbidden on Shabbat. It says many times that we must not do "Melacha" on Shabbat. What the Torah does not say is what the word "Melacha" means. The usual word for work is "Avoda" so the Sages understand that "Melacha" must be a special kind of work. Without a definition the word would have no meaning. Therefore the Sages looked through the Torah to find where the definition of "Melacha" could be implied. They found, at the beginning of Parshat Vayakel (Exodus 35:1-3) The command to refrain from "Melacha" on Shabbat just before the building of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary, begins. The Rabbis ruled that whatever "Melacha" is, it must actions that are implied in the construction project that is about to begin. They then deduced 39 categories of work that are thus forbidden on Shabbat. These master categories prohibit: Ploughing, sowing, reaping, sheaf-making, threshing, winnowing, selecting, sifting, grinding, kneading, baking, sheep-shearing, bleaching, combing raw materials, dyeing, spinning, inserting thread into a loom, weaving, removing a finished article from a loom, separating into threads, tying a knot, untying a knot, sewing, tearing, trapping, slaughtering, skinning, tanning, scraping, marking out a pattern, cutting to shape, writing, erasing, building demolishing, kindling a fire, extinguishing a fire, the final hammer blow and carrying from one domain to another (public or private). Since the Torah calls for capital punishment for these offenses, the Sages then added another layer of prohibitions to keep people away from the major offenses. For example, if writing is not allowed, we do not allow sharpening a pencil since this may lead to writing. Some say that swimming is not allowed because placing a swim suit in water may constitute "washing"! Or we may tear off a branch from a tree to use as a swim aid. The Sages determined that one should not read by candle light on Friday night lest you tilt the candle holder to increase the flame. If, however another person is reading with you, you can read by candle light since the other person will remind you that it is Shabbat and the flame can not be increased. A third layer adds an additional fence around the law, so that carrying a pencil late Friday afternoon is also forbidden lest you forget you have it and write with it later that evening. Thus if you go around with a pencil behind your ear all day, or a needle and thread in your lapel for alterations, you have to put these away on Erev Shabbat lest you forget they are there and use them on Shabbat.
Many Sages from ancient to modern times see in this list creative acts, actions that bring about some change in the natural world. Since G-d rested from creative acts on Shabbat, so too we should let the physical world rest as we observe Shabbat, and not seek to change the world around us. It is this general rule that helps us understand if new things should be permitted or prohibited on Shabbat. For example, should electricity be used on Shabbat. If you consider electricity as fire, it would be prohibited, if not, it could be used. Clearly we can not use electricity to do another prohibited act. Sewing is prohibited so a sewing machine is also prohibited, as is an electric razor. Cooking is prohibited, even if the food is being cooked not on an open flame, but on an electric burner. What about electric lights? Are they a "flame" or not? Opinions vary. Some use electric lights others do not. To avoid a problem, some use timers to control the lights and thus the operation is automatic and not caused by our action. One could not adjust a timer on Shabbat but could use the light or other device that is set up to be run automatically by a timer. Television is a different problem. While a timer could be used to turn on an off the set, there is another problem of commercials. Do we want advertisements soliciting us to buy on a day when we can not handle money?
While there are interesting paradoxes, for example you can move your piano upstairs on Shabbat (since it stays in one domain) but you can’t carry a handkerchief outside (since it is moving from the private to the public domain), the general rule applies, we should not seek to change our world but to live in it and enjoy it the way G-d created it. Life is certainly different when walk instead of ride, and live without our cell phone, PDA or computer. When was the last time you had time in the afternoon to read a book or take a short nap? Not only does it refresh our soul but there is an added bonus that come from putting our work aside. After Shabbat, when we return to the working world, often we do our most creative work after our day of rest.
Next week: Shabbat III - Physical vs Spiritual Pursuits
Monday, November 3, 2003
HMS 5764-5; Shabbat I - The Origins of Shabbat
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
November 3, 2003
Number 5764-5 Shabbat I - The Origins of Shabbat
The oldest holiday on the Hebrew Calendar is Shabbat. The Torah dates it from the seventh day of creation. On that day, G-d ceased creating and rested. The name "Shabbat" is one of those words that seem to have no history. We don’t find any word or any concept in the ancient world that is comparable to the Jewish Shabbat. All attempts to find a source for Shabbat in ancient writings has been futile.
Shabbat is also the only holiday mentioned in the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment insists upon a day of rest for every member of the family, including the hired help and any working animals in the household. Shabbat therefore is linked to one of the most important moments in Jewish history, the Revelation at Mt. Sinai.
Shabbat is also linked to the future. The Sages of the Talmud taught that to experience Shabbat was to experience 1/60 th of the "World to Come." Our rest, therefore, is tied directly to future time, a time when the whole world, perhaps the whole universe will know the peace of Shabbat.
These three understandings of Shabbat are reflected in the three main services that we perform on Shabbat. Friday night is dedicated to Shabbat as the pinnacle of Creation. So we sing "Vayechulu HaShamaim, a quote directly from the creation story. On Shabbat morning, the service is dedicated to Revelation, and we sing, "V’Shamru B’nai Yisrael" that refers to Shabbat as a commandment of G-d. The Shabbat Mincha Service is dedicated to the end of days, When all the world will benefit from the rest we observe on Shabbat. Shabbat is the only day on the calendar where the Amida for Maariv, Shacharit and Mincha, are all different from each other. This too reflects the three themes, Creation, Revelation and the Final Redemption.
Shabbat has always been a difficult Mitzvah to perform. The Maccabees had to suspend Shabbat during their war with the Greek forces since the Greeks would wait to attack on Shabbat when the Jews would not fight. The Pagan Romans would laugh at the Jews who would not work seven days a week. To a pagan, work was the way one acquired power from the gods. The Roman’s could just not understand why the Jewish G-d would not have them work every day! Throughout the middle ages, Shabbat kept the Jewish people united. Achad HaAm, one of the great writers of the Emancipation noted, "more than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews." Abraham Joshua Heschel, the great American philosopher, calls Shabbat a "Palace in Time" noting that all week long we work in the world of things, making things, changing things altering things, but on Shabbat we leave the world of space behind and choose to dwell in the realm of time.
In Judaism the whole week revolves around Shabbat. The days of the week do not have Hebrew names, they are only numbered as the first, second or third day before Shabbat. Some see Shabbat as the pinnacle of the week, with each day leading up to this highlight of our days. Others see Shabbat as a wave, with Wed, Thurs, and Friday as days leading up to Shabbat and Sun, Mon, and Tues as days that bring us down from Shabbat. The Psalm that is said on Wednesday is Psalm 94. We add to that Psalm on Wednesday the first few verses from Psalm 95, the Psalm that opens up the prayers of Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday night, calling attention to the fact that Wednesday is the swing day that leads us back to the heightened spirituality of Shabbat
While Shabbat starts with a great feast and with grand pageantry, over the 25 hours of Shabbat the physical aspects of the holiday begin to wane. The meals become more meager and the music becomes simpler. At the same time, the harried and hurried pace we start Shabbat with, slowly, over the 25 hours of the day, becomes slower and slower. The spirituality that thrives on our rest and relaxation begins to grow stronger and stronger. By the end of Shabbat we have almost left the physical world and spiritually we are very strong. Unfortunately, Shabbat then comes to an end and we have a sort of "crash" as we begin to adjust to the real world again. The Havdala Service, four simple blessings, over wine, over spices, over the light of a special candle and over the transition from holy time to secular time, we cushion our fall and prepare to begin another week.
Next week: Shabbat II - Work and Shabbat
November 3, 2003
Number 5764-5 Shabbat I - The Origins of Shabbat
The oldest holiday on the Hebrew Calendar is Shabbat. The Torah dates it from the seventh day of creation. On that day, G-d ceased creating and rested. The name "Shabbat" is one of those words that seem to have no history. We don’t find any word or any concept in the ancient world that is comparable to the Jewish Shabbat. All attempts to find a source for Shabbat in ancient writings has been futile.
Shabbat is also the only holiday mentioned in the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment insists upon a day of rest for every member of the family, including the hired help and any working animals in the household. Shabbat therefore is linked to one of the most important moments in Jewish history, the Revelation at Mt. Sinai.
Shabbat is also linked to the future. The Sages of the Talmud taught that to experience Shabbat was to experience 1/60 th of the "World to Come." Our rest, therefore, is tied directly to future time, a time when the whole world, perhaps the whole universe will know the peace of Shabbat.
These three understandings of Shabbat are reflected in the three main services that we perform on Shabbat. Friday night is dedicated to Shabbat as the pinnacle of Creation. So we sing "Vayechulu HaShamaim, a quote directly from the creation story. On Shabbat morning, the service is dedicated to Revelation, and we sing, "V’Shamru B’nai Yisrael" that refers to Shabbat as a commandment of G-d. The Shabbat Mincha Service is dedicated to the end of days, When all the world will benefit from the rest we observe on Shabbat. Shabbat is the only day on the calendar where the Amida for Maariv, Shacharit and Mincha, are all different from each other. This too reflects the three themes, Creation, Revelation and the Final Redemption.
Shabbat has always been a difficult Mitzvah to perform. The Maccabees had to suspend Shabbat during their war with the Greek forces since the Greeks would wait to attack on Shabbat when the Jews would not fight. The Pagan Romans would laugh at the Jews who would not work seven days a week. To a pagan, work was the way one acquired power from the gods. The Roman’s could just not understand why the Jewish G-d would not have them work every day! Throughout the middle ages, Shabbat kept the Jewish people united. Achad HaAm, one of the great writers of the Emancipation noted, "more than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews." Abraham Joshua Heschel, the great American philosopher, calls Shabbat a "Palace in Time" noting that all week long we work in the world of things, making things, changing things altering things, but on Shabbat we leave the world of space behind and choose to dwell in the realm of time.
In Judaism the whole week revolves around Shabbat. The days of the week do not have Hebrew names, they are only numbered as the first, second or third day before Shabbat. Some see Shabbat as the pinnacle of the week, with each day leading up to this highlight of our days. Others see Shabbat as a wave, with Wed, Thurs, and Friday as days leading up to Shabbat and Sun, Mon, and Tues as days that bring us down from Shabbat. The Psalm that is said on Wednesday is Psalm 94. We add to that Psalm on Wednesday the first few verses from Psalm 95, the Psalm that opens up the prayers of Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday night, calling attention to the fact that Wednesday is the swing day that leads us back to the heightened spirituality of Shabbat
While Shabbat starts with a great feast and with grand pageantry, over the 25 hours of Shabbat the physical aspects of the holiday begin to wane. The meals become more meager and the music becomes simpler. At the same time, the harried and hurried pace we start Shabbat with, slowly, over the 25 hours of the day, becomes slower and slower. The spirituality that thrives on our rest and relaxation begins to grow stronger and stronger. By the end of Shabbat we have almost left the physical world and spiritually we are very strong. Unfortunately, Shabbat then comes to an end and we have a sort of "crash" as we begin to adjust to the real world again. The Havdala Service, four simple blessings, over wine, over spices, over the light of a special candle and over the transition from holy time to secular time, we cushion our fall and prepare to begin another week.
Next week: Shabbat II - Work and Shabbat
Monday, October 20, 2003
HMS 5764-4; Rosh Hodesh and Heshvan
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
October 20, 2003
Number 5764-4 Rosh Hodesh and Heshvan
From ancient times, Judaism has functioned on a Lunar Calendar. Many of our holidays and holy days begin during one phase of the moon or another. Pesach and Sukkot are always on the full moon, Rosh Hashana on the New moon. Ten days after the new moon of Tishre, comes Yom Kippur. Everything is determined by the phases of the moon. It should be no surprise that the new moon, when the moon first appears in the sky after disappearing from the sky just a few days before, marks the beginning of the month. It was not a formal holiday, but a festive day none the less. There is a custom that the beginning of the month, called Rosh Hodesh, should be a special holiday for women. This is in honor of their internal monthly cycle and because of their special merit for not joining the men in the desert who worshiped the golden calf.
The celebrations of Rosh Hodesh as a special day for everyone, comes, I think, from the way the month was declared in ancient times. The calculations of the calendar were well know to the sages in Ancient Israel, but they still preferred to have testimony that the new moon had indeed appeared in the sky. People would sit out on the hillsides looking for the first sight of the moon, then they would run to the court in Jerusalem to testify that they had indeed seen the new moon. They would be carefully cross examined, shown a variety of pictures of the moon to make sure they were not mistaken. And if two witnesses agreed that the new moon had appeared, the Sages would declare the new month and start the count to the next holiday. They would also interrogate witnesses who appeared later, not because they needed them, but because they did not want them to give up coming to the court thinking that it was already too late.
The problem is that the moon takes about 29 ½ days to circle the earth. You can’t have a half day so some months have to have 29 days, and some have 30. The pattern is to alternate 29 and 30 day months. There is some variation and adjustments that do need to be made from time to time to prevent Yom Kippur from falling on a Friday or a Sunday (when fasting would be too difficult) and to keep Hoshana Rabba off of Shabbat (when it would be forbidden to beat the willow branches). Since alternating 29 and 30 day months leaves a deficits of 11 days a year, The Jewish calendar corrects this by adding a 13th month seven times during a 19 year cycle. The entire calendar today is determined by mathematical calculations and not by personal observance. We can predict to the day when a holiday (or a parsha for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah) will occur, with all the adjustments already made.
Since there were special sacrifices offered in the great Temple of Jerusalem, we recite a speical Musaf service for Rosh Hodesh. We also do an abbreviated version of Hallel in the morning service. The months of a Jewish Year are Tishrei, Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar (and Adar II in Leap Years), Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av and Elul. There are actually four new years in Judaism. The first of Elul is the new year for taxes, Tishrei marks the creation of the world, Nisan is the month of our liberation from Egypt and of the Spring rebirth and Shevat 15, the full moon of Shevat) is the new year for Trees.
Heshvan, the month that will soon begin comes after a full compliment of holidays in Tishrei. It is the only month with no special prayers or holidays. Because it is so plain, it is given the title, MarHeshvan, (Mr. Heshvan) as a special mark of blessing from G-d.
Next week: Shabbat
Mailbox: In last weeks edition of HMS I noted: "Yizkor, the memorial service, is the main ritual of Shemini Atzeret" Cantor Linda Shivers in Portland OR reminded me that this is not quite true. The mail ritual of Shemini Atzeret is Geshem, the prayer for rain. It would not be wise to pray for rain when we are still living in our Sukkot, so as soon as Sukkot is over, we recite Geshem, a piyyut that serves as the beginning of a prayer for rain that will begin with the Musaf and continue until Pesach. The prayer is for rain in Israel so we don’t need to bring an umbrella to synagogue with us. Geshem is also a prayer for the "blessing of rain" the actual prayer for rain is added to the Amidah in the diaspora beginning on Dec. 4 or 5, but that is another lesson for another day. Thank you Cantor Shivers for your important reminder.
October 20, 2003
Number 5764-4 Rosh Hodesh and Heshvan
From ancient times, Judaism has functioned on a Lunar Calendar. Many of our holidays and holy days begin during one phase of the moon or another. Pesach and Sukkot are always on the full moon, Rosh Hashana on the New moon. Ten days after the new moon of Tishre, comes Yom Kippur. Everything is determined by the phases of the moon. It should be no surprise that the new moon, when the moon first appears in the sky after disappearing from the sky just a few days before, marks the beginning of the month. It was not a formal holiday, but a festive day none the less. There is a custom that the beginning of the month, called Rosh Hodesh, should be a special holiday for women. This is in honor of their internal monthly cycle and because of their special merit for not joining the men in the desert who worshiped the golden calf.
The celebrations of Rosh Hodesh as a special day for everyone, comes, I think, from the way the month was declared in ancient times. The calculations of the calendar were well know to the sages in Ancient Israel, but they still preferred to have testimony that the new moon had indeed appeared in the sky. People would sit out on the hillsides looking for the first sight of the moon, then they would run to the court in Jerusalem to testify that they had indeed seen the new moon. They would be carefully cross examined, shown a variety of pictures of the moon to make sure they were not mistaken. And if two witnesses agreed that the new moon had appeared, the Sages would declare the new month and start the count to the next holiday. They would also interrogate witnesses who appeared later, not because they needed them, but because they did not want them to give up coming to the court thinking that it was already too late.
The problem is that the moon takes about 29 ½ days to circle the earth. You can’t have a half day so some months have to have 29 days, and some have 30. The pattern is to alternate 29 and 30 day months. There is some variation and adjustments that do need to be made from time to time to prevent Yom Kippur from falling on a Friday or a Sunday (when fasting would be too difficult) and to keep Hoshana Rabba off of Shabbat (when it would be forbidden to beat the willow branches). Since alternating 29 and 30 day months leaves a deficits of 11 days a year, The Jewish calendar corrects this by adding a 13th month seven times during a 19 year cycle. The entire calendar today is determined by mathematical calculations and not by personal observance. We can predict to the day when a holiday (or a parsha for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah) will occur, with all the adjustments already made.
Since there were special sacrifices offered in the great Temple of Jerusalem, we recite a speical Musaf service for Rosh Hodesh. We also do an abbreviated version of Hallel in the morning service. The months of a Jewish Year are Tishrei, Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar (and Adar II in Leap Years), Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av and Elul. There are actually four new years in Judaism. The first of Elul is the new year for taxes, Tishrei marks the creation of the world, Nisan is the month of our liberation from Egypt and of the Spring rebirth and Shevat 15, the full moon of Shevat) is the new year for Trees.
Heshvan, the month that will soon begin comes after a full compliment of holidays in Tishrei. It is the only month with no special prayers or holidays. Because it is so plain, it is given the title, MarHeshvan, (Mr. Heshvan) as a special mark of blessing from G-d.
Next week: Shabbat
Mailbox: In last weeks edition of HMS I noted: "Yizkor, the memorial service, is the main ritual of Shemini Atzeret" Cantor Linda Shivers in Portland OR reminded me that this is not quite true. The mail ritual of Shemini Atzeret is Geshem, the prayer for rain. It would not be wise to pray for rain when we are still living in our Sukkot, so as soon as Sukkot is over, we recite Geshem, a piyyut that serves as the beginning of a prayer for rain that will begin with the Musaf and continue until Pesach. The prayer is for rain in Israel so we don’t need to bring an umbrella to synagogue with us. Geshem is also a prayer for the "blessing of rain" the actual prayer for rain is added to the Amidah in the diaspora beginning on Dec. 4 or 5, but that is another lesson for another day. Thank you Cantor Shivers for your important reminder.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
HMS 5764-3; Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
October 14, 2003
Number 5764-3 Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Shemini Atzeret is a festival that comes at the end of Sukkot but is completely independent from the holiday it follows. The definition of the term "Atzeret" is still a matter of debate among scholars. Why there was a need to follow the Sukkot Festival with another Festival is not clear. The difference between the two festivals is also not clear. Pesach also has an "Atzeret" festival. Shavuot in the Talmud is called "Atzeret" even though it comes 50 days after Pesach is over. Perhaps in the spring, when the dry season has started, it would be easy to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem twice in 50 days. Sukkot comes just before the rainy season begins and the roads become difficult. Perhaps this is why it’s "Atzeret" comes the day after Sukkot ends.
Yizkor, the memorial service, is the main ritual of Shemini Atzeret. Yizkor is done at the end of every festival. It is only natural that we would think of loved ones and miss them when holidays are celebrated over the course of the year. Rather than forget the times we celebrated in the past, we remember those who have died with the Yizkor Service. It would not be right to dampen the joy of the festival with Yizkor at the beginning of the celebration, so we do Yizkor at the end. Yizkor is the last day of Pesach, the last day of Shavuot and the second to last day of Shemini Atzeret. The second day of Shemini Atzeret is so joyful that Yizkor would not be appropriate, so Yizkor is moved to the first day (except in Israel where there is only one day of Shemini Atzeret and so Yizkor and the celebration are mixed.)
In ancient times, holidays were not set by a calendar years in advance, rather each month was declared when witnesses first saw the new moon in the sky. Once the court accepted their testimony, signal fires were lit and the entire country would know that the new month had begun and thus 15 days later Sukkot would start. Riders would immediately leave for Babylonia to let them know that the month was declared. Often the riders would take more than 2 weeks to get to their destinations. It thus became the custom to celebrate festivals outside of Israel two days, on the two possible days the month could have been declared. Although the calendar was long ago calculated for all to use, the custom still is for those Jewish communities outside of Israel to celebrate holidays for two days instead of one.
The second day of Shemini Atzeret now goes by the name of Simchat Torah. In the liturgy, we still call it Shemini Atzeret, but it takes on a new character because this is the day we end and begin again the annual cycle of the reading of the Torah. This is the reason for the great joy of this day, that we get another year to study and read Torah. At the evening service, the Torah is taken from the ark with great celebration. At Temple Sinai, it is crazy hat night and all are invited to wear a crazy hat. It is an honor to be able to sing one of the verses in honor of the Torah as it is taken from the ark. All the Torah scrolls in the ark are removed and paraded seven times around the synagogue with dancing and singing. The last parsha of Deuteronomy is begun and three honors are called. (We call Men Women and Children, other congregations may call Cohen, Levy and Yisrael) but the reading is left unfinished. In the morning service. Once again we honor people with verses to read as the ark is opened. Once again, all the scrolls of Torah are paraded around the synagogue seven times. Everyone gets an aliyah to the Torah in the morning (some places read many Torah scrolls, we call everyone up by age) It is a great honor to be the person called for the last reading from Deuteronomy. That honor is called Hatan Torah, the bridegroom of the Torah and there is a special hymn sun in his or her honor. The scroll is finished and put away, and then a new scroll is brought out and the next honor goes to the one who gets the first aliyah from the beginning of Genesis. That person is called, Hatan Berayshit, the Bridegroom of Genesis. The first chapter of Genesis is read and then the maftir is called. The Haftara is from the beginning of the book of Joshua, the book that comes after Deuteronomy. During the Haftara and during the musaf service, many silly things can happen. It becomes a parody of all the other holiday services. Tricks are pulled on those leading services and even on unsuspecting worshipers in the congregation. If you know what services are supposed to sound like, you will be amazed at what is done when all the rules are thrown away! Never, Ever miss a Simchat Torah Service, it is way too much fun. I hope to see you there.
Next week: Rosh Hodesh and Heshvan
October 14, 2003
Number 5764-3 Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Shemini Atzeret is a festival that comes at the end of Sukkot but is completely independent from the holiday it follows. The definition of the term "Atzeret" is still a matter of debate among scholars. Why there was a need to follow the Sukkot Festival with another Festival is not clear. The difference between the two festivals is also not clear. Pesach also has an "Atzeret" festival. Shavuot in the Talmud is called "Atzeret" even though it comes 50 days after Pesach is over. Perhaps in the spring, when the dry season has started, it would be easy to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem twice in 50 days. Sukkot comes just before the rainy season begins and the roads become difficult. Perhaps this is why it’s "Atzeret" comes the day after Sukkot ends.
Yizkor, the memorial service, is the main ritual of Shemini Atzeret. Yizkor is done at the end of every festival. It is only natural that we would think of loved ones and miss them when holidays are celebrated over the course of the year. Rather than forget the times we celebrated in the past, we remember those who have died with the Yizkor Service. It would not be right to dampen the joy of the festival with Yizkor at the beginning of the celebration, so we do Yizkor at the end. Yizkor is the last day of Pesach, the last day of Shavuot and the second to last day of Shemini Atzeret. The second day of Shemini Atzeret is so joyful that Yizkor would not be appropriate, so Yizkor is moved to the first day (except in Israel where there is only one day of Shemini Atzeret and so Yizkor and the celebration are mixed.)
In ancient times, holidays were not set by a calendar years in advance, rather each month was declared when witnesses first saw the new moon in the sky. Once the court accepted their testimony, signal fires were lit and the entire country would know that the new month had begun and thus 15 days later Sukkot would start. Riders would immediately leave for Babylonia to let them know that the month was declared. Often the riders would take more than 2 weeks to get to their destinations. It thus became the custom to celebrate festivals outside of Israel two days, on the two possible days the month could have been declared. Although the calendar was long ago calculated for all to use, the custom still is for those Jewish communities outside of Israel to celebrate holidays for two days instead of one.
The second day of Shemini Atzeret now goes by the name of Simchat Torah. In the liturgy, we still call it Shemini Atzeret, but it takes on a new character because this is the day we end and begin again the annual cycle of the reading of the Torah. This is the reason for the great joy of this day, that we get another year to study and read Torah. At the evening service, the Torah is taken from the ark with great celebration. At Temple Sinai, it is crazy hat night and all are invited to wear a crazy hat. It is an honor to be able to sing one of the verses in honor of the Torah as it is taken from the ark. All the Torah scrolls in the ark are removed and paraded seven times around the synagogue with dancing and singing. The last parsha of Deuteronomy is begun and three honors are called. (We call Men Women and Children, other congregations may call Cohen, Levy and Yisrael) but the reading is left unfinished. In the morning service. Once again we honor people with verses to read as the ark is opened. Once again, all the scrolls of Torah are paraded around the synagogue seven times. Everyone gets an aliyah to the Torah in the morning (some places read many Torah scrolls, we call everyone up by age) It is a great honor to be the person called for the last reading from Deuteronomy. That honor is called Hatan Torah, the bridegroom of the Torah and there is a special hymn sun in his or her honor. The scroll is finished and put away, and then a new scroll is brought out and the next honor goes to the one who gets the first aliyah from the beginning of Genesis. That person is called, Hatan Berayshit, the Bridegroom of Genesis. The first chapter of Genesis is read and then the maftir is called. The Haftara is from the beginning of the book of Joshua, the book that comes after Deuteronomy. During the Haftara and during the musaf service, many silly things can happen. It becomes a parody of all the other holiday services. Tricks are pulled on those leading services and even on unsuspecting worshipers in the congregation. If you know what services are supposed to sound like, you will be amazed at what is done when all the rules are thrown away! Never, Ever miss a Simchat Torah Service, it is way too much fun. I hope to see you there.
Next week: Rosh Hodesh and Heshvan
Thursday, October 9, 2003
HMS-5764-2; Sukkot: Building the Sukkah and Waving the Lulav
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
October 9, 2003
Number 5764-2 Sukkot: Building the Sukkah and Waving the Lulav
The first Mitzvah after Yom Kippur is to build a Sukkah. A Sukkah has to be at least 18" high and wide enough to fit most of your body inside. It can not be over 4 stories tall. It can be made of any building materials, constructed in the shape of the three Hebrew Letters that make up the word Sukkah, a Samech ( a building with four complete walls with a door and appropriate windows) or a Caff, (which is closed on three sides with the fourth side open.) Or a Hay (with two full walls and a symbolic third wall, but otherwise open). The roof must be made with natural materials that have been cut from living plants. Plants that are still living can not be used for the roof, so covering it with living vines or putting the sukkah under a tree are not permitted. The covering should produce more shade than sun by day and a be open enough to see stars from inside at night. Every region uses local plants for the roof, in the North they use evergreen branches, In Connecticut, we used cut corn stalks. In Florida we use palm branches. Some people use bamboo matting for the roof but this can only be used if there are no metal wires holding the matting together. Metal or wood can be used as a frame to hold the branches up (the plants on the roof are called, in Hebrew "schach") one should be able to sit in the Sukkah to say the proper blessing, it is better to eat all meals in the sukkah and those who are very involved in Sukkot, actually sleep in the Sukkah. There is no requirement to be in the Sukkah when the weather turns bad.
The Luav and Etrog are called, "arba minim" the four species. It consists of a long palm branch with three myrtle branches and two willow branches. The Etrog, a yellow citron is the fourth species. The three green branches are tied together. The Etrog, which must have not only a short stem but the delicate tip (called the "pitom") as well. They are held together, with the spine of the palm branch facing the holder, the myrtle on the right and the willow on the left of the palm in the left hand, and the Etrog held alongside them in the right hand. All species should be held the way they grow, with the stems down. (We hold the Etrog upside down until we say the blessing for the Lulav and Etrog, after the blessing we turn it the right way and give the four species three shakes in every direction, starting with East, then south, west, north, up and down. The willow branches are very perishable and should be either wrapped in wet paper towels or kept refrigerated for the holiday. The Etrog will never rot, but will, over the next month shrivel up. It will, however, never lose its wonderful smell. One can order a Lulav and Etrog through their synagogue. The deadline for orders is usually a day or two after Rosh Hashana.
With the exception of Shabbat when the Lulav is not waved, we take the Lulav before Hallel and say the blessing each morning. We wave the Lulav in all six directions at three different places in Hallel. The Lulav is never waved when G-d’s name is recited. The first two times we follow after the Cantor as he waves his/her Lulav, the last time, at the very end of Hallel, we wave it on our own. We wave it two times in each of these three spots (a total of 6 waves). In addition, we carry (but do not wave) the Lulav at the end of the service during "Hoshanot" special prayers to G–d in honor of Sukkot. We make a procession around the synagogue with the Torah in the middle, and all who have a Lulav are invited to join the procession. There is not procession on Shabbat.
On the last day of Sukkot, Hoshana Rabba, we wave the Lulav as usual, but make seven processions around the synagogue, then put aside the Lulav and take a bundle of 5 fresh willow branches and then beat them on the floor or the back of a chair. This is part of the cycle of prayers for rain that will culminate with "Geshem" a special prayer for rain on Shemini Atzeret. Shemini Atzeret is considered a separate holiday and the Lulav is not waved, nor do we dwell in the Sukkah on that day.
Next week: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
October 9, 2003
Number 5764-2 Sukkot: Building the Sukkah and Waving the Lulav
The first Mitzvah after Yom Kippur is to build a Sukkah. A Sukkah has to be at least 18" high and wide enough to fit most of your body inside. It can not be over 4 stories tall. It can be made of any building materials, constructed in the shape of the three Hebrew Letters that make up the word Sukkah, a Samech ( a building with four complete walls with a door and appropriate windows) or a Caff, (which is closed on three sides with the fourth side open.) Or a Hay (with two full walls and a symbolic third wall, but otherwise open). The roof must be made with natural materials that have been cut from living plants. Plants that are still living can not be used for the roof, so covering it with living vines or putting the sukkah under a tree are not permitted. The covering should produce more shade than sun by day and a be open enough to see stars from inside at night. Every region uses local plants for the roof, in the North they use evergreen branches, In Connecticut, we used cut corn stalks. In Florida we use palm branches. Some people use bamboo matting for the roof but this can only be used if there are no metal wires holding the matting together. Metal or wood can be used as a frame to hold the branches up (the plants on the roof are called, in Hebrew "schach") one should be able to sit in the Sukkah to say the proper blessing, it is better to eat all meals in the sukkah and those who are very involved in Sukkot, actually sleep in the Sukkah. There is no requirement to be in the Sukkah when the weather turns bad.
The Luav and Etrog are called, "arba minim" the four species. It consists of a long palm branch with three myrtle branches and two willow branches. The Etrog, a yellow citron is the fourth species. The three green branches are tied together. The Etrog, which must have not only a short stem but the delicate tip (called the "pitom") as well. They are held together, with the spine of the palm branch facing the holder, the myrtle on the right and the willow on the left of the palm in the left hand, and the Etrog held alongside them in the right hand. All species should be held the way they grow, with the stems down. (We hold the Etrog upside down until we say the blessing for the Lulav and Etrog, after the blessing we turn it the right way and give the four species three shakes in every direction, starting with East, then south, west, north, up and down. The willow branches are very perishable and should be either wrapped in wet paper towels or kept refrigerated for the holiday. The Etrog will never rot, but will, over the next month shrivel up. It will, however, never lose its wonderful smell. One can order a Lulav and Etrog through their synagogue. The deadline for orders is usually a day or two after Rosh Hashana.
With the exception of Shabbat when the Lulav is not waved, we take the Lulav before Hallel and say the blessing each morning. We wave the Lulav in all six directions at three different places in Hallel. The Lulav is never waved when G-d’s name is recited. The first two times we follow after the Cantor as he waves his/her Lulav, the last time, at the very end of Hallel, we wave it on our own. We wave it two times in each of these three spots (a total of 6 waves). In addition, we carry (but do not wave) the Lulav at the end of the service during "Hoshanot" special prayers to G–d in honor of Sukkot. We make a procession around the synagogue with the Torah in the middle, and all who have a Lulav are invited to join the procession. There is not procession on Shabbat.
On the last day of Sukkot, Hoshana Rabba, we wave the Lulav as usual, but make seven processions around the synagogue, then put aside the Lulav and take a bundle of 5 fresh willow branches and then beat them on the floor or the back of a chair. This is part of the cycle of prayers for rain that will culminate with "Geshem" a special prayer for rain on Shemini Atzeret. Shemini Atzeret is considered a separate holiday and the Lulav is not waved, nor do we dwell in the Sukkah on that day.
Next week: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Monday, September 29, 2003
HMS-24 Preparing for the High Holy Days V: Fasting and Yom Kippur
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
September 29, 2003 Number 24
Preparing for the High Holy Days V: Fasting and Yom Kippur
If every Jewish Holiday has its ritual, than the ritual most associated with the High Holy Days is prayer. From the very beginning of the season, until the final shofar sounds of Yom Kippur, This is a period not just of introspection, but a time of prayer. Much of the prayer is misunderstood and the meaning is often lost on those who come to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur unprepared. Just as one must prepare in advance for a visit to the opera or a classical concert, we also must prepare our hearts for this most sacred season.
First, we have to understand that the prayers that are contained in our Machzor, the special book we use on these days of Awe, are not, strictly speaking addressed to G-d. While the form that we use is that of pleading with G-d to give us another year of life, health and prosperity, we must understand that G-d already knows what is in our hearts and what our intentions are for the new year. Even before we ask, G-d is well aware of what we have made of our lives, the good, the bad and the ugly. What G-d is waiting for us for us to understand what we have done with our lives. So while we are speaking to G-d, what we really must be doing is listening to what we are saying.
When we read in the Machzor that G-d judges us on these holy days, we have to think about how we look before the ultimate judge. When it says that "Tzedaka, Prayer and Righteous Deeds avert the severity of the decree" we have to think what acts of Tzedaka, Prayer and Righteous Deeds have we done to deserve to have the decree changed. When we call G-d, our Avinu Malkaynu, our Father our King, we have to think about if we have acted as if we are the sons and daughters of the Ruler of the Universe. While not every person is guilty of every sin listed in the confessional, We need to take heed of the ones we ARE guilty of, and resolve to do better in the new year.
Many people come to services on Rosh Hashana and only concern themselves with how much time they will need to spend in the service. How long do they have to sit in their seats until everyone notices that they are there and they feel like they have prayed long enough. Yet, in their hands, in the Machzor, is the key to living a meaningful and holy life. No matter if we are rich or poor, strong or weak, we can live our life better in relationship to G-d and through G-d to all humanity. The Machzor helps us find our way to what is really important in life, to the people who care, and how to be a caring person to others. As one Rabbi once put it, it is not how long it takes one to get through the Machzor, it is about how long it takes the Machzor to get through to us!
Each service has its theme in bringing us closer to G-d. For those who daven every day or at least every week, there are many nuances of the service that can only be discovered after a year of daily prayer or a year of Shabbat prayer. Even the musical changes, the special melodies for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Kol Nidre, are designed to evoke feelings in our hearts and inspire us to realign our lives according to the Jewish values that have guided our people for their entire 5000 year long history. Every prayer and every Poem, the readings from the Torah and the Haftara, the special changes that are designated for this time of year, all of them are calling us to make the changes now that will bring us true happiness and real prosperity in the new year. The Shofar itself is compared to an alarm clock, sounding its call of return and urgency as time is slipping away.
The services for the High Holy Days is not a performance, it is a call to commitment. While the Rabbi and Cantor are leading from the bima, the real action must be taking place in our hearts. We can change, we can be better. We are not locked into some kind of a life as if it was imprinted in our DNA. All it takes is for us to be moved by what we see, hear and experience in Synagogue, and then act upon our decisions to live a more holy life in the year that is beginning.
September 29, 2003 Number 24
Preparing for the High Holy Days V: Fasting and Yom Kippur
If every Jewish Holiday has its ritual, than the ritual most associated with the High Holy Days is prayer. From the very beginning of the season, until the final shofar sounds of Yom Kippur, This is a period not just of introspection, but a time of prayer. Much of the prayer is misunderstood and the meaning is often lost on those who come to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur unprepared. Just as one must prepare in advance for a visit to the opera or a classical concert, we also must prepare our hearts for this most sacred season.
First, we have to understand that the prayers that are contained in our Machzor, the special book we use on these days of Awe, are not, strictly speaking addressed to G-d. While the form that we use is that of pleading with G-d to give us another year of life, health and prosperity, we must understand that G-d already knows what is in our hearts and what our intentions are for the new year. Even before we ask, G-d is well aware of what we have made of our lives, the good, the bad and the ugly. What G-d is waiting for us for us to understand what we have done with our lives. So while we are speaking to G-d, what we really must be doing is listening to what we are saying.
When we read in the Machzor that G-d judges us on these holy days, we have to think about how we look before the ultimate judge. When it says that "Tzedaka, Prayer and Righteous Deeds avert the severity of the decree" we have to think what acts of Tzedaka, Prayer and Righteous Deeds have we done to deserve to have the decree changed. When we call G-d, our Avinu Malkaynu, our Father our King, we have to think about if we have acted as if we are the sons and daughters of the Ruler of the Universe. While not every person is guilty of every sin listed in the confessional, We need to take heed of the ones we ARE guilty of, and resolve to do better in the new year.
Many people come to services on Rosh Hashana and only concern themselves with how much time they will need to spend in the service. How long do they have to sit in their seats until everyone notices that they are there and they feel like they have prayed long enough. Yet, in their hands, in the Machzor, is the key to living a meaningful and holy life. No matter if we are rich or poor, strong or weak, we can live our life better in relationship to G-d and through G-d to all humanity. The Machzor helps us find our way to what is really important in life, to the people who care, and how to be a caring person to others. As one Rabbi once put it, it is not how long it takes one to get through the Machzor, it is about how long it takes the Machzor to get through to us!
Each service has its theme in bringing us closer to G-d. For those who daven every day or at least every week, there are many nuances of the service that can only be discovered after a year of daily prayer or a year of Shabbat prayer. Even the musical changes, the special melodies for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Kol Nidre, are designed to evoke feelings in our hearts and inspire us to realign our lives according to the Jewish values that have guided our people for their entire 5000 year long history. Every prayer and every Poem, the readings from the Torah and the Haftara, the special changes that are designated for this time of year, all of them are calling us to make the changes now that will bring us true happiness and real prosperity in the new year. The Shofar itself is compared to an alarm clock, sounding its call of return and urgency as time is slipping away.
The services for the High Holy Days is not a performance, it is a call to commitment. While the Rabbi and Cantor are leading from the bima, the real action must be taking place in our hearts. We can change, we can be better. We are not locked into some kind of a life as if it was imprinted in our DNA. All it takes is for us to be moved by what we see, hear and experience in Synagogue, and then act upon our decisions to live a more holy life in the year that is beginning.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
HMS-23: Preparing for the High Holy Days IV: Apples, Honey and Bread Crumbs
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
September 25, 2003 - Number 23
Preparing for the High Holy Days IV: Apples, Honey and Bread Crumbs
To celebrate Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur one must be aware of the important rituals of the day. It is traditional to eat Apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year. Some people eat honey cake and other sweet foods for the holiday. It is traditional to wear new clothing on the new year to give us an extra reason to recited the Shehechiyanu over our new clothing. One usually wears white on the Yamim Noraim (even if it is after Labor Day) since the High Priest on Yom Kippur put aside his golden garments and wore a simple white Kittel. There is a special musical mode for the High Holy Days. The music itself can put our mind into the proper frame for introspection and reflection. The Shofar sounds are to remind us of an alarm clock that is waking us up from the daze we are in every day to the passage of time and the need to make every moment count in the new year. Many special poems (called Piyyutim) are assigned for the holidays. They are chosen because they evoke in us our special relationship with G-d. In each one the poet tries to move us to examine our lives and see what we do in a new way. Perhaps with each point of view we can come to understand how important it is to begin the year with a strong resolve to make our lives better and more significant. Perhaps the only real way to fully understand how the service on the High Holy Days is supposed to make us feel, we need to have a better understanding of what a "regular" daily service is all about. When we pray daily, we can appreciate the extra poems and prayers that set the tone for the day.The Hineni prayer is the special moment when the Hazan begins the core of the service. He will be speaking on our behalf and acting as our representative. It is an awesome (and Awe some) experience that he does not take lightly. After all, our prayers cling to his on their way to G-d. The Hineni helps him get in the correct mode for such an important task. The Hazan will stand during the entire Musaf service without moving his feet apart. You may notice him hopping around the bima so that he does not separate them. The U'netane Tokef is the core reason why we are in synagogue. We come because we know that G-d is judging us and that we don't know, in they year ahead, what will happen to us. Who will live and who will die? Who will be rich and who will be poor? Who will be sick and who will be healthy? We can never know for sure what the answer is but the prayer reminds us that we can make a difference in life through acts of repentance, Prayer and the giving of Tzedaka.Avinu Malkenu is about asking G-d to forgive our sins. We approach G-d as a divine ruler, a king, and as our Father. Still we must remember if our Father is the King, than we too are children of royalty. We have the extra responsibility to reach for a higher standard.On the first day of Rosh Hashana, or the second day if the first is Shabbat, we go to a flowing body of water, and, as part of a special service called, Tashlich, we throw bread crumbs into the water to symbolically cast our sins away. It is a concrete way to let go of all that drags us down and keeps us from our potential.On Yom Kippur, during the long and short confessional, we tap our chest with our fist, it is a moment where we strike ourselves for each of the sins listed. To remember that we are sinners, we have not lived up to our expectations in the past year, and we did not live up to G-d's expectations. We strike ourselves to try and remember to do better in the new year.
Next week: Preparing for the High Holy Days V: Fasting and Yom Kippur
September 25, 2003 - Number 23
Preparing for the High Holy Days IV: Apples, Honey and Bread Crumbs
To celebrate Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur one must be aware of the important rituals of the day. It is traditional to eat Apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year. Some people eat honey cake and other sweet foods for the holiday. It is traditional to wear new clothing on the new year to give us an extra reason to recited the Shehechiyanu over our new clothing. One usually wears white on the Yamim Noraim (even if it is after Labor Day) since the High Priest on Yom Kippur put aside his golden garments and wore a simple white Kittel. There is a special musical mode for the High Holy Days. The music itself can put our mind into the proper frame for introspection and reflection. The Shofar sounds are to remind us of an alarm clock that is waking us up from the daze we are in every day to the passage of time and the need to make every moment count in the new year. Many special poems (called Piyyutim) are assigned for the holidays. They are chosen because they evoke in us our special relationship with G-d. In each one the poet tries to move us to examine our lives and see what we do in a new way. Perhaps with each point of view we can come to understand how important it is to begin the year with a strong resolve to make our lives better and more significant. Perhaps the only real way to fully understand how the service on the High Holy Days is supposed to make us feel, we need to have a better understanding of what a "regular" daily service is all about. When we pray daily, we can appreciate the extra poems and prayers that set the tone for the day.The Hineni prayer is the special moment when the Hazan begins the core of the service. He will be speaking on our behalf and acting as our representative. It is an awesome (and Awe some) experience that he does not take lightly. After all, our prayers cling to his on their way to G-d. The Hineni helps him get in the correct mode for such an important task. The Hazan will stand during the entire Musaf service without moving his feet apart. You may notice him hopping around the bima so that he does not separate them. The U'netane Tokef is the core reason why we are in synagogue. We come because we know that G-d is judging us and that we don't know, in they year ahead, what will happen to us. Who will live and who will die? Who will be rich and who will be poor? Who will be sick and who will be healthy? We can never know for sure what the answer is but the prayer reminds us that we can make a difference in life through acts of repentance, Prayer and the giving of Tzedaka.Avinu Malkenu is about asking G-d to forgive our sins. We approach G-d as a divine ruler, a king, and as our Father. Still we must remember if our Father is the King, than we too are children of royalty. We have the extra responsibility to reach for a higher standard.On the first day of Rosh Hashana, or the second day if the first is Shabbat, we go to a flowing body of water, and, as part of a special service called, Tashlich, we throw bread crumbs into the water to symbolically cast our sins away. It is a concrete way to let go of all that drags us down and keeps us from our potential.On Yom Kippur, during the long and short confessional, we tap our chest with our fist, it is a moment where we strike ourselves for each of the sins listed. To remember that we are sinners, we have not lived up to our expectations in the past year, and we did not live up to G-d's expectations. We strike ourselves to try and remember to do better in the new year.
Next week: Preparing for the High Holy Days V: Fasting and Yom Kippur
Monday, September 15, 2003
HMS-22: Preparing for the High Holy Days III: The Power of Prayer
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
September 15, 2003 - Number 22
Preparing for the High Holy Days III: The Power of Prayer
If every Jewish Holiday has its ritual, than the ritual most associated with the High Holy Days is prayer. From the very beginning of the season, until the final shofar sounds of Yom Kippur, This is a period not just of introspection, but a time of prayer. Much of the prayer is misunderstood and the meaning is often lost on those who come to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur unprepared. Just as one must prepare in advance for a visit to the opera or a classical concert, we also must prepare our hearts for this most sacred season.
First, we have to understand that the prayers that are contained in our Machzor, the special book we use on these days of Awe, are not, strictly speaking addressed to G-d. While the form that we use is that of pleading with G-d to give us another year of life, health and prosperity, we must understand that G-d already knows what is in our hearts and what our intentions are for the new year. Even before we ask, G-d is well aware of what we have made of our lives, the good, the bad and the ugly. What G-d is waiting for us for us to understand what we have done with our lives. So while we are speaking to G-d, what we really must be doing is listening to what we are saying.
When we read in the Machzor that G-d judges us on these holy days, we have to think about how we look before the ultimate judge. When it says that "Tzedaka, Prayer and Righteous Deeds avert the severity of the decree" we have to think what acts of Tzedaka, Prayer and Righteous Deeds have we done to deserve to have the decree changed. When we call G-d, our Avinu Malkaynu, our Father our King, we have to think about if we have acted as if we are the sons and daughters of the Ruler of the Universe. While not every person is guilty of every sin listed in the confessional, We need to take heed of the ones we ARE guilty of, and resolve to do better in the new year.
Many people come to services on Rosh Hashana and only concern themselves with how much time they will need to spend in the service. How long do they have to sit in their seats until everyone notices that they are there and they feel like they have prayed long enough. Yet, in their hands, in the Machzor, is the key to living a meaningful and holy life. No matter if we are rich or poor, strong or weak, we can live our life better in relationship to G-d and through G-d to all humanity. The Machzor helps us find our way to what is really important in life, to the people who care, and how to be a caring person to others. As one Rabbi once put it, it is not how long it takes one to get through the Machzor, it is about how long it takes the Machzor to get through to us!
Each service has its theme in bringing us closer to G-d. For those who daven every day or at least every week, there are many nuances of the service that can only be discovered after a year of daily prayer or a year of Shabbat prayer. Even the musical changes, the special melodies for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Kol Nidre, are designed to evoke feelings in our hearts and inspire us to realign our lives according to the Jewish values that have guided our people for their entire 5000 year long history. Every prayer and every Poem, the readings from the Torah and the Haftara, the special changes that are designated for this time of year, all of them are calling us to make the changes now that will bring us true happiness and real prosperity in the new year. The Shofar itself is compared to an alarm clock, sounding its call of return and urgency as time is slipping away.
The services for the High Holy Days is not a performance, it is a call to commitment. While the Rabbi and Cantor are leading from the bima, the real action must be taking place in our hearts. We can change, we can be better. We are not locked into some kind of a life as if it was imprinted in our DNA. All it takes is for us to be moved by what we see, hear and experience in Synagogue, and then act upon our decisions to live a more holy life in the year that is beginning.
Next week: Preparing for the High Holy Days IV: Apples, Honey and Bread Crumbs
September 15, 2003 - Number 22
Preparing for the High Holy Days III: The Power of Prayer
If every Jewish Holiday has its ritual, than the ritual most associated with the High Holy Days is prayer. From the very beginning of the season, until the final shofar sounds of Yom Kippur, This is a period not just of introspection, but a time of prayer. Much of the prayer is misunderstood and the meaning is often lost on those who come to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur unprepared. Just as one must prepare in advance for a visit to the opera or a classical concert, we also must prepare our hearts for this most sacred season.
First, we have to understand that the prayers that are contained in our Machzor, the special book we use on these days of Awe, are not, strictly speaking addressed to G-d. While the form that we use is that of pleading with G-d to give us another year of life, health and prosperity, we must understand that G-d already knows what is in our hearts and what our intentions are for the new year. Even before we ask, G-d is well aware of what we have made of our lives, the good, the bad and the ugly. What G-d is waiting for us for us to understand what we have done with our lives. So while we are speaking to G-d, what we really must be doing is listening to what we are saying.
When we read in the Machzor that G-d judges us on these holy days, we have to think about how we look before the ultimate judge. When it says that "Tzedaka, Prayer and Righteous Deeds avert the severity of the decree" we have to think what acts of Tzedaka, Prayer and Righteous Deeds have we done to deserve to have the decree changed. When we call G-d, our Avinu Malkaynu, our Father our King, we have to think about if we have acted as if we are the sons and daughters of the Ruler of the Universe. While not every person is guilty of every sin listed in the confessional, We need to take heed of the ones we ARE guilty of, and resolve to do better in the new year.
Many people come to services on Rosh Hashana and only concern themselves with how much time they will need to spend in the service. How long do they have to sit in their seats until everyone notices that they are there and they feel like they have prayed long enough. Yet, in their hands, in the Machzor, is the key to living a meaningful and holy life. No matter if we are rich or poor, strong or weak, we can live our life better in relationship to G-d and through G-d to all humanity. The Machzor helps us find our way to what is really important in life, to the people who care, and how to be a caring person to others. As one Rabbi once put it, it is not how long it takes one to get through the Machzor, it is about how long it takes the Machzor to get through to us!
Each service has its theme in bringing us closer to G-d. For those who daven every day or at least every week, there are many nuances of the service that can only be discovered after a year of daily prayer or a year of Shabbat prayer. Even the musical changes, the special melodies for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Kol Nidre, are designed to evoke feelings in our hearts and inspire us to realign our lives according to the Jewish values that have guided our people for their entire 5000 year long history. Every prayer and every Poem, the readings from the Torah and the Haftara, the special changes that are designated for this time of year, all of them are calling us to make the changes now that will bring us true happiness and real prosperity in the new year. The Shofar itself is compared to an alarm clock, sounding its call of return and urgency as time is slipping away.
The services for the High Holy Days is not a performance, it is a call to commitment. While the Rabbi and Cantor are leading from the bima, the real action must be taking place in our hearts. We can change, we can be better. We are not locked into some kind of a life as if it was imprinted in our DNA. All it takes is for us to be moved by what we see, hear and experience in Synagogue, and then act upon our decisions to live a more holy life in the year that is beginning.
Next week: Preparing for the High Holy Days IV: Apples, Honey and Bread Crumbs
Tuesday, September 9, 2003
HMS-21: Preparing for The High Holy Days II: Forgive and Forget
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
September 9, 2003 - Number 21
Preparing for the High Holy Days II: Forgive and Forget
Forgiveness is one of the key features of the High Holy Day season. Forgiveness works two ways. Our first obligation during the month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year, is to seek out those who are angry at us, and seek forgiveness for what we have done. This is easy to say but far more difficult to do.
In may entire career as a Rabbi, I find nothing more sad than to see families and friends shattered by a feud. On the one hand, it is a natural and normal fact of life that people argue about what they see and what they believe. Sometimes these arguments are heated and strong. There is no sin in arguing with someone else. As long as there is a conclusion drawn from the argument and there is some reconciliation between the two angry people. Anger should not last 24 or at most, 48 hours. For anger to go on longer is to transform the anger into a grudge. Grudges are wrong. They are useless continuations of anger that go beyond the actual point of the disagreement and carries forward only the hurt feelings. Our first obligation in any disagreement is to finish the fight, reconcile with the one who disagrees and move on with our lives. If not, that the hurt can carry forward far into the future and can destroy many wonderful relationships.
At this time of year, we need to move to end these long term feuds. We must once again approach the person who has offended us and seek a reconciliation. We may not be able to find agreement, but at least we can move to set aside the differences so that a personal relationship can go on. When families reconcile after a long feud, there is always such regret that they did not reconcile sooner, that so much time has been wasted. Don’t let fights go on indefinitely. This is our opportunity to put the anger to rest and find forgiveness. We must not let our lives be filled with a bitterness that will sour our soul. Find all those with whom you are feuding and seek their forgiveness.
This also applies to those whom we have wronged outright. Those whom we can not face again because of what we have done. Here too it is important to apologize and ask for forgiveness. To admit the error and to see to rectify the damage we have done. After all, how can we ask G-d to forgive our sins if we are not prepared to ask those we have wronged to forgive us as well?
On the other hand, we must also be forgiving. There is not point in making someone else squirm when they are in need of forgiveness. We need to release the past from our minds and let our relationships move on. If we want to be forgiven, we need to be forgiving. Sometimes we can have a profound affect on those we love simply by forgiving them for the minor slights and mistakes that are so much a part of being human. If we let the anger go, it can no longer warp our soul. Once we are free of the hurt and anger of the past, we are ready to enter the new year with hope and faith in the forgiving power of G-d.
Next week: Preparing for the High Holy Days III: The Power of Prayer
September 9, 2003 - Number 21
Preparing for the High Holy Days II: Forgive and Forget
Forgiveness is one of the key features of the High Holy Day season. Forgiveness works two ways. Our first obligation during the month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year, is to seek out those who are angry at us, and seek forgiveness for what we have done. This is easy to say but far more difficult to do.
In may entire career as a Rabbi, I find nothing more sad than to see families and friends shattered by a feud. On the one hand, it is a natural and normal fact of life that people argue about what they see and what they believe. Sometimes these arguments are heated and strong. There is no sin in arguing with someone else. As long as there is a conclusion drawn from the argument and there is some reconciliation between the two angry people. Anger should not last 24 or at most, 48 hours. For anger to go on longer is to transform the anger into a grudge. Grudges are wrong. They are useless continuations of anger that go beyond the actual point of the disagreement and carries forward only the hurt feelings. Our first obligation in any disagreement is to finish the fight, reconcile with the one who disagrees and move on with our lives. If not, that the hurt can carry forward far into the future and can destroy many wonderful relationships.
At this time of year, we need to move to end these long term feuds. We must once again approach the person who has offended us and seek a reconciliation. We may not be able to find agreement, but at least we can move to set aside the differences so that a personal relationship can go on. When families reconcile after a long feud, there is always such regret that they did not reconcile sooner, that so much time has been wasted. Don’t let fights go on indefinitely. This is our opportunity to put the anger to rest and find forgiveness. We must not let our lives be filled with a bitterness that will sour our soul. Find all those with whom you are feuding and seek their forgiveness.
This also applies to those whom we have wronged outright. Those whom we can not face again because of what we have done. Here too it is important to apologize and ask for forgiveness. To admit the error and to see to rectify the damage we have done. After all, how can we ask G-d to forgive our sins if we are not prepared to ask those we have wronged to forgive us as well?
On the other hand, we must also be forgiving. There is not point in making someone else squirm when they are in need of forgiveness. We need to release the past from our minds and let our relationships move on. If we want to be forgiven, we need to be forgiving. Sometimes we can have a profound affect on those we love simply by forgiving them for the minor slights and mistakes that are so much a part of being human. If we let the anger go, it can no longer warp our soul. Once we are free of the hurt and anger of the past, we are ready to enter the new year with hope and faith in the forgiving power of G-d.
Next week: Preparing for the High Holy Days III: The Power of Prayer
Monday, September 1, 2003
HMS-20: Preparing for the High Holy Days I: Teshuva
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
September 1, 2003 - Number 20
Preparing for the High Holy Days I: Teshuva
When the Hebrew month of Elul begins, the last month before Rosh Hashana, the Shofar is sounded every morning at the end of the Shacharit service. Moses Maimonides, compares this sounding of the Shofar as an alarm clock, waking us up from our slumber to remind us that time is passing us by and the time we have left in this world is ticking away. Time is the most perishable object in the world. As one year winds to a close and another is about to begin, we need to take a look at our lives. Who are we? Where are we going? Who and what is important to us? How did we get so far off the path we have chosen and how can we return to where we belong? These are the questions that rise to the surface as the Shofar is blown in Elul.
The secular world my celebrate the New Year with noise and celebration, but Jews mark the change of the year with reflection and repentance. This is a multi-part task that will not only occupy our lives for the month of Elul but for most of the next month, Tishrei, as well.
The first thing we need to do is to perform what is known as Heshbone HaNefesh, the accounting of our souls. We need to look back at our lives before we can look ahead. We need to know exactly where we are standing so we can know where we have to go. What good is the map of the mall that tells us where every store can be found if there is no spot on the map that says "You are Here"? Where are we in our lives. When we started out in life we had hopes and dreams of what we wanted to accomplish in life. We had a vision of what a successful life would be like. Now as we end another year, we need to take account of how we are doing. Are we still on track or have we strayed from our course?
Straying is so very easy to do. We are easily distracted by the glitter and glamour that distracts us in life. We have a sense of what G-d has called us to do, but we are distracted from the task by the many false treasures that beckon to us. We decide that we are content with less rather than reach for the full reward. And now, the short term gratification has taken us far from where we ought to be. The month of Elul is the time to swing back on the proper path.
Those who depend on a 12 step program to overcome their addiction easily recognize this accounting of the soul. The first step they must pass is to take a full and fearless accounting of their actions as a prelude to taking responsibility for their situation. This is good advice for all of us. We need to take responsibility for our actions that have brought us to where we are in life. And if thing need to be changed, than we will be the ones who will have to make the changes. This week let us all take a full and fearless assessment of our lives, a true Heshbone Hanefesh, with the plan to fix whatever went wrong and to make the decisions that will put our lives back on track.
Next week: Preparing for the High Holy Days II: Forgive and Forget
Discussion:
B. Horowiz asks:
My stepfather's brother passed away this week. The two rabbis who were conducting the memorial services told my stepfather that he only needs to say kaddish for 30 days, since the deceased was his sibling. The deceased's wife received similar instructions; however, the children of the deceased were told that they should say kaddish for 11 months.
Rabbi replies:
Jewish Law reflects a difference between the love of a child for a parent and the love that we have for others in our lives. Basically we choose those who will receive our love except in the case of parents. We don’t get to pick our parents, we love them because they gave us life and nurtured us with unconditional love. The rules of mourners are extended for parents and not for others. It is the sign of the difference between our relationship with our parents and our other relationships. Please remember, however, that while Judaism does not recommend excessive mourning, one is still able to mourn longer in cases where the love and commitment are deeper. Just because we are not required to mourn the year, does not mean that we are forbidden to do so if we choose.
September 1, 2003 - Number 20
Preparing for the High Holy Days I: Teshuva
When the Hebrew month of Elul begins, the last month before Rosh Hashana, the Shofar is sounded every morning at the end of the Shacharit service. Moses Maimonides, compares this sounding of the Shofar as an alarm clock, waking us up from our slumber to remind us that time is passing us by and the time we have left in this world is ticking away. Time is the most perishable object in the world. As one year winds to a close and another is about to begin, we need to take a look at our lives. Who are we? Where are we going? Who and what is important to us? How did we get so far off the path we have chosen and how can we return to where we belong? These are the questions that rise to the surface as the Shofar is blown in Elul.
The secular world my celebrate the New Year with noise and celebration, but Jews mark the change of the year with reflection and repentance. This is a multi-part task that will not only occupy our lives for the month of Elul but for most of the next month, Tishrei, as well.
The first thing we need to do is to perform what is known as Heshbone HaNefesh, the accounting of our souls. We need to look back at our lives before we can look ahead. We need to know exactly where we are standing so we can know where we have to go. What good is the map of the mall that tells us where every store can be found if there is no spot on the map that says "You are Here"? Where are we in our lives. When we started out in life we had hopes and dreams of what we wanted to accomplish in life. We had a vision of what a successful life would be like. Now as we end another year, we need to take account of how we are doing. Are we still on track or have we strayed from our course?
Straying is so very easy to do. We are easily distracted by the glitter and glamour that distracts us in life. We have a sense of what G-d has called us to do, but we are distracted from the task by the many false treasures that beckon to us. We decide that we are content with less rather than reach for the full reward. And now, the short term gratification has taken us far from where we ought to be. The month of Elul is the time to swing back on the proper path.
Those who depend on a 12 step program to overcome their addiction easily recognize this accounting of the soul. The first step they must pass is to take a full and fearless accounting of their actions as a prelude to taking responsibility for their situation. This is good advice for all of us. We need to take responsibility for our actions that have brought us to where we are in life. And if thing need to be changed, than we will be the ones who will have to make the changes. This week let us all take a full and fearless assessment of our lives, a true Heshbone Hanefesh, with the plan to fix whatever went wrong and to make the decisions that will put our lives back on track.
Next week: Preparing for the High Holy Days II: Forgive and Forget
Discussion:
B. Horowiz asks:
My stepfather's brother passed away this week. The two rabbis who were conducting the memorial services told my stepfather that he only needs to say kaddish for 30 days, since the deceased was his sibling. The deceased's wife received similar instructions; however, the children of the deceased were told that they should say kaddish for 11 months.
Rabbi replies:
Jewish Law reflects a difference between the love of a child for a parent and the love that we have for others in our lives. Basically we choose those who will receive our love except in the case of parents. We don’t get to pick our parents, we love them because they gave us life and nurtured us with unconditional love. The rules of mourners are extended for parents and not for others. It is the sign of the difference between our relationship with our parents and our other relationships. Please remember, however, that while Judaism does not recommend excessive mourning, one is still able to mourn longer in cases where the love and commitment are deeper. Just because we are not required to mourn the year, does not mean that we are forbidden to do so if we choose.
Monday, August 25, 2003
HMS-19: Laws Relating to Death III - Shiva
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
August 25, 2003 - Number 19
Laws Relating to Death III - Shiva
Once the Funeral is finished and the grave filled, attention then turns to the mourners. We begin the process of consolation right at the funeral, having the family pass through two lines of friends who offer the traditional words of consolation "May G-d comfort you as G-d comforts all those who mourn Zion and Jerusalem. Some people no longer say the last part of the statement in deference to the modern state of Israel.
The mourners then go directly to the place they will be observing Shiva. If they will travel out of town to return to their home, they go directly to the airport. Upon arriving home, one washes their hands outside the door, to leave the last of the cemetery outside the house. They enter the house, light the Shiva candle that will burn for the seven days of Shiva, remove any leather shoes they may be wearing. They should sit on low hard chairs, symbolic of the discomfort that they feel for their loss. There is an old superstition that has one cover mirrors in a Shiva house. This is NOT required. The many reasons given are merely justifications for an old European superstition. One does not shave or wear makeup during the time they are sitting Shiva.
The first thing a mourner must do is have something to eat. This meal is called the "Meal of Consolation" and begins with food that is round, symbolic of the cycle of life. Bagels and Lentils are customary, a hard boiled egg is also used and has further symbolism of being the beginning of life. Even in the mourners claim they are not hungry, they should have a small bite to eat upon returning home.
While sitting Shiva, the mourner must not do anything except sit and talk about the deceased. It is the responsibility of the friends and community to see to it that there is food for the mourners and to tend to their needs. Shiva is NOT a party and mourners should not have to welcome guests at the door or see to their needs. The food at the house is for the mourners who may share it with guests if they choose. Food should not be removed from a Shiva house until Shiva is finished. Guests who arrive at the house should use the time to talk to the mourners and share stories about the deceased and make sure the needs of the mourners are tended to. This may cause some tears from the mourners but crying is what Shiva is about and no one should be embarrassed to cry, or to be in the presence of one who is that sad. One should not try and stop the tears, rather we see them as a sign that healing is taking place. Do not ignore the "elephant" in the room and distract the mourner by making small talk. Let them show picture of the deceased and let the mourner control the conversation. The best guest at a Shiva house is the one who sits near the mourners and listens.
The torn garment is worn the entire time one sits Shiva, excluding Shabbat. The only time a mourner leaves a Shiva home is to attend synagogue on Shabbat. Public displays of mourning are not allowed on Shabbat. Shiva will end if a major holiday interrupts the week. Daily services will take place in the Shiva home to allow them to say Kaddish for the deceased. Shiva begins the day of the funeral (Which is always counted as the first day) and ends after the first hour of the seventh day. Following Shiva, the next three weeks complete Sheloshim, the first month (30 days) after the funeral. During this period mourners can leave the house and return to work but parties and events that include music are to be avoided. When a parent dies some do not attend events with music for the entire year. Mourners may not be called to the Torah for an Aliyah until Sheloshim is over. For eleven months after the burial, one recites Kaddish daily. The monument can be erected anytime after Sheloshim but the custom in America is to raise it on or around the first anniversary of the death (not the funeral). On each of the four days when Yizkor is recited and on the Yahrtzeit (The anniversary of the death) a candle is lit that will burn for 24 hours and Kaddish is recited at all services that day.
Next week: Teshuva: Preparing for the High Holy Days
August 25, 2003 - Number 19
Laws Relating to Death III - Shiva
Once the Funeral is finished and the grave filled, attention then turns to the mourners. We begin the process of consolation right at the funeral, having the family pass through two lines of friends who offer the traditional words of consolation "May G-d comfort you as G-d comforts all those who mourn Zion and Jerusalem. Some people no longer say the last part of the statement in deference to the modern state of Israel.
The mourners then go directly to the place they will be observing Shiva. If they will travel out of town to return to their home, they go directly to the airport. Upon arriving home, one washes their hands outside the door, to leave the last of the cemetery outside the house. They enter the house, light the Shiva candle that will burn for the seven days of Shiva, remove any leather shoes they may be wearing. They should sit on low hard chairs, symbolic of the discomfort that they feel for their loss. There is an old superstition that has one cover mirrors in a Shiva house. This is NOT required. The many reasons given are merely justifications for an old European superstition. One does not shave or wear makeup during the time they are sitting Shiva.
The first thing a mourner must do is have something to eat. This meal is called the "Meal of Consolation" and begins with food that is round, symbolic of the cycle of life. Bagels and Lentils are customary, a hard boiled egg is also used and has further symbolism of being the beginning of life. Even in the mourners claim they are not hungry, they should have a small bite to eat upon returning home.
While sitting Shiva, the mourner must not do anything except sit and talk about the deceased. It is the responsibility of the friends and community to see to it that there is food for the mourners and to tend to their needs. Shiva is NOT a party and mourners should not have to welcome guests at the door or see to their needs. The food at the house is for the mourners who may share it with guests if they choose. Food should not be removed from a Shiva house until Shiva is finished. Guests who arrive at the house should use the time to talk to the mourners and share stories about the deceased and make sure the needs of the mourners are tended to. This may cause some tears from the mourners but crying is what Shiva is about and no one should be embarrassed to cry, or to be in the presence of one who is that sad. One should not try and stop the tears, rather we see them as a sign that healing is taking place. Do not ignore the "elephant" in the room and distract the mourner by making small talk. Let them show picture of the deceased and let the mourner control the conversation. The best guest at a Shiva house is the one who sits near the mourners and listens.
The torn garment is worn the entire time one sits Shiva, excluding Shabbat. The only time a mourner leaves a Shiva home is to attend synagogue on Shabbat. Public displays of mourning are not allowed on Shabbat. Shiva will end if a major holiday interrupts the week. Daily services will take place in the Shiva home to allow them to say Kaddish for the deceased. Shiva begins the day of the funeral (Which is always counted as the first day) and ends after the first hour of the seventh day. Following Shiva, the next three weeks complete Sheloshim, the first month (30 days) after the funeral. During this period mourners can leave the house and return to work but parties and events that include music are to be avoided. When a parent dies some do not attend events with music for the entire year. Mourners may not be called to the Torah for an Aliyah until Sheloshim is over. For eleven months after the burial, one recites Kaddish daily. The monument can be erected anytime after Sheloshim but the custom in America is to raise it on or around the first anniversary of the death (not the funeral). On each of the four days when Yizkor is recited and on the Yahrtzeit (The anniversary of the death) a candle is lit that will burn for 24 hours and Kaddish is recited at all services that day.
Next week: Teshuva: Preparing for the High Holy Days
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
HMS-18: Laws Relating to Death II - The Funeral
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
August 20, 2003 - Number 18
Laws Relating to Death II - The Funeral
A funeral in Judaism should be done as quickly as possible after a death. Usually there is a limit of three days unless more people can fly in or the burial will take place in Israel. In Judaism, burial is always in the ground, not in a mausoleum, and we do not permit cremation. In Israel the dead are buried only in a shroud, but here we use a casket made of wood (not metal). All Jewish funerals are closed casket. We do not display the dead for others to see. Needless to say we do not embalm the dead nor apply cosmetics since these are to make the dead ready to be viewed. These rules may have their source in very ancient Jewish practice, as a polemic against the elaborate Egyptian customs relating to the mummification and entombment of their dead.
There are seven relatives who are required to mourn. Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Daughter, Son and Spouse. Other are permitted to mourn but are not required. We do not offer words of comfort to the mourners until the burial is finished. As long as the dead lie before them, there can be no meaningful comfort to the bereaved. All we can say to someone who is preparing a funeral for a loved one is "Baruch Dyan Emet" meaning G-d is a righteous Judge and implying that while we do not understand G-d’s decisions, we have faith that G-d’s actions are true and righteous.
A Jewish funeral has two parts. The Eulogy (Hesped) and the interment. Both can be done grave side but a chapel service is permitted. The eulogy is introduced by the reading of Psalms and other appropriate passages. It should recall the life of the one who has died and we should recall only the good that they did in life. The Eulogy can be done by the Rabbi, friends or even the mourners if they are up to the task. One can also write the eulogy for someone else to read. It is not a time, however, to settle scores nor embarrass the dead or their family. We must remember that some things are always better left unsaid if they embarrass, or are hurtful to the dead or to the family.
The Interment involved lowering the body into the ground, filling in the grave( or at least symbolically placing earth on the grave, a memorial prayer for the dead, and reciting Kaddish. It is a very great Mitzvah to attend a funeral, since it is done with pure motivation of love for the deceased. The deceased can not, after all, thank you for the honor you are showing by attending the burial. The casket is lowered since we are there for the interment and until the body is lowered, that has not been accomplished. We put earth on the grave as a sign of love and respect. After all, it is the only thing we can never do for ourselves. We rely on others to fill in our grave. The first shovel of earth is done with the shovel reversed, on the back of the shovel. This indicates that we are not in a hurry to do this work and it is an act of love and reverence, not just another day in the garden.
After the interment is finished, and we have shown all the honor we can for the deceased, we turn our attention to the family and the mourners. The friends form two lines, facing each other, forming a path from the grave to the street. The family leaves the grave side by walking the path between the two lines, so that from the moment the burial is over, they are surrounded by friends offering words of comfort. Tradition tells us that we console them with the words "May G-d comfort you as G-d comforts all the mourners for Zion and Jerusalem. This means that we are all mourners, if not for our own dead, than we mourn for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. There are some who feel that since the rebirth of the Jewish State in Israel, we are no longer mourners for "Zion and Jerusalem". They only say, "May G-d give you comfort."
A gravestone is not placed until at least 30 days from the date of the funeral. The American custom is to erect the monument around the time of the first anniversary of the date of death (The Yahrtzeit.) It should be done at a time when the family can get together again to mark the occasion.
Next week: Laws Relating to Death III - Shiva
August 20, 2003 - Number 18
Laws Relating to Death II - The Funeral
A funeral in Judaism should be done as quickly as possible after a death. Usually there is a limit of three days unless more people can fly in or the burial will take place in Israel. In Judaism, burial is always in the ground, not in a mausoleum, and we do not permit cremation. In Israel the dead are buried only in a shroud, but here we use a casket made of wood (not metal). All Jewish funerals are closed casket. We do not display the dead for others to see. Needless to say we do not embalm the dead nor apply cosmetics since these are to make the dead ready to be viewed. These rules may have their source in very ancient Jewish practice, as a polemic against the elaborate Egyptian customs relating to the mummification and entombment of their dead.
There are seven relatives who are required to mourn. Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Daughter, Son and Spouse. Other are permitted to mourn but are not required. We do not offer words of comfort to the mourners until the burial is finished. As long as the dead lie before them, there can be no meaningful comfort to the bereaved. All we can say to someone who is preparing a funeral for a loved one is "Baruch Dyan Emet" meaning G-d is a righteous Judge and implying that while we do not understand G-d’s decisions, we have faith that G-d’s actions are true and righteous.
A Jewish funeral has two parts. The Eulogy (Hesped) and the interment. Both can be done grave side but a chapel service is permitted. The eulogy is introduced by the reading of Psalms and other appropriate passages. It should recall the life of the one who has died and we should recall only the good that they did in life. The Eulogy can be done by the Rabbi, friends or even the mourners if they are up to the task. One can also write the eulogy for someone else to read. It is not a time, however, to settle scores nor embarrass the dead or their family. We must remember that some things are always better left unsaid if they embarrass, or are hurtful to the dead or to the family.
The Interment involved lowering the body into the ground, filling in the grave( or at least symbolically placing earth on the grave, a memorial prayer for the dead, and reciting Kaddish. It is a very great Mitzvah to attend a funeral, since it is done with pure motivation of love for the deceased. The deceased can not, after all, thank you for the honor you are showing by attending the burial. The casket is lowered since we are there for the interment and until the body is lowered, that has not been accomplished. We put earth on the grave as a sign of love and respect. After all, it is the only thing we can never do for ourselves. We rely on others to fill in our grave. The first shovel of earth is done with the shovel reversed, on the back of the shovel. This indicates that we are not in a hurry to do this work and it is an act of love and reverence, not just another day in the garden.
After the interment is finished, and we have shown all the honor we can for the deceased, we turn our attention to the family and the mourners. The friends form two lines, facing each other, forming a path from the grave to the street. The family leaves the grave side by walking the path between the two lines, so that from the moment the burial is over, they are surrounded by friends offering words of comfort. Tradition tells us that we console them with the words "May G-d comfort you as G-d comforts all the mourners for Zion and Jerusalem. This means that we are all mourners, if not for our own dead, than we mourn for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. There are some who feel that since the rebirth of the Jewish State in Israel, we are no longer mourners for "Zion and Jerusalem". They only say, "May G-d give you comfort."
A gravestone is not placed until at least 30 days from the date of the funeral. The American custom is to erect the monument around the time of the first anniversary of the date of death (The Yahrtzeit.) It should be done at a time when the family can get together again to mark the occasion.
Next week: Laws Relating to Death III - Shiva
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
HMS-17: Laws Relating to Death I
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
August 13, 2003 - Number 17
Laws Relating to Death I
First of all, Judaism is a pro-life religion. When a person gets ill, the first responsibility is to get well. That is best done by consulting a properly trained physician and following the prescribed medical advice. When a person is sick, it is the responsibility of the friends and family to visit and help him or her feel better. The Mitzvah of "Bikur Holim" is to visit the sick and assist in their return to health. To this end there is a Mi Shebayrach prayer recited at the Torah for a Refuah Shelayma - a complete healing. If possible one should have the Hebrew name of the sick person and the sick person’s mother’s Hebrew name. When a person is in the hospital, it is appropriate to call the Rabbi to let the community know that this person is in need of Bikor Holim.
When there is not longer a hope for a cure for the ill, Judaism still insists that life is sacred and nothing can be done to hasten death. Assisted suicide and active euthanasia are not permitted by Judaism. G-d did not ask us when we should be born and we should not tell G-d when we should die. We can, however, remove that which may be preventing death from occurring. We can remove some life support equipment, stop medications and make the person comfortable while waiting for death. Hospice is an option for Jewish patients. It is also common to ask for a "Do Not Resusitate"(DNR) order for those seriously ill to prevent emergency life support in cases where there is very little life to support. There are mixed opinions about whether one can withhold food and water if the person can no longer eat by themselves. A Rabbi should be consulted if any questions arise in this area.
The moment a person dies, the entire focus of the family becomes the duty to honor the dead. Everything that will be done is to enhance the honor of the deceased. The first responsibility is to wash the body. This is done by a special committee in the community, the Hevra Kadisha (The Holy Committee) which has two teams, one team of men to prepare a male body, and a women’s team to prepare a female body. They wash the body, place it in a shroud (not a suit or dress - a shroud does not have pockets, a reminder that "you can’t take anything with you") and place the body in a wooden casket. (In Israel, they do not use caskets and the body is buried in the shroud alone). The casket is closed and will not be reopened. The children of the deceased are permitted to help the Hevra Kadisha. A Jewish body is not embalmed.
The body of the deceased may not be mishandled in any way. Autopsies are not permitted in Judaism unless required by civil law. Most state Medical Examiners know how Judaism feels about this and will work with a rabbi to fulfill the requirements of the state and Judaism. Jewish bodies are not given over to medical science for research. Transplants, however ARE PERMITTED by all authorities. Since saving a live is Judaism’s "Prime Directive" it is permitted to allow all organs, including skin and eyes, to be transplanted to help another person. Organs, however, can not be banked, so the need has to be immediate.
A Jewish body is never left alone. Family members or the Hevra Kadisha sit with the body until it is buried. Burial is usually done withing three days of death. Unless a delay will mean that someone from the family will be able to be at the funeral (to honor the dead) or in cases where the body will be shipped to Israel for burial, it can be slightly extended. Consult a Rabbi for details.
Next week: Laws Relating to Death II - The Funeral
August 13, 2003 - Number 17
Laws Relating to Death I
First of all, Judaism is a pro-life religion. When a person gets ill, the first responsibility is to get well. That is best done by consulting a properly trained physician and following the prescribed medical advice. When a person is sick, it is the responsibility of the friends and family to visit and help him or her feel better. The Mitzvah of "Bikur Holim" is to visit the sick and assist in their return to health. To this end there is a Mi Shebayrach prayer recited at the Torah for a Refuah Shelayma - a complete healing. If possible one should have the Hebrew name of the sick person and the sick person’s mother’s Hebrew name. When a person is in the hospital, it is appropriate to call the Rabbi to let the community know that this person is in need of Bikor Holim.
When there is not longer a hope for a cure for the ill, Judaism still insists that life is sacred and nothing can be done to hasten death. Assisted suicide and active euthanasia are not permitted by Judaism. G-d did not ask us when we should be born and we should not tell G-d when we should die. We can, however, remove that which may be preventing death from occurring. We can remove some life support equipment, stop medications and make the person comfortable while waiting for death. Hospice is an option for Jewish patients. It is also common to ask for a "Do Not Resusitate"(DNR) order for those seriously ill to prevent emergency life support in cases where there is very little life to support. There are mixed opinions about whether one can withhold food and water if the person can no longer eat by themselves. A Rabbi should be consulted if any questions arise in this area.
The moment a person dies, the entire focus of the family becomes the duty to honor the dead. Everything that will be done is to enhance the honor of the deceased. The first responsibility is to wash the body. This is done by a special committee in the community, the Hevra Kadisha (The Holy Committee) which has two teams, one team of men to prepare a male body, and a women’s team to prepare a female body. They wash the body, place it in a shroud (not a suit or dress - a shroud does not have pockets, a reminder that "you can’t take anything with you") and place the body in a wooden casket. (In Israel, they do not use caskets and the body is buried in the shroud alone). The casket is closed and will not be reopened. The children of the deceased are permitted to help the Hevra Kadisha. A Jewish body is not embalmed.
The body of the deceased may not be mishandled in any way. Autopsies are not permitted in Judaism unless required by civil law. Most state Medical Examiners know how Judaism feels about this and will work with a rabbi to fulfill the requirements of the state and Judaism. Jewish bodies are not given over to medical science for research. Transplants, however ARE PERMITTED by all authorities. Since saving a live is Judaism’s "Prime Directive" it is permitted to allow all organs, including skin and eyes, to be transplanted to help another person. Organs, however, can not be banked, so the need has to be immediate.
A Jewish body is never left alone. Family members or the Hevra Kadisha sit with the body until it is buried. Burial is usually done withing three days of death. Unless a delay will mean that someone from the family will be able to be at the funeral (to honor the dead) or in cases where the body will be shipped to Israel for burial, it can be slightly extended. Consult a Rabbi for details.
Next week: Laws Relating to Death II - The Funeral
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
HMS-16: Laws Relating to Torah II
May 26, 2003 - Number 16
Laws Relating to the Torah II
There are many superstitions about how one is supposed to care for and handle a Torah. I hope to dispel some of these myths.
First of all, there are many people still today who feel that one must be very careful in handling a Torah Scroll. That if a scroll should drop on the floor than you have to fast for a month (!) A very intense diet to be sure. Actually there is no such thing as a month long fast in Judaism. Even if you allow that the fast would be only by day (and you could eat at night) it still would not make any sense. The actual rule is that when a Torah scroll is accidently dropped or falls onto the floor, it is the obligation of everyone who is present in the room at that time to make a contribution to Tzedaka. Thus whatever "evil decree" caused the Torah to fall can be corrected by Tzedaka and acts of kindness.
For many years there were people who claimed that a woman could not have an aliyah nor touch a Torah for fear that they might be menstruating and the impurity that is attached to this condition would transfer to the Torah. Since it is not proper to ask a woman about this condition, than all women are forbidden to touch a Torah. This is also a myth. The truth is that a Torah scroll is by definition impure (Tamei) as are all "holy" books. According to the Sages, this was to prevent one from making the leap from studying a sacred text to making the scroll the object of worship. Note that when we take the Torah from the ark, we turn and bow to the now empty ark. A reminder that it is the holy presence of G-d that we praise, not the actual scrolls of Torah. The Torah has the capacity to transfer its impurity to human beings. This is why many people do not touch a Torah scroll directly, but use a Tallit or Siddur to touch the Torah. Some say this is unnecessary since the Torah Mantle provides enough of a barrier to prevent us from touching the scroll. This is also one of the reasons that we use a "yad" to point in the text. (The other reason is to prevent the oils in our hands from ruining the letters on the parchment.)
The Sages of the Talmud agreed that there is actually no reason at all why women should not be called to the Torah for an Aliyah but the custom was not to call them lest they embarrass a man who did not know the blessings (illiteracy was a big problem in ancient days). Conservative Jews no longer hold by this stringency and we do call women to the Torah for an Aliyah.
Many people believe that if a Torah has one letter missing or wrong, than the whole Torah is "pasul" or not useable. This is somewhat true. The Rabbis teach that there are 600,000 letters in the Torah to correspond to the 600,000 people who made up the Jewish people when they left Egypt. Since no Jew was left behind, we can not use a Torah that is missing a letter. We can carry the example even further, The script used in a Torah has little decorative "crowns" on some of the letters. Even if a "crown" is missing the Torah can not be used. (Rabbi Akiva was said to have learned "heaps and heaps" of laws from these crowns but if he did they are not recorded anywhere.) A Torah with this kind of a defect can not be used at a service. The universal indicator of a "pasul" Torah is where the tie that holds the scroll together is not under the mantle but outside the mantle.
But a Torah scroll can be fixed. If there is a hole in the parchment, a letter has rubbed off, or been smeared, or is no longer readable, these are all repairable. A Sofer (Scribe) can scratch off a letter and rewrite it to fix the Torah. Holes can be patched. A ripped parchment can be removed and only that "page" replaced. Similarly a scroll from a mezuzah or from Tephillin, can also be repaired. It is important to have a Torah repaired as soon as possible. It is not proper to have a "pasul" Torah in a place where it may be used. This led to an issue with the Holocaust Torah Scrolls that came into congregations through the offices of the Westminster Synagogue in England. These scrolls come from the synagogues destroyed by Nazi Germany. The Nazis wanted the scrolls for a museum about the "vanished race" of Jews. When they came to our community, there was a discussion if a synagogue could harbor permanently a "pasul" Torah. However, we could not fix the scroll since the ownership of all the scrolls remains with the Westminster synagogue. We only have the scroll on permanent loan from England.
Finally, a Torah scroll is always treated with respect. It is the source of all Jewish Law. We therefore stand when we see the Torah, and kiss it reverentially when it passes by. We are commanded to bring honor to the Torah and it is a big mitzvah to study its words, and not just to read them.
Next Week : Jewish Attitudes Toward Death.
Laws Relating to the Torah II
There are many superstitions about how one is supposed to care for and handle a Torah. I hope to dispel some of these myths.
First of all, there are many people still today who feel that one must be very careful in handling a Torah Scroll. That if a scroll should drop on the floor than you have to fast for a month (!) A very intense diet to be sure. Actually there is no such thing as a month long fast in Judaism. Even if you allow that the fast would be only by day (and you could eat at night) it still would not make any sense. The actual rule is that when a Torah scroll is accidently dropped or falls onto the floor, it is the obligation of everyone who is present in the room at that time to make a contribution to Tzedaka. Thus whatever "evil decree" caused the Torah to fall can be corrected by Tzedaka and acts of kindness.
For many years there were people who claimed that a woman could not have an aliyah nor touch a Torah for fear that they might be menstruating and the impurity that is attached to this condition would transfer to the Torah. Since it is not proper to ask a woman about this condition, than all women are forbidden to touch a Torah. This is also a myth. The truth is that a Torah scroll is by definition impure (Tamei) as are all "holy" books. According to the Sages, this was to prevent one from making the leap from studying a sacred text to making the scroll the object of worship. Note that when we take the Torah from the ark, we turn and bow to the now empty ark. A reminder that it is the holy presence of G-d that we praise, not the actual scrolls of Torah. The Torah has the capacity to transfer its impurity to human beings. This is why many people do not touch a Torah scroll directly, but use a Tallit or Siddur to touch the Torah. Some say this is unnecessary since the Torah Mantle provides enough of a barrier to prevent us from touching the scroll. This is also one of the reasons that we use a "yad" to point in the text. (The other reason is to prevent the oils in our hands from ruining the letters on the parchment.)
The Sages of the Talmud agreed that there is actually no reason at all why women should not be called to the Torah for an Aliyah but the custom was not to call them lest they embarrass a man who did not know the blessings (illiteracy was a big problem in ancient days). Conservative Jews no longer hold by this stringency and we do call women to the Torah for an Aliyah.
Many people believe that if a Torah has one letter missing or wrong, than the whole Torah is "pasul" or not useable. This is somewhat true. The Rabbis teach that there are 600,000 letters in the Torah to correspond to the 600,000 people who made up the Jewish people when they left Egypt. Since no Jew was left behind, we can not use a Torah that is missing a letter. We can carry the example even further, The script used in a Torah has little decorative "crowns" on some of the letters. Even if a "crown" is missing the Torah can not be used. (Rabbi Akiva was said to have learned "heaps and heaps" of laws from these crowns but if he did they are not recorded anywhere.) A Torah with this kind of a defect can not be used at a service. The universal indicator of a "pasul" Torah is where the tie that holds the scroll together is not under the mantle but outside the mantle.
But a Torah scroll can be fixed. If there is a hole in the parchment, a letter has rubbed off, or been smeared, or is no longer readable, these are all repairable. A Sofer (Scribe) can scratch off a letter and rewrite it to fix the Torah. Holes can be patched. A ripped parchment can be removed and only that "page" replaced. Similarly a scroll from a mezuzah or from Tephillin, can also be repaired. It is important to have a Torah repaired as soon as possible. It is not proper to have a "pasul" Torah in a place where it may be used. This led to an issue with the Holocaust Torah Scrolls that came into congregations through the offices of the Westminster Synagogue in England. These scrolls come from the synagogues destroyed by Nazi Germany. The Nazis wanted the scrolls for a museum about the "vanished race" of Jews. When they came to our community, there was a discussion if a synagogue could harbor permanently a "pasul" Torah. However, we could not fix the scroll since the ownership of all the scrolls remains with the Westminster synagogue. We only have the scroll on permanent loan from England.
Finally, a Torah scroll is always treated with respect. It is the source of all Jewish Law. We therefore stand when we see the Torah, and kiss it reverentially when it passes by. We are commanded to bring honor to the Torah and it is a big mitzvah to study its words, and not just to read them.
Next Week : Jewish Attitudes Toward Death.
Monday, May 26, 2003
HMS-15 Laws Relating to The Torah
May 26, 2003 - Number 15
Laws Relating to the Torah
There are many myths and misunderstandings in relation to the scroll of the Torah. Let us examine what a Torah scroll is and what it is not. Basically, The Torah scroll is one of the oldest living scribal traditions in the world. The oldest scroll that we have are from ancient Israel from around the first century B.C.E. The "Dead Sea Scrolls" include biblical documents and they are identical to that which we have today. The love that the scribes who wrote the scrolls of the Torah had was so great that even after thousands of years, there are still few errors in the transmission of the words. Not bad for a document that relied upon the human hand to copy it faithfully!
That is not to say that there are no errors in the text. In the eighth and ninth centuries, groups of scholars who became known as the "Massorites’ began to record and preserve the ancient scribal traditions. They counted every word in the text, they counted every letter in the scroll, the counted and recorded every time the text skipped a few spaces or when a line ended and was continued on the next line. These notes are included to this day at the end of each book of the Torah in the printed volumes. The Massorites also established forever the proper vowels for each word in the Torah and the accent marks (Trops) for each phrase.
It was the vowels that caused all the trouble. Sometimes it was not possible to know exactly how a word should be pronounced. Two schools of Massorites promoted often two different spellings and pronunciations. While there were not very many errors, there were some places where, over time, a small "yod" slowly became a longer "vav" or a "vav" was extended into a "final nun". The reverse process was also possible. Sometimes similar letters were confused (Which may explain why the letters in the first and last words of the "Shema" are enlarged, so as not to be confused with similar looking or similar sounding letters). In the tenth century, Rabbenu Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonidies) finally ruled between the two schools of Massorites. One tradition became the way the text would be read aloud, the other tradition would be the way the words would be spelled. We use this compromise to this very day.
A Torah scroll is always written by hand on parchment. Since no additional marks may be made in the parchment, lines are scratched into the parchment to keep the lines and columns straight. Letters are not written on the line as we do in English, but the special Hebrew script is "hung" from the line above. Certain letters are written with little "crowns" on them. It was once said that Rabbi Akiva, the great sage from the days of the Bar Kochba Rebellion, could deduce mountains of laws from each of these little crowns. We have no record of Rabbi Akiva actually doing this, but it raises his abilities exponentially. It takes about a year for a scribe to write a scroll of Torah.
Writing a Torah scroll is a very important Mitzvah in Judaism, but since it takes a great deal of skill, it is not one that can be done very often. For this reason, when a scribe writes a new Torah, he will leave the last few sentences unfinished, the last words outlined but not filled in. The final letters are filled in when the scroll is dedicated by those who have a hand in dedicating the scroll. Thus we have the ability to actually "write" a Torah by filling in one word or one letter. Once a page is finished by the scribe, it is checked over and attached to the previous sheet. Great care is taken to handle the "pages" since the ink dries on the parchment but is not absorbed. If a letter or part of a letter is missing, no matter which letter or word is deformed, than the entire scroll is not permitted to be used. A scribe can scratch off a letter or word in order to repair a damaged scroll. It is customary to have Torah Scroll checked by a competent scribe every few years.
Torah scrolls are rolled on wooden roller (called Atz Chayim - Trees of Life) and covered with a cloth mantle in the Ashkenazic tradition and then read laying down on the table, or the scroll is placed in a wooden or silver case in Sephardic congregations and read while the scroll is standing up.
A new or used Torah scroll is very expensive and for a while was subject to theft in some locations. A Torah Registry was formed to prevent trafficking in stolen scrolls. Since one could not write in the scroll to note how it was different from any other scroll, the Registry developed a system of putting tiny holes in a set pattern so that the scroll and text could be identified.
Next Week : How to Treat a Torah Scroll
Laws Relating to the Torah
There are many myths and misunderstandings in relation to the scroll of the Torah. Let us examine what a Torah scroll is and what it is not. Basically, The Torah scroll is one of the oldest living scribal traditions in the world. The oldest scroll that we have are from ancient Israel from around the first century B.C.E. The "Dead Sea Scrolls" include biblical documents and they are identical to that which we have today. The love that the scribes who wrote the scrolls of the Torah had was so great that even after thousands of years, there are still few errors in the transmission of the words. Not bad for a document that relied upon the human hand to copy it faithfully!
That is not to say that there are no errors in the text. In the eighth and ninth centuries, groups of scholars who became known as the "Massorites’ began to record and preserve the ancient scribal traditions. They counted every word in the text, they counted every letter in the scroll, the counted and recorded every time the text skipped a few spaces or when a line ended and was continued on the next line. These notes are included to this day at the end of each book of the Torah in the printed volumes. The Massorites also established forever the proper vowels for each word in the Torah and the accent marks (Trops) for each phrase.
It was the vowels that caused all the trouble. Sometimes it was not possible to know exactly how a word should be pronounced. Two schools of Massorites promoted often two different spellings and pronunciations. While there were not very many errors, there were some places where, over time, a small "yod" slowly became a longer "vav" or a "vav" was extended into a "final nun". The reverse process was also possible. Sometimes similar letters were confused (Which may explain why the letters in the first and last words of the "Shema" are enlarged, so as not to be confused with similar looking or similar sounding letters). In the tenth century, Rabbenu Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonidies) finally ruled between the two schools of Massorites. One tradition became the way the text would be read aloud, the other tradition would be the way the words would be spelled. We use this compromise to this very day.
A Torah scroll is always written by hand on parchment. Since no additional marks may be made in the parchment, lines are scratched into the parchment to keep the lines and columns straight. Letters are not written on the line as we do in English, but the special Hebrew script is "hung" from the line above. Certain letters are written with little "crowns" on them. It was once said that Rabbi Akiva, the great sage from the days of the Bar Kochba Rebellion, could deduce mountains of laws from each of these little crowns. We have no record of Rabbi Akiva actually doing this, but it raises his abilities exponentially. It takes about a year for a scribe to write a scroll of Torah.
Writing a Torah scroll is a very important Mitzvah in Judaism, but since it takes a great deal of skill, it is not one that can be done very often. For this reason, when a scribe writes a new Torah, he will leave the last few sentences unfinished, the last words outlined but not filled in. The final letters are filled in when the scroll is dedicated by those who have a hand in dedicating the scroll. Thus we have the ability to actually "write" a Torah by filling in one word or one letter. Once a page is finished by the scribe, it is checked over and attached to the previous sheet. Great care is taken to handle the "pages" since the ink dries on the parchment but is not absorbed. If a letter or part of a letter is missing, no matter which letter or word is deformed, than the entire scroll is not permitted to be used. A scribe can scratch off a letter or word in order to repair a damaged scroll. It is customary to have Torah Scroll checked by a competent scribe every few years.
Torah scrolls are rolled on wooden roller (called Atz Chayim - Trees of Life) and covered with a cloth mantle in the Ashkenazic tradition and then read laying down on the table, or the scroll is placed in a wooden or silver case in Sephardic congregations and read while the scroll is standing up.
A new or used Torah scroll is very expensive and for a while was subject to theft in some locations. A Torah Registry was formed to prevent trafficking in stolen scrolls. Since one could not write in the scroll to note how it was different from any other scroll, the Registry developed a system of putting tiny holes in a set pattern so that the scroll and text could be identified.
Next Week : How to Treat a Torah Scroll
HMS-14 Reading the Torah: How to Have an Aliyah II
May 26, 2003 - Number 14
Reading the Torah: How to Have an Aliyah II
There are a number of honors that are related to the Torah Service that do not require a blessing or the formal choreography that a regular Aliyah requires. There are basically three other types of honors, one is opening the Ark either before or after the reading of the Torah, second is carrying the Torah around the congregation, and the third is the twin honor of Hagbah and Gelilah.
Opening the Ark is a rather simple honor but it has great status. Even those who might not take any other honor usually will accept the honor of Peticha, To open the Ark. The honor is beyond the physical act of opening the doors and maybe pulling back the curtain. It is the spiritual act of bringing Torah to the congregation. In our congregation, at the beginning of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, we have a ceremony where the parents, grandparents and the student all have this honor. The Grandparents take the Torah from the ark and hand it to the parents who hand it to their child. This re-enacts the passing of the Torah from Moses, to Joshua and from Joshua to the Elders and from the Elders to the Members of the Great Assembly. This transmission of Torah is found at the very beginning of the Talmudic Tractate of Avot. The Grandparents physically show how they have transmitted Torah and Jewish tradition from one generation to the next.
Carrying to Torah is a separate honor. The Torah is the greatest possession of the Jewish people. Every member of the congregation wishes to draw close to it and to reach out and touch it. The one who carries the Torah leads the "parade" of others (Rabbi, Cantor, President, other honorees etc.) around the congregation. The congregation sings as the Torah parades past and touch the mantle with a tallit or a siddur and then kiss the spot that touched the Torah. It is a show of love and respect. In some congregations the Torah is carried twice, once before the reading and the other after the reading. A different route is used each time so that everyone will have an opportunity to kiss the Torah as it passes by.
Hagbah is the honor of lifting the Torah off the table after it is read. It requires some strength in the arms, but not as much as one would think. When properly done, the Torah is opened, lifted by levering it off the table and raised high into the air. The Hagbah then turns around so the writing in the Torah is visible to the entire congregation. One should strive to be able to show about three columns of text as one turns the Torah to the congregation. The Hagbah then turns around again and sits on a nearby chair. The Gelilah then comes forward to place the mantle and crowns back on the Torah. When finished, either the Torah is held by the Hagbah until the Torah carrier is called to carry it around the synagogue or it is lifted into a special Torah cradle where it will sit until it is time to carry it.
When the Torah is raised the congregation chants "This is the Torah that Moses set before the entire congregation of Israel, Given by G-d through Moses." Some will lift their pinky finger toward the Torah as an act of honor while they recite this prayer, as if reaching out to touch the text.
Next Week : What is a Torah and the Halachot that apply to it
Reading the Torah: How to Have an Aliyah II
There are a number of honors that are related to the Torah Service that do not require a blessing or the formal choreography that a regular Aliyah requires. There are basically three other types of honors, one is opening the Ark either before or after the reading of the Torah, second is carrying the Torah around the congregation, and the third is the twin honor of Hagbah and Gelilah.
Opening the Ark is a rather simple honor but it has great status. Even those who might not take any other honor usually will accept the honor of Peticha, To open the Ark. The honor is beyond the physical act of opening the doors and maybe pulling back the curtain. It is the spiritual act of bringing Torah to the congregation. In our congregation, at the beginning of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, we have a ceremony where the parents, grandparents and the student all have this honor. The Grandparents take the Torah from the ark and hand it to the parents who hand it to their child. This re-enacts the passing of the Torah from Moses, to Joshua and from Joshua to the Elders and from the Elders to the Members of the Great Assembly. This transmission of Torah is found at the very beginning of the Talmudic Tractate of Avot. The Grandparents physically show how they have transmitted Torah and Jewish tradition from one generation to the next.
Carrying to Torah is a separate honor. The Torah is the greatest possession of the Jewish people. Every member of the congregation wishes to draw close to it and to reach out and touch it. The one who carries the Torah leads the "parade" of others (Rabbi, Cantor, President, other honorees etc.) around the congregation. The congregation sings as the Torah parades past and touch the mantle with a tallit or a siddur and then kiss the spot that touched the Torah. It is a show of love and respect. In some congregations the Torah is carried twice, once before the reading and the other after the reading. A different route is used each time so that everyone will have an opportunity to kiss the Torah as it passes by.
Hagbah is the honor of lifting the Torah off the table after it is read. It requires some strength in the arms, but not as much as one would think. When properly done, the Torah is opened, lifted by levering it off the table and raised high into the air. The Hagbah then turns around so the writing in the Torah is visible to the entire congregation. One should strive to be able to show about three columns of text as one turns the Torah to the congregation. The Hagbah then turns around again and sits on a nearby chair. The Gelilah then comes forward to place the mantle and crowns back on the Torah. When finished, either the Torah is held by the Hagbah until the Torah carrier is called to carry it around the synagogue or it is lifted into a special Torah cradle where it will sit until it is time to carry it.
When the Torah is raised the congregation chants "This is the Torah that Moses set before the entire congregation of Israel, Given by G-d through Moses." Some will lift their pinky finger toward the Torah as an act of honor while they recite this prayer, as if reaching out to touch the text.
Next Week : What is a Torah and the Halachot that apply to it
Sunday, May 25, 2003
HMS-13 Reading the Torah: How to Have an Aliyah
May 26, 2003 -Number 13
Reading the Torah: How to Have an Aliyah
For all too many Jews, the idea of being called to the Torah for an Aliyah fills them with terror and trepidation. But for centuries, having an Aliyah is one of the highest honors that a congregation can bestow on one of its members. It does not have to be a moment of rapid heartbeat and sweat. Rather, with a little preparation one can actually look forward to receiving this honor.
All one really needs to know is the Torah Blessings. Most Jews learn this at their Bar Mitzvah but for some it may have been a while since they last recited it. The Torah Blessings can be found in almost every siddur and usually are also transliterated for the Hebrew Challenged. There is a special melody for these blessings (one recited at the beginning of the Aliyah and one recited at the end) but it is permitted to just read them without the melody. The only Hebrew one is required to recite during an Aliyah are these blessings. In almost every congregation in the world, a copy of these blessings can be found next to the Torah on the Bima so it is not necessary to memorize the blessings, only to be familiar with them. In the United States, there is also a transliteration of the blessings on the Bima as well.
The other piece of information needed in advance is one’s Hebrew Name. A complete Hebrew name consists of your own name and the name of your parents. For example, the Name "Hiyyim Yaakov" is not enough. The full name should be "Hiyyim Yaakov ben Avraham V’Sara" If one is a Cohen or Levy, that is a descendant of one of those ancient tribes, than that title is also added to the name. These title as passed down from Father to children. Mothers can not pass down their title but may still use it for their own names.
When given an Honor, one is given the number of that honor. Often the first two honors are reserved for a Cohen or Levy the others are only numbered. The number of Aliyot change with the service. Weekdays and Shabbat Afternoon three are called for an Aliyah. On Rosh Hodesh we call 4, on major Festivals, five are called and on Yom Kippur morning, six are called. On Shabbat there are seven Aliyot. The Maftir is an additional reading done on holidays and Shabbat. This takes a lot of planning and preparation and will be the subject of a future HMS installment.
When one is called for an Aliyah, one ascends the bima from the location closest to the table where the Torah is being read. The honoree takes his or her place at the side of the Torah reader. The Honoree gives the Torah reader (Called a Baal Koray, the Master Reader)his or her Hebrew Name and they are officially called up for the honor. Sometimes the gabbi who assigns the honors will ask for a Hebrew Name in advance so the Baal Koray can call the Honoree by name when they are first called from the floor. The Baal Koray will point to a spot in the Torah where the reading will begin. The Honoree takes his or her Tallit or the binder from the Torah and touch gently the spot indicated by the Baal Koray. Notice that we never touch the letters in the Torah with our hands lest they smudge or invalidate any letters since this will invalidate the entire Torah. After touching the Torah, we kiss the tallit where we touched it to the scroll. We then take hold of the lower two "handles" of the Torah, hold the scroll open on the table and recite the blessing before the reading of the Torah. The line recited by the congregation is repeated by the honoree and then continues with the rest of the blessing. The honoree then steps to the side to allow the Baal Koray to read from the scroll.
When the reading is finished (each honor must have at least three sentences to be valid, some are quite longer since we don’t like to break up a story in the text) the Baal Koray will point to the place where the reading ended. Once again we touch the spot with the tallit or Torah binding and then take hold of the lower "handles" we close the scroll (don’t roll it or the Baal Koray could lose his place!!) And then we recite the blessings for after the reading.
When the honor is over, we don’t want to quickly leave the bima. We stay at the table for the following honor (the gabbi at the table will show you where to stand or just look where the person ahead of you stood and then take his or her place) When the following honor is finished, we exit the bima from the side farthest from the Torah table and shake hands with the people on the bima and those who are in the congregation as we come off the bima. They will say "Yashir Koah!" meaning, you should always be strong. The correct reply is "Baruch Yiheyeh" meaning, there should be a blessing upon you. This is a reminder that we bring a part of the sanctity of the Torah down with us as we return to our seats. Others want to shake our hand so that a part of that holiness will rub off on them.
When in doubt as to what to do, a gabbi or just about anyone else on the bima can guide you. (The exception may be the person who had the honor before you, he or she could be just as lost as you) Don’t be afraid to ask.
Certain times are appropriate for having an Aliyah. One can be so honored on a birthday or anniversary, on a day that is special at home (baby naming, birth of a son, bar or bat Mitzvah, or a pending wedding) or to celebrate something from work. One has an Aliyah when setting out on a long journey or when one returns safely home. One also has an honor before difficult surgery and after the recovery or after any life threatening experience. (There is a special blessing for escaping danger). If any of these apply the Rabbi may come to your side and recite a special prayer of thanksgiving, the "Mi Shebayrach" There is also a prayer when one has an honor on the yahrtzeit, the anniversary of the death of a close relative. Some congregations do not do these on Shabbat morning. One would come back for a Monday, Thursday or Saturday afternoon service for the special memorial prayer
Reading the Torah: How to Have an Aliyah
For all too many Jews, the idea of being called to the Torah for an Aliyah fills them with terror and trepidation. But for centuries, having an Aliyah is one of the highest honors that a congregation can bestow on one of its members. It does not have to be a moment of rapid heartbeat and sweat. Rather, with a little preparation one can actually look forward to receiving this honor.
All one really needs to know is the Torah Blessings. Most Jews learn this at their Bar Mitzvah but for some it may have been a while since they last recited it. The Torah Blessings can be found in almost every siddur and usually are also transliterated for the Hebrew Challenged. There is a special melody for these blessings (one recited at the beginning of the Aliyah and one recited at the end) but it is permitted to just read them without the melody. The only Hebrew one is required to recite during an Aliyah are these blessings. In almost every congregation in the world, a copy of these blessings can be found next to the Torah on the Bima so it is not necessary to memorize the blessings, only to be familiar with them. In the United States, there is also a transliteration of the blessings on the Bima as well.
The other piece of information needed in advance is one’s Hebrew Name. A complete Hebrew name consists of your own name and the name of your parents. For example, the Name "Hiyyim Yaakov" is not enough. The full name should be "Hiyyim Yaakov ben Avraham V’Sara" If one is a Cohen or Levy, that is a descendant of one of those ancient tribes, than that title is also added to the name. These title as passed down from Father to children. Mothers can not pass down their title but may still use it for their own names.
When given an Honor, one is given the number of that honor. Often the first two honors are reserved for a Cohen or Levy the others are only numbered. The number of Aliyot change with the service. Weekdays and Shabbat Afternoon three are called for an Aliyah. On Rosh Hodesh we call 4, on major Festivals, five are called and on Yom Kippur morning, six are called. On Shabbat there are seven Aliyot. The Maftir is an additional reading done on holidays and Shabbat. This takes a lot of planning and preparation and will be the subject of a future HMS installment.
When one is called for an Aliyah, one ascends the bima from the location closest to the table where the Torah is being read. The honoree takes his or her place at the side of the Torah reader. The Honoree gives the Torah reader (Called a Baal Koray, the Master Reader)his or her Hebrew Name and they are officially called up for the honor. Sometimes the gabbi who assigns the honors will ask for a Hebrew Name in advance so the Baal Koray can call the Honoree by name when they are first called from the floor. The Baal Koray will point to a spot in the Torah where the reading will begin. The Honoree takes his or her Tallit or the binder from the Torah and touch gently the spot indicated by the Baal Koray. Notice that we never touch the letters in the Torah with our hands lest they smudge or invalidate any letters since this will invalidate the entire Torah. After touching the Torah, we kiss the tallit where we touched it to the scroll. We then take hold of the lower two "handles" of the Torah, hold the scroll open on the table and recite the blessing before the reading of the Torah. The line recited by the congregation is repeated by the honoree and then continues with the rest of the blessing. The honoree then steps to the side to allow the Baal Koray to read from the scroll.
When the reading is finished (each honor must have at least three sentences to be valid, some are quite longer since we don’t like to break up a story in the text) the Baal Koray will point to the place where the reading ended. Once again we touch the spot with the tallit or Torah binding and then take hold of the lower "handles" we close the scroll (don’t roll it or the Baal Koray could lose his place!!) And then we recite the blessings for after the reading.
When the honor is over, we don’t want to quickly leave the bima. We stay at the table for the following honor (the gabbi at the table will show you where to stand or just look where the person ahead of you stood and then take his or her place) When the following honor is finished, we exit the bima from the side farthest from the Torah table and shake hands with the people on the bima and those who are in the congregation as we come off the bima. They will say "Yashir Koah!" meaning, you should always be strong. The correct reply is "Baruch Yiheyeh" meaning, there should be a blessing upon you. This is a reminder that we bring a part of the sanctity of the Torah down with us as we return to our seats. Others want to shake our hand so that a part of that holiness will rub off on them.
When in doubt as to what to do, a gabbi or just about anyone else on the bima can guide you. (The exception may be the person who had the honor before you, he or she could be just as lost as you) Don’t be afraid to ask.
Certain times are appropriate for having an Aliyah. One can be so honored on a birthday or anniversary, on a day that is special at home (baby naming, birth of a son, bar or bat Mitzvah, or a pending wedding) or to celebrate something from work. One has an Aliyah when setting out on a long journey or when one returns safely home. One also has an honor before difficult surgery and after the recovery or after any life threatening experience. (There is a special blessing for escaping danger). If any of these apply the Rabbi may come to your side and recite a special prayer of thanksgiving, the "Mi Shebayrach" There is also a prayer when one has an honor on the yahrtzeit, the anniversary of the death of a close relative. Some congregations do not do these on Shabbat morning. One would come back for a Monday, Thursday or Saturday afternoon service for the special memorial prayer
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