Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
Jan. 26, 2004
Number 5764-16 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.
Monday, January 26, 2004
Monday, January 19, 2004
HMS; 5764-15 Prayer III: The Format of the Service
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
January 19, 2004 - Number 5764-15
Prayer III: The Format of the Service
Tephillot, (Jewish Prayer Services) all have the same basic structure. Like a letter, they all have an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. Depending on the service, however, there are many parts that can be added. In general, the simplest services are weekday tephillot, since they happen every day and we must take time from our schedule to pray. Shabbat and Holiday Services are somewhat longer since work and the daily routine are no longer an issue. High Holy Day services are the longest, since the nature of the day requires that everything else be put aside for the purpose of meriting life in the year ahead.
The daily Shacharit service has as its introduction, the Pesuke D’Zimra, verses of song and praise to G-d. The main body consists of the Shema and her blessings and the Amida. The conclusion contains Ashray, Aleynu and the Psalm for the day. The daily Mincha service (for the afternoon) has Ashray for the introduction, The Amida for the main body and Aleynu for the closing. The Maariv service, (for the evening) has a one paragraph introduction (V’hu Rachum) The Shema and her blessings for the main body (with an additional Amida that is not repeated by the leader as is done in the two other services) and the conclusion is the Aleynu.
There is a long standing custom that three days should not go by without some study of Torah. Therefore on Monday, Thursday and Shabbat we pause after the main body of the service to read and study Torah. There is also a Torah reading at Mincha on Shabbat so that as soon as we finish one Parsha (section) of the Torah, we begin the next section. That same section will be read on Monday and Thursday and completed the following Shabbat at Shacharit.
In general, the Amida stands in our service for the sacrificial service that was once done in the Temple in Jerusalem. We have substituted service at the alter for service of the "heart" that is, "prayer". In Jerusalem, there were two sacrifices a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This is why we recite the Amida in the morning and afternoon tephillot. There never was a sacrifice at night, but the personal prayers of the Amida were so important that they were added to the Maariv service as well. Because this is not a "required" Amida, we do not repeat it out loud. On Shabbat and on Festivals, there was an extra sacrifice on honor of the day. For this reason we do an "additional" Amida focusing on the nature of the festival. This Amida follows the Torah Service for the day and is called "Musaf" (Additional). While it is recited individually as is the regular Amida, instead of petitions, it contains material on the sacred nature of Shabbat or of the Festival.
On Shabbat and Festivals, the Pesuke D’zimra is extended with special Psalms that speak to the nature of the day. Festivals also add the Hallel, a series of Psalms added after the main body of the service and before the Torah is read. These psalms are words of praise to G-d for giving us such festive celebrations.
On Rosh Hashana, the Musaf is extended to expound on the themes of the Kingship of G-d, That G-d remembers the past and verses relating to the sounding of the Shofar. On Yom Kippur, since there was an extra service when the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, there is an additional service, the Avoda Service, that describes that occasion. Kol Nidre is added to the Maariv of Yom Kippur to stress the Judgement aspect of Yom Kippur, and Neilah, a special service at the end of Yom Kippur expands on the theme of the gates of repentance closing. Thus there are seven separate sections to the Yom Kippur service.
Next week: Prayer IV: The Torah Service
January 19, 2004 - Number 5764-15
Prayer III: The Format of the Service
Tephillot, (Jewish Prayer Services) all have the same basic structure. Like a letter, they all have an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. Depending on the service, however, there are many parts that can be added. In general, the simplest services are weekday tephillot, since they happen every day and we must take time from our schedule to pray. Shabbat and Holiday Services are somewhat longer since work and the daily routine are no longer an issue. High Holy Day services are the longest, since the nature of the day requires that everything else be put aside for the purpose of meriting life in the year ahead.
The daily Shacharit service has as its introduction, the Pesuke D’Zimra, verses of song and praise to G-d. The main body consists of the Shema and her blessings and the Amida. The conclusion contains Ashray, Aleynu and the Psalm for the day. The daily Mincha service (for the afternoon) has Ashray for the introduction, The Amida for the main body and Aleynu for the closing. The Maariv service, (for the evening) has a one paragraph introduction (V’hu Rachum) The Shema and her blessings for the main body (with an additional Amida that is not repeated by the leader as is done in the two other services) and the conclusion is the Aleynu.
There is a long standing custom that three days should not go by without some study of Torah. Therefore on Monday, Thursday and Shabbat we pause after the main body of the service to read and study Torah. There is also a Torah reading at Mincha on Shabbat so that as soon as we finish one Parsha (section) of the Torah, we begin the next section. That same section will be read on Monday and Thursday and completed the following Shabbat at Shacharit.
In general, the Amida stands in our service for the sacrificial service that was once done in the Temple in Jerusalem. We have substituted service at the alter for service of the "heart" that is, "prayer". In Jerusalem, there were two sacrifices a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This is why we recite the Amida in the morning and afternoon tephillot. There never was a sacrifice at night, but the personal prayers of the Amida were so important that they were added to the Maariv service as well. Because this is not a "required" Amida, we do not repeat it out loud. On Shabbat and on Festivals, there was an extra sacrifice on honor of the day. For this reason we do an "additional" Amida focusing on the nature of the festival. This Amida follows the Torah Service for the day and is called "Musaf" (Additional). While it is recited individually as is the regular Amida, instead of petitions, it contains material on the sacred nature of Shabbat or of the Festival.
On Shabbat and Festivals, the Pesuke D’zimra is extended with special Psalms that speak to the nature of the day. Festivals also add the Hallel, a series of Psalms added after the main body of the service and before the Torah is read. These psalms are words of praise to G-d for giving us such festive celebrations.
On Rosh Hashana, the Musaf is extended to expound on the themes of the Kingship of G-d, That G-d remembers the past and verses relating to the sounding of the Shofar. On Yom Kippur, since there was an extra service when the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, there is an additional service, the Avoda Service, that describes that occasion. Kol Nidre is added to the Maariv of Yom Kippur to stress the Judgement aspect of Yom Kippur, and Neilah, a special service at the end of Yom Kippur expands on the theme of the gates of repentance closing. Thus there are seven separate sections to the Yom Kippur service.
Next week: Prayer IV: The Torah Service
Monday, January 12, 2004
5764-14 - Prayer II: The Amida
Halacha L'Moshe Mi Sinai
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
Temple Sinai of Hollywood
January 12, 2004 - Number 5764-14
Prayer II: The Amida
The Shema represents only one form of prayer. It is public, it is at an assigned time and is said out loud by the assembled Jews. But what happens when our prayer is not for public announcement? When we feel like praying at a different time than anyone else? When the words announced are not the words that we carry in our hearts? How are we supposed to pray?
In ancient times, when the spirit moved our ancestors, they would bring an offering from the best of their crops or flocks to the great Temple in Jerusalem and there assign it to the alter to be a personal gift to G-d. Since the destruction of that Temple, Jews have used prayer, an offering of the heart, instead of a physical gift to G-d. That prayer is the Amida, known to the Rabbis of the Talmud as "HaTephilla", the prayer par excellance.
The standard of the Amida is the weekday version of the prayer, it is also called the "Shemona Esray" or the "Eighteen" because it has nineteen blessings it in. Actually it once had only 18 blessings but in Talmudic times, another blessing was added. Why that blessing was added depends on which blessing we think is the nineteenth one. Scholars are not in agreement as to which one was added by the Sages.
The weekday Amida has three sections. The opening three blessings, the 12 middle blessings and the final three blessings. Every form of the Amida has this three part style, with the middle section changing to fit the occasion. The first three and last three blessings always stay the same.
The model we use for understanding the Amida is format for a audience with a great king or queen.( A just ruler, not a despot) When we are invited to speak of something with the monarch, we are invited on a particular day to the throne room for our audience. The room is filled with guards and officers of the kingdom. There are other petitioners there as well, waiting their turn. The ruler comes in and all rise as he or she takes their place on the throne on the platform at one end of the room. The scribe calls out the name of the first person who will have an audience and the work of the day begins. When we are called, we advance to a place near the center of the room. We bow and recite the format of greeting for a ruler. We affirm our loyalty to the king and remind him that his father was a good king to our father and his grandfather was a good ruler to our grandfather. We also call attention to the fact that this king is a powerful king, one who can make our petition have an effect on the entire realm if he so desires. That is why we have come, to appeal to his power to make things happen for good. So we launch into our petition and finally when we come to the end we close with another bow and then a formal closing, we thank the king for his time and wish peace to his kingdom.
This is exactly the format of the Amida. The Amida is not really recited "silently" rather it is done "individually". First we take three steps to approach G-d. We are now face to face with our Creator. We open with two bows, at the beginning and end of the first blessing extolling our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors. The second blessing affirms that G-d is powerful, so powerful that G-d can revive the dead. The third blessing is unique to G-d, it affirms that G-d, unlike humans, is holy, and the source of great holiness. This is expanded when we repeat the Amida out loud into the Kedusha, a poem of praise for the holiness of G-d. In the middle section are the petitions we ask of G-d, for wisdom, health, good weather for a bountiful crop, good judges, good rulers and a return to the greatness we once knew in history. If we have a particular need, we can add it to the appropriate blessing. For example, if we know someone is ill and wish to add a petition for their good health, we add it to the generic blessing for health. The last blessing in this section, is a generic blessing that G-d should hear our prayers. Any need that we have that did not fit into any of the other petitions, can be added here.
The final three blessings close our meeting with G-d. there is the unique to G-d blessing that worship in the Temple will be restored, then we thank G-d for listening and close with a prayer for peace. The Sages added, after Sim Shalom, a sample of what a personal prayer could look like and it was so good that it too became part of the Amida. When we finish we take three steps backward and return to the rest of the congregation. The Amida is usually then repeated out loud, for the sake of those who may not be able to read and take part in this most important section of the service. They reply "Amen" to each blessing to make it their own. "Amen" is the official term that means, "I agree and affirm what was just said"
On Shabbat, the day G-d rested, we do not petition G-d. We take out the twelve central petitions and replace it with one blessing thanking G-d for the restful peace of Shabbat. Other holidays have similar changes to speak to the message of the holy day.
Next week: Prayer III: The Format of the Service
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
Temple Sinai of Hollywood
January 12, 2004 - Number 5764-14
Prayer II: The Amida
The Shema represents only one form of prayer. It is public, it is at an assigned time and is said out loud by the assembled Jews. But what happens when our prayer is not for public announcement? When we feel like praying at a different time than anyone else? When the words announced are not the words that we carry in our hearts? How are we supposed to pray?
In ancient times, when the spirit moved our ancestors, they would bring an offering from the best of their crops or flocks to the great Temple in Jerusalem and there assign it to the alter to be a personal gift to G-d. Since the destruction of that Temple, Jews have used prayer, an offering of the heart, instead of a physical gift to G-d. That prayer is the Amida, known to the Rabbis of the Talmud as "HaTephilla", the prayer par excellance.
The standard of the Amida is the weekday version of the prayer, it is also called the "Shemona Esray" or the "Eighteen" because it has nineteen blessings it in. Actually it once had only 18 blessings but in Talmudic times, another blessing was added. Why that blessing was added depends on which blessing we think is the nineteenth one. Scholars are not in agreement as to which one was added by the Sages.
The weekday Amida has three sections. The opening three blessings, the 12 middle blessings and the final three blessings. Every form of the Amida has this three part style, with the middle section changing to fit the occasion. The first three and last three blessings always stay the same.
The model we use for understanding the Amida is format for a audience with a great king or queen.( A just ruler, not a despot) When we are invited to speak of something with the monarch, we are invited on a particular day to the throne room for our audience. The room is filled with guards and officers of the kingdom. There are other petitioners there as well, waiting their turn. The ruler comes in and all rise as he or she takes their place on the throne on the platform at one end of the room. The scribe calls out the name of the first person who will have an audience and the work of the day begins. When we are called, we advance to a place near the center of the room. We bow and recite the format of greeting for a ruler. We affirm our loyalty to the king and remind him that his father was a good king to our father and his grandfather was a good ruler to our grandfather. We also call attention to the fact that this king is a powerful king, one who can make our petition have an effect on the entire realm if he so desires. That is why we have come, to appeal to his power to make things happen for good. So we launch into our petition and finally when we come to the end we close with another bow and then a formal closing, we thank the king for his time and wish peace to his kingdom.
This is exactly the format of the Amida. The Amida is not really recited "silently" rather it is done "individually". First we take three steps to approach G-d. We are now face to face with our Creator. We open with two bows, at the beginning and end of the first blessing extolling our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors. The second blessing affirms that G-d is powerful, so powerful that G-d can revive the dead. The third blessing is unique to G-d, it affirms that G-d, unlike humans, is holy, and the source of great holiness. This is expanded when we repeat the Amida out loud into the Kedusha, a poem of praise for the holiness of G-d. In the middle section are the petitions we ask of G-d, for wisdom, health, good weather for a bountiful crop, good judges, good rulers and a return to the greatness we once knew in history. If we have a particular need, we can add it to the appropriate blessing. For example, if we know someone is ill and wish to add a petition for their good health, we add it to the generic blessing for health. The last blessing in this section, is a generic blessing that G-d should hear our prayers. Any need that we have that did not fit into any of the other petitions, can be added here.
The final three blessings close our meeting with G-d. there is the unique to G-d blessing that worship in the Temple will be restored, then we thank G-d for listening and close with a prayer for peace. The Sages added, after Sim Shalom, a sample of what a personal prayer could look like and it was so good that it too became part of the Amida. When we finish we take three steps backward and return to the rest of the congregation. The Amida is usually then repeated out loud, for the sake of those who may not be able to read and take part in this most important section of the service. They reply "Amen" to each blessing to make it their own. "Amen" is the official term that means, "I agree and affirm what was just said"
On Shabbat, the day G-d rested, we do not petition G-d. We take out the twelve central petitions and replace it with one blessing thanking G-d for the restful peace of Shabbat. Other holidays have similar changes to speak to the message of the holy day.
Next week: Prayer III: The Format of the Service
Tuesday, January 6, 2004
HMS; 5764-13 Prayer I: The Shema
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
January 6, 2004 - Number 5764-13
This lesson is in honor of my nephew Zachary Shivers who celebrated his attaining the age of Bar Mitzvah on the First day of January, 2004
Prayer I: The Shema
The Shema has been compared to the American Pledge of Allegiance. It is the basic declaration of faith that a Jew says twice every day. It is the first prayer a child is taught, it is the last prayer recited before we die. We say it each day before we go to sleep and it is one of the central points in the Shacharit service. Everyone knows the Shema, but few understand its deeper meanings.
The Shema consists only of verses from the Torah. The first passage is from Deuteronomy chapter 6. The second passage is from Deuteronomy chapter 11 and the third from Numbers chapter 15. One of the first indications that there is more to these passages than meets the eye is that they are out of order. According to the order of the Torah, the last passage should be first. That they are out of order tells us that there must be an important reason for being in this order, otherwise why change the order of the Torah?
The first passage is very difficult to understand without a hint. The extra verse that we recite silently (Praise His glorious sovereignty throughout all time) hints to us about the theme. The Sages call this passage "OI Malchut Shamayim" or "Taking upon ourselves the yoke of Heaven" The theme is to love G-d, with all our heart, soul and might. Notice that we are being commanded to love! How is this possible? Can anyone command us to love? In fact, just as we love our parents without having a choice in the matter, so too we must love G-d, our Creator. Therefore the theme of this passage is Creation.
The second passage seems to be about reward and punishment. We are rewarded for obeying G-d and punished for disobedience. It is easy to get distracted here when we notice that the punishment for individual disobedience is communal punishment. One person sins and everyone suffers famine and drought. For now let us call this an ecological statement. If one person pollutes the water, ground or sky, we all suffer the effects. The real theme of this passage is found in the first sentence. It talks about "the commandments I give you this day" Which day is that? The day the commandments were given at Sinai. The sages call this passage, "Ol Mitzvot" or "Accepting the yoke of the Commandments" We see that the theme of this passage is Revelation.
The third passage deals with our debt to G-d for saving us from slavery in Egypt. We wear the thread of blue in the corner of our garments to remember the commandments. We follow these Mitzvot because we owe G-d for taking us from slavery to freedom. This passage is easy, it is clearly about Redemption.
This triad of creation, revelation and redemption leads to another triad. Creation is about G-d creating the world. Revelation is about G-d revealing the law to Humanity and Redemption, in Jewish Theology is about Humanity completing the unfinished world. The triad of G-d, Humanity and the world, is superimposed upon the triad of Creation, Revelation and Redemption. It looks like a Star of David:
We can see now why the Shema is such an important prayer. It is more than just a pledge to G-d, is encapsulates the very foundation of Jewish Theology! The Shema is encased in three blessings, two before the Shema and one after. These blessings also stress Creation, Revelation and Redemption. When we recite the Shema and her blessings we affirm that we are the people who believe in the relationship between G-d, Humanity and the world. We hold as fundamental the theology of Creation, Revelation and Redemption.
Next week: Prayer II: The Amida
January 6, 2004 - Number 5764-13
This lesson is in honor of my nephew Zachary Shivers who celebrated his attaining the age of Bar Mitzvah on the First day of January, 2004
Prayer I: The Shema
The Shema has been compared to the American Pledge of Allegiance. It is the basic declaration of faith that a Jew says twice every day. It is the first prayer a child is taught, it is the last prayer recited before we die. We say it each day before we go to sleep and it is one of the central points in the Shacharit service. Everyone knows the Shema, but few understand its deeper meanings.
The Shema consists only of verses from the Torah. The first passage is from Deuteronomy chapter 6. The second passage is from Deuteronomy chapter 11 and the third from Numbers chapter 15. One of the first indications that there is more to these passages than meets the eye is that they are out of order. According to the order of the Torah, the last passage should be first. That they are out of order tells us that there must be an important reason for being in this order, otherwise why change the order of the Torah?
The first passage is very difficult to understand without a hint. The extra verse that we recite silently (Praise His glorious sovereignty throughout all time) hints to us about the theme. The Sages call this passage "OI Malchut Shamayim" or "Taking upon ourselves the yoke of Heaven" The theme is to love G-d, with all our heart, soul and might. Notice that we are being commanded to love! How is this possible? Can anyone command us to love? In fact, just as we love our parents without having a choice in the matter, so too we must love G-d, our Creator. Therefore the theme of this passage is Creation.
The second passage seems to be about reward and punishment. We are rewarded for obeying G-d and punished for disobedience. It is easy to get distracted here when we notice that the punishment for individual disobedience is communal punishment. One person sins and everyone suffers famine and drought. For now let us call this an ecological statement. If one person pollutes the water, ground or sky, we all suffer the effects. The real theme of this passage is found in the first sentence. It talks about "the commandments I give you this day" Which day is that? The day the commandments were given at Sinai. The sages call this passage, "Ol Mitzvot" or "Accepting the yoke of the Commandments" We see that the theme of this passage is Revelation.
The third passage deals with our debt to G-d for saving us from slavery in Egypt. We wear the thread of blue in the corner of our garments to remember the commandments. We follow these Mitzvot because we owe G-d for taking us from slavery to freedom. This passage is easy, it is clearly about Redemption.
This triad of creation, revelation and redemption leads to another triad. Creation is about G-d creating the world. Revelation is about G-d revealing the law to Humanity and Redemption, in Jewish Theology is about Humanity completing the unfinished world. The triad of G-d, Humanity and the world, is superimposed upon the triad of Creation, Revelation and Redemption. It looks like a Star of David:
We can see now why the Shema is such an important prayer. It is more than just a pledge to G-d, is encapsulates the very foundation of Jewish Theology! The Shema is encased in three blessings, two before the Shema and one after. These blessings also stress Creation, Revelation and Redemption. When we recite the Shema and her blessings we affirm that we are the people who believe in the relationship between G-d, Humanity and the world. We hold as fundamental the theology of Creation, Revelation and Redemption.
Next week: Prayer II: The Amida
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