HMS; 5764-28 Shavuot - The Forgotten Holiday

Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg

May 17, 2004 - Number 5764-28

Shavuot - The Forgotten Holiday

There are three pilgrimage festivals on the Hebrew Calendar. Three times we are commanded to celebrate in Jerusalem, at the great Temple there, these three holidays. One is Sukkot, the holiday that is associated with great joy. The second is Pesach, the great holiday of Jewish Liberation. The third is Shavuot, a small Festival when compared to Pesach and Sukkot, but one that is important. The sad truth is that most people don’t know about Shavuot and don’t know why it ranks with Pesach and Sukkot as one of the three top Festivals of the Jewish year.
Sukkot is a seven day festival that has an eighth day attached to the end. Sukkot ends with Hoshana Rabba, but is immediately followed by Shemini Atzeret (and the second day of Shemini Atzeret which is now a virtual second holiday called Simchat Torah). The Sages say that Sukkot is an international holiday, and Shemini Atzeret is a special day, added to the end that is strictly for Jews. Six months later, once again at the full moon, is Pesach, another seven day holiday (with the last day doubled for calendar reasons making it eight days) Pesach too, the Sages say, has a concluding festival. It does not come, as Shemini Atzeret, immediately after Pesach, we first count 49 days from the beginning of Pesach until this additional festival arrives, called Shavuot.
As with Pesach and Sukkot, Shavuot has both a agricultural root as well as an historical root. Pesach begins the harvest of the new grain. Shavuot marks the beginning of the fruit harvest. Special ceremonies were held as each community brought decorated baskets of fruit to be dedicated at the Temple. The Torah does not directly give Shavuot a historical focus, but the Sages of the Talmud, through their calculations, declared that Shavuot was the day that Moses received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. One would think that this would be the basis of one of the most important days on the Jewish Calendar. But because there were Jews who believed that the Ten Commandments were the only thing revealed at Sinai, the importance of the day was lessened.
It was this connection to Torah that eventually gave Shavuot its most unique feature. The Kabbalists noted that the people of Israel had to get up early on the day of the revelation. Even so, they awoke to a mountain that was full of lightning and smoke. G-d, it seems was up even earlier and caught the People of Israel sleeping. To correct this conception that we were sleeping when G-d wanted to give us the Torah, we stay up all night, on Erev Shavuot, studying Torah and the commentaries of the Sages. G-d will not catch us sleeping again. This study session is called "Tikkun L’el Shavuot
The other custom associated with Shavuot is the eating of dairy foods, especially blintzes. The reason is really unknown (who knows why one food becomes associated with one holiday or another?) but we say that after the revelation, and the giving of the laws of Kashrut, the People of Israel were too exhausted to go out and ritually slaughter meat according to the new laws. They decided to eat only dairy and so we eat dairy on Shavuot to this very day.
Passover and Sukkot are seven day festivals. Shavuot is only two days long. We should also note that the Torah never gives us a date when Shavuot is to begin. It begins 50 days after the beginning of Pesach. Passover and Sukkot always fall on the new moon of the month, Shavuot does not. The Torah is not even clear when we are supposed to begin our count. The Torah seems to indicate that the count begins from the Shabbat of Pesach, which would give Shavuot a different day to begin every year. According to the Talmud, however, we begin the count on the second day of Pesach, so that Shavuot always falls on the sixth of Nisan.
Because of its agricultural background, the Book of Ruth is read on Shavuot and there is a special piyyut that is designated for Shavuot called "Akdumot" (from its opening word) that speaks of the glory of Torah. In some places, the synagogue is decorated with branches from trees and other large green plants to remember the fruits our ancestors brought to the Temple. Because of its dedication to Torah, when Judaism lifted the ceremony of Confirmation from the Christians, as a means of extending the education of children after Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Shavuot became an obvious day to celebrate this milestone.

Next week: The Tallit

HMS; 5764-27 Kashrut VI: Controversies in Kashrut: When the Rules Are Not Clear

Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg

May 10, 2004 - Number 5764-27

Kashrut VI: Controversies in Kashrut: When the Rules Are Not Clear

Chicken - The separation between milk and meat should not apply to chicken since one can not boil a chicken in its mother’s milk. The law, however, is that Chicken is considered meat since it is too easy to confuse it with the meat from large, four legged mammals. One can not mix chicken with milk
Fish - Fish is not considered meat since it is so different from meat that one will not confuse the two. For some reason there is a custom not to serve fish and meat on the same plate because of "danger". The Sages assume this danger is one of chocking on a bone. The Rabbinical Assembly’s Law and Standards Committee (LASC) has ruled that this "danger" is no longer an issue and one CAN serve fish and meat on the same plate.
Fish: Sturgeon and Swordfish - The issues with these fish is that while they are young they have both fins and scales. When they mature, the scales fall off. There is a stringent position that if there is a doubt about the status of a fish, we do not eat it. The LASC has ruled that these fish can be eaten and considered Kosher.
Wine - Of all the beverages, wine is in a class by itself. Since wine was used extensively by pagans in their rituals, it became the rule that wine could not be handled by non-Jews lest they pour out a libation to their pagan gods. By extension, it also applies to vinegar. Kosher wine is either certified that it has not been handled by non-Jews or that it is "Mevushal" or "cooked". Wine that is "mevushal" is forbidden to be offered to a pagan god so it is always considered Kosher. Until recently, it was impossible to get Kosher wine that was not "mevushal". Wine experts have long insisted that this cooking took all the flavor out of Kosher wines. It is now possible, however, to get Kosher wine that is NOT "mevushal" and such wine can not be poured by non-Jews. The question is can Jews drink wine that is not certified Kosher. The LASC has ruled that while wine that is not certified can be consumed by Jews, one SHOULD use a Kosher wine if it will be used when a blessing is to be recited. Please note that wine shows up in lots of places, including many liquors. The blessing for wine involves grapes so the blessing should only be recited over Kosher grape wines.
Cheese - While the cheese itself is almost always Kosher, the process of making it becomes an issue. Rennet, a chemical that is not part of the cheese but part of the processing that makes the cheese, is usually derived from animals and these animals are assumed to be not Kosher. Kosher cheese does not use rennet or uses an acceptable form of rennet (the study of Kashrut often will make a person a vegetarian). The LASC has ruled that rennet, no matter where it comes from, is now a chemical that is distinct from what it came from. Thus all cheeses can be eaten. This is a very controversial ruling and there are many Conservative Jews who do NOT hold by it.
Turkey - Birds must appear on the list in the book of Leviticus to be considered Kosher. The turkey can not appear on this list since it only exists in N. America and was unknown in Europe and the middle East. By the usual rules, it should not be Kosher but it is, in all cases, Kosher when slaughtered by a shochet. Pheasant is also not on the list and there are authorities that permit it (when slaughtered by a shochet) and those who do not accept it as a Kosher bird. In any event, it can not be hunted for food.
Eco-Kosher - There are some who maintain that since one of the reasons for Kashrut is to teach us ethical behavior, we should withhold Kosher certification from products that are grown and harvested using mistreated farm workers or not eating meat that has been "abused" by the farmers and slaughterers. My feeling is that Kashrut is complicated enough without the addition of these ethical issues. If I don’t agree with the way workers are treated or that animals are mistreated before they are killed, I should not buy such products. But it would not be accurate to declare such things "treif". Kashrut is not about ethical behavior, it is about doing the will of our Creator. Refusing to eat veal or non-Union lettuce may be an important statement to corporate America, but it should not be attached to the laws of Kashrut.
Please remember: Just because there are some controversies over Kashrut, it does not mean that the whole issue has been overturned. These are only some issues that, when we bring Kashrut into our lives, we have to confront eventually and we have to know what the rules are.

Next week: Shavuot: The Forgotten Holiday

HMS; 5764-26 Kashrut V: Setting up a Kosher Kitchen

Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg

May 2, 2004 - Number 5764-26

Kashrut V: Setting up a Kosher Kitchen

Rule 1. Do not try and do everything all at once. The biggest mistake that people make when making their home kosher is to try and do everything all at once. Everyone learns about Kashrut slowly and develops their Kosher Kitchen over time. There will be all kinds of challenges and setbacks, learn from them and prepare to grow in your observance. Those who try too hard are often defeated by frustration.
Rule 2. Every mistake has a way of being fixed without having to start over again. Mistakes are part of being human. Kashrut is set up for human kitchens. You will not be the first Jew to mess up a Kosher kitchen, and you will not be the last. We have Rabbis to answer our questions when we err.
The first stage in setting up a Kosher kitchen is to start small. Try buying only kosher meat at first. Get used to shopping at a Kosher meat market. Next, take a look at your pantry. The probability is good that much of what you already own is Kosher. Look for Kosher symbols on the labels of all your food. Decide which stuff you will need to replace and as you use up the old stuff, try and replace it with Kosher alternatives. Find brands and foods you like. Once you are going on the food coming into the house, it is time to tackle meat and milk. Without changing dishes, begin preparing meals with milk and meat separated. Take a look at recipes and try making substitutions. Experiment with your favorite recipes to find the mixture that tastes the best. Decide how long your family will wait between meat and milk meals (the usual time is three hours - but see last week’s lesson) and begin to enforce it on yourself before subjecting your family to the wait. This process could take from a couple of months to almost a whole year. There is no rush. We know what our goal is, and we want to make sure that everyone in the family is on board and ready to assist in keeping the kitchen Kosher.
Since the rules for switching a kitchen to Kashrut are very similar to kashering a kitchen for Pesach, It may be worth your while to plan to do both at the same time. Kasher for Pesach, and then after the holiday, you can just add the Hametz. If you are buying new dishes, you can use the new ones first for Pesach and then just use them for the rest of the year. Pesach dishes can be switched to year ‘round use without any additional work. To switch them back is more difficult, and may be impossible so the NEXT time Pesach rolls around you may have to purchase new Passover Dishes and save them after the holiday for the next year.
When everyone in the family is ready to make the change, it is time to switch the kitchen. First, before you buy any new dishes, consult your Rabbi. He or she may actually come to your home and take a look at what you are using and determine if it needs to be given away or if it can be rekashered. Many items can be kashered and doing so may save lots of money on the transition. After the Rabbi has given his opinion. You might want to go and visit some families that already have a Kosher kitchen and see what they use in their kitchen. It is a good idea to have a friend who has a Kosher Kitchen already so you will have a friend to offer advice, support and to give you tips and tricks to keeping kosher. Now you are ready to go out and buy the dishes you will need.
Pick a day, invite the Rabbi to come and help, and figure that it will take most of the day to get the kitchen kashered. You will need a big pot of boiling water, some tongs to dip stuff in the water, soapy water and a sponge or damp cloth and a lot of patience. Empty the cabinets. Start dunking and drying the dishes that can be kashered. Empty to refrigerator of food (it should all be kosher food in their by now) make sure the dishes the food is in are kashered or switched to new dishes. Wash out the refrigerator and return the food to the shelves. Wash out all the cabinets and drawers, reline them and put the new dishes and the Kashered ones inside. Make sure that the meat dishes are fully separate from the dairy ones so there will be less confusion. Mark the drawers and cabinets for those who may not know you have a Kosher Kitchen. Donate dishes that can not be kashered to a family in need (a homeless shelter or an immigrant aide society)
The last stage is to determine what to do about eating out. Non-Kosher food can no longer be brought home from a restaurant. It is always a good idea to support Kosher restaurants in the area. Finally always remember the last rule of Kashrut
Rule 3 - No matter how Kosher your kitchen may be, there will always be someone who is "more Kosher" than you are and will not eat in your kitchen. Ignore such people. Find a level of Kashrut that you are comfortable with and if that is not enough for someone else, then they should not eat in your kitchen. You can not please everyone. Stick to a standard that meets your needs best ( so your good friends will eat with you for example) and don’t worry about everyone else.

Next week: Kashrut VI: Controversies in Kashrut - When The Rules Are Not Clear

HMS; 5764-25 Kashrut IV: The Strange Story of Separating Milk from Meat

Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg

April 26, 2004 - Number 5764-25

Kashrut IV: The Strange Story of Separating Milk from Meat

There is no direct law in the Torah about the separation between milk and meat. There is no direct commandment that relates to this aspect of Kashrut. The full separation between milk products and meat that we observe today began at a time that is lost to the mists of history. Professor David Kraemer of the Jewish Theological Seminary once taught that the separation appears to have begun around the first Century, where Philo is the first to mention it. In his opinion, it was a "higher" form or Kashrut, and it was considered "barbaric" to eat milk and meat together. Wherever it comes from, it is now a vital part of the laws of Kashrut.
Most authorities base the prohibition on the commandment that is in the Torah that forbids boiling a kid in its mother’s milk. The reason behind this law is unknown. Miamonidies claims that it was a pagan practice that was cruel and thus forbidden to Jews. There is no evidence, however, that there was any such pagan ritual. The cruelty of the act is apparent. That which should give life, should not be the instrument of death. From here, there evolved the total separation that we know today.
Milk and meat, and products that contain milk or meat, can not be combined in any way. Foods that contain one may not be served with foods that contain the other. There must be a waiting period between meals where one or the other is served. After a milk meal, one should wait 15 minutes. After a meat meal some wait as little as an hour, others wait up to six hours. In the United States, a three hour wait after a meat meal is most common.
Some factors of the separation depend upon what the utensil in question is made of. In general, materiels that absorb food, like wood or clay (including stoneware and china) can only be used for either milk or meat, while materials that do not absorb, like metal or glass, can be used for both (but only for one at a time, either milk or meat) It is preferable that there be two sets of dishes, pots, cooking utensils and silverware, one for meat and one for milk, to prevent mistakes. Vegetarians obviously need only one set of dishes. Pots and glass bake ware (including pyrex) in which food is cooked or baked, even though they are not absorbent, should not be used for both milk and meat, but should be used only for one or the other.
Items that can be throughly cleaned, can be re-Kashered when mistakes are made. There is NO truth in the myth that one needs to bury things in the yard to make them Kosher again. Usually you re-Kasher something by going beyond the hottest setting that is commonly used. For example, silverware and other metal objects can be kashered by placing them in boiling water. Large pots can be kashered by filling them with water and allowing them to boil over. Glassware can be put in boiling water (if it can take the heat) or by being placed in cold water for a three day period, with the water changed every 24 hours. Cooking pots can be re-kashered by heating to red hot by blow-torch. Metal or glass bakeware, which has food literally cooked into the surface can not be re-kashered. Usually the item in question is not used for 24 hours before being re-kashered.
One must examine foods carefully to determine if they are milk or meat. Not every ingredient is listed on a package so one has to be careful. In addition to milk, there are other dairy products that are listed by their chemical name. Lactose and Sodium Casinate are both dairy (even though some so called "non-dairy" products contain them) When in doubt, a Rabbi should be consulted. Most national kosher supervision agencies will list if a product should be considered meat or dairy.
Meat and dairy items can be stored together in the same refrigerator if they are properly closed or sealed. One should not cook them together in the same oven at the same time, even if fully wrapped. Two people can eat two different meals at the same table as long as there is a sufficient space or barrier to prevent the two meals from being mixed.
Out of a fear of confusion, the Talmud classifies chicken as "meat" and extends this designation to all poultry. Even though you can not boil a chicken in its mother’s milk, it is still considered meat. Fishis always considered neither milk or meat and can be eaten with both (but not at the same time.) There is an old custom that meat and fish should not be eaten from the same plate. According to the sources, this was a safety measure lest one confuse the two and choke on a fish bone. The Conservative Movement has ruled that this is no longer a safety issue today and has ruled that one can, if one desires, to eat fish and meat off the same plate.

Mailbox:
Sidney Konigsburg [who once worked for a Kosher butcher] writes: "Reb Rabinovitz had a knife that was so sharp, and so long that it could really split hairs !!...there was a name for it but I've forgotten."
I reply: The knife is called a "Halif" it must be razor sharp and perfectly smooth, with no nicks or dents (since this might tear the flesh and cause unnecessary pain to the animal) The knife must be examined before and after the slaughter to insure that it is without blemish.

Sidney Konigsburg again: "you didn't mention that after 3 days the meat , if not sold ,had to be washed. And as I remember it could only be washed twice.....and someplace along the line I heard that many of the laws of Kashrus were predicated on the fact that there was no refrigeration..Thus they became laws of health because meat eaters were really dealing with dead, decomposing flesh.....Cause & Remedies??
I reply: The washing of the meat insured that whatever blood that was still inside the meat not coagulate and thus we would not be able to remove the last of the blood through soaking and salting. Once the meat was "kashered" that is soaked and salted, it no longer needed to be washed every few days. 50 years ago each Jewish homemaker soaked and salted the meat for themselves, now most butchers do it before the meat is ever sold. The laws of Kashrut are NOT health laws, they are designed to make sure that we do not consume blood (which is forbidden by the Torah) and to prevent pain to the animal and to offer us a way to serve our Creator. Kashrut will not preserve or protect meat from spoiling or other parasites, which is why the meat is inspected after it is killed. Remember, before refrigeration, the only way to keep meat fresh was to keep it alive until it was needed.

Next week: Kashrut V: Setting up a Kosher Kitchen

HMS; 5764-24 Kashrut III: From Slaughter to Table

Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg

March 29, 2004- Number 5764-24

Kashrut III: From Slaughter to Table

The Torah notes at the very beginning of the book of Geneses, that human beings were supposed to be vegetarians. G-d tells the first human’s created that they should only eat plants. It is only after the story of Noah and the flood that there is clearly a concession made for humans in order to eat meat. Rabbi Mark Gellman, who writes stories about stories in the Bible, in one of his stories, notes that humans could talk to the animals in the Garden of Eden, but since Noah ate the first hamburger, the animals were so angry that they are still not talking to humans.
Humans, not just Jews get the first rules for eating meat. It is a rule about animal cruelty that forbids all human beings from taking and eating a limb from a living animal. Judaism would take this law of cruelty and take it much further.
The rules for the slaughter of meat come from the laws of sacrifice. Each time we eat meat, even if we are not giving the meat to the alter, we are still taking a life and we must remain cognizant of that fact. Just as animals killed for the alter had to be killed and prepared in a special way, so too does all meat, even for ordinary purposes, have to be prepared properly. Only animals that the Torah says we can eat can be killed for food. For fish and birds, the method of slaughter is pretty easy. One simply decapitates a bird or removes the fish from water. For larger mammals, the process is more complicated. The jugular vein must be cut quickly, with a knife that is perfectly smooth with a proper "double cut" that requires the cut to run both ways. This drains the blood quickly, causing almost instant death and a minimal amount of pain to the animal. This method also removes most of the blood from the animal quickly. Since blood is forbidden to Jews, This kind of a slaughter makes sure that the most amount of blood is no longer in the animal.
This is such an important procedure that it is not left for amateurs. Only a trained Shochet, a person who is certified in ritual slaughter can perform "Shchitah". Such a person should be trained in Talmudic law and should be pious in his other dealings. Nevertheless, such a person in the Jewish community of Easter Europe in the 19th century, was always looked upon with suspicion since no Jew wanted to make a living by the slaughter of animals. Remember, before refrigeration, the best way to keep meat fresh was to keep it alive until you were ready to eat it. In many other communities, the male or female head of household had to be the one to kill the family animals to eat. Still Jewish households never killed their own animals. Only the Shochet was permitted to slaughter animals.
Once the animal was killed, the carcass had to be inspected. Certain organs and the lungs were examined to check for diseased animals. Certain defects were permitted as "natural" others would make the mean unacceptable even though the slaughter was done properly. An animal that dies on its own or would soon die on its own was considered treyf, and unusable in the Jewish community. While certain imperfections of the lung are permitted, if the lung was smooth, it became "Glatt" (Yiddish for smooth) a higher standard of Kashrut that normally allowed an imperfect lung.
Another Geneses story tells us that after Jacob wrestled with an angel, he walked with a limp, and from that time on, Jews do not eat the sciatic nerve in any animal. It is a special skill to remove this nerve and it is not always possible to do it. Thus it is rare to find any kosher meat that comes from the hindquarter of an animal. As the animal is cut up into pieces, the parts are washed of any remaining blood and must eventually be soaked and salted to remove the last of the blood from the capillaries of the animal, this is what makes Kosher meat so salty. The meat may be soaked again to remove as much salt as possible. Liver and heart can not be salted to remove the blood, since there is some much more blood in these organs. Liver and heart must be broiled to remove all blood from the meat. Any meat that is not soaked and salted can be broiled instead, but broiling is a requirement for liver and heart. Now the meat is ready to be prepared for cooking and serving.
In recent years, in Europe, there has been much talk about stunning the animal before slaughter. This is said to be "more kind" to the animal. A few countries in Europe have passed laws requiring stunning the animal before killing it. This has stopped Kosher slaughter in those countries and threatens the entire system. Stunning the animal is not permitted by Kosher standards

Next week: Kashrut IV: The Strange Story of Separating Milk and Meat.

HMS; 5764-22 Kashrut I: Introduction to the Dietary Laws

Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg

March 22, 2004 - Number 5764-22

Kashrut I: Introduction to the Dietary Laws

In the middle of the 20th Century, Kashrut was said to no longer be necessary because of government inspection of foods that insured that what we ate was safe. At the beginning of the 21st Century, Kashrut is no longer necessary because we no longer consider food to be a part of our spiritual lives. In fact, in just about every century, there were reasons given that Kashrut, the laws that regulate what we eat and when we eat it, would no longer be necessary. Those reasons are now gone, and Kashrut is still here. What is it about the Torah’s laws relating to food, that causes so much fuss and yet remain so enduring.
Let there be one thing clear from the start. The Torah does not give ANY reason for the Laws of Kashrut. They are straight commandments. Something G-d has told us to do and in our love for G-d we commit our stomachs to these regulations. In every generation, there have been sages who have tried to understand what these laws are all about. While this is a fascinating legal discussion, it does not change the fact that G-d does not give a reason, we are just given laws to obey as a sign of G-d’s love for humanity and our love for G-d.
Why should there be dietary laws at all? Food, and the drive that lies behind it, Hunger, are one of the most important things that drive human beings. Our ancestors in prehistoric times, wandered from one end of this planet to another following the places and animals that were their source of food. Wars have been fought in times of famine. And feeding the hungry is one of the most important acts of loving-kindness that we can perform. All religions must deal with our hunger. To the pagans, hunger was to be celebrated with food orgies. In early Christianity, gluttony was identified as one of the seven deadly sins. One rejoiced over eating and the other found G-d in fasting. Judaism took a different path. In our faith, hunger is not good or bad, it is just a drive, an instinct that governs our actions and thinking. Judaism was concerned that it would drive our actions, therefore, what became important was to control the drive so that we would drive it and it would not drive us. Thus we are permitted to eat, but some foods we can eat and some we cannot. This is how we control hunger.
Over the years there have been many things that have been noted about families that observe the laws of Kashrut. A hundred years ago, some philosophers noted with amazement that a Jewish woman, unlike her non-Jewish counterpart, had never killed a chicken herself. There is something about removing the slaughter of animals from our everyday actions, and establishing a single person in the community, a person not only of ability, but of piety, to do all the killing on our behalf. Thus by training this person, (a shochet) was an expert in kosher slaughter as well as an expert in the examination of the animal for disqualifying flaws in the organs. He was also able to keep the blood and death in a religious perspective. Understanding the ritual requirements for meat and for living a Jewish life.
Besides keeping bloodshed from the hands of ordinary Jews, Kashrut also de facto, kept Jews out of food events that involved other communities. While there are few laws that regulate our contact with non-Jews, the dietary laws severely limited the kinds of contact that were possible. Buy not being able to share meals with others, it established the boundaries of our community and kept our people from excessive contact with competing faiths. Little wonder that when Jews were angry enough to abandon their Judaism, the first thing they left behind were the laws of Kashrut.
Finally, Judaism required a blessing over most foods that we eat. In order to bless our food, it also has to be worthy of a blessing. Certain foods do not seem to fit the context of holiness implied by the blessings. Thus food that comes from animals that prey on others animals as well as animals that frequent places not associated with holiness (ruins, cemeteries, privy) would not qualify as worthy of a blessing. Thus we become aware that what we eat can have an influence on our character and our actions. By removing these foods from our plates, we not only make our meals worthy of a blessing, but we make our lives worthy of blessing as well.

Next week: Kashrut II: Kosher and Non-Kosher Animals

HMS; 5764-21 Prayer IX: The concluding Psalms of P’suke D’zimra

Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg

March 14, 2004 - Number 5764-21

Prayer IX: The concluding Psalms of P’suke D’zimra

The Ashrei that we discussed last week, is the beginning of a series of Psalms that represent the final 5 Psalms in the entire collection. Here in our siddur, they represent the final Psalms in our "Verses of Song, the P’suke D’zimra" Each one begins and ends with the exclamation "Hallelujah". If the purpose of these verses is to get us in the mood to pray, than this collection is important in that it teaches us one of the reasons we thank G-d every morning. The theme of this collection is the glory of G-d in creation. We see the hand of G-d in nature, in the dawn, the rain and snow, and in the mountains and grasses that fill our world. Each Psalm extolls the wonders that make up the world in which we live until we get to the last Psalm, Psalm 150, the last Psalm in the collection and the last one in the entire book of Psalms.
Psalm 150 is not so much about nature, but about how we praise G-d through the use of musical instruments. Trumpets, harps, lyres, drums, flute, strings, two kinds of cymbals and with dance, we are told that each instrument and movement is a way to praise G-d. But there is something much bigger going on in this Psalm, and like in Ashrei, we need to look to modern music to fully understand what the Psalm is trying to teach.
If Ashrei is the title song of the book of Psalms, the "Tehilah" of "Tehillim", Psalm 150 has a different meaning. When we go to a concert, we hear all the music that the musicians have made famous, the lyrics and the sound that we have come to hear. At a live concert, however, there is one final thing that must be done before the final curtain falls. The lead singer will, during one of the last musical numbers, turn and introduce the members of the band. "Come on give it up for Casey on the drums, for Ginger on bass, Eddie on keyboard and Cheryl, Cindi and Angel on vocals". Finally, turning to the audience, as the music reaches its end, the singer finishes with "Thank you all, you have been a wonderful audience".
If we look at Psalm 150 we find much the same speech. "Lets hear it for the Trumpets! Let’s hear it for the harps and lyres! How about a hallelujah for the drums and the dancers!" All the instruments are named until the final verse, "Let everyone who has breath be praised" where the audience is finally thanked for being so supportive. In short, Psalm 150 is where the leader is thanking the band. Why not? It is the end of the book and thus the end of the "concert".
One final note about this final Psalm. Notice that all the lines are pretty equal in length (in the Hebrew) until we get to the next to last line. The "thank you" to the cymbal players is far and away the longest line in the entire Psalm. If you can read the Hebrew text of this line you will notice that it is not only a mouthful of words, it takes a whole breath to say it aloud. This long verse sets up an "audio" cue. Since the last line says, "let all who breath, praise the Lord", the Psalm forces us to take a breath before we recite that line. Including us in the audience that is being thanked!
The book of Psalms is divided into five "books" just as the Torah is divided into five books. At the end of each "book" in Psalms, the final verse is doubled. Since this is the last Psalm in the entire collection, the last verse here is doubled as well.

Discussion:
Last week I noted that Eleazar Slomovic, a teacher at the University of Judaism, had shown that the titles to the Psalms were really a midrashic addition to the poetry. They were not part of the original poem, this prompted a reply from Hazzan Michael Krausman who writes:
Just as a point of information, ethnomusichologists have speculated that one purpose for the titles of the psalms is to suggest the melody to be employed when chanting the psalm. This usage is similar to song sheets, such as that we used for Purim, which list lyrics and instructions such as :"to be sung to the tune of Polywaly Doodle". Since the destruction of the temple also brought abut the loss of its great musical tradition, a hint to the nature of ancient Temple music can be gleaned from the Psalms. Of course, the best example of this is the description of the Temple orchestra as depicted in psalm 150
I respond:
Thank you for this additional insight.

Next week: Kashrut I: Introduction to the Dietary Laws