Talmidav Shel Aharon
23-5768: Mitzvah N-21-22
April 14, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 21 – This is a negative commandment: Do not follow the customs of the heathen.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “And in their statutes you shall not walk” (Lev. 18:3). One is not to emulate them in any way of dress that is distinctive for them, nor let the locks of the hair grow. Neither is one to shave the hair at the sides, leaving the hair in the middle of the head, which is called a crest. Neither is one to shave the hair in apposition to the face, from ear to ear, leaving a long growth behind him. Whoever does any one of these, or anything similar, is to receive whiplashes. If someone is close to the ruling circles of government and he needs to dress in their kind of clothes and emulate them, he is permitted. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Negative Mitzvah 22 – This is a negative commandment: Pay no heed a person prophesying in the name of an idol.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “You shall not listen to the words of that prophet.” (Deut. 13:4). One should not get into any long discussion with him or ask for a sign or a wonder. If he performed a sign or a wonder, no attention is to be paid him. Whoever thinks of a sign of his that perhaps it is true, violates this prohibition. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
In Mitzvah 21, the Hafetz Hayim is concerned that by mimicking the practices of pagans, we will come to follow their lure. Judaism was a minority religion and if we do not maintain or special practices, than it is so easy to slip away into the majority religion. Even last weeks lesson, which spoke of intermarriage, it was always assumed in pre-modern times, that the majority religion would eventually pull the Jew away from the Jewish faith. Many Jewish rituals are designed to keep Jews separate and apart from the rest of the world and to uphold the unique elements of our faith.
The thrust of this mitzvah is not to go around looking like a pagan. It is not about refraining from a “Mohawk haircut” but trying to look like something that you are not. We have evidence, in Greco-Roman times of Jews, wanting to participate in gymnastic games that were always performed nude. Such Jews were embarrassed by their circumcision and actually had “surgery” (a very crude plastic surgery) to make it look like they were not circumcised. That is how far they were prepared to go to look like everyone else. Many cults insist on certain types of clothing and haircuts to this day to help identify followers. Jewish history is filled with people who dressed like pagans because they had jobs that put them in contact with pagans everyday and they needed to look like those they served (the Talmud often mentions Barbers as wearing their hair in pagan styles). It was not forbidden, but the Sages always tried to get Jews to look like Jews.
This is not about fashion necessarily. Much of what is fashionable today may be a violation of modesty rules in Judaism, but would not constitute looking like a pagan. But note that many signs of royalty and government also use religious symbols and if that is part of the “job” of working for government, this could be of help to the Jewish people in a time of trouble (think Queen Esther) and it is permitted to dress like a pagan.
In Mitzvah 22, the issue that it raises for us today relates directly to cults. Signs and wonders are very interesting things to see. There is no prohibition of attending a magic show or a “wonders of Science” show. The trouble begins in the interpretation of the “wonder”. If the result is given a “religious” interpretation, it is a sign that Jews need to get away quick. Cults depend on such interpretations to gather in members, using these wonders to convince others of the importance of the cult and its leader. For a long time Jews seemed to be the primary targets of such cults, unable to see that the connection between wonder and explanation was at fault. It does no good at all to enter into the discussions over the merit of the wonder or not. And here it does not matter if we are talking about cults, missionaries, or anyone else trying to convince a Jew that this religion is better because of this wonder or sign. We are not to argue with them, or show them the error of their ways, we are to pay no attention and walk away. We are not even allowed to consider if the wonder may be true or not.
So does this leave us in the dark about modern discoveries in science and the natural world? Again, the issue is not the wonder, but the explanation of the wonder. As long as it does not demand that we give up our faith, we can study and learn. As soon as it is used to “prove” that they are right and we are wrong, it is prohibited.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
22-5768: Mitzvah N-19-20
Talmidav Shel Aharon
22-5768: Mitzvah N-19-20
April 7, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 19 – This is a negative commandment: Do not intermarry with a non-Jewish person.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “Neither shall you make marriages with them.” (Deut. 7:3). It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Negative Mitzvah 20 – This is a negative commandment: Have no mercy on idol-worshippers.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “nor shall you show mercy to them.” (Deut. 7:2). If someone sees an idol-worshipper drowning, he is not to save him. In his illness, he is not to cure him. If he is afraid of him or there is the consideration of consequent enmity, let him cure him for a fee, but not for free. It is, however, forbidden to end the man’s life with one’s own hands or toe push him into a pit and so on, if the other makes no hostile attack against him. One is not to give him any free gift, nor is one to speak his praise, and all the more certainly not in praise of his actions. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
The Hafetz Hayyim lets Mitzvah 19 go without comment because, for him, it is evident and plain to see that intermarriage leads to idolatry. It happened in the Torah, in Parshat Balak, and it happens in the rest of the Bible over and over again. A non-Jewish spouse leads one away from the faith of one’s ancestors. This is one of the main reasons that paganism was to be kept far away from Israel and from Jews. One can even claim that the laws of Shabbat and Kashrut were designed to keep Jews and non-Jews from mixing in social situations, whether they are of a religious nature or not. Judaism does not recognize marriages between Jews and non-Jews. This is why there is no reason to have a Rabbi perform an intermarriage. The entire wedding ceremony presumes a marriage between Jews. The wedding would have no meaning if one of the parties does not claim to be a part of the Jewish people.
For the Hafetz Hayim, a Jew who married a non-Jew was lost to the Jewish people. Whatever Jewish customs they might maintain would almost certainly be lost in the next generation.
Today, there are families that intermarry and choose to maintain ties to Judaism. It is often a very difficult road and statistically, the next generation has a much less connection to Judaism. This, of course, does not apply if one person converts to Judaism. In this case, it is a marriage between two Jews and does not fall under the prohibition above. We live in a world where people do what they feel they need to do but living in a home where there are two religions is hard for the couple and hard on their children. We find that homes should have one faith to raise the children and the time to address this is before the marriage. As I said, it is not impossible for intermarriage to work, it is just very hard and one faith or the other will fade into the background, as the other becomes a larger part of family life. The vast majority of the literature on dual faith families is that children raised with two faiths, will, in the end, practice none.
Mitzvah 20 is complex for the Hafetz Hayim but far less for us. Jewish History is filled with Jews who worked on behalf of ancient and modern empires and faiths and did not follow the strict, almost bigoted, rules above. The Talmud states that one is to treat every non-Jew as one would treat a Jew if, for no other reason than “for the sake of peace” a topic the Hafetz Hayim touches on briefly in the explanation of the Mitzvah. If they are drowning, let me make this clear, we rescue them (as long as we do not endanger our own lives in the process; we are not allowed to save any other person, Jew or non-Jew if we endanger our own life). We treat the non-Jew and the Jew the same way when it comes to medicine and healing (The State of Israel heals Palestinian sick every day, ignoring borders and family connections). We treat the property of the non-Jew as if it was our own property and we return lost animals to non-Jews as we would return the lost animal of a Jew.
Also, it is forbidden to kill any human being for any reason or to endanger their lives in any way. All human beings are created in G-d’s image and all life must be treated as holy. We cannot be best friends with an idolater nor can we join them socially, but we do have to act to them as human beings who deserve basic human rights and privileges. This is not Conservative Judaism but all found in basic Jewish texts. There has always bee this trend in Judaism to favor Jews and reject all contact with non-Jews. It is always a minority opinion and the majority of Jewish sources insist that we treat all people fairly and with justice. Also, I remind everyone again, that Christianity and Islam are not considered pagan in Jewish legal circles.
In our interfaith world, we can learn about the faiths of others as long as they do not try to convert us to their faith by enticement or by force. Short of proselytizing, a non-Jew must be treated as we would a Jew in every other basic civic situation.
22-5768: Mitzvah N-19-20
April 7, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 19 – This is a negative commandment: Do not intermarry with a non-Jewish person.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “Neither shall you make marriages with them.” (Deut. 7:3). It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Negative Mitzvah 20 – This is a negative commandment: Have no mercy on idol-worshippers.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “nor shall you show mercy to them.” (Deut. 7:2). If someone sees an idol-worshipper drowning, he is not to save him. In his illness, he is not to cure him. If he is afraid of him or there is the consideration of consequent enmity, let him cure him for a fee, but not for free. It is, however, forbidden to end the man’s life with one’s own hands or toe push him into a pit and so on, if the other makes no hostile attack against him. One is not to give him any free gift, nor is one to speak his praise, and all the more certainly not in praise of his actions. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
The Hafetz Hayyim lets Mitzvah 19 go without comment because, for him, it is evident and plain to see that intermarriage leads to idolatry. It happened in the Torah, in Parshat Balak, and it happens in the rest of the Bible over and over again. A non-Jewish spouse leads one away from the faith of one’s ancestors. This is one of the main reasons that paganism was to be kept far away from Israel and from Jews. One can even claim that the laws of Shabbat and Kashrut were designed to keep Jews and non-Jews from mixing in social situations, whether they are of a religious nature or not. Judaism does not recognize marriages between Jews and non-Jews. This is why there is no reason to have a Rabbi perform an intermarriage. The entire wedding ceremony presumes a marriage between Jews. The wedding would have no meaning if one of the parties does not claim to be a part of the Jewish people.
For the Hafetz Hayim, a Jew who married a non-Jew was lost to the Jewish people. Whatever Jewish customs they might maintain would almost certainly be lost in the next generation.
Today, there are families that intermarry and choose to maintain ties to Judaism. It is often a very difficult road and statistically, the next generation has a much less connection to Judaism. This, of course, does not apply if one person converts to Judaism. In this case, it is a marriage between two Jews and does not fall under the prohibition above. We live in a world where people do what they feel they need to do but living in a home where there are two religions is hard for the couple and hard on their children. We find that homes should have one faith to raise the children and the time to address this is before the marriage. As I said, it is not impossible for intermarriage to work, it is just very hard and one faith or the other will fade into the background, as the other becomes a larger part of family life. The vast majority of the literature on dual faith families is that children raised with two faiths, will, in the end, practice none.
Mitzvah 20 is complex for the Hafetz Hayim but far less for us. Jewish History is filled with Jews who worked on behalf of ancient and modern empires and faiths and did not follow the strict, almost bigoted, rules above. The Talmud states that one is to treat every non-Jew as one would treat a Jew if, for no other reason than “for the sake of peace” a topic the Hafetz Hayim touches on briefly in the explanation of the Mitzvah. If they are drowning, let me make this clear, we rescue them (as long as we do not endanger our own lives in the process; we are not allowed to save any other person, Jew or non-Jew if we endanger our own life). We treat the non-Jew and the Jew the same way when it comes to medicine and healing (The State of Israel heals Palestinian sick every day, ignoring borders and family connections). We treat the property of the non-Jew as if it was our own property and we return lost animals to non-Jews as we would return the lost animal of a Jew.
Also, it is forbidden to kill any human being for any reason or to endanger their lives in any way. All human beings are created in G-d’s image and all life must be treated as holy. We cannot be best friends with an idolater nor can we join them socially, but we do have to act to them as human beings who deserve basic human rights and privileges. This is not Conservative Judaism but all found in basic Jewish texts. There has always bee this trend in Judaism to favor Jews and reject all contact with non-Jews. It is always a minority opinion and the majority of Jewish sources insist that we treat all people fairly and with justice. Also, I remind everyone again, that Christianity and Islam are not considered pagan in Jewish legal circles.
In our interfaith world, we can learn about the faiths of others as long as they do not try to convert us to their faith by enticement or by force. Short of proselytizing, a non-Jew must be treated as we would a Jew in every other basic civic situation.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
21-5768: Mitzvah N-17-18
Talmidav Shel Aharon
21-5768: Mitzvah N-17-18
March 31, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 17 – This is a negative commandment: Take no benefit from any decoration of an idol or from its ornaments.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself.” (Deut. 7:25). It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Negative Mitzvah 18 – This is a negative commandment: Take no benefit from an idol, form its offerings or its attendants, or anything done on its behalf.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not bring an abomination into your house.” (Deut. 7:26). And it further says, “and nothing of the banned, proscribed matter shall cling to your hand” (Deut. 13:19) If a person derives any benefit from any of these, he violates these two prohibitions. Any object of idol-worship that was not made by human hands, such as a hill or a tree that was planted originally for bearing fruit and not for idolatry, or a domestic animal to which no act was done for the purpose of idolatry – it is permissible to have benefit from all of them; but from what is upon them, it is forbidden to benefit. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Just in case you were wondering if there was ANYTHING at all that could be recycled from use for idolatry, you are WRONG! The object of idol worship, the things that hold it up, that are used with it, that are placed upon it, that decorate it, that are connected to the religion in any way, that was offered to it, that did the offering to it or was used to prepare any of the offerings to it, it is all forbidden to have, hold, possess or even derive any benefit from (including money from the sale of these objects). Nothing at all that is connected to idol worship can be connected to anyone who is Jewish.
I remind everyone here that Judaism had a running battle with idolatry for thousands of years. The Sages knew full well that it only took one small token of idolatry to bring back the superstition and immorality that was paganism. Think about it. We keep souvenirs of a trip to remind us of where we have been. We don’t believe in the power of paganism so we bring back from a visit a replica of the god’s favorite bird. We were told that it was a symbol of good luck. We put it in a prime location so that the “luck” will fill our home. Maybe a storm comes and we admit that we were lucky our home was spared damage. A friend comes over and sees the bird and says that when he visited the same place they told him to really be lucky, you have to put the bird to the right of the door. So you move it, after all, what could it hurt? And then the cat knocks it off the shelf and you get mad at the cat. And then something goes wrong and (you never know!) you adjust it on the shelf for better luck and, well you get the picture. All of this from people who don’t believe in superstition.
The exception to this refusal to have anything to do with idolatry is related to those things that are not fashioned by human hands. Just because some pagans worship a hill, does not mean you can’t go climbing on it if you need to or if you want to. If pagans worship a tree, that does not mean you can’t collect its branches and start a fire with them. G-d made these things for everyone to use. If a rock is worshipped and you sit under its shade, that is not a sin, but if pagans carve or paint a face or markings into the stone, you can have nothing to do with it any more, and you can’t use any of the decorations they attach to that rock.
From all of this we understand without any question whatsoever, Jews should have nothing at all to do with idolatry or with idolaters.
21-5768: Mitzvah N-17-18
March 31, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 17 – This is a negative commandment: Take no benefit from any decoration of an idol or from its ornaments.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself.” (Deut. 7:25). It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Negative Mitzvah 18 – This is a negative commandment: Take no benefit from an idol, form its offerings or its attendants, or anything done on its behalf.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not bring an abomination into your house.” (Deut. 7:26). And it further says, “and nothing of the banned, proscribed matter shall cling to your hand” (Deut. 13:19) If a person derives any benefit from any of these, he violates these two prohibitions. Any object of idol-worship that was not made by human hands, such as a hill or a tree that was planted originally for bearing fruit and not for idolatry, or a domestic animal to which no act was done for the purpose of idolatry – it is permissible to have benefit from all of them; but from what is upon them, it is forbidden to benefit. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Just in case you were wondering if there was ANYTHING at all that could be recycled from use for idolatry, you are WRONG! The object of idol worship, the things that hold it up, that are used with it, that are placed upon it, that decorate it, that are connected to the religion in any way, that was offered to it, that did the offering to it or was used to prepare any of the offerings to it, it is all forbidden to have, hold, possess or even derive any benefit from (including money from the sale of these objects). Nothing at all that is connected to idol worship can be connected to anyone who is Jewish.
I remind everyone here that Judaism had a running battle with idolatry for thousands of years. The Sages knew full well that it only took one small token of idolatry to bring back the superstition and immorality that was paganism. Think about it. We keep souvenirs of a trip to remind us of where we have been. We don’t believe in the power of paganism so we bring back from a visit a replica of the god’s favorite bird. We were told that it was a symbol of good luck. We put it in a prime location so that the “luck” will fill our home. Maybe a storm comes and we admit that we were lucky our home was spared damage. A friend comes over and sees the bird and says that when he visited the same place they told him to really be lucky, you have to put the bird to the right of the door. So you move it, after all, what could it hurt? And then the cat knocks it off the shelf and you get mad at the cat. And then something goes wrong and (you never know!) you adjust it on the shelf for better luck and, well you get the picture. All of this from people who don’t believe in superstition.
The exception to this refusal to have anything to do with idolatry is related to those things that are not fashioned by human hands. Just because some pagans worship a hill, does not mean you can’t go climbing on it if you need to or if you want to. If pagans worship a tree, that does not mean you can’t collect its branches and start a fire with them. G-d made these things for everyone to use. If a rock is worshipped and you sit under its shade, that is not a sin, but if pagans carve or paint a face or markings into the stone, you can have nothing to do with it any more, and you can’t use any of the decorations they attach to that rock.
From all of this we understand without any question whatsoever, Jews should have nothing at all to do with idolatry or with idolaters.
Monday, March 24, 2008
20-5768: Mitzvah N-15
Talmidav Shel Aharon
20-5768: Mitzvah N-15
March 24, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 15 – This is a negative commandment: Do not turn your attention to idolatry.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “Do not turn to idols” (Lev. 19:4) It is forbidden to turn one’s attention to them in speech or thought, or even by observing. And it is forbidden to read the books of idol worshippers or to ask them how they worship: for as a result of that, one will give it his attention and reflect on it. Whoever turns toward it, in a way that involves some action, should receive whiplashes. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Once again, we see the great fear that the Sages had when it came to idolatry. The Sages of the Talmud lived in a world where paganism was endemic. Everyone was a pagan and they were all very interested in gaining new converts. It was a very seductive religion. If you were a farmer raising crops or cattle and the local religion said that if you make certain offerings you will be more successful. What could it hurt if you made a pagan offering in addition to your offerings to G-d? And if you have a good year, why not make the offering a regular part of your year? And if you skip a year of offering to G-d and you are still successful why, you might ask, do I need to keep up the offerings to G-d? A soldier in battle might think that if the pagan army is successful than their god must be more powerful than mine. A sailor in a storm could pray to every G-d and the one whom they pray to last, who gets to credit for ending the storm, will be the new god of the sailors. It sounds so ancient but do we do things really different. We have our lucky jersey that we wear to football games. We have a lucky suit we wear to important business meetings. It is really the same superstitions that we are trying to “de-paganize”.
Judaism is deeply opposed to both paganism and superstition. We see our world as ordered and operation according to the laws of the Torah. Examining paganism and learning about it would lead to worship and away from Judaism. This is the crux of the prohibition. This leaves us with a question relating to interfaith activities. I have said many times that Christianity and Islam are not considered to be pagan religions since they both worship one god. But where does that leave us when it comes to Hinduism, Shinto, Some forms of Buddhism or some American Indian religions? How can we build bridges of understanding if we do not get to know the faiths of others? A direct interpretation of this prohibition would certainly prohibit us from learning about the faiths of others. I do not look at this prohibition that literally. In certain interfaith situations, the issue is no longer conversion but understanding of others. No one is asking me to join them in a pagan ritual only to understand what that ritual means to them. Attending their rituals would still not be allowed, but learning about them would be permitted. I came across this many years ago when I was interested in meditation. At that time, to get a mantra, I needed to bring flowers and fruit and a white handkerchief. Since the teachers would not tell me what they planned to do with these items, I could only surmise that they were some kind of an offering and I declined to continue with that kind of meditation.
We see, from the many laws relating to paganism, that any type of contact is forbidden, even if we are not performing the ritual ourselves.
20-5768: Mitzvah N-15
March 24, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 15 – This is a negative commandment: Do not turn your attention to idolatry.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “Do not turn to idols” (Lev. 19:4) It is forbidden to turn one’s attention to them in speech or thought, or even by observing. And it is forbidden to read the books of idol worshippers or to ask them how they worship: for as a result of that, one will give it his attention and reflect on it. Whoever turns toward it, in a way that involves some action, should receive whiplashes. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Once again, we see the great fear that the Sages had when it came to idolatry. The Sages of the Talmud lived in a world where paganism was endemic. Everyone was a pagan and they were all very interested in gaining new converts. It was a very seductive religion. If you were a farmer raising crops or cattle and the local religion said that if you make certain offerings you will be more successful. What could it hurt if you made a pagan offering in addition to your offerings to G-d? And if you have a good year, why not make the offering a regular part of your year? And if you skip a year of offering to G-d and you are still successful why, you might ask, do I need to keep up the offerings to G-d? A soldier in battle might think that if the pagan army is successful than their god must be more powerful than mine. A sailor in a storm could pray to every G-d and the one whom they pray to last, who gets to credit for ending the storm, will be the new god of the sailors. It sounds so ancient but do we do things really different. We have our lucky jersey that we wear to football games. We have a lucky suit we wear to important business meetings. It is really the same superstitions that we are trying to “de-paganize”.
Judaism is deeply opposed to both paganism and superstition. We see our world as ordered and operation according to the laws of the Torah. Examining paganism and learning about it would lead to worship and away from Judaism. This is the crux of the prohibition. This leaves us with a question relating to interfaith activities. I have said many times that Christianity and Islam are not considered to be pagan religions since they both worship one god. But where does that leave us when it comes to Hinduism, Shinto, Some forms of Buddhism or some American Indian religions? How can we build bridges of understanding if we do not get to know the faiths of others? A direct interpretation of this prohibition would certainly prohibit us from learning about the faiths of others. I do not look at this prohibition that literally. In certain interfaith situations, the issue is no longer conversion but understanding of others. No one is asking me to join them in a pagan ritual only to understand what that ritual means to them. Attending their rituals would still not be allowed, but learning about them would be permitted. I came across this many years ago when I was interested in meditation. At that time, to get a mantra, I needed to bring flowers and fruit and a white handkerchief. Since the teachers would not tell me what they planned to do with these items, I could only surmise that they were some kind of an offering and I declined to continue with that kind of meditation.
We see, from the many laws relating to paganism, that any type of contact is forbidden, even if we are not performing the ritual ourselves.
Monday, March 17, 2008
19-5768: Mitzvah N-15
Talmidav Shel Aharon
19-5768: Mitzvah N-15
March 17, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 15 – This is a negative commandment: Eat or drink nothing from an offering to an idol.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land… and one will call you and you will eat of his sacrifice.” (Ex. 34:12, 15) Included in this is wine that was offered up as a libation to an idol. From an offering to an idol and wine of libation it is forbidden to have any benefit. If a person eats or drinks anything at all from an offering to an idol or from wine of libation, he should receive whiplashes. From a heathen’s general, unspecified wine it is forbidden to derive any benefit by the law of the Sages, and if one drinks a rivi’it, he should be flogged with whiplashes of disobedience. If a heathen deliberately touched the wine of a Jew, it is forbidden to have any benefit from it. And it is forbidden to eat at the feast of a heathen, which he makes as a banquet at the wedding of his son or daughter, in their company. Even if he eats his own food and a servant of his stands and attends upon him, it is forbidden. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Let us start with the entire quote from Exodus 34, which may help us understand why the Mitzvah is so strict. Verses 12-16 read, “Beware of making a covenant with the inhabitants of the lands against which you are advancing, lest they be a snare in your midst. No, you must tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred posts; for you must not worship any other god, because the Lord whose name is Impassioned, is an impassioned God. You must not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for they will lust after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and invite you, and you will eat of their sacrifices. And when you takes wives from among their daughters for your sons, their daughters will lust after their gods and will cause your sons to lust after their gods.”
From here we see clearly that the issue is assimilation. That we will see them worship their gods and we will join them and our children will be married and our sons will be led astray and we will eventually forget our God and become pagans. You may think this is far fetched but consider: In the pagan world, each location had a god that was responsible for making sure that the crops grew and the cattle were healthy. If you were plagued with lousy crops and sick cattle, you might begin to wonder if there might be something to the local religion that has affected your cattle and if you joined in a sacrifice and things got better, well, I guess they were right and we were wrong. Or perhaps it would be more likely we would say, I will join them, after all, it is better to be safe than sorry. After all, they could be right and we are wrong! If you don’t like the psychological approach than maybe history can inform us. In Parshat Balak (See Numbers chapter 25) we have just such a seduction by the followers of Baal-peor. We see it again in chapters 17-19 of Kings I and we know from the history of the third century of the common era that Jews were not allowed to have Christian servants because they might cause them to forsake their Christianity and become Jewish. We see that contact with another faith that is a majority faith, brings about assimilation. The threat was very real.
How did Judaism respond? By making sure that we had no contact with pagan religion. We did not attend their temples. We did not eat their sacrifices. We did not drink pagan wine and did not socialize with them. It was all too dangerous for our faith.
It is forbidden by the Sages to even sell to pagans three days before their festivals since it could be assumed that stuff bought three days or less before a festival was going to be served on that festival and we could derive no benefit from it, including the money we earned selling the food to them.
Wine was a particular problem. The manufacturing of wine was steeped in superstition and religion. In thanks to wine gods, libations would be poured out in front of idols as an offering to the gods. This wine would then be bottled and sold. If it was sold to a pagan, that pagan could also pour some of it aside for pagan gods. It was best to only use wine manufactured and handled only by Jews. If a pagan knew this and touched your wine, that made the entire container useless and hand to be destroyed. To this day there are caterers who are directed to not let non-Jewish waiters pour wine at a Jewish party lest they make the kosher wine unsuitable.
To solve this problem, many Kosher wine makers took to “cooking” their wine. “Cooked” wine was not fit for a libation and could be handled by non-Jews. Alas, it also killed the taste of the wine. Jews wanted good tasting wine and non-Jews made all the good tasting wine. Does that matter? Well, remember, many monasteries and churches were in the wine making business and that could very well be a problem for Jews and wine. (A “revi’it equals 68.88 cubic centimeters or 2.33 fluid oz.).
More modern authorities have removed the issue of pagan wine since we don’t consider idol worship to be going on anymore. This leaves only the precaution of not letting non-Jews handle wine. The Rabbinical Assembly Law and Standards Committee investigated the process in 1964 and discovered that most wine is manufactured in an automated process that lets nobody handle the wine until it is sealed in bottles. Therefore there is no reason to be concerned with it being handled by non-Jews. The only real consideration was to support Jewish winemakers and wines made in Israel. It was determined that only Kosher wines should be used when a blessing is called for but not when consumed outside of ritual occasions. The opinion was raised again in 1985 when some questions were raised about the filtering and “fining” of wine using non-Kosher or dairy agents. Once again while there may be reasons to permit non-certified kosher wine, for ritual purposes and to support Kosher winemakers, only certified kosher wines should be used in Jewish rituals. Because there are all kinds of issues with agents used in the wine making process, it is best to only use certified Kosher wines. However, if one finds him or herself in a situation where only non-certified wines are served, it is permitted to drink them and not embarrass the host.
Once again I remind readers that Christians and Moslems are not considered to be pagans and the rules that once kept Jews away from their food and parties have long ago been overturned. In cases of Eastern religions such as Hindu and Shinto, one should be very cautious of their food and festivals. I am not an expert in such religions and do not feel I can comment on them for this purpose. If it becomes an issue, your rabbi should be consulted.
Synagogues and other Jewish institutions may have other reasons to be stricter about wine being served so be sure to ask before bringing wine into such institutions.
19-5768: Mitzvah N-15
March 17, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 15 – This is a negative commandment: Eat or drink nothing from an offering to an idol.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land… and one will call you and you will eat of his sacrifice.” (Ex. 34:12, 15) Included in this is wine that was offered up as a libation to an idol. From an offering to an idol and wine of libation it is forbidden to have any benefit. If a person eats or drinks anything at all from an offering to an idol or from wine of libation, he should receive whiplashes. From a heathen’s general, unspecified wine it is forbidden to derive any benefit by the law of the Sages, and if one drinks a rivi’it, he should be flogged with whiplashes of disobedience. If a heathen deliberately touched the wine of a Jew, it is forbidden to have any benefit from it. And it is forbidden to eat at the feast of a heathen, which he makes as a banquet at the wedding of his son or daughter, in their company. Even if he eats his own food and a servant of his stands and attends upon him, it is forbidden. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Let us start with the entire quote from Exodus 34, which may help us understand why the Mitzvah is so strict. Verses 12-16 read, “Beware of making a covenant with the inhabitants of the lands against which you are advancing, lest they be a snare in your midst. No, you must tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred posts; for you must not worship any other god, because the Lord whose name is Impassioned, is an impassioned God. You must not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for they will lust after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and invite you, and you will eat of their sacrifices. And when you takes wives from among their daughters for your sons, their daughters will lust after their gods and will cause your sons to lust after their gods.”
From here we see clearly that the issue is assimilation. That we will see them worship their gods and we will join them and our children will be married and our sons will be led astray and we will eventually forget our God and become pagans. You may think this is far fetched but consider: In the pagan world, each location had a god that was responsible for making sure that the crops grew and the cattle were healthy. If you were plagued with lousy crops and sick cattle, you might begin to wonder if there might be something to the local religion that has affected your cattle and if you joined in a sacrifice and things got better, well, I guess they were right and we were wrong. Or perhaps it would be more likely we would say, I will join them, after all, it is better to be safe than sorry. After all, they could be right and we are wrong! If you don’t like the psychological approach than maybe history can inform us. In Parshat Balak (See Numbers chapter 25) we have just such a seduction by the followers of Baal-peor. We see it again in chapters 17-19 of Kings I and we know from the history of the third century of the common era that Jews were not allowed to have Christian servants because they might cause them to forsake their Christianity and become Jewish. We see that contact with another faith that is a majority faith, brings about assimilation. The threat was very real.
How did Judaism respond? By making sure that we had no contact with pagan religion. We did not attend their temples. We did not eat their sacrifices. We did not drink pagan wine and did not socialize with them. It was all too dangerous for our faith.
It is forbidden by the Sages to even sell to pagans three days before their festivals since it could be assumed that stuff bought three days or less before a festival was going to be served on that festival and we could derive no benefit from it, including the money we earned selling the food to them.
Wine was a particular problem. The manufacturing of wine was steeped in superstition and religion. In thanks to wine gods, libations would be poured out in front of idols as an offering to the gods. This wine would then be bottled and sold. If it was sold to a pagan, that pagan could also pour some of it aside for pagan gods. It was best to only use wine manufactured and handled only by Jews. If a pagan knew this and touched your wine, that made the entire container useless and hand to be destroyed. To this day there are caterers who are directed to not let non-Jewish waiters pour wine at a Jewish party lest they make the kosher wine unsuitable.
To solve this problem, many Kosher wine makers took to “cooking” their wine. “Cooked” wine was not fit for a libation and could be handled by non-Jews. Alas, it also killed the taste of the wine. Jews wanted good tasting wine and non-Jews made all the good tasting wine. Does that matter? Well, remember, many monasteries and churches were in the wine making business and that could very well be a problem for Jews and wine. (A “revi’it equals 68.88 cubic centimeters or 2.33 fluid oz.).
More modern authorities have removed the issue of pagan wine since we don’t consider idol worship to be going on anymore. This leaves only the precaution of not letting non-Jews handle wine. The Rabbinical Assembly Law and Standards Committee investigated the process in 1964 and discovered that most wine is manufactured in an automated process that lets nobody handle the wine until it is sealed in bottles. Therefore there is no reason to be concerned with it being handled by non-Jews. The only real consideration was to support Jewish winemakers and wines made in Israel. It was determined that only Kosher wines should be used when a blessing is called for but not when consumed outside of ritual occasions. The opinion was raised again in 1985 when some questions were raised about the filtering and “fining” of wine using non-Kosher or dairy agents. Once again while there may be reasons to permit non-certified kosher wine, for ritual purposes and to support Kosher winemakers, only certified kosher wines should be used in Jewish rituals. Because there are all kinds of issues with agents used in the wine making process, it is best to only use certified Kosher wines. However, if one finds him or herself in a situation where only non-certified wines are served, it is permitted to drink them and not embarrass the host.
Once again I remind readers that Christians and Moslems are not considered to be pagans and the rules that once kept Jews away from their food and parties have long ago been overturned. In cases of Eastern religions such as Hindu and Shinto, one should be very cautious of their food and festivals. I am not an expert in such religions and do not feel I can comment on them for this purpose. If it becomes an issue, your rabbi should be consulted.
Synagogues and other Jewish institutions may have other reasons to be stricter about wine being served so be sure to ask before bringing wine into such institutions.
Monday, March 10, 2008
18-5768: Mitzvah N-13 and 14
Talmidav Shel Aharon
18-5768: Mitzvah N-13 and 14
March 10, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 13 – This is a negative commandment: Do not swear in the name of an idol
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “and make no mention of the name of other gods” (Ex. 23:13) neither should one make a vow in the name of an idol. Included, as well, in this prohibition is the rule not to make a heathen swear by his object of veneration. And even to mention an idol’s name, not in the course of an oath, is forbidden. That is: a person should not tell his fellow man, “wait for me at the side of that certain idol.” and so forth. When an idol is written in the sacred Scriptures it is permissible to mention its name-for example, Pe’or, Bel, Nebo, and so forth. It is forbidden to cause others to vow or swear in an idol’s name. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Negative Mitzvah 14 – This is a negative commandment: Do not lead a town in Israel astray to worship idolatry.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “neither let it be heard out of your mouth” (Ex. 23:13) if someone persuades an individual to worship idolatry, he is called an inciter. If one persuades many, he is called one who leads stray; and his death should be by stoning. Even if he did not worship an idol but only persuaded them until they worshipped it. It is in effect everywhere, in every time, for both men and women.
These two laws are just the logical conclusions of all the previous Mitzvot. There is no reason to call any idol by name especially in a vow when that deity is supposed to be the “guardian” of your vow. What would be the use of vowing in the name of a god that you do not believe in? It could only mean that you are trying to deceive someone by invoking a god that you believe has no power. If, on the other hand you do believe that the pagan god has the power to enforce your word, than you are guilty of idolatry. Similarly if you are having a dispute with an idolater, and he swears by his pagan gods, if you don’t accept the power of that god, you will not accept the word of the idolater either. If you do accept that vow, than you are guilty of idolatry. In short, it is a bad idea to even mention the name of pagan gods. You should just talk about something else. The only exception is, not surprisingly, you can use the name of pagan gods that appear in Jewish Scriptures. If the Bible can mention them, than we can too. If one is reading Torah and comes across the name, it is OK to mention it and to prove the point, the Hafetz Hayim even prints their names in his text! Once again I remind you that Christianity and Islam are not considered pagan and you can mention the names of people and rituals that are associated with them. I only caution Jews to be careful that they do not use the names sacred to these other faiths in a way that would be disrespectful.
The rules associated with a city that has gone over to idolatry are very severe. The inhabitants of that city are killed, the city is razed to the ground and even the plunder is forbidden. If you are the one that caused this catastrophe, than you are liable for death by stoning. If you, yourself did not worship an idol but you caused others to do so, you are still guilty and liable for capital punishment. I can see someone using this ruse to get a group of people killed because of some harm they have caused him. If you convince another person to become an idolater, than you are and inciter and could also be liable for punishment.
18-5768: Mitzvah N-13 and 14
March 10, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 13 – This is a negative commandment: Do not swear in the name of an idol
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “and make no mention of the name of other gods” (Ex. 23:13) neither should one make a vow in the name of an idol. Included, as well, in this prohibition is the rule not to make a heathen swear by his object of veneration. And even to mention an idol’s name, not in the course of an oath, is forbidden. That is: a person should not tell his fellow man, “wait for me at the side of that certain idol.” and so forth. When an idol is written in the sacred Scriptures it is permissible to mention its name-for example, Pe’or, Bel, Nebo, and so forth. It is forbidden to cause others to vow or swear in an idol’s name. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Negative Mitzvah 14 – This is a negative commandment: Do not lead a town in Israel astray to worship idolatry.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “neither let it be heard out of your mouth” (Ex. 23:13) if someone persuades an individual to worship idolatry, he is called an inciter. If one persuades many, he is called one who leads stray; and his death should be by stoning. Even if he did not worship an idol but only persuaded them until they worshipped it. It is in effect everywhere, in every time, for both men and women.
These two laws are just the logical conclusions of all the previous Mitzvot. There is no reason to call any idol by name especially in a vow when that deity is supposed to be the “guardian” of your vow. What would be the use of vowing in the name of a god that you do not believe in? It could only mean that you are trying to deceive someone by invoking a god that you believe has no power. If, on the other hand you do believe that the pagan god has the power to enforce your word, than you are guilty of idolatry. Similarly if you are having a dispute with an idolater, and he swears by his pagan gods, if you don’t accept the power of that god, you will not accept the word of the idolater either. If you do accept that vow, than you are guilty of idolatry. In short, it is a bad idea to even mention the name of pagan gods. You should just talk about something else. The only exception is, not surprisingly, you can use the name of pagan gods that appear in Jewish Scriptures. If the Bible can mention them, than we can too. If one is reading Torah and comes across the name, it is OK to mention it and to prove the point, the Hafetz Hayim even prints their names in his text! Once again I remind you that Christianity and Islam are not considered pagan and you can mention the names of people and rituals that are associated with them. I only caution Jews to be careful that they do not use the names sacred to these other faiths in a way that would be disrespectful.
The rules associated with a city that has gone over to idolatry are very severe. The inhabitants of that city are killed, the city is razed to the ground and even the plunder is forbidden. If you are the one that caused this catastrophe, than you are liable for death by stoning. If you, yourself did not worship an idol but you caused others to do so, you are still guilty and liable for capital punishment. I can see someone using this ruse to get a group of people killed because of some harm they have caused him. If you convince another person to become an idolater, than you are and inciter and could also be liable for punishment.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
17-5768: Mitzvah N-12
Talmidav Shel Aharon
17-5768: Mitzvah N-12
March 2, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 12 – This is a negative commandment: Do not worship an idol in the way that it is usually venerated.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not serve them” (Ex. 20:5) Even if it is in a disrespectful manner, for example, urinating as worship for Peor; or throwing stones to Merkulis, it is punishable by stoning to death. If it was done without prior warning, it is punishable by karet (Divine severance of existence). And if it was done unwittingly, there is an obligation of a Hattat (sin offering). But if someone were to urinate to Merkulis, he would be free from penalty since such is not its usual way of worship, and it is an approach of disgrace.
If someone hugs and kisses an idol, or he sweeps and sands the ground before it, or he does some other act of homage, if he does them to any one of the species of idols he violates a prohibition, but whiplashes are not suffered for them, since it is a composite, omnibus prohibition (forbidding a variety of things and for violating such a prohibition whiplashes are not given.) If there are faucets of water in sculptured images before some idolatry, one should not put his mouth to them to drink, since he would seem to be kissing an idol. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Welcome to the weird world of Idolatry. It sometimes seems as if the Rabbis know of every bizarre ritual that was ever performed for some idol. I am not sure that the Hafetz Hayim ever studied what idolaters do, but for this lesson, I am sure that his understanding comes from the Talmud.
Last week we noted that one could not worship an idol the same way we would worship our G-d. Here we find the separate Mitzvah of not being permitted to worship an idol in its own style. This means we cannot do what is important to an idol even if we think that the action in question is not a ritual act, but a degrading one. We can have nothing at all to do with the idol, if the action could be construed as worship. This applies all the more so to times when paganism interferes with what we might normally do for other reasons.
Does this seem rather far-fetched? Not in a pagan world. In the Jan 2008 issue of National Geographic, in the story on Indonesia’s Volcanoes, on page 48 there is a picture of the sacred pool on the slopes of Mount Penanggungan, where men are bathing beside the sacred statues of Sri and Lakshmi, the consorts of the Hindu god Vishnu. One man is filling a water container from water that is spilling from the breast of the Hindu image. To drink water here would be kissing the breast of this pagan goddess. It would not get you whiplashes but it would be a violation of this Mitzvah. When I was thinking of bringing meditation into my life when I was stressed out in college, I came across Transcendental Meditation and though it might be useful to me. However, when they told me that to get my mantra, I would have to bring a handkerchief, some flowers and fruit, this prohibition came to mind. That the people who were to train me would not talk about what they would do with these items, just that they were for some “personal ritual” that did not involve me, I declined the ceremony and declined the meditation. You just never know when paganism will become an issue.
As for the matter of whiplashes, punishment in Judaism depends on the law being clear about what is prohibited. When a law is written with many different parts and prohibitions, it is hard to know which laws are for punishment or if you have to do all of them for punishment. Therefore we don’t punish at all, just note that the matter is forbidden.
Christianity and Islam are not usually considered pagan religions. They are also monotheistic and these rules do not apply to them. This does not mean that we should co-opt their rituals, as this would be a serious breach of etiquette. It just is not respectful to have Christian or Islamic images in a Jewish home.
If you are doing something in front of the image that could not be considered a form of worship for that image, you are not in violation of this commandment even if that action could be construed as a form of worship to a different image.
17-5768: Mitzvah N-12
March 2, 2008
Negative Mitzvah 12 – This is a negative commandment: Do not worship an idol in the way that it is usually venerated.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not serve them” (Ex. 20:5) Even if it is in a disrespectful manner, for example, urinating as worship for Peor; or throwing stones to Merkulis, it is punishable by stoning to death. If it was done without prior warning, it is punishable by karet (Divine severance of existence). And if it was done unwittingly, there is an obligation of a Hattat (sin offering). But if someone were to urinate to Merkulis, he would be free from penalty since such is not its usual way of worship, and it is an approach of disgrace.
If someone hugs and kisses an idol, or he sweeps and sands the ground before it, or he does some other act of homage, if he does them to any one of the species of idols he violates a prohibition, but whiplashes are not suffered for them, since it is a composite, omnibus prohibition (forbidding a variety of things and for violating such a prohibition whiplashes are not given.) If there are faucets of water in sculptured images before some idolatry, one should not put his mouth to them to drink, since he would seem to be kissing an idol. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.
Welcome to the weird world of Idolatry. It sometimes seems as if the Rabbis know of every bizarre ritual that was ever performed for some idol. I am not sure that the Hafetz Hayim ever studied what idolaters do, but for this lesson, I am sure that his understanding comes from the Talmud.
Last week we noted that one could not worship an idol the same way we would worship our G-d. Here we find the separate Mitzvah of not being permitted to worship an idol in its own style. This means we cannot do what is important to an idol even if we think that the action in question is not a ritual act, but a degrading one. We can have nothing at all to do with the idol, if the action could be construed as worship. This applies all the more so to times when paganism interferes with what we might normally do for other reasons.
Does this seem rather far-fetched? Not in a pagan world. In the Jan 2008 issue of National Geographic, in the story on Indonesia’s Volcanoes, on page 48 there is a picture of the sacred pool on the slopes of Mount Penanggungan, where men are bathing beside the sacred statues of Sri and Lakshmi, the consorts of the Hindu god Vishnu. One man is filling a water container from water that is spilling from the breast of the Hindu image. To drink water here would be kissing the breast of this pagan goddess. It would not get you whiplashes but it would be a violation of this Mitzvah. When I was thinking of bringing meditation into my life when I was stressed out in college, I came across Transcendental Meditation and though it might be useful to me. However, when they told me that to get my mantra, I would have to bring a handkerchief, some flowers and fruit, this prohibition came to mind. That the people who were to train me would not talk about what they would do with these items, just that they were for some “personal ritual” that did not involve me, I declined the ceremony and declined the meditation. You just never know when paganism will become an issue.
As for the matter of whiplashes, punishment in Judaism depends on the law being clear about what is prohibited. When a law is written with many different parts and prohibitions, it is hard to know which laws are for punishment or if you have to do all of them for punishment. Therefore we don’t punish at all, just note that the matter is forbidden.
Christianity and Islam are not usually considered pagan religions. They are also monotheistic and these rules do not apply to them. This does not mean that we should co-opt their rituals, as this would be a serious breach of etiquette. It just is not respectful to have Christian or Islamic images in a Jewish home.
If you are doing something in front of the image that could not be considered a form of worship for that image, you are not in violation of this commandment even if that action could be construed as a form of worship to a different image.
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