Lessons From a Torah Dance
Imagine the following scene. The Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court together with the other judges, propose a law, namely that the law itself is a wonderful thing. They resolve to set aside a day each year to celebrate it. They compose songs in its honor. When the day comes, they each take a weighty tome, “The Legal Constructionalist Approach to the U.S. Constitution” would do nicely, and dance round the White House, crooning at the top of their lungs.
Impossible! Yet, this is precisely what Jews do on Simchat Torah , literally “Rejoicing in the Law.”
Torah: Mine, Yours, Ours
What a sight they made!
The elderly Chassid with his long, flowing beard and the long-haired college student! Round and round they danced; both driven, both ecstatic. Each so different, except for the one Torah they both shared.
This imaginary scene is more real than you think. On the holiday of Simchat Torah, Jews from all walks of life put aside their differences and come together. As the name of the festival indicates, we are rejoicing in the Torah itself. What is this Torah that is cause for so much celebration? It is the Jews’ national treasure, the repository of G-d’s wisdom. As such, we are exhorted to study it, “day and night.”
One would imagine that the day specifically…
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The Torah’s Joy
I am going to make a guess. A stab in the dark if you will. You’ve been celebrating the festival of Simchat Torah for years and you still have no idea how the holiday originated. No, I am not Sherlock Holmes. I’m not even that astute. It’s just that I took a poll in my synagogue and drew blank stares. Pesach, they all knew, came because of the Exodus from Egyptian servitude. Chanukah, they remembered, we owed to the Macabbees, and on Purim, they assured me, they would not forget to toast Queen Esther and Mordechai; but Simchat Torah
Believe it or not, the hero responsible for the concept of this holiday is King Solomon. Before this famous monarch was…
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The Singular Aravah
In addition to the aravah (willow) that is taken together with the lulav, esrog and hadas, as one of the Four Species, there is another Sukkot observance that involves the willow branch. This is the mitzvah of aravah, observed in the Holy Temple by surrounding the altar with willow branches on Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot, and which we today commemorate with a special procession around the synagogue’s center platform (Bimah).
These are two distinct mitzvot, each with its own laws and guidelines. Thus one cannot fulfill the obligation of ‘aravah, ’ with thearavah, of the lulav. Even the physical requirements of the willow are different: for the Four Kinds, one requires two willow twigs, each with at…
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The Sukkah Journey
As a symbol, the sukkah recalling the ancient journey of our forefathers on their way to the Promised Land is timeless. From the days of Abraham and Sarah, the story of our people has been told in the form of a series of journeys; first exiled to Egypt, later to Babylon, and eventually across the entire world.
In the Middle Ages Jews faced constant expulsion; beginning in England in 1290 and culminating in Spain in 1492. Even in 1881, pogroms throughout Russia sent millions of Jews into flight. And in recent years the migration has continued, from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and Arab countries. More than most, Jews have known the rigors of travel. What seemed like home often…
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Sukkahs for Cattle
The three festivals which were celebrated as a pilgrimage to Jerusalem correspond to our three forefathers, with Sukkot correlating specifically to Jacob. That Abraham is connected to Pesach is understood from the visit of the three angels which occurred on that holiday. Similarly, the bond between Isaac and Shavuos, joined by the ram’s horn that was blown at Sinai, is also readily apparent. We are however left trying to figure out the connection between Sukkot and Jacob.
In Genesis, we read of Jacob’s encounter with Eisav from which he emerged relatively unscathed. Subsequently, the two brothers parted whereby Jacob eventually, “built himself a house, and made sukkos (booths) for his cattle.” According to the commentaries, Jacob’s construction of sukkos-booths for…
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Teshuva of Love
The Torah directs us to “Take…on the first day, the fruit of a beautiful tree (Esrog), branches of a date palm (Lulav), etc.” The Midrash Tanchuma is bothered by the reference of a “first day,” when in fact Sukkos occurs on the fifteenth of the month. His answer, quite cryptic, notes that this particular day can be called the ‘first,’ because it is the first day for the counting of sins.
The Tur (a seminal work of Jewish law written in Spain in the early 1300’s) elaborates: on Yom Kippur (the tenth of the month) we are absolved of our sins. In the course of the next four days we are ‘supposedly’ so busy getting ready for the festival of…
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The Singular Aravah
In addition to the aravah (willow) that is taken together with the lulav, esrog and hadas, as one of the Four Species, there is another Sukkot observance that involves the willow branch. This is the mitzvah of aravah, observed in the Holy Temple by surrounding the altar with willow branches on Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot, and which we today commemorate with a special procession around the synagogue’s center platform (Bimah).
These are two distinct mitzvot, each with its own laws and guidelines. Thus one cannot fulfill the obligation of ‘aravah’ with the aravah of the lulav. Even the physical requirements of the willow are different: for the Four Kinds, one requires two willow twigs, each with at…
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The Book and the Book
There are moments when an ancient metaphor takes on new meaning. Example: For millennia, our ancestors prayed to be inscribed in the Book of Life. It was no accident that for Jews life was connected to a book. While other religions found holiness in icons, people, and objects, for us, holiness was to be found in language. After all, it was with words that G-d formed the cosmos and revealed His Torah. That ‘words’ were the medium in which the mystery of life was encoded was always thought of as a spiritual intuition. We now know it is more: It’s a fact.
The human body contains a trillion cells containing two sets of the human genome. Each genome consists of…
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Teshuvah Means, “i’m Coming Home”
On its simplest level, sin means breaking His law. But scratch beneath the surface and the Hebrew terms and you will discover the dynamic of sin…and ultimately the power of Teshuvah. The generic term for sin is aveirah, from the root avar, to cross over, or pass beyond. Aveirah means a trespass, stepping beyond the limits of propriety to the “other side.”
If ‘stepping out of bounds’ would bring to a close the game we call LIFE, then the history of man would have begun and ended with Adam. A merciful Creator took this into account, so even before Genesis, the Holy One fashioned the possibility of Teshuvah, for without its grace, man could not but despair, crushed by the…
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Kol Nidre: the Eternal Ritual
According to the Rosh, an early Talmudic commentary, “We go to the synagogue on Yom Kippur eve and it is the custom that the Chazan removes the Sefer Torah and recites the Kol Nidre.”
This is one of the very few references we find for the custom of removing the Torah scrolls from the Ark before the prayer of Kol Nidre. Others are silent on the subject; perhaps because they could find no basis for it. But, since this minhag (custom) is now so widely accepted and universally practiced, it would be useful for us to discover its origins and its history.
Yom Kippur was established by the Torah on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, since…
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To Forgive Is Human
t is strategically located to inaugurate the holiest day of the year. Its melody, to use the words of Tolstoy, “Echoes the great martyrdom of a grief stricken nation.” Yet historically, it has always aroused controversy, and while it occupies the most important part of the Yom Kippur liturgy, it’s not even considered a prayer. What I am referring to is the paradoxical, legal formula for the annulment of vows; in simple terms, the Kol Nidre.
Opposition to this ritual arose from many ranks. Jewish scholars, since its inception, were the first to question the legality of a blanket annulment of vows. Its detractors even included Oliver Cromwell, who accused the Jewish religion of permitting its followers to perjure themselves…
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Five Steps to a New You
Five Steps to a New You
What Is You Worth?
The Rabbi stood before the congregation, leading it in prayer. As Israel’s messenger to the Heavenly Throne, his voice was like a pathway, broad and unbroken, bearing the hopes of his people.
Suddenly there was a dreadful pause. Upon reading the words in the service, “To Him that buys His slaves in the day of Judgment,” his voice broke down.
Anxiety gripped the congregants. Only when the Rabbi took up the text once again, did the congregation breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Later that afternoon, the Rabbi explained to the curious worshippers. “After all these years of reciting this sentence, it dawned upon me that its meaning escaped me. Why would G-d buy slaves he already owns? Heaven decided…
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Be Jewish. Be Happy.
When Rosh Hashana arrives, we wish each other a Happy New Year. The phrase is repeated again and again, but rarely does anyone pause to think about its contents. For example, what exactly is happiness? All of us pursue it, but a survey asking for its definition would produce as many different answers as the number of people questioned.
But if our supreme wish is to be happy, then the term must contain some familiar meaning. Undoubtedly, everyone would agree that a happy home life, a good livelihood, health, and joy from children produce happiness. But life shows us that few of us possess all of these things together. So are we then consigned to unhappiness? Secondly, experience has shown…
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Complimentary Tickets
Rosh Hashana does not find the Jew unprepared. Besides the customary blowing of the Shofar in the final month of the Jewish year, reminders come in the form of New Year Cards, and the High Holiday tickets one must acquire. If all this makes you feel Rosh Hashana has become just a bit commercialized as so many other non-Jewish holidays have - we’ve got the antidote.
To be exact, we’ve got your ticket. In this very issue of Timeless Torah, we are printing complimentary High Holiday tickets. Please do not confuse these special passes with the regular synagogue tickets. Ours offer you benefits you’ve never imagined.
While your regular ticket entitles you to a seat for a few hours, ours…
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After the End & Before the Beginning
There is a certain magic moment that comes but once a year. If you have never experienced it personally, you have missed out on one of life’s mystical junctures in time. It occurs between the last Mincha (afternoon) prayer of the old year and the first Ma’ariv (evening) prayer of the new. More specifically, just after the final Kaddish of the afternoon is intoned, a hush descends upon the congregation. It seems as if everyone realizes the importance of where they are in time. And then, the moment passes. The Chazzan approaches the cantor’s lectern and his melodious voice brings forth the first word of the first Ma’ariv and ushers in the new year.
If time must have a stop,...
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Are You Listening?
Every Jewish festival has its symbols. One cannot think of Chanukah without conjuring up a mental image of a Menorah and one cannot talk about Rosh Hashanah without mentioning the Shofar. Interestingly enough, while the holiday’s nom de guerre is the Day of the Blowing of the Shofar, there is no mitzvah to actually blow a shofar. Instead, the commandment is to hear the shofar.
Since its inception, Judaism has always stressed the importance of the word and the sound. Even at the outset of creation the Bible informs us that it was not the actions of G-d that brought all into being, it was the spoken word. At the Revelation of Sinai there was smoke and thunder, but that…
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Everyone’s Got Religion
It seems only appropriate that we establish our credentials for participating in the services this Rosh Hashana. I say that because I can guess what you’re thinking, “It’s not that I’m so religious or pious, but after all it is the HIGH Holidays!”
If that sentiment is one that you usually associate with, reanalyze your position in the light of my latest premise: Everyone has religion.
At some point in time, each and every individual asks him or herself the following questions. What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? How am I different from all the other animal species? Often these queries are motivated by specific events, such as tragedies or moments of challenge. Maybe you haven’t…
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Shabbos Shuvah~shabbeternal Moments
He was born in 1858. At his circumcision, he was officially inducted into the family of Rozin and the people of Israel with the name, Yoseph. Recognized early on as a prodigy, he soon earned the title, the Rogatchover Gaon, the Genius of Rogatchov.
A scholar of penetrating intelligence, he combined encyclopedic knowledge with a form of study which he perfected, called Chakirah, which analyzed Talmudic texts for their underlying rationale and conceptual basis.
A prolific writer, he answered thousands of Halachic queries that touched upon such diverse issues like philosophy and science. In one of his novella, he differentiates between the concepts of time used by the Torah to measure Shabbos versus Yom Kippur. Referring to a Mechilta (a…
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Shabbos Shuvah~a True Teshuvah Story
Sara Rigler was a veteran of anti-War demonstrations in the sixties. Those days were however long gone. That evening was just a Saturday night music fest. True, it was set up one block away from the P.L.O. headquarters in East Jerusalem. Also true, that the organizers wanted to assert the idea that Jewish sovereignty extended to the entire city. Still, there were no placards and no speeches. Instead, the atmosphere was one of family festivity.
Soon enough the music started. Men joined hands and began to dance. Suddenly, out of nowhere, police charged into the crowd, swinging Billy clubs. Troops jumped onto the stage, grabbing instruments and pulling down loudspeakers. An old man positioned directly under a speaker was in…
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