Exodus Magazine - May 2023

The festival of Shavuot, where we celebrate the gift of the Torah, is probably the most laid back religious experience we could ever imagine. There is, literally, no mitzvah specific to this day, no drawn-out rituals, nothing demanding about it. We basically just show up and bask in the light of the energy of the day the Torah descended into our sphere of consciousness. Of course, the more we prepare, the more we’ll be sensitive to and appreciative of the revelation –but it’s there for the taking regardless.

It seems at odds for a festival that is about celebrating a document that connects the human being with the Divine, is full intensely detailed instruction, involves rigorous intellectual pursuit, and demands the highest levels of personal responsibility, self-control, and spiritual refinement. Even the celebratory aspect of Shavuot, when compared to other festivals, is muted; there is a deep, internal joy but generally no outward celebrations full of singing, dancing, intoxication and merriment. It would seem that celebrating the moment that started it all – when we became a nation and received our Divine calling together with the immense wisdom and blessings to actualize it –would warrant some serious partying.

And maybe that’s exactly the point. Each festival has its tension between what is and what is meant to be. For the most part, there is no struggle on Shavuot – just an openness to the way things are meant to be. And so it flows smoothly, and our job for the most part is to let go, celebrate, and become vessels for that flow of energy, let it seep into our lives, our minds, our hearts, our bodies.

The existentially inclined (or existentially challenged, depending on how you view it) struggle with the question of whether our reality exists, or is some kind of illusion. Most of the time, we’d rather not thinking about such questions – it can be rather distracting, to say the least. The Torah, through its more mystical teachings, gives us an elegant answer. The existence of the Torah, in our here and now, serves as proof that our existence is real, and does matter. Through objective, human logic, you could make solid arguments for the case that the world doesn’t really exist – or at least get infinitely stuck in the question. And the Torah doesn’t necessarily argue with that –on a theoretical, theocratic level. But by virtue of its various teachings and laws, the Torah demonstrates that it is real.

In the bigger picture, the Torah starts off detailing the order of the creation of our world. But we can see it even in the smallest details. Take the curious case of sorcery, for example. In the Torah, sorcery is forbidden to the Jewish

nation; we are meant to connect directly to the Divine, without any intermediaries, including astrological phenomena or different spiritual energies. Even if we do not necessarily worship those entities or attribute divinity to them, we are still forbidden from engaging in such practices. A Jewish person who engages in such practices is, according to Torah law, guilty of a crime and liable to punishment. However, the Torah makes a distinction between an actual sorcerer engaged in actual sorcery, who is punished, and an illusionist engaged in performance art or manipulation, who is not punished. If the world was merely an illusion, and it’s all fake news anyways, why the distinction? Why would it matter? For that matter, why would anything matter?

This is one of many examples in which the Torah itself affirms the validity of our existence. And it does so with authority because the Torah is not an element that was introduced into existence – in its primordial state the Torah predates existence, and existence flows through it as it comes into being. That is what is meant when we call the Torah the blueprint of existence – not just the guide for life, but also the source of life. So we celebrate the entry of the Torah into our lives in the most laid back and natural way possible.

Wouldn’t it be nice if life could always be that way? Life is almost synonymous with struggle. But maybe it doesn’t have to be that way – at least not all the time or so much more than necessary. Maybe we are causing the struggle most of the time – and maybe because we are the problem, we are also the solution. Maybe instead of constantly struggling against the tide, we can learn to let go a little, to see where this river’s Divine current is taking us. When we overly micromanage the trajectory of our lives – or even our plans for today – we harness our prejudices, delusions and vices in order to serve and protect the predetermined course we have already set. We miss out on the opportunities that may present themselves outside our narrow line of sight – opportunities for unimaginable growth, connection, or wealth that we would have never seen in the narrow vision of the predetermined course struggling against the current.

Like most everything else, balance is the key. In all areas of life, we need to have a plan, and the tenacious willpower to see it through. But at the same time, when we learn to let go – sometimes just a little, sometimes more, depending on the circumstances and our increasingly perceptive reading of the situation – we start to taste what it’s like to embraced the uncertainly and be open to infinite possibilities.

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6 | JEWISH SOUL

Two Jews, Three Opinions?

When Jews unite for one purpose, this not only supersedes all external things which divide, but, on the contrary, we can utilize differences to complete one another into one perfect whole.

— From the Rebbe's letters

7 | MADE YOU THINK

One Heart

What power did Sinai have that united the people when they “camped opposite the mountain”? At Sinai an unprecedented experience took place that would change the course of all history.

— by Simon Jacobson

8 | LIFE ON EARTH

Whose Torah is it Anyway?

If we’re here to repair the world, it makes sense that we must have been given some sort of manual to tell us how to put the pieces together and what this world is supposed to look like once fixed.

— by Tzvi Freeman

10 | JEWISH THOUGHT

The Torah Channel

We do what we can, maximizing our human capabilities. And G-d does the rest. When we go out in the world to earn a living, His blessings ensure that our efforts will succeed.

— by Yoseph Janowski

12 | ASK THE RABBI

The Names of the Festival

The festival of Shavuot seems to have different names in different places: The Festival of Shavuot, The Day of the First-Fruits, and the Festival of Harvest. Can you explain the different names and their significance?

— by Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman

19 | PERSPECTIVES

The Roots of Fundamentalism

One of the intriguing things about the Ten Commandments is that they were engraved on two separate tablets. Was G -d short of granite that He needed to use two tablets?

— by Yosef Y. Jacobson

Two Jews, Three opinions?

From the Rebbe's Letters

The first day of Sivan is an auspicious day, since, as is well known, this is the day when the Jews arrived at Mount Sinai. Thus the Torah relates: "On the third month (Sivan), on this very day (the first of the month), they came to the Desert of Sinai, and (the people of) Israel encamped there facing the Mountain."

Our Sages of blessed memory observe that the word vayichan ("encamped") is expressed in the singular, to indicate that all the Jews were united "like one person, with one heart - " i.e. with one desire - to receive the Torah.

One of the inner aspects of this point is as follows: Considering that the Jewish people consisted of twelve tribes, and that human beings, as individuals, generally differ from one another in their personal interests and opinions; and, indeed, the previous journeys and camping’s since leaving Egypt were in a manner of "and they travelled and the encamped," in the plural, and were not free from friction - what was it that so completely united them all of a sudden, "like one person with one heart"?

The answer is to be found in the words "facing the Mountain." Having come face to face with the Mountain on which G-d was to give them His Torah, they were so inspired and overawed that all differences of opinion and personal interests vanished; for the one Torah, given by the One G-d, has the Divine power to overcome all peripheral aspects which separate one from another.

In other words, when Jews unite for one purpose, namely, to order their every-day life, in all details, in harmony with the Divine Torah, this not only supersedes all external things which divide individuals one from the other, but, on the contrary, it makes it possible to utilize such differences to complete one another into one perfect whole, one body.

of the Jew, from his first moment to his last, and in all the minute aspects of his day-today life.

This is the essential meaning of the Torah, known as Torat Chayyim, the “Law of Life.” Furthermore. Our Sages of blessed memory explain that the Torah embraces the totality of Creation, citing the example of an architect who, before erecting a building, draws up blueprints and plans, covering every detail of the structure. So the Creator used the Torah as a “blueprint,” as it were, for the Creation, down to the minutest particle in the inanimate material world.

“word” of G-d (“Let there be a firmament,” and the other Divine fiats), which created, creates and vitalizes all things continuously, every instant, without interruption.

From this follows the next basic doctrine that Divine providence – G-d’s direct knowledge of, and Providence for, all particular things –extends to each and all minute details of the Creation, from individual man, the supreme creature, to the lowest thing in the inanimate world.

From the above there follows yet another corollary, which is likewise basic to Chassidic teachings and which was especially emphasized by the Baal Shem Tov, although it is, of course, a law in the Shulchan Aruch, namely, that—

It is incumbent upon the Jew to serve G-d in and with all details and aspects of his life and surroundings, beginning with the study of the Torah and the fulfillment of the 613 Divine precepts, down to the simplest acts and conditions of the daily life, and that

Everything in one’s surroundings is a lesson in love of G-d and fear of G-d, the primary wellsprings from which the Jew draws the proper inspiration to fulfill the Torah and Mitzvoth, the positive commandments and prohibitions, permeated with true vitality and fulfilled with perfection.

The concentrated reflection on all that has been mentioned above, reflection with intensity, animation and illumination,

The Days of Preparation for the Receiving of Our Torah call for special, deep-felt reflection on what the Torah is.

The holy Torah is not a collection of laws for special occasions. It embraces the totality

This, indeed, is one of the basic doctrines of Chassidic teaching as expounded by the Baal Shem Tov, based on his interpretation of Scripture: Forever, O G-d, Thy words stand firm in the heavens (Psalms 119:89), and explained at length in the teachings of Chabad Chassidic teachings by the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, author of the Tanya and Shulchan Aruch, especially in his Shaar Ha-Yichud VehaEmunah

Everything—in the heavens above and down to the earth below, in all their particulars—exists only by virtue of the

Especially in these auspicious days, on the eve of the festival of the giving of the Torah, which is also the anniversary of the passing of the Baal Shem Tov, and transforming it into the detailed aspects of the daily life, both in one’s personal life as well as in one’s surroundings, and in all aspects of the world, according to the dictum—

Let thy fountains spread forth outside, whereby the fountains of Chassidic teachings, that is, the inner light of the Torah, will overflow and irradiate even the “outside”— the external and most distant details and aspects of the entire Creation—

Will speedily bring the true and complete Redemption through our righteous Moshiach, when the whole Creation will recognize and experience the meaning of I am the L-d, thy G-d. EM

one hearT

What power did Sinai have that united the people when they “camped opposite the mountain”?

The Midrash explains that at Sinai an unprecedented experience took place that would change the course of all history. Up till that point that which was “above” did not descend “below” and that which was “below” did not ascend “above.” The spiritual and sublime was divorced from the material and the mundane. Spirit and matter were two forces that could not join. Obviously, even before Sinai matter and energy were essentially one (E=MC2 was discovered, not created by Einstein), but human beings were unable to integrate them.

Sinai changed all that. It married heaven and earth, integrating the sublime and the mundane, uniting the majestic and the plain.

In one word: Fusion. Sinai achieved a total fusion of matter and spirit. It empowered mankind to renovate the very nature of existence; to transform the material into spiritual fuel. We now can take an inanimate, physical object, and convert it into sublime energy; to bring alive every fiber of our beings and every aspect of our existence. To take what would have been an ordinary experience and make it extraordinary. Instead of a fleeting moment, a transient life can become eternal, the temporary can become permanent and the mortal – immortal.

This unprecedented fusion changed not only the global landscape, but – and perhaps even more importantly – it transformed our personal experience.

The human being is a universe in microcosm. We too are comprised of two forces: Our bodies and our souls. Each of us has a “biological” voice of survival, which rest side by side a transcendental voice seeking relief. Can we integrate these two forces? Or are we condemned, at best, to a compartmentalized life: Most of the time involved in the struggle for survival, otherwise known as our physical needs, while attempting to carve out moments (or weekends) for transcendental activities, which take on many shapes, some healthy, some not so: Romance, music, art, travel, spirituality and faith. Transcendental

thirst is sometimes quenched through selfdestructive “waters” – various (physical or psychological) obsessions or addictions – anything to “get out of this place” of the monotonous grind.

Sinai introduced into our lives a new way of being: You do not have to segment your life into two (or more) parts. You have the power to spiritualize the material, and to fuse your body with your soul.

You do this by turning your body and your physical activities into vehicles to express and fulfill your soul’s mission. Instead of controlling and directing your spiritual life, your material life follows your soul’s desires. The driver directs the vehicle, not the other way around.

The psychological implications of personal fusion between the survival and the transcendental are as life transforming as they are astonishing. Sinai unequivocally states that you do not have to resign yourself to a life of duality.

This does not mean that there is no struggle. Our perception remains one of plurality, clutching us in its powerful grip. And, as we all know too well: The battle is fierce.

This is why we cover our eyes when we say the Shema (the most fundamental of all statements of faith): As we declare “Hashem Echod” – that G-d is one, which means that there is only ONE reality – we cover our naked eyes which deceive us into perceiving a pluralistic universe.

All moments of truth are best experienced with closed eyes; by shutting down the external stimuli of our outer senses, we can experience the pulsating sensuality of our inner senses.

And the way we perceive ourselves affects the way we perceive others and the way we understand the universe at large. In fact, it’s not just a matter of perception. The way we perceive ourselves actually affects others and the world around us. Students of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle are familiar with the scientifically proven fact that on a sub-atomic level the “observer” of phenomena is not a mere “observer,” but actually impacts the “object” he is observing.

Bizarre as it sounds (that is, bizarre to our limited faculties) this has been proven time and again in laboratories around the world.

When you think about it, it actually makes more sense that all aspects of the universe – and our lives – are connected rather than disconnected. But this is yet another demonstration how our external senses hold us hostage in their stubborn, myopic view of a fragmented universe and our lives as a series of random, disjointed experiences.

Close your eyes, listen to a gentle melody, and you will feel (for the moment at least) as one with yourself, one with others, one with the universe – seamless and whole.

When the people arrived at Sinai, they were suddenly taken by a new “music” that surrounded them. All their differences, all their disagreements dissolved in the awesome moment. They became “one human, with one heart.” EM

Rabbi Simon Jacobson is the author of Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe and the director of the Meaningful Life Center (meaningfullife.com).

Simon Jacobson

whose Torah is iT anyway?

Tzvi Freeman

If we’re here to repair the world, it makes sense that we must have been given some sort of manual, something to tell us how to put the pieces together and what this world is supposed to look like once fixed. You would also expect some sort of hotline, for those times when the parts don’t fit together so well.

Sure, all the world is nothing more than G-d speaking to us. But it’s broken, remember? By the time that voice gets to us, it’s all noise and no signal. As much as we can know much from our study of the stars above, the rocks below and all the creatures that fill the earth, all we get is what is. What should be, that they do not tell us.

So we’re told that there is one clear signal detected from the heavens, and that is Torah. In Torah, G-d speaks and says, “Do this. Don’t do that.” Torah is not about what is, but what should be.

Yet even that is a very puzzling signal.

It begins with a writing that Moses gave to us after forty years of direct reception from Above. When? Where? Around the end of the Bronze Age, in the Sinai Desert, traveling from a collapsed Egyptian civilization, on our way to set up farm in the Promised Land.

So what do we do with a Bronze Age agrarian Torah in the post-industrial global village?

No problem. It is a living Torah—a “great voice that never stops.” Once in our hands, it grows, germinates, propagates and breathes life into all its pupils. We investigate, we argue with one another, we arrive at deeper meanings of His words, extend those meanings, innovate and make applications accordingly. And the labor never ends.

But you have to ask yourself: Isn’t that strange? If it is G-d’s word, shouldn’t it be straightforward from the outset? Shouldn’t He be the one to dictate every decision? How could it be that we can only work things out by arguing with one another and innovating our own applications?

What ever happened to prophecy? Certainly that would be an effective means to keep the channels of communication open. And indeed, the Talmud often tells of Elijah the Prophet, a mortal who never really died, but ascended to the heavens in a fiery chariot.

Since that time, Elijah would frequent one or two sages of each generation with messages from Above. Basically, our man in heaven. The Talmud tells of a certain Rabbi Aviatar, who had a prolonged Torah debate with Rabbi Natan, arriving at no resolution. At some point, Rabbi Aviatar met up with Elijah and asked him, “So what does the Holy One, may He be blessed, have to say about our little dispute?”

Elijah answered, “He says, ‘Aviatar my son says like this, while Natan my son says like this…”

So much for directions from heaven.

And that’s not the end of it. Another time, all the sages held a great debate with the greatest among them, Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrkanus. He presented argument after ingenious argument, but they could not come to agree. Finally, they all heard a voice came

from heaven chide them, “Why do you argue with my child, Eliezer? Don’t you know he is always right?”

It was then that Rabbi Eliezer’s closest colleague, Rabbi Joshua ben Chananya, stood up and declared, “We cannot accept the testimony of a voice from heaven. The Torah is not in heaven. It was already given here to us to decide. And the Torah says, “In all difficult cases, you must rule according to the majority.’ (Exodus 23:2)”

And so it was decided, by majority vote, that Rabbi Eliezer was wrong. Which means that so was G-d.

Later, one of the rabbis who had been present met up with that same abovementioned agent to heaven. He asked, perhaps somewhat nervously, “Elijah, please tell me: When we determined that Rabbi Eliezer was wrong, despite the voice from

heaven, what did the Holy One, may He be blessed, have to say about that?”

Elijah replied, “He smiled and exclaimed, ‘My children have beat me! My children have beat me!’”

Not only does He see both sides—even when we disagree with Him, He acquiesces to our decisions.

This wouldn’t be so puzzling, were it not for the other end of the stick: Has He given the entire thing over to us? Absolutely not.

King Solomon was the wisest of all men. If anyone would be allowed to play around with Torah, it would be him. And he did.

For one thing, the Torah—in the Book of Deuteronomy—instructs that a king must not have many wives. Solomon had a thousand wives. Being so wise, how did he justify himself? He said, “The Torah doesn’t just say ‘Don’t have too many wives!’ The Torah provides a reason: ‘Lest they turn his heart away.’ But I’m a wise man. My heart will not be turned away by having more wives. And, for the sake of international affairs, it’s vital that I have a wife from each nation and province in the world. This way, I will bring peace to the world!”

What happened then? Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai fills us in on the rest of the story: The Book of Deuteronomy rose and prostrated itself before the Holy One, may He be blessed. “Master of the Universe!” it said. “You wrote in Your Torah that if a person annuls anything of his will and final testimony, he has annulled the whole thing. Which means that even if one small letter could be removed from me, even a fragment of the smallest letter, I am invalid. And now, here is Solomon attempting to invalidate these words from my text!”

To which G-d responded, “Solomon and a thousand like him will disappear, but not one word of you will ever disappear.”

If even Solomon the Wise could have been so subjective, what can we predict of our own decisions?

So here you have tremendous tension: On the one hand, it’s His Torah; we can’t change a thing—not one letter. After all, are you going to argue with the Master Programmer of all creation about how to fix up His own creation?

Further than that: it’s not about us, our understanding or desires at all. When we accepted it at Mount Sinai, we said, “We shall do and we shall obey.” It wasn’t just a matter of accepting a Higher Authority because He knows better. Accepting the Torah meant we are no longer our own beings. The Creator Himself spoke, and we lost all sense of existence. We became agents of the Infinite Light.

And yet, He put us in situations that demand we make decisions based on those instructions. And He relies on us entirely to make the right decision. So what is it that He wants? Obedience or self-initiative? Compliance or creativity?

The answer, once we realize it, is so obvious: We human creatures ourselves are also in need of fixing up. This process of wrestling with G-d’s word is our therapy. Are we broken? Most of us would probably admit we are. But you don’t have to be broken to need fixing up. Moses himself disputed his brother Aaron’s application of Torah in one specific instance—and ended up admitting, “You were right and I was wrong.”

Repair means that this created being must become one with its Creator—one through and through, in every cell of its being. That means not just the soul—the soul is one with G-d to begin with. It means the physical body, and the personality that inhabits that body.

Prayer takes care of your heart, to make room for G-d to dwell there. Many other mitzvahs take care of your actions, to the point that, “in all your ways you will know Him.” Torah takes care of the brain. How does a human brain become one with G-d? Not by Him doing our homework for us, but rather, by leaving it up to us to figure things out.

When that two-and-a-half pound slab of grey meat is entirely absorbed in trying to understand, “What exactly does G-d want of me in this situation? What do His words mean? How did the sages understand it? How do I understand it? Why am I not getting it? What am I missing?”

And then this human creature realizes he can’t get it on his own, so he debates with others, listens to their arguments, admits

where he was wrong, defends where he was right, all the while plunging deeper and yet deeper into the issue.

If his mind is a memory tank, he must connect the dots between all he remembers. If his mind is a gushing fountain of creativity, he must squeeze out of it every ounce of innovation he can muster. Whatever skills and talents he has, all must be enlisted, one hundred percent, into grasping, “What is Torah telling me here?”

And then, after repeatedly smashing into dead-end walls in a dark maze, a flash of light sparks in his brain and everything is clear.

But, hold on—how did that sparkgenerating process begin? It began because an intelligent person was humble enough to admit, “I don’t understand G-d’s Torah.” And this person could have easily said, “So I guess it’s wrong.” But he doesn’t. Because his starting point is that this is the wisdom of the One who created me, so what makes my reasoning the measure of its truth?

When dealing with the Being that created you, that’s the only place to plug-in and start: It’s His Torah, not mine. If you’re not plugged in, nothing is going to light up. Plugged in not only to the words of the written Torah, but to the wisdom of all its sages who made decisions for the Jewish People throughout all the generations as well—since, after all, G-d Himself submitted to their decisions.

But once you’ve made that connection, the next step is to absorb the light, to let it penetrate every cell of your brain, through sweat and hard work. Until Torah is no longer a light that descends from above, but one that is generated by your very own mind. His Torah becomes your Torah.

That’s real Torah, in all its paradoxical essence: The place where G-d and man become one. EM

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth and more recently Wisdom to Heal the Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing or purchase his books, visit Chabad.org. Follow him on Facebook @RabbiTzviFreeman.

The Torah Channel

Yoseph Janowski

At some point in the mid 1970’s, the Rebbe encouraged yeshiva students to acquire a second Rabbinical ordination. My classmates and I were already familiar with the first Rabbinical ordination, which was already common practice at the time. But studying for a second Rabbinical ordination was something new.

To acquire the first Rabbinical ordination, we carefully studied the laws about kosher food, as detailed in the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) of Rabbi Yoseph Kairo and the commentary of Rabbi Moshe Isserlis and other leading Jewish legal scholars. This study was regarded as a preparation for marriage and establishing a kosher Jewish home. The conventional wisdom was that this Rabbinical ordination did not give us the authority to make legal rulings – we didn't have enough expertise and practical experience for that. Rather, it enabled us to know when we need to pose a question to a qualified rabbi who could issue a ruling.

Study for Rabbinical ordination was usually preceded by a number of years of studying Talmud, understanding and analyzing reasonings that led to ascertaining the final ruling in Jewish law. Prior to studying the Shulchan Aruch mentioned above, we studied other texts in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate reasons for each law. It usually took a year of intense study, and four oral examinations by learned Rabbis, to receive the Rabbinical ordination.

The second Rabbinical ordination the Rebbe began speaking about involved knowledge of civil law in the case of monetary disputes and other areas, as well as certain marriage laws. Why did the Rebbe encourage young men, most of whom would pursue professions outside the rabbinate, to acquire an advanced Rabbinical ordination meant mainly for career rabbis?

And the Rebbe answered that such a layperson might end up living in a small town or neighborhood outside the big city. When the local Rabbi is asked a question that he doesn't know how to answer, he will usually phone an experienced Rabbi in the big city. But what happens when it's Shabbat, and the Rabbi can't use the phone? So he'll

go to the house of this learned professional, perhaps through the back door, to inquire. Now this Jew can't decide the ruling since he is not officially a rabbi, but if he engaged in the study the Rebbe recommends, he will be able to point to the page in the Shulchan Aruch that discusses the issue and has the answer, and then the rabbi can make the appropriate ruling.

This scenario brings to mind an interesting story regarding the Tzemach Tzedek, the third Lubavitcher Rebbe. His custom was that when there was a question in his household regarding whether or not something is kosher, the household members should ask the official Rabbi in Lubavitch, and they should then tell the Tzemach Tzedek what the Rabbi decided – even though the Tzemach Tzedek, who was perhaps the leading Jewish legal scholar at the time, could certainly have answered the question himself. One

time there was such a question. They asked the Rabbi, and they then told the Tzemach Tzedek what the decision was. He asked for the Rabbi to come, and the Tzemach Tzedek showed him that the Shulchan Aruch says the opposite. The Rabbi stood up with a huff, said, "I'm the Rabbi!" and walked out. Later, the Tzemach Tzedek told one of his sons that the Rabbi was actually right; upon further examination the Tzemach Tzedek discovered a lesser known commentary that showed the Rabbi was correct in his ruling. “But do you think that the Rabbi was aware of this commentary?" asked the son. "He didn't know it,” answered the Tzemach Tzedek. “But G-d gives a Rabbi a special gift to be able to make the correct ruling regardless.”

And so it is for us as well. We do what we can, maximizing our human capabilities. And G-d does the rest. When we go out in the world to earn a living, His blessings

ensure that our efforts will succeed. When we plough the fields, He causes the rain to fall. And so on. And we soon realize that G-d is everywhere, in everything, and in our mind and heart.

I once witnessed my brother-in-law studying Torah with a friend who lived in a distant city. As they talked long distance on the phone, it occurred to me that they were studying the same Torah that was given at Mount Sinai over 3,330 years ago. Our Sages teach that the entire Torah, even a new idea that a student thinks of, was already given at Mount Sinai. So the Torah that my brother-in-law and his friend were discussing transcended the geographical distance between two cities, but also a distance in time. And their studying united not only space and time, but also generations. Because the Jewish parents who stood at Mount Sinai and heard the teachings of Moses,

future tense

MOSHIACH MUSINGS

People differ physically and mentally. Individual distinctions, however, need not separate and divide. They complement and supplement one another. Moreover, in essence we share a common denominator, as R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi writes in Tanya that the souls are “all of a kind, and all having one Father-therefore all Israelites are called real brothers, by virtue of the source of their souls in the One G-d.” Joining and harmonizing the differing yet complementing aspects in everyone thus leads to a higher-ultimateunity and perfection.

The Jewish people at Sinai sensed this ultimate and absolute unity joining them together. In that frame of mind, therefore, “as one man, with one mind,” they jointly desired and anticipated receiving the Torah, and that is when G-d gave it to them.

they taught their children, who taught their children, and so on, all the way to our time.

And so we continue this chain and this journey with the Torah as our guide, embodying the thoughts and words and deeds that bring the redemption closer to fruition. At that time, we will see how all the twists and turns throughout history were necessary parts of the journey, and part of the blessing, instrumental in bringing about the grand Divine plan for humanity. For now, we strive to live that way faithfully, even though we are mostly are blind to it. One day soon, in our complete Redemption, it will all become so clear, when the unity of our nation’s past, present, and future will become revealed and appreciated.

May we see it very soon. EM

It is likewise, with the redemption. Of the era of Moshiach it is said that “the one preoccupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d.” All knowledge of G-d derives from the Torah. Moshiach’s ultimate function, therefore, will be to “teach the entire people and instruct them in the way of G-d, and all nations will come to hear him.” He will reveal new insights, novel understandings of the presently hidden, unknown and esoteric teachings of the infinite Torah, allowing people “to attain knowledge of their Creator to the extent of human capacity.” In order to make it possible for the world to partake in these new revelations, the era of Moshiach will thus be a time of peace and harmony, with “neither famine nor war, neither envy nor strife.”

As we look forward to the bliss of the redemption, therefore, we must prepare for that new revelation even as we had to prepare for the revelation at Sinai. We must overcome all differences that may lead to dissension and divisiveness, to become as “one man, with one mind” by concentrating on that which unites us, on the common denominator we all share. Peace and harmony among ourselves is assured to hasten the universal and everlasting peace of the era of Moshiach.

Yoseph Janowski lives in Toronto, Canada.

The names of The fesTival

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman

QThe festival of Shavuot seems to have different names in different places: The Festival of Shavuot, The Day of the First-Fruits, and the Festival of Harvest. Can you explain the different names and their significance?

Yes, it’s true that in the written Torah there are three different names associated with the holiday of Shavuot. In addition, there are two more names. In the Mishnah and Talmud it is referred to as “Atzeret,” and in the festival prayers it is called the Time of the Receiving of Our Torah.

“Shavuot” means “weeks”: From the time the Israelites left Egypt they waited for seven weeks and eagerly counted the days in anticipation of the day when they would be worthy of receiving the Torah. We, too, count the Omer for seven weeks starting from the night following the first day of Passover, and then we celebrate the Festival of “Shavuot,” which means “weeks.” In addition, the word “Shavuot” means a promise or an oath, signifying our sanctified relationship with G-d through the Torah.

The name “Day of the First Fruit” is a reference to the because on this day the Israelites would bring to the Temple the offering known as “Shtei Halechem” — “Two Loaves” — from the first-fruits of the new wheat harvest.” In addition, Shavuot marked the beginning of the season for bringing the offering of the first fruits from the seven species for which the Land of Israel is known: wheat, barley, figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives and dates. In view of the fact that the preferred time to bring the firstfruits commences on Shavuot (and the majority of the people would bring it then), the festival is also known as “Day of the First Fruits.”

The name “Festival of Harvest” commemorates the fact that in Israel this marks the end of the harvest season, especially the wheat harvest. During the harvest season the field owners had an opportunity to fulfill many mitzvot, such as leaving parts

of the field unharvested to benefit the poor and leaving fallen sheaths on the ground for the poor to collect. The Sages teach that “Whoever gives gleanings, “forgetting” and the corner of the harvested field to a poor person properly is considered as if he built the Temple and brought his offerings inside it.”

The name “Atzeret,” means “refraining” or “holding back.” On all festivals, in addition to refraining from work unconnected to food preparation, there is also a special mitzvah to perform: on Passover one eats matzah, on Sukkot one sits in a sukkah and takes the four species, on Rosh Hashanah one blows the shofar, and on Yom Kippur one fasts. Shavuot, however, has no special mitzvah connected to it, except for refraining from work. Thus, we emphasize that the obvious mitzvah of the festival is “Atzeret” — refraining and holding back from doing any forbidden work. In addition, the Sages named it “Atzeret” similar to the end of other festival periods, because in a sense it completes the Passover festival. And after completing the mitzvah of counting the Omer for seven weeks we have a specially designated festival of Shavuot to celebrate joyously the milestone accomplished.

The name “The Time of the Giving of Our Torah” is probably the most obvious one, since Shavuot is the day that commemorates the day we received the Torah at Mount Sinai over 3,300 years ago, serving as the foundation of our people’s legacy, encapsulating the values, wisdom, beauty and light we bring to the world by virtue of the Torah. EM

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman is the Senior Rabbi of the Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario. You can Ask the Rabbi at jrcc.org or fax to 416.222.7812. To meet with Rabbi Zaltzman in person, feel free to call 416.222.7105 to book an appointment. Appointments are generally available on Wednesday evenings after 7pm.

Rebbitzin Chiena Zaltzman is also available for private consultations by appointment on Wednesday evenings from 9 to 10pm by calling 416.222.7105.

В своей жизни человек постоянно (если не ежедневно) сталкивается с

ситуациями, когда он не знает (или не уверен), как ему поступить. И

эти ситуации связаны с самыми различными сферами: здоровье, взаимоот-ношения в семье, воспитание детей, бизнес, взаимоотношения с друзьями, знакомыми, коллегами на работе...

Я бы прибавил еще одну сферу – взаимоотношения между человеком и Творцом. Человек, сомневаясь и не зная, как поступить, приходит к выводу, который часто оказывается не правильным. Что делать людям, чтобы найти правильные ответы на волнующие их вопросы?

Тора – не продукт человеческого гения. Тора дана нам Творцом – Создателем мира и человека. И Вс-вышний не оставил нас беспомощными на произвол судьбы, чтобы мы барахтались в своих жизненных трудностях. На горе Синай Вс-вышний открыл нам смысл Творения мира и миссию человека в этом мире, а также в Торе детально объяснил, как нам действовать в тех или иных ситуациях. Там указано, как поступать с момента рождения и до 120 лет человеческой жизни.Тора охватывает все аспекты жизни.

В Талмуде есть указание: «Сделай себе учителя». Это относится абсолютно ко всем...

The article above is excerpted from the Russian edition of Exodus Magazine. To subscribe, please visit exodusmagazine.org or call 416.222.7105.

книгa

основной труд философии хасидизма

Класс ведет рабби Йосеф И. Зальцман На русском языке

КАЖДЫЙ ВТОРНИК В 20:00

28 Townsgate Dr., Thornhill

или Zoom: www.zoom.us/my/jrcchq

ID: 416-222-7105

"ТАНИЯ"

The longstanding custom of post-Passover challah baking known as Shlissel Challah, was celebrated simultaneously in eight JRCC Branches following Passover last month. Though communal Challah baking sessions are organized throughout the year, and are a tremendous source communal blessing for those in need, the post-Passover challah baking is known to be especially auspicious for eliciting healing energy and sustenance. The custom usually involved a key - according to some versions the key is baked into the challah, some pierce the challah with a key, and some bake a challah shaped like a key. They “key” connection is that the channel from which heavenly blessings flow is often referred to as a gate - such as, the gates of mercy, the gates of healing, the gates of forgiveness, the gates of wealth, etc. Since we are asking that the gates of blessings be open, we symbolically connect a key to the custom, as if to say that this challah will serve as a key to open the gates of blessings for the Jewish people.

11 NISSAN CELEBRATIONS

On April 2, people around the world celebrated 11th of Nissan, the birthday of the Rebbe, who was born in 1902 in the Ukrainian-Russian town of Nikolaev and went on to spark the greatest renaissance in Jewish history that inspired millions. The entire Chabad movement today, including the JRCC, as well as the personal Jewish connection of countless people, are thanks to the Rebbe’s vision and tireless efforts. To mark the occasion, the JRCC held a farbrengen (Chassidic gathering) at the JRCC Concord. Participants enjoyed an evening of camaraderie, infused with inspiring words of wisdom and soulful song, led by Rabbi Avrohom Jacks. The JRCC also participated in a city-wide mitzvah tank parade in honor of the day, marking 121 years since the Rebbe’s birth. To learn more about the Rebbe visit jrcc.org/therebbe.

JGirls is the coolest Jewish club for young teens. With a great group of participants from neighborhoods around the GTA and regular gatherings, the group has proven to be a hit with Jewish teen girls from all family and educational backgrounds. Activities include making your own sushi, pottery workshops, sending letters of encouragement to IDF soldiers, packaging holiday gift packages for the needy, and more. For more information and to join the club, visit jrcc.org/jgirls.

OVER 500 ATTEND JRCC COMMUNITY PASSOVER SEDERS

The Passover Seder is a universal Jewish ritual observed almost identically by Jews around the world, regardless of their affiliation or level or observance. It is the quintessential reliving of the quintessential Jewish experience. Over 500 people attended Community Passover Seders organized by the Jewish Russian Community Centre in 10 locations on April 5 and 6. The Seders provided people with the opportunity to experience a traditional Seder and observe the related mitzvahs and traditions – eating the matzah and recounting the story of the Exodus to our children – in a warm and welcoming environment with family and friends. The insightful guidance and explanations of the presiding rabbis enriched the Seder with added meaning and depth, while the camaraderie and singing enhanced the jubilant holiday atmosphere.

THE FEAST OF MOSHIACH

While the first days of Passover commemorate the Exodus from Egypt, the eighth day of Passover is traditionally associated with our hopes for the future redemption with the coming of Moshiach. Towards the end of the day, while fell this year on April 13, according to a custom initiated by the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement, a Feast of Moshiach was held at all JRCC branches, together with thousands of other communities around the world. Participants gathered together, ate matzah, drank wine, sand songs, and shared insights about Moshiach – an idea that may sometimes seem unfathomable. One way to get there is to internalize the idea, to learn about it, talk about it, visualize and make it real. As the Rebbe teaches, when we open our eyes in this way, our awareness itself makes it real. Learn more at jrcc.org/Moshiach

POST-PASSOVER CHALLAH BAKE

GIRLS CLUB FOR TEENS

Job Positions:

As one of North America’s largest, privately-owned, large-scale bakeries, FIERA FOODS COMPANY and affiliated companies have a remarkable history of expansion, innovation, and quality over the past 30 years.

ü Production; Mixers, Scalers, Oven Operators, Line Operators, General Production Staff, Forklift Operators, Shippers / Receivers

ü Skilled Trades; Electricians, Mechanics, PLC Technicians

ü Sales; Opportunities in both Canada and the US

ü Management; Lead Hands, Supervisors, Managers, Project Engineers

Superior communication, teamwork and attention to detail are core skills to be on our team!

Our commitment to quality and product excellence are exceeded only by our commitment to Safety!

We thank all in advance for your interest however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

We’re looking for committed people to join our outstanding team!

JRCC is taking an active part in seniors event at Lebovic Jewish Community Campus , organized by JIAS

THURSDAY NIGHT, MAY 25

Commemorate receiving the Torah. Contact your local JRCC branch for times and schedule or visit WWW.JRCC.ORG/SHAVUOT

Faces of the Community

VLADIMIR MAHLIS

Please, tell us about the origin of your family. I was born with the name Vladimir, and in the official documents it was written that way. But my grandfather and my grandmothers called me Velvl. My family on my father's side were all Lubavitcher Chassidim. My father's father, Aron Makhlis, was from Odessa. He lived only until the age of fortyfive. His profession was originally Jewish – he was a shoemaker. His wife, my grandmother, Leya Alterovna (maiden name Tenenbaum), was born on the border between Ukraine and Poland. She spoke Russian very poorly, because her native language was, of course, Yiddish. It was very difficult for me to communicate with her, since I only spoke Russian, and she only spoke Yiddish. If she even tried to say something in Russian, it came out very funny and incomprehensible.

ALL-NIGHT SHAVUOT LEARNING

In 1949, my father, mother and my older sister lived in Moscow, and my grandmother lived in Kharkov. At that time, my father had a business trip to Kharkov and he took me with him. I was 5 years old. I remember that I went with him to the market, where everything was filled with black trousers, jackets and hats. That’s when I understood that they were Jews. When we came to my grandmother’s home, she sat me down for dinner and gave me my favorite chicken soup. Usually I ate everything with bread, but my grandmother didn’t give me bread this time – she probably forgot. I asked her to give me bread, but since I spoke Russian, my grandmother did not understand me. I told my father that I didn't see any bread, and he translated it into Yiddish for my grandmother. At that moment, my grandmother's eyes became square and she said a phrase that I did not understand then, but I remembered for the rest of my life: “Broit? Nisht kain broit!" My father translated for me: “Today there will be no bread.” Then I refused to eat. After that, they took me to a neighbor (it was a communal apartment) and transferred chicken soup there, and I ate my chicken soup with bread. For 15 years I asked my family members why my grandmother, who loved me so much, refused to give me a piece of bread. My family tried to avoid the question, and no one really explained anything to me.

Later, when I was a studying aviation, among the thousand cadets there were only two Jews, including me. Of course, we quickly found each other and became friends. My friend came from a family of very religious Romanian Jews. He was the only one with whom I shared stories about my family. When I told him this story and added that to this day I can’t understand why my grandmother didn’t give me any bread, he immediately inquired: “What time of year did this happen?” And I remember very well the time of year of this story. I answered: "The end of March - the beginning of April." He thought for a couple of seconds and said: “Now everything is clear: it was Passover. That's why you didn't get any bread." After that, I decided to double-check the information received. What Jewish literature was then available?

Books by Sholom Aleichem.

Not only. Fans of Jewish literature could read the works of Sholom Ash and Mendele Moyher Sforim translated into Russian from Yiddish. And then I learned that Jews cannot eat bread on Passover. Since then, during Passover, I have always avoided leavened food.

Have you encountered manifestations of anti-Semitism?

Often. From the second grade of elementary school up to and including the fourth grade, I was constantly beaten by classmates on my way to and from school. When I entered flight college, I failed the entrance exam in mathematics, although I was one of the best in this subject at school. Later I was told that this was done at the direction of the vice chairman of the selection committee. I appealed this decision, and was assigned a re-examination. This time I got an A. The re-examination was attended by the chairman of the selection committee, to whom I told that I was going to inform the newspapers about what had happened and that only anti-Semites were sitting in the selection committee. He asked me, “Do you know my name? Semyon Aronovich Levin. Not all anti-Semites are here.” So I entered the flight college and went to study in Kremenchug for three years. It was there that I met the second Jew of the school, who told me about Passover. Four months before graduation, I felt that I was tired of the constant manifestations of anti-Semitism (“You Jews did not fight, you fought for Tashkent”, etc.). I delivered a speech in the barracks: “The Jews fought at the front just like all the peoples of the USSR. Half of my family was destroyed by the Nazis. All the men of the family participated in the war, two of them died.” After my speech, one of the cadets reported me to the political officer. And after that I was called to the teachers' council and accused of all sins, including the fact that I listen to foreign radio voices. In addition, they found a well-hidden Hebrew textbook. As a result, I was expelled from the school, although later reinstated.

To be continued

Exodus Magazine Holiday Companion

What is Shavuot?

May

Shavuot, which translates as “weeks,” celebrates the completion of the seven-week Omer counting period following Passover, and commemorates the day of the receiving of the Torah over 3,300 years ago. According to Jewish tradition, each year the Torah is given anew, and we prepare and celebrate accordingly in order to receive it.

Pre-Holiday to-do list

• Shop for the holiday needs

• Make plans to hear or read the Ten Commandments

• Get some good Torah study material – available online at jrcc.org/Shavuot

Shavuot Customs

Celebrate with candle lighting, special holiday feasts and days of rest as on all Jewish holy days

• All night learning on the first night of Shavuot (Thursday night)

Hear the reading of the Ten Commandments on the first day of Shavuot (Friday), preferable in synagogue

• East dairy foods – traditional cheese blintzes, quiches, casseroles and more (kids like ice cream)

Yizkor memorial service on the second day of Shavuot (Shabbat/Saturday)

• Some communities read the Book of Ruth, since King David, whose passing occurred on this day, was a descendant of Ruth

Some have the custom to decorate their homes (and synagogues) with flowers and sweet-smelling plants in advance of Shavuot

i Learn more at jrcc.org/Holidays

Shabbat and Shavuot

Eruv Tavshilin

When a festival day (Yom Tov) falls on a Friday — as Shavuot does this year — an “eruv tavshilin” (i.e., food for at least one “meal” that is set aside in advance for Shabbat) must be prepared prior to the festival, so that it should be permitted to prepare food for Shabbat during the festival.

For details, consult your prayerbook.

We’re Here to Help. The JRCC is here to assist with all your Shavuot needs. See the back page for a variety of JRCC Shavuot programs and services being offered. For assistance in making your Shavuot plans or any other assistance, visit jrcc.org/Shavuot or contact the JRCC.

All times displayed in this guide are for the Greater Toronto Area.

Ten Things The Torah is Compared To

Water. Torah quenches our thirst. Just as a fish cannot live out of the water, so too the Jewish nation, and the world at large, cannot exist without the Torah.

Wine. Torah gladdens the heart, and it becomes better with age. Oil Torah brings light into the world. And just as with olive oil, the more it is crushed the better it becomes, so too the more you go over any topic in Torah, the better the understanding becomes. Light. Torah enlightens the person, shines a light regarding what we should do, and brings light into the world.

Milk. Just as milk keeps best in cheap utensils and spoils quickly in silver or golden utensils, so too the Torah remains with humble people and is repelled by the arrogant

Honey. Torah is sweet like honey. And just as honey originates from a source that is not kosher (the bee) yet becomes kosher, the Torah can also elevate and purify us even when we are spiritually low. Also, like the bee, the Torah is a source of great sweetness, but sometimes it can sting.

Bread. Torah is food for the soul.

Fire. Torah is mystical and magical, and can be used to fuel your growth.

Bee. Torah can produce sweetness, but it can also sting sometimes.

Rain. Torah descends from above. And just as a steady rain can erode even a hard rock, so too diligence in Torah can soften even the hardest heart.

All Night Learning

When: Thursday night, May 25 - the first night of Shavuot

When the actual moment arrived to give the Torah, the Israelites were sleeping. Mystical teachings explain that it was an intentional attempt to connect to the subconscious, transcendent self in preparation for revelation of divine wisdom. Ultimately, it was not the right approach, so to rectify it we spend the entire first night of Shavuot studying Torah. i Download and print some texts to study at jrcc.org/Torah

Children and Shavuot

When G d was about to give the Torah, He demanded guarantors who would ensure it would be purely preserved and authentically transmitted. The people made a number of suggestions – including their ancestors and their prophets – all of whom were rejected. When they declared, “Our children will be our guarantors,”

Why were the children chosen as the guarantors? There are many reasons given. Perhaps one of them is that children live in the present. They don’t dwell too much on the past, which hardly exists for them, or the future, which seems distant. To succeed in living a well lived life according to the Torah’s vision, we need to focus the majority of our energy on the here and how – not to get overly obsessed with past regrets or reflections, or drawn too much into future plans. Both are necessary in moderation, but the real gift of life is developing the ability to live in the here and now – which sometimes required the simplicity of children, and the ability to tap into the inner child.

Bring your kids to hear the Ten Commandments in synagogue on the first day of Shavuot (Friday, May 26).

i Find great Shavuot content for children at jrcc.org/Kids

One Time

At Sinai, unlike the other experiences in the wilderness, the Israelites experienced an unprecedented level of unity – “as one man, with one heart” as the Sages teach. By virtue of this unity they received the Torah. In a sense, this is the purpose for which the Torah was given, to bring peace to the world – peace between people and within people, peace between materialism and spirituality. Differences need not separate and divide. They complement and supplement one another. And on the soul level, we are all one, as the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, writes in Tanya, chapter 32. Joining and harmonizing the differing yet complementing aspects in everyone thus leads to a higher ultimate unity and perfection.

Yizkor

When: Shabbat/Saturday, May 27 Yizkor is the remembrance prayer for departed loved ones, where we implore G‑d to remember the souls of our relatives and friends that have passed on. The main component of Yizkor is our private pledge to give charity following the holiday in honor of the deceased. By giving charity, we are performing a positive physical deed in this world, something that the departed can no longer do, especially if our goods deeds emulate theirs. Yizkor renews and strengthens the connection between us and our loved one, brings merit to the departed souls, and elevates them in their celestial homes.

The Jewish people at Sinai sensed this ultimate and absolute unity joining them together. In that frame of mind, therefore, “as one man, with one mind,” they jointly desired and anticipated receiving the Torah, and that is when G‑d gave it to them.

At Sinai, this was achieved temporarily. With the coming of Moshiach, it will become our regular state of being. Humanity will be occupied with attaining spiritual knowledge. By extension, since at the soul level we are all one, we will experience unity, and there will be no war or famine or strife.

We can help make that happen now by focusing on that which unites us, on the common denominator we all share, a Divine source and purpose, and help usher in the peace, prosperity and harmony we all need and crave.

i Learn more at jrcc.org/Moshiach

Shavuot concludes on Saturday, May 27 at 9:40pm.

Mazel Tov to

IT’S A BOY!

Nathan Rozenfeld

IT’S A GIRL!

Gracia Vitya Tseitly Brikman

Sheina Zaltzman

Tali Hummel

Yochevet Miriam Yusewitz

BAR-MITZVAH!

Ari Zevulunov

Joshua Kroupenin

Rabbi Menachem & Mrs. Sarah Wolff

On the birth of their son Nisan!

May it be G-d’s will that you raise him and enable him to attain Torah, marriage and good deeds amidst prosperity.

With best wishes, the JRCC Rabbi & Staff

Wishing you much health, happiness and nachas, from the rabbis of the JRCC

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman

(Senior Rabbi)

Rabbi Avrohom Yusewitz, Rabbi Avrohom Zaltzman, Rabbi Levi Mishulovin, Rabbi Chaim Hildeshaim, Rabbi Levi Jacobson, Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman, Rabbi Levi Blau, Rabbi Shmuel Neft, Rabbi David Davidov, Rabbi Yisroel Zaltzman

The rooTs of fundamenTalism

One of the intriguing things about the Ten Commandments is that they were engraved on two separate tablets. Was G-d short of granite that He needed to use two tablets? Why could He not carve the commandments onto a single stone?

The rabbis in the midrash proposed a novel answer. The Ten Commandments, they suggested, were engraved on two tablets, five on each stone, so that they would be read in two directions — from top to bottom, and from side to side. (Mechilta, ch. 20)

The simplest way of reading the Ten Commandments is, of course, from top to bottom:

On the first stone:

1) "I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of Egypt..."

2) "You shall have no other gods..."

3) "You shall not swear in G-d's name in vain..."

4) "Remember the Sabbath..."

5) "Honor your father and your mother..." And the five commandments engraved on the second tablet:

6) "You shall not murder."

7) "You shall not commit adultery."

8) "You shall not steal."

9) "You shall not bear false witness against your fellow."

10) "You shall not covet your fellow’s house; you shall not covet your fellow’s wife … nor anything that belongs to your fellow."

This was the way of reading the Ten Commandments vertically. Yet due to the fact that the first five commandments were engraved on one stone and the second five on a separate stone, there was another way of reading the commandments — horizontally instead of vertically, from commandment #1 directly to #6; from #2 to #7; #3 — #8; #4 — #9; #5 — #10.

This version of the Ten Commandments would then read like this:

1) I am the Lord your G-d/You shall not murder. 2) You shall have no other gods/You shall not commit adultery; and so forth with the rest of the commandments.

Yet this explanation begs the question: Why is it necessary to read the Ten Commandments horizontally? What insight

can we gain from this alternative reading of the commandments?

In this essay we will discuss the juxtaposition of the first and sixth commandments: "I am the Lord your G-d/You shall not murder." The significance of this "horizontal" reading from a historical, political and religious standpoint cannot be overstated. It embodies one of the most stunning aspects of Judaism. What is at stake in this juxtaposition is nothing less than the future of human civilization.

Two groups have made an attempt to divorce commandment #1 from commandment #6 — to sever the idea of a Creator, who conceived the world for a moral purpose, from the imperative to honor the life of another human being. The first group was comprised of the philosophers of the Enlightenment during the 18th and 19th centuries, the second of religious leaders in many and diverse ages. The result for both was moral defeat.

The thinkers of the Enlightenment ushered in the Age of Reason and the modern secular era, founded on the belief that the great

ideal of "You shall not murder" did not require the prerequisite of "I am the Lord Your G-d" in order to be sustained. Religion was not necessary to ensure moral behavior; reason alone — without G-d — would guide humanity into an age of liberty and to the achievement of moral greatness. The sixth commandment could operate successfully independent of the first.

While religion embodied the vision of man standing in a continuous relationship with G-d, the essence of the Enlightenment represented the vision of man without G-d. It was a vision already introduced during the first days of creation near the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, by the most sophisticated animal of the time, the serpent. "You shall be like G-d," it promised Eve (Gen. 3:5). Man could, and ought to, replace G-d. Left to his own vices, the thinking went, the human being will achieve greatness.

But the Holocaust spelled the end of this grand faith in the promise of human progress based on human reason. In Auschwitz, the

Yosef Y. Jacobson

belief that modern man felt a natural empathy for others was ruined forever.

The gas chambers were not invented by a primitive, barbaric and illiterate people. To the contrary, this people excelled in sciences and the arts, but nevertheless sent 1.5 million children, and 4.5 million adults, to their deaths solely because they had Jewish blood flowing in their veins. SS guards would spend a day in Auschwitz, gassing as many as 12,000 human beings, and then return home in the evening to pet their dogs and laugh with their wives. As the smoke of children ascended from the crematoriums, these charming romantics would enjoy good wine, beautiful women and the moving music of Bach, Mozart and Wagner. They murdered millions of innocents in the name of a developed ethic, and they justified genocide on purely rational grounds.

Elie Wiesel who gripped the world’s imagination with his book "Night," a personal testimony of life and death in Auschwitz, once asked the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who himself lost many members of his family in the Holocaust, how he could believe in G-d after Auschwitz. If G-d existed, Wiesel asked, posing the single greatest challenge to faith, how could He ignore 6 million of His children de-humanized and murdered in the cruelest of fashions?

The Rebbe shed a tear and then replied, "In whom do you expect me to believe after Auschwitz? In man?"

This must remain one of the lasting legacies of Auschwitz. If there is any faith at all left after the extermination of 6 million people, it must glean its vitality from something transcending the human rationale and its properties. If morality is left to be determined exclusively by the human mind, it can become a morality that justifies the guillotine, the gulag and the gas chamber. As Dostoevsky famously put it in The Brothers Karamazov: "Where there is no G-d, all is permitted."

Without G-d, we cannot objectively define any behavior as good or evil. As difficult as it is to entertain, no one can objectively claim that gassing a mother and her children is any more evil than killing a mouse. It is all a matter of taste and opinion. The validity and effectiveness of "You shall not murder"

can be sustained only if it is predicated on the foundation of faith in a universal moral creator who gave humanity an absolute and unwavering definition of what constitutes good vs. evil. When the vision of the sacred dies in the soul of a person, he or she is capable of becoming a servant of the devil.

But this is far from the whole picture.

While the Enlightenment abandoned commandment #1 in favor of #6, various religions over the ages abandoned #6 in favor of #1. Theirs has been the atrocious belief that as long as you believe in the Lord, or in Allah, you can kill and maim whomever you brand an "infidel." Whether it is a business executive in New York, or a teenager eating a slice of pizza in Jerusalem, or a child on the first day of school in Beslan, or a commuter in Madrid, or a tourist in Bali, or a Chabad couple in Mumbai, if the person is not a member of your faith, G-d wants him or her to die. For the religious fundamentalist, "I am the Lord your G-d" has nothing to do with "You shall not murder."

This is the greatest perversion of faith. Faith that does not inculcate its followers with the sanctity of every single human life desecrates and erodes the very purpose of faith, which is to elevate the human person to a state beyond personal instinct and prejudice. If you delete "You shall not murder" from religion, you have detached yourself from "I am the Lord your G-d." To believe in G-d means to honor the life of every person created in the image of G-d. What the juxtaposition of the two commandments is telling us is that you can’t believe in G-d and murder.

Conversely, if you truly believe that taking the life of another human is wrong — not just because you lack the means or motive to do so or are afraid of ending up in jail, but because you recognize the transcendent, inviolable value of life — that's just another way of saying you believe in G-d. For what confers upon human life its radical grace, its transcendent sanctity and its absolute value if not the living presence of G-d imprinted on the face of the human person?

More than 3,300 years ago, Judaism, in the most ennobling attempt to create a society based on justice and peace, established its principle code in the sequence of the two

commandments – "I am the Lord your G-d/ You shall not murder." A society without G-d can become monstrous; a society that abandons the eternal and absolute commandment: "You shall not murder" is equally evil. Both are capable of burning children alive during the day and then retiring to sleep with a clear conscience.

The Talmud (Shabbat 88a) captures this notion in a rather strange, but intriguing, fashion.

The Talmud cites a tradition that when Israel approached Sinai, G-d lifted up the mountain, held it over the people's heads and declared: "Either you accept the Torah, or be crushed beneath the mountain" (see Ex. 19:17, Rashi)

This seems ludicrous. What worth is there to a relationship and a covenant accepted through coercion?

The answer is profoundly simple. What G-d was telling the Jewish people is that the creation of societies that honor life and shun cruelty is dependent on education and on the value system inculcated within children of the society. The system of Torah, G-d was suggesting, was the guarantor for life and liberty. If you reject the morality of Torah, if you will lack the courage and conviction to teach the world that "I am the Lord your G-d" and that I have stated unequivocally "You shall not murder," the result will be humanity crushed under a mountain of tyrants.

Seventy-plus years since Auschwitz and after one decade of incessant Islamic terrorism, the mountain is hanging over our heads once again. Shall we embrace the path of divine-based morality? Shall we never forget that religion must always be defined by "You shall not murder"? EM

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson is one of America’s premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism. He is a passionate and mesmerizing communicator of Judaism today, culling his ideas from the entire spectrum of Jewish thought and making them relevant to contemporary audiences. Rabbi Jacobson founded and serves as dean of TheYeshiva.net.

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