Judaism

ASK THE RABBI

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IS IT TERROR OR RESISTANCE?

Dear Rabbi

Why is it always assumed that all Israelis are innocent and all Palestinians are guilty? There is guilt on both sides. I would always argue that murder in any form is wrong, but so is occupation and apartheid.

Dasim

Dear Dasim

I am in agreement with you that murder in any form is wrong. I also think that your absurd equating of killing with “occupation” and “apartheid” suggests that while you think murder is wrong, you don’t necessarily consider the wanton killings of Israelis as murder, rather more a stand against “occupation” and “apartheid.” How dare you!

I’m not sure what you mean by occupation but if you are suggesting that Israelis are occupying a land that doesn’t belong to them let me refer you to the following story: An Israeli Ambassador got up in the UN and said, “Before I begin my remarks I want to tell you a little Biblical story. As you know, upon their Exodus, Moses and the Jewish people crossed the Dead Sea. Immediately after cross, Moses himself decided to go for a little swim. He removed his clothes by the waterside and went for a brief dip. Upon his return to shore he noticed that his clothes were missing. I suggest,” said the Ambassador, “that it was the Palestinians who stole his clothes!” At which point the Palestinian representative jumped to his feet: “I object! That’s preposterous! Everyone knows that the Palestinians weren’t even around at that time!” “Thank you,” said the Israeli Ambassador. “On that note I’d now like to make my remarks.”

As for your shameful allegation of apartheid, ask yourself one simple question: Are there Arabs in the Knesset? Do Arabs make up the government? Do Arabs work freely alongside Israelis? Do Arabs living in Israel have voting rights? Seriously, enough of this gibberish and nonsense.

Oh and one more thing: Do Arabs walk freely in Jewish quarters? Most certainly so. Can I, as a yarmulke clad Jew walk freely through an Arab quarter? I’ll let you answer that and then you can talk to me about apartheid. Meanwhile, it’s precisely your point of view that enables the continued perpetuation of violence in Israel with so much innocent blood being spilled.

EDUCATION BEGINS AT HOME

Dear Rabbi

How does one get their child into a Jewish school? There are too many waiting lists. I don’t think I have a chance for our three year old. Will the community take responsibility if my child goes to a non-Jewish school and then marries out one day?

Joanne

Dear Joanne

No they won’t take responsibility! Why should they? Here’s a newsflash. The school is only a small part of the Jewish educational process. It has a lot more to do with what the child sees and experiences at home. I grant you that Jewish education is paramount and I acknowledge the difficulty in getting into Jewish schools considering the demand. Don’t give up and keep appealing. Ultimately most kids that apply, do get in.

But I think it is a lot of gobbledygook when parents rely entirely on the school for their child’s education, or dare blame the system if their child ends up in a non-Jewish school. Even were you child to go to a Jewish school, if there is no consistency between what is being taught at school and the home environment, then it is far more the parents fault when things go wrong later in life. So whatever happens on the school front, I urge you to ensure Shabbat, kosher and everything else is up to standard. Then pray a little and hope to secure that placement.

APOCRYPHA…WHAT?

Dear Rabbi

I have heard about the Apocrypha but I am not entirely sure what it is. Also, is there a specific Jewish view on it?

Norman

Dear Norman

The Apocrypha refers to books that fall outside the biblical canon, such as the Book of Maccabees, which deals with the story of Chanukah, and The Book of Ben Sira, which is a collection of Proverbs. These books, unlike the books of the Tenach, were not written with Divine inspiration and while they contain some valuable information and wisdom, some maintain that they also contain ideas that are antithetical to authentic Judaism. So if you choose to read them, proceed with caution.

SHABBAT UK 2022

Dear Rabbi

I know it’s been a two year hiatus but do we really still need to be celebrating Shabbat UK?

Julia

Dear Julia

Most definitely! Now more than ever! It is a unique date on the calendar that encourages communities to join together, celebrate Shabbat together, be inspired together and hopefully grow together. I know it’s been a long two years and many people have fallen off the wagon as it were. But it is imperative not to fall prey to the apathy, rather to pick ourselves back up, reconnect with our fellow Jews and with our communities. Shabbat provides the perfect opportunity to that in a warm, relaxed and uplifting atmosphere. Here’s hoping you and everyone else will endeavour to be a part of it. Shabbat UK Shalom!

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Pirkei Avot

In Memory of Jacqueline Curzon A’H Perek 4: Mishna 7

Rabbi Yishmael the son of Rav Yose taught: One who refrains from judgement is saved from enmity, theft and false oaths. But one who is too hasty to issue halachic teachings is a fool, wicked person and haughty.

On the first teaching there are three explanations offered by the Rishonim - (1) A person who refrains from judgement where there are more qualified people to do so instead. (2) One who encourages the litigants to compromise (“mediation” in contemporary society may be an example of this). (3) It refers to each individual person - to avoid demanding of debtors or of being one who is indebted to others. Meaning, one should aim to pay their bills before they become a legal dispute. Court cases, even among observant Jews, can leave one side with a sour taste and therefore avoiding the need for these reduces the Dayan’s exposure to enmity. Theft is also sometimes a possible outcome of a court case, as the court may erroneously rule in favour of the wrong party. Finally, the possibility of a false oath is also present during a court case, as one side may end up needing to take an unnecessary oath or worse...

The Mishna concludes with the opposite of one who refrains from judgement - one who has no qualms preaching not thought-out Halachic rulings is not only a fool, (because one who is unlearned and thinks themselves as wise is a fool), they are also wicked, for they are misleading people and they are also arrogant, for they feel too confident to render Halachic rulings without the due process required.

Weekly Dvar Torah

FROM ERETZ YISRAEL Iyar – A Month Like No Other

BY RABBI DORON PEREZ

Iyar is the only month where the religious experience today is the opposite of what it was designated to be in Biblical times.

Iyar in the Torah was designated as a month of total anticipation and elation as we count up to the receiving of the Torah. The Sefer HaChinuch tells us that each day we count signifies a step of growing excitement as we prepare to re-experience our rendezvous with Divine revelation.

Yet, Jewish experience in the 2nd century changed all this, and it is now primarily a time of pain, tragedy and mourning. The sudden and tragic death of the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva, which happened predominantly in the month of Iyar, sharply altered the religious and emotional experience of this month.

Why did this particular tragedy, as opposed to so many other tragic massacres, evoke a time of collective mourning for future generations?

Undoubtedly, the death of such a large quantity and quality of Talmudic scholars effectively resulted in the decimation of Torah learning in Judea – an enormous tragedy in and of itself. But there is a twist in the plot. Although the Talmud mentions that they died of a disease called הָרָכְסַא, perhaps diphtheria, Rav Shreira Gaon maintains that they died as a result of דָמְׁש – a religious war. This means that they died during the Bar Kochba rebellion, as this was the only religious war at that time. Not sickness alone, therefore, caused this destruction but rather their death at the hands of the Romans.

Understanding the depth of the tragic failure of the Bar Kochba rebellion is crucial to understanding the depth of the loss and mourning that ensued.

The fall of Beitar and the vanquishing of the rebellion is one of the greatest tragedies of Jewish history. The Rambam goes as far as to say that this loss was as tragic as the day of the destruction of the Temple itself. Why?

Because of both the unparalleled loss in human terms as well as the devastating impact of these events on the national psyche. Historians at that time write that, in terms of human loss, the Bar Kochba rebellion was even more tragic quantitatively than in the Churban of Yerushalayim 65 years prior.

An additional element is that while many were killed and exiled, and Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed, the vast majority of Jews remained in Judea, building thriving communities with the Sanhedrin relocating to Yavneh. There was still hope for an imminent rebuilding of Jerusalem, just as it had been rebuilt following the previous 70-year Babylonian exile. Indeed, this was the aim and hope of Bar Kochba’s rebellion, supported by Rabbi Akiva. However, with the horrific fall of Beitar, a new period in history was ushered in. Judea was laid waste, the national infrastructure was destroyed and hope for imminent return was lost. This exile would be longer.

Iyar, the great month of spiritual exhilaration, was turned into a darker time of mourning for the destruction of the Torah world, and the loss of hope of the return to Jerusalem.

In the modern era, the month of Iyar has begun to be redeemed!

In addition to Lag BaOmer on the 18th of Iyar, we have two new modern miracle days of exhilaration – both signifying the beginning of redemption. The 5th of Iyar – the miraculous establishment of the State of Israel, and the 28th of Iyar – the liberation of the Old City of holy Jerusalem. Baruch Hashem, Iyar is slowly returning to its former glory from days of mourning of ‘Sefira’ to days of ‘Sefirat HaOmer’ – the anticipation with exhilaration of the wheat offerings in the Temple and the collective national acceptance of our treasured Torah. Rabbi Doron Perez is the Executive Chairman of World Mizrachi.

Emor Sidra Summary

1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – VAYIKRA 21:1-15

G-d instructs Moshe to tell the Kohanim not to come into contact with a corpse, with the exception of when burying specific close relatives. They are not allowed to shave their heads or wound themselves during a mourning period (Rashi). There are restrictions on whom Kohanim can marry. There is a mitzvah to show Kohanim specific forms of respect (Rashi). A Kohen Gadol is not allowed to bury a close relative, nor marry a widow.

2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 21:16-22:16

offerings in the Temple; however, he may still eat from the offerings. A Kohen who is ritually impure (tamei) can neither bring nor eat an offering until he is pure (tahor). The laws of terumah, the first crop tithe given to the Kohanim, are stated. Whilst this tithe should not be eaten by a non-Kohen, a Kohen’s wife and his Cana’anite servant are permitted to eat it.

3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) – 22:17-33

Offerings brought to the Temple must be free of certain blemishes which disqualify them. An animal cannot be brought as an offering until it is at least eight days old. Offerings have to be eaten within a certain time. There is a mitzvah to sanctify G-d’s Name.

4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 23:1-23:22

Laws of Shabbat and the festivals are listed. On Pesach, which lasts seven days, we eat matzot. The first and last days are Yom Tov, on which we refrain from specific prohibited activity (melacha). On the second day of Pesach, the barley Omer offering is brought. There is a mitzvah to count 49 days from 16 Nissan (the second night of Pesach) until the night before Shavuot. On Shavuot itself, the double bread wheat offering (shtei ha’lechem) is brought and melacha is forbidden. “These are the appointed festivals of G-d, the holy seasons which you shall fix in their appropriate time.”

(Vayikra 23:4)

5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 23:23-32

Rosh Hashanah is called ‘a day of shofar blasts’. Yom Kippur is a day of fasting. On these days, melacha is also forbidden, but the punishment for doing melacha on Yom Kippur is more severe. 6th Aliya (Shishi) – 23:33-44 On Succot we bring the four species (arba’a minim) and dwell in temporary booths (succot). The seven days of Succot are followed by Shemini Atzeret. On the first day of Succot and on Shemini Atzeret, we refrain from melacha.

7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 24:1-23

Menorah lighting in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Moshe is commanded to provide flour for the showbread (lechem hapanim) that is placed on the table (shulchan) and remains there for an entire week. A man is caught blaspheming and is sentenced and put to death.

Point to Consider: Who was the father of the blasphemer? (see Rashi to 24:10)

HAFTARAH

The prophet Yechezkel (Ezekiel) details the halachot which will pertain to Kohanim in Messianic times. Some of these laws are more stringent than those listed in the sidra.