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December 2020
1A. By tradition, the eight Chanukah candles are lit in sequence from the left to the right. Don’t be disturbed if you forget, as there have been various candle lighting practices over the years. According to the “Jewish Book of Why”, the current one evolved to give equal weight to the right and left sides, to show that God’s presence is everywhere. The candles are inserted from right to left (like Hebrew is written), then lit from left to right. Thus the last or newest candle, “tonight’s candle”, is always the first one lit. The very useful ninth candle, which lights all the other candles, is called the Shamash, meaning “servant” or “helper”.
The number of candles to be lit each night was a subject of debate between the famed schools of Hillel and Shammai. The Shammai people felt that eight candles should be lit on the first night of Hanukkah and then decrease by one the number of candles to be lit each night. Hillel’s school had the opposite approach, holding that the number of candles should increase each night, starting with one candle and concluding with eight. Like so many of the arguments between the two schools, we now follow the Hillel way.
2A. There is indeed some basis for the shnorrer's outrage. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, the renowned author, relates this often-told joke in his entertaining "Jewish Humor". According to Telushkin's rabbi friend, as far as Jewish law is concerned, the beggar was justified. "In a very real sense, it was his money, for the rich man and the poor man were both participants in a culture that was based on the premise that all property is ultimately God's, not man's, and that charity is a commandment, not a favor. Only among a people in whose language the same word means justice and charity could such a story be told". Incidentally, under the same Jewish law code, the beggar himself is obligated to give charity, though only within his more modest means. For example, he could have given the rich man's wife a nice pair of mittens. Tzedakah is an ethical obligation for all Jews.
November 2020
1A. Their Hebrew names do indeed say much about the purpose of our most important Jewish texts. At the foundation is the “Torah”, which means teaching or instruction in Hebrew.
* The Zohar, the central work of Jewish mysticism written in the 16th century CE, translates to “radiance”, a reflection on its many brilliant insights.
* The Mishnah, the Jewish Law Code, means “repetition”. The Mishnah was the written recording of earlier generations repeating the oral law over and over, passing it from teacher to disciple.
* The Ketuvi’im, the last of three great sections of the Bible – after the Torah and Nevi’im (prophets) – means “writings” in Hebrew. The writings consisted of an assorted set of 13 books from Psalms on through Ruth and Daniel and concluding with Chronicles.
* The Siddur, our familiar prayerbook, defines the sequence or “order” of prayers in the service. Both the Siddur and the Passover Seder are derived from the Hebrew root for “order”. Incidentally, the Hebrew expression for "OK" is "B'Seder" meaning. [everything's] "in order".
* The Talmud contains interpretations and commentaries on the Mishnah, intricate discussions by sages of many generations and viewpoints. This enormous collection has been the preoccupation of scholars for centuries, so it is very fitting that the Hebrew root of Talmud is “study”. A related Hebrew word is "talmid" or "student".
2A. All the religious leaders mentioned challenged the Lord in one way or another. As recounted in Genesis 18:23 –32, Abraham bargained with Lord about the number of innocent people to be found to avoid the destruction of the wicked city of Sodom. On many occasions, Moses questioned the Lord, for example when he tries to avoid the initial directive to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. In Exodus 6:12, Moses appeals to the Lord to release him because “the Israelites will not listen to me; how should the Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech”.
Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev was a beloved Hasidic rabbi who lived in the Ukrainian town of Berdichev at the end of the eighteenth century. Though heavily persecuted for much of earlier life by opponents of Hasidism, he did not become bitter. Among his community, he came to be seen as the defender of the Jewish people, perpetually pleading with God on their behalf. Seeing a youth smoking on the Sabbath' Levi Isaac asked him whether he realized what he was doing' and the young man replied "Yes' I am sinning knowingly/" The Rabbi looked to heaven and said "God, see the holiness of Your people who would rather admit that they sin than tell a lie"! Finally, Genesis 32:23-33 recalls the episode when, after crossing the ford of the Jabbok, Jacob wrestled all night with the divine stranger. The stranger would not give his name, but told Jacob
His name would thereafter be “Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed”.
October 2020
1A. The Yom Kippur morning Haftarah encourages us to overcome our discomfort and look at fasting in a constructive way. Isaiah maintains that fasting and inward self-mortification are by themselves of no value, but that the fasts the Lord desires are “to let the oppressed go free…share your bread with the hungry…clothe the naked…do not ignore your own kin”. We fast so we can understand the hunger of others …and then hopefully do something about it. As Arthur Waskow paraphrases this passage, it is this “outward help to others that God demands and recognizes as the deed that brings atonement”. The notion of a “Second Isaiah” comes from the observation that there are two distinctly different styles in the single book of Isaiah, the first extending through the first 39 chapters. The “Second Isaiah”, the putative author of the remaining chapters, completes the book, exhibiting much more lyricism and far less concern with past history.
2A. “Jewish Wisdom”, another of Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s wonderful works on Judaism, opens with an explanation of the four probing questions from the Talmud’s tractate Shabbat. These are the four that are to be asked each of us when we go before the heavenly court for judgment. The first and most important question is “Did you conduct your affairs honestly?”. The Talmud clearly asserts the primacy of ethics and fairness here. In another passage, it is written “If one is honest in business dealings and people esteem him, it is accounted to him as though he had fulfilled the whole Torah”. The next question should be no surprise - “Did you set aside regular time for Torah study?”. Next is “Did you work at having children?”. And finally, “Did you look forward to the world’s redemption?”.
September 2020
1A. Many meaningful traditions have become associated with Rosh Hashanah over the years. Chapter 23 of Leviticus mandates a celebration on the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) and calls for the blowing of the shofar. The suggestion is one of rest and renewal, though the day is not yet called Rosh Hashanah. The day was thus referred by other names, such as Yom Teruah (day of sounding the Shofar), Yom HaZicharon (day of remembering), and Yom HaDin (day of judgement). By the time of the codification of the Mishnah in the first centuries of the Common Era, the day had come to mark the new year and the passing of judgment on the world, when our fortunes are written in the Book of Life.
Not much later, during Talmudic times (200-500 C.E.), Babylonian Jews began to treat Elul – the month before Tishrei – in a special way. They studied, thought, and prepared for the renewal in their lives for forty days, the thirty days of Elul plus the ten days of Tishrei through Yom Kippur. The custom of Tashlich originated last of all. Tashlich comes from the Hebrew “you will cast” and this is quite descriptive as we cast out the contents of our pockets and throw bread into a nearby body of water. According to Aurthur Waskow, in his wonderful book on Jewish holidays “Seasons of Our Joy”, there is no mention of Tashlich until late Medieval times. Then it spread from Europe to the Sephardic regions in the sixteenth century, primarily through the influence of the mystical Kabbalists of the town of Safed (formerly Tsfat) in Galilee.
2A. When they told us that Yom Kippur was a very happy day, the Talmudic rabbis were not kidding. They clearly knew something of our human emotional makeup. As Rabbi Joseph Telushkin points out in his wonderful book ”Jewish Literacy”, the goal of Yom Kippur is not self-mortification but reconciliation – between people and between each of us and God. This is a time to reflect, to repair and renew. If we participate fully, Yom Kippur can be a healthy cathartic experience and we can make “peace with everyone we know and with God”. It is thus no surprise that happiness, a happiness accompanied by a deeper serenity, is but one of Yom Kippur’s benefits.
August 2020
1A. Many ritual customs have roots in a particular passage in the Bible – like the mezuzah, the tzitzit or fringes of the talit, and the elimination of leavening during Passover. A mezuzah, which literally means “doorpost” in Hebrew, fulfills the mitzvah of Deuteronomy 6:9 – “And you shall write these commandments on the doorposts of your house”. A mezuzah is a piece of parchment on which this passage in the Shema are written. The commandment for tzitzit can be found in Numbers 15:38, where God tells Moses to “speak to the Israelite people and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue at each corner”. Passover rituals are very well described in Exodus. In verse 13:7 Moses says to the assembled masses “throughout the seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten; no unleavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found in all your territory”.
The Star of David and the kippah cannot claim inspiration from the Bible. In fact, the earliest Jewish usage of the Star of David was adapted “from medieval Arabic literature by Kabbalists for use in talismanic protective amulets (segulot) where it was known as the Seal of Solomon among Muslims”. Kippah simply means “dome” in Hebrew, as the kippah is worn on the head like a dome.
2A. Today Ohabei Shalom is at home in a magnificent Byzantine building on Beacon Street in Brookline. This is Boston’s oldest congregation, founded in 1842, in what is today the Theatre District of the South End. They built Boston’s first synagogue in 1852 on Warrenton Street (then called just Warren Street), which runs off Stuart Street between Charles and Tremont. The next home for Ohabei Shalom, from 1863-1886, situated diagonally opposite from the first synagogue, was the building that now houses the Charles Playhouse on Warrenton Street. In 1887 the congregation moved to still larger quarters further into the South End. And in 1928 they moved to their current site in Brookline. The Touro Synagogue was found by descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews, who had arrived in Newport as early as 1658. Ohabei Shalom in Boston was established by recently arrived German and Polish Ashkenazic Jews.
June 2020
1A. The Jewish traditions involving tzedakah towards others have developed through the centuries and have served Jewish communities in times of plenty as well as times of crisis. From the Torah, the Talmud, the writings of Maimonides, and other sages, a consensus has emerged on a number of issues regarding giving and receiving from others. All should give and those in a time of need should receive. With this tenet in mind, the more specific instances in this question are all “yes”.
a. Yes, rich people should not give too much, even though they might be able to afford more. The Talmud advises that one should not give more than a fifth of one’s income. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin notes that this upper limit on charity enables sensitive people to “enjoy their possessions without guilt”. And in practice it means they will also have reserves to give in the future.
b. Yes, the Jewish position is that poor people must also give. This is everybody’s responsibility. The Babylonian Talmud states “Even the poor man who himself survives on charity should give charity”. And few have said it better than Anne Frank did at 14 years old when she wrote “give of yourself … you can always give something, even if it is only kindness…No one has ever become poor by giving” – Dairy of a Young Girl, March, 1944.
c. Yes, it is greater to give when the recipient does not know who you are. The great medieval Jewish sage Maimonides, in his classification of the eight different levels of giving, assigned a higher level to anonymous gifts.
d. Yes, if you are needy, you must accept assistance. Once other alternatives are exhausted, it is perfectly acceptable for one to accept help to meet basic needs. The great sixteenth century rabbi Joseph Karo, compiler of the Jewish law code “Shulkhan Arukh”, put it this way, “whoever cannot survive without taking charity, such as an old, sick, or greatly suffering individual, but who stubbornly refuses to accept aid, is guilty of murdering himself”. We are commanded to take care of ourselves. And in fact, the very taking of tzedakah enables another to fulfill the mitzvah of giving tzedakah.
2A. It took a long while – more than a millennium - for the Jews to accept that their religious practice could not be centered on the Temple in Jerusalem. The First Temple was built in Solomon’s time sometime after 1000 BCE. It was destroyed in 586 BCE and the Babylonian exile followed. Several decades later, the returnees rebuilt a Second Temple and not long after religious practice was systematized and centralized at Jerusalem by Ezra. Several centuries later the Temple was profaned by the Syrian tyrant Antiochus. Forces led by the Maccabees subsequently recaptured Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple in 164 BCE. Then in 70 CE came the destruction of the Temple at the hands of Roman legions led by the future Emperor Titus. For several generations afterwards, the Jews still nurtured hope for a return to a new Temple. It was only after the failure of the Bar Kochba rebellion in 135 CE, when Jerusalem and the Judean lands were depopulated by the Romans, that many began to see the inevitability of losing what had been the focus of their religion.
A more recent example of a faith losing its traditional homeland occurred in 1959 when the 14th Dalai Lama went into exile in India, leaving Tibet in the face of the Communist takeover there. As this leader of six million Buddhists was dealing with this diaspora, he consulted with leaders of all the main branches of Judaism, saying ''We have to learn from the experiences of our Jewish brothers and sisters''.
May 2020
1A. Shavout is the plural of shavua (Week) in Hebrew. The Festival of Shavuot occurs exactly fifty days after the first day of Passover. In between, time was kept by counting the omer, which is a sheaf of barley. People would bring an “omer” of barley to offer to God in hopes of a good wheat crop. This was done for a “week of weeks” or forty-nine days, then the fiftieth day was Shavuot. The barley began ripening around Pesach, and by Shavuot the wheat was usually ready. This would therefore naturally be not only a time to bring the fruits of the barley harvest to market in Jerusalem but also a cause for celebration. This day is also celebrated as the date on which Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai, perhaps the most significant in the history of the Jews. In modern times, receiving Torah, or “teaching” is observed by staying up all night Erev Shavuot, studying. In recent years at Beth Elohim, there have been regular gatherings that discussed all variety of Jewish topics right through to midnight. This year the event will be virtual, but hopefully, this in person version will be renewed in post-Covid-19 times. There is no particular day traditionally associated with either the arrival of Joshua in Canaan or Elijah’s ascension to heaven.
2A. The literal meaning of “l’chaim” is “to life”. And, as Dr. Susan Hockfield will explain in her May 27, life and life sciences are the key to next technology revolution. Her latest book “The Age of Living Machines” discusses the beginning of this revolution, now dubbed “Convergence 2.0.” Just as Convergence 1.0 created an explosion of new possibilities by combining engineering discipline and a deeper fundamental understanding of physics, Convergence 2.0 is creating another wave of innovation in the 21st century. Products now coming to market include batteries made by viruses, protein-based water filters, bacteria that “eat” oil spills and many, many more. Beth Elohim has hosted several Acton Discovery Museum’s Speaker Series talks, all of which are free and open to the general public. This connection is especially appropriate since the Discovery Museum is just a few blocks away and was founded by a Beth Elohim congregant, Don Verger, back in 1982.
April 2020
1A. Passover is indeed a wonderful holiday. It captures a timeless message of liberty for all of us. Each year we ourselves, not some remote ancestor, are the ones escaping from Egypt and slavery. So when was the first Passover celebrated? After a little reflection, you may remember that day got its name when the avenging hand of the Lord passed over the homes of the Israelites. As instructed, they had smeared their doorposts with lamb’s blood to avoid the consequences of the tenth plague, the death of the first-born. Chapter twelve of Exodus recounts all this and also includes the details of how the Passover lamb is to be selected and prepared. Then in verse 11, the community is commanded to “eat it hurriedly: it is a Passover offering to the Lord”. So the first Passover occurred in Egypt, on the night before the Israelites fled from Egypt. If we accept the historicity of this event and the scholars’ best guesses on dates, this first Pesach occurred sometime before the end of the reign Pharaoh Rameses II in 1225 BCE, over thirty-two centuries ago. The second one was a while in coming; it was celebrated 40 years later when the Israelites entered the promised land, as recounted in Joshua 5:10.
2A. Since their takeover in 1939, the Nazis had been systematically shipping off most of the Warsaw’s half million Jews to concentrations camps and starving those who were left. Their numbers had been reduced to about 60,000, or less than an eighth of the pre-war population, when the revolt began in a response to a 3AM invasion on Passover night of 1943. The Germans retreated, but soon their deadly counterattack began. Despite being completely outgunned, facing tanks and machine guns, the Warsaw Jews managed somehow to resist for almost an entire month. Until this time, no civilian urban population had offered any resistance to the mighty Nazi war machine. The tenacity and heroism of these starving people was quickly reported throughout Europe and the world, no doubt inspiring further resistance.
March 2020
1A. Five of the books of Ketuvim (the Writings) share with the Five Books of Moses (the Torah) the distinction of being read completely during the synagogue service each year. These books are traditionally called the five scrolls (megillot) since each is written on its own scroll. Thus we hear "the whole megilla" on the customary holiday for each. As noted in the question itself, the Book of Esther is read on Purim. The Song of Songs, with its sensuous love poems, is recited on Passover, followed by the Book of Ruth, the story of the first Jewish convert, on Shavu'ot. The Book of Lamentations is read on Tisha b'Av, when we lament the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. And on Sukkot, the reading of the Book of Ecclesiastes completes the cycle of the megillot.
2A. Shabbat Shirah typically occurs in January, when the Torah reading contains the “Song of the Sea”. After the escape from Pharaoh’s army through the Sea of Reeds, the Israelites celebrated their good fortune in song. Verses 20 and 21 of Chapter 15 in Exodus relate that “Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. And Miriam chanted for them, “Sing to God, for God has triumphed gloriously… “. Our choir spends several months practicing for this very special event. They want to make sure it does not get snowed out, so that’s why we wait until March for this not-to-be-missed service in song.
February 2020
1A. No one is sure exactly how many volumes Beth Elohim library holds, but the best guess is just over 3,000 books, every one relating to some aspect Jewish history, religion or culture. Even with the generous contributions of our congregants and friends over the years, there is no possibility of surpassing the collection of the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem. This is the central library of Hebrew University's Jerusalem campus as well as the national library of the State of Israel. Its vast collections include over 3 million volumes, and thousands of manuscripts, many of them priceless. The Library has material in all the Jewish languages -- Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, etc. -- of every place and period. Today its collections of Hebraica and Judaica are the largest in the world.
2A. The Five Books of Moses, the Torah, are at the center of the Jewish faith, so naturally the names of these Books have been a center of attention throughout the ages. The English names are familiar enough, but not - at least to most of us - the original Hebrew names. As noted in the initial question, the Hebrew name is usually taken from the first significant word in the text of that Book. Genesis begins with the word B'reishit, which is its Hebrew name meaning "in the beginning". Exodus opens with a listing of the names of Jacob's sons, and so is known as Sh'mot, Hebrew for “names” as in its initial passage "These are the names of the sons of Israel…". The Hebrew name of the priestly Book of Leviticus is its first word, Va-yikra, or 'He called'. In the initial verse of this book, the Lord calls to Moses giving him instructions on proper sacrifice. The Book of Numbers is a chronicle of Israel's journey through the desert. Its Hebrew name, B'midbar, means "in the wilderness”, the deserts of Judea and Sinai. In the opening passages, the Lord speaks to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, telling him to take a census (i.e. determine the 'numbers') of the whole Israelite community. The Book of Deuteronomy consists of several long speeches by Moses just before his death. The Hebrew name D'varim, meaning "these are the words", comes directly from the first lines, "These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan…". A rose by any other name may indeed smell as sweet, but it's hard to conceive of the Torah without these names.
January 2020
1A. Of the group listed, Moses is the oldest. Given the Biblical and historical clues, it is believed he lived sometime around 1300 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era). Buddha and Confucius both were born in the sixth century B.C.E., Buddha in India and Confucius in China; Lao Tse was also born in China in this same century, but much less is known about his life. This century apparently was a time of general turmoil throughout the ancient world, including the destruction of the First temple in Jerusalem. A little earlier, in the seventh century B.C.E., Zoroaster, known to Greeks as Zarathustra, was born into the priestly tribe of the Magi in Persia (modern Iran). His followers ultimately migrated to India, where they are known as Parsees (Persians). Mohammed was born over a millennium afterwards in 569 C.E., and a little over a century later his followers controlled an empire. Also, many scholars now believe Jesus’ birth occurred a few years earlier than was once supposed, probably in 6 B.C.E.
2A. Reverend Martin Luther King had a very special affection for Jewish people, and the feeling was mutual. In fact, during the heyday of the civil rights movement in the 50’s and 60’s, it is estimated that Jews contributed about half of the support funds – far out of proportion to their numbers in the general population or even the progressive community. It is worth noting that Dr. King also had a special connection with the Boston area. He received his doctorate at Boston University. His use of nonviolent civil disobedience to achieve social goals earned him a Nobel Prize. Dr. King further developed this great nonviolent tradition, rooted in the writings of Concord’s Henry David Thoreau, that India’s great Mahatma Gandhi brought to the world’s attention. |