Category Archives: Kli Yakar 2

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Flesh of my Flesh (Emor)

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Kli Yakar Emor

Flesh of my Flesh (Emor)

May the gods grant you all things which your heart desires, and may they give you a husband and a home and gracious concord, for there is nothing greater and better than this – when a husband and wife keep a household in oneness of mind, a great woe to their enemies and joy to their friends, and win high renown. -Homer, The Odyssey

Priests of the Jewish nation (Kohanim) are prohibited from approaching the dead. Whether in a hospital, a cemetery or even for the burial ceremony. Kohanim are only allowed to come in contact with the deceased from a short list of immediate family members. At the top of that list is the wife.

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), on Leviticus 21:2 explains both the unusual formulation for wife in the verse (‘sheero hakarov’ – literally, “his flesh that is close”) and why she’s mentioned first. He states that while the husband may be the classical breadwinner, the wife is the one who historically turned grain into food and threads into clothes.

The term ‘sheero hakarov’ indicates this proximity, that according to Rabbinic dictum, the wife is as his own body (‘ishto kegufo’). The Kli Yakar explains that in a smoothly operating household the wife is the one who “brightens his eyes and stands him on his feet.” More than a parent and more than a child, one’s spouse can and ideally should be as close to a unit as possible. In a healthy and loving relationship, spouses consider each other as one body, a pair that when unified is much stronger and more powerful than their individual selves.

May we each find and be cherished spouses.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the 2024 International Chidon Ha’Tanach (Bible Contest) that was conducted on Yom Ha’atzmaut. It was particularly inspiring and moving.

5784, AI art, Kedoshim, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha

The Power of Ten (Kedoshim)

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The Power of Ten (Kedoshim)

An individual can make a difference, but a team can make a miracle. -Doug Pederson

When I’m at a daily prayer gathering, it often happens that we are missing the tenth man that makes up the required quorum (minyan) to start communal prayer. There is a certain anxiety that sets in, in anticipation of the tenth man showing up.

In that context, one might think that prayer, which is generally a highly private, individual matter, is better, or at least equally good when done in solitude. It would be so much easier and perhaps even more conducive, to pray, where and when we wanted, without having to coordinate our schedule with at least nine other people.

However, Judaism does not seem to agree with such a view, especially regarding regular scheduled prayer.

There are a variety of Jewish rituals that require ten men in order to proceed. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), highlights this fact from Leviticus 19:2:

“Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.”

The Kli Yakar explains that ‘congregation’ refers to a minimum of ten men, and that a ‘holy’ act requires this number. Not only is this number required for ritual efforts, but ten Jewish men, united by one noble purpose, create holiness. There is some intrinsic otherworldly power in the gathering of at least ten men for divine service.

May we avail ourselves of such gatherings when we can.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Israel’s upcoming Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day). We have much to remember and much to be grateful for.

5784, Acharei Mot, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha

Bribing your way to God (Acharei Mot)

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Bribing your way to God (Acharei Mot)

 When I go to hell, I mean to carry a bribe: for look you, good gifts evermore make way for the worst persons. -John Webster

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619) claims that a way to get to God is to bribe the evil angel ‘Samael,’ an angel considered the guardian angel of the evil Esau and his descendants.

The account in the Book of Genesis tells us how our forefather Jacob masqueraded as his brother Esau in order to snatch the blessings intended for Esau from their blind father Isaac who was bestowing the blessing. The Kli Yakar (Leviticus 16:8) quotes a tradition that the day of the ruse and the blessings occurred on the day of the Passover Seder. There were two animals that were instrumental for the ploy of tricking Isaac: two goats.

The Kli Yakar states that these goats are mirrored in perhaps one of the most sacred sacrifices of the year, the goats of Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, two goats were chosen by the High Priest for wildly different endings. One was walked to the desert and pushed down a cliff to its death in one of the most unusual sacrifices described in the Torah. The other goat was sacrificed in the more conventional fashion in the Temple.

The Kli Yakar explains that both the desert goat and one of Jacob’s were meant as a bribe to the materialistic angel Samael. By appeasing this evil spirit, one is then free to sacrifice the second Passover animal to God. Jacob (and us, his descendants) are then able to receive the plethora of blessings that have a special force and power of reception on the day of the Seder, as well as the unique forgiveness that we are able to achieve solely on Yom Kippur.

May we know how to bribe whatever evil spirits we need to, in order to receive both the forgiveness of Yom Kippur and the great blessings of Passover.

Shabbat Shalom

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

 To the memory of Sheldon Schaffel z”l. May his family be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. 

5784, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Metzorah, Parsha

Lord of the Doppelganger Flies (Metzora)

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Lord of the Doppelganger Flies (Metzora)

If we were faultless we should not be so much annoyed by the defects of those with whom we associate. -Francois Fenelon

Ever heard a piece of really juicy gossip? A man cheated on his wife? A businessman caught for financial wrongdoing? Or some other nonsensical tidbit of embarrassing or deprecatory trivia? Well, according to Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), there is a high likelihood that the purveyors of such gossip are themselves guilty of the very same crimes they are so eager to point out.

According to the Kli Yakar on Leviticus 14, the gossiper is like a fly. A fly will scour the entire body of a person. The fly will inspect every inch of flesh and ignore the strong, whole, healthy skin. The fly will zoom in on any bit of exposed, unhealthy, putrid flesh. The fly will feast on the diseased part of the person.

The Kli Yakar adds an additional point. Such flies, such gossipers, are not only attracted to the bad in every person. They are attracted to those faults, those problems that mirror their own. They assume that others have the same faults and issues as they do and will gleefully point out that very fault in others.

So, the next time that a gossiper reveals the problems of others, take a step back and consider whether it is a confession on their part instead.

May we keep our ears and mouths closed to gossip. We might catch a fly.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To all the forces, national, international and divine, that intercepted the recent Iranian missile and drone barrages against us.

5784, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha, Tazria

Psychosomatic (Tazria)

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Psychosomatic (Tazria)

Psychosomatic: adjective: Psychological cause of physical symptoms or disorder.

Spiritual Malady

Science has demonstrated that one’s mental state can have a direct and negative effect on one’s physical well-being. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619) on Leviticus 13:2 states that a person’s health may reflect their spiritual condition.

The biblical disease known as ‘tzaraat’ and commonly mistranslated as leprosy (the only common denominator is, that both are skin conditions) is rabbinically attributed to the act of gossiping. The Kli Yakar adds two more character faults: haughtiness and avarice.

He explains that a function of disease is to bring to the surface various spiritual and character maladies. The Kli Yakar might have called it “Spirituosomatic”. He connects the three character defects to the three types of ‘tzaraat’:

‘se’et’ = elevated. Whoever is arrogant, whoever aims to raise himself above his fellow; this inner demon is brought to light.

‘sapachat’ = secondary. The Kli Yakar quotes Maimonides (‘The Eight Chapters’) that of all one’s acquisitions (wisdom, bravery, and positive traits) money is secondary and does not penetrate one’s persona as other acquisitions. Whoever is money-hungry – eventually his body will show it.

‘baheret’ = whiten. When one gossips, he eventually shames his fellow man, ‘whitening’ his face. The gossiper too will suffer the same fate.

Hence the disease is also called ‘metzora’ from the Hebrew ‘motze’ and ‘ra’, meaning to bring out the bad.

May we clean up our spiritual acts before they show on our bodies.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the birth of our granddaughter, Hila Renana Spitz, to Zavi and Elchanan. Mazal Tov!

5784, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha, Shmini

The Holy Fraud (Shemini)

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The Holy Fraud (Shemini)

The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat one’s self. All sin is easy after that. -Pearl Bailey

There is a creature that walks amongst us, sometimes it is us, who wear the garments of a saint. That creature dresses in the latest holy fashion. He wears the right garb and makes the right noises. He hangs out in holy enclaves and demonstrates great devotion. He shows the world how holy he is and makes sure his signs of holiness are visible for all to see. The Torah has a name for such a creature. The Torah names him a pig.

Yes. For some reason, the innocent, intelligent and highly sociable hog is considered traditionally to be the vilest of creatures. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619) on Leviticus 11:4, suggests why. As is widely known, pigs are not kosher animals – if anything, they are the antithesis and symbolic of the most non-kosher food one can consume. What is curious about the pig is that he actually does possess one of the two kosher mammalian traits and the most visible one at that: split hooves.

The pig has another interesting trait. It apparently sleeps with its hooves stretched out, as if to say: “Look at me! I have split hooves. I am kosher!” The Kli Yakar states:

“This teaches that all whose insides are not like their outside, as the fraudsters who present themselves as righteous; they are without doubt worse than the purely bad, whose insides and outsides are the same.”

May we beware of the fraud within ourselves and others.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

On the marriage of Hadassah Pieprz and Sason Sofer. Mazal Tov!

5784, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha, Tzav

Study vs. Action (Tzav)

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Study vs. Action (Tzav)

Criticism is a study by which men grow important and formidable at very small expense. He whom nature has made weak, and idleness keeps ignorant, may yet support his vanity by the name of a critic. -Samuel Johnson

I have met very knowledgeable and studious people over the years. There is one version of such educated people that for some reason always troubled me – the professional student. It’s that rare bird of academia who is constantly studying, constantly delving into wisdom or knowledge, but never taking it outside the study hall or classroom.

There is a deep line of thought throughout Jewish doctrine as to the value of study, particularly Torah study. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), on Leviticus 6:2, is no exception and he learns this from the extraneous phrase, “these are the laws of the burnt offering” and quotes the Talmudic explanation, that “whoever has learned the laws of the burnt offering, is as if he has sacrificed the burnt offering.” (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Menachot 110a). In some metaphysical fashion, study, just learning the theoretical aspects of some discipline, is converted, and considered the equivalent action, of having truly performed with one’s hands and body the subject being learned.

He adds, however, a notable caveat. Study is indeed a replacement for doing, but only when there exists an inability to do it. When a person has the ability to perform a commandment, to do the right thing, to accomplish what is within his power, but he sticks to his books, then according to the Kli Yakar, the person didn’t do anything and his study itself, though perhaps commendable, lacks the power of action.

May we be continuous students and perhaps more importantly, may we know how to turn that study into action.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the warm hospitality of Congregation Shaare Tefilla of Dallas, TX.

5784, AI art, Exodus, Kli Yakar 2, Parsha, Pekudai

Hazy Clarity (Pekudai)

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Hazy Clarity (Pekudai)

 The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. -Henri-Frédéric Amiel

The modern world is fond of absolutes. People like to be absolutely sure that the course of action they are engaging in is both correct and will turn out as promised. Hence the success of both fast-food establishments and processed food, amongst a host of modern developments. A certain consistency, predictability, is built into a processed chicken part that looks eerily like the next and the next and the next.

Thankfully, in our inefficient world, there are daily reminders of the vagrancy and fickleness of those who attempt to provide us with goods or services. A serviceman who promises to come in half an hour arrives four hours later, or four days later, or not at all. If we would hold all and everyone around us to the standard of perfection, human endeavor would come to a screeching halt.

There is little in life, whether relationships, efforts, or dreams which we can see with absolute clarity. And apparently that is by design.

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), makes an interesting observation at the end of the Book of Exodus (40:34). The Divine Presence descends onto the newly constructed Tabernacle. It is surrounded by a cloud. According to the Kli Yakar, the cloud is there to enable us to see God. It is impossible for mortals to see the clear, unobstructed vision of God. Hence, a haze is required in order to enable our perceiving the Divine Presence.

May we enjoy the haze of our reality, which enables us to experience it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the completion of the renewal project of the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem.

5784, AI art, Exodus, Ki Tisah, Kli Yakar 2, Parsha

Fall of the Island (Ki Tisah)

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Fall of the Island (Ki Tisah)

 No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee. -John Donne

The Children of Israel commit one of their worst national sins. They worship the Golden Calf. They worship an idol, shortly after God Himself commands them not to worship idols. In His wrath, God threatens to annihilate the nascent Jewish nation. Moses argues and pleads for mercy and God relents.

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), on Exodus 30:12 explains, that one of the ameliorating factors that invoked God’s mercy was that Israel sinned as a nation, but they were also judged as a nation. If they would have been judged as individuals, God would not have been as forgiving.

When judging individuals, God will scrutinize each person’s unique ‘balance sheet’ of good and bad, and when God takes the microscope to review our actions, we may not like the results. However, when we attach ourselves to a group, the merits of the group as a whole (assuming it’s a good group) can shield us from Divine wrath or even warranted justice and keep us in the purview of Divine mercy.

May we remain united for good purposes.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the speedy recovery of our cousin, Ari Spitz, who was very badly wounded this Tuesday in Gaza. May he have a full recovery and healing together with all the sick and injured of Israel.

5784, AI art, Exodus, Kli Yakar 2, Parsha, Terumah

Moderate Extremists and The Miraculous Middle (Trumah)

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Moderate Extremists and The Miraculous Middle (Trumah)

 One of the main tasks of theology is to find words that do not divide but unite, that do not create conflict but unity, that do not hurt but heal. -Henri Nouwen

My paternal grandparents were born in the same town but of different nationalities. The currently Ukrainian town of Beregszász was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The other nations that have since claimed and administered this vibrant town in the Carpathian mountains included Russia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and most recently, Ukraine. It sits at the current intersection or close to Romania, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary.

My father often likes to point out some of the personalities that this town gave birth to. My grandparents were apparently middle-of-the-road Jews, working people, modern in the sense of clothing and working with Gentiles, yet respectful and learned in the Jewish laws and traditions. There were a number of ultra-Orthodox Chasidic Rabbis on one hand, and on the other hand, it was also the birthplace of Rabbi Hugo Gryn who went on to become an extremely popular leader of Reform Judaism in the UK.

From my grandfather’s point of view, he might have considered himself in the middle of this spectrum of Judaism. Yet one might also argue that both the ultra-Orthodox Rabbis and Rabbi Hugo Gryn also saw themselves firmly and properly in the middle of their worldviews.

In Exodus Chapter 26, Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), recounts how there was a miracle surrounding the central pole that connected the beams of the Tabernacle. There is a tradition that the pole was able to bend in a supernatural fashion and thereby group all the beams together, from one end of the Tabernacle to the other.

According to the Kli Yakar, there are three other things that have the power to join disparate elements together, to unite even extremes. That is the prime purpose of the Tabernacle (and afterwards the Temple) to join Heaven and Earth, the spiritual to the material, the elevated to the mundane. The second item is stars. Apparently, in some cosmological sense that I don’t fully understand, stars are bridges between our world and otherworldly, cosmic forces. I’ll just take the Kli Yakar’s word for it.

The third and final uniter is man himself. Man has the ability to encompass an extreme divergence of viewpoints. Man can bring together people from opposite sides of political, religious, economic, educational, and almost any other divergence we can think of. Man has that power.

May we learn to unite what is appropriate and stay away from the rest.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the incredible rescue of two of our hostages. May they all be returned safe and sound.