Category Archives: Kedoshim

5783, Acharei Mot, AI art, Bat Ayin, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Parsha

Sorcerous Overconfidence (Acharei-Kedoshim)

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Sorcerous Overconfidence (Acharei-Kedoshim)

Sorcery is the sauce fools spoon over failure to hide the flavor of their own incompetence. -George R. R. Martin

Coins by Wall

There is a fascinating Midrash connected to the Torah reading from last week, which relates that the Canaanites would hide their wealth and treasures in the walls of their homes. After the conquest of Canaan, the young Israelite nation took over their houses. Some of these houses developed Tzaraat, an unusual discoloration of the walls. Following the commandments of the Torah, and after careful inspection by the Kohen, the discolored stones from the wall were removed. And lo and behold, the new Jewish occupants of these houses discovered treasure and wealth in those walls.

The Bat Ayin on Leviticus 18:3, which states that we should not do acts like the Egyptians or the Canaanites, asks why the Canaanites didn’t take their wealth with them when fleeing from the Israelite invasion. He answers that the Canaanites had among them powerful sorcerers. These sorcerers may have been from the same school or group as the ones in Pharaoh’s employ during the showdown with Moses and the onslaught of the plagues that devastated Egypt. In any case, the Canaanites were so confident in their sorcerous power and so unbelieving in God or in God’s ability to harm them that they couldn’t imagine being overrun by the approaching mass of former slaves. Hence, they kept their treasure hidden inside the stone walls of their homes. When the Jewish nation finally did conquer Canaan, as promised by God, it was too late for the Canaanites to retrieve their hidden wealth.

The Torah states how the Canaanites were a highly corrupt people. Besides for their corruption, their promiscuity and their idolatrous practices, the Canaanites apparently believed in their superiority, sorcerous prowess, and control of their world. They didn’t believe in an omnipotent God who may have other plans. Their overconfidence and hubris caused them to underestimate the non-sorcerous Jewish people approaching them. Not only did they lose their homes and their lands, as God promised, but they also lost their portable wealth.

May we be wary of our own overconfidence in the works of our hands or our belief in the extent of our control of the world.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the community of Congregation Beth Torah for their fantastic hospitality and a wonderful Shabbat.

5782, Chidushei HaRim, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Parsha

Seeing the Instructions (Kedoshim)

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Seeing the Instructions (Kedoshim)

What we learn only through the ears makes less impression upon our minds than what is presented to the trustworthy eye. -Horace

The Torah reading of Kedoshim deals with the concept of sanctity, of being holy, transcendent. It covers a wide range of topics: respecting our parents, keeping the Sabbath, avoiding idol worship, offering the sacrifices to God in the correct form, leaving of your crops to the poor. The list goes on and on.

The Chidushei HaRim on Leviticus 19:11, noting the parallels and repetitions of the Ten Commandments here, recalls how at Mount Sinai when the Ten Commandments were presented, it says that the Jewish nation “saw the sounds.” Besides the normal impossibility for humans to see sound waves unaided, the Chidushei HaRim wonders as to what the purpose for us would be to have been able to visualize the words that God was uttering to the nation of Israel.

He explains that there was a very straightforward reason that has to do with some of the nuances and idiosyncrasies of the Hebrew language. He gives the example of the command not to steal, which phonetically is pronounced “Lo tignovu.” “Lo” in Hebrew is spelled with a Lamed and an Alef. However, there is a phonetically similar word, likewise pronounced “Lo” but spelled with a Lamed and a Vav, which translated in this context would mean “for him, steal” which is diametrically opposed to the command not to steal.

As such, it became imperative for the Jewish people to see the words, to see the written spelling of God’s commands to remove any doubt or hesitation as to what God’s intentions were. Therefore, God needed to miraculously provide visual captions for all the commandments, besides the powerful audio feed.

May we realize that just hearing something isn’t always enough. Sometimes things literally need to be visually spelled out to be properly understood and absorbed.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Nachshon Lustig on his Bar-Mitzvah. Mazal Tov!

5781, Acharei Mot, Bechor Shor, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Parsha

Love wins over Hate (Acharei Mot – Kedoshim)

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Love wins over Hate (Acharei Mot – Kedoshim)

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Torah attempts to legislate a good, just, socially responsible society. It introduces multiple laws, a significant percentage of which remain the foundation of Western civilization: The more obvious ones like don’t murder and don’t steal; setting up courts; convictions based on corroborated and verified testimony; financial laws legislating honest business practices and safeguarding of the consumer, and much more.

However, the Torah’s concern for how we relate to our fellow man seems to take this social responsibility to extremes, to even regulate how we feel about our fellow man, even people who we may have good reason to dislike.

In this week’s reading, the Torah commands us not to gossip, not to hate our brothers in our heart, not to take vengeance, or not even to bear a grudge.

Elsewhere, the Torah strengthens the command of not hating nor bearing a grudge, by giving a specific example. If you see a person that you hate struggling with his laden donkey, you must help him.

The Bechor Shor on Leviticus 19:18 touches on the danger of pent-up hatred. If there’s an issue, if your friend did something untoward, it should be pointed out (if possible and if it will be productive). Holding a grudge is unhealthy and eventually leads to even more destructive vengeance of one type or another.

The Bechor Shor explains that God is telling us that “your love of Me (God) can outweigh your hatred of your friend.” If your friend asks you to lend him something, when he didn’t help you in your time of need, even though he was ostensibly able to, nonetheless, you are commanded to help him. Don’t take even petty vengeance or have a grudge that grows and festers into cancerous vindictiveness that contaminates human relations.

Rather, through one’s love of God, one can overcome and even forget one’s hatred. Eventually, forced graciousness will lead to genuine rapprochement, renewed peace, and stronger friendship.

May we find ways to make peace with friends we may have offended, and vice-versa.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedications

On the birth of our great-nephew, Yehoshua Yechiel Spitz. Mazal Tov!

On our son Netanel’s enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces.

5780, Acharei Mot, Joseph, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Meshech Chochma, Parsha

Liability for Ancient Sins? (AchareiMot-Kedoshim)

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Liability for Ancient Sins? (AchareiMot-Kedoshim)

It is an old habit with theologians to beat the living with the bones of the dead. -Robert G. Ingersoll

Joseph Thrown into a Pit – David Colyn

When a child of mine apologizes for something they did, I will sometimes counter that the apology is not very meaningful if they go on to repeat their wrongdoing. That principle, in essence, lies at the heart of an old theological conundrum that the Torah presents us with. One on hand, there is a verse in Deuteronomy that clearly states that sons will not be punished for their father’s sins, nor the fathers for their son’s sins. However, we have other places where the Torah states that God “will visit the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children.”

First of all, that doesn’t seem very fair. Second of all, how do we resolve the contradiction? Are children punished for their parents’ sins or not?

The Meshech Chochma on Leviticus 16:30 brings the relatively famous answer from the Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Sanhedrin 27b) that children are only punished for their parents’ sins if they continue the sins of their parents. However, the Meshech Chochma deepens this equation, making us liable for ancient sins as well as dividing the sins into two broad categories.

He states that whenever we violate a ritual command, a command that is predominantly between us and God, we somehow also become guilty of our ancestors’ sin of the Golden Calf. When we violate an interpersonal command, an infraction between us and our fellow Jew, that sin is connected back through millennia to the sin of Joseph’s brothers who sold him into slavery.

He learns this from a fascinating detail of the High Priest’s breastplate. The names of all of Jacob’s sons are etched onto the stones of the breastplate, except for one, Joseph. Having Joseph’s name there would be too stark a reminder of that ancient sin and it wouldn’t do for the High Priest, who is an agent of forgiveness and pardon, to have such an obvious reminder of that sin between brothers. It is also a reason why the breastplate, which was imbued with prophetic powers, ceased to work after the division of the monarchy into ten northern tribes (Kingdom of Israel) and two southern tribes (Kingdom of Judah) after the death of King Solomon. If there was no brotherly unity, the breastplate could not fulfill its ultimate function of being a conduit for divine communications.

If we don’t learn from our parents’ and our ancestors’ mistakes, if we repeat them, we are held accountable for those very mistakes. The point is we should have learned from them. If we do learn from them, if we repent, then those original sins are somehow also pardoned.

In our Yom Kippur liturgy, we quote God’s response to Moses of “and I will pardon you as per your words,” which occurs immediately after the sin of the Golden Calf. That is our pardon for the ritual sins for which we’ve repented. However, we also have the language of “and a pardoner of the tribes of Yeshurun.” That is the pardon for the sins we’ve committed against our brothers from which we’ve repented.

May we learn from our own and our ancestors’ mistakes, and not repeat them.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the State of Israel, on the 72nd anniversary of its reestablishment.

5779, Berdichever, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Parsha, The Times of Israel

Tame the body, unleash the soul (Kedoshim)

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Tame the body, unleash the soul (Kedoshim)

You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience. -Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

At the very beginning of this week’s Torah reading, God commands us “to be holy, for I, your God, am holy.” The Berdichever tries to dig deeper into what is meant by “holiness” and what are the practical steps for approaching holiness.

He explains that the road to holiness starts with awe of God. Awe of God is the key that leads to the observance and performance of the commandments. One of the more sublime purposes of the commandments is to wean us from our physical and materialistic attachments. As human beings, we are wired with intense physical desires and needs. When we focus too much on satisfying those needs, unconstrained, we diminish the spiritual and divine in ourselves.

The Sages have long stated that the 248 Positive commandments correspond to the 248 limbs of the body, and that the 365 prohibitions correspond to the 365 tendons in the body (caveat: this is not according to modern medical taxonomy). The commandments are meant on one hand to weaken the physicality of our material selves, to diminish our mortal, human element, and on the other hand, to strengthen our spiritual selves, to enhance our immortal, divine soul.

It is a constant and ongoing battle between the physical and the spiritual, between the body and the soul. Without any direction, without commandments, without God in our lives, without awe of God, the body, the physical has the advantage. The end of a life of materiality and pursuing physical gratification, is indeed as the Mishna in Pirkei Avot states, the “dirt and worms” of the grave. However, people who can control themselves, who can restrain themselves, who can follow divine directives, who abide by Godly guidelines, their end will not be underground. They are assured of a permanent, eternal link to the infinite. They are giving up the temporal for the timeless, the ephemeral for the eternal.

Holiness is a constraint of the physical, of realizing we are spiritual, of believing in God and being in awe of Him, of learning and following the guidelines He has given us and of strengthening our natural connection to Him.

May our strengthening spirituality lead to higher levels of holiness.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the memory of Lori Gilbert-Kaye hy”d, who was killed at the Poway synagogue shooting.

 

5778, Acharei Mot, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Parsha, Rabbeinu Bechaye, The Times of Israel

Don’t Curse the Deaf (Acharei-Kedoshim)

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Don’t Curse the Deaf (Acharei-Kedoshim)

Obscenity, which is ever blasphemy against the divine beauty in life… is a monster for which the corruption of society forever brings forth new food, which it devours in secret. -Percy Bysshe Shelley

There is an unusual command in the Torah not to curse a deaf person. On the surface it doesn’t make sense. What’s the big deal? They don’t hear it. It doesn’t hurt or offend them. Why is the Torah hyper-sensitive as to what we say, especially when the subject of our cursing can’t even hear it?

Rabbeinu Bechaye on Leviticus 19:14 (Kedoshim) gives two answers.

The first answer is that if God is so concerned about what we say to or about someone who is incapable of hearing our words, how much more so must we be careful when speaking to or about someone who can hear our words. If the Torah explicitly commands us not to curse someone who won’t be impacted, hurt, offended or embarrassed by our cursing them, then we clearly need to refrain from doing so to someone who will be hurt by our words.

The second answer is that God’s concern in this case is not actually for the deaf person. The deaf person due to his inability to hear is indeed protected from hearing foul language or anything derogatory directed towards him. God is concerned for the one cursing, even if nobody else hears them. There is something contaminating, spiritually corrosive, about cursing, that chips away at a person’s soul. That is the reason for God’s strange warning. It’s not to protect the one being cursed, but rather to protect the one cursing.

God is always listening. God never forgets. There is a divine eternal record of all of our actions, of all of our words and even of all of our thoughts. God here is commanding that our words should be clean. Our words should not harm or offend. Our words are what make us human. They are a divine gift which enables us to live together, to work together, to love, to share, to show tenderness, compassion, friendship. God is warning us not to abuse that gift. God will judge us by the words we choose to use, even if nobody else hears them.

May we think before we speak.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To my beloved State of Israel on the 70th anniversary of its re-establishment.

5777, Acharei Mot, Hirsch, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Parsha, The Times of Israel

Double-Edged Stubbornness

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Double-Edged Stubbornness

Obstinacy in a bad cause is but constancy in a good. -Sir Thomas Browne

One of the highlights of the service of the High Priest in the Temple on Yom Kippur was the unusual sacrifice procedure of the two goats. Two identical, or as close to two identical goats were selected. They needed to be of the same appearance, size and value. A lottery was performed to determine the fate of these indistinguishable creatures. In a completely random process, almost like the flipping of a coin, the short but distinct future of each of these goats was sealed.

One goat, the “Goat to God,” was sacrificed in the conventional fashion: in the Temple, in front of God, its blood placed on the Altar in holy submission. The second goat, the “Goat to Azazel,” suffered a rare and torturous demise.

The second goat, which thereafter would be popularized as The Scapegoat, was walked out of the Temple grounds, out of the city, passed human habitation and into the desolate desert.  At the top of a cliff, overlooking a ravine, the attending priest would push the goat over the cliff. The Talmud describes that the unfortunate goat didn’t make it halfway down the cliff before it was torn to pieces by the violence of the fall. Somehow, this bloody ritual served as atonement for the people of Israel.

Rabbi Hirsch on Leviticus 16:10 explains that the goats represent human choice. Our free will gives us equal access and equal inclination for either good, holy choices or bad, mundane choices. We can choose to be the positive “Goat for God,” or the negative “Goat for Azazel.”

What these choices have in common and their connection to the “Goats” is that either choice relies on stubbornness. To be a “Goat for God” requires an adherence to God’s laws and a repudiation of the enticements of the age that cannot be achieved without extreme stubbornness. Conversely, to be a “Goat for Azazel” demands a consistently stubborn refusal to follow the dictates, the inspiration, the clarity and the illumination of the Torah. The path of Azazel leads to oblivion. The path of God leads to eternal life.

May we use our innate stubbornness to choose goodness, holiness and eternal life.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the Parts Authority on their incredibly impressive Trade Show at Citi Field. I remember well its very humble beginnings.

5776, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Parsha, Sfat Emet, The Times of Israel

Mundane Sanctity

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Mundane Sanctity 

If your heart were sincere and upright, every creature would be unto you a looking-glass of life and a book of holy doctrine. -Thomas Kempis

dirty_handsThe sin of the Spies, who scared the Children of Israel from wanting to enter the Land of Canaan, resulted in the punishment of forty years in the desert. There is an opinion that one of the motives of the Spies might have been connected to the idea of holiness.

The Spies felt that the Children of Israel in the desert were in a utopian condition. The manna fell to them from heaven. Their clothing and shoes miraculously stayed in pristine condition. They didn’t have to work. They were all united and camped around the Holy Tabernacle which was in their midst. All they needed to concern themselves with on a daily basis was to hear the words of Torah from Moses, the great teacher.

They knew that once they crossed into the Promised Land, the overt miracles would cease. They would have to work for a living. Till the soil. Plant crops. Pray and hope for rains that would grow their grains. Gather the produce. Sift and mill and grind. Again they would have to live the ancient curse upon Adam, that by the sweat of their brow they would eat bread.

The work, the dealing with the material and mundane would threaten their state of holiness. However, the Sfat Emet in 5632 (1872) states that a greater level is achieved by bringing the holy to the mundane, by sanctifying the material world. It is easy to remain pure and holy in one’s ivory tower. The real challenge, the real goal is to go out into the world, work the land, interact with everything that makes up the world we live in and introduce the spiritual to it. That elevates the world and everything in it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the Israel Elwyn group that has visited us in Uruguay. Their efforts and presence has elevated our own handicapped members and the entire community.

5775, Baal Haturim, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Parsha, The Times of Israel

Sinner’s Advantage

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First posted on The Times of Israel at: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/kedoshim-sinners-advantage/

Baal Haturim Leviticus: Acharai Mot – Kedoshim

Sinner’s Advantage

Many of the insights of the saint stem from their experience as sinners.  -Eric Hoffer

repentUturnA sinner who reaches a level of guilt or even embarrassment over their past failings will often feel inadequate in the presence of those ostensibly better behaved than themselves. They may feel morally inferior, even corrupt in front of those who have not been down the dark roads they’ve traversed. On a devoutness scale, they may always fall short. They may wonder what they can contribute to the world when there are people in it who are so much better than they are.

The Baal Haturim on Leviticus 20:3 states a principle of faith that turns the above calculation on its head and echoes the Talmudic dictum that “in the place/level that a repentant sinner stands, a completely righteous man cannot stand/reach.”

The Baal Haturim gives more detail to this evocative statement. He claims that when a sinner repents of his sins, somehow, through some divine transmutation, those sins are converted into merits. So if we were to attempt to illustrate the concept mathematically, let us imagine a sinner who is on a divine obedience level of let’s say -10. His friend, the wonderfully righteous man who hasn’t sinned has an impressive +6, 16 levels above our friend the sinner. Should the sinner truly and deeply repent, his level is transformed from a -10 to a +10, surpassing our righteous friend who hasn’t tasted sin.

There is something truly powerful and valuable about a person who realizes his mistake, regrets it and in a significant fashion turns himself around. This is a tremendously greater challenge than for the person who has not had and has not lived through the same temptations and trials, who is not used to certain behavior or actions. Perhaps where we see the repentant man’s sins used positively (of course this is not an excuse to sin…) is when he uses his unique capacity to assist others with the same background and challenges. The righteous may have a theoretical understanding of the issues, but can rarely reach the level of interaction, communication and effectiveness of the repentant sinner.

May we sinners understand our true value and capacity for good – and fulfill it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the IDF soldiers assisting the earthquake victims in Nepal. You are an inspiration.

 

 

5774, Kedoshim, Leviticus, Netziv, Parsha, The Times of Israel

Religious Convenience

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First posted on The Times of Israel at: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/kedoshim-religious-convenience/

Netziv Leviticus: Kedoshim

Religious Convenience

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

There is a trend in religious life, whether one was born into it, or one joins it later in life, to live a certain lifestyle, within a certain community. Aspects of religious service become rote. We do things without giving it much thought. It becomes convenient. If we are confronted with a change from the comfortable, if there is something in the religious obligation that we don’t like or inconveniences us, then we decide that we are doing enough in our divine obligations, that there is no need to be “so” religious.

In a related theme, there is an unusual and particularly harsh punishment concerning eating of sacrificial meat that was offered during Temple times. It is meant to be consumed within two days. If it is eaten on the third day – a sin known as “pigul”, the violator’s punishment is “karet”, which is translated as “cut off”. “Karet” is variably explained as he will die young, his children will die, and/or his eternal soul will cease to be. However one looks at it, it seems like an inordinately unforgiving penalty for what amounts to eating leftovers a day past their expiration date.

The Netziv on Leviticus 19:8 explains that the infraction reveals a much deeper problem. If one eats within the prescribed time, then all is well. However, if one decides that it is not convenient, that he wishes to indulge a bit more in the tasty and expensive meat that he already paid for and grilled, then it demonstrates that his entire service of God is really self-serving. His lifestyle is in reality one of indulgence and gratification and is an express rejection of and rebellion against God. Such a person though outwardly “observant” has issues with his understanding of the demands and responsibilities of divine service.

May we strengthen the good things we do and do them because they are right, and not just convenient.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To all those who exerted themselves in preparing and providing Kosher for Passover food. It certainly wasn’t convenient, but was highly delicious and appreciated.