Respect the mitzvah, Respect the One who commanded it

Hi,

[The Torah instructs us to bury the blood of certain animals, as well as birds, after performing shechitah.]

"When one buries the blood, he should not bury it with his foot, but with his hand, or a knife, or another tool, so as not to treat it with disgrace and degrade the mitzvot for himself.

"This honour is not due to the mitzvot themselves, but to the Blessed One who issued them, rescuing us from feeling our way in the dark and preparing for us a lamp by which to straighten the crooked and a light to show the paths of righteousness. Thus Tehillim 119:105 says, 'Your words are a lamp for my feet, and light for my path.'"

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Shechitah 14:16)

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

The nature of language

Hi,

Two competing views:

Language is a product of human beings:

"That which you need to know, and to which you must be alert, is Bereishit 2:20, 'And the man called names, etc.' We learn that language is established by convention, not nature."

(Rambam, Moreh haNevuchim 2:30)

Language is natural:

"'And all that Adam would call a living creature, was its name (Bereishit 2:19)' – This teaches that the creature was suited for that name. The name was appropriate for it, and taught of its nature."

(Rabbi Yehudah haLevi, Kuzari 4:25)

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

The builders of the Tower of Babel

Hi,

"The builders of the tower were not fools, thinking they could ascend to Heaven. They also did not fear a flood, for Noach and his children, to whom Gd had sworn, were there. All heeded them, as their descendants. 

"The text revealed their desire and goal, to build a large city in which to dwell, and to build a tall tower as a sign and name and glory, and to identify the site of the city for those who travel outside it, like shepherds. Also, for their name to endure after them, for as long as the tower would exist."

(Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra to Bereishit 11:3)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

Prayer and Self-Assessment

Hi,

['Tefillah' is a Hebrew word for prayer.]

"‘Hitpallel התפלל’, from which ‘tefillah תפלה’ is derived, originally meant to deliver an opinion about oneself, to judge oneself… Thus it denotes to step out of active life in order to attempt to gain a true judgment about oneself, that is, about one’s ego, about one’s relationship to G-d and the world, and of G-d and the world to oneself."

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh, Horeb 618)

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

How did they live so long? Part 2

Hi,

Another explanation for the long lives of the biblical males from Adam to Abraham:

"The reason for their long lives was that Adam the First, creation of Gd, was formed with the greatest perfection in beauty, strength and size. Even after it was decreed that he would be mortal, his nature was to live a long time. When the Flood came over the land, the atmosphere was ruined for them and their lifespans shrank. Until then their lives were that long, some of them living even longer than Adam lived…"

(Ramban to Bereishit 5:4)

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

How did they live so long? Part 1

Hi,

Regarding the long lifespans recorded for the line of biblical males from Adam down to Abraham:

"I say that none lived that long in those days, other than the one mentioned. Others lived natural, customary lifespans, and that person was unusual, with many possible explanations regarding his food and actions, or via miracle…"

(Rambam, Moreh haNevuchim 2:47)

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

Vegetarianism is the wave of the future

Hi,

"It would be a desecration for this enslavement [of animals, in Bereishit 9:2-3] to be imprinted eternally upon the world of G-d, who is good to all and whose mercy is on all of His creations… Especially, when the Torah has already testified that there was a time when Mankind, as a whole, aspired to be elevated to this high ethical level."

(Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Chazon haTzimchonut v'haShalom, Paragraph 1)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

Mitzvot of Marriage

Hi,

The Torah's 46th mitzvah, as numbered by Sefer haChinuch, obligates a Jewish husband to fulfill his wife's needs in three areas: (1) Food, (2) Clothing and (3) Marital relations. According to Rambam and Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, building on Ketuvot 47b, all of these are biblical requirements; Ramban (Shemot 21:9) ruled that only the last item is a biblical obligation, and the others are rabbinic institutions.

The extent of each of these three responsibilities depends upon the couple's pre-marriage standards of living. For example: Should a woman from a poor economic background wed a man from a wealthier home, the husband would be obligated to provide according to his own standard of living. On the other hand, a man from a weaker economic background who married a woman who came from greater wealth would be obligated to provide according to her higher standard of living. For more on this see Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Ishut Perek 12-14.

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

Is a mitzvah worth a miracle?

Hi,

The comment below is in response to a Talmudic suggestion (Yevamot 71b-72a) that the Jews in the wilderness between Egypt and Israel did not circumcise their sons because of concern for the heat. The normally mitigating north wind did not blow, lest it disturb the protective Clouds of Glory that Gd had sent.

"One might say, 'Gd could have had the north wind blow without scattering the clouds of glory, and so the mitzvah of circumcision would not have been cancelled.' It is true that no tactic is beyond Gd, but Gd indeed instructed that circumcision be performed at eight days, and yet He was silent and He did not instruct them to circumcise those born during those years, for the mitzvah was not thereby cancelled, but only postponed until later.

"Gd would not alter the way of the world to avoid delaying a mitzvah; even though Gd does change the way of the world somewhat for certain miracles, in splitting the Red Sea and the Jordan and in halting the Sun, He does not do this for most miracles. Even in military victories and in helping those who love Him, he does it via a [natural] cause…"

(Radak to Yehoshua 5:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Worry about relationships with people, first

Hi,

[The reference below to "hooves" refers to split hooves, a sign of a kosher animal. "Extending one's hooves" means to display a sign that one is 'kosher', or righteous. The text is talking about someone who becomes vegetarian out of sympathy for animals, but does not display similar sensitivity for human beings.]

"How absurd it would be, if while his impurity was in him he would extend his hooves and turn to this distant righteousness, being generous with animals as though he had already completed his accounts with human beings, created in the image set by G-d."

(Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace, Section 4)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

It is not empty, it is your life!

Hi,

In the merit of Gilad, Naftali and Eyal:

Devarim 32:47 says regarding Torah, "For it is not something empty for you, for it is your life." On this, the Jerusalem Talmud comments:

"'For it is not something empty for you' - And if it is empty for you, why is that? For you did not work at it. 'For it is your life' -  When is it your life? When you work at it."

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Sheviit 1:5)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

At cross-purposes with G-d?

Hi,

The following midrash (which is based on the language of Bereishit 6:18) raises interesting philosophical problems:

"When the world is suffering and destroyed, one may not procreate, so as not to build while Gd is involved in destroying the world."

(Midrash Tanchuma Noach 11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teach children humanity

Hi,

"Above all, those to whom the care of young minds has been entrusted, see to it that they respect both the smallest and the largest animal as beings which, like man, have been summoned to the joy of life and have been granted sensitivity. And do not forget that the boy who, in crude joy, finds delight in the convulsions of an injured beetle or the anxiety of a suffering animal will soon also be dumb towards human pain."

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb 416)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Guard your health!

Hi,

"Rav Pappa said: One who could drink beer, and instead drinks wine, is violating the prohibition [against wasteful spending], 'Do not destroy.' 

"But this is not so – the concern for destroying one's body is greater."

(Talmud, Shabbat 140b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The right to eat animals

Hi,

"Moving, living spirits have a soul of some degree, in which regard they resemble thinking spirits. They can make choices to help themselves and to feed themselves, and they flee from pain and death… When they sinned, and all flesh warped its path on earth, it was decreed that the animals should die in the flood. For Noach's sake some of them were saved to maintain their species, and so Gd gave humanity permission to slaughter and eat animals; the animals were only maintained for Noach's sake."

(Ramban, Commentary to Bereishit 1:29)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Protect the animals!

Hi,

"There are probably no creatures that require more the protective Divine word against the presumption of man than the animals, which, like man, have sensations and instincts, but whose body and powers are nevertheless subservient to man."

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb 415)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An 11th century conversion standard

Hi,

A daunting standard:

"We do not equate with ourselves everyone who enters our Torah by verbal commitment alone, but only those who enter with deeds involving strain, with purity and learning and circumcision and many deeds prescribed by the Torah and performance of our customs…  Perhaps his seed will succeed, will succeed in receiving the Divine. One who cleaves to this path will have, him and his seed, a great portion of closeness to Gd."

(Rabbi Yehudah haLevi, Kuzari 1:115)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The conditions for prophecy

Hi,

"Rabbi Yochanan said: Gd is not manifest upon someone, unless that person is Powerful, Wealthy, Wise and Humble. All of these traits are derived from Moshe."

(Talmud, Nedarim 38a)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

What is Torah?

Hi,

"Our holy Torah is called 'Guide [תורה]', and its name indicates its nature. Its nature is to guide us [להורות] on the path of life and goodness."

(Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Chazon haTzimchonut v'haShalom 7)

Chag Shavuot sameach,
Mordechai

The mitzvah of going to Jerusalem for holidays - aliyah laregel

Hi,

By the Sefer haChinuch's count, the Torah's 489th mitzvah instructs us to ascend to Jerusalem and visit the Beit haMikdash for each of the three major festivals - Pesach, Shavuot and Succot - this is the mitzvah of aliyah laregel. Mitzvah 88 instructs us to bring a korban chagigah in honor of the festival when we arrive, to demonstrate our desire to give to HaShem.

The mitzvah of aliyah laregel provides us an opportunity to re-enact the major theme of these celebrations: The original Jewish journey from Egypt to Israel. We depart from our homes, leaving behind our wealth and trusting HaShem to take care of us along the way and at our destination in Yerushalayim. In this way, we demonstrate our own willingness to match the deeds of our ancestors and achieve greatness.

Have a great day,

Mordechai