Eating non-kosher to save one's life

Hi,

"Rabbi Abba bar Zamina did tailoring work for a Roman. The Roman brought him a piece of non-kosher meat, and said, 'Eat!' He replied, 'I will not eat.'

"The Roman said, 'Eat; if not, I will kill you!' He replied, 'If you wish to kill me, kill me, for I will not eat the non-kosher meat.'

"The Roman said, 'How did you know that if you would have eaten, I would have killed you? One must either be a Jew, or a Roman!'

"Rabbi Mana said: Had Rabbi Abba bar Zamina heard the words of the sages [that one should eat non-kosher in order to save his life, if it is not a public situation], then he would have eaten."

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Sheviit 4:2)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

The Crown of Sinai

Hi,

"If you do not lead a godly life, if you live in a manner unworthy of the Name you bear, if you harbour lies and selfishness in your mind and heart, if you possession is unjust, if your pleasure is mean, if your deeds are heartless, if you profane the Crown of Sinai, just to indulge a mood, a liking, a preference – if your life shows that the all-holy G-d and His holy will are not sacred to you, that you do not hold them as the highest and that you hold other things above them – possessions, pleasure, worldly honours, or anything else – to which you would sacrifice the former, see, then, not only do you kill in yourself the Holy Name, so that it no longer educates you to holiness, but you also destroy its sacred acknowledgment in the mind of your brother, you show that one can be a Jew and yet be unjust, and profane, and heartless – and invite others to be the same. Do not profane the Holy Name."

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 611)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The role of Israel

Hi,

"There is no assertion in the Bible that the Israelites are inherently better or more moral than others. Their vocation represents not a privilege but a reponsibility. It confers no material advantages, only the religious life itself. Nor is there any implication that G-d is not accessible to others. On the contrary, he is the creator and sustainer of all. Job, the supreme example of a righteous man, is not a Jew… Israel's role is to be an example: no more, no less… If Israel's role is to be an example, then its conduct must never be less than exemplary. That is the meaning of 'sanctifying the name'."

(Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, To Heal a Fractured World, pg. 66)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The honour of his faith

Hi,

"The Jew should remember that the glory of G-d is, as it were, entrusted to his care and that every Israelite holds the honour of his faith and of his entire people in his hands."

(Lord Rabbi J. H. Hertz, Pentateuch, pg. 519)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Attracting conversion

Hi,

"When Israel fulfills Gd's will, Gd scours the world, finds righteous people and brings them to Israel, like Yitro and Rachav."

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Berachot 2:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Chanukah's Light unto the Nations

Hi,

"Apparently, one who lives among the nations must light outside the entrance to his home, or in a window close by, so that the miracle will be publicized among the nations, for they will ask what it is and so the story and the essential miracle will become known to them. This is a biblical text: “And I will be elevated and sanctified and known before the eyes of many nations.” Many passages show that Gd cares about the desecration of His Name among the nations and the sanctification of His Name among them."

(R' Shimon Sofer, Hitorirut Teshuvah 1:153)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Obey the law, Impress your neighbors

Hi,

"I have taught you statutes and laws, as my Gd instructed me, to practice them in the midst of the land you are coming to take. You shall guard and practice them, for these demonstrate your wisdom and intelligence in the eyes of the nations; they will hear all of these laws and say, “This must be a wise and intelligent nation!”"

(Devarim 4:5-6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

To sanctify, and not to desecrate

Hi,

"The entire house of Israel is instructed to sanctify Gd's Name, as it is stated, 'And I will be sanctified in the midst of the Children of Israel. They are also instructed not to desecrate it, as it is stated, 'And you shall not desecrate My holy Name.'"

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah Hilchot Yesodei haTorah 5:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honor My Name

Hi,

"And you shall not desecrate My Holy Name, and I will be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel; I am Gd, who sanctifies you."

(Vayyikra 22:32)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honoring Gd, Honoring Parents

Hi,

"Honoring one's parents is greater than honoring Gd, for Gd instituted greater requirements for their honor than for his."

(Talmud Yerushalmi Peah 1:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Jews and Dates, Part II - The Date as a Devoted Martyr

Hi,

"Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachmeni cited R’ Yonatan: ‘I said I would ascend the date tree and hold on to its bunches (Song of Songs)’ – ‘I said I would ascend the date tree’ refers to Israel, but now I only grasped one bunch: Chananiah, Mishael and Azaryah."

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 93a)

Have a great day (and note the connection between this post and yesterday's post),
Mordechai

The mitzvah of sanctifying Gd's Name

Hi,

"The ninth mitzvah is that He instructed us to sanctify the Name, as it is written, 'And I will be sanctified among the children of Israel.

"This mitzvah means that we are instructed to publicize this true faith in the world, and that we should not fear harm from any attacker."

(Rambam, Sefer haMitzvot, Aseh 9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tefillin and the Name of Gd

Hi,


"It is written (Deuteronomy 28), 'And all of the nations of the land will see that the Name of Gd is called upon you.'

"Rabbi Eliezer haGadol said: This refers to the tefillin worn on one's head."

(Talmud, Menachot 35b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Measuring love of Gd

Hi,


"Love of HaShem is measured by the impact one has on others, by the calm of one's rhetoric, the pleasantness of one's dealings."

(R' Menachem Genack, Tradition 32:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai