Hertz p.586
Soncino p.814
Shabbat ends in London at 10.07pm
| Sidra Lite | |
| We are all individuals | Rabbi Gideon Sylvester |
| Birkat Hamazon II | Rabbi Daniel Roselaar |
| Malbim | Rabbi Dr Michael Harris |
| 9th of Sivan | Rabbi Yisroel Fine |
| Israel A - Z, E - Einstein | Simon Goulden |
| Riddle of the Week | Rev Michael Plaskow & Jonny Dickson |
|
WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS
In Monty Python's film "Life of Brian", thousands of people cry out in unison "We are all individuals!" We laugh at the disparity between their claim to individuality and the uniformity of their speech. But in an era when individuality is considered tremendously important, many Jews face serious questions about the extent to which a fully observant, all embracing Jewish life allows room for the expression of their individuality.
The importance of the individual is expressed from the very beginning of the Torah. G-d created Adam on his own in the Garden of Eden and the Rabbis deduce from the fact that it was worth creating an entire world for one person that every individual is of infinite value. As the world is populated, the Rabbis praise G-d for His ability to create so many people, each of whom is unique. Our differences are to be celebrated.
But the issue becomes more complex when we turn to the world of Mitzvot; where, it may seem that our individuality is less important. We are all commanded to perform the same Mitzvot as each other, with just a few differences between men and women, laity and Priests and minor variations according to local custom. Are we all supposed to be identical in our religious expression?
In his commentary on this week's Sidra, the Ramban confronts our question. He examines the gifts brought by the Princes to dedicate the altar of the Mishkan and notes that the sacrifices of the princes were virtually identical. This might indicate that they all performed the same rituals without any recognition of their different personalities. The Ramban, however, suggests that this was not the case. Each Prince brought his gift for his own reasons. For each tribe the presents had particular significance and the symbolism of each object that they brought related to the particular history of that tribe. They each found personal meaning in what they did. For each one, the experience of giving was different.
The unity of any nation depends on it having some shared practices. The survival of our communities depends to an extent on our willingness to join together in fulfilling Mitzvot and maintaining our traditions. But within those patterns of religious service, we should each search deeply to find our own personal meaning in our Jewish practice. Then, at times when we are not performing specific detailed commandments, we have opportunities through our careers, hobbies and voluntary work to develop our own spiritual and religious expression. We can all be individuals as well as all being members of communities and of a nation.
Birkat Hamazon should be recited whilst seated (even if one ate standing up), and one should take care not to focus on any other tasks whilst bentching. Birkat Hamazon should also be recited in the same room as where the food was consumed, though not necessarily in the same seat or at the same table. If a person left the room before bentching he should either return to recite Birkat Hamazon, or eat some bread in his new location in order to establish it as a place where the meal was eaten.
Certain additions are made to the Grace after Meals on Shabbatot and festivals. If Retzei is omitted at either of the first two Shabbat meals, or if Yaaleh V'Yavo is omitted at either of the first two Yomtov meals, then Birkat Hamazon must be repeated since these meals are obligatory. If, however, the appropriate additions are omitted on Rosh Chodesh, Chol Hamoed, Chanukah or Purim, Birkat Hamazon should not be repeated since, though it is appropriate to eat meals on these occasions, there is no absolute imperative to do so.
It is proper to leave the leftover bread on the table until after Birkat Hamazon as a sign of abundant blessing. The halachists also mention that any knives should be removed from the table before bentching. (The Shulchan Aruch writes that this only applies on weekdays.) One of the reasons for this practise is because a person's table represents the altar - in Temple times atonement could be achieved by offering sacrifices on the altar, and currently atonement can be gained by using one's table to offer hospitality to the needy. Removing the knives when bentching is reminiscent of the prohibition against using iron tools on the altar.
RABBI MEIR LEIBUSH BEN YEHIEL MICHEL (MALBIM)
Rabbi Meir was born in 1809 and died in 1879. He is most often referred to as 'Malbim', the acronym of his name Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel.
Malbim was born in Volhynia and was still a child when his father died. He studied in his native town until the age of 13. He then went to Warsaw where he was commonly known as the "illuy (prodigy) from Volhynia". He subsequently became Rabbi of Wreschen, then Kempen, and in the summer of 1858 was inducted as Chief Rabbi of Romania. His fierce opposition to Reform led to disputes between Malbim and the communal leaders of Bucharest, leading to his imprisonment on false charges. He was released only when Sir Moses Montefiore intervened, and on condition that he leave Romania permanently.
Malbim departed from Romania in 1864 and suffered persecution from assimilationists, Chassidim and maskilim during his subsequent wanderings. He served as Rabbi in several further locations during this period. In 1879 he received an invitation to serve as rabbi of Kremenchug, but died on his way there.
Malbim's fame rests upon his highly regarded commentary to the Bible. His commentary to the Torah aims to prove the divinity of the Oral Torah as well as the Written, and to show that the former is implicit in the latter. Malbim also wrote on Halakhah, Talmud, poetry and logic.
9th Sivan
The ancient Jewish community of Hania, Crete, dating from Roman times, came to an end on this day corresponding to May 31st 1944, when the ship Tanais, into which all the 276 surviving Jews had been herded, was towed out of the port of Iraklion twelve miles to sea and sunk.
The fate of the ship only became clear in 1950, when evidence appeared through the Foreign Office in London that in fact, the Tanais had been sighted by a British U-Boat, was given two torpedo broadsides and sank within fifteen minutes.
The Jews of Crete are first mentioned in the Book of the Maccabees.
In the year 430 C.E. a Rabbi named Moses appeared in Crete and spent a year travelling around the island, announcing that he was the same Moses who led the Israelites through the Red Sea. He promised that in the following year he would lead Crete's Jews to the Holy Land. Many of the community abandoned their businesses in anticipation of the miracle, and to the horror of Christians watching the event, threw themselves off the cliffs and into the sea.
Many were drowned and in his account of the event Socrates records that the survivors converted to Christianity.
Following the new conquest of Constantinople by Venice in the 4th Crusade of 1204, Crete also came under their jurisdiction. Jews were forced to wear a badge and were confined to ghettos. In 1538, under suspicion of harbouring Ottoman sympathies, the community was accused of hiding Turks and was only saved at the very last moment by the intervention of Venetian troops. A special Purim was inaugurated to celebrate the miracle.
In 1999, 55 years after the sinking of the Tanais a new Synagogue was consecrated in Hania.
E - Einstein
Albert Einstein, one of the world's greatest scientists ever, was born in 1879 in Ulm, Germany and was educated in Munich and Switzerland. In 1896 he entered the Polytechnic in Zurich to train as a teacher in physics and mathematics. In 1901, the year he graduated, he acquired Swiss citizenship and, unable to find a teaching post, he started work in the Swiss Patent Office, in his spare time producing much of his remarkable theories.
In 1909 he became Professor Extraordinary in Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics in Prague, returning to Zurich in 1912 to fill a similar post. In 1914 he was appointed Professor in Berlin, becoming a German citizen until 1933, when he renounced his citizenship with the rise of Nazism and emigrated to America to become Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton.
He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired in 1945. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1925. After the death of Weizmann he was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel, which he declined, but he was a keen supporter of Israel, writing 'About Zionism' in 1930 and donating his archives to the Hebrew University. He wrote: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
Last week's questions:
1. Cite two possible occasions when "Kadosh kadosh kadosh" is recited 10 times in Synagogue services within 24 hours (kedusha counts as 1).
Answer:
i.
Shabbat shacharit after boruchu
ii.
kedusha
iii.
Haftora for Yitro (the extra one)
iv.
mussaf kedusha
v.
mincha - uvo le'tzion
vi.
kedusha
vii.
end of maariv - ve'ato kadosh
viii.
Sunday shacharit after boruchu
ix.
kedusha
x.
uvo le'tzion
i.
Shabbat shacharit after boruchu
ii.
kedusha
iii.
mussaf kedusha
iv.
mincha - uvo le'tzion
v.
kedusha
vi.
end of maariv - ve'ato kadosh
vii.
Sunday shacharit after boruchu
viii.
kedusha
ix.
uvo le'tzion
x.
mussaf kedusha (the extra one).
2) EXTRA CHALLENGE set by Professor Lester Kershenbaum of New West End Synagogue.
There are two occasions during the year when, in a period of eight or nine days, we read from all five books of the Torah. One occurs every year and the other occurs in most years. What are they?
Answer:
i.
from Bereishit and Bemidbar on 2nd day Rosh Hashanah,
ii.
from Shemot on Tzom Gedaliah,
iii.
from Devarim on Shabbat Shuva,
iv.
from Vayikra on Yom Kippur.
i.
from Vayikra and Bemidbar on 2nd day Succot (in Israel
- 1st day),
ii.
from Shemot on Shabbat Chol Ha'moed,
iii.
from Devarim on Shemini Atzeret (in Israel - Bereishit
as well),
iv.
from Bereishit on Simchat Torah (not Israel).
The exception is when the first day of Succot is on Shabbat, as then there is no Shabbat Chol Hamoed.
This week's question:
1) Rev Michael Plaskow, Emeritus Chazan of Woodside Park Synagogue.
Prove: Gold, silver and copper stand for all the occasions on which the Torah is read during the year.
2) EXTRA CHALLENGE set by Jonny Dickson of Edgware.
When do we "drag an ox, sanctify with silver, carve in the desert and send a firstborn"?
|