Map of the Holy Places, Istanbul 1839, The Jewish Museum Collection
This Week, Parshat Shoftim, Shabbat will be welcomed with candle lighting,which is 18 minutes before sunset. In New York City, candle lighting is 7:45 PM. Chabad.org has a section of their web site on which you can look up the time for candle lighting in your locality.
Both Chabad.org and Aish.com have excellent Torah themed articles that can be printed for reading on Shabbat. They also have multimedia resources that are suitable for weekday use.
Aish.com has an article that hit all too close to home for me. It concerned the question of why Jews convert to Christianity and other faiths. In describing the secularised Judaism that is often marketed as authentic, the article, by Sarah Yoheved Rigler, notes that “ Against Christianity we have pitted not Judaism, but Judaica”.
One article explores the question of whether or not “test tube beef” is kosher or not. At this time, such meat is an expensive novelty. There are many aspects of the question, ranging from questions about extracting cells from a live animal, to whether or not test tube beef is really meat in the halachic sense.
Another article surveys the history of Ladino (Judaeo Spanish) and its prospects for survival. About 90% of Ladino speakers were killed by the Nazis. Unfortunately, there are no yeshivas that exist which infuse life into Ladino the way yeshivas reinvigorate Yiddish in our times. Perhaps the best known contribution from the Ladino speaking world to modern Jewish literature is the Me am Loez Torah commentaries.
An interesting feature of this week’s parsha is the admonition to a king of Israel not to own too many possessions. The quote is as follows.
“Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” (Devarim 17:17)
King Solomon interpreted this verse to mean that if one’s heart was not turned astray by too many wives and possessions, that it was permitted to go over the limits that were established for a Jewish king. Ultimately. Solomon’s multitude of wives included women who brought in foreign influences and led to circumstances that proved the dangers of having too many wives and too much property. From this, we learn that the best reason for keeping Torah commandments is simply to fulfill G-d’s will. Reasons given in the Torah are really descriptions of rewards for keeping the commandments.
The books of our scripture record with relentless honesty the shortcomings and the mistakes of our kings and prophets. We should expect no less from writers who portray contemporary Jewish history. Knowing of the mistakes made in past generations by its leaders and common people can guide us in the future. What is not needed in Jewish literature is airbrushed, hagiographic pictures of the past that give readers an understanding of the present.I have the uncomfortable feeling that the books of the prophets, if they were written today, would be banned from sale in many religious neighbourhoods. All too often, prophets are reviled in their own times and revered in subsequent generations.
Another interesting aspect of this week’s parsha is the reasons given for excusing a soldier from battle. Conscientious objector status is not an option. The grounds for exemption from battle are as follows. (Devarim 20:5-7)
And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit thereof.
And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.’
And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say: ‘What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart melt as his heart.’
In addition to the first two reasons, a person who is faint hearted is given permission to not join in the battle “ lest his brethren’s heart melt as his heart”. First, a person who is timid and fearful can demoralise his comrades in arms. But people who excused themselves from battle disd so out of fear that their sins would leave them vulnerable to enemy weapons, and that their sins might also be a liability to their side in battle. The focus in Jewish thinking was upon the merits of the Jewish soldiers being their best shield in battle. This is a lesson we should carry over to our own personal lives, that the help of G-d is the most important factor in any battle. Even when we use our wits and our strength, we must always be mindful that they are gifts from G-d.
It is a prominent theme in Judaism that we express our love of G-d through the manner in which we treat each other. During this month of Elul, self evaluation is in large part devoted to finding and correcting the ways in which we have wronged each other, as well as the faults that lead to conflicts. The idea that one can love G-d and hate one’s neighbour is foreign to Judaism. The world is, in Jewish teaching not an obstacle to holiness but a “stairway to heaven,through which we can approach the Almighty.
This week’s parsha concludes with the law of egla arufa, which is a ritual performed when a murder victim is found and no one knows who the killer is. In the ritual, the neck of a calf is broken and the elders of the city make the following declaration.
“Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see [this crime].” ז. וְעָנוּ וְאָמְרוּ יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכוּ אֶת הַדָּם הַזֶּה וְעֵינֵינוּ לֹא רָאוּ: 8. “Atone for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, O Lord, and lay not [the guilt of] innocent blood among your people Israel.”
Underlying this declaration is the attitude that things which happen in our town, in our neighbourhood and in our community are tied to us and indeed our concern. The attitude of “Not my problem” is foreign to Judaism. Significantly, the land upun which the egla arua ritual is performed is supposed to remain uncultivated afterward.
The time of sunset is receding at a clip of about 9 minutes a week at this time of year. It is a reminder that the gift of time on earth is a finite one that should be used wisely. It is fortuitous that this reminder comes in the month preceding Rosh HaShanah. May we all merit to do our part to hasten the long awaited redemption, and create a world of peace for all, as the world was intended to be.
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