Stories of Kiddush Hashem

Today is Rosh Chodesh Adar 2 - the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar 2. This year is a leap year in the Hebrew calendar, and we therefore have two months of Adar. May we be blessed with a Chodesh Tov - A Good Month. The mailing for today includes three stories which describe how a Torah observant gem merchant, a progressive Jewish journalist, and a group of non-Jewish parents performed acts of kiddush Hashem:

1. Jakob deVries was a gem merchant who lived in Amsterdam in the 18th century.  He had good relations with all his customers and particularly with his main customer, the local Duke. Jakob was a Torah observant Jew, and it was well-known that he could never be induced to do business, or even to talk about business on the Sabbath.

One Sabbath morning Jakob was sitting with his family as he made the morning kiddush, when a ducal herald accompanied by two army sergeants appeared at the door. The herald cried out, "A message from his Grace the Duke for Mijnheer Jakob de Vries!" Jakob read the message and his face grew pale. It requested him politely, but firmly, to appear before the Duke within an hour with a selection of his choicest gems, since the Duke had urgent business to transact. A very large profit for the merchant would be forthcoming.

"My humblest respects to the Duke," said Jakob to the herald. "Tell him that there is nothing I would like more than to oblige him, but he knows that I never do business on the Jewish Sabbath. As soon as the Sabbath is out I shall be glad to do his bidding."

But the Duke would not take no for an answer. Within the hour another delegation arrived, more numerous than the first. "The Duke's business brooks no delay," they said. Jakob again politely refused.

Throughout the day additional messages came from the ducal palace, and they contained the following threat: "Jakob de Vries should know that if he disobeys this command, the Duke will break off all business relations with him and revoke his license to sell jewels in the whole province."

Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, but Jakob de Vries stood firm. "Tell the Duke, " he said, "that I am loyal to him, but I owe a higher loyalty to my God."

After the termination of the Sabbath - and Jakob did not curtail any of the ceremonies and songs with which Jews say farewell to the Holy Sabbath - he hastened to the palace, not knowing what to expect there. To his amazement, as soon as he entered the great hall, the Duke arose rose from his throne and clasped him in a warm embrace.

"Thank you, my friend, " said the Duke. "You were great! And what's more, you have added 10,000 guilders to my coffers. You see, I had a guest here today, the Duke of Brabant, and I told him about your loyalty to your Jewish laws. He laughed and said that no Jew could resist making a big profit, and he bet me 10,000 guilders that a combination of monetary incentives and threats would surely break your resolve. I had faith in you and bet 10,000 guilders that you would stand firm. Thank you for living up to my expectations!"

(The above story is cited in "Masterplan" by Rabbi Aryeh Carmell. "Masterplan" discusses how the mitzvos of the Torah form a dynamic and comprehensive system designed to elevate human beings and establish a just and caring society that can serve as a model for all humanity to emulate. It is published by Feldheim, and a review of this book appears on the Hazon website: www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/ )

2. The late Paul Cowan was a popular progressive journalist who wrote for the Village Voice. He came from an assimilated Jewish home, but during the 1970's he began to explore his Jewish roots, with the encouragement of his wife, Rachel. He began to learn about the mitzvos, and he also began to study Hebrew. In 1979, the Village Voice sent him to cover the story of the near nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island in rural Pennsylvania. The story was big news, as people feared that the nuclear power plant would explode. His wife Rachel went with him, and she was the photographer for the story. They came to the area during the intermediate days of Passover, and in the following excerpt, Paul describes how he and Rachel tried to observe some aspects of Passover:

"In our own lives, Rachel and I had both decided to refrain from eating hametz (leavened food) during Passover. The act of giving up leavening enriched the story of the Exodus by incorporating a daily reminder of it into our lives. We brought our own matzos to rural Pennsylvania, and were careful about the food we ate... As we got to know the people in the area - devout Christians, who were extremely generous about inviting us into their homes - we found that they were glad to help us fulfill our dietary requirements. It turned out they couldn't understand Jews who weren't observant...We might be big-city journalists, employees of an avowedly left-wing newspaper, but we had roots in something that was real to them, the Bible."

(The above excerpt appears in "An Orphan In History" by Paul Cowan. It is published by Bantam Books. In this autobiographical work, Paul Cowan tells the story of his search for his Jewish roots.)

3. During the summer of 1967, when I was 21 years old, I worked in a Head Start program for pre-school children from poor families who lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. My role was to assist the social worker in visiting the homes of the children enrolled in the program, and to socialize with their parents when they came to relax in the "parents room." The parents were not Jewish, and they represented most of the ethnic and racial groups who lived in the neighborhood, including Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and Chinese Americans. The administrator and the social worker were secular-oriented Jews, and when they saw my yarmulka, they were somewhat concerned whether I, a Torah observant college student, would be able to relate to the parents. They were pleasantly surprised to see that the parents gravitated towards me and liked to talk with me. They were even more surprised when the parents became more relaxed with me than with them! I knew that one of the reasons why I got along well with the parents was because I had grown up in poor, racially-mixed New York neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, and I therefore felt very much at home with the children and their parents. I soon discovered another reason why the parents gravitated towards me. Most of them were religious people, and they preferred to talk to me, a religious Jew, about their spiritual experiences and struggles than with the secular-oriented Jewish staff.

At the first staff meeting, I was told that I would also accompany the parents on special subsidized trips, which included visits to various restaurants. The staff knew I could not eat at these non-kosher restaurants, and they were worried whether this would interfere with my duties. I reassured them that although I could not eat with the parents, I would sit with them. I also made a mental note to wear a hat instead of my yarmulka when we went to the restaurants, as I did not want to give strangers the impression that an Orthodox Jew was eating in a non-kosher restaurant!

When the first parents' trip was scheduled, the parents met with the staff to decide where they would eat. During the meeting, one of the mothers asked, "What about Yosef? What will he eat when we go to the restaurant?" Other parents also began to express their concern that I would be deprived of a meal. Both I and the staff reassured them that there was no problem, and that I was perfectly happy sitting and talking with them, even if I couldn't eat the food. To the amazement of the other Jewish staff members, all the parents then decided to go to a kosher restaurant so that "Yosef would be able to have a good meal."

Throughout the summer, the parents demonstrated much respect for my religious beliefs and practices. I now realize that their respectful attitude was actually a kiddush Hashem - one which made a positive impression on the other Jewish staff members and caused them to become more aware of their Jewish heritage.

Good Chodesh!

Hazon - Our Universal Vision: www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/

The Song of the Little Sukkah:

Introduction:

The Torah records the following mitzvah – Divine mandate – regarding the Festival of Sukkos: “You shall dwell in the sukkos (huts) for seven days; every native in Israel should dwell in sukkos. So that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in sukkos when I took them from the land of Egypt; I am Hashem, Your God.” (Leviticus 23:42,43)

“Every native in Israel” – including converts (Rashi).

Dear Friends,

We are to dwell in the sukkos for seven days in order to remember how Hashem – the Compassionate One – protected us when we dwelled in the sukkos during our journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. In honor of this mitzvah, I will share with you the following excerpt from an article by Rabbi Avi Shafran about the song, “A Little Sukkah”:  

..........................................................

There is simply no describing the plaintive, moving melody to which Yiddish writer Avraham Reisen’s poem was set. As a song, it is familiar to many of us who were introduced to it by immigrant parents or grandparents. And, remarkably, the strains of “A Sukkeleh,” no matter how often we may have heard them, still tend to choke us up.

Based on Reisen’s “In Sukkeh,” the song, whose popular title means “A Little Sukkah,” really concerns two sukkot, one literal, the other metaphorical, and the poem, though it was written at the beginning of the last century, remains tender, profound and timely.

Several years ago, thinking about the song, as so many invariably do every year this season, it occurred to me to try to render it into English for readers unfamiliar with either the song or the language in which it was written. I’m not a professional translator, and my rendering, below, is not perfectly literal. But it’s close, and is faithful to the rhyme scheme and meter of the original.

Here goes:

A sukkaleh, quite small,
Wooden planks for each wall;
Lovingly I stood them upright.
I laid thatch as a ceiling
And now, filled with deep feeling,
I sit in my sukkaleh at night.
A chill wind attacks,
Blowing through the cracks;
The candles, they flicker and yearn.
It’s so strange a thing
That as the Kiddush I sing,
The flames, calmed, now quietly burn.
In comes my daughter,
Bearing hot food and water;
Worry on her face like a pall.
She just stands there shaking
And, her voice nearly breaking,
Says “Tattenyu, the sukkah’s going to fall!”
Dear daughter, don’t fret;
It hasn’t fallen yet.
The sukkah’s fine; banish your fright.
There have been many such fears,
For nigh two thousand years;
Yet the sukkeleh's still standing upright.

..................................................................................

The covering of the sukkah – the s'chach – must be composed of materials which grew naturally from the earth and are now detached from the earth. The s’chach must be porous enough to enable one to see the stars at night – a reminder that it is not this temporary covering which is protecting us, but the One Who protected us on our journey to the Promised Land. In this spirit, Rabbi Shafran concludes his article on the song with the following message:

So, no matter how loudly the winds and the tyrants may howl, no matter how vulnerable our physical fortresses may be, we give harbor to neither despair nor insecurity. No, instead we redouble our recognition that, in the end, G-d is in charge, that all is in His hands.

And that, as it has for millennia, the sukkah continues to stand. 

The sukkah still stands, and it serves as a reminder that our true security is not in our human power and wealth. This is a universal message, and in this spirit, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch teaches that our sukkah still stands not just for our sake, but for the sake of the world. Based on the teachings of our prophets and sages, Rabbi Hirsch explains that in the future age of spiritual enlightenment, humankind will finally realize that Hashem is the Source of their strength and security; thus, in this new age, writes Rabbi Hirsch, “They will move into the sukkah.” (Horeb). Rabbi Hirsch adds, “Then will the One God receive them all in the Tabernacle of Shalom, as their Father.”

During the intermediate days of the Festival, the traditional Hebrew greeting is Moadim L’Simcha – Festivals for Joy,

Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen  (See below)

Related Teachings and Comments:

1. The Torah gives the following reason for the annual mitzvah to dwell in the sukkah: “So that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in sukkos when I took them from the land of Egypt; I am Hashem, Your God.” (Leviticus 23:43) The Talmud cites the following two explanations of this verse:

According to Rabbi Eliezer, the Torah is referring to the spiritual sukkos – the “clouds of glory” – which protected and led us through the wilderness. (As we shall explain in note 2, the clouds of glory were a manifestation of the Shechinah – the Divine Presence.) We have an annual mitzvah to dwell in the sukkah in order to commemorate the Divine protection of the spiritual sukkos that sheltered us in the wilderness.

According to Rabbi Akiva, the Torah is referring to the physical sukkos that we lived in during our journey through the wilderness; thus, we have an annual mitzvah to dwell in the sukkah in order to commemorate the Divine protection which took place through the physical sukkos which sheltered us.

Rebbenu Bachya, the noted 13th century sage and biblical commentator, states that both explanations are true, for each mitzvah has both a revealed and a hidden aspect. The explanation regarding the physical sukkos that sheltered us in the wilderness refers to the “revealed” aspect of the annual mitzvah to dwell in the sukkah, while the explanation regarding the spiritual sukkos that sheltered us refers to the “hidden” aspect of this mitzvah – one which has deep mystical meanings. (Kad HaKemach)

2. Regarding our journey through the wilderness, it is written: “Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way” (Exodus 13:21). The ancient Aramaic translation and commentary, Targum Yonasan, states: “The Glory of the Shechinah of Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud.” Midrash Tanchuma teaches that we were surrounded by seven clouds of glory: There was one above us, one below us, one on each of the four sides, and one in front of us, leading the way (B'Shalach 3). In other words, we were enveloped by the Shechinah Who led us and protected us on our journey to the Promised Land. Each year, we connect to that loving and profound experience through living in the sukkah for seven days.

As Rebbenu Bachya explained, the clouds of glory are the hidden aspect of the mitzvah to dwell in sukkos, and he adds: “Because there were seven clouds, we have been charged to perform this mitzvah for seven days in the seventh month” (Tishrei). Rabbenu Bachya discusses some of the deeper mystical meanings of this teaching in the chapter on the sukkah in his work, Kad HaKemach. Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel did an English translation of this work titled, “Encyclopedia of Torah Thoughts” (Shiloh Publishing House).

3. Rabbi Avi Shafran, through “AmEchad Resources,” sends out a weekly article to the Jewish media which offers a Torah perspective on a contemporary issue facing our people, or an article about the life and challenges of Torah-committed Jewish men and women. Individuals can also subscribe to this service, and there is no charge. Write to Rabbi Avi Shafran at: shafran@agudathisrael.org

4. Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg is the name of the environmental and peace activist that we mentioned in the previous letter, “Living Waters,” who is confronting the anti-Semitism that has emerged in some leftist circles. 

5. A previous Hazon letter – “Succos and the Seventy Nations” – appears in the archive on our website, and the following is a direct link:  http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/tzedaka/succos.htm  

6. A related letter – “The Role of the Rainbow Nation” – also appears in the archive, and the following is a direct link: http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/tzedaka/role.htm  

A copy of one or both of the above letters - with larger print - can be sent to you upon request.

7. The following website can provide you with additional information on the Festival of Sukkos, as well as on the concluding Festival of Shemini Ateres/SimchasTorah:: http://www.aish.com/holidays/sukkot/

Hazon - Our Universal Vision: www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/

The Holistic Discipline of Torah Law:

"The Torah of the Compassionate One is whole" (Psalm 19:8) - The Torah is the Divine Teaching which encompasses every area of human existence. (Commentary of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch)

Dear Friends,

Rabbi Mordechai Gifter was a leading sage during the late 20th century who headed the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio. He was once invited by Western Reserve University to lecture on Talmudic jurisprudence and how it relates to society. His talk was later published by "The Press of Western Reserve University," under the title "Law in a Troubled World," and the following are excerpts from this article which are relevant to this season:

"The purpose of the law, as civilized society understands it, is to bring order into the lives and affairs of men, to guarantee - to use a Mishnaic phrase - that 'men shall not swallow themselves alive' (Avos 3:2, cf. Psalms 124:3). Where order exists in society, humankind can develop to the fullest extent its capacities for progress under freedom and liberty. A society governed by the law is therefore given a guarantee against anarchy, against chaos and disintegration.

"Though this be the purpose of the law, yet the law itself can become cold and sometimes cruel if it is designed only to meet the requisites of an orderly society. Indeed, there is law even among barbarians. The cruelty and tyranny of the dictator is also framed in the order of law. One is reminded of the words of the Psalmist, who, in speaking of the tyrant, describes him as being one 'who frames violence by statute' (Psalm 94:20). The development of civilized law knows, therefore, also of the development of equity in the law. Equity has served, we might say, as a guardian over the law, seeking to keep it in line with ethical norms.

"It has not been the purpose of the law, however, even when joined with equity, to develop the moral and ethical standards of society and of the individual. This has been the domain of philosophy and of religion. These values nurtured by philosophy, religion and other kindred branches of ethical and moral teaching became the norms within which the law developed and fructified.

"Talmudic jurisprudence is unique in that the very purpose of the law itself is the development of man's moral and ethical personality. The ambit of Talmudic law is a very wide one, indeed, the widest one can imagine, for its scope embraces every facet of human living. It is by no means limited to that body of legal matter encompassed by the term 'law' as we know it in modern society, namely, that which concerns itself only with those affairs of man vis-a-vis his fellow man. Since its purpose - i.e. secular law - is order in society, it deals with man as part of society; its ambit being the world of human relations. Man, the individual, per se is not the object of the law. Certainly the conscience of the individual is outside the scope of the law."

"Not so with Talmudic jurisprudence. The very same law which deals with torts, bailments, contracts, and criminal offenses deals also with man's duties of prayer, with ritual and ceremonial areas, even with problems of faith in the Divine Creator...The law embraced all of life, public as well as private, individual as well as social in character.

"The ultimate authority for Talmudic law is the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, containing the commandments of the Lord revealed at Sinai, and thereafter through Moses. ...The law, therefore, in the Talmudic sense, is the revelation of the Divine commandment, of the demands made upon man to raise himself above the level of the beast. It is the law which says to man: 'See, I set before thee life and good and death and evil, and thou shalt choose life' (Deuteronomy 30:15-19). It is the law which posits the freedom of man to choose the path to nobility and human dignity, the freedom of the individual to determine and direct his destiny, that freedom which is the primary source and the ultimate goal of the sovereignty of people revolting against the yokes of all forms of tyranny. Maimonides terms this freedom 'the pillar of the Law and the Commandment' (Hil. Teshuva 5:3). But yet the law, in stating this great human principle, bids and commands man as to the direction of his choice. Within this commandment, 'Thou shalt choose life,' is contained the entire body of the law, embracing all which is life.

"The law is so many times identified in the language of the Torah with righteousness - 'righteous statues and judgements' (Deut. 4:8) - for its purpose is to make of man a righteous being, who has chosen freely to be governed by moral and ethical values. The basic premise of the law is the never-ceasing consciousness that one stands always in the presence of his Creator. In order to insure this goal, the law sees the necessity for a complete system regulating the conduct of man, not merely in dealing with his fellow man, but also in dealing with himself. For he who attempts to achieve moral and ethical perfection and integrity in himself will, of necessity, deal in kind with his fellow man. Society is molded of the individuals who build it. An ordered and disciplined personality in the individual guarantees a well-balanced and harmonious society."

The above insights of Rabbi Gifter can give us a deeper understanding of the purpose of Yom Kippur. For example, Rabbi Gifter wrote that the goal of Torah law is to make the human being into a righteous being. The sacred day of Yom Kippur helps us to achieve this goal, for it is devoted to "tikun olam" - the fixing of the world - with a special emphasis on the fixing of our inner world. The prayers of Yom Kippur are therefore designed to help us acknowledge our mistakes and shortcomings - to recognize those aspects of ourselves which are "broken" - so that we can begin to repair the damage and become whole human beings.

Torah law is referred to as "halacha" - a term which literally means "the way to walk." Halacha is therefore viewed as the spiritual path that enables human beings to elevate and sanctify every area of human existence. Those who walk on this path will also discover the Divine image within each human being, including themselves. As Rabbi Gifter adds: "The word of the law is the gentle reminder to refrain from trespassing in the human soul, the handiwork of Almighty God."

I want to conclude with the following note that I recently received from Hazon participant, Barbara Ann Zweifler, as she expresses an idea which is related to the theme of this letter:

"I was just thinking last night that the Torah provides examples for us of every aspect that can possibly occur within the realms of human behavior and experience - from the depths of depravity to the heights of exaltation and beyond. If you pay careful attention to each of the examples, Torah will also provide you with the steps to take in order to navigate the negative and develop the positive. It is essentially the synthesis of all human experience, the encyclopedia of human nature, and the manual for the elevation of all souls."

Have a Shabbat Shalom,

Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen  (See below)

Related Comments:

1. The above insights can give us a deeper understanding of the Torah's laws regarding ethical speech, as the observance of these laws help to develop an ordered and disciplined personality. And they remind the person that even when he engages in ordinary conversation, he is in the presence of the Creator. The Chofetz Chaim Foundation offers a short, daily e-mail lesson on the Torah's laws and teachings regarding "loshon hara" - negative or harmful speech. These laws and teachings are taken from the writings of the Chofetz Chaim, a leading sage of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who dedicated his life to helping Jews rediscover the importance of the mitzvos regarding ethical speech. To subscribe, write to: alessonaday@chofetzchaimusa.org  .

2. It is written, "The world is built through lovingkindness" (Psalm 89:3 - translation of the Targum). The Chofetz Chaim Foundation also offers a short, daily lesson on "chesed" - lovingkindness, based on the writings of the Chofetz Chaim. To subscribe, write to: kindness@chofetzchaimusa.org

3. For some good articles on Yom Kippur, visit www.aish.com which also has a fascinating excerpt from a new book which discusses why bad things happen to good people. Additional articles on Yom Kippur can be found in their High Holiday section.  

4. The above article by Rabbi Gifter is also found in "Pirkei Torah" - a collection of his discourses on the "parsha" - Torah portion of each week (ArtScroll: www.artscroll.com ). It is in the section on "Mishpatim" (Exodus 21-24), which contains many of the social and civil laws of the Torah. His article cites a number of legal examples, as well as philosophical insights from classical Torah sources.

"Hazon - Our Universal Vision": www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/