RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL : DEVARIM: KOSHER DRIED PORK RINDS?

   

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:

JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL :

DEVARIM:

KOSHER DRIED PORK RINDS?

 

CHUMASH CANDESCENCE

PARASHA DEVARIM
DEUTERONOMY 1:01-3:22
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL

Rabbi Arthur Segal www.jewishspiritualrenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal www.jewishrenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

"Jive Talkin' "

SYNOPTIC ABSTRACT:
Who wrote the Book of Deuteronomy? What can we learn from its inconsistencies with the first Four of the Five books of Moses? Was King Og really a giant who survived the great Flood? Did the Second Temple really get destroyed over a party invitation? Were Moses and the Israelite soldiers really allowed to eat pork? Are we causing blindness if we do not share Jerusalem? To learn these answers, and even more, we
invite you to read further.

As we move into the final months of our summer we begin the last of the five books of Moses. The Hebrew title "Devarim" means "words." An older Hebrew name for this book was "Mishna Torah" which means "the repetition of the Torah." The English language title of this book is Deuteronomy which is derived from Greek and Latin and means "second law."

As the Jews are camped on the east bank of the Jordan River ready to cross over into the promised land under Joshua's command, Moses begins his final discourses. In this parasha, Moses reviews the journey from Sinai to Kadesh and gives a veiled rebuke with an "exhortation to obedience" to God's laws, as Rabbi J. Hertz writes. The laws of the court system of judges are reviewed. Moses retells of the spies' mission but blames Israel for sending them. In the original story Moses makes the
decision to send the spies. The encounters with the tribes of Esau, Seir, Moab and Og are reviewed. The inheritance of the
tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manesseh, who will live in what is now known as Jordan, are recounted.

Any honest reading of this last book will lead to difficulties, as there are so many inconsistencies with wordings and historic details as told in the first four books of Moses. Not only are laws reviewed with new wordings but more than 70 new laws are introduced. Modern critical biblical theorists conclude that this text was written at a different time, perhaps even in Ezra's era, after the return from exile in Babylon. Traditionally these problems are handled differently.

Traditionally these inconsistencies are answered by saying that Moses held back laws dealing with farming until we were ready to conquer the land of Israel. Even the Talmudic sage Abaye , when trying to explain God's different rebukes in Leviticus chapter 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28, says that Leviticus' rebuke is God's words and that Deuteronomy's rebuke is Moses's words (Tractate Megillah 31B). The Vilna Gaon (genius Rabbi Eliyahu Zalman of the eighteenth century) says that the first four books were heard directly from God on Sinai by Moses and that Moses quoted God's words to Israel.

This fifth book was heard by Moses on Sinai and told to Israel 40 years later in Moses's own words. This is why, according to the Vilna Gaon, there is inconsistency. Onkelos in his 90 C.E. Aramaic translation of the Torah (the Targum) calls this book a "copy" of the Torah, but not an exact copy. He explains that where in the first four books we read the phrase repeated so many times "God spoke to Moses saying...," we read in
this fifth book the phrase "God spoke to me saying...." The Talmudic rabbis go further. They say that these 70 new laws were really part of the Oral Law and that Moses decided to select these 70 and write them down as it was a good time to do this. This is how the rabbis allowed themselves permission 1,700 years later to redact and write the rest of the Oral Law in what is called the Mishna and its Gemorra (discussions).
Those two combined eventually  formed the Talmud. The rabbis never write that if in just 39 years laws could get reworded by even Moshe Rabbanu (Moses our Teacher) perhaps the Oral Law--which they claim is also the word of God--may also be reworded 1,700 years later as well.

The sages teach that the Book of Deuteronomy was taught by Moses during the last five weeks of his life. They say he died on Adar 7 (Tractate Kiddushin 38A). Moses started teaching this book, the rabbis say, on the first of Shevat. This leads to a voracious debate about who wrote the last eight verses of Deuteronomy. They agree that Joshua did but that Moses, who could foresee the future, told him what to write.

In verses 1-5 Moses mentions places but not the events that took place there. The sages teach that Moses, not wanting to embarrass the Israelites, did not mention their sins directly but only the locations of the sins. This is why these first five verses are labeled the "veiled rebuke." Yet the Talmudic rabbi Yochanan says he "has reviewed all of the scriptures but has not found any place named Tophel or Laban" (Deut 1:01). His colleagues answer that Tophel can be rendered "tephel" (complaint) and that Laban means "white." Therefore,
Moses was secretly rebuking the Israelites for complaining about the manna. Yet another rabbis posits that Tofel refers to the sin of the  golden calf (ha Egel). The rabbis cannot decide where Arabah is. They decide it means the plain where the Midianite women seduced the Israelite men. And the unknown place of Di-zahab refers to the gold (Hebrew zehav) that God let the Jews take with them from Egypt. The rabbis agree that Paran is mentioned to remind us of the sin of the spies as they began
their journey from Paran.

The rabbis learn from this rebuke that "any leader who does not chastise his community is held responsible for their sins" (Tractate Shabbat 54B). They go on to say that properly criticizing a person is a lost art and that "in the days preceding the arrival of Moshiach...there will not be any criticism" (Tractate Sotah 49B). Rashi says that this means that no one could criticize another now, as we all sin to one degree or another, so no one has the right to point fingers. On the other hand, we are to "love criticism, for as long as there is criticism in the world, pleasantness comes to the world, good and blessing come to the world, and evil is removed from the world" (Tractate Tamid 28A).

In Deut. 01:6-8 we are told of Israel's boundaries, which are in
conflict with the boundaries given only days before in the last parasha of Numbers. Our land now extends to the Euphrates River in modern Turkey or Iraq. Rashi tries to explain that this means that Israel will have this land when the Messiah comes. No one dared to ask Rashi why we would need any land borders during the messianic age if we were all to be at peace. Perhaps some lions will miss the message and want to eat lambs instead of sleeping with them.

In Deut. 01:9-18 the laws of judges are reviewed. I invite you to turn to Exodus 18:13-26 and compare the two sections. When the Torah repeats these laws it adds and subtracts details. Jethro is not mentioned. Jethro was a Midianite. Forty years before, the Midianites were our allies. Even Moses's wife was a Midianite . Now they are painted as idol worshippers and seductresses. In Exodus Jethro gives Moses the idea for the use of judges. The parasha in Exodus is named for him. In Deuteronomy it is God
who gives this law. Did Moses forget about his father-in-law Jethro? Or was Deuteronomy composed 800 years later?

When you study Devarim this summer please keep a lookout for
inconsistencies. Note how the story of the spies in Deut. 01:19-46 is retold with subtle twists. Moses blamed the Israelites for sending the spies when it is clear in Numbers that God left the choice to Moses. And what is even more amazing is that Moses in 01:37 blames Israel for his own punishment of not being allowed to go in to the Promised Land. But we were just told that Mt. Nebo is within the borders of the Promised land and that Gad and Reuben are living there.

Note also that in verse 01:44, the story of the battle with the Amorites is retold. This battle took place after the Jews' moxie returned after they first lost faith while listening to the spies . The text says that the Amorites pursued the Israelites "as the bees would do." What is the Hebrew word for these flying stinging insects? "Devarim!" Is the author trying to say (as we learned about the "grasshopper eyes" [Num. 13:33]) that our own words defeated us?

The defeated King Og, given only a few words in Numbers, is now described at a giant with an "iron bed" nine cubits in length and four cubits in width measured by "the cubit of that man" (Deut. 3:11). Targum Yonatan  (another Aramaic translation of the Torah by a student of Rabbi Hillel)
writes that Og was one of the race of giants that survived the flood. The Rashbam (Rabbi Shlomo ben Meir, Rashi's grandson, of twelfth-century France) says that when Og was a baby he was so big he broke his wooden cradle. Does Deuteronomy differ with the Noah story as well?

The rabbis had a tough time with reconciling the different wording of the histories in Deuteronomy and the rest of the Chumash (Five Books of Moses). The battles and the spoils of war are described differently. In Talmud Tractate Chulin 17A, when comparing Numbers 31:3-14 and 31:31-41
to Deuteronomy 3:01-11, the rabbis go so far as to say that God gave permission during the war with King Sichon and his Amorites for the Jews to eat "katlei de chaziri--dried pork rinds."

 

They are forced to this conclusion because in Deut. 6:10-11 God says that the Jews can use the houses that they did not build and the food and supplies found within them when they conquer
the land. Since King Og's and King Sichon's land is listed as part of the inheritance of the Jewish people, everything we took from them, including their non-kosher foods and utensils was able to be eaten or used "as is." It was only after these wars that Elazar gave the rules about koshering pots and pans.

For millennia no rabbi was able to state publicly a critical theory of this book's authorship. Tractate Sanhedrin 90A warns that "one who says Torah is not from heaven is a heretic and will have no share in the world to come." The fact that this was written shows that some rabbis must have thought about what we have the luxury today to call "the critical theory of biblical authorship." The Ramban (the thirteen-century Spanish Nachmanides) was forced to conclude that non kosher food captured while conquering Israel was permissible based on his reading of Deuteronomy. The Rambam (the twelfth-century Spanish and Egyptian Maimonides) says that non kosher food is only allowed if the Israelites are hungry. Conquering a land can certainly build-up one's appetite for pork rinds.

The authors of Deuteronomy--and perhaps the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings as well--emphasized centralization of worship and governance. In 622 BCE the High Priest Hilkian found the book of Deuteronomy while the Temple was undergoing restoration. This prompted King Josiah to undertake a major religious reformation. He purged Israel of paganism and centralized all sacrifices in Jerusalem. He also re-instituted Passover, which had been neglected since the days of the
Judges (2 Kings 22:23).

Rabbi Jeffrey Tigay writes that some scholars thought that Deuteronomy was written during King Josiah's reign. He suggests that it was written in King Hezekiah's term a century or two before. Hezekiah also was antipagan. There is a vigorous monotheistic antipagan theme in Deuteronomy. However, much of this book dates back to the ancient times of farmers and herders. There are no city-type laws for merchants, artisans, commerce or even real estate. Tigay believes that some sections
of this book go back to the united monarchy in David's time of 1000 B.C.E.

Because Deuteronomy places emphasis on rituals taking place on Mt. Gezirim and Ebal, near Shechem, Rabbi Tigay believes that it was written in the north, and not written in Jerusalem. He believes that refugees from the northern kingdom of
Israel fleeing to the south during the Assyrian invasion brought this book with them. The fall of the northern kingdom lead to some serious soul-searching in Jerusalem and Tigay believes that King Hezekiah used the text with its rebukes of paganism in order to reform and centralize worship in his southern kingdom of Judah.

Regardless of its authorship, we can agree that this book of Deuteronomy was inspired divinely and we can learn much from it. This parasha is always read in coordination with the fast day of Tisha B'Av. This is the ninth day of Av. The fast is in
commemoration of the destruction of both Temples. It is recorded that other sad events also took place on this same date in history, such as the date the Jews were ordered to leave Spain during the 1492 Inquisition. (Columbus in  his diary complains of the unusual amount of traffic in the harbor on the day of his departure due to the expulsion.)

The Talmud teaches that the Second Temple was destroyed because Jews hated each other over petty things. The rabbis tie this teaching into this week's Torah portion with the veiled, non-embarrassing way that Moses rebuked B'nai Israel.

 

They tell the story in Tractate Gittin 57A of Bar Kamtza. Just before the Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem a certain man
made a large wedding feast. He hated Bar Kamtza because of some petty matter. Somehow the "postal service" got the mail mixed up and Bar Kamtza got an invitation. He thought it was a peace offering of friendship and attended. The host, however, had no wishes to restore their friendship and tried to eject Bar Kamtza from the party. Bar Kamtza offered to pay for his meal to avoid the embarrassment of ejection. The host refused.
Bar Kamtza offered to pay for half of the cost of the party. The host also refused. Bar Kamtza offered to pay the entire feast's expenses and the host still said "no!"

Bar Kamtza, publicly humiliated, went to the Roman authorities and claimed that the Jews were rebelling. The Romans began an investigation and found that indeed Jews had not subordinated themselves to Rome. The Talmud says this marked the beginning of the end of Jerusalem, the Temple and the Second Jewish Commonwealth. The Talmud goes on to say that not
one person, not even a rabbi, jumped to Bar Kamtza's aid to shield him from embarrassment. The Talmud demands that "one ought to jump into a fire rather than cause someone else embarrassment." The name Kamtza means "small thing." Bar Kamtza means "son of a small thing" , which is even smaller. We can learn that the smallest "devar" (word) can sting like a "davar" (bee) and cause someone emotional embarrassment and harm. I think we also were supposed to learn this lesson as children when we were read the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty."

The Midrash teaches "Great is peace, such that even if Israel is
worshipping foreign Gods, but all are at peace with each other, God declares 'I will not defeat them.' As it says in Hosea 4:17 'Ephriam is joined to idols--let him alone!' However if Israel's hearts are divided against each other, 'they shall bear their guilt.'" The Talmud records in Tractate Peah 1A that Rabbi Aba says, "the generations of King David were all righteous but since they were guilty of infighting, they would go out to war and be defeated. However the generations of King Ahab were
idolaters, but since they were not guilty of infighting, they would go out to war and prevail."

We are all Jews regardless of whether we think that the Torah was given on Mt. Sinai or it was written in bits and pieces over the centuries. We are all Jews regardless of whether we are shomar Shabbat (observant of the Sabbath) or not. We are all Jews regardless of whether we follow kashrut (the dietary laws) or eat "pork rinds." As long as we have our petty quarrels over what even traditionalists say that God calls "Bar Kamtza", it does not matter what part of Jerusalem is given or not given to the Palestinians. God would rather us be idol worshippers and forgot about Him if man could live in peace.

God wants us "to live by the law, not die from it."  Let me relate the true story of  the composer Charles Valentin Morhange Alkan. Alkan was a nineteenth-century contemporary and
friend of Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, Ms. George Sand and Victor Hugo. They entertained each other in and around Paris. Alkan was the Monty Python of his time. His "Marcia Funebre sulla Morte d'un Pappagallo" for four singers and chamber ensemble is hilarious. The translation of course is "Funeral March on the Death of a Parrot." Alkan parodies the religious
and operatic music of his time. The singers enter with "As-tu dejeune, Jacot?" the French equivalent to "Polly want a cracker?"

 

Anyway, Alkan disappeared from sight for years when he, a Jew, reclused himself to study Torah and Talmud. According to David Dubal's The Art of the Piano, Alkan died in 1888 when he "reached for his beloved Talmud, which was resting on top of a massive bookcase, and the structure toppled over, crushing the emaciated musician to death at the age of 75." The laws and
Halacha in the Talmud and Torah are fine for some. But let's not die fighting with each other over them.

It would be nice if we could remember that our Temple and the city of Jerusalem was not dedicated only to the Jewish people. I know this runs contrary to popular perception. In I Kings 8:41-43 King Solomon specifically asked God to heed the prayers of non-Jews who came to the Temple. Non-Jews were permitted to bring animal offerings and pray in the Temple. During Sukkot, 70 bulls were offered as sacrifices. The Talmud explains that this corresponds to the 70 nations of the world at that time. Isaiah called the Temple "a house of all nations." The Talmud
further states that the Romans never would have destroyed the Temple if they knew the benefit they received from it. In Derek Eretz Zuta it is written that "the world is like a human eyeball...and the pupil is Jerusalem." We are taught that the world is for all people. Without the pupil, the eye is blind. We are taught "not to put a stumbling block before the blind." We are also taught not to blind anyone and what the penalties are for poking out another's eye. Therefore, can we deny the  "pupil of this world's eye" to any people?

If we cannot make peace among ourselves, how can we ever agree to live in peace with our Arab cousins? Let us keep the thought of "shalom" in our hearts and minds when we remember the destruction and suffering of our people--and all people--this Tisha B'Av.

Shabbat Shalom,
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL

Rabbi Arthur Segal www.jewishspiritualrenewal.org
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal www.jewishrenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA

 

If visiting SC's Low Country, contact us for a Shabbat meal, in our home by the sea, our beth yam.

 

Maker of Shalom (Oseh Shalom) help make us deserving of Shalom beyond all human comprehension!

 

The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL mailing list is hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network.
Join Shamash's Groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

 

To unsubscribe from the SPIRITUALRENEWAL list, email: SPIRITUALRENEWAL-unsubscribe-request@SHAMASH.ORG

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:DEREK ERETZ ZUTA: AVOID POOR JUDGEMENT FROM OUR EGOS

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:DEREK ERETZ ZUTA: AVOID POOR JUDGEMENT FROM OUR EGOS

 

Jewish  Spiritual  Renewal:

 Derek  Eretz Zuta + Rabbah  :

Shabbat  08/13/11  

 

(aka  Derech  Eretz )

 

The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL  class list is hosted by _Shamash:  The Jewish

Network_ (http://shamash.org/ )  a service of Hebrew  College/Yeshiva 

 

Shalom  my dear Chaverim, Talmidim, v' Rabbanim, friends, students and

fellow rabbis:  An oneg, joy-filled, Shabbat, Sabbath, this coming weekend... 

and Shavuah Tov to you for a good and peaceful  week.

 

Also, since this is our last class until after  Sukkoth in mid October as I

will be out of the USA lecturing, and leading Shabbaton and Holy Day  

services, I wish you L'Shanah Tovah Techatemu  VeTikatevu. May you be inscribed

and sealed into the book of life for a good  year!

 

 For those who observe Tisha B'Av, the 9th  of Av, (8/9/11), an easy  fast.

 

 For those who do not,  at least remember why the Temple was destroyed,

sinat chinam, baseless hatred,  and senseless divisions among Jews. [Talmud

Bavli Tractate Yoma  9b]. If we don't want to pray for the rebuilding of the

Temple,  let us agree to work on removing the barriers and disrespect that

many  denominations of Jews, as well as others, have for each  other.

 

We  continue with our exploration into the Talmudic Tractates of Derek

Eretz  Zuta and Rabbah. (aka Derech Eretz Zuta, aka Derech Eretz Rabbah.  As was

mentioned, zuta is Aramaic for 'small', and rabbah is  'large').

 

Remember that Derek Eretz is not about Jewish ritual. It is  about how we

are to treat one another and what traits of character, middot, we  are to try

to develop. The lessons are universal and ecumenical. The  development of

character traits and Jewish spiritual renewal  transformation is called 

Mussar.

 

For  those new to the class, Baruch ha Ba! Welcome! You can access last 

week's class  at 

Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH RENEWAL: DEREK ERETZ: PAYING BACK LOANS ON TIME 

or http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2011/07/rabbi-arthur-segal-jewish-renewal-derek_9919.html

 

 

 

From  here you will find links to preceding classes in this   series. So, 

together we  continue:

 

TALMUD  BAVLI

 

TRACTATE  DEREK 

 

ERETZ  ZUTA

 

(aka  Derech  Eretz)

 

Today  we will complete CHAPTER 3 of  Talmud  Bavli Tractate Derek Eretz

Zuta  Verse  3:5.

 

 ''The  following fifteen customs are ascribed to the sages: He is pleasant

in  entering, and so also when leaving; is prudent in his awe for Heaven; 

versed in wisdom; wise in his ways, has a good conception, a retentive

memory,  is clear in his answers, questions to the point, and answers according

to the  Torah; he learns something new from every chapter taught to him; he  

learns from the wise; he learns for the purpose of teaching it and

performing  it. 

 

Be  as the lower threshold, upon which all persons tread, and still it

lasts even  when the whole building is  demolished.''

 

For  the most part, the majority of this last verse of Chapter Three of

Derek Eretz  Zuta  is self explanatory. I would like to point out a few

things.  Compare this list in 3:5 to the list of traits in 1:1, which was our

first  class in this tractate.  Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL : JEWISH SPIRITUALITY ; DEREK ERETZ ZUTA: MODESTY: TZNIUT  or_

(http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2010/09/rabbi-arthur-segal-jewish-spirituality_8688.html )

  

 

Note  please how the middot, traits, in 1:1 are put into action in  3:5.

 

The  first two lines in 3:5 relate to humility and courtesy. We are to be 

pleasant. We smile and greet every one with sincere shalom and leave in the 

same manner. We don't cause a scene, and let our ego's flit around the room like a prima donna, making whatever the gathering is (service, class, a party,  even a shiva), all about  us.

 

The  third is about being God conscious in our behaviors and words. We have

 discussed this in  this class on Derek Eretz, in past classes for Hebrew 

College's Shamash Program, and an entire chapter is devoted to this in The 

Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the

Modern  Jew  (https://www.createspace.com/1000243192 )  .

 

Customs  4 through to 14 have to do with learning and teaching. Thirteen

and fourteen  teach us that we learn not so we can just 'talk the talk', but

'walk the  walk.'   Remember please that Derek means path, or  walk.

 

We  never say we know something already. Every time we study a chapter, or

go to a  lecture, we try to come away with at least one pearl of  wisdom.

 

When  we teach Torah, we do not dishonor Torah (and in this case Torah

again  includes Talmud and Midrash) by teaching falsehoods. When our talmidim

and/or  congregants know all of Torah and Talmud and the sages' commentaries,

then  they can listen to our opinions. The trait of humility teaches us, to

teach  others correctly, before we give our opinions. 

 

Second  to last for today's class is: ''has a good conception.''  How we

think, how we form ideas, determines how we act,  including teaching. As Dr.

Bob Taylor, a psychologist asks: "How could such  highly-educated and

precisely-trained professionals veer off the path of  objectivity?" His answer is

simple. We are humans, homo sapiens. And we will  continue to make wrong

judgements, until we learned to divorce ourselves from  ego, meditate for

answers, and move toward becoming homo  spiritus.

 

When  we conceive ideas based on ego, we are having cognitive bias. This

results in  results in "perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment or

illogical  interpretation."

 

Because  the above is the result of ego, Derek Eretz Zuta began immediately

with  teaching us modesty and humility and ego deflation.  These biases

helped  us in primitive times, but wreck havoc in our lives today. The

Semmelweis  reflex  is the predisposition to deny new information that  challenges

our established views, while the  confirmation bias  involves the

inclination to seek out information that supports our own  preconceived  notions.

 

The  overconfidence effect involves unwarranted confidence in one's own 

knowledge. This is dangerous for a rabbi to have, yet we see it often. The 

fundamental attribution error,  involves the tendency to attribute  other

people's behavior to their personalities and to attribute our own  behavior to

the situation. When others act idiotic, they have the problem.  When we act

even more idiotic, we can rationalize ways to justify  it.

 

So  the behavior of having a good conception, doing away with ego, and

arrogance,  and pre-conceived notions so that we can learn and teach properly,

is all  important, for rabbis as well as parents, anyone in a profession or

social  situation.

 

''Be  as the lower threshold, upon which all persons tread, and still it

lasts even  when the whole building is demolished.'' This last bit of advice 

from Chapter Three of Derek Eretz Zuta is not advising us to be a door mat.

It  is using a building as an analogy to life. Stay as humble as the lower 

threshold. Don't take ourselves, our kudos, our belongings, so seriously.

All  things pass away. In the end we are left with our spiritual inner selves.

 The building gets demolished, but the lower threshold still  remains.

 

 I  work with many people now, due to the economy, have literally lost

their homes  on the ocean front, their cars, their memberships in country clubs,

and even  synagogues. And they have lost the pseudo-friends that they had

because of the  money spent in these institutions. The are left with only the

lower threshold.  And now they are learning, for the first time in their

lives, to live  spiritually. 

 

Living  with Jewish Spiritual Renewal doesn't mean taking a vow of poverty.

Quite the  opposite. But it does mean living a life where we know that our

adult toys,  are far less important, than our relationships with family,

true friends, and  the  Divine.

 

Next  class, which will be after Sukkoth, in mid October, 2011, Baruch ha

Shem, we  will begin with chapter four of  Derek Eretz Zuta  .

 

We  discuss the middot, character traits, of this verse ,  throughout the 

majority of chapters in  ''The  Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path

of Transformation for the Modern  Jew'' '

(http://www.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/ )  as well as in most chapters of ''A  Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to

the Torah and Talmud''   _

(http://www.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/index.html#Compendium2 ) .

 

What  are your ideas about living a life following the advice set out in

Derek  Eretz?  How has learning to respect others helped you in your 

interpersonal  relationships? How  has understanding the spiritual and ethical

teachings of  Judaism helped you live a more  joyous life?

 

Next  class, Baruch ha Shem, we will continue with Derek Eretz Zuta,

Chapter  Four. Thank you for joining  me.

 

For  those who want a d'var Torah on Parasha '' Va' et chanan''  from '''A 

Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and  Talmud ''

(http://www.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/index.html#Compendium2 ) 

 

please  click  on:  

 Rabbi  Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:CHUMASH CANDESCENCE: PARASHA 

VA'ET-CHANAN:DEUTERONOMY 3:23- 7:11_

(http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2008/02/dr-arthur-segalchumash-candescence.html )    

 

  

Shalom:

 

Rabbi Arthur Segal_  www.jewishspiritualrenewal.org_

(http://www.jewishspiritualrenewal.org/ ) 

Via Shamash Org  on-line class service

Jewish Renewal_  www.jewishrenewal.info _ (http://www.jewishrenewal.info/ ) 

Jewish Spiritual  Renewal

Jewish Spirituality

Eco Judaism

Hilton Head Island, SC,  Bluffton, SC, Savannah,  GA

 

If  visiting SC's Low Country, contact us for a Shabbat meal, in our home

by the  sea, our beth  yam.

 

Maker  of Shalom (Oseh Shalom) help make us deserving of Shalom beyond all

human  comprehension! 

 

The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL  mailing list is hosted by _Shamash:  The

Jewish Network_ (http://shamash.org/ ) .

 To unsubscribe from the  SPIRITUALRENEWAL list, email:

_SPIRITUALRENEWAL-unsubscribe-request@SHAMASH.ORG _

(mailto:SPIRITUALRENEWAL-unsubscribe-request@SHAMASH.ORG )