RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: DEVARIM: MOSES' LAST FIVE WEEKSRABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUALITY: DEVARIM:KING OG; IRON BED: BROKE CRADLECHUMASH CANDESCENCE
PARASHA DEVARIM
DEUTERONOMY 1:01-3:22
RABBI ARTHUR SEGALRabbi 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 SEGALRabbi Arthur Segal www.jewishspiritualrenewal.org
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Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GAIf 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.
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Saturday, July 14, 2012
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: DEVARIM: MOSES' LAST FIVE WEEKS
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: TISHA B'AV: TU B'AV:
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The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal:
A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the
Torah and TalmudAND''GREAT IS PEACE''A MODERN COMMENTARY ON TALMUD BAVLI TRACTATE DEREK ERETZ ZUTA"Rabbi Shimon the son of Gamliel said, 'One who eats and drinks on Tisha B'Av is akin to one who eats and drinks on Yom Kippur.' Rabbi Akiva said, 'One who works on Tisha B'Av will never see any blessing from that work.' The sages say, 'One who works on Tisha B'Av and doesn't mourn over the destruction of Jerusalem will not merit to witness its joy… from here we derive that anyone who mourns over Jerusalem will merit to experience her joy, and one who fails to mourn over Jerusalem will not merit to partake of her joy.'"
Talmud Bavli Tractate Ta'anit 30a
The wicked Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar instructed his general Nevuzradan, "The G!d of the Jews is always ready to accept penitents. Therefore, when you capture them, do not allow them to pray to Him, so that they should not be able to repent. Otherwise, He will take pity upon them… Midrash Eichah (Lamentations)
"The world can be compared to a human eyeball – The white of the eye is the ocean surrounding the world – The iris is this continent – The pupil is Jerusalem – And the image in the pupil is the Holy Temple."
Derech Eretz Zuta 9
"Each time the Jewish people were exiled, the Divine Presence accompanied them."
Talmud Bavli Tractate Megillah 29a
'' A bit of Kabbalah from Zohar Beresheit: Let us see what the traditional author, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (c. 135 CE) writes. On Tisha B'Av we read the book of Lamentations (Eichah ). Eichah does not mean Lamentations in Hebrew, just as B' Midbar does not mean Numbers in Hebrew. Eichah means 'How,' from the first words of the Book ,"How [in Hebrew, Eichah] lonely sits the city, that was full of people! (Lamentations 1:1) .'' R' Shimon teaches that in parasha Devarim, Moses asks '' How (in Hebrew, 'Eichah') can I alone bear your weight, and your burden, and your strife? (Deut. 1:12).'' And R' Shimon reminds us that the Jewish people's hatred of one another, caused Jerusalem's downfall. He also teaches that when God says to Adam " 'Where are you?' [in Hebrew, 'Ayecha'?] it is a broad hint to all of us, to ask this question to ourselves each day, as we journey with Jewish Spiritual Renewal and daily spiritual growth."
Rabbi Arthur Segal
http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/
Shalom Arthur,
This month we celebrate two Jewish holidays. The 9th of Av, or Tisha B'Av, falls on the eve of July 28, and day of July 29, and Tu B'Av follows on the eve of August 3 and day of August 4, 2012.
Tisha B'Av and Tu B'Av are two of our lesser-known holidays. In fact, many Jews have never celebrated Tu B'Av despite the fact that the Talmud calls it the most joyous day on the Jewish calendar.
However, these are not the only notorious events to have fallen on the same date throughout Jewish history. Specifically, among many others,:
- The Jews' expulsion from Spain in 1492 C.E.
- The day that 10 of Moses' 12 spies gave negative reports about the land of Israel, condemning the Israelites to 39 more years in the wilderness.
The spiritual aspects of this Holy day are enormous, yet some synagogues don't acknowledge Tisha B'Av out of a belief that it is only about restoring the Temple, the Priesthood and animal sacrifices.
- The outbreak of World War I, which set in motion the events leading up to the Second World War and hence, the Holocaust.
This misses the spiritual message of Tisha B'Av entirely.
Don't Blame it On the Rain
Talmud Tractate Bavli Berachot 5a teaches us that when bad things happen to us, we are to look inward at our own character flaws for the reason rather than assigning blame to some external cause. This lesson is found in stories throughout the text.
The rabbis write that the first Temple fell because Hebrews broke up Solomon's kingdom politically, making its conquest easier.
Talmud Bavli Tractate Yoma 9b explains that the second Temple fell because Jews harbored unwarranted negative feelings (sinat chinam) toward one another, forming quarreling cliques and giving individuals the cold shoulder.
A story in Talmud Bavli Tractate Gittin 55a - 56b tells of a man who was so humiliated when snubbed at a party that he vengefully reported to the Romans of a Jewish plot to rebel.
Upon hearing of the supposed rebellion, the Romans decided to try a little test. They sent a sacrificial calf to the Temple, and the fellow who got the brush off at the party put a blemish on the calf.
Now, according to strict Hebraic laws of the Torah, a blemished calf may not be sacrificed. However, the rabbis, who adhered to the more spiritual Jewish Talmudic laws, advised that the sacrifice would bring peace between the Jews and Romans. They said that promoting peace and love is a greater good according to G!d's will than is following Torah law to the letter.
Irrespective of the rabbinic advice, the Hebrew priests refused the calf as a proper sacrifice, and the Romans came crashing through the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the city and its Temple.
The moral of the story is found in Talmud Bavli Tractate Bava Metzia 30b, in which the rabbis address the consequences of following the letter of the Torah law but not the spirit of Jewish Talmudic law.
In plain English, ask yourself: if you were in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. gazing at the ruins of your city and the Temple, would you say that a blemished calf caused this tragedy, or was it the anger and hate permeating your people?
Tisha B'Av mourns a number of deficits. Among them; that some Jews lack spirituality and we behave poorly towards one another.
In Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 10a we learn that loving your fellow and "Shalom ha gadol" (peace is the greatest of virtues) are intrinsic to Judaism.
Other wise teachings of the sages show that the root cause of problems with others and with ourselves stem from our own defects of character.
As spiritual Jews, Tisha B'Av is a time for mourning our past character defects and working toward improving our behavior in the future.
She's Everything You Dream About...But Don't Fall In Love
Tu B'Av is the 15th of the month of Av. Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Ta'anit 4:7 teaches that it is the happiest day on the Jewish calendar.
Girls and young men would meet at the vineyards and dance together. Today we might call it a mixer or "singles night," but there is one notable difference.
The girls would all wear the same simple white dress so that rich and poor would all look alike - none adorned with jewelry or make up - and the men would get to know their character without being distracted by the superficial.
Talmud Bavli Tractate Ta'anit 30b-31a says: "When any Jew is decorated with the jewels of Torah learning, he or she is not ugly."
Isn't it interesting to juxtapose that Talmudic view from 2,500 years ago against the objectification of women that we see in today's popular culture?
For the Tu B'Av celebration the young women would dress alike and eschew jewelry and makeup so that the men would fall in love for the right reasons.
Contrast that to the "relationships" between men and women as portrayed in supermarket tabloids or the latest episode of Two 1/2 Men.
(Lessons about Tu B'Av continue below...)
...and you're gonna like her, 'cause she's got class
Popular culture is a powerful thing, but not always in a good way.
We are inundated with images - on television, in music, in movies, on the Internet - that purport to show us how life is supposed to be.
"Beautiful People," fast cars, big houses, cool gadgets and a never-ending party; these are the things that we should value...or so we are told.
So many of us pursue these superficial things for years, only to wake up one day to find that the one thing missing from it all is happiness.
Look around you. Look at the state of our society.
Is it any wonder that our nation's literacy rate has the risk of becoming abysmal?
Or that half of marriages end up in divorce?
Or that we just can't seem to get along?
This is not how it ought to be, and we all know it.
We also know that we need to make a change; for our own happiness, and to save us from a modern-day Tisha B'Av.
But how do we make that change?
Too many of us have put our hope and faith in the wrong place for too long. We've expected others - the powerful elite - to fix the problems for us.
Now that we've reached the 21st Century, how's that working out?
The change that we seek has to come from within. We have to change as individuals, one by one.
We have to re-evaluate what is important in life and what will truly bring happiness.
We have to live more spiritually.
We have to address our own character flaws and change them.
I know it sounds difficult. The influences against it are everywhere and can be hard to resist.
But it is not that difficult.
You can live your life spiritually, and have deep, meaningful relationships without caring about fitting in or looking cool.
My book, The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew, teaches you how to transform your life into one that is happier, more peaceful, and more spiritual, regardless of what is going on in the world around you.
And it is all written in the context of modern-day life.
In this book, I distill the teachings of our sages and rabbis that have been passed along for thousands of years, along with lessons from the Torah and the Talmud.
But unlike other Jewish spiritual texts that you may have read, or sermons you may have heard, this book presents these lessons in a concise, easy-to-read, easy-to-follow life transformation process that you can follow step-by-step at your own pace.
You will learn:
- That "normative" Judaism as you have known it throughout your life is not really Judaism at all, why it may leave you uninspired, and how spiritual renewal will help you recapture that inspiration (Chapter 1).
- That your ego can be your own worst enemy, and how to win the battle against it (Chapter 2).
- How to stop struggling for control over things you cannot control, and be happier because of it (Chapter 3).
- How spiritual renewal conquers the fears and character flaws that are holding you back in life (Chapters 4 and 5).
- To actually get rid of your character flaws forever (Chapter 6).
- How to turn negative relationships in your life positive (Chapter 7).
- How simple it is to make prayer a regular part of your days...without going back to Hebrew school (Chapter 8).
- How to find peace of mind through meditation (Chapter 9).
- How to simplify life's toughest decisions
(Chapter 10).
- How spiritual renewal transforms you into the best individual you can be, and how to stay on track (Chapter 11).
- How to celebrate the Sabbath and the Jewish Holidays with meaning (Chapters 12 and 13).
The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew is available at www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org/books .
- How to live with happiness, joy, and freedom every day of your life (Chapter 14).
Click the link above to order.
Good Times, Bad Times, You Know I've Had My Share
As the Hebrews wandered the desert for 40 years, orphaned girls without brothers were forbidden to marry outside of their tribe.
This was intended to prevent their fathers' inherited land from passing on to other tribes upon reaching the Land of Israel.
This ban was lifted on the 15th of Av (Tu B'Av) in the fortieth year.
That same year, the last of the generation of the ''sin of the spies,'' who were forbidden from entering the Promised Land, died out.
The Tribe of Benjamin was allowed to intermarry with the other tribes after the Concubine of Gibeah incident (Judges chapters 19-21).
Cutting of the wood for the main altar in the Temple was completed for the year. The event was celebrated with feasting and rejoicing (as is the custom upon the conclusion of a holy endeavor), and included a ceremonial breaking of the axes which gave the day its name, the Breaking of the Axe.
What is the significance of breaking an axe? We will learn about this below.
The Roman occupiers permitted burial of massacre victims at Bethar on Tu B'Av. Miraculously, the bodies had not decomposed, despite exposure to the elements for over a year.
Hosea ben Eilah opened the roads to Jerusalem upon the division of the Holy Land into two kingdoms following the death of King Solomon.
Jeroboam ben Nebat, ruler of the breakaway Northern Kingdom of Israel, set up roadblocks to prevent his citizens from making the thrice-yearly pilgrimage to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judea.
These were finally removed more than 200 years later by Hosea ben Eilah, the last king of the Northern Kingdom, on the 15th of Av.
Note that these joyous events occurred merely six days (on the calendar) after the horrors of Tisha B'Av, and there is a great lesson in that fact alone.
When bad things happen, we should not only remember to look inward for the cause, but that it is not necessarily the end of the world. We can always look forward to better times. Hope, Ha Tikva, has sustained the Jewish people for millennia.
When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie...
Tu B'Av is called the 15th of Av because it falls on the fifteenth day of the month (full moon) according to the lunar calendar.
We celebrate Tu B'Av on July 26 this year - and the exact date varies from year to year - so that our celebration coincides with the full moon.
The Kabbalah's Zohar explains that we mark time with the moon because:
"We rise and fall through the nights of history knowing times of growth and diminution, our moments of luminous fullness alternating with moments of obscurity and darkness. And like the moon, our every regression and defeat is but a prelude to yet another rebirth, yet another renewal."
The full moon is a sign of comfort, or nachamu, after the horrible events of the 9th of Av. The full moon of Tu B'Av gives Tikvah, hope, to the Jews, in the Diaspora.
As already mentioned, the 15th of Av also celebrates the Breaking of the Axe. An axe was used the to cut firewood for the altar for the Temple.
It was ceremoniously broken when the job was done - rather than saved for the next year's cutting - because the axe's destructive objective represents the antithesis of that for which the Altar, and the Temple as a whole, stood. The axe is a tool of destruction and represents warlike acts. Breaking the axe symbolizes an end to such acts in favor of peace, kindness and love.
"When you build a stone altar for Me, do not build it of cut stone; for if your sword has been lifted upon it, you have profaned it; Do not lift iron upon it... The altar of G!d shall be built of whole stones."
-- Ex. 20:22; Deut. 27:5-6
If any metal implement as much as touched a stone, that stone was rendered unfit for use in the making of the altar.
Our sages explain in Talmud Bavli Tractate Middot 3:4: "Iron was created to shorten the life of man, and the Altar was created to lengthen the life of man; so it is not fitting that an object which shortens should be lifted upon that which lengthens."
Iron, the instrument of war and destruction, has no place in the making of the instrument whose function is to bring eternal peace and harmony to the world.
While, it seems to be our destiny to wax and wane like the moon, I do pray that we have more days and years like a full bright moon, with no instruments of war aimed at us, or forced into our hands to defend ourselves, and that our shovels and backs are used to plant fruit trees and see a world full of Shalom and love.
Many Blessings,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
A Modern Interpretation
In my years of Rabbinic Counseling I've noticed that many modern Jews are not as familiar with the Torah and the Talmud as they might be.
They find it difficult to understand and interpret in a way that makes sense and has relevance to their lives in the modern world.
The spiritual disconnection that this causes inspired me to write a second book, A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud.This book instills Jewish values and an understanding of the Torah and Talmud's teachings in plain English and from a modern point of view.
The Talmud teaches that the Torah is about loving our fellow man and that we are to ''go and study.'' The rest is commentary.
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud clarifies the commentary and allows one to study the Torah and the Talmud to learn the Judaic ideals of love, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and peace.
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud is available at www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org/books
It is not expensive as we have kept costs down and certainly a small amount to pay for the priceless wisdom contained within the Torah and the Talmud.
P.S. Be sure to keep up with my three regular blog posts:
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.net
Jewish Renewal www.jewishrenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com
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Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GAFOR THOSE IN THE AREA DURING SHABBAT, PLEASE CONTACT US FOR A SHABBAT DINNER AT OUR OWN BETH YAM, HOUSE BY THE SEA.DEAR GOD, MAKER OF PEACE, OSEH SHALOM, MAKE US DESERVING OF A TRUE PEACE, BEYOND ALL HUMAN COMPREHENSION.
© 2012 Rabbi Arthur Segal Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal www.jewishrenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
facebook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GAFOR THOSE IN THE AREA DURING SHABBAT, PLEASE CONTACT US FOR A SHABBAT DINNER AT OUR OWN BETH YAM, HOUSE BY THE SEA.DEAR GOD, MAKER OF PEACE, OSEH SHALOM, MAKE US DESERVING OF A TRUE PEACE, BEYOND ALL HUMAN COMPREHENSION.
Rabbi Arthur Segal www.jewishspiritualrenewal.org
Jewish Renewal www.jewishrenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
facebook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
Jewish Renewal www.jewishrenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
facebook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
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