Tag Archive for Minhag

Parshat Tazriah

 

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

&

A Quick Thought”

 

 

Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Tazriah

March 31, 2011

25 Adar II, 5771

Dear Friend,

 

Less than 1 week away!!! Next Tuesday, April 5, 2011, is the 2nd annual mock singing Seder. Learn all the popular songs that are a staple in the Seder: Bukarian, Sefaradic, Ashkenaz, American pop, etc. For men only. Plenty of wine and food. PLEASE RSVP to Rabbi Avi Matmon atsparkofjewishexperience@hotmail.com.

 

In This Issue
Tazriah
Passover Customs

Tazriah

 

8 strands on tallis

 

       In this week’s Torah reading, we receive more information about the commandment of circumcision (brit milah). It’s a dramatic moment as both the father and infant son transcend to this special mitzvah. Let’s explore two interesting aspects about this momentous event.

One may ask, why does the Torah state, it should be on the ‘eighth day’? Would it not be more logical to have the brit on the seventh day, considering what the commentary ‘tosefes beracha’ points out that the number seven is often used to indicate perfection? For example, we find that after the molad-the point at which the new moon begins to appear for a period of seven days, the moon grows a little each day, becoming complete at the conclusion of the seventh. Also, there’s more food for thought regarding the importance of the number seven; a marriage is celebrated with seven blessings on each day of the seven days following the wedding. Death is observed with seven days of mourning. A week is seven days; the shmittah cycle is seven years; there are seven heavens; man goes through seven stages of life; and King Solomon wrote that there are seven pillars of wisdom. In the physical world, a cycle, a full measure is seven. So we see the number seven is a staple in this world; therefore it’s only fitting that an important commemoration should be on this day.

But the number eight, according to our sages, is above perfection. There was a time where the Jews enjoyed a higher intimacy with G-d during the Temple, which represents the spiritual world. Rabbenu Bachya notes the number eight had a great significance in the Temple service. The High Priest wore eight vestments; eight musical instruments accompanied the Levites in the singing of the psalms; animals could only be offered if they were eight days old; there were eight poles for carrying the vessels in the sanctuary; there were eight varieties of species used in the making of the anointment oil; the inauguration of Aaron and his sons took place on the eighth day of the Temple’s dedication. It is indeed ‘above the planes of nature ‘. Therefore, any entity associated with the number eight represents a direct connection involving the spiritual world.

There are other important reasons for eight; there were eight generations from Abraham to when Joshua led Israel in entering the land of Israel; the tzitzis tassels affixed to the tallt has eight strands; Chanukah is celebrated for eight days-a spiritual miracle; forty-nine days are counted from the 2nd day of Passover which culminates with the arrival of the holiday of Shavuot, which marks the giving of the Torah at Sinai at the conclusion of the seventh week period following the exodus. Eight thus represents receiving of the Torah, the holiness of G-d Himself, and it is only fitting that a circumcised boy comes into the ‘congregation of Israel’ on the eighth day.

One may ask, why is the great prophet Eliyahu present at every brit? At the end of his mission, as a prophet, Eliyahu was disillusioned with the Jewish people for reverting back to sin after seeing dramatic miracles. He told G-d, the people of Israel are not performing circumcision, indicating they never will again. G-d said it seems you have so little confidence in my people. ‘They will perform brit milah, you’ll see. In fact, each brit that will be performed, you will attend’. (If Eliyahu wasn’t a morning person then he sure is now!)

We learn a valuable lesson to never give up hope. Even though the Jews were not performing the commandment of brit milah and were at a spiritual low, they eventually saw the importance of it and returned to perform it diligently. But even more surprising, is G-d’s harsh reaction towards Eliyahu for not believing in the Israelites. Eliyahu’s self-sacrifice to Israel is well-known. You see, G-d expects a lot from his people, because we are above normality; above the number seven; we are above the horoscope. We have the ability to change the scope of any situation through prayer and good deeds. In essence, we have the potential to be wrapped around the number eight which beams a light of holiness. Through the number eight, which is our essence, ‘hope’ takes on another meaning, and our dreams to excel spiritually could be in reach.

Passover Customs
 grains

It’s very difficult to eat by someone’s house on Passover.

I remember my parents being very strict and I often thought that they were ‘overdoing it’. Then one Passover I paid someone a visit during Chol HaMoed to get acquainted. This person is considered an observant Jew so I didn’t have my guard up in being careful with what I was eating. Apparently, to my horror. I ate something, unknowingly, which my family tradition considers not kosher for Pesach. It was a kosher product but we adhere to a higher standard during the holiday. ‘Burn him at the stake’ you might scream out snickering sarcastically. One might argue ‘your kind is causing division among our brethren with your petty ridiculousness; maybe you should just chill out’. In response to my brethren whom feel that way, I would like to divulge a secret to the success of our Jewish people, ‘tradition, tradition’ (please Google ‘Fiddler on the Roof”). You see, observant Jews take pride in keeping the stringent laws of Kashrut, which goes back approximately three thousand years. We have taken great strides in putting kosher symbols on food products nationally.  In a gentile, super power country, that’s unheard of! We have many top star kosher cuisine restaurants, which can compete with any non-kosher establishment. Besides observing kosher for the sake of the Torah law commandment, on a pure psychological exercise, it strengthens one’s skills in willpower in which we can be very proud of. Those Jews that are lax in observing these laws eventually fell off the bandwagon of being part of the Jewish nation.

One of the items that are controversial on Passover is whether kitniyot is permissible. Let’s mention some fundamental concepts before explaining what kitniyot are. The Torah forbids us to eat chametz (leaven) on Pesach. Something becomes chametz when flour and water mix together long enough for the dough to rise. The sages explicitly state and rule that chametz can be produced only from certain grains: wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats. The Rabbis imposed a stringency on kitniyot as a prevention to violating the Torah law of chametz. Kitniyot are also cooked in a manner similar to the way the grains are cooked and that could be confusing. In addition, in many locales, kitniyot are made into bread and people who are not well versed in Torah law might get confused.

Another concern is that kitniyot are mixed with grains that have the ability to become chametz. For example, spelt is often mixed with rice. That is why our Bukarian mothers and grandmothers clean rice before Pesach.  Much has been written about which items are included in the minhag (custom) of kitniyot. Four issues are usually explored. Is the item defined as kitniyot (legumes, such as beans, lentils, rice, soy, kidney beans, lima beans, peas, corn), or at least similar to kitniyot? Can the item be ground into flour in the same manner as grain? Does the item grow near a field of grain? Various communities have different customs and define what is and is not allowed. Some customs allow eating kitniyot; some just allow rice, and some none at all. My family custom permits rice with the exception of the first Seder night. There is no generality except what the Talmud explicitly states what is chametz which we mentioned above. Therefore, when going to a kosher supermarket for Pesach shopping, look at labels and ingredients to be in accordance with you family traditions.

The most important advice is to follow one’s rich traditions and customs, as long as they don’t violate any Jewish law. Minhag avot (the custom of our fathers) is the leading indicator to proceed in various functions of every day Jewish life. It is vital to consult with a Rabbi who is well versed in Torah and is also familiar with your family traditions.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience