Archive for May 2013

Parshat Korach

May 5, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

“A Cup of Coffee 

&

A Quick Thought”
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Korach

June 23, 2011

21 Sivan, 5771
Dear Friends,

A special thanks to Joey Garelic for editing and to the Afikim staff for all their help. 
In This Issue
The Art of Comedy
Sometimes Laughter is the Best Medicine

The Art of Comedy
comedy and tradegy

 

 

After reading the portion relating to Korach, one has to ask why was he punished so severely? After all, he seemingly thought he was in line to receive a high position, but was apparently passed over to the other members of the Kahat family (grandfather of both Moshe and Korach), specifically, Elizafan, the youngest son’s children. Korach felt slighted, since his father was older, and wondered why? “I’m an upstanding citizen and a Torah scholar and by the alignment of Kahat’s sons, I’m the next to be appointed. I feel this job is a perfect fit”. He didn’t deny G-d. In fact, he merely wanted to help by providing his services to the Jewish people and to G-d. Although there is no denying he wanted to overthrow the hierarchy of Moshe’s government, he sincerely thought he was the right man for the job. As such, the severity of the punishment seems at face value a little harsh.
As Korach and his assembly were waiting for a showdown with the camp of Moshe, the ground opened up and swallowed them up alive.
How did this occur?  What transpired?  How did Korach succeed in creating an assembly of followers to counter Moshe’s leadership?
 One may only need to look to modern times here in America to see how this can happen. Through technology, the American society magnified and popularized the median of comedy starting in the late 50’s. The convenience of television brought many comedians such as, Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Don Rickles, Richard Pryer, and Johnny Carson just to name a few. I can go on and on with a smirk on my face and a chuckle inside. These comedians would make fun of everything that society has to offer.
 By the mid 60’s and beyond as television became more affordable, the comedians spread their material to the political front. Politicians became prime targets of late night talk show comedians like Carson, Letterman and Leno. It became a ritual that a new president-elect would get repeatedly roasted and grilled by the onslaught of comedians.
 Apparently, it is not a coincidence that the disrespect these political figures endure by American citizens as manifest by such comedians as well as by the masses at office water coolers throughout the country, begins around the same time. Kennedy was perhaps the last respected president (one may argue Reagan). The tragedy of when Kennedy was assassinated put the nation in such a solemn mood. Even my father, an immigrant at the time for only a year, cried. It is hard to believe anyone can elicit that kind of reaction from the nation today. The reason for the respect Kennedy received was that political bashing and comic needling were not yet fully established. Gerald Ford was a gifted athlete but one of the reasons he lost his bid for reelection (besides Watergate which nearly ruined his Republican party) was a little misstep where he physically tripped. This rather common human occurrence triggered an impersonation by a Saturday Night Live comedian Chevy Chase portraying Ford as tripping constantly. Chase and the writers of the show, for many months were relentless and created the impression that President Ford was a klutzy, bumbling fool.
  G-d is very sensitive to the kavod or honor of people, especially His chosen people. We see this from our forefather Avraham when his son Yitzchok was born. Everybody thought and assumed Yizchok could not possibly be his child since he could not have kids with his wife Sarah for many years. G-d made sure, to avoid the smirking and the back door jokes by having Yitzchok look exactly like his father. But why bother and care what a few yentas and fools say? We see how impressionable people can be.
 In order to discredit Moshe, Korach ridiculed him and his leadership. He used comedy as a weapon. Comedy can be used as a positive or negative force. It can be therapeutic or lethal depending how it is used. One may say he was the first stand up comedian, but unfortunately a lethal one. Korach and his assembly, by denying Moshe’s authority as G-d’s messenger, denied the legitimacy of the Torah. By denying the messenger they are denying the one who sent him, and if so, there remains no foundation to Torah or prophecy. If Korach’s argument had any basis, then the entire Torah would be null and void for it was based on Moshe’s having been sent by G-d.
 One can ruin the legitimacy of a person and his teaching by one sarcastic remark or even one derogatory facial expression such as the rolling of the eyes. This could be accomplished by the negative side of comedy.  G-d says “I created man in my name and in my honor” meaning there must be respect given to man because if one disrespects man one also disrespects G-d.  May we all learn from the Korach experience and be cautious not to jest mockingly and be careful to respect one another in the fullest sense.

Sometimes Laughter is the Best Medicine
 laughter clown

The Chozer of Lublin was one of the greatest of his generation. In fact, many people went to him for Brachot (blessings). They came to him for refuah shelemah (health), to find the right soul mate, better their financial situation and for many other reasons. It seemed he was a sure bet. Whatever the request for a blessing from G-d they asked from him, he would give a bracha and a short time latter it would be fulfilled.

         What was his method to success?
         Every night the Chozer of Lublin would recite the special midnight prayer to G-d and he would curl up, scream, yell and cry like a baby until he felt his prayers were accepted in heaven. Hey – whatever works, right?
         One night while he was waiting for his student, Rav Naftali Rupshitz to come, he felt that his prayers to G-d were not being heard. He wondered.  His routine was the same as any other night and yet now, no one seemed to be listening. So he asked the heavens “what is going on up there”?  “If you want to understand the reason, just look at your student, Rav Naftali Rupshitz” was the heavenly response. Apparently on his way to his Rebbi that night, he stopped at an inn and he noticed there was a wedding celebration. As he walks in to a room of dancing he noticed that the Kallah (bride) was sad. So he approached her and asked: “Why are you sad? This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life”!  She replied “ourbatchan canceled on us and we have no one to tell jokes.” A batchan -comedian was often used at the time and even today at the weddings of Chassidim to make the bring joy to the new couple.
       Rav Naftali looked at her and replied “I’ll be your batchan.”  He then stood on a chair and started telling joke after joke until he got the entire inn’s attention. He had the whole place on their knees as result from his funny jokes. Rav Naftali noticed from the corner of his eye that the Chatan and Kallah were really enjoying his routine. He was indeed hilarious. It seemed like the young couple and the people at the inn were not the only ones to take notice, the angels in heaven also stopped what they were doing to hear Rav Naftali. It was such an impressive and funny performance that even G-d stopped to listen. All the angels closed up shop to hear this Jewish Rabbi make the world laugh. This is the reason your prayers were not heard, everybody was out for the evening enjoying Rav Naftali at the wedding party.
         When Rav Naftali finally arrived at his Rebbe’s house, the Chozer of Lublin said to him “what I do with screaming, wailing and yelling you accomplish with laughter!”
         We mentioned in the preceding Dvar Torah on the Parshat Korach, how comedy is can be very dangerous. In fact, it is a two edged sword. As such, it is only fitting that we also see the benefits as well. How important it is to make people laugh in a positive sense and to cheer them up when they are down and depressed. Moreover, it’s a big mitzvah (commandment) to make a bride and groom happy. The rewards are tremendous. We realize from this story, it is indeed priceless!!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

 

Parshat Shelach

May 5, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

&

A Quick Thought”

 

 
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Shelach

June 16, 2011

14 Sivan, 5771

Dear Friends,

The first article, “The Spy Who Loved Me”, is based on a lecture called “Jewish Spy in History” written by Rabbi Avi Matmon.

A special thanks to Joey Garelic for editing and to the Afikim staff for all their help.
In This Issue
The Spy Who Loves Me
Shelach

The Spy Who Loves Me
spy

 

 

One of the main stages of the Sephardic (Bukharin) cantorial recitation is the reading of the prayer “Nishmat kol chai” on Shabbat morning. I remember my father and I anxiously preparing to go to Synagogue, trying to get there before the Chazzan starts the Shacharit prayer. Moreover, when the high holidays arrived, the excitement was even greater having guest Chazzanim like Yigal ben Chaim and Eli Balchioff who happen to be regarded as from the best of their generation. It was a pleasure and a privilege to hear them recite “Nishmat kol chai.” It was without a doubt a tremendously moving and inspiring experience.

 One may ask, why is Nishmat the measuring stick of the cantorial recital? The prayer Nishmat is so important that if one comes late to services and the congregation is reciting this particular prayer at that point, he must recite it with them and delay his own prayer from the beginning part of the teffilah which he missed, due to being late. Furthermore, the sages say, Nishmat is the jump start of the “neshema yetera” (the additional soul which one receives on Shabbat that elevating us to a holier level).
 What is it that is so special about this particular prayer?  In order to reveal the understanding of the prayer of ‘Nishmat’ we have to look back at a little Jewish history.Approximately 2000 years ago an off-shoot religion, Christianity, was just stemming from Judaism. The Great Sanhedrin (the 71 judges of the great court of Israel) was led by their president, Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel. He discreetly approached a fellow by the name of Shimon Kaffa concerning a very important mission. Apparently the Jewish leaders were very concerned that their people might abandon Judaism for this new Christianity. They wanted Kaffa to infiltrate their hierarchy of the Church. His mission was to make a clear distinction between the two religions, so that Jews will not err and be lured in, believing it is just another stream of Judaism and a valid form of Jewish worship.
After many years of being undercover Shimon Kaffa became one of the primary players of Christianity. Some say he was none other than Peter. (Although history is a bit unclear at that time, many maintain that this is in fact accurate.) While the spy business can be exiting, it is very dangerous in many ways. It happened that Shimon Kaffa’s true identity was revealed and soon thereafter he was tortured and executed. He did, however, succeed in his mission. Under his influence, the Christian Sabbath was changed from Judaism’s Saturday to Sunday; Jesus was specifically and individually labeled the son of G-d (note that all Jews are labeled as G-d’s children); the Christian messiah did and will not come from a natural human being as Judaism commands, but rather a supernatural creation resulting form immaculate conception. These differences were stark and were sufficient to make it clear to Jews that Christianity was indeed a separate entity and not merely a new flavor of Judaism. Thankfully, Shimon Kaffa skillfully crafted these fundamental deviations from Torah Judaism so that only a minute few Jews expressed interest in following Christianity.
Perhaps a good example which will clarify my point is a motion picture based on a true story called “Donny Brosko.” The film depicts an undercover police officer who infiltrates the mob. In the beginning of his assignment the officer wore his badge while not undercover with pride; “I’m doing the right thing” was the impression he conveyed.  There was a clear distinction between right and wrong – good guy versus bad guy. Dr. Goldman, the psychologist at Yeshiva Chaffetz Haim, says that even when there is a clear cut right and wrong, people are very sensitive and are affected by the social influences surrounding them. The spy is a lone believer in his values surrounded by those with diametrically opposed views.  His only venue of expression is internal given his hostile surroundings. This presents a major problem according to Dr. Goldman. While pretending to be somebody else with polar opposite values, often times the spy himself can wind up inevitably questioning his original set of values and ideologies. It takes a very high level of conviction and devotion to one’s own values to maintain such pretence over a period of time. “Frankly,” Dr Goldman says, “it is almost impossible.” On a subconscious level, intellectual dishonesty does not sit well with human nature.
The police officer in the film did in fact begin to sympathize with some of the mob members. At a startling moment in the film, he smacks his wife which was tremendously out of character for his regular self. Was it possible that his true self was being sucked into his fictitious persona? Perhaps his intellectual armor was cracking and as with many, he begins to think and act like those around him. Perhaps he, like others, begins to actually embrace his new identity. After all, that’s the reason his superiors selected him in the first place, because they felt he would be “perfect” for the part.
At the conclusion of the film when the officer received his medal of citation for a successful mission by sending those mob members to prison, he conveyed an expression of uneasiness and a sense of guilt. What happened to his strong ideology? One has to realize the enormous difficulty of a spy’s mission. How difficult it is to maintain one’s beliefs and ideology in such an atmosphere!
This has all been quite interesting, but how does this story relate to the point I am trying to speak about? It relates quite strongly as it was none other than Shimon Kaffa who wrote “Nishmat kol chai.”  This prayer is about ultimate appreciation of G-d through the eyes of a Jew.  Perhaps he wanted to show that even though I am away from my people and cannot express my true feelings outwardly I am still able to maintain my allegiance to G-d and to the Jewish people – a most difficult and daunting task for him. We, therefore, sing this prayer outwardly as a congregation; whereas Shimon Kaffa could only scream it inwardly with silent devotion to G-d. We do this not only as a tribute to Shimon Kaffa’s mission but to show that whatever situation we are in, we must find away to appreciate G-d, for He is the true epicenter of our lives. G-d created human nature such that Shabbat morning a person reaches the highest level of spirituality as well physical and mental relaxation. Shimon Kaffa paved the road for us to use ‘Nishmat’ as a tool to get close to G-d at a very lofty level. And that is what inspired my father and continues to inspire me.  May we all be so inspired every Shabbat morning.

Shelach
 self power

In this week’s Torah reading, the Israelites were about to enter the land of Israel. It was long anticipated because of the promise G-d gave our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov that their children will enter and inherit the land of milk and honey. Despite G-d’s overt declaration, the Jews were still apprehensive and concerned of the dangerous inhabitants that were rumored to be roaming the land. So they asked their leader, Moshe, to send reconnaissance spies to tour the land and to report if their fears were founded or unfounded.

        The report came back with only the exception of two of the 12 spies who represented each respective tribe, that their fears were justified. This only increased the fears of the Jewish people. The spies were not truthful with their findings and their motives were tainted. As a result they were punished severely with death. The Sages explain their motive was the concern that their high positions held in the dessert would be in jeopardy once they entered the Land. Losing their kavod (honor) was the primary motive for their despicable act.
       Scripture describes these men as tzadikim, top guns, and the cream of the crop. These men were leaders as well as torah scholars. How then could they have erred so egregiously? Furthermore, it is hard to believe that these men were hand picked by the greatest leader of all time – Moshe Rabbeinu with the approval none other than G-d! Something must have taken place between the time they were selected and the time they returned. What happened? What changed?
       Rav Dessler questions in his book Michtav Me’eliyahu, what propelled these otherwise honorable men to decline to a level of feeling that it was a imperative to maintain their position (kavod) to the extent of filing a malicious report? Obviously, the spies considered this an important and dangerous mission and they were proud of their appointment to this tough task. After all, they were performing G-d’s mission. Rav Dessler contends that what tends to happen is that one often times get too caught up in a new appointment and that one forgets about the most obvious, being careful to protect oneself. In a way, a person can be very vulnerable. He lets his guard down and forgets about his basic fundamental manners and sensitivities towards others. People may feel that because they are doing a mitzvah for G-d, that they now have the license to step on anybody and anything to achieve their G-dly mission. As a result, they become insensitive and hurt people along the way.
       Rav Yisrael Silanter mentions an episode where a man was walking to synagogue on Yom Kippur and he was praying on the way. A fellow Jew stops him and asks him for the time. The response was of one of agitation and anger. The one who was praying ignored him “I’m on a holy mission – I’m praying to G-d.” This person ignored the need of someone else because he was so preoccupied with his own prayer.
      I remember every Sunday morning they had baseball games organized by the New York Synagogue baseball league. This fellow was in charge of our Synagogue (Bet Hakneset) team. Unfortunately, he took the volunteer leadership role a little too seriously. He removed a close friend of his from his second base position and asked him to leave the team because he wasn’t good enough. “I am managing this team to win” he said. He did not realize the objective of the organized baseball league was to have fun and relax on a Sunday early morning and bring all the kids together in a spirit of sportsmanship teaching them to relate better with one another in all aspects of life. It seems that the drive to be anointed as the winner above one’s peers is hereditary. When one is appointed to a responsible position often times their teeth grow long and sharp, their ears grow a little long and their jaw extends downward. The human element disappears.
      Rav Dessler writes when one lets his guard down even just a little, it opens the door to negativity. In the situation of the spies, it was overlooking and neglecting an individual conscience awareness which helps protect oneself daily. This led them to entertain the thought of “not losing my status and kavod” as they were preoccupied with trying to be the best and most honored spies out there.
      Life is full of opportunities and growth. One has to realize when taking these progressive steps not to overlook a very important person – “yourself.” This is not necessarily in the conventional sense of self power. Quite to the contrary, it is in the sense that one must be vigilant not to let success and honor go to one’s head to extent that it is nurtured and sought after at the expense of all else. One must be careful to protect one’s “midot” or virtues and realize that there is a larger picture beyond ones self. It was Yehoshua Bin-Nun from the tribe of Efraim and Nachshon ben Aminadav representing the tribe of Yehuda that held true to themselves and ultimately true to their people and G-d. This is a lesson we can learn from the spies and to mirror the acts of Yehoshua and Nachshon in our own lives.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

Parshat Naso

May 5, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

&

A Quick Thought”

 

 
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Nasso

June 2, 2011

29 Iyar, 5771

Dear Friends,

For those of you who had the opportunity and privilege to learn Torah on a consistent basis throughout the year – or even a minimal amount – you should feel very proud about the upcoming holiday of Shavuot. It commemorates the Jews receiving the Torah from G-d on Mount Sinai. May G-d give us the opportunity to increase the amount of our learning and enjoy the fascinating gift which He bestowed upon us. Enjoy the holiday!!!
In This Issue
Love & Fear
Shavuot

Love & Fear
love & fear

 

The scripture (Parshat Yitro 19:1-25) describes in detail the monumental event of the Jewish people receiving the Torah. But one may raise his eyebrow as to where our ancestors were camped when the revelation occurred. The literal translation of where they were standing was, under the mountain. We assumed the Torah is indicating they were near the mountain, but Rashi, the mainstream commentary on the Torah, seems to believe that G-d raised the mountain over the heads of the Israelites and threatened them ‘if you do not except the Torah I’m going to drop the mountain and kill you now!’

Presumably, this seems to be contradicting to what we were led to believe, so proudly,’NA’ASSE VE NISHMA’; meaning we will accept the Torah so blindly that we will do the commandments first, and receive the explanations later. All the other nations probed ‘what’s in it?’ and then rejected it; however, our ancestors embraced it. ‘Hey! We agreed on the conditions without even looking at the contract, so why is G- d forcing us for no reason? ‘

Rabbi Jay Shapiro, one of my mentors, quotes Rav Eliyahu Lapian’s parable and explanation on the contradiction. I think this parable is really cool. Back in the days, there was a king that was very popular and loved by all. He had an important meeting cross-country and the optimal form of transportation was the royal train. It was a three-day trip, with planned designated stops all throughout the country. Towards the end of his route to the meeting, the royal train pulls into this town. It seemed like the townspeople were hungrily ready for his arrival. Banners were hanging on the rafters of the train station with the words ‘WE LOVE YOU KING’; the band was playing his favorite song in between a presentation by the second grade choir of its prestigious school; the clowns were juggling; the hot dog stand was full.

All were waiting to see the Majesty King; the enthusiastic noise was getting more intense. After fifteen minutes, a guard emerges and made an announcement. ‘The King loves you all but he had a long day and he’s trying to get some sleep; he has a major conference tomorrow and he would appreciate some quiet.’ After he returned back to the train the crowd continued the noise. ‘WE LOVE YOU KING!’ they proclaimed showing more of their intense love. The band played louder; the juggler added another ball; more hotdogs and Marino’s ices were added. A little while later, a guard emerged from the train, this time slightly agitated and a bit more firm, ‘We ask you nicely, the King has a very important meeting tomorrow and needs his sleep. Please refrain from noise’. The guard disappeared back into the train presumably satisfied that his words made an impression. But that did not stop the crowd; they anticipated this day for a while and were eager to show their love and affection to the king.

Ten minutes later six guards appeared on the high platform next to the locomotive, carrying submachine guns (they had machine guns in those days? No, I actually altered the story a bit to bring home the point). The head goon with the dark sunglasses spoke up, ‘Whoever makes another sound will be shot’. As a result of these frightening words, one can hear a pin drop among the three thousand well-wishers.

Rav Lapian asks, ‘Do they still love their king?’ The answer is yes, but now they fear him as well as love him. If there would be no fear, the important mission would not have been accomplished properly, even though the right intentions were at heart.

In order for us to function as proper Jews and to adhere to his laws correctly, progressively and efficiently, one has to incorporate a little fear as well as the love that one dearly possesses for Him, or else there will be total chaos. A person may eat pig and say ‘I appreciate the food G d has giving me’. There is an expression, which is used frequently ‘I love G d in my heart and I’ll show it my way’. This is considered inappropriate; there has to be rules and they have to be followed. For example, if one violates Shabbat he will pay the consequences. Logically, it makes sense to have law and order, or religion will be a free for all.

This is what G-d wanted to show the Israelites by picking up the mountain and threatening them – that love and fear are part and parcel. This is also the lesson that G-d is trying to convey to us.  One needs both to be a proper Jew.

Shavuot
 Shavuot

When our ancestors uttered the famous line ‘NA’ASE VE NISHMA’, which propelled G-d to place us above all the nations, the angels asked ‘how do the Israelites know our secret’? One may ask, what secret are they talking about? And also, what is so important about the phrase that G-d found to be so important? In order to understand this, one has to examine a conversation between King Solomon and Hiram the king of Tyre.

‘You know that my father David was not able to build a house for G-d due to the wars that surrounded him’, Shlomo proclaimed. However this seems a bit hard to understand. Although King David fought many wars, he still made time to do various important functions, one of which was writing Psalms. Furthermore, there is a clear indication from the scripture, ‘The king was sitting in his house and G-d had given him respite from all his enemies’, seemingly, that David had time and was even planning the blueprint of the Temple. So why wasn’t he allowed to build it?

It is important to note a vital piece of history, which will help us understand this further. One of the reasons that the Jews were prohibited to attend the party of Achashverosh the king of Persia, (this is the story that commemorates the holiday of Purim) was because the utensils that were used at the party were the same ones used in the holy temple. They were taken by Nevuchanetzar, king of Babylonia after he destroyed the temple approximately 2500 years ago.  It was then passed down to Queen Vashti, first wife of Achashverosh, who was Nevuchanetzar’s granddaughter. Besides the utensils, Achashverosh went through great pains to wear the original garbs of the high priest, which were worn when he performed his duties. What, may you ask, was the motive of the Persian king?

Achashverosh was a student of history and took note that whenever the Jews went to battle, before they proceeded, they went in the temple, prayed to their G-d and were victorious instantly. He presumably thought the garb, which I will wear, and the utensils, which will be used at my ceremonial party, will guarantee victory among my enemies.

However, G-d said ‘build me a temple, for me’and Rashi (mainstream commentary on the Torah) explains, ‘for my sake, one should build a temple with no ulterior motives’. For this reason, David was not allowed to build the temple, because people might think, and David himself might be tempted, that he had ulterior motives to build the temple so he can be victorious in his battles and not for the sake of G-d at all. Therefore, his son Shlomo, who lives in peace and tranquil times and would be sincerein his dedication to G-d, was allowed to build it.

One of the key and unique character traits, which Jews have, is the potential to possess sincerity. This is what they displayed on Mount Sinai when they proudly and lovingly proclaimed NA’ASSE VE NISHMA’. Sincerity is the secret that the angels possess in which they thought was their exclusive. They perform their duties solely and efficiently without any ulterior motives. Perhaps that is the reason David was prohibited to build the temple; humans reach an angelic state of holiness when doing the duties in G-d’s house.

Although it is difficult to be 100% sincere, human nature has tendencies in which there is always a bit of an ulterior motive involved; and it is understandable that one cannot manufacture feelings. However, in performing good deeds to our fellow human being, one may perhaps envision the benefit that the person you are doing the kindness to is receiving, and through that action develops sincerity.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

Parshat Bamidbar

May 5, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

“A Cup of Coffee 

&

A Quick Thought”
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Bamidbar

May 26, 2011

22 Iyar, 5771

Dear Friend,

Week by week, more people have been reading our newsletters. Our numbers are increasing daily. Please spread the word of Torah with any of your friends.
In This Issue
Bamidbar
Marino’s Italian Ices

Bamidbar
Jewish geneaology

 

The pride of man is very fragile and one must be careful not to wound it. In fact, in this week’s Parasha, Bamidbar, we find that Moshe, the leader of the Jews, going the extra mile to preserve Jewish pride and tradition. The Sages called the book of Bamidbar ‘the book of numbers.’ It starts with a census conducted by Moshe and his brother Aharon. Rav Henoch Leibowitz z’l quotes the Ramban, who says that the Israelites gathered together by the Tabernacle as they were instructed by Moshe who received the commandment from G-d, where each individual presented himself to Moshe and proclaimed, ‘I am so and so the son and grandson of so and so from this family, and would conclude by stating what tribe he belongs to. G-d said to count the children of Israel with tremendous kavod and Moshe obliged. They passed by him nicely and orderly and were counted personally.
The obvious question is, why was Moshe commanded to greet each one personally? You got to be kidding; there are over 600,000 men!!! That’s a lot of hand shaking and Purelle. This action would be considerably time consuming. Moshe is the leader and an extremely busy teacher. After all, he was in demand, from morning to night, to give the Torah knowledge to the elders because he heard it firsthand from G-d. So, why was he forced to delay the teaching of our great Torah for hearing each individual’s genealogy?
It’s apparent from the sages that G-d commanded Moshe to do so because he felt the importance of enhancing the kavod of the Israelites; and this was vital. Furthermore, we deduce from the Torah passage something mindboggling, in which, G-d is of the opinion that the personal intro which each of the Israelites presented, was more important than Torah study. This was especially crucial in that generation. The spiritual impact of Moshe’s influence on Israel by the personal touch, was enormous and would be more effective than studying Torah, which within itself is considered very important. Through the counting, they would recognize their individual importance and the special uniqueness that each individual and their families possess; and therefore would enable them to perform to their highest potential.
Yours truly can bare witness to this feeling of family pride. There was a gentleman by the last name of Okilov, whom my father once invited to our house, who was an expert in family genealogy among Bukharian families in the city of Tzemarkand. His nickname was ‘the computer’ for his tremendous memory on this topic. During his visit, he was able to trace our family routes, of the Kimyagaroff family (our original name), nine generations to Tzemarkand. He painted a picture in our minds by some of the stories as to what kind of people they were. Some people take pride coming from a good family. Such is the case of my friend, Rafi Fouzailov, who also traces his family seven generations in Tzemarkand. The Fouzailov family was one of the most honored families in Tzemarkand and Israel. His father taught his children ‘don’t ever do anything to destroy the name.’
This feeling of family pride is exactly the message G-d wanted to convey to the Jewish people in order for them to achieve excellence; even to the point of sacrificing this precious time of learning Torah. Because He knew through feeling proud of your background, they will eventually come to the recognition of fulfilling the mitzvoth to the highest degree through learning Torah. This is the primary goal. One should not lose perspective of this message.

Marino’s Italian Ices
 marino's italian ices

Early last summer, my son and I were sitting at the dining room table, where I couldn’t help but notice he was eating Italian ices. A surge of childhood memories went through my mind, as I remembered sitting on my porch on a hot summer night, hearing Bob Murphy calling the Mets game on my transistor radio and eating my favorite flavor cherry Marino’s ices, similar to what my son was having. As he was half way done chipping away at the ices, I was anticipating him turning over the ices to get to the bottom, which is best the part. My friend Boaz calls it tadeegee (the burned rice or potato bottom part of the cooking pot that is left overnight and is the hot Shabbat meal, which is an anticipated delicacy.) So I said, ‘Hey boy, are you going to turn over the ices or what?’  I then went on about the different flavors that Marino’s carries. Although cherry was my favorite, I mentioned to him other flavors, such as watermelon, as well as others. He was shocked that they had Marino’s when I was growing up. ‘I didn’t know Marino’s is that old’, he said. A few days later my temptations took the better of me and I had one of my son’s cherry flavored Marino’s ices. I closed my eyes and relived my childhood as I took in a scrape of the ices with the wooden spoon. It’s delicious and thetadeegee hasn’t missed a beat!

Thank G-d we have the ability to enjoy food. It’s a gift to have the pleasure of taste; whether it’s a juicy steak, osh palov, or just a Marino’s ices. As appreciation of this wonderful gift that He gave us, we recite blessings. But one has to wonder, are we blessing for the delicious taste or are we blessing for sustenance? What’s the essence of a bracha – taste or sustenance? One may ask ‘who cares?’ What’s the difference if it’s for pleasure or sustenance? As long as the intention is there, just make the bracha.’ But one has to never forget lessons from history and learn from their triumphs as well as the mistakes.

During King David’s time, there was a plague and many died. David, along with his advisers, figured out the source of this devastation. The Jews were not making enough brachot, so he instituted ‘the 100 brachot a day concept’ which the Rabbis incorporated in our tefilah (prayers). Once the Israelites recited 100 blessings, the plague stopped. So brachot, besides being a thank you gesture, is sort of a protection. However, one may not abuse a bracha when it’s not necessary. Apparently, if one says G-d’s name in vain (and G-d’s name is in a bracha), he’s doing an averah (sin); one has to be careful. Presumably, if a bracha was meant for just pleasure, then a food intended for nutrition without an ounce of flavor, is not required. However, if a bracha is intended to incorporate both, then one would not be violating ‘excess bracha.’

An example of sustenance in which one does not recite a blessing is water; only when one is thirsty does he make a bracha; otherwise he does not. Perhaps it’s because water has no taste. There is no recitation for vitamins either. If someone has an IV hooked up, he does not recite a bracha. So we see that sustenance is not enough for a bracha. However, apparently, if one is ill and cannot taste anything, he is required to recite if he eats.  So too, if one is disgusted with a certain food, he’s obligated.

It seems like there are a few important concepts that we have to be aware of. First, ‘the normal way people eat.’ Here in the case where one eats without taste buds, he’s still required, as well as ‘foods people normally eat.’ If this is what society normally consumes, even though you don’t like it, one has to recite the bracha.

In conclusion, presumably one is required to recite a bracha for both, with the unique exception of water – unless he’s thirsty. May we all make 100 brachot a day properly and with tremendous pleasure, leading us to the highest level of appreciation for G-d who sustains us.

Furthermore, I recently discovered Marino’s mango flavored ices; not bad!!!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

Parshat Bechukotai

May 3, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

 

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

&

A Quick Thought”

 

 
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Bechokotai

May 19, 2011

15 Iyar, 5771

Dear Friend,

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY

 IS LAG BA’OMER!!!
In This Issue
Bechokotai
Lag Ba’omer

Bechokotai
list of responsibitilies

 

There is a section in this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Bechokotai, where they are many curses. Yes, you heard me correctly, big time nasty curses. G-d warns us ‘if you do not go in my ways then I will punish you’. My father z”l instructed my bar mitzvah teacher that I not read that portion, citing it is not appropriate that a wet behind the ears bar mitzvah boy, who is introduced to G-d’s commandments for the first time, read such negativities; after all, a bar mitzvah is a happy occasion. It’s a custom that the Rabbi or chazan get an aliya (called up to the Torah) for both the curses as well as the brachot (the Ten Commandments, Az Yashir etc.), and avoid any uneasiness on the gabai to pick people for the undesirable aliya. The negative portion is read in a lower tone than usual.

In the Torah (26:18), G-d warns us ‘If, in despite, you do not listen to me, then I will punish you seven ways for your sins.’ According to our sages, punishment is meant to wake us up and correct our mistakes and become better people. However, Rav Henoch Leibowitz, z”l points out ‘there are those who do not take criticism very well and it’s counter productive to rebuke them.’ How easy it is today to get depressed when we encounter negativity. We live in a very pressurized society where the stress level is beyond normal. The amount of responsibilities is enormous; just paying bills is overwhelming; we are billed for everything; if opportunity strikes they’d bill us for breathing. There’s the headache of finding the right mate and the difficulty of trying to conceive. It seems like when one takes a breath of fresh air, new problems arise; therefore we are susceptible to be ‘down and out’. So how are we able to cope with our problems?

To shed some light on this question, I’d have to go back to this past Shabbat where I would take my customary walk after Rabbi Olbaum’s shiur, with my friend Ophir Haimov. Ophir reminded me of a gemarah that fits this d’var Torah perfectly. He said, ‘We all know King David wrote psalms, which happens to be one of the greatest dedications to G-d. However, believe it or not, it was almost surpassed by the psalms of none other then, the egotistical maniac, Nevuchanetzar.’ Nevuchanetzar was the king of Babylon who destroyed the first temple approximately 2500 years ago. This king of Babylon was a very complex character. On one hand, he was notoriously known for his cruelty towards humanity and also having the audacity to proclaim himself G-d. However, shockingly, there was a glimpse of strong appreciation and acknowledgement of G-d. He reached the heights of holiness and the depths of evil on a daily basis.

The gemara continues, ‘G-d sent an angel to knock his pen down and Nevuchanetzar never wrote again’. The commentaries explain the difference between the two; King David went through so many knocks but he never put down his pen. He was labeled an illegitimate son where he was ostracized by his father and brothers after beating Goliath. Instead of being embraced by King Shaul and given his daughter for marriage, Shaul tried to kill him. His own son rebelled and tried to kill him and in turn was killed against David’s wishes. But through these painful adventures, David never put his pen down and even proclaimed, ‘I feel closer to you then ever’. On the contrary, Nevuchanetzar never recovered from his ordeals and denounced G-d.

Similarly, we find Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was hated and sold by his brothers to a strange land. Joseph had to go through one of the biggest tests of all time; his boss’s wife was trying to seduce him for approximately a year; this was especially difficult being seventeen. Could the guys reading this dare to believe they cannot sin in that situation? One would figure after passing the test, G-d would reward him handsomely. Not so – he was put in jail for a lengthy time. Throughout his difficulties, we never heard Joseph complain. On the contrary, every conversation he had, Joseph praised G-d.

David and Joseph were able to persevere and reach the heights of being leaders of Israel because, of what Rav Leibowitz describes, people of their character have an ability to believe that whatever negativity they experienced, is inflicted by G-d himself for the direct results of their sins. As David writes in Tehillim, ‘I know that whatever happens, G-d will never leave me’. They were able to learn and become better, stronger people from their experience; there is always room for improvement. They didn’t say, “I’m just going to take a vacation and turn myself off from life until this bad time goes away.”

Before Ophir and I departed to our respective synagogues, he offered a great example. ‘It’s like poker; you don’t need a good hand to be a winner.’

Lag Ba’omer
 upsherin

One of the most spiritual and exhilarating times of my life occurred on lag ba’omer (the 33rd day from the 2nd day of Passover), five years ago. On that day, my family and I were in Miron, Israel; the site of the gravesite of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai, (also referred to as Rashby), the founder of Kabbalah (zohar), commemorating his yartzeit. It’s a custom not to cut the hair of young boys until they reach their third birthday. The cutting of the hair ceremony is called upsherin or kalacha. At the gravesite in Miron, there are many little boys awaiting haircuts. One of them was my son, as well as yours truly, when I was three, many years ago – well, not that long ago. It’s not your ordinary gravesite and we weren’t the only ones there. There are approximately 600,000 people visiting the site where bands play music, food stands are put up and various foods are distributed for free. I’ve never experienced a place where people are so friendly and polite to each other then lag ba’omer in Miron. It is Jews at their best and one experiencing this can really feel proud of being Jewish.

Why the custom of celebration on his yartzeit? Why the cutting of the hair? In fact, there is a strong Bukharian tradition of commemorating the yartzeit of a loved one by reading the portion of the zohar, which describes the death of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Why is the connection between his death and others emphasized? Also, why do Bukharians celebrate with a meal?

There is an emphasis in the zohar that Rashby died in peace, which in Hebrew is pronounced ‘shalom’. The root of the word shalom is shalem – complete. Therefore we learn that Rashby passed away in a perfect state, complete. The idea of kabbalah is to be completely infused with Torah in order to connect with it on every possible level, or worlds. The knowledge of Torah, through kabbalah, enables us to change frequencies, similar to changing channels on a radio dial. One hears different sounds when changing the dial even though he’s situated in the same spot.

Another example of different views of reality is the status of a woman accepting a wedding ring presented by her chattan, after he says ‘you are betrothed to me with this ring’. In the process, her status changes. Although the woman’s appearance is noticeably the same as before but on a different frequency, one can apparently notice the change of her being branded her husband’s name and the status of a married woman; so one must be careful and realize how powerful words, or any act for that matter, can be. When one makes a bracha on an apple, he doesn’t notice, but in other worlds (there are three) the apple changes status. Good and evil are more apparently noticed in other frequencies. Rashby’s philosophy was that material and physical are the skin that hides the holiness of the soul. The light has to come out. That is the reason haircuts are given on lag ba’omer. Hair represents materialism in its highest sense. Presumably, that is one of the reasons married women wear shaitels (wigs). Ask any person what is one of the main features of beauty in a woman. One of the leading answers would be the hair. Women take tremendous pride in beautifying the hair. It’s a tremendous self-sacrifice to cover one of their pride and joys. No matter how nice the wig is, any woman would still like to show her own hair. In essence, what a woman is saying to G-d, “I’m giving this up because of your commandment.” This is one of the biggest tests of faith the daughters of Israel have.

Rashby died achieving peace and completeness. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes ‘one has to be at peace with himself in order to attain peace with others, and only then he can achieve great heights’; this is hinted in the zohar. The yartzeit was the one important part of Judaism in which Bukharians practiced in public back in Russia; it united people, and unity is the result of peace. Incidentally, ever wonder why one tradition at a yartzeit dinner are that there are no knives? Because that would go against Rashby’s message of shalom and shalem (peace and complete). Knives represent strife and war.

We also try to connect this zohar that we read to when one passes away. It describes how Rashby died complete and we try to symbolically connect the deceased to Rashby through the concept of ‘he died complete with peace.’ This is the reason why we read that particular passage in the zohar. We hope that with the read, G-d will have mercy and guide the soul with that of Rashby. Also, the passage describes a fire that came out of Rashby and into his disciples; this symbolizes the transformation of the Torah to the next generation. Here too is a transformation from one generation to the next.

There is a passage that says ‘G-d makes peace in the heavens by putting together fire and water, then He can surely make peace here on earth’. One reader asked a great question pertaining to last week’s article referring to opposites, which cannot exist in the spiritual world. So then how can fire and water co-exist together?  Opposites are usually at odds with each other! G-d made a miracle not only enabling fire and water to co-exist with each other, but He made peace (shalom and made them shalem) between them, wedging them together through the common denominator, G-d; now they have similarity.

Seeing my son smile while I gave him his first haircut as the music was blasting the song ‘Bar Yochai’ which is one of the favorite songs that was sung by Pop, z'”l, and I, at the Friday night Shabbat table, made that moment an extremely happy occasion. Rashby said, “I want People to celebrate my yartzeit with tremendous joy”. Well, I sure did.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

Parshat Behar

May 3, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

&

A Quick Thought”

 

 
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Behar

May 12, 2011

8 Iyar, 5771
In This Issue
The Mystique About Tefillin
Faith in G-d

The Mystique About Tefillin
Tefillin

 

For yours truly, this and next week’s Torah reading is a cool time because it’s my bar-mitzvah parshah (sometimes they fall on the same week). I’m sure most guys looking back at their bar mitzvah, most likely, will admit to having a very special time of their lives. One of the many memories that come to mind, besides the funny tuxedos we had to where, was the excitement of putting on tefillin. For many years before, I would observe my father and upper grade boys in school put theirs on and my classmates and I would beg them for an opportunity to wrap their tefillin. I remember when I got my tefillin and smelled the scent of the new black leather straps and feeling of ‘hey I’m a grown up’, was nice. Although it’s been awhile since I bought a new car, the black exterior is preferred, popular and expensive, but why a black collar for tefillin? Why the leather and square box? Why the puny animal hairs that stick out from the box? One has probably asked himself over the years a pretty basic question; why does one need this strange contraption to get close to G-d? Perhaps, I would think it is better suited to meditate or give a good cry.

In order to answer these questions, one has to understand the Torah concept of closeness. Spiritual closeness, which is very different than physical, is obtained by having resemblances. For example, one can be on the other side of the world and still maintain a strong bond with his friend, a spiritual closeness, because they share the same ideology. If I like pastrami with sweet red peppers and Boaz in Israel likes pastrami with sweet red peppers, we resemble each other and in this concept are considered close. In the spiritual world, it’s impossible to bring two opposites together; therefore, good and bad people will have no contact with each other once they die. Sometimes strangers can exist with each other. It’s important to note, there is a way where spiritual things can be bound to the material. For example, good and evil urges are polar opposites; they exist together only with a material physical body, which is the common denominator; they could never be brought together otherwise.

G-d and man are also worlds apart. It’s only by binding ourselves to the same physical object that we can get close to Him. The physical tefillin we wear are the counterpart of what G-d has on. In each detail, they parallel G-d’s spiritual tefillin and because they resemble them they are spiritually very close to each other and that links us to G-d.

We are told from various accounts about near death experiences that seeing the light, which presumably is G-d, is a very exhilarating sight. The Zohar teaches that G-d chooses to be hidden because if He would be more open, there will not be freedom of choice. Man would not struggle to find answers about life; he would not have difficulty making a living. He would not need to try to fill voids in his life to be happy, trying various things to reach some satisfaction. He’s being discreet casts a spell of confusion. Therefore, man has to find ways to climb the mountain. Every day should be a learning experience. In order to achieve success in his spirituality and physicality, he has to use his creativity. This is one reason why tefillin is black, indicating that G-d’s purpose is dark and hidden. The white parchment found inside are only to be found when one penetrates this black barrier. The square is the archetype of man; it’s not a natural shape. Round is the way of the world, (hakafot on Simchat Torah, Hoshanas on Sukkoth, Chatan and Kallah dancing in a circle (separately of course.) The meaning of the square is that the ultimate goal is in man’s hand; he can change the natural occurrence of the world through creativity. He is able to take this physical animalistic world and enhance it spiritually. This is the reason everything in the tefillin is made from an animal product. Man is only perfected through his animal nature, which is through his physical body. Man’s main link with G-d is with his physical observance of his commandments.

If you look carefully at the head of the tefillin, you will find four very short hairs coming out near the base between the third and fourth sections. One of the ways we resemble G-d is the practice of free will, and one of the ingredients to have free will is the existence of evil. This evil is the hair in the tefillin, which is symbolic to the hair of a calf. The golden calf is one of archetypes of evil. This hair that is in the tefillin which man wears, ultimately connects all evil to G-d. Therefore, it is also the channel through which all evil can be brought back and be redeemed. We are not perfect and man has to go through an experience of a shameful gehenom (hell) even for a mere moment. By wearing the tefillin, he fulfills the obligations and saves him from a more stringent judgment. This explains why a particular Chassidic group stands in a street corner and urges people to put on tefillin. Therefore, it’s very important to wear tefillin every day.

 

“Tefillin” taken from the writings of R’ Aryeh Kaplan.

Faith in G-d
 receiving torah from mt sinai

One of the most fundamental beliefs in Judaism is found in this week’s Torah reading. In fact, I believe G-d is daring us ‘Ah you proclaimed first we will do and then listen…well, let’s see; put your money where your mouth is’.

When the Jews were approached by G-d and were asked if they are interested in receiving the Torah, they proclaimed they will follow G-d’s commandments blindly. This is how much trust our ancestors put in G-d. Those words, which were said with pride, ‘na’aseh v’nishma’, we will do first then we will listen, was the magic phrase that G-d wanted to hear, earning us brownie points and elevating us to his chosen people.

The Sages find that those who observe the laws of shmitah; a strength of character attributed only to angels. In fact, when we uttered the famous phrase, the angels wondered who divulged our secret to mankind. The angels perform G-d’s commandments with sincerity and blind loyalty, and we, with that statement, reached a very lofty level. Every seven years of a seven-year cycle, the land of Israel lies fallow; one cannot sell for profit; the grass cannot be cut; no pruning allowed; and the fruits cannot be taken out of Israel. However, one can eat from his land as long as there is no planting done during the shmita year. Also, during the year of shmita, all loans are canceled. Similarly, Shabbat also is a time of rest. Both provide a challenge in faith because of the temptations involved. How does one deal with the profits and losses of Shabbat and shmita?

The Talmud Yerushalmi offers a vivid illustration of how, in the long run, man’s efforts do not change his livelihood. The wife of R’ Yossi Haglili treated him with tremendous disrespect and with no appreciation. One day, R ‘ Elazar ben Azarya came by and told him ‘to divorce her for lack of kavod’; it is not befitting that you live with her ‘. A while later, she married the town watchman. The watchman became poor and blind and she was forced to make the rounds and beg. One day, they did not collect anything. He asked her, “Is there not another neighborhood here?” She replied, ‘”There is another street here where my first husband lives, but I am too embarrassed to go there”. He began hitting her. Just then, R’ Yossi Haglili passed by and heard her humiliation. He put them up in one of his houses and supported them for the rest of their lives. He did this in keeping with the verse, ‘Do not ignore your kin’ which applies even to one’s divorcee. Still, one could hear her voice at night saying ‘Better the beating from my husband which is but an external pain, then the humiliation of being supported from R’ Yossi Hagalili which is an internal pain'(Yerushalmi ketuvot 11:3).

A closer look at this teaches us an important lesson about the effectiveness of human effort. After all her craftiness and sinister plots to discredit her husband, R’ Yossi’s wife was back to her original supporter! The same husband that fed her before, fed her now. The difference is only that she was provided with food in a dignified manner and now she had to bear the humiliation of accepting charity from her former husband. Thus, we see man’s sustenance remains unchanged. All that man’s deeds can accomplish are a worsening of the condition of his livelihood; it is rather the provider of the universe who gives to each his needs.

It is a hallmark of the greatness of Israel that they are expected to live with the level of trust that angels have. When our ancestors pronounced ‘na’aseh v’nishmah’, it was said with tremendous pride that lifted that experience to such a monumentous moment. It would be a shame not to live up to those standards.

“Shmitta” –  taken from the writings of R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

Parshat Emor

May 3, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

“A Cup of Coffee 

&

A Quick Thought”
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Emor

May 5, 2011

1 Iyar, 5771
Dear Friend,

Dedicate a newsletter or a lecture for either a Refuah Sheleima, in loving memory, hatzlacha bracha in all endeavors, birthdays, anniversaries or any other occasion!!!!
In This Issue
Decisions That Impact Many
A Lesson for Chocolate Lovers

Decisions That Impact Many
 king

In this week’s portion of the Torah we read about “If a Cohen’s (Priest’s) daughter has an adulterous affair, she defamed her father’s name, she should be put to death by burning”(21;9). We learn from Rav Henoch Leibowitz z”l who quotes the mainstream commentary Rashi, as he explains the verse above, she defamed and embarrassed her father’s honor, people would say on him ‘curse is the person who gave birth and curse is the person who raised such an individual’.

As we know, it was King David who laid the blueprints for the Bet Hamikdash (Temple). However, it was under King Solomon’s leadership that it was built. When King Solomon was married to the daughter of Pharaoh, one of his many wives, on the day of the inauguration of the long-awaited Temple, she caused him to oversleep. The entire nation was waiting for their King on this momentous occasion to lead the ceremony, not knowing that he was out of commission. Apparently, his mother, Batsheva, had a grasp on what was taking place. She had a sixth sense that mothers possess which led to her uneasy feeling. Mothers have a certain intuition about their children. (If I sneeze, my mother, who happened to be on the other side of town, will call me up and demand that I should put on my sweater.)

So Batsheva storms the King’s bedroom with the heel of her shoe in hand. She hits her son, King Solomon, scolding him ‘What are you doing? People would say I’m at fault for not raising you properly. They wouldn’t blame your father because he was a tzaddik. If you’re a rasha, they’ll blame me that I was the cause of your actions’. Perhaps we can deduce from the words of Batsheva. If the people did not believe David was a tzaddik, they would blame him for Solomon’s actions, even though David had been dead many years before the inauguration took place. Regardless, apparently the people would say that David did not give Solomon the proper education and this is the cause of his misstep. But the fact that David was a tzaddik, the blame would fall on his mother. The Gemarah deduces from what happens next during the inauguration ceremony; that whatever wrong King David did, G-d forgave him. This is evident from the mysteriously locked Temple doors, which would not open. Every effort was made by Shlomo and the sages to open the Temple, but it was to no avail, until Shlomo cried out to G-d ‘do it for the sake of my father, King David.’ With this cry, the doors opened.

Rav Leibowitz asks, why would anybody blame David or Batsheva for their son’s wrongdoings? At what point does an individual take responsibility for his own actions? Don’t you think at this stage of his life, he can make his own decisions? After all, he runs a kingdom; the Israelites at this juncture were considered a super power. We have to say this is human nature. People always link an individual’s negative and positive attributes to one’s parents. Even though one can argue that Shlomo didn’t do anything maliciously, David and Batsheva still would have felt slighted by their son’s actions, which would have been magnified in peoples’ eyes and would cause them embarrassment.

I know of an individual who was seeing a girl whom he was interested in marrying. Apparently, as the relationship got closer to the very serious state, it was disclosed that she had a relationship with a non-Jew. This was an issue; considering this person was a Cohen who cannot marry anyone who had such a relationship, he ended the relationship rationalizing, what would my ancestors say ‘you broke the family chain of Cohanim that goes back three thousand years because you’re in love’. This individual took tremendous pride of his Cohen status and of his family tradition. Today, he is performing his Cohen duties in synagogue along with his sons right by him.

Rav Leibowitz points out that Batsheva was more concerned in adding a sense of responsibility to Shlomo, than to her own personal pride. If one feels he is alone in sinning, he should think again. Many of his ancestors will be affected.

We conclude that any of our wrongdoings could be a violation of ‘honoring your father and your mother’ because it causes people to look negatively at our parents. Perhaps, if we are tempted to violate any laws, we should think twice because our parents’ honor is at stake.

A Lesson for Chocolate Lovers
chocolate

 

In one of the episodes of the long running TV show ‘the Simpsons’, Homer, one of the main characters, dreams of living in a world of chocolate. Can anyone imagine doors made out of Tomborone; cars made out of Chunkys; tables and chairs made out of Milky Ways; and Hershey Kisses? Perhaps, a person with a slight inclination to chocolate can appreciate the fantasy scene. Homer’s dream sequence continues where he overindulges, as you can well imagine. Anyone that has seen the show knows that one of Homer’s weaknesses, in which he readily gives into, is physical pleasures. Homer seems to wipe out the notion of moderation, which is evident when he jumps into a pool of chocolate with his mouth open and his eyes hungry.

Chocolate happens to be an amazing phenomenon and many cherish chocolate and welcome it in their hearts. We see from a study, women find chocolate irresistible. This is because chocolate has been found to reduce many disorders and helps them regulate their moods and emotions by directing the body to generate serotonin, which is the happiness hormone. Moreover, another brownie point for chocolate in the area of good health, researchers have recently published that the presence of poly phenolic antioxidants in chocolate, when taken in moderation, prevents cardiovascular disease. Also, dark bittersweet chocolate, which the mavens consider elite because of its pure untainted content, is so nutrient rich that the levels of antioxidants rival some fruits and vegetables.

But, it’s been a long path as to what blessing is made on such a valuable and cherished commodity. The Halacha (law) is that food which is normally consumed after being ground, retains its original bracha (blessing). Spices are routinely powdered so the bracha is ha’etz. Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which is the fruit of the tree, therefore should be ha’etz also. However, the overwhelming custom is to recite a shahakol on chocolate since the bean is altered when it’s processed into chocolate. Others explain that the chocolate in the bean is not eaten as is and is mixed with other ingredients; therefore, considered a minor one. Another explanation is that when the bean is modified to a liquid state, it is a new entity, which is not recognizable that it came from a bean. Chocolate could very well be classified in the category of seduction. Who out there can recall, where curiosity took the best of us as kids (or even adults), going through an entire fancy box of individually silver wrapped chocolate? There is also the unforgettable Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial where two guys, one with peanut butter and the other with chocolate, bump into each other and one yells at the other ‘you got some peanut butter on my chocolate’ and the other also complains, ‘you got some chocolate on my peanut butter’ and both are surprisingly happy with the discovery.

I can recall my learning partner, twenty years ago, Rabbi Johnny Flamholtz, who helped me with the research for this article, introduced me to the delicacy ‘death by chocolate’ which contains seven layers of different types of chocolate!

It is important to note when our forefather Isaac wanted to give the blessing to Eisav, he asked him to prepare him a meal and his preference was a wild animal, not domesticated. The reason for this is because it’s much more difficult to get a wild animal as opposed to a domesticated one, who’d just be sitting there, waiting to be slaughtered. Isaac didn’t want to overindulge in meat; so as a precaution, chose the more difficult less accessible route. He foresaw a potential problem and took precautionary measures.

We learn from Isaac that moderation is a very vital method of success and should prevent one from overindulging in a seduction like chocolate. Even though, there seems to be many benefits in chocolate, it’s no excuse for the excess. This can be applied to everything in life. So the next time one comes across a box of Godiva or even M&M’s, one should practice moderation.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

Parshat Acharei Mot

May 3, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

&

A Quick Thought”

 

 
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Acharei Mot

April 13, 2011

9 Nissan, 5771
In This Issue
Verbal Importance of the Seder
Breaking the Glass

Verbal Importance of the Seder
 haggadah

When one thinks about Pesach, the first thing that comes to mind is matzah. It is called ‘lechem oni-bread of affliction’. Another way of understanding ‘lechem oni’ is ‘lechem shea onim alav de’varim harbeh -bread over which many things are said’. This is the reason when we are about to start ‘avadim hayinu-we were slaves’, after reciting the ‘ma nishtanah-why is this night different from every other night’; we uncover the matzah and point at it. At this juncture, we are called upon to ‘talk’ about the exodus of Egypt. The very word ‘Pesach’ has been interpreted as ‘peh-sach-the mouth talks’, to stress the importance of putting the meaning of the event into words. As slaves, words were not spoken because slaves are not allowed to speak or to think. It’s important at the Seder to verbally read the Hagaddah from beginning to end. We see speaking as a sign of freedom. Any American can tell you the special privilege that is granted to us in freedom of speech; it’s a constitutional right. The Americans took example from the exodus of Egypt and incorporated them in their very own experiences and constitution. There is also an emphasis on the father and son dialog, because of the very reason we gave above, ‘freedom’. That relationship doesn’t exist when you’re a slave. There is no tradition that is passed down; one is obliged only to his master. However, freedom has a lot of fringe benefits and strengthening  that bond of the father and son is one of them.

In some places, it is customary for the father to repeat the mah nishtanah after the child has finished. The reason may be perhaps the child asked without understanding. It’s important to note that it is desirable that the entire Haggadah should be translated and explained for the benefit of all the Seder participants. After all, the Seder is not meant to be an empty ritual, but an effort to grasp and relive the experience of our ancestors. Somebody who does not understand the Haggadah has actually not fulfilled his obligation.

Another reason why the emphasis on ‘talking’ is important is that our very essence is speech. When Jacob came to receive the bracha from his father Isaac, Isaac said ‘hakol kol Yaacov v’hayadim yedei Eisav’-the voice is the voice of Jacob and the hands are the hands of Eisav’. Jacob’s power is in the speech. This is our strength and we are utilizing this gift that G-d gave us with pride at the Seder.

Besides Torah, which is part and parcel with speech and is our life force, there is another advantage, which we exercised that I feel proud of. When I was younger in the late 1960’s & early 70’s, the 25 year-old generation would create rallies and an enthusiastic energetic environment to make their voices heard for Soviet Jewry.  It worked by putting pressure on the government, and it unified the Jews whether they were American or Russian. It was a tremendous show of solidarity and it showed that with ‘kol Yaacov’, we can make a difference. The Seder is not the time to keep quiet; one should ask, answer, sing whatever they can, to strengthen our gift.

Breaking the Glass
breaking the glass

 

Baruch Hashem, there is always an abundance of weddings before Passover. It never fails, as one watches the bride and groom, to reminisce when we actually took those very steps ourselves. How interesting it is to witness a couple’s significant moment in their lives. I’m sure one can guess that a chupah ceremony has strong traditions and deep meanings. There is a lingering question that is often asked about the breaking of the glass at the end of the ceremony. We have learned it’s for the remembrance of our holy Temple, which was destroyed approximately two thousand years ago. This unpleasant memory is incorporated into our joyous occasion so we should not feel overly happy where we experienced such grief as a nation.

But why such an emphasis on diffusing the joy? Why not live with having a purely happy occasion without a bit of sorrow? Why can’t we just be happy to the fullest? Furthermore, one would have to look at a significant event in our history – which I’ve been scratching my head in wonderment – in order to understand what Rav Chaim Shmuelevits is trying to convey to us in this d’var Torah in which I had the pleasure to tell over.

The lineage of the Mashiach comes from the tribe of Yehuda, but the turning of events of how the inception came about will startle you. Yehuda’s daughter in-law was widowed twice; G-d punished and killed Yehuda’s two sons (Tamar’s 1st and 2nd husbands.) Consequently, he told her to go to her father’s house until his third son is old enough to marry. Jewish tradition prevents a widow from marrying out of her husband’s family if she didn’t have children (although this does not apply today.) Usually, the brother is required to marry his brother’s wife, in order to preserve the deceased sibling’s name (yibum), or else he has to give her Chalitza (equivalent of a divorce). But, in light of what happened, Yehuda gave her the old line ‘don’t call me, I’ll call you’ and as the third son came of age, the call to Tamar never came. Perhaps he viewed her as bad luck and was reluctant to give over his son, fearing the black widow would strike again. Tamar, the widowed daughter in-law, had an intuition of the importance of the family and would not give up the right to be the mother of the messianic family. She disguised herself as a prostitute and seduced the widowed Yehuda. These uncharacteristic actions of both Yehuda and Tamar have put every living being off guard, as we will soon see. The news came out that Tamar was pregnant which angered Yehuda. ‘She is bound to our family and has committed a severe violation; she should be burned,’ he proclaimed, not knowing that it was he who impregnated her. Tamar made Yehuda realize through her discrete hint, that it was he who will be the father of her twins. Even though he was in front of the leaders of the world, Yehuda earned great admiration for his admittance, showing honesty, seeking to do what’s right and taking responsibility, therefore resulting in being crowned leader by his father and brothers.

But why does the Mashiach have to come in this manner? The great Jewish savior is presented in such an un-dignifying way; this is how you want the Mashiach to come? The mere thought of Yehuda not knowing who the mother of the messianic lineage is at the time of the physical relationship, is mind boggling!

Rav Chaim teaches us the world operates in such a manner that every holy act cannot exist unless it has a small mixture of negativity. Therefore, the Mashiach would not be able to come in a natural way because the evil powers were too strong and would not allow the inception of this significant occurrence.

This leads us to this week’s Parsha where we realize that the power of evil could prevent goodness from blossoming unless the evil is satiated. Then and only then goodness can operate. The Torah mentions that on Yom Kippur, besides bringing a sacrifice to G-d, an identical young he-goat would be given to Satan. ‘What!!’ one may ask ‘Satan?’ Am I watching a B-movie late Saturday night on one of those low-budget channels? Perhaps it seems to be some form of idol worship. By throwing a bone to the devil, you’ll prevent any additional intervention.

My father had dinner once with his cousin, Mr. Mayer Abraham, who was one of the leaders of the Bukharian-Afgani community in Queens. They were on a business trip in the Far East.  Mr. Abraham left some food on his dinner plate. My father asked him ‘why don’t you finish? We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.’ He retorted back ‘I always leave a little piece for Satan so he should be happy also. After reading the d’rasha by Rav Chaim, I realize where Mr. Abraham’s source came.

Rav Chaim quotes the Ramban who lived a thousand years ago. The breaking of the glass quiets Satan so he doesn’t harm the couple. He is satisfied with the event not being 100% pure joy because the guests remember an unpleasant memory. It is the chatan that reads ‘if I forget Jerusalem (where the Temple was destroyed) let my right hand forget its skill.’

Some communities are scared of the evil eye. Therefore, they perform a real chupah the night before, and the chupah at the hall with all the guests is staged. Realizing the importance of feeling a little sorrow when breaking the glass and its significance of fending off Satan, one should conclude there is no need for additional protection of the chatan and kallah.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

Parshat Metzora

May 3, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

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A Quick Thought”

 

 

 

 

 

 
Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 
 Metzorah

April 7, 2011

3 Nissan, 5771
In This Issue
Unity and The Seder
The Four Sons

Unity and The Seder
family seder

 

If there is one night an American secular Jew could relate to a gentile’s Thanksgiving Day, is Passover eve ‘the Seder’. It’s a night where family travels from all over the world to be together. But besides being a wonderful family reunion, it is also a powerful night spiritually, connecting to G-d and unifying us as one nation. Every so often one hears an interesting thought which is inspiring.

This was the case many years ago hearing a d’var Torah from Rabbi Feivel Wagner z”l of the Young Israel of Forest Hills. He started the d’rasha (speech) by asking ‘why do we call it Seder?’ and he replied ‘Seder means order’. The sages created the proper order so we can elevate ourselves on this holy night. Rabbi Wagner began to explain the sequence from the beginning of the night: Kiddush is making the blessing on the wine; urchatz is washing your hands without a blessing; karpas is a vegetable (either celery or potato), dipped in salt water; yachatz is breaking of the middle matzah and magid is telling of the story of how we were slaves. But wait, how do the Rabbis proclaim the evening is in order when it seems like it’s out of sequence? Perhaps, karpas – the dipping of the vegetable in salt water, should be incorporated into magid – the telling of the story or our enslavement in Egypt. Apparently, isn’t that telling of the story?

We know from experience how meticulous our sages can be. Everything they wrote in the Siddur was carefully orchestrated and fit perfectly into its proper slot in the prayer.  So too, one would expect the pattern of preciseness at the Seder also. They are very smart; they won’t leave anything uncovered. Ahh, these Rabbi’s…. they always have a motive for everything. They always have something up their sleeves. Did they get careless here? So why is it out of sequence?

Our holy and smart sages did put the sequence in the right order. To understand the proper sequence of events, we have to back track years before the Jews entered Egypt, to the book of Genesis parshat vayeshev. There was jealousy against Joseph by his brothers who were the twelve sons of Jacob, our Patriarch. Joseph received an exclusive coat for a present by Jacob, which fueled the fire of jealousy and divided the brothers even more. The brothers decided to sell Joseph; but how would they explain their action to Jacob? Yehuda, the leader among the brothers, devised a plan; lying to his father by telling him a wild animal killed Joseph and showing Jacob the present, the ripped coat dipped in blood. The dipping of the coat was the climax of the hate and division toward their brother Joseph. Dipping is the action that broke the camel’s back and started the exile. Therefore the dipping of karpas, which the commentary Rashi defines, a coat, symbolizes the negative action of Yehuda and the brothers and one reason we’re in exile.

Someone wrote to me last week about my article titled ‘Passover Custom’ where I wrote how important it is to keep our traditions and customs because, apparently when eating over a friend’s house, the traditions could differ. So as a precautionary measure, one has to be careful when eating out. This person had a very strong question; this meticulous caution breeds disunity he proclaimed. I would like to add and make his question stronger by stating what audacity I have by alluding that the brothers were wrong in selling Joseph and dividing the family, while in last week’s article, I encouraged caution at eating by the brethrens, seemingly causing division.

One has to realize that respecting your fellow Jew’s customs and not forcing your traditions on him is the ultimate love and unity one can express. Joseph was different. It’s not so strange that brothers are not on the same page. Perhaps they weren’t sensitive enough to understand his personality. Perhaps Joseph too, should have realized his actions and words would cause a negative reaction from them.

My father z”l once raised my right hand and said ‘you see son, are any of your fingers the same? Different size, shape. But all the fingers on the hand work in unison. So too, people.  We are all different, and when we realize and respect each other’s quirkiness then we will be a unified nation’.

The Four Sons
 4 sons

Rabbi Olbaum, in quoting the book, Or Yael, asks a question: What does G-d love most about Abraham, our patriarch? Abraham was the first to recognize G-d; he had ten tests and passed them all and he publicly displayed his belief; he didn’t hide it by putting his kippah in his pocket. But the one item on a most impressive resume was his ability to pass down the tradition to his sons and grandsons. We learn it out from Parshat Vayera 19:18; ‘I know he will command his children and household’.

There are so many reasons why G-d can love Abraham – so why this one? Although, it is important, so is ‘welcoming guests’, ‘mastering kindness’ just to name a few of his many virtues. So it’s a little puzzling why this particular one is singled out. The Chafetz Chaim says ‘a person can be the most pious Jew and live an entire life learning Torah in his private domain, but if he doesn’t pass it down to his children, friends, students and neighbors, the word of G-d will disappear. Abraham had the ability, had the gift, which no one before him could.

The Haggadah introduces us to the four sons and one may ask: what’s the motive? What’s the moral lesson that the sages want to bring out? A person should realize that one of the primary goals of the Seder are the children, and we have to be in tune and read between the lines of the questions they ask.

We can deduce wisdom and interest from the detailed question of the Chacham (intelligent son). There is a sense of sincerity in his tone. The tone of the voice is essential to read what they are really trying to say.

Next is the Rasha (wicked); one might say the fact that he’s asking a question at all, is wonderful. There is no such thing as a bad question, one may think. Well, as long as there is an open channel for an answer, then yes. However, that question might be a statement; therefore, the lines of communication are closed. By the tone and attitude, the Rasha is not very open minded and not interested in hearing answers. His question has a negative connotation by excluding himself by speaking of ‘you’ and not ‘us’; therefore, his statement is understood as criticism. The statement or the very act of separating oneself from the Jewish people is a form of separation from G-d.

With all of this bad attitude, the Rasha is surprisingly number two. Although he’s dangerous and his aura can spread, it will not be a good idea to leave him with the kids. However, there is a famous gemarah that tends to give some hope. The example they give is when Haman, who wanted to destroy the Jews, went to find Mordechai. He found him teaching Torah in a classroom where he had a brief curiosity. The Talmud tells us that the genealogy makeup of being curious – no matter how brief – can be manifested itself years later in great grandchildren.

This is quite the opposite with the fourth son who has no ambition, no curiosity, and might end up being an inactive Rasha. He’s not curious to be interested. This leaves us with the third son who is curious and takes upon himself some sort of commitment of Torah. But his intellect is limited. But every so often, he gets a spark of energy where the teacher has to take advantage before he hibernates for another length of time.

What we’re hoping for is sincere curiosity from their questions and this is what we bait the kids for. But how do we accomplish that? If you observe closely and see how the Torah handles each son individually, each one got a different response. We learn from the sages the importance of handling each child in a different way. It’s a tremendous injustice to teach using the same technique. The optimal choice is every individual should get a different approach to education. It may not be so practical but it is needed.

The Vilna Gaon says some kids like blood and knives, so one has to guide them toward being a mohel or a shochet. There are children that can’t sit still. I remember learning in yeshiva where guys would pace from one end of the study hall to the other. Some of the greatest minds had the greatest pacing. What would one do? Would you tie them up to the seat? NO!! That would destroy them. Let them walk the halls; this is how they learn.

We learn from the sages to approach every child differently. This was Abraham’s method; his extreme sensitivity toward ones personality, and that is why he succeeded to pass down the torch.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

Parshat Tazriah

May 3, 2013 Highlights on the Weekly Parsha, Uncategorized No comments

 

“A Cup of Coffee 

 

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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
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