Tag Archive for Mount Sinai

Come and Hear

February 5, 2015 Uncategorized No comments
Dr. Allen Goldstein,  Dr. Robert Goldman, Rabbi’s Isaac Oelbaum, Yossi Bilus, Yitzchak Aminov, Akiva Tatz and from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל

“SHEMA YISRAEL HASHEM ELOKANU HASHEM EHCHAD-Hear Israel, G-d is our G-d, G-d is one” is the most famous prayer that we Jews utter. It’s the first catch phrase we teach our children.
 The question is asked  why did G-d choose to use the sense of hearing  as opposed to seeing as the vehicle to achieve this lofty spiritual act.
Is hearing more powerful then seeing? What is the difference between them?
 In this weeks parsha we learn  that if a Jewish slave decides to remain a slave and stay with his master rejecting freedom, “then his master shall bring him to the court and shall bring him to the door or door post and he shall bore through his ears with an awl”(Shemot 21:6).               This is a symbolic punishment. We are rebuking him for not exercising his rights of freedom. We were taken out of Egypt primarily so we can be servants only to G-d, not slaves to man. By choosing subordination to flesh and blood one is depriving himself of basic Jewish rights and the ability to serve G-d properly.
  The sages asked why is the ear singled out? Our entire body experienced the revelation at Har Sinai. The nose, eyes,  arms, legs all were present when we received the Torah where we committed ourselves to serving G-d. Secondly , perhaps  we should hit the ear after every sin we make. If one desecrates the Shabbat just wack the ear. If you insult your mother-in-law the ear will get abused.  Why only in  this particular incident do we go through this procedure?
 I remember many years ago there would be frequent audio recording on a devise called a tape recorder where only sound can be heard.  Also in those days  home made movies had no sound. Today my son’s spy watch is more sophisticated then those recording devises of yesteryear. If one views and  hears those images and sounds  some time later, one can ask, which has more of an impact and conjures up stronger emotions, the sound of the tape recording or sight of the homemade silent films?
Lets understand sight and sound a little bit more deeply.
 One of the more puzzling passages in the Torah is when we were on mount Sinai  “All the people saw the sounds, the flames….” Rabbi Akiva interprets this verse to mean that the Jews then “saw that which is heard, and heard that which is seen.” Thus, “the sounds” which by nature are normally heard were literally seen, and “the flames” which are customarily seen were actually heard.
   The special effects were probably very neat. However, why did the Torah have to mention this point? What does this passage  mean?  How does it relate to us receiving the Torah?
 Also the expression NAASEH V’ NISHMA  “we will do and we will hear” was pronounced. The word “hear” is used where perhaps understand would be more fitting.
Our Jewish law favors sight more than sound. With regard to the person, sight has a more profound impact on the viewer than hearing has on the listener. Accordingly, the person who sees something is surer of the information conveyed to him by his sense of sight than the listener is of that which is conveyed to him by his power of hearing.
This fact results in the law that “a witness [to an event] may not serve as a judge,” for as the Gemara explains, since he actually saw the person commit the misdeed, it will be impossible for him to find extenuating circumstances and deal leniently with the perpetrator.
However, when a judge merely hears the testimony of witnesses, he is still capable of dealing leniently with the defendant by reason of extenuating circumstances. This is so, even when he is thoroughly convinced that the eyewitnesses are telling the complete truth, and that the person did indeed commit the misdeed for which he stands accused.
 Apparently, sight is seemingly more important then sound. However, in the Jewish court of law if one makes one deaf he has to pay full compensation for the person as opposed to blinding him, which receives a lessor penalty. If sight is more vital then hearing why is this so?  There seems to be a special mystique about hearing.
 Perhaps we can get enlightened by King Shlomo who said NATAN AVDECHA LEV SHMIAH-you gave your servant a heart that can hear. There seams to be a connection between the heart and listening.
  Many commentaries mention that Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard then internalized  all what had happened to the Jews. He then converted to Judaism.  As a physical being, man is naturally closer to the material than to the spiritual. It follows that he will grasp a material object – with his power of sight – more intimately and thoroughly than something spiritual. However, sound is soulful and can penetrate deep inside a person. Perhaps for this reason music has such a mesmerizing effect on a person.
 The ancient Greeks were very much into art and physical beauty; It was all about vision. The Jews, on the other hand, had a different approach. When the Talmud introduces a question, if one notices  the expression is TAH SHEMA-come and hear. Why not come and see?  The expression SHMA MINA- I would have thought” is also used. Hearing is closely associated with deep thinking and spirituality.
   We can identify more closely to the physical world of sight than the spiritual world of sound.  When the verse states “seeing that which is heard, and hearing that which is seen.” Spirituality is generally only “heard” by means of experiencing it from a distance. When G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people, however, He raised them to a level where they became capable of “seeing” and grasping spirituality through direct perception.In contrast, the physical world, which had always been clearly seen by them, now became distant from them. Their heightened spiritual state made it difficult for them to “see” and fully grasp the material world; they were now only able to recognize it with their weaker sense of “hearing.”
 G-d had provided them with an opportunity to get close to him in the most intense way by bringing the spiritual sound in full sight.
 The Jewish slave is deprived of a lot of mitzvoth.
Here it is his option, his choice to continue in his servitude therefore forfeiting  his Jewishness,
his spirituality. Of all the organs of the body, the ears represent the spiritual aspect of a Jew. Therefore he is punished with that organ.
We have to internalize the words HASHEM ELOKANU HASHEM ECHAD-G-d is our G-d, G-d is one, and we accomplish this task with the most spiritual part of our body, through hearing. Because we know that  hearing is the medium in which belief and trust is internalized. It will penetrate the heart.

Shavuot- A Deeper Understanding

August 27, 2013 Shavuot No comments

          There are some pressing questions about the holiday of Shavuot and it would be wise to address and hopefully answer them.
          One of the famous statements we say/sing on Pesach in the passage of DAYENU is a very peculiar one. We say: “if we didn’t receive the Torah but just stood at Mount Sinai that would be enough”.

          Isn’t receiving the Torah the main reason the Jews, and for that matter the world, is in existence? So how would it be enough to not receive the Torah- that would be missing the whole point. It seems like a tease, close but no cigar. It’s as if someone is the best man at a wedding, but he’s not the groom!! Another puzzling problem is why do we put branches/flowers in the Synagogues?
           Another question: there is an argument in the Talmud as to how we should celebrate holidays in general. Many opine that it should be spent half for our physical enjoyment and the other half dedicated to G-d, pursuing spirituality. However, all seemingly agree that on Shavuot, the holiday should be spent entirely for us, for our physical enjoyment. This is most perplexing for out of all the holidays, the most spiritual should be Shavuot as we are commemorating the receiving of the Torah. It should be spent in a spiritual quest, after all we received the Torah, which is from Hashem. So why do indulge more in physical pleasures on Shavuot?
          In our quest to resolve these questions, some background is necessary. Many commentaries agree that before the sin of Adam, the tree’s branches tasted like the fruit itself. There was also another aspect of the tree; bread grew on it. Yes, that’s right, Adam would grab a croissant on his way to the other side of heaven!
          When the Jews reached Mount Sinai and were about to receive the Torah, they seemingly crossed one of the finish lines. It wasn’t the ultimate achievement for one more was yet to come, however it was still significant. The sin of Adam was atoned for and the outcome was that there would be no more death. In what way? It was decreed that the trees would taste like the fruit. No more hard work and food preparations, ” by the sweat of your brow” was null.
          For this reason we hang branches in the Shuls on the holiday to commemorate the high level we reached at that moment.
          In the time of the Temple, we ate special bread on Shavuot, bread that was different from any other time of the year. It was the only time that bread which was Chametz was eaten in the Temple. Symbolically, we want to bring back those precious moments where we reached that high level of before the sin of Adam, when the bread grew on the trees.
          Now we must address another question. Why should Shavuot be dedicated to our physical pleasure consisting of good foods, like chocolate cheesecake etc.?
          The answer lies in the fact that there is a constant fight raging in us humans. We are sort of in between the Angels and the animals. Well, are we animals or angels?  We know that when Moshe went up to receive the Torah on our behalf, the angels wanted to kill him. They asked, “what are you doing here?  the Torah is not for humans- it’s heavenly”.  He answered back, “can you make a bracha on a fruit and enjoy it? Can you smell and make a blessing on mints? Can you perform the commandment of honoring your parents? NO! Only man can perform these Torah commandments”.
          Torah is a guiding map of the world. The whole idea is to take the physical and elevate it to spiritual. The cheesecake, with the proper thought and  blessing of appreciation to G-d, should, not could, should be eaten!! WHY NOT!! WE ARE HERE TO ENJOY THE WORLD! The angels cannot enjoy it and the animals cannot appreciate it. We should not abstain from physical pleasures like some religions command. We should enjoy it as long as it’s in the proper guidelines of Jewish law.
    For this reason, Shavuot is for us. It’s using our hearts to direct our earthly pleasures. Incidentally, that’s also the meaning of NA’ASEH VEH NISHMA-we will do and then listen (comprehend). It should be done instinctively; all the pleasures should automatically be enjoyed, as we are human beings and that is part of our nature. Still, they must be done with G-d in mind. Thus, Shavuot is not really for us to simply gorge and indulge, rather it is for us to enjoy properly, thereby enjoying it spiritually as well. Enjoy!