Tag Archive for New York Times Article

The Power of Music

August 4, 2013 G-d and Us, Music, MUSSAR HASKEL/ A Lesson No comments
       I am going to quote, out of all things, a Bugs Bunny episode. “How crude” you probably think, “this is some sophisticated publication with the cup of coffee picture and all that!!” Well, sorry to disappoint you….so bring out the loony tunes!!
       For many years I thought Bugs Bunny contained some MUSSAR HASKEL -great wisdom, however, I was misled. Although there is some truth to it, by no means is it foolproof. As a matter of fact, what I am going to reveal here in this newsletter is quite the opposite of what the popular belief is.
       Our hero, Bugs Bunny, is being chased by a ferocious gorilla. But the smart bunny gets his way, as usual, and out wits the gorilla by calming him down playing soothing music in front of him. He even, by the end of the episode, enlists the big great ape to work for him. This is all done by playing the soothing music. The moral of the story: “music calms the savage beast” Well, sorry, but not exactly.
       Over the years there were a great many debate in Israel (aren’t there always great debates in Israel!) about whether the music of the classical composer Richard Wagner should be played or not. Wagner was a well known anti-Semite. His music and philosophy fueled and motivated Hitler, the German dictator, who attempted to annihilate the Jewish nation.
       On May 10 2013, a disturbing article was published in the New York Times. The article pertains to Wagner as the Wagner followers are commemorating 200 year anniversary of his death. Here are excerpts of the article:
       “This year the news magazine, Der Spiegel, featured a picture on its front cover of the composer [Wagner] holding a fire-breathing dragon on his lap with the words “200 Years of Richard Wagner: The Mad Genius”. For many, Wagner has come to symbolize the seeds of anti-Semitic sentiment in German culture that would grow into the Nazi terror.”

 

       “A cascade of boos during Saturday’s opening night performance turned into a flood of complaints about scenes of shootings and gassing.
It is not uncommon for stage productions in Germany to incorporate totalitarian themes, as the country continues to examine its troubled 20th-century past. According to news media reports, the opera showed the title character dressed as a concentration camp guard shooting Jewish prisoners. The opera’s statement said that distraught audience members even sought medical attention after watching the depictions of executions” the article continued.

 

       “The director, Burkhard C. Kosminski, declined to make changes to soften the impact of the violence. He told the newspaper Westdeutsche Zeitung that he had been completely transparent with the opera house about his intent for the production and that he was not a “scandal director.”‘

       Some very interesting lessons can be derived from the actual article quoted by the New York Times, published in Der Spiegel, which was written by Dirk Kurbjuweit. Here is a translation of an excerpt:

 

       “The composer still casts a dark shadow today. Music and the Holocaust come together in that shadow: one of the most beautiful things created by man, and one of the worst things human beings have done. Wagner, the mad genius, was more than a composer. He also influenced Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, even though he was already dead when the 12-year-old Hitler heard his music live for the first time when he attended a production of “Lohengrin” in the Austrian city of Linz in 1901. Describing the experience, during which he stood in a standing-room only section of the theater, Hitler wrote: “I was captivated immediately”.
       Many feel the same way as well. They listen to Wagner and are captivated, overwhelmed, smitten and delighted. Wagner’s hateful essay “Judaism in Music” offered Hitler an idea of how far one could go with anti-Semitism. The composer invoked the downfall of the Jews. To quote Nazi propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, “Richard Wagner taught us what the Jew is.”

 

       Our Sages teach us to never underestimate the power of music.
Is it possible that Wagner’s anti- Semitic feeling penetrated the souls of the Third Reich through his music?
If that’s true, then music doesn’t really calm the savage beast
       Let us examine the one person who embodied the concept of music and wrote the masterpiece work, Tehilim -Psalms, which is the root of many songs, King David.
Why is Tehilim so important?
Why do we read Tehilim in times of trouble or when people are sick?
Why do some psalms start with LEDAVID MIZMORE -for David a song, while others start off with MIZMORE LEDAVID – a song for David?
       There are four ways one can connect to G-d. One way is through “thought”. Meditation, which if one does intensely through thought, is a prime means of reaching a high level of spirituality. By the way, concentrating on breathing is a big part of meditation. “G-d blew into mans nostrils” ( Bereshit 2:8). One can achieve superior feeling with breathing exercises.
       Another way to connect to G-d is through speech. Speech is a very powerful tool that each man possesses. The optimal way of prayer is through using words. By constructing the 22 Hebrew letters forming words and pronouncing them properly and correctly, one then is able to pave a direct link  to the Heavens. The Sages have cleverly constructed the prayers in the most optimal way. It is vital that one say every word clearly, thereby preserving the formula, structure and sequence.
       The third way is through raising your voice, which is screaming or sighing. We know that G-d heard the screams of the Jews in Egypt and after 210 years, opened the door to freedom for them. Because of their suffering, they were not able to express themselves verbally, merely sighing and crying. This was deliberately orchestrated by the enemy, working them to an exhaustive level until the point that words couldn’t come out, because they knew the power of the Jew is in his speech. Words have power. However, through an emotional sigh one can communicate with G-d as well.
The last is through music.
       In this week Parsha we discuss the Levites and their task in the Temple. One of their tasks was to sing. The sages ask, was the commandment to sing verbally or perhaps they hummed a tune? ( playing an instrument would fall in that category) Arguments can be made for both approaches.
       Speech is a gift and when the words are mixed with music, it becomes a potent weapon. As a mater of fact, this is why we sing in Synagogue.  The Chazzan is there to lead the congregation and entice them to sing along. SHIR is song and the root of SHIR is YASHAR -straight. In other words, if one sings his prayers properly, they will go straight to Heaven. The words give the prayers direction.
        However, some argue that a NIGUN -tune without word, is a higher level. Words constrict and limit the concept. It doesn’t fully express what’s in the heart. A NIGUN’s -tune’s capability is unlimited; only the sky is the limit.
        At some of the  Chassidim’s  happy occasions, one leads the crowd in a tune with no words. It’s an uplifting and amazing experience. A NIGGUN  is special in that every person in this universe is different. There are no words for our mixed emotions, and so when we sing a song together, our individual experiences get expressed in a unified way. We understand that the song connects us even when our individual stories may be somewhat different. Music transcends language. Perhaps that is why mothers sing to their babies and babies respond and connect positively to their mothers.
       Music uplifts the soul. The Mystics say that the reason music is so heavenly is because it actually does come from Heaven. It comes from the highest level of heaven “seventh heaven”. There, the Angels sing to G-d and one has to be privileged to be invited to the concert.
       Music can either come from a holy source or from evil. It trickles down to us and we feel good and react accordingly depending on the source.
 Since music is an expression of the heart, one has to be careful what he hears, as music easily transcends from soul to soul. An evil person transfers his negativity through his music.
The purpose of music
 
       King David was tested many, many times. He had a very difficult life. However, David persevered and was able to connect to G-d through music.Every time David went through an experience, whether good or bad, he wrote TEHILIM -Psalms. Here, David showed his love, appreciation and confidence in G-d. Tehilim screams out to G-d and proclaims that what ever happens, I believe in you. This is the reason why David was a favorite of G-d. When we read Tehilim, we connect with G-d just like David did.
       A person has many moods which are triggered by the occurrences in his life. David is no different. However, if one wants to reachRUACH HAKODESH- Divine spirituality, one has to be happy. Music makes a person happy.
        In Tractate Pesachim 117a, the Gemarah teaches us that when it says in Tehilim MIZMOR LEH DAVID, it means David had to first listen to music in order to get his spirits up and be happy. He then was able to reach Divine spirituality. When it says LEH DAVID MIZMOR,  it means that the Divine inspiration came to David first before he sang.
MUSIC IS A VEHICLE TO REACH SPIRITUALITY. MUSIC IS A WAY TO MAKE A PERSON HAPPY.
       This was the Levites task. Their job was to lift the spirits of the Kohanim doing their important work and lift the spirits of the people through singing. Then they can reach greater spirituality. We sing in Synagogue just like the Levites did to raise the level of happiness so our prayers will be accepted.
Does music calm the savage beast?
It only calms the beast when the composer of the music is a good person.

Effort and Trust

August 2, 2013 Trust No comments
This following is a philosophical discussion on various topics. By no means should a halachic decision be made as a result of these articles. One should contact both a Rabbi who is an expert in such matters as well as a physician who specializes in these fields.
excerpts taken from the New York Times editorial
My Medical Choice
by ANGELINA JOLIE
MY MOTHER fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.

 

We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

 

My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.

 

Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average.

Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.

On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.

 

But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.

 

I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.

It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.

 

For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.

I acknowledge that there are many wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives to surgery. My own regimen will be posted in due course on the Web site of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. I hope that this will be helpful to other women.

 

Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. It has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live. The cost of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, at more than $3,000 in the United States, remains an obstacle for many women.

 

I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.

 

Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

 

Angelina Jolie is an actress and director.

 

In this week’s parsha we find the Israelite nation requesting Moshe, their leader, for permission to scout out the land before entering. Moshe reluctantly acquiesced to the request  Upon returning from their secret mission, they reported, as per Moshe’s instructions, 1)  the status of the land whether it’s fertile or not etc. and 2) the military strength of the inhabitants. Additionally, however, the spies presented  their unauthorized opinion to the nation. Their opinion caused a panic among the nation which therein angered G-d. The ten spies were found guilty of giving a negative report and were killed by G-d as punishment.

 

WHY DIDN’T THEY BELIEVE IN G-D AND TRUST THAT THE LAND WAS GOOD FOR THEM?
 One of the opinions as to what motivated the spies to speak badly about the land was that they thought their good merits which shined in the desert would not be enough to protect them once they were residing in the land. They thought that protection will only be provided if they live up to the standards of what they achieved in the desert. “That’s not possible” they reasoned, “and we will be destroyed by our enemies”.
They projected that they did not stand a chance against the powerful giants who were inhabiting the land. The spies minimized the promise G-d gave proclaiming that they will live in the land unscathed, and therefor made an effort to sabotage the idea of the Jewish people residing there. Instead of trusting G-d and going into the land with raised heads, they took matters into their own hands.

 

In both the case of the actress and the spies, a test has been presented.
The spies had to trust G-d and they failed. A guarantee was made. One can be certain that the evil inclination (Yetzer Hara)  placed strong doubts in their minds of not being able to overcome the giants due to lack of confidence in their people. However, they should have overcome the obstacle; they miscalculated.

 

Did the actress have to trust G-d that nothing will happen to her? No
We find no prophet approaching her and reassuring her that she will be disease free. Some would argue that’s it’s actually very commendable on her part and she did her required effort. Furthermore, the Jews experienced a supernatural existence with miracles galore, where the actress did not. Also, she did her proper “hishtadlut” effort  by going to the right doctors. She should therefor be rest assured that all will be alright because the Doctor is a messenger of G-d.
There’s an old story where G-d tells a man he’ll live till 120. Once while on a boat, it capsized and he’s drowning. However, he continues to have faith and says  “G-d will save me”. Well, a minute later a boat comes and they call out “grab the life boat”. He screams out “no, no, G-d will come and save me”. A while later a helicopter comes and throws down a latter. But the man ignores it and says “G-d will come and save me”. The man eventually drowns. He goes up to heaven and asks G-d “I thought I will live till 120, why didn’t you come and rescue me?” To which G-d replied, “I did I send you a boat and a helicopter!”
 Angelina Jolie has done her part in ensuring her survival.
On the other hand, one can argue that genetic disposition is merely a statistical probability, and though it might be a strong  indication, it still is only a probability.
They are many cases where Doctors were wrong in assessing pregnancies. Someone I know mentioned that he personally knows of a pregnancy of 4 months in which the Doctor advised the couple to abort the child, since there were indicators that the unborn child has down syndrome. The couple did not abort, citing the Torah ruling which considers this an act of murder. The child turned out to be healthy and normal.
 Furthermore, Jolie can receive early screening which is extremely helpful and lifesaving. One can argue that she didn’t have to go through that procedure.
 However, barring the surgery, she would have to live with the fear every day that the disease might resurface.  Perhaps it was undetected in the mammogram. Life can be nerve racking.
Has Angelina Jolie done too much HISHTODLUT- effort?
Did she over do it?
Or, perhaps she made the right decision.
 One can argue both positions.
Regardless, perhaps a lesson can be learned as to the attitude of the individual after the effort has been made. If one has done it properly, he should rest assured, knowing that he has done what Hashem wills. Then, one should leave it up to G-d; it’s in His hands; He’s responsible. If the person gets hurt in any way, after he’s done the effort, then so be it!!. It was meant to be.
No extra effort was needed with the spies. They, and all the the Jewish people, had to believe that the situation was safe to go in.
If the actress made a decision, giving it deep thought, weighing all the factors, whether she should have the removal or not, it’s truthfully irrelevant at this point, since she did what she was supposed to do and whatever happens is what is meant to be.

Fish, an Important Component in Jewish Survival

August 2, 2013 Mitzvot and Traditions, Shabbat No comments
99% of the cause of death in the world can be prevented. What’s the secret? Miracle? Dream? Prank? Fish Talks, Town Buzzes
The New York Times
By COREY KILGANNON
Published: March 15, 2003
And so it came to pass that a talking carp, shouting in Hebrew, shattered the calm of the New Square Fish Market and created what many here are calling a miracle.
Of course, others are calling it a Purim trick, a loopy tale worthy of Isaac Bashevis Singer or just a whopping fish story concocted by a couple of meshugenehs.
Whatever one calls it, the tale of the talking fish has spread in recent weeks throughout this tight-knit Rockland County community, populated by about 7,000 members of the Skver sect of Hasidim, and throughout the Hasidic world, inspiring heated debate, Talmudic discussions and derisive jokes.
The story goes that a 20-pound carp about to be slaughtered and made into gefilte fish for Sabbath dinner began speaking in Hebrew, shouting apocalyptic warnings and claiming to be the troubled soul of a revered community elder who recently died.
Many people here believe that it was God revealing himself that day to two fish cutters in the fish market, Zalmen Rosen, a 57-year-old Hasid with 11 children, and his co-worker Luis Nivelo, a 30-year-old Ecuadorean immigrant.
Some people say the story is as credible as the Bible’s account of the burning bush. Others compare it to a U.F.O. sighting. But the story rapidly spread around the world from this town about 30 miles northwest of Manhattan, first through word of mouth, then through the Jewish press.
The two men say they have each gotten hundreds of phone calls from Jews all over the world.
”Ah, enough already about the fish,” Mr. Rosen said today at the shop, as he skinned a large carp. ”I wish I never said anything about it. I’m getting so many calls every day, I’ve stopped answering. Israel, London, Miami, Brooklyn. They all want to hear about the talking fish.”
Here then is the story, according to the two men, the only witnesses. Mr. Rosen, whose family owns the store, and Mr. Nivelo, who has worked at the shop for seven years, say that on Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. they were carving up carp.
Mr. Nivelo, who is not Jewish, lifted a live carp out of a box of iced-down fish and was about to club it in the head.
But the fish began speaking in Hebrew, according to the two men. Mr. Nivelo does not understand Hebrew, but the shock of a fish speaking any language, he said, forced him against the wall and down to the slimy wooden packing crates that cover the floor.
He looked around to see if the voice had come from the slop sink, the other room or the shop’s cat. Then he ran into the front of the store screaming, ”The fish is talking!” and pulled Mr. Rosen away from the phone.
”I screamed, ‘It’s the devil! The devil is here!’ ” he recalled. ”But Zalmen said to me, ‘You crazy, you a meshugeneh.’ ”
But Mr. Rosen said that when he approached the fish he heard it uttering warnings and commands in Hebrew.
”It said ‘Tzaruch shemirah’ and ‘Hasof bah,’ ” he said, ”which essentially means that everyone needs to account for themselves because the end is near.”
The fish commanded Mr. Rosen to pray and to study the Torah and identified itself as the soul of a local Hasidic man who died last year, childless. The man often bought carp at the shop for the Sabbath meals of poorer village residents.
Mr. Rosen panicked and tried to kill the fish with a machete-size knife. But the fish bucked so wildly that Mr. Rosen wound up cutting his own thumb and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The fish flopped off the counter and back into the carp box and was butchered by Mr. Nivelo and sold.
The story has been told and retold, and many Jews believe that the talking fish was a rare shimmer of God’s spirit. Some call it a warning about the dangers of the impending war in Iraq.
”Two men do not dream the same dream,” said Abraham Spitz, a New Square resident who stopped by the store this week. ”It is very rare that God reminds people he exists in this modern world. But when he does, you cannot ignore it.”
Others consider it as fictional as Tony Soprano’s talking-fish dream in an episode of the ”The Sopranos.”
”Listen to what I’m telling you: Only children take this seriously,” said Rabbi C. Meyer of the New Square Beth Din of Kashrus, which administers kosher-food rules. ”This is like a U.F.O. story. I don’t care if it is the talk of the town.”
Whether hoax or historic event, it jibes with the belief of some Hasidic sects that righteous people can be reincarnated as fish.
Unnatural occurrences play a part in the mystical beliefs of members of the Skver sect. On the other hand, some skeptics note that the Jewish festival of Purim, which starts Monday night, is marked by merriment and pranks, which might be a less elevated explanation for the story.
Some community members are calling the two men an enlightened pair chosen to receive the message. Others have said that Mr. Nivelo may have been selected because he is not Jewish.
”If this was a story concocted by a bunch of Jewish guys, it might be suspect, but this Luis, or whatever his name is, he has no idea what this means,” said Matisyahu Wolfberg, a local lawyer.
”If people say God talks to them, we recommend a psychiatrist, but this is different,” said Mr. Wolfberg, sitting in his office with his black hat resting atop his computer terminal.
”This is one of those historical times when God reveals himself for a reason. It has sent spiritual shock waves throughout the Jewish community worldwide and will be talked about throughout the ages.”
Zev Brenner, who last week broadcast a show about the fish on ”Talk Line,” his talk radio show on Jewish issues, on WMCA-AM (570) and WSNR-AM (620), said that the story has fascinated the religious community worldwide.
”I’ve gotten calls from all over asking ‘Did you hear about the fish?’ ” he said. ”You can imagine, a talking fish has got people buzzing. This is going to be talked about for a long time to come, unless it’s somehow verified as a hoax, which is hard to imagine, since the proof has been eaten up.”
Mr. Brenner said that the story is so well known that it has inspired a whole new genre of wedding jokes for Jewish comedians.
”The station had an advertiser, a gefilte fish manufacturer, who considered changing his slogan to ‘Our fish speaks for itself,’ but decided people would be offended,” he said.
As for Mr. Nivelo, a practicing Christian, he still believes the babbling carp was the devil. His wife told him he was crazy, and his 6-year-old daughter even laughs at him.
”I don’t believe any of this Jewish stuff,” he said. ”But I heard that fish talk.”
He said that Spanish-speaking rabbis have been calling his home every day and night asking him to recount the story.
”It’s just a big headache for me,” he added. ”I pull my phone out of the wall at night. I don’t sleep and I’ve lost weight.”
Mr. Rosen said that he spoke to his wife, who was visiting Israel, and that she had already heard the story from someone else.
”My phone doesn’t stop ringing,” Mr. Rosen said. ”Always interruptions, people coming in and taking their picture with me.”
He paused and turned to Mr. Nivelo, who was cutting salmon for a customer.
”No, too big,” he said. ”She wants appetizer.”

We were brought up in a country where the approach is to be cynical. A person who wasn’t brought up in this country gets excited when receiving junk mail claiming they had won a boat, a yacht. They are instant winners and they merely have to send shipping cost; we, however, know better. We know what to do with these offers and immediately file it in recycle. One cannot believe anybody; there is always a catch. Hey I didn’t believe one iota, at age five about the talking horse, Mr.  Ed. So do you think I’m going to believe about a talking fish at age….well, you get the picture. “But The New York Times” you might say, “the mecca of newspapers (…some may argue anti-Semitic) published it”.
 Regardless weather the fish was talking, singing or doing the hora, the fish has a very important part in Jewish life weather in practicality or symbolically.
  An important note, one should never take our symbolic customs lightly. Every act that is performed here on earth is duplicated in the heavens whereas then the Angels say the magic word AMEN….and it happens. That’s the way heavenly mechanics work.
 Let us begin by asking a basic question. Many communities if not all have a custom to eat fish as a first course at their Shabbat Friday night table. Some with the thorns some without, some fried and some baked or grilled, and some are dipped in garlic water. Mhmmm…
 Why do we eat fish Friday night?
Does it have secret Kabbalistic magic powers of enhancing the appetite so we can look forward to the next course?
Secondly, fish is very different in its requirement to be certified kosher.
 In order to eat “regular” Kosher animals, there is a requirement for the animal to undergo Shechita (ritual slaughter). If an animal were to be killed/ die without Shechita it is forbidden to be eaten.
Yet, by kosher fish we find no such requirement. To eat fish, one can simply kill it and it is Kosher to eat.
Why is there this distinction? What makes fish different than other types of animals (other than the fact that the Torah said they are)?
Why are we allowed to eat fish altogether?
G-d gave us a reward as gratitude for Noach who took care of the animals; man had them for supper. However, the fish weren’t part of the package. Noach did not take care of them. Why then was he allowed to eat them and when did it become permitted?
Devarim (14:9) This you may eat everything that is in the water; anything that has fins and scales you may eat:
Why no preparation needed?
Marsha, one of the major commentaries in the Talmud, in chulin 27b relates this to the idea that earth is more “earthy,” materialistic and unspiritual, than water (compare Rambam, Hil. Yesodei Hatorah 3:10). So animals, which were created from such coarse matter, need shechitah (the ritual slaughter to make it kosher) – the main purpose of which is to drain their lifeblood – to refine their physicality and make it suitable for human consumption, since we are also made from dust. Birds – same thing, but less so, so they need the refinement brought about through shechitah, albeit of only one siman. Fish, whose bodies were created from a more refined material than ours, need no refinement in order to make them edible.
The generation before the flood caused great damage by their immorality and their negative interpersonal relationship, to such an extent that the animals and nature were influenced. Therefore, a large civilization, with the exception of the passengers of Noach’s ark, was destroyed.
 Fish were protected from the spiritual energies of immorality generated by the generation of the flood because they were concealed by the waters. They were led to a certain section of the ocean called Okinus where the waters were bearable and not boiling hot. Therefore, the fish didn’t need the spiritual cleansing of the ark that the surviving animals and birds required, as the verse says, “And all flesh that moves upon the earth expired [in the flood]–among the birds, the animals, the beasts, and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all mankind. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of everything that was on dry land died [The verse mentions only the death of land creatures, implying that Hashem spared the fish, because they did not participate in man’s sins (Talmud: Zevachim 113b)].” (Genesis 7:21, 22) And thus, there is no need to perform shechita on fish.
 As a gift for taking care of the animals on the ark, Noach and the generations that followed were able to eat certain animals that were described to be kosher.
 However the fish were not on the ark and were not taken care of by Noach and his family.
Why then was man allowed to eat fish?
   Interestingly, many commentaries say that Jews were not allowed to eat fish until MATAN TORAH – the receiving of the Torah. G-d rewarded the Jews to eat fish, a gifted species, not blemished by sin, on that glorious day of MATAN TORAH. The receiving of the Torah happened to occur on Shabbat. So besides celebrating the Shabbat we are also showing appreciation to G-d by eating his gift to us, a symbol of receiving the Torah.
 Out of all the gifts to give why did G-d give Fish?
One of the toughest tests to overcome in humans is to be grateful and appreciate what’s on our plate and not desire what our friend has. Our sages introduced us to a concept called the evil eye.
  The Evil Eye is the name given to harmful negative energy which is created by people looking at you with envy or ill-feeling. One of the first encounters of this phenomenon was with the evil Bilam. He wanted to harm the Israelites with this negative energy.  How do we know that he had an evil eye? Because it is written, And Bil’am lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling tribe by tribe (Numbers 24:2). The Midrash Rabbah in Bamidbar 20:10 comments that his eyes were his weapon.
 Although G-d purposely brought the Israelites to a secluded place-the dessert, it did not stop Bilam, who went out of his way, to harm the Jews with his evil eye. It seems like everybody can be susceptible to this harm. There is just no place to hide.
  The Torah’s warning through the Bilam incident has made our people more careful. Traditionally we tend to be quite about our good fortunes.  One might also notice when they are counting a Minyan they won’t count one-two-three but do something more convoluted.
One component of this practice also seems to be concern over ayin hara – the Evil Eye. For the same reason, you will traditionally not see Jewish women having baby showers, decorating the nursery, or even buying anything for the baby before the birth.
How do we protect ourselves?
Since fish live under the water and are thus concealed from view, they are protected from the gaze of the seventy nations of the world. As mentioned above, kosher animals require shechita in order to remove the negative spiritual energies of immorality they have absorbed.  The most powerful protection against evil forces is the force of goodness, whether doing kindness to people, giving charity, or studying G-d’s Torah with the intention of spreading what we learned to others. This brings about unity, which is the opposite from the dor hamabul, the generation of the flood. Therefore, the righteous, who by definition are individuals who are very far removed from immoral behavior, are compared to fish, which are also very far removed from the spiritual energies of immorality.
   This is why Yosef (Joseph) was blessed that his offspring should be like fish, as the verse says, “May they [Yosef’s offspring] proliferate abundantly like fish within the land” (Genesis 48:16). Yosef is the only Biblical figure to be referred to as “HaTzaddik” (the saintly), because he resisted temptation and refused to have any immoral association with his master’s wife. Just as the negative spiritual energies emitted from the eye have no negative effect upon fish in the water, similarly the offspring of Yosef are protected from the evil eye and the spiritual energies of immorality associated with the eye. Yosef saw what’s on his plate only!
Symbolically fish have the power of spiritual purity. It has not been contaminated by immorality, by disarray, by theft, all characteristics of the generation of the flood. It does what G-d wants and that is “keeping a low profile;” modesty. It has followed and trusted G-d whole hardheartedly.
Once, one of the greats of Jerusalem was walking the streets where he hears the screams of a young boy. He quickly attends to him and realizes he has to rush him to the hospital. He then carries him running briskly to the Ezra Rishona-First Response nearby. As he’s rushing in the streets an old lady yells out “don’t worry Rav Shalom, he’ll be okay”.  At a closer glance, though, she realizes the injured boy is her grandson. “Oh No!” she wails and lets out such a scream crying hysterically.
Seems like the old lady lost her composure realizing it’s her grandson. What happened to the “don’t worry?” She was calm and cool full of trust in G-d a couple of minutes ago. She changed. One cannot be frum- religious on someone else’s expense but panic when it hits them personally..
The Hebrew word for fish is dag. There is a connection to da’aga-worry.
 DAG-fish comes to rectify; it comes to fix the negative trait of da’aga-worry.  Dag comes to symbolizes complete trust in G-d, the opposite of da’aga-worry.
That is the symbolic essence of fish. Fish is the purity that was not corrupted by negativity because it swam under the radar gun, out of the sight of the eye.
 So whether it’s whiting, flounder, or the talking carp one has on their menu for the Friday night Shabbat meal, one should enjoy the delicious fish with either horseradish, garlic water or mayo,  and if one hears strange voices at the Shabbat table its either the fish, or the chicken, or perhaps a disgruntled neighbor.