In loving memory of Maurice Cresswell Moshe ben Avigdor Ha Cohen

Transcription

1 27 May Sivan 5777 Shabbat ends London 10.04pm Jerusalem 8.18pm Volume 29 No. 35 Bemidbar Artscroll p.726 Hertz p.567 Soncino p.792 Shavuot is on Wednesday and Thursday Candle-lighting for the second night is at pm. Those shuls which light much earlier should not light before 7.25 pm In loving memory of Maurice Cresswell Moshe ben Avigdor Ha Cohen The Children of Israel shall encamp, each man by his banner according to the insignias of their fathers household, at a distance surrounding the Tent of Meeting shall they encamp (Bemidbar 2:2). 1

2 Sidrah Summary: Bemidbar 1st Aliya (Kohen) 1:1-19 On Rosh Chodesh of the second month after the Exodus from Egypt, God instructs Moshe and Aharon to take a census of men above the age of 20. (The Talmud adds that men above 60 were not counted). The leader of each tribe is to be present with them when his tribe is counted. The name of each leader is stated. The census is carried out as commanded. Question: what was the name of the leader of the tribe of Yehuda? Answer on bottom of page 6. 2nd Aliya (Levi) 1:20-54 The Torah lists the results of the census. The tribe of Reuven numbered 46,500; Shimon 59,300; Gad 45,650; Yehuda 74,600; Yissachar 54,400; Zevulun 57,400; Ephraim 40,500; Menashe 32,200; Binyamin 35,400; Dan 62,700; Asher 41,500; Naftali 53,400. This totalled 603,550 men. The tribe of Levi is not counted with the rest of the tribes. They are assigned to dismantle and transport the Mishkan (Tabernacle) when the nation travels in the desert, as well as to guard the Mishkan when it is stationary. 3rd Aliya (Shlishi) 2:1-34 God tells Moshe and Aharon how to position the 12 tribes (other than Levi) around the Mishkan. They are to be organised into four groups of three tribes, each group led by one particular tribe. To the east of the Mishkan are the tribes of Yehuda, Yissachar and Zevulun, led by Yehuda. To the south are the tribes of Reuven, Shimon and Gad, led by Reuven. To the west are the tribes of Ephraim, Menashe and Binyamin, led by Ephraim. To the north are the tribes of Dan, Asher and Naftali, led by Dan. 4th Aliya (Revi i) 3:1-13 Aharon s sons are listed. God tells Moshe to bring the tribe of Levi to Aharon in order to assist him in his work as the Kohen Gadol. The tribe of Levi is to take over the role that had been designated for the firstborn, who were sanctified on the night of the Exodus from Egypt, when the Egyptian firstborn were killed and they survived. Point to Consider: the Torah introduces Aharon and Moshe s offspring, yet only lists Aharon s sons. Why is this? (see 3:1 with Rashi ) 5th Aliya (Chamishi) 3:14-39 God tells Moshe to count the men of the tribe of Levi, from aged one month upwards. The count is divided up into three main groups, according to the descendants of Levi s three sons, Gershom, Kehat and Merari. Each main group, whose constituent families are also listed, is given a different location in relation to the Mishkan. The overall number of Levi im counted in the census is 22,000. 6th Aliya (Shishi) 3:40-51 Moshe is told to count the male firstborn and to replace them with the Levi im. The firstborn number 22,273. The extra 273 firstborn (over and above the 22,000 Levi im) are to give 5 shekels each in order to redeem their status. 7th Aliya (Shevi i) 4:1-19 The specific role of each of the three main families is now detailed, one in this week s sidrah, two in next week s sidrah. The family of Kehat are to take down, transport and re-assemble the holy ark (aron), the table (shulchan), the menorah, the golden altar (mizbeach ha zahav) and the vessels used together with these features of the Mishkan. Haftarah The prophet Hoshea compares the sinful Children of Israel to an unfaithful wife. However, they will eventually return to 'their husband' (God), who will take them back with kindness and mercy. United Synagogue Daf Hashavua Produced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue Editor: Rabbi Chaim Gross Editor-in-Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis Editorial Team: Ilana Epstein, Michael Laitner, Sharon Radley Available also via US website United Synagogue To sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Loraine Young on , or lyoung@theus.org.uk If you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please rabbigross@theus.org.uk 2

3 Solutions in the Sidrah: Mary Shelley s Frankenstein by Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum, Hadley Wood Jewish Community Mary Shelley s Frankenstein, published in 1818, is arguably one of the most famous novels of all time. A popular misconception about the book, however, is that the monster itself was called Frankenstein. In fact, Victor Frankenstein was the name of the fictitious inventor. The frightening being he created, by contrast, has no name in the book. Instead it is identified using words such as creature, demon, monster, wretch and it. The absence of a name appears to be a deliberate literary device employed by Shelley. Names represent more than just our individual identity. They make us human. This week s sidrah describes a census taking of the emerging Jewish nation. In this context, the phrase bemispar sheimot, translated as, according to the number of names, is used numerous times (Bemidbar 1:18,20 etc). At first glance, this phrase appears to be a contradiction in terms. A number considers an individual as part of something greater. A name, however, describes the individual identity of the person. How can one be both a number and a name at the same time? balance that enables society to thrive. Be yourself, the Torah says, let your own creativity shine through. But remember that you are also part of a larger Jewish picture, and do what you can to help realise that vision as well. The end scene of Shelley s Frankenstein sees the creature mourn over the death of his creator, finally realising that he is completely and utterly alone in the world: I, the miserable and the abandoned to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on Shelley s novel is more than just a cautionary tale of the dangers of creating a monster, free to wreak havoc in the world. It is also the story of the tragedy of loneliness, that a person may be so completely bereft of any support or friendship that they may feel that even their very name is irrelevant. By contrast, the message of the census-taking in this week s sidrah is that the combination of a preservation of names, representing individual identity, together with the group consciousness formed through a realisation that everyone is connected to those around them, is the best recipe for a healthy and productive society. In explaining the meaning behind this phrase, Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus (d. 2001) explains that our individuality, represented by our names, is what makes us thrive. We are all special, and each of us have an independent mission, unrelated to that of anyone else. Through combining names with numbers in the context of the census, however, the Torah emphasises that we are also members of a greater covenantal community, collectively charged with bringing the moral vision of the Torah into the world. The Torah s use of the phrase bemispar sheimot, number of names, therefore represents the In memory of Yaakov Yehoshua ben Ephraim Hirsch 3

4 Counting by Numbers by Rabbi Dr Julian Shindler, Office of the Chief Rabbi The opening passage of Bemidbar, set early in the second year after the Exodus from Egypt, records the number of males in each tribe over the age of twenty. The total 603,550 accords with the census taken earlier, as reported in parashat Pekudei (Shemot 38:26) before the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was constructed. Some commentators infer from this that no deaths occurred during the building of the Mishkan. Although there are several mitzvot which involve counting, such as Sefirat HaOmer, the Shemitah cycle (Sabbatical years), Yovel (Jubilee year) and a woman s counting of seven clear days prior to immersion in a mikveh, counting the Jewish people seems to be problematic. The counting instructed in parashat Ki Tisa and recorded in Pekudei, was done indirectly, by means of an atonement offering of a half-shekel. Censustaking by this means ensured that individuals would not be stricken by plague (ibid. 30:12). The implication is that counting Jews is somehow bad for their health. The Talmud (Yoma 22b) discusses this subject. It cites a verse from the Book of Shmuel (Samuel): And Shaul (Saul) gathered the people together and counted them by sheep (Shmuel I 15:4). Each person brought a sheep which King Shaul then counted, electing to count the people by indirect means. The Talmudic sage R Yitzchak derives from this passage the principle that it is forbidden to count the Jews, even for a mitzvah. Two other Tamudic sages, R Eliezer and R Nachman bar Yitzchak, take this a stage further. They rule that taking a census of the Jewish people is Biblically prohibited, basing this on the first verse of today s Haftarah: The number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor counted (Hoshea 2:1). This ruling is codified by the Rambam (Maimonides d. 1204). Though this Biblical prohibition applies only to taking a census of the entire Jewish people, the Rabbis nevertheless discouraged counting Jews under any circumstances. Accordingly, there developed a widespread minhag (custom) not to count people when ascertaining whether there is a minyan (quorum of ten males) for prayers. Rabbi Chaim Falagi (Turkey, 19th Century) permits silent counting in one s mind but not aloud. There is a widely accepted alternative device to count the minyan indirectly, substituting a verse containing ten words for numbers. Our custom is to use the following verse from Tehilim (Psalms 28:9): Kytlcn / ta / Krbv / Kmi / ta / hiywvh Mlvih / di / Mawnv / Mirv / Interestingly, it is recorded that in Rashi s shul, the custom was to use a different ten-word verse (Psalms 5: 8): hvctwa / Ktyb / avba / Kdsc / brb / ynav Ktaryb / Kwdq / lkyh / la / Rabbi Osher Weiss (a leading halachic authority living in Jerusalem) suggests that this verse may have been selected because a person is anyway encouraged to recite this upon arrival at the synagogue each day for Shacharit (see green siddur p.4). Whether taken as symbolic or real, counting people by this indirect means teaches us to respect and value the dignity of each individual member of the Jewish people. In memory of Mordechai Avraham ben Nechemia 4

5 Shavuot: We will do AND we will Listen by Rabbi Shlomo Odze, Associate Rabbi, South Hampstead United Synagogue The Talmud (Berachot 13a) states that the reason we recite the first two paragraphs of the Shema in the order that we do, is because we first need to accept the yoke of heaven by reciting the first line of Shema, and only afterwards accept the yoke of the mitzvot by reciting that which is contained within the second paragraph. Accepting the yoke is a fundamental principle in observing the Torah. It seems strange therefore, that at the time of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Jewish people said na aseh ve nishmah, meaning we will do AND we will listen (Shemot 24:7). The Maharal of Prague (Rabbi Yehuda Loew d.1609) explains that the listening refers to understanding. But surely the fact that God had told them was enough? Why did they need to add afterwards that they would try and understand them too? In fact, saying that they would listen to them seemingly takes some of the shine off and diminishes the fact that they were keeping the mitzvot because God told them to and for no other reason. This explains why they said at the time na aseh ve nishmah we will do AND we will listen; the observing of the mitzvot will be done in a way that shows we understand the need for them. The understanding element is of course only a second phase once the first has been completed. This is why, a few verses earlier (Shemot 24:3), we are told that all they said was we will do and only later did they add we will hear the second phase of appreciating and understanding the greatness and the need of the Torah and mitzvot. We are fortunate today to have the opportunity to do both. We live in a society that allows us to keep the Torah and mitzvot with relative ease to accept the yoke of heaven (Na aseh); and we live in communities where there are numerous opportunities to appreciate the greatness of and need for Torah and mitzvot in our lives accepting the yoke of mitzvot (Nishmah). Shavuot is an ideal time to think about how to make the most of both opportunities in a very real way. The Maharal answers this question as follows: in order to observe and perform mitzvot in the most complete manner, we need to try and understand the need for them as much as we are able to. In addition to the doing, we must try and internalise and feel within our minds and hearts the goodness, beauty and need for the Torah and mitzvot. This must translate into everything that we do, however mundane it may seem. We should strive to understand and feel the need and benefit of the Torah and mitzvot in helping guide us in the right path and make us into a better person. In memory of Yisrael Shmuel ben Yirmaya Yehoshuah 5

6 Dignified Burial as a Communal Responsibility: An Introduction to the new Bushey Cemetery by Rabbi Michael Laitner, Director of Education, US Living & Learning; Assistant Rabbi, Finchley United Synagogue Maintaining burial grounds is a responsibility of communal life. The duty to provide dignified burial is recorded as far back as Avraham s purchase of Me arat Hamachpela (the Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron in order to bury his wife, Sarah (Bereishit chapter 18), a tomb still venerated today. When the United Synagogue was formed by an Act of Parliament in 1870, one of its early tasks was to set up its Burial Society. Last Sunday, the new Bushey cemetery was opened. The background to this communal responsibility reflects some of our most revered beliefs: 1. In analysing the imperative to provide for burial specifically, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 46a) notes that burial avoids bizyona, degradation of a person after their passing. The Rambam (Maimonides, d.1204), rules that this even applies when a person has requested not to have burial, such is the importance of avoiding degradation. Whilst a mourner (i.e. one of the close family members of the deceased who is required to sit shiva) has the responsibility to arrange for the burial, the existence of a communal infrastructure to assist helps the mourner at that painful time and facilitates a dignified burial. 2. The second beracha (blessing) of the daily Amidah prayer praises God through stating our belief that He will ultimately provide techiyat hameitim, resurrection of the dead. We do not know how this will happen but we state our belief nonetheless. The scholars, prophets and rabbis who framed this prayer felt that emphasising this belief was so significant that there at least six references to it in that beracha of the Amida. It is also a central theme of the funeral prayers. Providing burial demonstrates our belief in techiyat hameitim. Conversely, interment which does not preserve the integrity of the body is antithetical to that belief and brings to mind some of the darkest periods in our history. 3. One of the common Hebrew names for burial grounds is Beit HaChayim, meaning the House of Life. Life relates both to techiyat hemeitim and to the reality that those who rest in our burial grounds tell a history of our community. They are always remembered when we visit, even though they have passed on from this world. This remembering should inspire us to make our own positive contribution to the world as proud, practicing Jews, standing on the shoulders of those who preceded us. Cemeteries such as Willesden and the old Bushey tell stories of our families and friends contribution to communal and British life in general. Older cemeteries tell a story of once-vibrant Jewish communities which are long gone but never forgotten, whose impact continues to resonate. Our prayer and hope is that the new Bushey cemetery will be used as sparingly as possible. Its existence nonetheless reflects our communal commitment to dignified burial and many of our accompanying fundamental beliefs. Answer: Nachshon ben Aminadav In memory of Tzemach ben Yisrael 6

7 th th JUNE 2017 YOUNG US RETREAT Join Young US, Hampstead, South Hampstead, St John s Wood and Western Marble Arch synagogues for a luxurious weekend away with our unique Shabbatmosphere. Wewillbeofferingarangeofw range workshops, talks, and activities throughout the weekend, with full catered meals, onsite spa and pool and a midnight BBQ! At the 4 Daventry Hotel and Spa, Daventry Members 129 (single supplement 60) Non-members 199 (single supplement 60) or become a member for 5 a month and be eligible for the Member Rate For further information please contact tamarajacobson@youngus.org.uk or joshzaitschek@youngus.org.uk To book please go to Ages Limited spaces YoungUS. Registered Charity Number

8