ב "ה. ABC s of Judaism. Fundamentals of Jewish Thought and Practice. June 2007 Tammuz 5767 Jewish Educational Institute Chabad Brisbane

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1 ב "ה ABC s of Judaism Fundamentals of Jewish Thought and Practice June 2007 Tammuz 5767 Jewish Educational Institute Chabad Brisbane

2 ABC s of Judaism Fundamentals of Jewish Thought and Practice What we do and why we do it. The body of Judaism and the soul within. This eight-week course will investigate the sources and meaning of the essential elements of active Jewish life. COURSE OUTLINE 1. Torah and Mitzvot Learn how the Torah and Mitzvot are more than just Yellow Pages, they are a connect direct. 2. Prayer Breathe new life into your day through the proper application of prayer. 3. Torah Journey with the Torah as it unfolds through the ages, illuminating your mind and delighting your soul. 4. Tefillin and Mezuzot Experience these classical symbols of your Jewish heritage and their fascinating mystical impact on your life. 5. Shabbat Discover the spirit of this perfectly Divine day and how it can enhance your entire week. 6. Kashrut Delve into the world of the Kosher Dietary laws; discover the meeting place of the body and the spirit. 7. Mikvah and Marriage Study Jewish tradition s view of intimacy and marriage. Discover how it can enhance your relationship. 8. Brotherly Love and Tzedakah See the divine in your human relations. Learn how to make friendship and giving your priority. PAGE 2

3 Lesson 1: Torah and Mitzvot INTRODUCTION While Jewish Thought and Practice are the products of traditions that have been the pride and pleasure of the Jewish people throughout the ages they are far more that just history and customs. In this introductory lesson, we will examine how Torah and the Mitzvot provide us with Divine guidance in our private and public lives, leading us towards universal harmony and wholeness. A. TORAH: MORE THAN JUST YELLOW PAGES READING 1 Deuteronomy 33:4 ר ה צ ה-ל נ מ ה מ ר ה ק ה ת י ע ק ב The Torah that Moses commanded us is the inheritance of the House of Israel. READING 2 Deuteronomy 4:6 י ה וא ח כ מ ת כ ם ב ינ ת כ ם ל ע ינ י ה ע ים For it is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations. READING 3 Mishna, Avot 5:21 בן בגבג אומר, הפוך בה והפך בה, והגי בה דכולא בה, ובה תחזי, סיב ובלי בה; ומינה לא תזוז, שאין לך מידה טובה יותר ממנה Ben Bag Bag said, learn it and learn it [the Torah], for everything is in it; look deeply into it; grow old and gray over it; and do not stir from it, for there is nothing more edifying for you than it. READING 4 Midrash Rabba, Bereishit 1: 1 התורה אומרת אני הייתי כלי אומנתו של הקב"ה. בנוהג שבעולם, מלך בשר ודם בונה פלטין אינו בונה אותה מדעת עצמו, אלא מדעת אומן. והאומן אינו בונה אותה מדעת עצמו אלא דיפתראות ופינקסאות יש לו, לדעת היאך הוא עושה חדרים, היאך הוא עושה פשפשין כך היה הקדוש ברוך הוא, מביט בתורה ובורא את העולם The Torah says, I am the artisan s tool of G-d. According to the world s custom, a human king does not himself build a palace, but relies on the knowledge of an artisan. The artisan does not rely on his mind alone either, but has scrolls and diagrams to know how to build rooms and passageways. So too, G-d looked into the Torah and created the world. PAGE 3

4 READING 5 The Kuzari 1:99 Everything was clearly stated by G-d, as the smallest matter missing would interfere with the completeness of the whole thing. It is all there, as in the formations of nature, which are composed of such minute elements that they defy perception READING 6 The Kuzari is one of most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi. (c ) The generation of Jews that left Egypt and received the Torah at Mount Sinai numbered some 600,000 heads of households. Our Sages (Zohar Chadash, Shir Hashirim 74d) tell us that the Jewish nation consists of 600,000 souls, and that the soul of every Jew that ever lived is an offshoot of one of these 600,000 general souls. Thus the Torah contains 600,000 letters (including the spaces between letters), for each soul may be found there. Image: Cover of the 1880 Hebrew language Warsaw edition of the Kuzari. READING 7 / Torah = Teaching תורה / Horaah = Instruction, Direction הוראה B. MITZVOT: CONNECT DIRECT READING 8 Sifrei, Pinchas 28:8 It is like a pleasant fragrance before Me, that I spoke and My will was done. READING 9 Midrash Rabba, Bereishit 44:1 Rav Said: The Mitzvot were given as a means to refine the creations. READING 10 Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 401 We have already mentioned many times that a person is influenced and his nature aroused according to the actions in which he engages R Chaim Vital ( ) was one of the most famous exponents of Kabbalah. READING 11 R Chaim Vital, Pri Etz Chaim, Gate 29, Chapter 3 He will command is related to the Aramaic term used by our Sages (Talmud, Berachot 6b), The entire world was created only to be associated with such a person, an expression of connection and fusion. PAGE 4

READING 12 / Mitzvah מצוה = Commandment / Tzavta = Connection צותא READING 13 R Adin Even-Yisrael (Steinsaltz) The importance of this encounter [the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai] is not in the

And this is the meaning of the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary and expansion.

5 READING 12 / Mitzvah מצוה = Commandment / Tzavta = Connection צותא READING 13 R Adin Even-Yisrael (Steinsaltz) The importance of this encounter [the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai] is not in the actual words spoken but that G-d appeared before man and told him what to do, that G-d established some sort of contact with man. And this is the meaning of the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary and expansion. Rabbi Adin Even Yisrael (Steinsaltz) (born 1937) is a noted scholar, philosopher, social critic and author world wide whose background also includes extensive scientific training. In 1988, Time magazine praised him as an once-in-a-millennium scholar. Rabbi Moses Maimonides (1135/8-1204), known as Rambam, was a rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Andalusia, Morocco and Egypt during the Middle Ages. He was one of the various medieval Jewish philosophers who also influenced the non-jewish world. Today, his works and his views are considered a cornerstone of Jewish thought and study. Consequently, the giving of the Torah is essentially this crossing of the abyss between the human and the Divine, and the establishing of a permanent bridge. Its lasting impact lies in the wondrous generosity of the action from above and its uniqueness READING 14 Maimonodies (Rambam), Laws of Teshuva 4:3...צ ר יך ל ד ם ר א ה ע צ מ ל ה נ ה, א ח צ י ז אי ו ח צ י ח ב, ו כ ן ל ה ע ל ם, ח צ י ז אי ו ח צ י ח ב... ע ה מ צ ו ה ח ת, ה ר י ה כ ר יע א ת ע צ מ ו ה כ ר יע א ת ל ה ע ל ם ל כ ף ז כ ת, ו ג ר ם ל ה ן ע ה ו ה ל ה. ז ה ה א א מ ר "ו צ יק, י ס ד ע ל ם" (משלי י,כה), ז ה יל. ו ה ם ל ה ע ל כ ר יע א ת ה ק ע צ מ each person should regard himself throughout the year as if he were half innocent and half guilty and should regard the world of mankind as half innocent and half guilty If he fulfills one commandment, he turns the scale of merit in his favor and in favor of the whole world, and brings salvation and deliverance to all his fellow creatures and to himself. As it is stated The righteous man is the foundation of the world (Proverbs 10:25), that is to say, he who acts justly presses down the scale of merit in favor of the entire world and saves it. PAGE 5

6 SUMMARY 1. More than just ancient Jewish texts and a history that we can be proud of, Torah is the transcendent Master Plan of creation. 2. In bridging the gap between the infinite Creator and the finite humanity, the Torah provides as micro planned direction. 3. The Torah yields instruction in every aspect of its teaching; through the Mitzvot, it gives us a concrete frame in thought, speech and action to guide us toward fulfilling our potential. 4. More than just inspiring and evocative traditions, even more that Divine commandments to educate and perfect us, the Mitzvot are direct connections that unite us and the world around us with the infinite power of Divine Oneness. 5. Through the guidance of the Torah and the connection of the Mitzvot, we play a crucial role in bringing the world to its true state of harmony and unity. NEXT WEEK Lesson 2: Prayer Breathe new life into your day through the proper application of prayer. PAGE 6

A lot of the time when people think about Shabbat they focus very heavily on the things they CAN T do.

A lot of the time when people think about Shabbat they focus very heavily on the things they CAN T do. No cell phones. No driving. No shopping. No TV. It s not so easy to stop doing these things for a