13 May 2017 17 Iyar 5777 Shabbat ends London 9.40pm Jerusalem 8.08pm Volume 29 No. 33 Emor Artscroll p.672 Hertz p.513 Soncino p.740 In memory of David Yochanan ben Moshe "God spoke to Moshe, saying: Command the Children of Israel that they shall take for you pure olive oil, pressed, for illumination, to kindle a continual lamp (Vayikra 24:1-3). 1
Sidrah Summary: Emor 1st Aliya (Kohen) Vayikra 21:1-15 God instructs Moshe to tell the Kohanim not to come into contact with a dead person, with the exception of when burying specific close relatives. They are not allowed to shave their heads or wound themselves during a mourning period (Rashi). There are restrictions on whom Kohanim can marry. There is a mitzvah to show Kohanim specific forms of respect (Rashi). A Kohen Gadol is not allowed to bury a close relative, nor marry a widow (see p.4 article). 2nd Aliya (Levi) 21:16-22:16 Specific types of physical blemishes on a Kohen disqualify him from bringing offerings in the Temple; however, he may eat from the offerings. A Kohen who is ritually impure (tamei) can neither bring nor eat an offering until he is pure (tahor). The laws of terumah, the first crop tithe given to the Kohanim, are stated. Whilst this tithe should not be eaten by a non-kohen, a Kohen s wife and his Cana anite servant are permitted to eat it. 3rd Aliya (Shlishi) 22:17-33 Offerings brought to the Temple must be free of certain blemishes which disqualify them. An animal cannot be brought as an offering until it is at least eight days old. Offerings have to be eaten within a certain time. The mitzvah to sanctify God s Name is given (see p.3 article). 4th Aliya (Revi i) 23:1-23:22 Laws of Shabbat and the festivals are listed. On Pesach, which lasts seven days, we eat matzot. The first and last days are Yom Tov, on which we refrain from specific prohibited activity (melacha). On the second day of Pesach, the barley Omer offering is brought. There is a mitzvah to count 49 days from 16 Nisan (the second night of Pesach) until the night before Shavuot. On Shavuot itself, the double bread wheat offering (shtei ha lechem) is brought and melacha is forbidden. Point to Consider: why is the second day of Pesach, on which the Omer is brought, referred to as the day after Shabbat? (23:15) 5th Aliya (Chamishi) 23:23-32 Rosh Hashanah is called a day of shofar blasts. Yom Kippur is a day of fasting. On these days, melacha is also forbidden, but the punishment for doing melacha on Yom Kippur is more severe. 6th Aliya (Shishi) 23:33-44 On Succot we bring the four species (arba a minim) and dwell in temporary booths (succot). The seven days of Succot are followed by Shemini Atzeret. On the first day of Succot and on Shemini Atzeret, we refrain from melacha. 7th Aliya (Shevi i) 24:1-23 Moshe is told by God to instruct the people to bring pure olive oil for the daily Menorah lighting in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Moshe is commanded to provide flour for the show bread (lechem ha panim) that is placed on the table (shulchan) in the Mishkan and which remains there for an entire week. A man is caught blaspheming and is sentenced and put to death. Question: how many loaves of show bread were baked every week? (24:5)? Answer on bottom of page 6. Haftarah The prophet Yechezkel (Ezekiel) details the halachot which will pertain to Kohanim in Messianic times. Some of these laws are more stringent than those listed in the sidrah. 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 email US website www.theus.org.uk United Synagogue To sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Loraine Young on 020 8343 5653, or lyoung@theus.org.uk If you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please email rabbigross@theus.org.uk 2
Solutions in the Sidrah: The Broken Windows Theory by Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum, Hadley Wood Jewish Community In the mid-1990s, the then mayor of New York City, Rudolph Giuliani, desperately wanted to reduce the notoriously high levels of crime in the city. To achieve this aim, he decided to implement a plan dubbed The Broken Windows Theory. The concept was that eliminating small signs of public disorder, such as a broken window in a housing project, litter on streets, or graffiti on walls, would help to reduce more serious crime. To research the effectiveness of the proposal, behavioural scientists set up a few social experiments to test the theory. One test involved a car park with multiple entrances. The researchers blocked off one entrance with temporary fences and put up a sign indicating that people should only use the other entrance, which was about 180 metres away, when returning to their cars. However, they left a small gap in the fence so that a person could just squeeze through if they wanted to. They also placed a sign indicating that locking bicycles to the fence was prohibited. They then placed some bikes next to the fence. The only thing they varied in the test was whether the pre-positioned bikes were locked to the fence (in breach of the second rule), or just leaning next to it. them to witness others behaving correctly. Living in an environment in which they can personally see the respect others have for the rules encourages them to do the same. This week s sidrah contains the foundational mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem (sanctifying God s Name). The verse says: You shall not desecrate My Holy Name, rather I should be sanctified among the Children of Israel, for I am God Who sanctifies You (Vayikra 22:32). At the heart of this mitzvah lies one central, essentially simple idea. Everything we do, whether positive or negative, influences others. People learn from the way others behave, as well as adopting the prevailing trends in society. Such trends can be a tremendous force for good in the world, or they can, God forbid, be the opposite. Doing the right thing, and thereby setting a positive example for others, creates a Kiddush Hashem. As Rudolph Giuliani s successful clean-up of crime in New York City demonstrates, the effects of a positive example can be truly amazing. Fascinatingly, when the bicycles were not locked to the fence, so that the second rule was observed, only 27% of people broke the first rule and squeezed through the gap in the fence. Yet when the bikes they had placed there were locked to the fence in direct breach of the rule, 82% of people broke the first rule and squeezed through the gap. The research indicated that Giuliani s plan was a good one. One of the most powerful ways to encourage people to act properly is by enabling In memory of Yehudah Lev ben Shevach 3
Privilege and Responsibility by Rabbi Dr Martin van den Bergh, Childwall Hebrew Congregation, Liverpool In today's world, many of the people holding privileged positions are often media or sports celebrities. Sometimes they are better known for their negative character traits than for their contribution to society and to important global issues. Very few of them sustain their success for more than a fleeting period, before another group of stars takes their place. Judaism holds a different view of what a privileged position is, namely that such positions carry responsibilities. From the time of the sin of the Golden Calf, when the Kohanim assumed their priestly role, until today, they have held and continue to hold a privileged position in the Jewish community. A Kohen is the first to be called to the reading of the Torah and is acknowledged when present at the beginning of bentching with a zimun (quorum) before Birkat Hamazon in some cases he is invited to lead the bentching. The Kohanim also bless the community with Birkat Kohanim (the priestly blessing) on Yom Tov. This privileged status originated with the role which the Kohanim fulfilled by carrying out sacrificial services in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and Beit Hamikdash (Temple), and as the teachers of the community. While we all have a mitzvah to uphold a degree of sanctity (see Vayikra 19:2), the status of the Kohanim meant that they had a responsibility to maintain a higher state of sanctity, which was recognised by all the Israelites: You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God; he shall be holy to you (ibid. 21:8). Without maintaining this ritual sanctity, the Kohanim could not enter the Beit Hamikdash compound to perform their priestly duties. The sanctity of the Kohen also impacts on his personal life, even today. There are restrictions on whom he can marry and he is generally forbidden to be present in a building or in close proximity to a dead body, with the exceptions of his very close family (parents, spouse, children and siblings) or a met mitzvah, one who has died with no one to bury him/her. When the Beit Hamikdash was standing, the restrictions on the Kohen Gadol were even more demanding. He had to uphold the highest degree of sanctity, for he led the Yom Kippur service, where he alone entered the Holy of Holies. With regards to whom he could marry, he was more limited than a regular Kohen, and he could not have contact with anyone after their death, except for a met mitzvah. Nearly 2000 years after the destruction of the second Beit Hamikdash, the Kohanim still hold a privileged place in the Jewish world and still accept restrictions on their lives. They are not a fleeting fashion, nor a momentary trend. They are the bedrock of our understanding that with privilege comes responsibility. Like the Kohanim and unlike many of today s celebrities, our leaders keep their privileged positions by remembering and honouring their responsibilities within the community and the wider world. In memory of Yocheved bat Berl Dov 4
Dedicating the new Bushey Cemetery by Dayan Ivan Binstock, London Beth Din, Rabbi of St John s Wood United Synagogue The dedication of the new section of the cemetery at Bushey marks the latest stage of the United Synagogue undertaking its responsibility to provide a dignified resting place when, sadly, the end of life arrives. The first Ashkenazi cemetery in Alderney Road E1, was opened in 1697 and closed in 1852. The United Synagogue is responsible for a dozen cemeteries. Those in regular use are Willesden, opened in 1873; Waltham Abbey, opened in 1960, and Bushey, opened in 1947. Visitors to Bushey will be familiar with the old section, with its own entrance at the north end of Little Bushey Lane. The current main section, with the two prayer halls, was opened in 1967. An extension, across Sandy s Lane, was opened in 1979. The new section has been in preparation for six years. Provision has been made for approximately 8,500 interments. The ground has been drained and paths have been laid. A new prayer hall (with a unique and eco-friendly design) has been constructed. What will happen when the Chief Rabbi formally opens the cemetery on 21 May? The procedure for dedicating a cemetery is adapted from a discussion in the Talmud (Shavuot 15b) relating to extending the area of the Temple precincts and the area of Jerusalem. In Temple times, there were precise rules regarding the consumption of offerings, either in the grounds of the Beit Hamikdash (Temple) or within the boundaries of Jerusalem. For example, if the Beit Hamikdash was around today, a household head could not take his Pesach offering and drive back for a Seder with his family in Herzliya. He would need to eat it in Jerusalem. Even then, a location like the King David Hotel is still outside the borders of the historic holy city. The Talmud describes the procedure for formally extending the borders of Jerusalem, so that the status of the holy city applies to other areas as well. This involves, in part, a procession led by the Sanhedrin (High Court) around the perimeter of the new area, with the chanting of Tehilim (Psalms), such as Psalm 91. The practice has developed that the dedication of cemeteries follows this model. Various customs have grown up around the essential requirement of encircling the area whilst reciting Psalms. In some communities, seven circuits of a new cemetery are made. Others require members of the Chevra Kadisha (Burial Society) to fast and recite selichot (penitential prayers). Because Kohanim are precluded from close contact with the dead, some communities specifically involve Kohanim in the dedication of a new cemetery, before there are any graves that would restrict their presence. When the new Bushey Cemetery will be dedicated, the service will begin with words of spiritual reflection from the Chief Rabbi and the perimeter of the new area will be encircled with the chanting of Psalm 91 and other psalms. It is a vain hope to say that we wish the cemetery will not be used. Such is the way of the world. People die and need to be buried. We hope and pray that those who die will have lived out in full the measure of their years, and that the community will be able to attend to their needs in death with the highest standards of dignity and respect. In memory of Reuven ben Yehuda Leivish 5
Review of Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum s Challenge and Continuity: A Study of Rabbinic Responses to Modernity, Science and Tragedy by Rebbetzen Ilana Epstein, Cockfosters & N Southgate United Synagogue; Head of Project Development, US Living & Learning Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum has been a familiar and inspiring writer on the pages of the Daf Hashavua. I was therefore delighted to be asked to review his first book: Challenge and Continuity: A Study of Rabbinic Responses to Modernity, Science and Tragedy, published by Vallentine Mitchell. In this volume, Rabbi Birnbaum divides Rabbinic responsa into these three categories, with each category providing insights into a much broader subject. For the past two years, Rabbi Birnbaum has guided us through the weekly Torah portions, seamlessly interweaving ancient concepts with modernity. He uses the same sensibility while teaching the uninitiated about the massive field that is Rabbinic responsa, which is the topic of his forthcoming PhD dissertation. A central component of Rabbi Birnbaum s approach can be found in his introduction: one of the central roles of a Rabbi has been the ability to analyse critical issues of the day and provide an appropriate response, drawing on the depth and breadth of Jewish tradition in order to do so. His treatment of the differing approaches of the Chatam Sofer (1762 1839) and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895 1986), given their times and differing environments, is particularly instructive. With the same care and consideration, Rabbi Birnbaum himself tackles difficult subjects, from the Rabbinic responses to modern challenges to the difficulties inherent in reconciling seemingly incompatible truths in science and Torah. Lastly, he looks at questions which emanated from the Jews living in the ghettos of Warsaw, Kovno and Vilna during the Second World War, where the Rabbis did not shy away from the intrinsic difficulties they encountered, as evidenced by their deeply moving responses. Amongst the pages of this book, we see a depiction of the world of great Rabbinic voices stretching from the Talmudic era, in the towering yeshivot of Sura and Pumpedita in Babylon, all the way to the modern era, together with everyone in between. These are personalities that speak to Rabbi Birnbaum. In his clear and concise way he has made them, and the way they think and deal with halachic questions, accessible to us. Of particular interest to me is the way Rabbi Birnbaum describes how halachic decision making is reached: Far from being a monolithic process, consisting of a direct application of principles set out in the legalistic section of the Talmud and the later Codes of Jewish Law, in reality [halachic decision-making] involves a deeply insightful understanding of both the historical and traditional application of Halacha, as well as the ramifications that a particular ruling may have. We at Daf Hashavua congratulate Rabbi Birnbaum on his book and recommend it to anyone who wishes to gain a greater understanding of how halachic decisions are reached. Next January Rabbi Birnbaum will be spending a sabbatical in the prestigious position of Daniel Jeremy Silver Fellow at Harvard University for a term. We wish him every success. Copies available from www.vmbooks.com, Amazon and all good bookshops. Answer: Twelve In memory of Chaim ben Moshe Bentzion 6
Intr oducin ng the FROM EXILE TOWA ARDS REDEMPTION MACHZOR YOM HASHOAH - YOM HAZIKARON YOM HAATZMA UT - YOM YERUSHALAYIM From Exile Towards Redemption is the gro und-breaking Weinstei n F amily edition Koren Machzor, produced with the United Synagogue. It commemorates those unique modern da ys which relate both to the Shoah and to the State of Israel. Also available from all local Jewish bookshops and via www.theus.org.uk