Blessings and Beyond: Bechukotai 5784

This week’s parsha, which concludes the book of Vayikra, portrays some vital aspects of Jewish national and personal life. On one hand it describes in rapturous terms the blessings of happiness, security and serenity that can benefit the Jewish people and the individual Jew. On the other hand, it vividly and graphically describes the prospect of exile, tragedy, and death. 

Jewish history bears out the reality of each of these visions. We have lived through both and seem to have experienced much longer periods of darkness than of light, of more tragedy than joy or serenity. The Torah attributes observance of the commandments as the prime cause of security in Jewish life, their non-observance as the cause of tragedy. However, history and the great commentators to Torah qualify this simplistic impression. 

God’s wisdom and judgments are inscrutable, beyond even elementary comprehension by us mortals. This is why we are left to speculate about the tragedies that descended upon the Jewish people and that continue to plague us today. Though there are those amongst us who are prepared to give and accept glib answers to questions about the causes of tragedy, the wise men of Israel warned us against taking such an approach. 

Observance of commandments is enormously difficult to fulfill completely and accurately. This is why it is so hard to measure the "why" part of this week's parsha. We should still however take note of the "how it happened" part. This shows us that its depiction of contrasting periods of serenity and tragedy has been painstakingly accurate and contains not one word of hyperbole. The destruction of the Temples, the Crusades and pogroms, the Inquisition and the Holocaust are all graphically described in this week's parsha. Such is the Torah;s prophetic power. 

In personal life, the longer we live, the more likely it is that misfortune will somehow visit us. The Torah makes provision for this eventuality in its laws of mourning. We all hope for good quality of life and for secure serenity. Yet, almost inexorably, problems, disappointments and even tragedy intrude on our condition. 

In Vayikra, the death of the sons of Aharon remains the prime example of tragedy suddenly destroying a sense of pride, satisfaction and apparent accomplishment. In this week's parsha too, the description of the punishment of Israel for its backsliding is placed in the context of a background of blessings and security. The past century presented the Jewish people with horrors of unimaginable intensity and of millennial accomplishments. The situation of extreme flux in our national life has continued throughout the years of the existence of the State of Israel. 

The unexpected, sudden, but apparently regular changes of circumstance in Jewish national life mirror the same situation that which we recognize in our personal lives. We are constantly blindsided by untoward and tragic events.  So, the jarring contrast that the two main subjects of the parsha present to us are really a candid description of life, its omnipresent contradictions, and its difficulties. Though we pray regularly for health and serenity, we must always be cognizant of how precarious our situation truly is. Thus, as we rise to hear the conclusion of the book of Vayikra, we recite the mantra of "chazak, chazak, v'nitzchazek"—let us be doubly strong and strengthen others! So may it be. 

Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein

Celebrate Yom Yerushalayim with us!

A delicious catered hot dairy meal awaits those who plan to attend our Yom Yerushalayim Luncheon at Hanassi on June 5th. Rabbi Wein will be addressing us and entertainment will be provided by the popular Rinat Jerusalem Men’s Choir. 

A special feature this year will be members sharing recollections of their own experiences on Yom Yerushalayim. Cost is 150₪ per person for members; 175₪ for non-members, by reservation only. Call Esther Schiller at 02 561-1078 to make your reservation or click here. For payment, please call Gladys Wolff at 02 567 1527. 

ארוחה חלבית חמה וטעימה ממתינה לאלו שמתכננים להשתתף בארוחת הצהריים של יום ירושלים בנשיא ב-5 ביוני. הרב ויין יפנה אלינו ובידור יספק מקהלת הגברים הפופולרית רינת ירושלים

מאפיין מיוחד השנה יהיה החברים שיחלוקו זכרונות מחוויותיהם ביום ירושלים. עלות 150₪ לאדם לחברים; 175₪ למי שאינו חברים, בהזמנה בלבד. התקשר לאסתר שילר בטלפון 02 561-1078 לביצוע ההזמנה או לחץ כאן. לתשלום נא להתקשר לגלדיס וולף בטלפון 02 567 1527

Ascending the mountain: Behar 5784

This parsha begins with the word that defines its name: Behar (“On the mountain”). This mountain naturally is Sinai and the Torah’s emphasis is on reinforcing Judaism’s core belief that our Torah is God-given, not the result of centuries of work by a committee. This basic belief lies at the heart of many of the contentious disputes that have marked Jewish life over the ages.

 The earliest splinter groups, such as the Sadducees and the Karaites, did not openly deny the validity of the Written Torah and its divine origin. They did however strenuously deny the holiness of the Oral Law and its origin at Sinai, denigrating its rabbinic interpretations and decrees. This led to serious splits within the Jewish people and to bitter recriminations that lasted centuries. In all these instances, the divinity of Torah and of its Oral Law always eventually won out. Deviant movements eventually fell away from the main body of the Jewish people, both individually and as a body with the power to influence Jewish life and mores.

 Sinai, the mountain to which this parsha alludes, was given to Israel. It is a difficult mountain to ascend. The Psalmist asks: “Who can ascend the mountain of God?” But, as difficult as it is to ascend the mountain, it is even more difficult to remain there. The Psalmist again intones: “Who can maintain oneself in the holiness of God’s place?” The struggle to keep the Jewish people on the mountain of God in terms of their belief and faith has been the hallmark of Jewish life over millennia. It has not abated in our time.  

 Jewish secularism comes in two sharply contrasting forms. One is simply based on the premise that the lifestyle and value system demanded by our ancient faith is out of step with modern society and its demands. Shabbat, kashrut and other fundamentals of Jewish life are all too restrictive to perform any useful function in today’s world. The Jewish people can no longer afford to be so different from the rest of the human race. The mountain may have had its purpose at one time, but that time has now passed. New ideologies and circumstances have rendered it obsolete. So, for them the mountain no longer exists.

 The second species of secularism denies the existence of the mountain altogether. There never was a mountain, it is nothing but an urban legend, fostered by the rabbis over the ages. In effect, our grandfathers were all liars or naïvely believed in fairytales for which there is no scientific evidence. Aside from these two groupings, there are others who wish to be identified as buying into the Jewish scene. They do not see themselves as being secular but nonetheless, in varying degrees, follow the path of the Sadducees and the Karaites since at heart they too deny that the mountain has anything to do with God and divine origins.

 History shows that, in the long run, such philosophies and movements give way to the pressures of time and circumstance. Eventually they lose their influence and power. At the end of the day, only the mountain remains as it always has, challenging us to ascend it and to remain at its peak.   

 Shabbat shalom.  

Rabbi Berel Wein  

 

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אנו תומכים בסולמות ובכל פועלה הנפלא בתמיכה בקהילות הזקוקות לעזרה

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DNA and Jewish tradition: Emor 5784

This week’s parsha opens with the special laws and status that affect kohanim—the descendants of Aharon. It is common knowledge that a study based on the DNA samples of many contemporary kohanim reveals that a considerable number of tho

se who participated in the study shared a common genetic strain. This strain is found even amongst kohanim who live in different areas of the world, separated by thousands of miles and indeed centuries of separate ethnicities. 

The jury is still out as to whether these DNA findings have any halachic validity and as to what exactly these findings prove. Over the centuries of Jewish life, the kohanim have fiercely protected their lineal descent from Aharon and zealously guarded the legitimacy of their status as kohanim. The Jewish world holds its priests in high regard and accords them certain special privileges and honors to which they are entitled. 

Though kohanim may waive some of those privileges if they so wish, it is best practice for them not to do so. Their status should be preserved in order to remind us of their special role in the Temple services in Jerusalem. But in a deeper sense, their status should be preserved as a record of their special mission “to guard knowledge with their lips and to teach Torah to those who request it.” Since they are a blessing to the people of Israel, they are commanded in turn to bless the people of Israel: blessed are those who are commanded to bless others. So the status of kohen represents all that is noble and positive in Jewish life and tradition: knowledge, Torah, grace, security and peace. 

There exists a body of halachic decisions involving ersatz kohanim. This is because not every person who claims to be a kohen actually is one—and true pedigrees are very difficult to verify today. The halacha adopts a position that entitlement to be regarded as a kohen is a matter of doubt. Great rabbinic decisors, especially in the United States, have often, in cases of dire circumstances, “annulled” the kehuna of an individual. 

In the confusion of immigration into the United States at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries, there were people who disguised themselves as kohanim in order to earn the monies of pidyon haben—redemption by the kohen of most first-born males. These people were charlatans, but there were also many others, simple Jews, who had assumed that they were kohanim but possessed no real proof of the matter. Even tombstones inscriptions that one’s father was a kohen were not to be accepted as definitive proof of the matter. This is why DNA results are most interesting and provocative. 

The halacha has not yet determined with certainty the trustworthiness of DNA results in matters that require halachic decision. It is thus premature to speculate as to whether DNA testing will ever be used as a method of determining one’s true status as a kohen. Meanwhile, the kohanim should retain the tradition that goes with their presumed pedigree to the best of their abilities. 

Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein      

A very special day

 איזה כיף היה לנו בארוחת הבוקר השנתית של יום העצמאות השנה. האולם היה עמוס בחוגגים שמחים כששמענו כמה מילים מעוררות השראה ומעוררות השראה מהרב יואל קניגסברג בנושא הקשר עם יום הזכרון ו"צחוק מבעד לדמעות". לאחר מכן גלעד ברונשטיין הבדר אותנו בשירים עתיקים וחדשים בזמן שהתענגנו על ממרח טעים של בייגלים, סלטים ועוד. תודה לכל מי שהיה מעורב בארגון האירוע המקסים הזה, במיוחד לג'ודי וג'פרי גילברט

What a wonderful time we had at this year's annual Yom HaAtzma'ut breakfast. The hall was packed with happy celebrants as we heard some inspired and inspiring words from Rabbi Joel Kenigsberg on the theme of the connection with Yom HaZicharon and "laughter through the tears". Gilad Brounstein then entertained us with songs old and new while we feasted on a delicious spread of bagels, salads and more. Thank you, everyone who was involved in the organising of this lovely occasion, especially to Judy and Geoffrey Gilbert.

Eight People We Met on the Way Home

You are welcome to join us on Sunday evening, 19 May at 8:30 p.m. when Rabbi Berel Wein launches his new book, Eight People We Met on the Way Home, The Return of the Jewish Nation to the Land of Israel. The book tells a story about a people who -- under the guidance of the Heavens, after millennia of exile and travail -- decided to pick up and go home from all corners of the world.

It is a story that should be read and told by all. Rabbi Wein will speak and the books will be available for purchase at a special price.