Shemini Vol.28 No.26:Layout 1

anhbh vacug s; Volume 28 SHEMINI No. 26 PARASHAT PARAH Daf Hashavua 2 April 2016 • 23 Adar II 5776 Shabbat ends in London at 8.23pm Artscroll p.588 Maftir p.838 Haftarah p.1216•Hertz p. 443 Maftir p.652 Haftarah p.999•Soncino p. 651 Maftir p.898 Haftarah p.1194 This week’s Daf Hashavua is sponsored by Aron and Ross Freedman to commemorate the eighth yahrzeit of their dear Mother, Gloria Freedman, Gittel Baila Bas Avrohom on this Shabbat 23 Adar II Solutions in The Story of the Jews the Sidrah by Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum, Hadley Wood Jewish Community In February 2015, in the wake of his acclaimed survival as a nation. This code could and BBC television series entitled ‘The Story of the did continue to operate independently of Jews’, historian Simon Schama took part in a any classic physical ‘marker’. high profile interview at New York’s '92nd Until this week’s sidrah, the focus of the Street Y’ Jewish Cultural Center. During the Torah following the Revelation at Sinai has course of the interview, he was asked what he primarily been on the construction and considered to be the primary reason for the various services of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). historic survival of the Jewish people. Half way through this sidrah, Schama answered that there was a however, the focus shifts. Beginning group of key 'markers’ in the ancient with the laws of kashrut and world, commonly considered essential continuing with the laws governing to national survival. These included relationships and matters of per- large armies, excessive monuments or sonal holiness in the coming sidrot, regular displays of brute force. All the Torah now provides a manual empires in antiquity, such as Egypt, for bringing the holiness of the Greece or Rome, focused a significant Mishkan into the personal lives and proportion of their energies into homes of the nation. These laws developing these ‘markers’. culminate in the well-known passage However, the Jewish people had at the beginning of Parshat Kedo- something different. The Jews had a shim, with its exhortation to each code of ethics, the Torah, at the core of their and every member of the nation to “Be holy!” – collective existence. In Schama’s words, they in their conduct towards others and their had a “moral code that would always trump interpersonal relationships, as much as in power”. Even the highest officials in Ancient their relationship with G-d (Vayikra 19:1). Israel were subject to the ethical rules of this As Simon Schama observed, the secret to code. Jewish survival lies in the fact that the source The result of this was that when all the physical of its strength was never relegated to a markers of strength were torn away from physical, time-specific building or environment. them, such as the Temple and even the Land Instead, it was the absorption of the Torah’s itself, it was the spiritual, moral and ethical ethical code into the very fabric of the nation code of the Torah which ensured Jewish which ultimately ensured its perpetual survival. Is ‘Selfish’ Kosher? by Rabbi Yaakov Singer Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School In this week’s sidrah, we come across an sight of the bigger picture and interesting double expression “darosh darash”, did not seek permission for meaning ‘enquire he enquired’ (Vayikra 10:16). their actions from their These two words mark the exact halfway point teacher and leader Moshe. in the Five Books of the Torah. This hints to us 2. Later on in the sidrah, all that all the words of the Torah must constantly the non-kosher birds are listed. be studied and investigated. Indeed there are Among the list is the interestingly named many parts of this sidrah that invite a deeper “Chasidah” (Vayikra 11:19). The Talmud understanding, beyond the (Chullin 63a) explains that this plain meaning of the words. bird is the white stork and that Let us look into two of these, it is called a Chasidah because which are perhaps linked to of the kindness (chesed) it one another: displays towards its own 1. Firstly, we come across one species. Rashi (d. 1105) adds of the most tragic episodes in that the Chasidah shares its the Torah with the death of food with its own species. two sons of Aharon. Just as the joy of the inauguration of The Rizhiner Rebbe (d. 1850) the Mishkan (Tabernacle) had asks that if this bird is en- reached its peak, Aharon’s dowed with such a favourable two oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, performed attribute, why was it deemed non-kosher? an unauthorised service by each bringing a pan He answers that the Chasidah only shows of fire with incense upon it before G-d. As they kindness to its own kind, but does not did so, a fire came down from the heavens and display any kindness to other species of birds. consumed them (ibid 10:1-2). This form of kindness is not compatible with the Torah’s outlook; it is essentially a There are many interpretations as to what selfish bird whose sense of self extends to exactly it was that they did wrong, why they its own species but stops there. Unlike this did it and why they deserved such a dramatic bird, we are charged with caring about all death. One explanation is that after seeing the human beings. Consequently, it is listed great display of love that G-d had showered among the non-kosher birds. upon the Israelites during the inauguration of the Tabernacle, they wished to respond by The Chasidah and the sons of Aharon were displaying their love and appreciation to G-d. both seemingly doing good things, looking They did so with this offering of the incense. after others and showing appreciation to G-d. Their error however, lay in the fact that they However, the lesson we draw from here is acted with a degree of selfishness, thinking that good deeds are incomplete if they only of their own feelings. They therefore lost contain within them traces of selfishness. Mourning a Parent by Rabbi Z M Salasnik, Bushey & District United Synagogue One who has lost a close relative may have him, because we had had the conversation pondered the significant difference between the some forty or so years before. For years, my thirty days (shloshim) for most relatives and the father would tell members of his shul that they twelve months for parents. Losing a parent could go to semachot (on condition that they might not be the saddest moment of one’s life pour some wine or be of some other service at if the parent has lived a long life. Losing a the simcha). Yet when he himself was a sibling, a spouse or even a child will usually be mourner, he did not attend semachot. If he was as sad, if not more so. required to lead bensching or sheva brachot, Therefore the difference in the periods of he sent me. I asked him, “If you are being so mourning is not necessarily related to sadness. strict with yourself, what will I be expected to Rather it is based on the unique mitzvah of do when the time comes?” He indicated that he kibud av ve’em, honouring parents. did not expect the same of me. This gives rise to a major difference. Yet I realised that while a parent can forego Halachically, before death the departed cannot such an honour, that does not mean that the ask the mourner to forego any child should necessarily accept that aspect of mourning within the foregoing. Part of honouring shloshim – the first thirty days of parents is emulating parents; mourning. The laws of shiva and doing what they did. Just as shloshim are not negotiable. my father was stringent with However, before departing, there himself during the twelve is a situation that the parent months of mourning a parent, can enable. Once shloshim has in honour of him I will be finished and the other mourners stringent with myself. (for example the deceased’s siblings) have How can we conceptualise such an approach to returned to normality, and the children continue these twelve months? The first five of the Aseret in mourning, the departed can – prior to passing Ha’Diberot (Decalogue) are between humans away – inform children that he/she foregoes and G-d and the next five are inter-personal. this parental honour. Just as parents can allow Why is the command to honour parents, at a child to sit in a parent’s special seat, just as number five, included in the first five? parents can tell the child that there is no need Honouring parents is part of honouring G-d. to stand up for them, so too they can tell the The Talmud (Niddah 31a) tells us that we have child that there is no requirement to mourn three creators – G-d, our father and our after the thirty days have finished. mother. Most of us start with three Creators – There was a moment – a split second – at about one invisible and two obviously present with 3.30 pm on 9 October 2015 when I thought of us. Over the years, the numbers change – asking my father if he wanted me to attend two invisible, one with us. Eventually all three semachot (joyous occasions) after the first are invisible. Just as the permanently invisible thirty days. Yet I knew I could not ask him, One is always with us, so the other two because to do so would have indicated that we creators are always with us, even when we were quite likely within hours of his passing.

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