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SAPIR A JOURNAL OF JEWISH CONVERSATIONS THE ISSUE ON POWER ELISA SPUNGEN BILDNER & ROBERT BILDNER RUTH CALDERON · MONA CHAREN MARK DUBOWITZ · DORE GOLD FELICIA HERMAN · BENNY MORRIS MICHAEL OREN · ANSHEL PFEFFER THANE ROSENBAUM · JONATHAN D. SARNA MEIR SOLOVEICHIK · BRET STEPHENS JEFF SWARTZ · RUTH R. WISSE Volume Two Summer 2021 And they saw the God of Israel: Under His feet there was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity. — Exodus 24: 10 SAPIR Bret Stephens EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mark Charendoff PUBLISHER Ariella Saperstein ASSO CIATE PUBLISHER Felicia Herman MANAGING EDITOR Katherine Messenger DESIGNER & ILLUSTRATOR Sapir, a Journal of Jewish Conversations. ISSN 2767-1712. 2021, Volume 2. Published by Maimonides Fund. Copyright ©2021 by Maimonides Fund. No part of this journal may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Maimonides Fund. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. WWW.SAPIRJOURNAL.ORG WWW.MAIMONIDESFUND.ORG CONTENTS 6 Publisher’s Note | Mark Charendoff 90 MICHAEL OREN Trial and Triage in Washington 8 BRET STEPHENS The Necessity of Jewish Power 98 MONA CHAREN Between Hostile and Crazy: Jews and the Two Parties Power in Jewish Text & History 106 MARK DUBOWITZ How to Use Antisemitism Against Antisemites 20 RUTH R. WISSE The Allure of Powerlessness Power in Culture & Philanthropy 34 RUTH CALDERON King David and the Messiness of Power 116 JEFF SWARTZ Philanthropy Is Not Enough 46 RABBI MEIR Y. SOLOVEICHIK The Power of the Mob in an Unforgiving Age 124 ELISA SPUNGEN BILDNER & ROBERT BILDNER Power and Ethics in Jewish Philanthropy 56 ANSHEL PFEFFER The Use and Abuse of Jewish Power 134 JONATHAN D. -
Chapter Fourteen Rabbinic and Other Judaisms, from 70 to Ca
Chapter Fourteen Rabbinic and Other Judaisms, from 70 to ca. 250 The war of 66-70 was as much a turning point for Judaism as it was for Christianity. In the aftermath of the war and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple Judaeans went in several religious directions. In the long run, the most significant by far was the movement toward rabbinic Judaism, on which the source-material is vast but narrow and of dubious reliability. Other than the Mishnah, Tosefta and three midrashim, almost all rabbinic sources were written no earlier than the fifth century (and many of them much later), long after the events discussed in this chapter. Our information on non-rabbinic Judaism in the centuries immediately following the destruction of the temple is scanty: here we must depend especially on archaeology, because textual traditions are almost totally lacking. This is especially regrettable when we recognize that two non-rabbinic traditions of Judaism were very widespread at the time. Through at least the fourth century the Hellenistic Diaspora and the non-rabbinic Aramaic Diaspora each seem to have included several million Judaeans. Also of interest, although they were a tiny community, are Jewish Gnostics of the late first and second centuries. The end of the Jerusalem temple meant also the end of the Sadducees, for whom the worship of Adonai had been limited to sacrifices at the temple. The great crowds of pilgrims who traditionally came to the city for the feasts of Passover, Weeks and Tabernacles were no longer to be seen, and the temple tax from the Diaspora that had previously poured into Jerusalem was now diverted to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome. -
Shavuot Daf Hashavua
בס״ד ׁשָ בֻ עוֹת SHAVUOT In loving memory of Harav Yitzchak Yoel ben Shlomo Halevi Volume 32 | #35 Welcome to a special, expanded Daf Hashavua 30 May 2020 for Shavuot at home this year, to help bring its 7 Sivan 5780 messages and study into your home. Chag Sameach from the Daf team Shabbat ends: London 10.09pm Sheffield 10.40pm “And on the day of the first fruits…” Edinburgh 11.05pm Birmingham 10.22pm (Bemidbar 28:26) Jerusalem 8.21pm Shavuot starts on Thursday evening 28 May and ends after Shabbat on 30 May. An Eruv Tavshilin should be made before Shavuot starts. INSIDE: Shavuot message Please look regularly at the social media and websites by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis of the US, Tribe and your community for ongoing updates relating to Coronavirus as well as educational programming Megillat Rut and community support. You do not need to sign by Pnina Savery into Facebook to access the US Facebook page. The US Coronavirus Helpline is on 020 8343 5696. Mount Sinai to Jerusalem to… May God bless us and the whole world. the future Daf Hashavua by Harry and Leora Salter ׁשָ בֻ עוֹת Shavuot Shavuot message by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis It was the most New York, commented that from stunning, awe- here we learn that the Divine inspiring event revelation was intended to send a that the world has message of truth to everyone on ever known. Some earth - because the Torah is both three and a half a blueprint for how we as Jews millennia ago, we should live our lives and also the gathered as a fledgling nation at the foundational document of morality foot of Mount Sinai and experienced for the whole world. -
Beit Shammai & Beit Hillel
Beit Shammai & Beit Hillel: Two Fundamentally Different Approaches to Chanukah Rabbi Joshua Flug Director of Torah Research, Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future One of the more famous disputes between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel is regarding the practice of the extremely scrupulous (mehadrin min hamehadrin) on Chanukah. מצות חנוכה נר איש וביתו Our Rabbis taught: The precept of Chanukah [demands] one light for a והמהדרין נר לכל אחד ואחד man and his household; the scrupulous [kindle] a light for each member [of והמהדרין מן המהדרין בית שמאי :the household]; and the extremely scrupulous, — Beit Shammai maintain אומרים יום ראשון מדליק שמנה On the first day eight lights are lit and thereafter they are gradually מכאן ואילך פוחת והולך ובית הלל reduced; but Beit Hillel say: On the first day one is lit and thereafter they אומרים יום ראשון מדליק אחת are progressively increased. Ulla said: In the West [Palestine] two מכאן ואילך מוסיף והולך אמר amoraim, R. Yosi b. Avin and R. Yosi b. Zevida, differ therein: one עולא פליגי בה תרי אמוראי במערבא ר' יוסי בר אבין ור' יוסי maintains, the reason of Beit Shammai is that it shall correspond to the בר זבידא חד אמר טעמא דב"ש days still to come, and that of Beit Hillel is that it shall correspond to the כנגד ימים הנכנסין וטעמא דב"ה days that are gone; but another maintains: Beit Shammai's reason is that it כנגד ימים היוצאין וחד אמר טעמא shall correspond to the bulls of the Festival and Beit Hillel's reason is that דב"ש כנגד פרי החג וטעמא דבית .we promote in [matters of] sanctity but do not reduce הלל דמעלין בקדש ואין מורידין. -
Environment Dr Jeremy Benstein
4329-ZIG-Walking with Justice:Cover 5/22/08 3:27 PM Page 1 The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies esmc lkv,vk Walking with Justice Edited By Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson and Deborah Silver ogb hfrs vhfrs 4329-ZIG-Walking with Justice:4329-ZIG-Walking with Justice 5/23/08 9:56 AM Page 62 ENVIRONMENT DR JEREMY BENSTEIN INTRODUCTION What does Judaism say about nature and contemporary environmental challenges? I often begin lectures by disabusing audiences of the belief that what we’re going to talk about is “what Judaism says about…”, for two reasons. First, there is no such thing as “Judaism,” some reified entity that speaks in its own name. Moreover, given the bewildering array of books, people, schools of thought, historical periods, ideological orientations, etc. encompassed by Jewish tradition - there are very few issues about which one thing is said. Judaism is less a set of rigid answers to fixed questions, than an ongoing dialogue in which the questions arise, along with various answers from different times and places, and even more generally, a language in which to engage in the dialogue and formulate the questions in the first place. And nowhere is this truer than in the case of Jewish attitudes and values regarding the environment, and the challenges and claims put forth by the movement known as environmentalism. What do we mean by “environment”, or “environmentalism”? First, the use of the term, “environment” is intentional and meant to be distinct from “nature”. Focusing on nature circumscribes the discussion to issues of wilderness, species, trees, and animals. -
Scholarly Lineage of Prominent Tannaim
Source Sheet Class 3-2000 Years of Jewish History-Rabbi Menachem Levine Source 1 Scholarly lineage of prominent tannaim Rabbis of the Mishnah : Chronology & Hierarchy Teacher→Student Father→Son Hillel Shammai Gamaliel the Johanan b. Zakai Elder R. Jose the Eliezer b. Joshua b. Eleazar b. Eleazar b. Gamaliel Galilean Hyrcanus Hananiah Arach Azariah Elisha b. Ishmael Akiva Tarfon Abuyah b. Elisha Shimon b. Nathan Meir Judah b. Ilai Jose b. Halafta Yohai Judah Hiyya Oshiah haNasi Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannaim Source 2 The Oral Torah was originally meant to be transmitted by word of mouth. It was transmitted from master to student in such a manner that if the student had any question, he would be able to ask, and thus avoid ambiguity. A written text, on the other hand, no matter how perfect, is always subject to misinterpretation…. If the entire Torah would have been given in writing, everyone would be able to interpret it as he desired. This would lead to division and discord among people who followed the Torah in different ways. The Oral Torah, on the other hand, would require a central authority to preserve it, thus assuring the unity of Israel. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Handbook of Jewish Thought, Moznaim 1979, p.179 Source 3 12 Our Holy Teacher wrote the Mishnah. From the time of Moshe to Our Holy Teacher, no one had written a work from which the Oral Law was publicly taught. Rather, in each generation, the head of the then existing court or the prophet of the time wrote down for his private use notes on the traditions he had heard from his teachers, and he taught in public from memory. -
Female Homoerotic Sexual Activity – Sources
Feminist Sexual Ethics Project Gail Labovitz Senior Research Analyst, Feminist Sexual Ethics Project Female Homoerotic Sexual Activity – Sources: The sources addressing female homoerotic sexual activity in rabbinic literature (link to glossary) are very few, and far less clear than those regarding sexual activity between men. There is a great deal of ambiguity in these texts as to what activities are forbidden, the consequences for women who engage in them, and the nature (that is, the source and/or the authority) of whatever prohibition does exist. Reading these sources suggests several potential reasons why rabbinic thinking on female homoerotic sexual activity is less developed than regarding male homoeroticism; these possibilities will be discussed in the course of the analysis of the texts below. Tannaitic Midrash There is no direct prohibition on female homoerotic sexual activity in the Hebrew bible, indeed, no explicit discussion of such activity at all. Biblical laws of forbidden sexual couplings (notably Leviticus 18 and 20) are generally addressed to male listeners/readers. With the exception of the prohibition against bestiality (Leviticus 18:23 and 20:15-16), in which the prohibition against women committing this act follows on the prohibition to men,1 sexual acts which do not involve male participants are not discussed. Nor do the Mishnah (link to glossary) or the Tosefta (link to glossary) discuss sexual acts between women in any way. Only one midrashic (link to glossary) text from this period addresses any form of homoeroticism between women. As midrash, that is, as a form of exegesis of scriptural text, to Leviticus 18:3, this passage thus invokes the authority of scripture for its discourse on female homoeroticism; it links marriage between two women to the practices of the Canaanites and Egyptians, which this verse and numerous others explicitly forbid, as well as to a number of other sexual/marital connections explicitly or implicitly forbidden in scripture [cite the verse?]. -
Judah Ha-Nasi Judaism
JUDAH HA-NASI JUDAH HA-NASI al. Since the publication of his Mishnah at the end of the second or beginning of the third century, the primary pur- Head of Palestinian Jewry and codifier of the MISH- suit of Jewish sages has been commenting on its contents. NAH; b. probably in Galilee, c. 135; d. Galilee, c. 220. Judah was the son of Simeon II ben Gamaliel II, who was See Also: TALMUD. the grandson of GAMALIEL (mentioned in Acts 5.34; Bibliography: W. BACHER, The Jewish Encyclopedia. ed. J. 22.3), who was in turn the grandson of Hillel. As the pa- SINGER (New York 1901–06) 7:333–33. D. J. BORNSTEIN, Encyclo- triarch or head of Palestinian Jewry, Judah received as a paedia Judaica: Das Judentum in Geschichte und Gegenwart. permanent epithet the title ha-Nasi (the Prince), original- (Berlin 1928–34) 8:1023–35. L. LAZARUS, Universal Jewish Ency- clopedia (New York 1939–44) 6: 229–230. K. SCHUBERT, Lexikon ly given to the president of the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusa- für Theologie und Kirche, ed. J. HOFER and K. RAHNER (Freiberg lem. In the Mishnah he is referred to simply as Rabbi (the 1957–65) 5:889. A. GUTTMANN, ‘‘The Patriarch Judah I: His Birth teacher par excellence), and in the GEMARAH he is often and Death,’’ Hebrew Union College Annual 25 (1954) 239–261. called Rabbenu (our teacher) or Rabbenu ha-kadosh (our [M. J. STIASSNY] saintly teacher). He was instructed in the HALAKAH of the Oral Law by the most famous rabbis of his time, but he summed up his experience as a student, and later as a teacher, in the words: ‘‘Much of the Law have I learned JUDAISM from my teachers, more from my colleagues, but most of The term Judaism admits of various meanings. -
Siach Hasadeh – Field Talk Collected Essays for Tu B’Shvat 2015
SiaCH haSadeh – Field TalK Collected Essays for Tu B’Shvat 2015 MIDRESHET LINDENBAUM SIACH HASADEh – FIELD TALK שיח השדה Chana and Yaacov Tilles Women’s Campus Besen Family Center for Advanced Women’s Studies 51 Leib Yaffe Street, Jerusalem 9339082 Tel: +972-2-671-0043 | Fax: +972-2-671-0144 [email protected] | www.Midreshet-Lindenbaum.org.il America Latina Programa Midreshet Darkaynu Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute for Halachic Leadership The Maria and Joel Finkle Overseas Program Tochnit Hadas Tochnit Bruriah Tochnit Tushia Design: JK Jen Klor Photos of the Seven Species by Sara Eichler, class of 1989-90, who currently lives in Jerusalem. שיח השדה SIACH HASADEh – FIELD TALK AND THE ALMOND-TREE SHALL BLOssOM HaRav Ohad Teharlev, Director, Israeli Programs Tu b’Shvat, the New Year particularly] almonds? of Trees, is identified That is the fruit that with the blossoming blossoms quicker than of the almond tree in other fruits. Likewise, the winter, around the he who opposes time of Tu b’Shvat. The the kehunah, his familiar words that we punishment comes hear in kindergartens quickly.” and school assemblies, From here we remind us of that: understand that rashi derives that the almond – השקדיה פורחת “The almond tree is tree symbolizes the blossoming … Tu b’Shvat speedy blossoming has arrived, a holiday for before the coming the trees.” of Spring and the blossoming of other Why? What is the meaning fruits. In contrast, the of the early flowering of chizkuni explains that the almond tree? Is there the almond (shaked) a link between this and Tu symbolizes diligence b’Shvat? To answer these (shakdanut): questions, we will try to trace the emergence It gave forth and significance of the blossoms, sprouted almond tree in Biblical buds – a sign that and rabbinic literature. -
Sermon Notes
SERMON NOTES Second Sunday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Synaxis Gospel Mark 10:1-12 JESUS’ TEACHING ON DIVORCE INTRODUCTION When it comes to the question of divorce, there are two very different schools of thought. One approach reflects our treasured ancient background; the other mirrors the new freedoms of the American way of life. In the old days, divorce was considered something foreign to our Armenian traditions. On the rare occasions that an Armenian couple divorced, it was looked upon as a shameful thing. Armenians did not divorce! Today, we in America live in a different cultural world, a world that accepts divorce. More and more we are seeing Armenian couples deciding to end their unhappy marriages by divorce. A similar situation existed in the days of Jesus. The people were divided on the issue of divorce. Those who were more conservative followed the teaching of a famous religious teacher, Rabbi Shammai. Those who were more pragmatic, or found the sophisticated new ideas of the Greek and Roman world appealing, followed the teaching of an equally famous rabbi, Hillel. Today, the name Hillel is still held in high esteem by Jewish university students, while Shammai’s is known mostly to those who are scholars in the history of the Jewish people. Hillel’s popularity stems from the fact that most Jews felt (and still feel) that the divine law was too idealistic for the imperfect world in which mankind lives. Hillel’s rulings represented a very relaxed interpretation of the law and were far less strict than those of Shammai. -
Hillel and Shammai: the Jewish 'Culture of Debate' and the Return to Civil Discourse Sermon YK Day 5780 Any Visitor to Jeru
Hillel and Shammai: The Jewish ‘Culture of Debate’ and the Return to Civil Discourse Sermon YK Day 5780 Any visitor to Jerusalem is sure to visit the Western Wall, the world-renowned Israel Museum with its expanding art collection, and the shuk in Machane Yehuda – on a Friday if possible… If you want to go off the beaten path to explore Israel through what I think is a particularly insightful lens: In Search of the Good Life, down through the ages and today, then you can join our MJCS trip to Israel this coming June. There’s a flyer with details outside. But certainly no trip to Jerusalem is complete - whether in Search of the Good Life, or even just in search of a great schwarma - without a visit to the famous pedestrian mall on Ben Yehudah St. For my teens growing up in Jerusalem, this is the place to Be – it’s like the 3rd St. Promenade of the entire Middle East. Nearby, on Hillel St., both tourists and locals frequently visit the original café Aroma, known for really great coffee served with a square of chocolate and superBly satisfying sandwiches…(sorry to mention that today for those who are fasting!) Or you might prefer to graB a Burger at the world’s first kosher McDonald’s one block over on Shammai St. These two streets, Hillel and Shammai, you may already know, are named after the two revered sages who lived towards the end of the 2nd Temple era 2,000 years ago. Hillel and Shammai are known for disagreeing aBout everything…from how many candles to light on the first night of Chanuka (1 candle then counting up each night, or 8 candles and counting down each night) to whether or not you can tell a white lie to preserve someone’s dignity. -
Talmud Tales – Session 3 - Hillel
Rabbi Joel Nickerson – [email protected] Talmud Tales – Session 3 - Hillel Rabbi Hillel has a prominent place in the Passover seder with the institution of the so- called “Hillel sandwich,” known in Hebrew as korech. The last ritual prior to the eating of the festive meal, korech involves the joining together of matzah, bitter herbs and the sweet paste known as haroset into a kind of sandwich, which is done in commemoration of Hillel’s practice of eating those three together. BT Yoma 35b They said about Hillel the Elder that each and every day he would work and earn a half- dinar, half of which he would give to the guard of the study hall and half of which he spent for his sustenance and the sustenance of the members of his family. One time he did not find employment to earn a wage, and the guard of the study hall did not allow him to enter. He ascended to the roof, suspended himself, and sat at the edge of the skylight in order to hear the words of the Torah of the living God from the mouths of Shemaya and Avtalyon, the spiritual leaders of that generation. The Sages continued and said: That day was Shabbat eve and it was the winter season of Tevet, and snow fell upon him from the sky. 1 Rabbi Joel Nickerson – [email protected] When it was dawn, Shemaya said to Avtalyon: Avtalyon, my brother, every day at this hour the study hall is already bright from the sunlight streaming through the skylight, and today it is dark; is it perhaps a cloudy day? They focused their eyes and saw the image of a man in the skylight.