Mishnah 1: Peah Is Given Connected to the Ground1. from a Climbing Vine2 and a Date Palm, the Owner Brings It Down and Divides It up Among the Poor

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Mishnah 1: Peah Is Given Connected to the Ground1. from a Climbing Vine2 and a Date Palm, the Owner Brings It Down and Divides It up Among the Poor 'ran pis πιγβπ n?3n ^Pl?1» .yp->p!? "φη>?:ι nwan χ rov» (foi. i8a) >5?>>ng ψ. inw ιίνρψ >3-1 pftttpi tnio 1 .riD^n? ΊΟΚΨ vvoiw ΓΚ?> m ? -»BIN inisi p>nl? inpiN o>oj( nyyjJT) ρ ·?0> "»oiN inis") wpw ηνψτη οψψτι ib>3N ρ bp^i "ΊζίΝψ wpw Mishnah 1: Peah is given connected to the ground1. From a climbing vine2 and a date palm, the owner brings it down and divides it up among the poor. Rebbi Simeon says, also for smooth3 nut trees. Even if 99 poor people say to distribute and one says to grab4, one listens to him whose request is in keeping with practice. But for a climbing vine and a date palm it is not so; even if 99 say to grab and one says to distribute, one listens to him whose request is in keeping with practice. 1 Unharvested. "distributed". The majority seems to 2 Climbing on a high pole or tree follow the reading "smooth", which so that the grapes cannot be reached according to Tiferet Israel means trees from the ground. without branches to hold on to, which 3 This is the reading of the cannot safely be harvested without a Leyden manuscript and the Yerushalmi ladder. print. Some Mishnah manuscripts have 4 Harvest from standing crop. , meaning the same, and some 'grtn HALAKHAH 1 159 Vj2")i?> "φη»? njip? 77^ πν? n!??jp h^ μ nairi ήο^ηψ invp n© ->>^57 -ytyö im1??) n>>73 13 "pOßri iJj^JT) ^t? Halakhah 1: (Lev. 23:22) "Do not finish off the corner of your field during your harvest." This shows that peak is given standing on the ground. One might think this also includes climbing vine and date palms, but the verse says "harvest." Harvest is special in that a small person can do it as well as a tall person; this excludes climbing vine and date palm where a small person cannot do it as well as a tall person5. S This tannai'tic statement is not found in any of the parallel collections. •vpy? inbn nwi^ ιο>ί?> nan aniiri »qn yio ni>ypw? 'V?? Jpn JVIO n© .oriiN -ιοί!? Tin>ri ρ ^711 n>>7? .nmppa onpjp >iif Γ1370 ,oy>o iwi^n η^ηψ ">ηκ .Vw πι* N>5»in>i Y?N tin ira*i> .Γ03Ρ ty Jit* W Ν^ΊΟί ty i^N Some6 want to understand it from the verse (Lev. 19:10, 23:22) "abandon7," put before them grain in its straw, fenugreek in bundles, dates in brooms8. I might think that this also includes climbing vine and date palms, but the verse says "them9." What argument do you have to include these and to exclude those? After the verse included, it excluded. I include those that are not dangerous and exclude those that are dangerous10. 6 Sifra Qedosim 2(5-7). Lev. 23:22: "When you are harvesting 7 Lev. 19:10: "Do not glean in your the harvest of your land, do not finish vineyard, neither collect single berries, off the corner of your field during abandon them for the poor and the your harvest, neither collect the stranger; I am the Eternal, your God." gleanings of your harvest, abandon m. PEAH CHAPTER FOUR them for the poor and the stranger; I described by the term "harvest". am the Eternal, your God." The 10 "Connected" here means "still implication is that peah has to be given hanging on the tree." Then the before any further processing. plucking cannot be described as 8 Dates grow in bunches that sit "harvest". Since this derivation by on the trunk; if the bunch is cut at the inclusion and exclusion follows the trunk and the dates are taken, the method of R. Ismael, the preceding remainder may be used as a broom. paragraph must represent the opinion 9 Only those items that are of R. Aqiba. ioip ->}in)? "V9V3 nwa οψ ιοϊρ νίπ -φηρ -io>ji pN γπ o»?i> tyn ηκ^ίη DN>3 oy ίοίρ ->>?>ri ρκ ,γρν'? ΠΝ>3 oy Οψ hOip Ί)5>ΓΙ l^flNl .J1>30 ^ö 71Ν$1η 1\?©!ρ Tttpp DW ΙΟίρ -»©>*! >330 nN^in κητιψ Ji>3n bys mnon nw? Is it not connected11? He calls it by the name peah when it is on the tree12. If you say not from standing produce, he calls it by the name peah when it is taken down. If you say he calls it by the name peah when it is on the tree, the removal is charged to the poor. If you say he calls it by the name peah when it is taken down, the removal is the obligation of the owner. But even if you say that he calls it by the name peah when it is on the tree, they13 charge the owner with taking it down because of the danger. 11 The fruits still are connected to peah himself. The answer is that there the tree. This paragraph discusses is no exception; it may well be that the whether climbing vines and dates are name peah has to be given when the an exception to the rule that peah has fruits are still hanging on the tree, but to be given for the standing crop, or this does not change the fact that the whether it is only a technicality owner must pay for taking them down. requiring the owner to harvest the 12 Since produce is not exempt HALAKHAH 1 IM from tithes and may not be taken by name "peah". the poor until the farmer has 13 The religious authorities of designated it as such, giving it the earlier times. -pyj? «ryj tfi -ρ>φ >3*1 jiiitpNjrb? -PN*? »a-» Όψ2 nn -ΡΝΟ >?-> t&y vxpr Nipy-ty 19 ι1ν>ρψ >·η οψ} n>?}n ^n") τι>>7η njDp γπ njpN η?ν?η ηψρη? ο>ηκ ηφηη νΐ)3ψ It was stated in the name of Rebbi Me'ir14: All trees are dangerous. Does Rebbi Meür not infer from "harvest" while the rabbis likewise infer from "harvest15?" Everybody infers from "harvest", except that Rebbi Mei'r says that all trees are dangerous and the rabbis say only the climbing vine and the date palm are dangerous. Rebbi Hananiah in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish: It has happened that five brothers died climbing five smooth nut trees16. 14 Reading of the Rome and Cirillo 15 The inference drawn in the first manuscripts. The Venice print has paragraph of this Halakhah from Lev. "Rebbi Immi"; that reading is 23:22. impossible since Rebbi Immi was an 16 Accordingly, practice must Amora, not a Tanna, and the statement follow Rebbi Mei'r and Rebbi Simeon is a tannai'tic one. The further against the Mishnah. However, discussion is in the name of R. Mei'r Maimonides follows the Mishnah both even in the Venice text. in his commentary and in his Code. 77ί{> lias ιΌ i^v '?ϊί TINS v^y ioip TIN»3 οψ inj? tO .q-i^pa 162 PEAH CHAPTER FOUR If the owner called it peah11 and nevertheless finished harvesting the entire field, I read for him: "Do not finish off the corner of your field during your harvest.18" If he did not call it peah and finished harvesting the entire field, I read for him: "Do not finish off the corner of your field during your harvest." 17 The last part of the grain on his stranger." Even though he has field; this makes it legally the property transgressed the first part of the of the poor. Then he proceeded to cut injunction, he still is obligated for the it. second part, viz., to leave the cut peah 18 Again, the entire verse is to be to the poor by abandoning it on the understood, including the second part: field. "Leave it for the poor and the S? "pvpw ν* Ρ If they agreed among themselves20, even so one does not listen to him. 19 Reading of R. Simson of Sens that if all of them agree the agreement and R. Solomon Cirillo. The Venice is valid. The Halakha notes that one print has "Jinn", which is certainly does not listen to him, i. e., if the incorrect. farmer is part of the agreement (and 20 The poor demanding that either presumably its originator, but in any the farmer should divide the produce case a person of overriding influence instead of them harvesting it, or over the poor) then the agreement is declaring that they want to climb the void. [This is the explanation of R. tree when he would be obligated to get Simson of Sens. It seems that the peah and give it to them. Since the Maimonides reads ftV |'»aiw l-rj'a unn Mishnah says that if 99 want to differ or a similar text, since in his Code from the rule and one wants to comply (Mattenot Ani'im 2:16,17) he repeats with it (even if he acts out of twice that agreements among the poor selfishness because he would be able to about the manner of distribution are grab more than the others), it follows valid.] HALAKHAH 2 163 twiny; >1"? ι>>ψ>") invito ρί?η> n??o i>V3 1? ^'ÖN nwa rn^n -»BN JW ΊΓΠψ nis rT?>3 >v? niotois :ρ>ψ?·| invito VT>? ρ>ηρ n>3n The owner has to distribute by hand to avoid that he would see a poor person of his acquaintance and throw it before him21.
Recommended publications
  • Should Bakeries Which Are Open on Shabbat Be Supervised? a Response to the Rabinowitz-Weisberg Opinion RABBI HOWARD HANDLER
    Should Bakeries Which are Open on Shabbat Be Supervised? A Response to the Rabinowitz-Weisberg Opinion RABBI HOWARD HANDLER This paper was submitted as a response to the responsum written by Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz and Ms. Dvora Weisberg entitled "Rabbinic Supervision of Jewish Owned Businesses Operating on Shabbat" which was adopted by the CJLS on February 26, 1986. Should rabbis offer rabbinic supervision to bakeries which are open on Shabbat? i1 ~, '(l) l'\ (1) The food itself is indeed kosher after Shabbat, once the time required to prepare it has elapsed. 1 The halakhah is according to Rabbi Yehudah and not according to the Mishnah which is Rabbi Meir's opinion. (2) While a Jew who does not observe all the mitzvot is in some instances deemed trustworthy, this is never the case regarding someone who flagrantly disregards the laws of Shabbat, especially for personal profit. Maimonides specifically excludes such a person's trustworthiness regarding his own actions.2 Moreover in the case of n:nv 77n~ (a violator of Shabbat) Maimonides explicitly rejects his trustworthiness. 3 No support can be brought from Moshe Feinstein who concludes, "even if the proprietor closes his store on Shabbat, [since it is known to all that he does not observe Shabbat], we assume he only wants to impress other observant Jews so they will buy from him."4 Previously in the same responsum R. Feinstein emphasizes that even if the person in The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly provides guidance in matters of halakhah for the Conservative movement.
    [Show full text]
  • Halachic and Hashkafic Issues in Contemporary Society 143 - Having a Secular Name Ou Israel Center - Fall 2019
    5779 - dbhbn ovrct [email protected] 1 sxc HALACHIC AND HASHKAFIC ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY 143 - HAVING A SECULAR NAME OU ISRAEL CENTER - FALL 2019 A] WHAT IS A ‘JEWISH NAME’? •There are different levels as to how ‘Jewish’ a name is. Consider the difference between the following: - A Hebrew name from the Tanach 1 eg Avraham, Yehonatan, Esther etc. - A Tanach name which has been shortened or adapted eg Avi, Yoni, Esti, Sari. - A Tanach name which is not normally used - eg Ogli, Mushi, Mupim, Chupim, Ard, Kislon. What about Adam? - The English translation of a Hebrew name eg Abraham, Jonathan, Deborah. - A non-biblical Hebrew name which is commonly used by observant Jews eg Zvi, Ari, Rina, Shira. - A non-Hebrew name which is only used by observant Jews eg Velvel, Mottel, Mendel, Raizel, Sprintze, Kalonimus Kalman. - A non-Jewish name which has been explicitly accepted by Jews - eg Alexander - A non-Jewish name which is commonly used by Jews and non-Jews eg Andrew, Jason, Susan, Lucy. - A non-Jewish name which has connotations relating to other religions eg Paul, Luke, Mary. - A non-Jewish name which is directly connected to another religion eg Chris, Mohammed, Jesus. B] NAMES, WORDS AND REALITY «u¯kt r e h rJt kf u u·kt r e Hv n ,u ­t r k o ºstvk t tcHu o hºnXv ;ugkF ,t u v s&v ,'H(kF v )nst*vi n ohek,t wv r. Hu 1. (ugcy hpk uk ,utbv una tuv :wuna tuvw aurhpu - e"sr) /u *n J t01v v­H( Jp1b o4st*v yh:c ,hatrc At the very outset of creation, the animals were brought to Adam so that he could name them.
    [Show full text]
  • The Intersection of Gender and Mitzvot Dr
    The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies Walking with Mitzvot Edited By Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson ogb hfrs andvhfrs Rabbi Patricia Fenton In Memory of Harold Held and Louise Held, of blessed memory The Held Foundation Melissa and Michael Bordy Joseph and Lacine Held Robert and Lisa Held Published in partnership with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs and the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. THE INTERSECTION OF GENDER AND MITZVOT DR. RABBI ARYEH COHEN TO START WITH A COUPLE alakhah, or Jewish Law, it has been often noted, is as much a pedagogical system as a legal system. The goal of the Hmitzvot as codified and explicated in the halakhic system is to create a certain type of person. Ideally this is a person who is righteous and God fearing, a person who feels and fulfills their obligation towards God as well as towards their fellows. Embedded into this goal, of necessity, is an idea or conception of what a person is. On the most basic level, the mitzvot “construct” people as masculine and feminine. This means that the halakhic system, or the system of mitzvot as practiced, classically define certain behaviors as masculine and others as feminine. The mitzvot themselves are then grouped into broad categories which are mapped onto male and female. Let’s start with a couple of examples. The (3rd century CE) tractate Kiddushin of the Mishnah begins with the following law: “A woman is acquired in three ways, with money, with a contract and with sex.” The assumption here is that a man “acquires” a woman in marriage and not the reverse.
    [Show full text]
  • Daf Ditty Pesachim 78: Korban Pesach Today (?)
    Daf Ditty Pesachim 78: Korban Pesach today (?) Three girls in Israel were detained by the Israeli Police (2018). The girls are activists of the “Return to the Mount” (Chozrim Lahar) movement. Why were they detained? They had posted Arabic signs in the Muslim Quarter calling upon Muslims to leave the Temple Mount area until Friday night, in order to allow Jews to bring the Korban Pesach. This is the fourth time that activists of the movement will come to the Old City on Erev Pesach with goats that they plan to bring as the Korban Pesach. There is also an organization called the Temple Institute that actively is trying to bring back the Korban Pesach. It is, of course, very controversial and the issues lie at the heart of one of the most fascinating halachic debates in the past two centuries. 1 The previous mishnah was concerned with the offering of the paschal lamb when the people who were to slaughter it and/or eat it were in a state of ritual impurity. Our present mishnah is concerned with a paschal lamb which itself becomes ritually impure. Such a lamb may not be eaten. (However, we learned incidentally in our study of 5:3 that the blood that gushed from the lamb's throat at the moment of slaughter was collected in a bowl by an attendant priest and passed down the line so that it could be sprinkled on the altar). Our mishnah states that if the carcass became ritually defiled, even if the internal organs that were to be burned on the altar were intact and usable the animal was an invalid sacrifice, it could not be served at the Seder and the blood should not be sprinkled.
    [Show full text]
  • The Babylonian Talmud
    The Babylonian Talmud translated by MICHAEL L. RODKINSON Book 10 (Vols. I and II) [1918] The History of the Talmud Volume I. Volume II. Volume I: History of the Talmud Title Page Preface Contents of Volume I. Introduction Chapter I: Origin of the Talmud Chapter II: Development of the Talmud in the First Century Chapter III: Persecution of the Talmud from the destruction of the Temple to the Third Century Chapter IV: Development of the Talmud in the Third Century Chapter V: The Two Talmuds Chapter IV: The Sixth Century: Persian and Byzantine Persecution of the Talmud Chapter VII: The Eight Century: the Persecution of the Talmud by the Karaites Chapter VIII: Islam and Its Influence on the Talmud Chapter IX: The Period of Greatest Diffusion of Talmudic Study Chapter X: The Spanish Writers on the Talmud Chapter XI: Talmudic Scholars of Germany and Northern France Chapter XII: The Doctors of France; Authors of the Tosphoth Chapter XIII: Religious Disputes of All Periods Chapter XIV: The Talmud in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries Chapter XV. Polemics with Muslims and Frankists Chapter XVI: Persecution during the Seventeenth Century Chapter XVII: Attacks on the Talmud in the Nineteenth Century Chapter XVIII. The Affair of Rohling-Bloch Chapter XIX: Exilarchs, Talmud at the Stake and Its Development at the Present Time Appendix A. Appendix B Volume II: Historical and Literary Introduction to the New Edition of the Talmud Contents of Volume II Part I: Chapter I: The Combination of the Gemara, The Sophrim and the Eshcalath Chapter II: The Generations of the Tanaim Chapter III: The Amoraim or Expounders of the Mishna Chapter IV: The Classification of Halakha and Hagada in the Contents of the Gemara.
    [Show full text]
  • Judaic Studies Curriculum
    JUDAIC STUDIES CURRICULUM Hillel Yeshiva High School Judaic Studies Course Descriptions Hillel Yeshiva High School is committed to excellence in both Judaic and General Studies. We believe that our students will leave Hillel Yeshiva as well-rounded, God fearing Jews who will integrate Judaism into every aspect of their lives, from the Bet Midrash to the business world. The following are the goals of our Judaic Studies program: ● Our students will develop a love for Torah, the study of Torah and the observance of the Misvot. ● Our students will gain the knowledge they need to be active members of the Jewish community. They will take the knowledge, skills and character traits that they learn in Yeshiva and bring them into their lives and the lives of those around them. Our students will have the ability to help the community around them grow in the ways of the Torah. ● Our students will not only learn about the morals, ethics and values of the Torah; they will learn to integrate these lessons into their everyday lives. They will be individuals who are known for their Middot and who are able to create a Kiddush Hashem wherever they go. ● Our students will become “self–learning Jews,” who will be active participants in Torah learning. For some of our students this will translate into reading through בחברותא Parasha every week. To others this will mean learning Talmud/פרשה the חומש with a partner). And to some, it will mean being able to learn through the) ”commentaries) or to delve into a “sugiya) מפרשים Humash with all the classic/ (topic) in the Talmud.
    [Show full text]
  • Chanting Psalm 118:1-4 in Hallel Aaron Alexander, Elliot N
    Chanting Psalm 118:1-4 in Hallel Aaron Alexander, Elliot N. Dorff, Reuven Hammer May, 2015 This teshuvah was approved on May 12, 2015 by a vote of twelve in favor, five against, and one abstention (12-5-1). Voting in Favor: Rabbis Aaron Alexander, Pamela Barmash, Elliot Dorff, Susan Grossman, Reuven Hammer, Joshua Heller, Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Gail Labovitz, Amy Levin, Micah Peltz, Elie Spitz, Jay Stein. Voting Against: Rabbis Baruch Frydman-Kohl, David Hoffman, Adam Kligfeld, Paul Plotkin, Avram Reisner. Abstaining: Rabbi Daniel Nevins. Question: In chanting Psalm 118:1-4 in Hallel, should the congregation be instructed to repeat each line after the leader, or should the congregation be taught to repeat the first line after each of the first four? Answer: As we shall demonstrate below, Jewish tradition allows both practices and provides legal reasoning for both, ultimately leaving it to local custom to determine which to use. As indicated by the prayer books published by the Conservative Movement, however, the Conservative practice has been to follow the former custom, according to which the members of the congregation repeat each of the first four lines of Psalm 118 antiphonally after the leader, and our prayer books should continue to do so by printing the psalm as it is in the Psalter without any intervening lines. However, because the other custom exists and is acceptable, it should be mentioned as a possible way of chanting these verses of Hallel in the instructions. A. The Authority of Custom on this Matter What is clear from the earliest Rabbinic sources is that local customs varied as to how to recite Hallel, and each community was authorized to follow its own custom.
    [Show full text]
  • What Sugyot Should an Educated Jew Know?
    What Sugyot Should An Educated Jew Know? Jon A. Levisohn Updated: May, 2009 What are the Talmudic sugyot (topics or discussions) that every educated Jew ought to know, the most famous or significant Talmudic discussions? Beginning in the fall of 2008, about 25 responses to this question were collected: some formal Top Ten lists, many informal nominations, and some recommendations for further reading. Setting aside the recommendations for further reading, 82 sugyot were mentioned, with (only!) 16 of them duplicates, leaving 66 distinct nominated sugyot. This is hardly a Top Ten list; while twelve sugyot received multiple nominations, the methodology does not generate any confidence in a differentiation between these and the others. And the criteria clearly range widely, with the result that the nominees include both aggadic and halakhic sugyot, and sugyot chosen for their theological and ideological significance, their contemporary practical significance, or their centrality in discussions among commentators. Or in some cases, perhaps simply their idiosyncrasy. Presumably because of the way the question was framed, they are all sugyot in the Babylonian Talmud (although one response did point to texts in Sefer ha-Aggadah). Furthermore, the framing of the question tended to generate sugyot in the sense of specific texts, rather than sugyot in the sense of centrally important rabbinic concepts; in cases of the latter, the cited text is sometimes the locus classicus but sometimes just one of many. Consider, for example, mitzvot aseh she-ha-zeman gerama (time-bound positive mitzvoth, no. 38). The resulting list is quite obviously the product of a committee, via a process of addition without subtraction or prioritization.
    [Show full text]
  • Texts and Traditions
    Texts and Traditions A Source Reader for the Study of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism COMPILED, EDITED, AND INTRODUCED BY Lawrence H. Schiffinan KTAV PUBLISHING HOUSE, INC. 1998 518 Texts and Traditions Chapter 10: Mishnah: The New Scripture 519 tory only those observances which are in the written word, but need not ancient customs. For customs are unwritten laws, the decisions approved observe those which are derived from the tradition of our forefathers. by ~en of old, not inscribed on monuments nor on leaves of paper which the moth destroys, but on the souls of those who are partners in 10.2.2 Philo, The Special Laws IV, 143-150: 40 the. same c~tizenship. For children ought to inherit from their parents, Written and Unwritten Law besides their property, ancestral customs which they were reared in and Philo discusses both the immortality of the written law} and the obligation have lived with even from the cradle, and not despise them because they of observing the customs, the unwritten law. Although the Greek world had a h~ve been handed down without written record. Praise cannot be duly concept of unwritten law, Philo's view is clearly informed by Jewish tradition given to one who obeys the written laws, since he acts under the admoni­ and by the Pharisaic concept of tradition. tion of restraint ~nd the fear of punishment. But he who faithfully observes the unwritten deserves commendation, since the virtue which he ~ displays is freely willed. Another most admirable injunction is that nothing should be added or 10.2.3 Mark 7: The Pharisees and Purity taken away,41 but all the laws originally ordained should be kept unaltered just as.
    [Show full text]
  • Text to Read: Slide 1 & 2: Outline Netiquette and Halakhah Relates To
    Text to Read: Slide 1 & 2: Outline Netiquette and Halakhah relates to (1) Chofetz Chaim’s Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara; (2) The Prohibition slander, of motzi shem ra, (3) and causing emotional stress with words, ona’at devarim, (4) Lo telech rachil b'ameicha [TAILBeARING](5) causing halbanat panim [embarassment] which is like murder, k’sh’fikhat damim; and striving for, (a) purity of speech, Loshon naki, (b) Derekh erez kadma la’torah, (c) sanctifying Hashem’s name, kiddush Hashem, (d) respecting all of G-d’s creatures, k’vod habriyot [respecting all BiTzelem Elokim]. Slide 3: Thesis The thesis of this paper is that the time age old antidote and corrective to the problems of incivility and cyber bullying on the internet can be remedied by recognizing how to curtail speaking loshon ha-ra and motzi shem rah as laid out in the Chofetz Chaim’s Hilchot Esurei Rechilut; and seeking musar guidance in torah principles that guide derekh eretz and mentschlikeit. The Internet should be used in manners consistent with our torah lives, values, and principles. Slide 4 Never before has it been more critical to understand Kiddushin 30b “I have created a yetzer ha-ra and I have created Torah as its anti-dote . Our mesorah offers guidance and definitions about proper perspectives that guide how we approach and use technologies and how to set limits. Our masorah teaches that Hashem spoke to Moshe panim el panim. Chavruta learning is part of the yeshiva experience to convey a living masora and although this “may” sometime occur online there is no substitute for “oseh likhah rav.
    [Show full text]
  • Rosh Hashanah Morning (Tikkun Olam)
    Rabbi Joshua Samuels Congregation Beth Israel Rosh Hashanah Morning September 19, 2020 Will the Real Tikkun Olam Please Stand Up? The keynote speaker at the 2011 Union for Reform Judaism Biennial in Washington DC was President Barack Obama. One can imagine how ex- cited the 6000 attendees were, who had come from over 500 Reform con- gregations throughout North America. While I was not in attendance at this convention, some of our Beth Israel friends were. I can still recall the buzz that surrounded Obama’s visit. This was big. One thing that I appreciated about the past president was how he spoke to the Jewish community in his annual Rosh Hashanah messages. His use of Jewish language always im- pressed me, from correctly pronouncing the High Holy day names to talking about teshuva and even quoting Pirke Avot. His Biennial speech did not let me down. President Obama said: “…the Jewish community has always understood that the dream we share is about more than just doing well for yourself. From the moment our country was founded, American Jews have helped make our union more perfect. Your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents, they remembered what it was like to be a stranger, and as a result treated strangers with compassion. They pursued tikkun olam, the hard work of repairing the world.” How exciting! The president said tikkun olam. He was speaking our lan- guage. This Jewish term, however, has been thrown around by so many people that it has become commonplace for politicians and others in popu- lar culture to use casually.
    [Show full text]
  • Derech Hateva 2018.Pub
    Derech HaTeva A Journal of Torah and Science A Publication of Yeshiva University, Stern College for Women Volume 22 2017-2018 Co-Editors Elana Apfelbaum | Tehilla Berger | Hannah Piskun Cover & Layout Design Shmuel Ormianer Printing Advanced Copy Center, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Acknowledgements The editors of this year’s volume would like to thank Dr. Harvey Babich for the incessant time and effort that he devotes to this journal. Dr. Babich infuses his students with a passion for the Torah Umadda vision and serves as an exemplar of this philosophy to them. Through his constant encouragement and support, students feel confident to challenge themselves and find interesting connections between science and Torah. Dr. Babich, thank you for all the effort you contin- uously devote to us through this journal, as well as to our personal and future lives as professionals and members of the Jewish community. The publication of Volume 22 of this journal was made possible thanks to the generosity of the following donors: Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Babich Mr. and Mrs. Louis Goldberg Dr. Fred and Dr. Sheri (Rosenfeld) Grunseid Rabbi and Mrs. Baruch Solnica Rabbi Joel and Dr. Miriam Grossman Torah Activities Council YU Undergraduate Admissions We thank you for making this opportunity possible. Elana Apfelbaum Tehilla Berger Hannah Piskun Dedication We would like to dedicate the 22nd volume of Derech HaTeva: A Journal of Torah and Science to the soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Formed from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Israeli army represents the enduring strength and bravery of the Jewish people. The soldiers of the IDF have risked their lives to protect the Jewish nation from adversaries in every generation in wars such as the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War.
    [Show full text]