Jewish Halakhic Authorities' Attitudes Towards Treating Muslims in the 12Th

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Jewish Halakhic Authorities' Attitudes Towards Treating Muslims in the 12Th The Review of Rabbinic Judaism 21 (2018) 108–133 brill.com/rrj “I bear the burden of treating the gentiles”: Jewish Halakhic Authorities’ Attitudes towards Treating Muslims in the 12th–18th Centuries Abraham Ofir Shemesh Ariel University, P.O.B. 3, Ariel, 40700, Israel [email protected] Abstract The paper focuses on the religious, social, and historical aspects of the ancient Jewish prohibition against treating non-Jews. It discusses the attitude of rabbinic authorities towards providing medical service to Muslims in medieval and pre-modern times. It points out that circumstances did not enable the public to fulfill these instructions to the letter, and therefore many halakhic authorities in the post-Talmudic period dispensed with the prohibition almost completely. The question of treating Muslims was discussed by halakhic authorities in both Christian and Muslim countries. Stricter views were voiced concerning the treatment of Christians, but the dispensation to treat Muslims and deliver their babies was more pronounced. Halakhic authorities claimed that the original prohibition regarded idolaters, while Muslims do not engage in idolatry. Another major claim supporting the concession was a concern for animos- ity and harassment within the non-Jewish environment. Keywords Maimonides – Baruch Harofe – Ḥekim Yakub – idolaters – halakhic authorities – Jews treating non-Jews The physician-patient relationship is the basis of all medical systems, and it is inherent in all enduring human societies. Such interpersonal relationships have social significance as well, as they create an essential point of conver- gence between people who belong to diverse faiths and cultures, which are © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2018 | doi 10.1163/15700704-12341339Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 12:30:07PM via free access “I bear the burden of treating the gentiles” 109 sometimes rival and hostile. The physician’s ethical duty to provide medical treatment to patients from all backgrounds and social classes is one of the principles of the Hippocratic Oath: “Whatsoever house I may enter, my visit shall be for the convenience and advantage of the patient; and I will willingly refrain from doing any injury or wrong from falsehood, and (in an especial manner) from acts of an amorous nature, whatever may be the rank of those who it may be my duty to cure, whether mistress or servant, bond or free.”1 The Hippocratic Oath does not deal explicitly with ethnic and racial differences between patients, but this issue has been incorporated in modern physicians’ oaths.2 Do the early Jewish halakhic sources agree with the ethical attitude of the Hippocratic Oath in its objection to distinguishing among patients? The Bible voices no injunction against medical relationships with non-Jews. The story of Elisha the Prophet who cured Na’aman, the Aramaic captain of the guard who suffered from leprosy, may indicate that no such restriction existed. The story was clearly intended to reinforce the status of the prophet as a miracle worker not only in the eyes of the Israelites but also as perceived by gentiles.3 Moreover, God is described in Scripture as one who “strikes and heals,” a prin- ciple applied to both Jews and gentiles. 1 For the English translation of the Hippocratic Oath, see James Copland, “The Hippocratic Oath,” in The London Medical Repository 23 [135] (1825), p. 258. For the Greek text, see W.H.S. Jones, ed., Hippocrates Collected Works (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1868), pp. 130–131. On the ethical principles of the oath, see Ludwig Edelstein, The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation and Interpretation (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1943). 2 The modern version of the Hippocratic Oath is the Declaration of Geneva (Physician’s Oath) of the World Health Organization (WHO). The declaration is currently published by the World Medical Association (WMA). The revised version mentions the physician’s duty to cure all patients: “I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient.” See in the WMA website: http://www .wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/g1/ 3 2 Kings 5:1–14. On this trend in the Elisha stories, see Alexander Rofe, The Prophetical Stories: The Narratives about the Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, Their Literary Types and History (Jerusalem: Magnes, Hebrew University, 1982), pp. 42–64 [Hebrew]; Uriel Simon, Literary Reading of the Bible: Stories of the Prophets (Jerusalem and Ramat Gan: Biyalik Institute and Bar Ilan University Press, 1997), pp. 279–324 [Hebrew]. On the prophets as physicians see Ernst R. Wendland, “Elijah and Elisha: Sorcerers or Witch Doctors?,” in Bible Translator 43 (1992), pp. 213–223. The Review of Rabbinic Judaism 21 (2018) 108–133 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 12:30:07PM via free access 110 Shemesh The first signs of restrictions on Jewish-gentile medical relationships emerged and crystallized in the period of the sages (c. 300 BCE–500 CE). Medical prohibitions are one of many rabbinical restrictions on relationships between Jews and non-Jews, based on the concern that non-Jews would harm Jews, for example, when they received haircuts from non-Jewish barbers who used knife and scissors, or even just walked together, for fear of attack.4 The rabbis imposed a double restriction. First, they prohibited the provision of medical services to non-Jews—medical care, circumcisions, and delivering their babies5—based on the injunction against assisting and supporting pagan societies that contradict the foundations of monotheistic Jewish faith.6 We assume that these restrictions did not stem only from a conflict between monotheism and polytheism. The gentiles presumed in sages’ texts were not only the advocates of an objectionable theology but the rapacious Roman occupying power with whom the Jews were also in a protracted struggle for political independence. At the same time, second, receiving services from non-Jewish physicians and healers was limited for fear of harassment or murder disguised as a medi- cal failure.7 It was forbidden to receive medical treatment from non-Jews or to buy medicines that may be lethal if taken in inexact doses.8 Another con- cern was the use of idolatrous elements contradicting the patient’s Jewish faith as part of the medical treatment, or the negative religious influence of non- Jewish physicians on Jewish patients.9 Still, with several restrictions, the sages allowed Jews to receive medi- cal treatment from non-Jews: If the patient is an important and prominent person, or if the physician is an expert with a well-known reputation, such 4 M. A.Z. 2:2; B. A.Z. 29a. On the ambivalent attitude of sages to gentiles in the period of the Mishna and Talmud, see Samuel Safrai, “The Relationships between Israel and the Nations after the Destruction of the Second Temple,” in Maḥanāyim 75 (1963), pp. 50–52; Gedalyahu Alon, The History of the Jews in Eretz Israel during the period of the Mishnah and Talmud (Tel Aviv: haKibbutz haMehuchad, 1975), pp. 342–352; Gary G. Porton, Goyim: Gentiles and Israelites in Mishnah-Tosefta (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988); Alan Brill, Judaism and Other Religions: Models of Understanding (New York: Palgrave-Mcmillan, 2010), pp. 31–62. 5 B. A.Z. 26b. On the injunction against assisting non-Jewish women in labor see M. A.Z. 2:1. 6 See M. A.Z. 1:1–2; 2:2; B. A.Z. 25b. 7 M. A.Z. 2:2; T. Hul. 2:21 (Zuckermandel ed., Jerusalem, 1975). 8 Such as opium and Theriac, See Y. A.Z. 2:2, 40d. 9 B. A.Z. 27b. The Review of RabbinicDownloaded Judaism from 21 Brill.com09/26/2021 (2018) 108–133 12:30:07PM via free access “I bear the burden of treating the gentiles” 111 that he would be prevented from any harmful intentions towards Jews,10 or if the patient is at death’s door, as in such case the treatment could only be beneficial.11 These restrictions and prohibitions reveal an atmosphere of distrust and social hostility between Jews and non-Jews. These religious restrictions might also have aggravated the friction between the faiths and created severe social conflicts, particularly in circumstances that entailed a mixed society utilizing joint systems (economy, trade). As a result, as early as the Talmudic age we see rabbinical reservations with regard to the all-inclusive prohibition against medical relationships. Accordingly, the risk of interfaith tension served as grounds for permitting medical treatment of non-Jews and assisting in the labor of non-Jewish women, for a fee.12 Physician-Patient Relationships in Multicultural Societies: Historical Context and Theoretical Framework Beliefs and religious values are an inseparable part of human culture and have a major effect on the medical world. Researchers have indicated the impact of religion on medicine in several main areas: A. Rates of illness or health maintenance, for example traditional eating habits that contribute to main- taining health or creating health problems; B. Assigning causality to illness— associating illness with sin or with improper religious and moral behavior; C. Guidance in reaching medical decisions; D. Adherence or non-adherence to medical recommendations, with consequent impacts on treatment outcomes.13 In certain faiths, a person who contracts an illness is obligated to seek medical help in order to recover and return to a normative routine, and the physician is obligated to treat the patient.14Then again, some clerics instruct their followers to avoid conventional health care and recommend seeking the 10 Ibid., 28a. 11 Ibid., 27a. 12 Ibid., 26b. 13 On this factor, see Allen Harwood, ed., Ethnicity and Medical Care (Cambridge: Harvard University Press,1981), pp. 1–36; Aasim I.
Recommended publications
  • The Path to Follow a Hevrat Pinto Publication Pikudei 381
    The Path To Follow A Hevrat Pinto Publication Pikudei 381 Under the Direction of Rabbi David H. Pinto Shlita Adar I 29th 5771 www.hevratpinto.org | [email protected] th Editor-in-Chief: Hanania Soussan March 5 2011 32 rue du Plateau 75019 Paris, France • Tel: +331 48 03 53 89 • Fax: +331 42 06 00 33 Rabbi David Pinto Shlita Batei Midrashim As A Refuge Against The Evil Inclination is written, “These are the accounts of the Sanctuary, the Sanctuary of Moreover, what a person studies will only stay with him if he studies in a Beit Testimony” (Shemot 38:21). Our Sages explain that the Sanctuary was HaMidrash, as it is written: “A covenant has been sealed concerning what we a testimony for Israel that Hashem had forgiven them for the sin of the learn in the Beit HaMidrash, such that it will not be quickly forgotten” (Yerushalmi, golden calf. Moreover, the Midrash (Tanchuma, Pekudei 2) explains Berachot 5:1). I have often seen men enter a place of study without the intention that until the sin of the golden calf, G-d dwelled among the Children of of learning, but simply to look at what was happening there. Yet they eventually ItIsrael. After the sin, however, His anger prevented Him from dwelling among them. take a book in hand and sit down among the students. This can only be due to the The nations would then say that He was no longer returning to His people, and sound of the Torah and its power, a sound that emerges from Batei Midrashim and therefore to show the nations that this would not be the case, He told the Children conquers their evil inclination, lighting a spark in the heart of man so he begins to of Israel: “Let them make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Shemot study.
    [Show full text]
  • Moses Hayim Luzzatto's Quest for Providence
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 10-2014 'Like Iron to a Magnet': Moses Hayim Luzzatto's Quest for Providence David Sclar Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/380 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] “Like Iron to a Magnet”: Moses Hayim Luzzatto’s Quest for Providence By David Sclar A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 David Sclar All Rights Reserved This Manuscript has been read and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the Dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Prof. Jane S. Gerber _______________ ____________________________________ Date Chair of the Examining Committee Prof. Helena Rosenblatt _______________ ____________________________________ Date Executive Officer Prof. Francesca Bregoli _______________________________________ Prof. Elisheva Carlebach ________________________________________ Prof. Robert Seltzer ________________________________________ Prof. David Sorkin ________________________________________ Supervisory Committee iii Abstract “Like Iron to a Magnet”: Moses Hayim Luzzatto’s Quest for Providence by David Sclar Advisor: Prof. Jane S. Gerber This dissertation is a biographical study of Moses Hayim Luzzatto (1707–1746 or 1747). It presents the social and religious context in which Luzzatto was variously celebrated as the leader of a kabbalistic-messianic confraternity in Padua, condemned as a deviant threat by rabbis in Venice and central and eastern Europe, and accepted by the Portuguese Jewish community after relocating to Amsterdam.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Jews, Gentiles, and the Modern Egalitarian Ethos
    Jews, Gentiles, and the Modern Egalitarian Ethos: Some Tentative Thoughts David Berger The deep and systemic tension between contemporary egalitarianism and many authoritative Jewish texts about gentiles takes varying forms. Most Orthodox Jews remain untroubled by some aspects of this tension, understanding that Judaism’s affirmation of chosenness and hierarchy can inspire and ennoble without denigrating others. In other instances, affirmations of metaphysical differences between Jews and gentiles can take a form that makes many of us uncomfortable, but we have the legitimate option of regarding them as non-authoritative. Finally and most disturbing, there are positions affirmed by standard halakhic sources from the Talmud to the Shulhan Arukh that apparently stand in stark contrast to values taken for granted in the modern West and taught in other sections of the Torah itself. Let me begin with a few brief observations about the first two categories and proceed to somewhat more extended ruminations about the third. Critics ranging from medieval Christians to Mordecai Kaplan have directed withering fire at the doctrine of the chosenness of Israel. Nonetheless, if we examine an overarching pattern in the earliest chapters of the Torah, we discover, I believe, that this choice emerges in a universalist context. The famous statement in the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 4:5) that Adam was created singly so that no one would be able to say, “My father is greater than yours” underscores the universality of the original divine intent. While we can never know the purpose of creation, one plausible objective in light of the narrative in Genesis is the opportunity to actualize the values of justice and lovingkindness through the behavior of creatures who subordinate themselves to the will 1 of God.
    [Show full text]
  • Conversion to Judaism Finnish Gerim on Giyur and Jewishness ​ ​ ​ ​
    Conversion to Judaism Finnish gerim on giyur and Jewishness ​ ​ ​ ​ Kira Zaitsev Syventävien opintojen tutkielma Afrikan ja Lähi-idän kielet Humanistinen tiedekunta Helsingin yliopisto 2019/5779 provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk CORE brought to you by Tiedekunta – Fakultet – Faculty Koulutusohjelma – Utbildningsprogram – Degree Programme Humanistinen tiedekunta Kielten maisteriohjelma Opintosuunta – Studieinriktning – Study Track Afrikan ja Lähi-idän kielet Tekijä – Författare – Author Kira Zaitsev Työn nimi – Arbetets titel – Title Conversion to Judaism. Finnish gerim on giyur and Jewishness Työn laji – Aika – Datum – Month and year Sivumäärä– Sidoantal Arbetets art – Huhtikuu 2019 – Number of pages Level 43 Pro gradu Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract Pro graduni käsittelee suomalaisia, jotka ovat kääntyneet juutalaisiksi ilman aikaisempaa juutalaista taustaa ja perhettä. Data perustuu haastatteluihin, joita arvioin straussilaisella grounded theory-menetelmällä. Tutkimuskysymykseni ovat, kuinka nämä käännynnäiset näkevät mitä juutalaisuus on ja kuinka he arvioivat omaa kääntymistään. Tutkimuseni mukaan kääntyjän aikaisempi uskonnollinen tausta on varsin todennäköisesti epätavallinen, eikä hänellä ole merkittäviä aikaisempia juutalaisia sosiaalisia suhteita. Internetillä on kasvava rooli kääntyjän tiedonhaussa ja verkostoissa. Juutalaisuudessa kääntynyt näkee tärkeimpänä eettisyyden sekä juutalaisen lain, halakhan. Kääntymisen nähdään vahvistavan aikaisempi maailmankuva
    [Show full text]
  • The Mcanulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts of Duquesne University
    The McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts of Duquesne University Health Care Ethics Syllabus for: 651-61, Jewish Health Care Ethics Instructor: Aaron L. Mackler, Ph.D. Office: Fisher Hall 606 Ext: 5985 Fall, 2011 e-mail: [email protected] Fisher Hall 704 6:00-8:40 on Tuesday, Aug 23, Sep 13, Oct 11, Nov 8, and Dec 6 Office Hours: TTh 1:30-2:45; 5:00-5:45 before class meetings; and by appointment 1. Objectives of the Course: A. Catalogue Description: An exploration of methodological and substantive issues in Jewish health care ethics, including decisions about life-sustaining treatment, abortion, reproductive technologies, and allocation of health care resources. Attention will be given to differing Jewish approaches and to comparisons with other perspectives, including philosophical and Roman Catholic views. B. Type of Mastery to be Expected: Upon completion of the course, students may expect to: 1) understand general Jewish approaches to health care ethics; 2) be familiar with Jewish positions on such topics as abortion, medical decisions at the end of life, advance directives, reproductive technologies, and allocation of health care resources; 3) develop the ability to interpret relevant primary sources and evaluate competing readings of these sources; 4) be familiar with different approaches in interpreting and applying Jewish texts and values in addressing contemporary issues such as health care ethics; 5) achieve a developing sense of the comparison of Jewish and other approaches to ethics, as well as the relevance for their own critical analysis of these perspectives. This course should contribute to students meeting general HCE program learning outcomes: a.
    [Show full text]
  • The Obligation to Heal & Medical Malpractice: the Right and The
    The Obligation to Heal & M edical M alpractice The Right and the Obligation of the Physician to Heal Com piled by Rabbi Zvi Ilani & Rabbi Yaakov W einberger Translated from the Hebrew by U riah F. Cheskin & Yitzchak Pechenick Section 1: The Obligation to Heal Introduction The fundamental principles regarding the practice of medicine are based on sources in the Bible. A t first glance, a fatalistic view may seem warranted: the course of the illness and its effects are predetermined by the A lmighty without any possibility of human intervention. Since both life and death, and health and illness, are in G-d’s hands, the physician has neither the right nor any poss- ibility of healing the sick. R ather, since everything is predeter- mined by G-d, to try to outwit the divine decree is to rebel. But one who looks more deeply at the sources in the Bible, Mishna, Talmud, early and later authorities, and in halachic literature will see that this fatalistic view is completely rejected in Jewish thought and practice. O n the contrary, the physician serves as a loyal agent of the A lmighty in healing the sick by means of the various medicines the A lmighty puts at his disposal, his wisdom, and his medical knowledge and experience. Looking to divine assistance, the physician should proceed with a sense that he is carrying out a mitzvah. W hen he operates in accordance with the best principles of medicine, he should not fear lest he bring about an accident or injury. The physician is not only granted the right to heal; he is obliged.
    [Show full text]
  • Jewish Law and Current Legal Problems
    JEWISH LAW AND CURRENT LEGAL PROBLEMS JEWISH LAW AND CURRENT LEGAL PROBLEMS EDITED BY NAHUM RAKOVER The Library of Jewish Law The Library of Jewish Law Ministry of Justice The Jewish Legal Heritage Society Foundation for the Advancement of Jewish Law PROCEEDINGS of the First International Seminar on The Sources Of Contemporary Law: The Bible and Talmud and Their Contribution to Modern Legal Systems Jerusalem. August 1983 © The Library of Jewish Law The Jewish Lcg<1l Heritage Society P.O.Box 7483 Jerusalem 91074 1984 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 9 GREETINGS OF THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, Moshe Nissim II LEGAL THEORY Haim H. Cohn THE LESSON OF JEWISH LAW FOR 15 LEGAL CHANGE Meyer S. Feldblum THE EMERGENCE OF THE HALAKHIC 29 LEGAL SYSTEM Classical and Modern Perceptions Norman Solomon EXTENSIVE AND RESTRICTIVE 37 INTERPRETATION LAW IN CHANGING SOCIETIES Yedidya Cohen THE KIBBUTZ AS A LEGAL ENTITY 55 Reuben Ahroni THE LEVIRATE AND HUMAN RIGHTS 67 JUDICIAL PROCESS Haim Shine COMPROMISE 77 5 POLITICAL THEORY Emanuel Rackman THE CHURCH FATHERS AND HEBREW 85 POLITICAL THOUGHT LAW AND RELIGION John Wade THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION UPON LAW 97 Bernard J. Meis/in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN AMERICAN 109 LAW PENAL LAW Ya'akov Bazak MAIMONIDES' VIEWS ON CRIME AND 121 PUNISHMENT Yehuda Gershuni EXTRADITION 127 Nahum Rakover COERCION IN CONJUGAL RELATIONS 137 SELF-INCRIMINATION Isaac Braz THE PRIVILEGE AGAINST SELF­ 161 INCRIMINATION IN ANGLO-AMERICAN LAW The Influence of Jewish Law Arnold Enker SELF-INCRIMINATION 169 Malvina Halberstam THE RATIONALE FOR EXCLUDING 177 INCRIMINATING STATEMENTS U.S. Law Compared to Ancient Jewish Law Stanley Levin DUE PROCESS IN RABBINICAL AND 191 ISRAELI LAW Abuse and Subversion 6 MEDICAL ETHICS David A.
    [Show full text]
  • Torah Weekly
    ב ס ״ ד Torah All the Mitzvos in Ki Teitzei concludes with the material world, it is confronted obligation to remember “what by challenges that may require Weekly Parshat Ki Teitzei Amalek did to you on the road, it to engage in battle. Seventy-four of the Torah’s on your way out of Egypt. For there are two aspects to August 15-21 2021 613 commandments (mitzvot) material existence. Our world 7 Elul – 13 Elul, 5781 are in the Parshah of Ki Teitzei. was created because G-d Torah Reading: These include the laws of the “desired a dwelling in the lower Ki Teitzei: Deuteronomy 21:10 - beautiful captive, the War and Peace: Will a worlds,” i.e., the physical 26:19 inheritance rights of the Haftarah: Dove Grow Claws? universe can serve as a dwelling Isaiah 54:1-54:10 firstborn, the wayward and for G-d, a place where His rebellious son, burial and Every day, we conclude essence is revealed. But as the dignity of the dead, returning a the Shemoneh Esreh prayers by term “lower worlds” implies, PARSHAT Ki Teitzei praising G-d “who blesses His lost object, sending away the G-d’s existence is not readily We have Jewish mother bird before taking her people Israel with peace.” And apparent in our environment. when describing the Calendars. If you young, the duty to erect a safety On the contrary, the material would like one, fence around the roof of one’s blessings G-d will bestow upon nature of the world appears to please send us a home, and the various forms of us if we follow His will, our preclude holiness.
    [Show full text]
  • The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿavoda Zara By
    The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿAvoda Zara By Mira Beth Wasserman A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley in Jewish Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Daniel Boyarin, chair Professor Chana Kronfeld Professor Naomi Seidman Professor Kenneth Bamberger Spring 2014 Abstract The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿAvoda Zara by Mira Beth Wasserman Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley Professor Daniel Boyarin, chair In this dissertation, I argue that there is an ethical dimension to the Babylonian Talmud, and that literary analysis is the approach best suited to uncover it. Paying special attention to the discursive forms of the Talmud, I show how juxtapositions of narrative and legal dialectics cooperate in generating the Talmud's distinctive ethics, which I characterize as an attentiveness to the “exceptional particulars” of life. To demonstrate the features and rewards of a literary approach, I offer a sustained reading of a single tractate from the Babylonian Talmud, ʿAvoda Zara (AZ). AZ and other talmudic discussions about non-Jews offer a rich resource for considerations of ethics because they are centrally concerned with constituting social relationships and with examining aspects of human experience that exceed the domain of Jewish law. AZ investigates what distinguishes Jews from non-Jews, what Jews and non- Jews share in common, and what it means to be a human being. I read AZ as a cohesive literary work unified by the overarching project of examining the place of humanity in the cosmos.
    [Show full text]
  • Pandemic Passover 2.0 Answer to This Question
    Food for homeless – page 2 Challah for survivors – page 3 Mikvah Shoshana never closed – page 8 Moving Rabbis – page 10 March 17, 2021 / Nisan 4, 5781 Volume 56, Issue 7 See Marking one year Passover of pandemic life Events March 16, 2020, marks the day that our schools and buildings closed last year, and our lives were and drastically changed by the reality of COVID-19 reaching Oregon. As Resources the soundtrack of the musical “Rent” put it: ~ pages Congregation Beth Israel clergy meet via Zoom using “525,600 minutes, how 6-7 CBI Passover Zoom backgrounds, a collection of which do you measure a year?” can be downloaded at bethisrael-pdx.org/passover. Living according to the Jewish calendar provides us with one Pandemic Passover 2.0 answer to this question. BY DEBORAH MOON who live far away. We measure our year by Passover will be the first major Congregation Shaarie Torah Exec- completing the full cycle Jewish holiday that will be celebrated utive Director Jemi Kostiner Mansfield of holidays and Jewish for the second time under pandemic noticed the same advantage: “Families rituals. Time and our restrictions. and friends from out of town can come need for our community Since Pesach is traditionally home- together on a virtual platform, people and these rituals haven’t stopped in this year, even based, it is perhaps the easiest Jewish who normally wouldn’t be around the though so many of our usual ways of marking these holiday to adapt to our new landscape. seder table.” holy moments have been interrupted.
    [Show full text]
  • European Medicine and Physicians in Safavid Iran
    Archive of SID ORIGINAL ARTICLE European Medicine and Physicians in Safavid Iran 113 Abstract Zahra Eslamifard1 Simultaneous with the establishment of the Safavid dynasty, due to the Behzad Karimi2 developments in the global and regional relations, the ground was pre- Hamed Ahansazan3, 4 pared for the expansion of Iran and Europe relations. The main reasons for this were the propagation of Christianity, the presence of the Otto- 1- Ph.D. of Theology and Islamic Stud- ies, Department of Islamic Education, man government as a common enemy of Iran and Europe, as well as Islamic Azad University, Tehran North commercial interests. These relations reached their peak during the reign Branch, Tehran, Iran of Shah Abbas I., encouraging various groups of Europeans, such as 2- Assistant professor, Iranian Studies Department, Meybod University, Mey- religious missionaries, businessmen, ambassadors, political delegations, bod, Iran tourists, etc. to come to Iran. 3- M.Sc. of History of Medical Scienc- es, Department of History of Medicine, Physicians were seen in all the mentioned groups, especially in religious School of Persian Medicine, Tehran Uni- missionaries. So, owing to their presence, medical knowledge of Euro- versity of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran pean was introduced to Iranians. The first acquaintance with medical 4- History of Medicine Network (HiMed- Net), Universal Scientific Education and profession of European was obtained at the same time as the presence Research Network (USERN), Tehran, of the Portuguese in the Persian Gulf. Syphilis, which was first entered Iran Iran from Europe in the late ninth century and was called smallpox, led Correspondence: European medicine to entering Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • Hebrew Printed Books and Manuscripts
    HEBREW PRINTED BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. SELECTIONS FROM FROM THE THE RARE BOOK ROOM OF THE JEWS’COLLEGE LIBRARY, LONDON K ESTENBAUM & COMPANY TUESDAY, MARCH 30TH, 2004 K ESTENBAUM & COMPANY . Auctioneers of Rare Books, Manuscripts and Fine Art Lot 51 Catalogue of HEBREW PRINTED BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS . SELECTIONS FROM THE RARE BOOK ROOM OF THE JEWS’COLLEGE LIBRARY, LONDON Sold by Order of the Trustees The Third Portion (With Additions) To be Offered for Sale by Auction on Tuesday, 30th March, 2004 (NOTE CHANGE OF SALE DATE) at 3:00 pm precisely ——— Viewing Beforehand on Sunday, 28th March: 10 am–5:30 pm Monday, 29th March: 10 am–6 pm Tuesday, 30th March: 10 am–2:30 pm Important Notice: The Exhibition and Sale will take place in our new Galleries located at 12 West 27th Street, 13th Floor, New York City. This Sale may be referred to as “Winnington” Sale Number Twenty Three. Catalogues: $35 • $42 (Overseas) Hebrew Index Available on Request KESTENBAUM & COMPANY Auctioneers of Rare Books, Manuscripts and Fine Art . 12 West 27th Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10001 ¥ Tel: 212 366-1197 ¥ Fax: 212 366-1368 E-mail: [email protected] ¥ World Wide Web Site: www.kestenbaum.net K ESTENBAUM & COMPANY . Chairman: Daniel E. Kestenbaum Operations Manager & Client Accounts: Margaret M. Williams Press & Public Relations: Jackie Insel Printed Books: Rabbi Belazel Naor Manuscripts & Autographed Letters: Rabbi Eliezer Katzman Ceremonial Art: Aviva J. Hoch (Consultant) Catalogue Photography: Anthony Leonardo Auctioneer: Harmer F. Johnson (NYCDCA License no. 0691878) ❧ ❧ ❧ For all inquiries relating to this sale, please contact: Daniel E.
    [Show full text]