Toledot-Vol-3-No-1-Summer-1979.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A PVAR TORAH ABOUT TOLEPOT Rabbi Jack Riemer Since the name of this magazine is TOLEDOT, Now in the case of the genealogy of Ishmael, let me share with you a word of Torah about the who was not such a nice man, we can understand meaning of this wo.rd. It is one that I first that the spelling is defective. Perhaps that is learned from Rabbi William G. Braude of Provi- a way of hinting that the person was defective in dence, who is a master of the Midrash. his character. But notice that in the case of The word Totedot means generations. It is Noah, and in the case of Jacob, and even in the the word with which all of the "begats" in the case of Moses and Aaron, who were fine people, Bible begin. "These are the toledot of so and the word is still spelled defectively. so. So and so gave birth to so and so who gave There are only two places in the entire Bi- birth to so and so." If you count them you will ble where the word Totedot is spelled perfectly, see that the word Totedot appears thirteen times with two Vavh. The first is in Genesis, at the in the Bible. At the beginning we find: "These beginning of the Bible: "These are the t0l~d0k are the totedot of heaven and earth when they of heaven and'earth." And the other is at the were created." Further on we find: "These are end of the book of Ruth, when the genealogy of the totedot of Noah," then: "These are the kaledot David, the ancestor of the Messiah, is traced. of Shem," "These are the kokkdot of Ishmael," What is the implication of this? What it These are the ;toRedok of Esau," etc. etc. means is that perhaps at the very beginning of Now one very careful student of the Torah creation the world may have been perfect, and among the Sages of the Midrash noticed something perhaps at the very end, when the Messiah comes, strange.. He noticed that in eleven of the thir- the world may be perfect again, but in between teen cases where the word Toledot appears, it is one should not require or desire perfection, spelled incompletely, or imperfectly. That is to either from others or from oneself. In between say, one of the two Vavh is missing. The VUV can we live in a real world, a world of frail, falli- be either a letter or a vowel, and it can be ble, foolish people, and we have to learn to live printed - in which case the word is called "full" with them, and to accept them with all of their or "perfect," or it can be replaced with a "dot - shortcomings. Otherwise, if we demand perfection in which case the word is called "missing" or from them, or from ourselves, we will drive them ltimperfect." This Sage noticed that in eleven of mad and ouriselves as well. the thirteen cases, the word Totedot has one Vav ,It is a seemingly small detail of the Bibli- missing. In the case of the Toteduk of Ishmael, cal text, but the idea that the Midrash derives both Vavh are missing. It is as if the word from it is a big one. It is a lesson that those were spelled "gtntrations ." who wish to study their family tree should take to heart so that they will not be disappointed Rabbi Jack Riemeh h the SchoRan in Renidence a.t if, or better when, they find out that not all of ConglregaZion B'd Amoona inSk. LoLLin and the their ancestors were giants of the spirit. And Editolr 04 Jewish Reflections On Death pubRibhed it is one that all of us should take to heart if by Schocken, Addnenh: 524 Thidg Ave, , St. we want to learn how,to live with imperfect peo- Lo&, MO 63130. ple in an imperfect world. PEAR EDITORS : GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF UTAH wish to view. The majority of these films are Your magazine and the information it con- not on the library she'lves because of space limi- tains has helped me so much I feel I have to con- tations (they are not frequently used). It re- tribute something to others. Your listing of quires up to a few days to get the films from Jewish records in the Polish collection at the the storage areas. Genealogical Society of Utah [Mormon Library] I was told by library personnel that they helped me plan for a five day stop in Salt Lake would be happy to secure the films at the library City in July. for anyone who would send a listing of requested Everyone there was extremely helpful, but I films a few weeks in advance. had one difficulty. To help others avoid the Bud Sphzman same problem, Iisuggest that anyone going to the 5921 Simpnun Ave. Mormon Library and wishing to use Eastern Euro- N. HoLtywaod, CA 91607 pean Jewish records, especially Polish records, send ahead a listing of the film numbers they ***** AUSTRALIA into their family history. The school has now family members, knows something about Jewish his- A minor irritant, surely, but when I'm told in I have found the first issue of TOLENT I made the project compulsory and a part of their tory. the text to refer to a chart on page 97, it helps received most interesting, and have already found curriculum in contemporary Jewish History in the Right? No, wrong. Information must be up- to have a page number to guide me. Chapters, myself in the position of being able to shed some fourth year of the high school course. to-date, directions easy to understand and follow too, are not numbered in the text, although they light on your readersq queries in "The Jewish As Australia is now largely a country of so that beginners don't become discouraged. are numbered in the table of contents. Family Finder" in that issue, which I will answer first and second generation Jewish immigrants, Charts must be useful, relevant, convenient to About 20 pages of the book are devoted to directly to those readers. an astonishing variety of family stories emerges use. It isn't enough to cannibalize other books research sources; some of the listings contain I intend writing a short article for our each year when I correct these essays: from the on the subject, throw in a bit of autobiographical incorrect or outdated information. The author local Jewish weekly newspaper on your quarterly, emergence to Jewish consciousness of a Soviet information to show the reader that the author has has not done his homework. because I think it is important that it become. Jewish activist, to wartime service in the Hun- done some research of his/her own, and then take MY J&h Rood contains a lengthy list of known in the Jewish world. garian army, to Israel at the time of the period an ego trip on the road to searching out fore- questions, suggested for use in interviewing There is increasing interest here now in of Independence, to Germany in the 30ts, and fathers and foremothers. It's a dead giveaway relatives, both foreign and American born. Such family geneal-ogy. I have helped to foster this flight out of it, etc. I only wish they could when the back cover blurb claims a book is "the suggestions are of some value in deciding what to by sponsoring since 1975 a research project for be printed. first how-to book with thoroughly Jewish orienta- ask, but my experience has been that it is wiser which I give the prizes among Year 10, sixteen- Sopkie Cap&n tion" when the fact is that Dan Rottenberg's to ask a relevant question of interest to the year old students of our local Jewish high school. 5 Woonona Road Finding Outr Fakhm was available to Jewish gene- interviewee, and then listen, taking notes only There is a choice of a number of topics, all in- Nohthbnidg e 2 063 alogists several years before Kranzler's book when dates, names, and interesting anecdotes are volving research by the youngsters themselves Sydney, N.S.W., Aud,Cfu&ia was published. discussed. I find bombarding those I question, My JdhROO& offers (like the final song especially the elderly who often tire easily, an in "Fiddler on the Roof") "a little bit of this, exhausting and fruitless exercise, especially a little bit of that...", some history, some when time is limited during a visit. Had I fol- background in genealogy in the Bible and Talmud. lowed some of the suggestions in the book, such It offers advice on starting research and on as asking my cousin Goldie whether our mutual keeping records, recommends methods of collecting relatives were ffanidim or Ui;tnagdim, or querying A NEW "HOW TO" BOOK information, interviewing, making movies, buying her on her parents' economic and social ambitions, .cameras and film. In short--and that's where it I might have missed learning that my grandfather Gertrude Singer Ogushwitz fails--there's something for every genealogist, once told her that he came from a place that was ~ beginner or advanced, except truly new and useful sometimes Poland and sometimes Germany, a clue My h Roo;ta : A Guide to Thacing and J& Ptracticat I've read Dan Rottenberg 's Finding Outr information, presented in a clear, logical, easy- khich led to my learning of his birth in Wroclaw, Recohding Yam Genatogy and FWyffhto+y.