DOCSLIB.ORG

Kesher Minyan: Amidah Part II

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Kesher Minyan: Amidah Part II Kesher Minyan: Amidah Part II Marc Brettler Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God: An infrequent biblical formula, never found ​ in biblical formulas, but central to God’s self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:6, 15, 16 and 4:5. Its prominence here reflects a rabbinic theological doctrine known as “merits of the ancestors” (z’khut ​ avot), according to which the righteous actions of the patriarchs continue on to benefit their ​ descendents. In biblical thought, it is the promise inherent in the covenant that continues through time, not the specific meritorious deeds of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why do we say God three times here -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Exodus 3:13-15 Moses said to God, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ​ fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh.” He continued, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites, ‘Ehyeh sent me to you.’ And God further said to Moses: Thus say to the Children of Israel: Our Lord, the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Judith Hauptman This is God’s means of self-identification in the Bible, most notably upon appearing to ​ Moses to discuss the imminent fulfillment of the promise to take the Jewish People out of Egypt and bring them to the Land of Israel. We invoke the Patriarchs to remind God of that divine promise, since it was to these three men that the promise was made. But, in addiiton, since God is all-powerful, we imply that God should remember the kind deeds (or hesed) for which they were responsible, credit that ​ ​ kindness to their children’s children, their descendants (that is, us), and redeem them. If these descendants do not quite measure up on their own to merit God’s intervention in history, then their forefathers can make up for their shortcomings. Merit is apparently calculated collectively and cumulatively over time. Daniel Landes At Barukh bend the knees. At atah, bow from the waist with upper body and head (but ​ not as far as the belt, for that would connote the arrogance of prideful piety). At Adonai (God’s name), bend back up straight, for it is written: “Adonai raises up those who are bowed down.” The Avot are connected to all Israel, by lineage (yichus), which is a central and prized halakhic category of status. As a ​ ​ meta-halakhic category, this passage on the Avot refers to the concept of zekhut avot, “the merit of the ​ ​ ​ ​ ancestors,” matriarchs as well as patriarchs, which constitutes a legal source of defense of Israel, on high. Letter from the Rambam to Ovadiah the Proselyte, Italy 12th century Said Moses ben Maimon, scion of the exiles of Jerusalem, resident in Spain (May his memory be for a Blessing): The questions of our teacher and master, Ovadiah the scholar and understanding one, the righteous proselyte, the Lord recompense his work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, 1 under whose wings thou art come to trust. You asked regarding the benedictions and prayers, both as regarding private and public utterance by yourself, whether you may say: “Our God and the God of our ancestors,” “who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us,” “who has separated us,” “who has chosen us,” “You who have inherited us,” “You who have brought us out of the land of Egypt,” “You who have worked miracles to our fathers,” and similar formulae. You should recite them all, just as they are formulated in the liturgy. Change nothing! But just as every Jew by birth prays and recites benedictions, you, too, shall bless and pray alike, whether you are alone or pray in the congregation. The reason for this is that it was Abraham, our father, who taught all humankind. He imparted to them the true religion and the unity of the Holy One Blessed be He and spurned idolatry and repudiated its worship. He brought many children under the wings of the Divine Presence, teaching and instructing them, and commanded his children and his household after him to keep the path of the Lord...consequently, everyone who accepts Judaism till the end of all generations and whoever acknowledges the unity of the Holy One blessed be He, as laid down in the Torah is of the disciples of Abraham our father, peace be upon him. They all belong to his household which implies every … proselyte who is accepted into the Jewish fold. You should therefore say “our God and the God of our fathers,” since Abraham is your father...but, “who brought us out of the land of Egypt” and “who wrought miracles for our fathers” -- if you wish to emend it into “who brought Israel out of Egypt” and “who wrought miracles for Israel,” do so. But if you do not emend it, you have lost nothing; forasmuch as you have come to shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence and have joined yourself unto God, there is now no difference between you and ourselves. And all the miracles that were wrought in the past were wrought both for us and you. … Do not consider your origin as inferior. While we are the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you derive from the One who spoke and the world came into being … Rambam Mishneh Torah Laws of Blessings 1:5-6 ֹ ֹ וְנַֹסח ָכּל ַהְבָּרכוֹת ֶעְזָרא וֵּבית ִדּינוֹ ִתְּקּנוּם. וְֵאין ָראוּי ְל ַשׁנּוֹ ָתם וְלא ְלהוִֹסיף ַעל אַ ַחת ֵמֶהם וְלא ִלְגרַֹע ִמֶמָּנּה. וְָכל ַה ְמ ַשֶׁנּה ִמ ַמּ ְטֵבַּע ֶשׁ ָטְּבעוּ ֲחָכ ִמים ַבְּבָּרכוֹת ֵאינוֹ ֶאָלּא טוֶֹעה. וְָכל ְבָּרָכה ֶשֵׁאין ָבּהּ ַהְזָכַּרת ַה ֵשּׁם וּ ַמְלכוּת ֵאיָנהּ ְבָּרָכה ֶאָלּא ִאם ֵכּן ָהיְָתה ְסמוָּכה ַל ֲחֵבְר ָתהּ: וְָכל ַהְבָּרכוֹת ֻכָּלּן ֶנֱא ָמִרין ְבָּכל ָלשׁוֹן וְהוּא ֶשׁיֹּא ַמר ְכֵּעין ֶשׁ ִתְּקּנוּ ֲחָכ ִמים. וְִאם ִשָׁנּה ֶאת ַה ַמּ ְטֵבַּע הוִֹאיל וְִהְזִכּיר אְַזָכָּרה וּ ַמְלכוּת וְִעְניַן ַהְבָּרָכה ֲאִפלּוּ ִבְּלשׁוֹן חֹל יָָצא: The text of all the blessings was ordained by Ezra and his court. It is not fit to alter it, to add to it, or to detract from it. Whoever alters the text of a blessing from that ordained by the Sages is making an error. A blessing that does not include the mention of God's name and God’s sovereignty [over the world] is not considered a blessing unless it is recited in proximity to a blessing [which meets these criteria]. All the blessings may be recited in any language, provided one recites [a translation of] the text ordained by the Sages. [A person who] changes that text fulfills their obligation nonetheless - since they mentioned God's name, God’s sovereignty, and the subject of the blessing - although they did so in an ordinary language. 2 Rambam Mishneh Torah Laws of Prayers and Priestly Blessing 1:9: ְתִּפלּוֹת ֵאלּוּ ֵאין פּוֹ ֲח ִתין ֵמֶהן ֲאָבל מוִֹסיִפין ֲעֵליֶהם. ִאם ָרָצה אָָדם ְל ִה ְתַפֵּלּל ָכּל ַהיּוֹם ֻכּלּוֹ ָהְרשׁוּת ְבּיָדוֹ. וְָכל אוֹ ָתן ַה ְתִּפלּוֹת ֶשׁיּוִֹסיף ְכּמוֹ ַמְקִריב ְנָדבוֹת. ְלִפיָכְך ָצִריְך ֶשׁיְַּחֵדּשׁ ָדָּבר ְבָּכל ְבָּרָכה וְּבָרָכה ִמן ָהֶא ְמָצִעיּוֹת ֵמֵעין ַהְבָּרכוֹת. וְִאם ִחֵדּשׁ ֲאִפלּוּ ִבְּבָרָכה אַ ַחת ַדּיּוֹ ְכֵּדי ְלהוִֹדיַע ֶשׁ ִהיא ְנָדָבה וְלֹא חוָֹבה. וְ ָשׁלֹשׁ ִראשׁוֹנוֹת וְ ָשׁלֹשׁ אַ ֲחרוֹנוֹת ְלעוָֹלם ֵאין מוִֹסיִפין ָבֶּהן וְלֹא פּוֹ ֲח ִתין ֵמֶהן וְֵאין ְמ ַשִׁנּין ָבֶּהן ָדָּבר: The number of these services may not be diminished but may be increased. If a person wishes to pray the whole day, they may do so. And the prayers they add are accounted to them as if they brought free-will offerings. They must accordingly add in each of the middle blessings a thought appropriate to the particular blessing. If this is done in one of the blessings only, that is sufficient, the object being to make it manifest that the prayer is voluntary and not obligatory. In the first three and last three blessings there must be no addition, diminution or change. CJLS Teshuvah on Inclusion of Imahot by Rabbi Joel Rembaum (1990) ...The notion of liturgical variation is not rejected by Talmudic tradition. The Rambam and his commentators are tolerant of liturgical change as long as it takes place within certain normative parameters. The change that is being recommended in this paper falls within these parameters. The inclusion of references to the Matriarchs in the Avot blessing of the Amidah in no way changes the inyan ​ of the prayer. Other than these additions the language of the blessing, including references to shem ​ u’malchut, remains unchanged, and the petihah-hatima structure of the blessing, required by virtue of ​ its being the first in a sequence of blessings, remain intact Because the Siddur, perhaps more than any … other compilation of Jewish religious expression, has embodied the ideas that have both shaped and reflected the deepest beliefs and concerns of our people, significant ideological and communal developments and trends have always been represented in our prayers. In a generation when women are assuming a more significant role in the religious life of the Conservative Jewish community, it is appropriate that the prayer that expresses the unity, commitment and lofty aspirations of the Jewish people, be modified so that it can speak to all members of our congregations, male and female alike. The inclusion of the names of the Matriarchs in the first blessing of the Amidah is permissible and recommended. Genesis 15:1 אַ ַח֣ר ׀ ַהְדָּבִר֣ים ָהֵאֶ֗לּה ָהיָ֤ה ְדַבר־’ה ֶאל־אְַבָר֔ם ַֽבּ ַמּ ֲחֶז֖ה ֵלאמֹ֑ר אַל־ ִתּיָר֣א אְַבָר֗ם אָנִֹכי֙ ָמֵג֣ן ָלְ֔ך ְשָׂכְרָך֖ ַהְרֵבּ֥ה ְמֽאֹד׃ Some time later, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Jewish People, the Gospel, and the Promises
    The Jewish People, the Gospel, and the Promises A Declaration on the Relationship between the Church and the Jewish People and the Place of this People within God’s Salvation History By the Theological Commission of the Norwegian Church Ministry to Israel Edited by Reidar Hvalvik The Norwegian Church Ministry to Israel 2004 Norwegian and English editions © 2004 The Norwegian Church Ministry to Israel Holbergs plass 4 N-0166 Oslo Norway Translated from Norwegian by Reidar Hvalvik 2 Contents Editor’s Preface to the English Edition ……………………………………. 3 Introduction ………………………………………………………………… 6 1. The Jewish People and the Gospel ……………………………………… 6 2. The Jewish People and the Law ………………………………………… 10 3. The Jewish People and the Church ……………………………………… 13 4. The Jewish People and the Last Days …………………………………… 16 5. The Jewish People and the Land ………………………………………… 18 3 Editor’s Preface to the English Edition As Christians we have a special relationship to the Jewish people: Jesus was a Jew, the first Christian church comprised Jews, and those who first preached the gospel to Gentiles were Jews. They did so because they knew that the message concerning Jesus as Messiah was relevant not only for Jews, but for Gentiles as well. Many Gentiles came to faith and soon they became the majority among the believers. At a relatively early stage the Jews thus became more or less “invisible” as a part of the church, and the church’s relationship to the Jewish people soon became characterized by discrimination and persecution. Large parts of the history of the church’s relationship to the Jewish people are thus dark and painful.
    [Show full text]
  • TORAH TO-GO® Established by Rabbi Hyman and Ann Arbesfeld June 2017 • Shavuot 5777 a Special Edition Celebrating President Richard M
    Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future THE BENJAMIN AND ROSE BERGER TORAH TO-GO® Established by Rabbi Hyman and Ann Arbesfeld June 2017 • Shavuot 5777 A Special Edition Celebrating President Richard M. Joel WITH SHAVUOT TRIBUTES FROM Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander • Rabbi Dr. Hillel Davis • Rabbi Dr. Avery Joel • Dr. Penny Joel Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph • Rabbi Menachem Penner • Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter • Rabbi Ezra Schwartz Special Symposium: Perspectives on Conversion Rabbi Eli Belizon • Joshua Blau • Mrs. Leah Nagarpowers • Rabbi Yona Reiss Rabbi Zvi Romm • Mrs. Shoshana Schechter • Rabbi Michoel Zylberman 1 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Shavuot 5777 We thank the following synagogues which have pledged to be Pillars of the Torah To-Go® project Beth David Synagogue Green Road Synagogue Young Israel of West Hartford, CT Beachwood, OH Century City Los Angeles, CA Beth Jacob Congregation The Jewish Center Beverly Hills, CA New York, NY Young Israel of Bnai Israel – Ohev Zedek Young Israel Beth El of New Hyde Park New Hyde Park, NY Philadelphia, PA Borough Park Koenig Family Foundation Young Israel of Congregation Brooklyn, NY Ahavas Achim Toco Hills Atlanta, GA Highland Park, NJ Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst Young Israel of Congregation Cedarhurst, NY Shaarei Tefillah West Hartford West Hartford, CT Newton Centre, MA Richard M. Joel, President and Bravmann Family University Professor, Yeshiva University Rabbi Dr. Kenneth
    [Show full text]
  • Mon I Ca Lewinsky· · ·A· Tte·Nded . .Stern
    PURIM 1999 rtw' Olficial Cillll,1t1l\('l'Olls Oulburst of '\'t•shiva Colh•gl' •• "Kiss Yom• TLil7il <,omlbrt•" PURl\t 5751) YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MOVES TO SHUT DOWN COLLEGE FOR STERN WOMEN BY SHAINDY KAHN An unreliable source has informed The Commentator this week of Rabbi Dr.Norman Lamm's pending decision to shut down the College. for Stern Women at the close of the semester. The move would be consistent with Rabbi . Lamb's decision to close dowA The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy. Lamm stated, "There is no room for females anywhere in society," David Rosen, Director of Public Relations and Face Saver for Lamm and the entire University, stated, "While Rabbi lamm's · quote was taken out of context,there is a def­ inite place for women in society, but a religious institution is not when YUPR will accidentally leak· mastermind behind the plans for Shameless Con, was not overly that place." He later stated, incomplete and incorrect informa- shutdown. When asked about his concerned with the impending "Culinary school might be a better· tion to TheJewish Week. personal influence on the decision, shutdown. She stated,"lt is not the solution for those women looking Coming as no surprise to this Socol muttered, "Lamm can't stop students' responsibility to worry to attain a higher education and Commentator reporter, Vice me ...uh ...no comment. YUPR about such non-important deci­ useful skills for life." Presid�nt ofFinance (and anything shovels all the manure you need." sions. It is our responsibility to Plans of the shutdown will else that he feels enters his fascist Socol then retreated to his office take our remaining months at this bec(lme official later this week re ime) Sheldon Socol is the true mumbling something involving a institution to find some good ---......-=---....------ fence, a paddle, a spanking, and Yeshiva Collegeboyfor marriagein Mon ca son Jeff.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 I. Introduction: the Following Essay Is Offered to the Dear Reader to Help
    I. Introduction: The power point presentation offers a number of specific examples from Jewish Law, Jewish history, Biblical Exegesis, etc. to illustrate research strategies, techniques, and methodologies. The student can better learn how to conduct research using: (1) online catalogs of Judaica, (2) Judaica databases (i.e. Bar Ilan Responsa, Otzar HaHokmah, RAMBI , etc.], (3) digitized archival historical collections of Judaica (i.e. Cairo Geniza, JNUL illuminated Ketuboth, JTSA Wedding poems, etc.), (4) ebooks (i.e. HebrewBooks.org) and eReference Encyclopedias (i.e., Encyclopedia Talmudit via Bar Ilan, EJ, and JE), (5) Judaica websites (e.g., WebShas), (5) and some key print sources. The following essay is offered to the dear reader to help better understand the great gains we make as librarians by entering the online digital age, however at the same time still keeping in mind what we dare not loose in risking to liquidate the importance of our print collections and the types of Jewish learning innately and traditionally associate with the print medium. The paradox of this positioning on the vestibule of the cyber digital information age/revolution is formulated by my allusion to continental philosophies characterization of “The Question Concerning Technology” (Die Frage ueber Teknologie) in the phrase from Holderlin‟s poem, Patmos, cited by Heidegger: Wo die Gefahr ist wachst das Retende Auch!, Where the danger is there is also the saving power. II. Going Digital and Throwing out the print books? Critique of Cushing Academy’s liquidating print sources in the library and going automated totally digital online: Cushing Academy, a New England prep school, is one of the first schools in the country to abandon its books.
    [Show full text]
  • Jewish Thought Journal of the Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought
    Jewish Thought Journal of the Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought Editors Michal Bar-Asher Siegal Jonatan Meir Shalom Sadik Haim Kreisel (editor-in-chief) Editorial Secretary Asher Binyamin Volume 1 Faith and Heresy Beer-Sheva, 2019 Jewish Thought is published once a year by the Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought. Each issue is devoted to a different topic. Topics of the following issues are as follows: 2020: Esotericism in Jewish Thought 2021: New Trends in the Research of Jewish Thought 2022: Asceticism in Judaism and the Abrahamic Religions Articles for the next issue should be submitted by September 30, 2019. Manuscripts for consideration should be sent, in Hebrew or English, as MS Word files, to: [email protected] The articles should be accompanied by an English abstract. The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors alone. The journal is open access: http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/humsos/goldstein-goren/Pages/Journal.aspx The Hebrew articles were edited by Dr. David Zori and Shifra Zori. The articles in English were edited by Dr. Julie Chajes. Address: The Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501. © All Rights Reserved This issue is dedicated to Prof. Daniel J. Lasker for his 70Th birthday Table of Contents English Section Foreward 7 Michal Bar-Asher The Minim of the Babylonian Talmud 9 Siegal Menahem Kellner The Convert as the Most Jewish of Jews? 33 On the Centrality of Belief (the Opposite of Heresy) in Maimonidean Judaism Howard Kreisel Back to Maimonides’ Sources: 53 The Thirteen Principles Revisited George Y.
    [Show full text]
  • Federation to Hold Virtual “Conversation with Michael Oren” on Nov. 30 Giving Tuesday Matching Grant of $500 for Reporter Ca
    November 20-December 3, 2020 Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton Volume XLIX, Number 37 BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK Campaign 2021 Campaign, community and the pandemic By Reporter staff the pandemic. “If businesses and restaurants are located in Israel (for example, Lunch The Jewish Federation of Greater are closed, we certainly understand their and Learn – Dimona and the JDC Center Binghamton says that its Campaign is con- need to cut back on advertising,” said Rabbi for Independent Living – Bnei Brak), the tinuing, but this is the most difficult year Rachel Esserman, executive editor of The former Soviet Union (for example, Hesed for fund-raising in recent memory. “The Reporter Group. “We’ve reduced expenses Eliyahu – Tbilisi, Georgia) and across the problem is not just that it’s more difficult by going bi-weekly, but that can only do world for its Aliyah of Rescue, which helps to raise funds when we can’t hold events increased expenses for supplies needed to so much. Our Federation allocation is an Jews who live in hostile parts of the world or meet in person,” said Shelley Hubal, keep teachers and students safe. important part of our funding and we wish emigrate to Israel. Federation executive director. “It’s that local Jewish Community Center: The JCC has Campaign 2021 great success.” “Help us keep all Jewish life strong, both organizations are also hurting because of lost income from a decrease in member- The Federation also allocates money here and across the world,” Hubal said. the pandemic. Their income is down due to ship, programming and daycare.
    [Show full text]
  • The Jewish Practice of Prayer & the Prayer of Jesus
    1 The Jewish Practice of Prayer & The Prayer of Jesus The Jewish practice of daily prayer was the school in which Jesus learnt to pray. Following Jewish custom he prayed three times a day: morning prayer at sunrise afternoon prayer at the time of the evening sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem (3pm) evening prayer at nightfall. These three “hours” of prayer were the daily habit of every devout Jew. Morning prayer had two main parts: the Shema & the Tephilla. The Shema is the basic Jewish creed, taken from Deut 6:4-7. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; & you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, & with all your soul, & with all your might. & these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; & you shall teach them diligently to your children, & shall talk of them when you sit in your house, & when you walk by the way, & when you lie down, & when you rise.” Before & after reciting this creed the worshipper prayed a number of benedictions or blessings. The second part of morning prayer was the Tephilla, meaning “The Prayer.” The Tephilla was a hymn made up of a series of benedictions, 18 at the end of the 1st cent. The first benediction ran: Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of Abraham, God of Isaac & God of Jacob, Most high God, Lord of heaven & earth, Our shield & the shield of our fathers. Blessed art thou, o Lord, the shield of Abraham. Jesus’ way of speaking about God as “the God of Abraham & the God of Isaac & the God of Jacob” (Mk 12:26) & “Lord of heaven & earth” (Mt 11:25) comes directly from this first benediction.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Jewish Religious Law on the Everyday Life of the Nineteenth Century Jewish Community in Częstochowa - Selected Issues - 1
    Jerzy Mizgalski The Influence of Jewish Religious Law on the Everyday Life of the Nineteenth Century Jewish Community in Częstochowa - Selected Issues - 1. Sources of Jewish Religious Law The books of the Old Testament constitute the basic pillar of Jewish religious tradition. As well as their historical and literary content, they contain a legal code of provisions and commandments – moral, health-related and others - which, over the centuries, have regulated the community’s everyday life. As Alan Unterman states, Jewish tradition not only teaches certain fundamental truths about God, the revelation and man, but also expresses them through ceremonies, rituals and laws which determine behaviour in various life situations1. From childhood through to old age, there is a religious duty to learn and to study the holy books whose contents support certain behaviour and contain the development of lines of thought. The Torah, with its written laws and provisions describing the fundamentals of the faith, demands the need for commenting upon and adapting the Torah to new socio-economic and political conditions, as well as to the practicalities of life2. The second pillar which supports the preservation of traditions is the Talmud. The word “Talmud” is derived from the Hebrew “lamad” which means to learn, to teach or to explain the meaning. Admittedly, the Talmud affects only the Orthodox Jews. As Eugen Werber states, it contains the cultural pearls of the Jewish people, values which, despite divisions and religious restrictions, are common to a much broader section of people and, in any case, deserve to be recognised by the world3.
    [Show full text]
  • `P` Xb `P` “Ana Ger Ana: May a Convert to Judaism Serve on a Bet Din?” Rabbi Joseph H
    `p` xb `p` “Ana Ger Ana: May a Convert to Judaism Serve on a Bet Din?” Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser Approved by the CJLS on May 30, 2012 by a vote of 19 in favor, none opposed and none abstaining. In favor: Rabbis Aaron Alexander, Pamela Barmash, David Booth, Elliot Dorff, Baruch Frydman-Kohl, Susan Grossman, Reuven Hammer, Joshua Heller, David Hoffman, Adam Kligfeld, Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Jane Kanarek, Gail Labovitz, Amy Levin, Jonathan Lubliner, Daniel Nevins, Paul Plotkin, Avram Reisner and Elie Spitz. She’eilah: Our colleague, Rabbi Shlomo Zacharow, a Mesader Gittin and Instructor at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, has turned to the Joint Bet Din of the Conservative Movement1 for instructions regarding the permissibility of including a convert to Judaism among its members when he convenes a Bet Din for divorce proceedings. The question is occasioned by restrictive approaches to this matter recently articulated by the Orthodox Beth Din of America and, with particular force, by Beth Din member Rabbi Michael Broyde. May a convert to Judaism serve on a Bet Din? Teshuvah: Countless Gerei Tzedek -- sincere and devoted converts to Judaism -- labor daily on behalf of their fellow Jews as congregational and community leaders, as Jewish educators, as rabbis and cantors, as cherished, fully empowered members of the Jewish People, and as exemplars of Jewish religious practice. The blessings represented by the presence and active participation of converts in our communities is a powerful force in contemporary Judaism, but is hardly unique to the 21st Century.2 A significant percentage of the Tannaim, for example, were themselves converts or descended from converts.
    [Show full text]
  • Siddur on the Hill
    SSiidddduurr oonn tthhee HHiillll For Friday night Shabbat services at HAVURAH ON THE HILL AT THE VILNA SHUL TABLE OF CONTENTS ii. INTRODUCTION 2. CANDLE LIGHTING 3. KABBALAT SHABBAT 20. MA’ARIV 57. MEALTIME PRAYERS 60. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 60. SOURCES This book is a joint work of the following people and is under the copyright (2011) of: Malka Benjamin, Sue Gilbert, Dallas Kennedy, Michal Kennedy, Chelley Leveillee, Deborah Melkin, Robyn Ross, Atara Schimmel, Morris A. Singer, and Georgi Vogel Rosen. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) License. The text of this license is available at (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). No claim is made to any Hebrew text, nor any other work included herein that is used under license, as noted below. Interpretive readings are used under license. Translations to the following prayers are under the copyright of Rabbi Sam Secol and are used under license: Ana Bakoakh, Barkhu, Maariv Aravim, Ahavat Olam, Shma Yisrael, Ve’ahavta, Vayomer, Ehmeht ve’Ehmuna, Mi Khamokha, Hashkivehnu le’Shalom, ve’Shamru et ha’Shabbat, Tefilat ha’Amidah (holiday sections), Tefilat Ha’Amidah – Shalom, Yihyu Leratzon, Elohei Netzar, Vayikhulu, Al Kehn Nekaveh, Shalom Alekhem, and Kiddush. Rabbi Secol has licensed these translations under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Translations to the following prayers are derived from works under the copyright of Wikipedia and are used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights): Lekha Dodi, Kaddish, Tefilat ha’Amidah, Magehn Avot, Alehnu Leshabeh’akh, Adon Olam, and Yigdal.
    [Show full text]
  • October 2017 Shalomdelaware.Org in THIS ISSUE JEWISH VOICE OCT 2017 8 17 14 37 32
    OCT 2017 VOL. 49 | NO. 4 VISIT US ONLINE AT SHALOMDEL.ORG JEWISH VOICESERVING DELAWARE AND THE BRANDYWINE VALLEY WHEN DISASTER HITS... WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER ENERGIZED & INSPIRED @ NYL CABINET RETREAT STORIES & ARTIFACTS PUBLISHED BY Jewish Federation LINK PAST TO PRESENT OF DELAWARE The ONE-STOP-SHOP for all your personal & commercial vehicle needs! www.bayshoreford.com Sandye & Jerry Turnauer's _______ _______ "The TRUCK Store" "The CAR Store" 4003 N Dupont Hwy COMMERCIAL USED TRUCKS 200 S Broadway New Castle, DE 19720 2217 N Dupont Hwy Pennsville, NJ 08070 (800) 241-6644 New Castle, DE 19720 (800) 353-3872 (302) 656-3160 (800) 241-6644 (302) 678-3111 (302) 656-3160 FIESTA FOCUS FUSION MUSTANG ESCAPE EXPLORER EDGE TRANSIT PASSENGER VAN TRANSIT F150 F250 - F550 GAS/DIESEL F650 - F750 TRUCK PARTS & SERVICE 85 hr/wk (302) 656-3160 - (800)241-6644 GAS - DIESEL - ELECTRIC - CNG - ALTERNATIVE POWER All Makes Cars & Trucks LEASING RENTAL 302-225-8540 BODYSHOP 302-832-0108 302-633-6865 Area's Highest Volume Commercial Used Truck Center (800) 241-6644 What will your Jewish legacy be? We hope our legacy gift will help ensure that CREATE A future generations of Delaware Jewish families will have the same or better experiences that Jew sh our family has enjoyed. Legacy – Michelle and Russell Silberglied DELAWARE Create A Jewish Legacy is a program of Jewish Federation of Delaware’s Jewish Fund for the Future and is funded in part by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. ShalomDelaware.org/Legacy For more information about creating your legacy, contact
    [Show full text]
  • This Past Shabbat We Were Reviewing Some of the Midrashim Related to Jacob's Deathbed Blessing of His Children. One of the Bigge
    This past Shabbat we were reviewing some of the Midrashim related to Jacob's deathbed blessing of his children. One of the biggest sources of a few of the Midrashim is part of the play on words that Hebrew allows - vowels are added to the letters, and often the same set of letters mean two different words - and this week, the English equivalents are "to" and "God". Before beginning the blessings directed at the children, he says, "Listen, you all, to/God Israel/of israel your father." One the simplest level, the sentence reads, "Listen to Israel your father." On the pun level, it is, "Listen you all, the God of Israel is your father." On the expanded level, "Listen, all of you, the God of Israel is as singular as your father." Which is to say that Jacob hoped that unlike all previous generations, that his children would have only the God of Abraham and Isaac in their minds as the God to worship. According to the Midrash, the children all responded, "Listen, Israel [our father] Adonai is indeed our God, and only Adonai." At which point, Jacob relaxed a bit and metaphorically murmured "Thank God" before getting to the point. The Midrash is a bit more specific about the words he used, however. Jacob is reported to have murmured "The reputation of Adonai's glorious kingdom is now clearly eternally blessed." The Midrash continues to let us know that this statement of the children is why we have the opportunity to recite the Shma two to three times each day, so that Jacob can continue to recite his response, "Baruch Sheim K'vod Malchuto L'olam Va'ed." This extension of the Midrash is the basis for the difference of opinion concerning the response line of the Shma.
    [Show full text]