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Degel Rosh Hashana 5770 CONTENTS Editor 3 Notes from the Editor Ben Elton BEN ELTON Design 5 What happened to Adam after he left the Garden of Eden Tammy Youngerwood ADAM ROSS Sub-editors 13 ‘All those who say Shlomo sinned are mistaken’: Of rabbis and revisionism Sandy Tapnack DANIEL YOUNGERWOOD Jemma Jacobs 29 The trial of the Akeida: Does God always keep His promises? Fundraising MD SPITZER Ben Vos 36 Hatsi shiur assur min hatorah JOSH SAMAD 41 Vegetarianism and animal rights in Judaism ALEX HAMILTON 50 Divine Providence in medieval and contemporary Jewish thought JOSEPH FAITH 58 Maharat: A new role for women? RACHEL STAFLER 63 Letters to the Editor Degel is a publication of the Alei Tzion Community | aleitzion.co.uk Schaller House | 44a Albert Road | London | NW4 2SJ | [email protected] DEGEL: TORAH AND JEWISH StUDIES FROM ALEI TZION | 3 Notes from the Editor f Degel reflects the community that produces it, and Josh Samad discusses the basis for the Torah prohibition if a hallmark of postmodernism is the acceptance of of eating a forbidden food, even in an amount smaller that a multiplicity of views as valuable, then Alei Tzion the measure for which one is punished, the issue of hatsi Imay have misunderstood itself. We may not be a Modern shiur assur min hatorah. He finds room to cite both R. Orthodox, but a Postmodern Orthodox kehilla. Yehezkel Landau of Prague (the author of Noda Beyehuda and Tselah) and his critic R Avraham David Wahrman Perhaps the most noticeably postmodern contribution (author of the Ezer Mekudash), who attacked R Landau for to this issue is Ephry Eder’s letter, which casts doubt his opposition to Hasidism. on the singularity of truth, a concept that has long been a target for postmodernists. Simcha Handley’s Alex Hamilton demonstrates the variety of attitudes to theological objections to Zionism may test the extent of vegetarianism that can be held within Orthodoxy, and the our community’s willingness to accept the presence of a nuances within each. Joseph Faith charts a sharp turn in plurality of views. I hope it is a test we shall pass. mainstream attitudes towards Divine Providence in the eighteenth century, which seems to show that Orthodoxy is not a stranger to change. Alei Tzion may have A more contemporary, practical and controversial misunderstood itself. We may not change is discussed by Rachel Stafler. The conferral of the be a Modern Orthodox, but a title ‘Maharat’ on Sara Hurwitz after her completion of Postmodern Orthodox kehilla. rabbinical training may be the start of a trend, or come to be seen as a failed experiment. I cannot end these notes without thanking the team Adam Ross, MD Spitzer and Daniel Youngerwood have all behind Degel, the authors, subeditors, sponsors and written close studies of events in Tanakh, but in markedly designer. In particular I must mention Tammy and different styles. Ross gives us a Midrashic-mystical Daniel Youngerwood. Daniel’s articles have done much to reading of the story of Adam harishon, with strikingly establish Degel’s high standards. When Tammy offered to modern psychological resonances. Spitzer’s analysis of design the publication I knew we would have a fabulous the test involved in the Akeida is drawn from the stream looking product. Together they made sure that Degel of traditional lamdanut. While coming to traditional was a pleasure to read. I wish them every success as they conclusions, Youngerwood’s search for the plain meaning make aliya, which I am sure will not mean the end of their of the accounts of the life of Shlomo hamelekh uses fresh association with this journal. approaches developed by contemporary Orthodox Biblical scholars. With best wishes for a shana tova. — BEN ElTON 4 שנה טובה ומתוקה KEHILLAT ALEI TZION WIshES THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY A haPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR Aarons Family Klein Family Daphna, Ellie, Yoel, Ashira Susie, Eliot, Rina and Sara Kaye and Akiva Bergin Adina and Rafi Mendelssohn Anthony Bodenstein Yudit and Josh Samad Rachel and Elliot Cohen Shelton Family of London Tal Cohen and the Susman Family of Manchester and London Terrie and Ephry Eder, Olivia and Naftali, Arriel and Ari Leah and Trevor Silverman Ben Elton Devorah, Moishe Dovid, Tzivia and Avi Spitzer Daniel Elton Rachel, Robbie and Eliav Stafler Lucinda and Martin Glasser Corrine, David, Lior, Eli, Gemma and Alastair Goldrein Jesse and Kayla Tapnack Goldschneider Family Sandy Tapnack Lauren and Neil Hamburger Ben Vos Devorah and Simcha Handley Syma and Henry Weinberg Ayalah, Ashley, Sara, Nathan, Sophie Meital and Limor Hirst and Benjamin Woodward Jemma Jacobs Yellon Family Katten Family Tammy, Daniel, Adiel, Elisha, and Gidon Youngerwood DEGEL: TORAH AND JEWISH StUDIES FROM ALEI TZION | 5 What happened to Adam after he left the Garden of Eden? ADAM ROSS dam lived for 930 years, yet we know that he lows of losing that paradise, was filled with enormous had been created, married Eve, feasted on the feelings of guilt. forbidden fruit and been exiled from the Garden ofA Eden all before sunset on his first day. This leaves us to The Midrash Rabba tells us that when Adam saw the sun account for at least 929 years of his life.1 go down at the end of the sixth day, he thought that he was to blame and that his actions had darkened the world The Midrash, Zohar and sources later in Bereshit itself forever. provide an indication of the kind of life that Adam lived after his fateful first day. The Midrash continues that when the sun rose again the following morning, Adam felt great relief. The Psalm for His life was punctuated by a set of trailblazing emotional, Shabbat is attributed to Adam, with the verse proclaim God’s kindness in the‘ , לְהַּגִיד בַּ בֹּ קֶר חַסְדֶּ ךָ spiritual and psychological milestones that led him to separate from Eve and go into a personal exile that lasted morning’ representing his relief that he had not caused the 130 years before he returned to reconnect with humanity. world to fall into eternal darkness. Besides being able to advise us which fruit to avoid in the greengrocer’s, Adam has some deep lessons for us in how Despite this relief, Adam’s response to the sun setting to overcome our failings and live our lives. I hope here indicates how a person can start to see the whole world to highlight some of the aspects of Adam in all of us, and through a prism of their own feelings of regret and guilt. suggest some of the ways we can learn from him. Leaving Eden Adam who had known the highest highs of paradise and now the After his sin, Adam the conqueror and explorer became Adam the meek, sorrowful and isolated. The man who lowest lows of losing that paradise, named all of the animals2 and who confused the angels was filled with enormous feelings with his holiness and great stature, curled up to hide in the of guilt. garden embarrassed, naked and ashamed.3 The Midrash Tanhuma states that when Adam sinned he lost four things: The glow of his face, his immortality, his Falling from a great height extraordinary height and, having been harangued out of the Garden of Eden, he also lost his home.4 In order to understand the loss Adam had to come to terms with after leaving Eden, it is important to Each of these losses has its own significance, but together understand what he had while he was there. What was the they caused him unbearable sadness. Adam who had fall he took so badly? known the highest highs of paradise and now the lowest 6 goodness, completeness and uprightness of spiritual paradise. His face glowed with his wondrous proximity to the source of all blessing. After sinning, Adam could not re enter this higher zone of consciousness.8 Just as walking on a broken limb will cause intolerable pain, so too focussing a bruised mind, is equally unbearable. In sinning, Adam badly damaged the higher realm of his consciousness. It was sensitive and unusable and became a place in his mind that he could no longer visit. Leaving Eve Our ability to give of ourselves to others around us is determined by how much emotional energy we have to expend at any given time. For Adam the enormity of what happened in the Garden of Eden was too much, and he Adam and Eve banished from the Garden of Eden banished himself into isolation, leaving his family behind. The Torah teaches that God instructed The Midrash Rabba explains that Adam blamed his wife Let Us make man in our for persuading him to sin, even regretted naming her Isha‘ נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּ צַלְמֵנּו כִּ דְמּותֵנו image and in our likeness.’ On the question of who God since this name was closely associated with his own name was talking to here, Rashi states that he consulted the Ish.9 He renamed her Hava meaning ‘to speak’ and began angels before making man, however there are many other to see her only in the context of how she had aided his 5 explanations as well. downfall.10 finds its source One of the four reasons listed by the Midrash Rabba for כִּ דְמּותֵנּו Ramban suggests that the word in the words ‘dmut’, likeness, and ‘dimyon’, imagination. Cain and Abel’s fatal dispute was the question of who He suggests that man is defined by his power of broad would inherit the earth, as both brothers assumed that 6 imagination. their father had permanently separated from Eve.
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