DOCSLIB.ORG

Learning for Times of Uncertainty and Challenge 7 December V'ahavtah

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Learning for Times of Uncertainty and Challenge 7 December V'ahavtah [email protected] Learning for Times of Uncertainty and Challenge 7 December Loving the Brokenness: Chassidic sources on love and challenge Rabbi Menahem-Mendl of Kotzk, Sefer Amud Ha-Emet, p. 89 אין שלם כלב שבור, אין ישר כסולם עקום, ואין עקום כבדותת-יושר (גלייך ווערטל) There is nothing more whole than a broken heart. There is nothing more straight than a crooked letter. And there is nothing more crooked than true stories. Leviticus 19:18 ֹ ֹ ֽל ִא־תקֹּ֤ם וְֽל ִא־תטֹּר֙ ֶא ְת־בֵּנ֣י ַעֶמָּ֔ך You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against וְֽאָ ַהְב ָתּ֥ ְלֵרֲעָך֖ ָכּמ֑ ָוֹך ֲאנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃ .your countrymen Love your fellow as yourself: I am the LORD. וְֽאַָהְב ָתּ֥ v'ahavtah ְלֵרֲעָך֖ l'reiachah ָכּמ֑וָֹך kamochah ֲאִנ֖י ani יְהוָֽה adonai ְלֵרֲעָך֖ Defining the word ֵרַע 1. shouting, roar ֵרַע 1. friend, companion, fellow, another person 1. friend, intimate 2. fellow, fellow-citizen, another person (weaker sense) 3. other, another (reciprocal phrase) ֵרַע 1. purpose, aim, thought Source: Open Scriptures on GitHub​Creator: Based on the work of Larry Pierce at the Online Bible רעע ra'a' II) is probably a loan word from Aramaic. It's equivalent to the Hebrew) רעע The verb רע rasas), which means crush or break in pieces. But note that in Isaiah 45:7, the word) רצץ verb ,shalom), meaning whole or unbrokenness) שלום ra'), meaning evil, is used juxtaposed with) suggesting that "evil" in essence is brokenness, or the existence of space between elements that ra'a') is used about eight times, in the meaning) רעע designed to be firmly connected. Our verb of literal breaking something (Jeremiah 11:16), or figuratively in the sense of brokenness by God due to sin (Job 34:24). Source: Abarim Publications' online Biblical Hebrew Dictionary [email protected] Besht: Torah Portion Kedoshim: #21: Recorded in Otzar Hachaim Israel ben Eliezer (born circa 1700, died 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov or Besht, was a Jewish mystical​ ​rabbi​ considered the founder of ​Hasidic Judaism​. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, meaning "Master of the Good Name" or "one with a good reputation." ואהבת לרעך כמוך וגו' .פירוש הפסוק :The explanation of the verse “Va’ahavtah,” is such ואהבת לרעך, שכמו שאתה תתנהג עם רעך ,Just as you behave with your fellow in love and unity באהבה ואחדות, כמוך אני ה', שאני ה' אהיה like you, “I am God.” That is, that I, God, will be like כמוך, והוא בסוד ה' צלך(תהלים קכ"א, ה')יז) you [kamochah ani hashem]. And this is with the שנתבאר בדברי מרן אלוקי הבעש"ט, שכמו (secret meaning of “God is your shadow,” (Psalm 121 שאדם מתנהג למטה עם חבירו ורעו, as will be explained in the words of our master, the באהבה ובמדות טובות, וכך יתנהג עמו מלך divine, The Baal Shem Tov, that just as a person עליון, וכמו הצל,שכל תנועה שאדם עושה כך behaves below with his friend and fellow, with love עושה הצל כנגדו, כן הוא יתברך עם האדם, and with good attributes, thus the lofty king behaves וזהו ואהבת לרעך, כי כמוך אני ה', להתנהג with him. And like the shadow, that every movement גם עמך באהבה וכל טוב: (אוצר החיים that a person does, so the shadow does in relation to (פרשת קדושים דף קע"ב ע"ד .him, thus Hashem may He be Blessed is with a person And this is “And you shall love your fellow” [​v’ahavta l’reachah​] because like you [​kamochah​], I am god [​ani Hashem​], to behave with you with love and all goodness. Now, translate the words in the verse based on the above: - וְֽאַָהְב ָתּ֥ v'ahavtah - ְלֵרֲעָך֖ l'reiachah - ָכּמ֑וָֹך kamochah - ֲאִנ֖י ani - יְהוָֽה adonai Add punctuation based on your translation: וְֽאַָהְב ָתּ֥ ְלֵרֲעָך֖ ָכּמ֑וָֹך ֲאִנ֖י יְהוָֽה [email protected] Likutei Moharan Torah 165 Nachman of Breslov (April 4, 1772 – October 16, 1810), was the founder of the ​Breslov​ ​Hasidic movement. A great-grandson of the ​Baal Shem Tov​, he revived the Hasidic movement by combining the esoteric secrets of Judaism (the ​Kabbalah​) with in-depth ​Torah​ scholarship. He attracted thousands of followers during his lifetime, and his influence continues today through many Hasidic movements such as Breslov Hasidism. ואהבת לרעך כמוך אני ה'. היינו שתקבל ”.And you shall love your neighbor as yourself, I am God“ באהבה, כל הרעות והיסורין הבאים That is, that you shall receive in love, all of the evils and עליך, כי ראוי שתדע, שלפי מעשיך אחר challenges that come to you. Because it is worthy that you כל היסורים והרעות שיש לך, עדיין הוא should know, that according to your actions following all מתנהג עמך ברחמים, כי הי' מגיע לך of the challenges and evils that you have, still He behaves יותר ויותר ח"ו, לפי מעשיך. וזהו ואהבת with you in mercy. Because according to your actions [in לרעך, שתאהוב הרע שבא לך, היינו response to your suffering], there would reach you more הרעות והיסורין הבאים עליך ח"ו, and more [suffering], God forbid. And this is “Love your תקבלם באהבה, כי כמוך כמו שאתה [neighbor” [reachah] that you should love the evil [rah הוא, היינו לפי מעשיך, אני ה', בעל that comes to you, God forbid. You should receive [the הרחמים, עדיין אני מתנהג עמך ברחמים challenges] with love. Because like you, like you are :כנ"ל kamochah], according to your actions, that’s how much I] am Hashem [​ani hashem​]. [I,] master of mercy, will behave with you in mercy, as we mentioned above. Now, translate the words in the verse based on the above: - וְֽאַָהְב ָתּ֥ v'ahavtah - ְלֵרֲעָך֖ l'reiachah - ָכּמ֑וָֹך kamochah - ֲאִנ֖י ani - יְהוָֽה adonai Add punctuation based on your translation: וְֽאַָהְב ָתּ֥ ְלֵרֲעָך֖ ָכּמ֑וָֹך ֲאִנ֖י יְהוָֽה [email protected] Meor Einayim: Torah Portion Chukat Rabbi​ Menachem Nochum Twersky of Chernobyl (born 1730, Norynsk, ​Volhynia​ - died 1787, Chernobyl​, ​Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth​) was the founder of the ​Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty​. He was a disciple of the ​Baal Shem Tov​ and the ​Maggid of Mezritch​, and published one of the first works of Hasidic thought. ולכך אומרים קודם כל תפלה הריני... And therefore before prayer say “Behold, I accept upon מקבל עלי מצות עשה של ואהבת לרעך ,myself the positive command of loving your neighbor וגו' כי הכל הוא אחדות גמור כמו התורה ,etc.” [before prayer] because it is all with complete unity שנקראת תורה בהצטרף כל האותיות כולן like the Torah, that is only called Torah when all of the ואף אם רואה בחבירו שום דבר רע ישנא letters join together. And even if he sees in his fellow הרע שבו אך החלק הקדוש יאהבנו מאוד some bad thing, he will hate the evil within himself. So כנפשו כי הבעל שם טוב נבג"מ אמר ,too, the holy part [in another] he will love very much שהצדיק הגמור שאין רע בקרבו אין רואה like his own soul. Because the Ba’al Shem Tov, his soul is שום רע על שום אדם אך מי שרואה שום in the treasure of on high, said that the true righteous רע בחבירו הענין הוא כמו שמסתכל person that has no evil within him, cannot see any evil במראה אם פניו מטונפין רואה גם כן about any person. But a person who sees some evil in his במראה כך ואם פניו נקיים אינו רואה fellow, that matter is like he has looked in a mirror: if his במראה שום דופי כמו שהוא כך רואה וזהו face is dirty, he sees thus in the mirror, and if his face is ואהבת לרעך כמוך (ויקרא יט, יח) פירוש ,clean, he doesn’t see in the mirror any blemish. As he is כמוך כמו שאם יודע האדם בעצמו שום רע so he sees. And this is what the verse means “Love your בקרבו משום הא אינו שונא את עצמו אף neighbor as yourself,” the explanation of “as yourself” is ששונא הרע שבקרבו כך גם כן על חבירו כי like that if a person knows in himself some evil inside באמת הכל אחד כי הלא גם לחבירו יש גם him, from this he does not hate himself, rather, he hates ... כן חלק אלוה כמוהו ויש לו אות בתורה the evil within himself which leads him to feel the same towards ​his fellow​. Because truly it is all one, because behold also in his fellow there is a portion of the divine, like him, and he too has a letter in the torah. ... translate the words in the verse based on the above: - וְֽאַָהְב ָתּ֥ v'ahavtah - ְלֵרֲעָך֖ l'reiachah - ָכּמ֑וָֹך kamochah - ֲאִנ֖י ani - יְהוָֽה adonai Add punctuation based on your translation: וְֽאַָהְב ָתּ֥ ְלֵרֲעָך֖ ָכּמ֑וָֹך ֲאִנ֖י יְהוָֽה [email protected] Mei Ha’Shiloach, Volume II, Leviticus, Kedoshim 7 Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica (1801-1854) was a ​rabbinic​ Hasidic thinker and founder of the Izhbitza-Radzyn dynasty​ of ​Hasidic Judaism​. He was a disciple of Reb ​Simcha Bunim of Peshischa where he joined Rabbi ​Menachem Mendel of Kotzk​ and Rabbi Yosef of Yartshev. His students included Rabbi ​Zadok HaKohen​ of ​Lublin​ (1823–1900), his son, Rabbi Yaakov Leiner (1828–1878) and his grandson Rabbi ​Gershon Henoch Leiner​ of ​Radzyn​. וכן צריך לקיים מצות ואהבת לרעך... and therefore a person needs to establish the mitzvah of ... כמוך שכמו שהאדם אוהב את עצמו אף Love your neighbor as yourself,” that just as a person“ על פי שמכיר עצמו ויודע חסרונו, מ"מ על loves himself, even as he recognises himself and knows his כל פשעיו תכסה אהבתו לנפשו. וכן צריך faults, on all counts, he should cover his faults with the לאהוב גם את חבירו אף על פי שמכיר ,love for his soul.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sinful Thoughts: Comments on Sin, Failure, Free Will, and Related Topics Based on David Bashevkin’S New Book Sin•A•Gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought
    Sinful Thoughts: Comments on Sin, Failure, Free Will, and Related Topics Based on David Bashevkin’s new book Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought Sinful Thoughts: Comments on Sin, Failure, Free Will, and Related Topics Based on David Bashevkin’s new book Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought (Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2019) By Rabbi Yitzchok Oratz A Bashevkin-inspired Bio Blurb:[1] Rabbi Yitzchok Oratz is Rabbi of the Monmouth Torah Links community in Marlboro, NJ. His writings can be found in various rabbinic and popular journals, including Hakira, Ohr Yisroel, Nehoroy, Nitay Ne’emanim, and on Aish, Times of Israel, Torah Links, Seforim Blog, and elsewhere. His writings are rejected as often as they are accepted, and the four books he is currently working on will likely never see the light of day. “I’d rather laugh[2] with the sinners than cry with the saints; the sinners are much more fun.”[3] Fortunate is the man who follows not the advice of the wicked, nor stood in the path of the sinners, nor sat in the session of the scorners. (Psalms 1:1) One who hopes is always happy [and] without pain . hope keeps one alive . even one who has minimal good deeds . has hope . one who hopes, even if he enters Hell, he will be taken out . his hope is his purity, literally the Mikvah [4] of Yisroel . and this is the secret of repentance . (Ramchal, Derush ha-Kivuy) [5] Rabbi David Bashevkin is a man deeply steeped in sin.
    [Show full text]
  • Chassidus on the Chassidus on the Parsha +
    LIGHTS OF OUR RIGHTEOUS TZADDIKIM בעזרת ה ' יתבר A Tzaddik, or righteous person , makes everyone else appear righteous before Hashem by advocating for them and finding their merits. Kedushas Levi, Parshas Noach (Bereishis 7:1) VA’ES CHA NAN _ CHASSIDUS ON THE PARSHA + Dvar Torah Deciphered Messages The Torah tells us ( Shemos 19:19) that when the Jewish people gathered at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah , “Moshe spoke and Hashem answered him with a voice.” The Gemora (Berochos 45a) der ives from this pasuk the principle that that an interpreter should not speak more loudly than the reader whose words he is translating. Tosafos immediately ask the obvious question: from that pasuk we see actually see the opposite: that the reader should n ot speak more loudly than the interpreter. We know, says Rav Levi Yitzchok, that Moshe’s nevua (prophecy) was different from that of the other nevi’im (prophets) in that “the Shechina was speaking through Moshe’s throat”. This means that the interpretation of the nevuos of the other nevi’im is not dependent on the comprehension of the people who hear it. The nevua arrives in this world in the mind of the novi and passes through the filter of his perspectives. The resulting message is the essence of the nevua. When Moshe prophesied, however, it was as if the Shechina spoke from his throat directly to all the people on their particular level of understanding. Consequently, his nevuos were directly accessible to all people. In this sense then, Moshe was the rea der of the nevua , and Hashem was the interpreter.
    [Show full text]
  • An Honest Account of a Contemporary Jewish Publishing Odyssey
    An Honest Account of a Contemporary Jewish Publishing Odyssey In Your Anger, Please Mercifully Publish My Work: An Honest Account of a Contemporary Jewish Publishing Odyssey by Dovid Bashevkin[1] My recently published sefer, “Berogez Racheim Tizkor” (trans: “In your anger, you shall remember to have mercy”), whose title is based on the verse in Habbakuk 3:2 and traditionally recited each morning during Tahanun, really began as a tweet. In March 2014, I tweeted, “Considering writing a sefer entitled “Aveiros K’Hilchisa.” Considering writing a sefer entitled “Aveiros K’Hilchisa.” — D Bash (@DBashIdeas) March 5, 2014 The tweet was originally intended as a satire of the many seforim that have been published as halakhic digests of obscure practical issues in Judaism. If there could be an Ittush be-Halakhah (trans: “Sneezing in Jewish Law,” – an actual pamphlet shown to me by my dear friend and devoted consigliere Reb Menachem Butler), why not anAveiros “ K’Hilchisa”?[2] However, as often happens, what began as satire became a very real project. Following the passing of my Zaide, Mr. William Bashevkin, and last living grandparent, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to their memory to publish a work of Torah. Additionally, coupling sorrow with joy, my marriage this past year to Tova (née Flancbaum) gave me the inspiration to begin my relationship with a project of Torah scholarship. The sefer, which is a small collection of essays discussing halakhic issues related to sin and the path towards teshuva, is based upon shiurim I have had the opportunity to deliver periodically at the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst.
    [Show full text]
  • Revelation and Coercion: the Metaphor of the Forced Bride
    Revelation and Coercion: The metaphor of the forced bride Matan Torah 2 201823 is a painting by Alyse Radenovic Revelation, coercion, rape, the breaking of the Tablets, The power of the Oral law in Rabbinic hands, the subjection of the Divine to Torah Law, the implication for modern Jurisprudence. 1 The receiving of the Law and our celebration this weekend on the festival of Shavuot/Pentecost allows us to meditate on the theory of Jurisprudence that most fits the adjuring of our continued participation in Halacha and Mitzvot. Recent theories posit two different understandings of modern democratic systems of law. Austin posits the following: "The existence of law is one thing; its merit or demerit is another. Whether it be or be not is one enquiry; whether it be or be not conformable to an assumed standard, is a different enquiry. A law, which actually exists, is a law, though we happen to dislike it.” This statement is an expression of legal positivism because it asserts the separability of law and morals. Rabbi Lichtenstein has written about the possibility of a disconnect between Halacha and Morality. The second theory critiques this positivism as described by Hart: Laws are coercive orders or commands: That are issued by a sovereign or the sovereign’s authorized subordinates and apply within the sovereign’s territory. That are typically general and standing orders. That are backed by threats of coercion. It is generally believed that these threats are likely to be implemented when disobedience occurs. That are generally and habitually obeyed by the population. Hart’s central criticism of Austin’s theory is based on the fact that some statutes are unlike orders in that they do not require person to do things, but confer powers on them.
    [Show full text]
  • Hasidic Judaism - Wikipedia, the Freevisited Encyclopedi Ona 1/6/2015 Page 1 of 19
    Hasidic Judaism - Wikipedia, the freevisited encyclopedi ona 1/6/2015 Page 1 of 19 Hasidic Judaism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sephardic pronunciation: [ħasiˈdut]; Ashkenazic , תודיסח :Hasidic Judaism (from the Hebrew pronunciation: [χaˈsidus]), meaning "piety" (or "loving-kindness"), is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality through the popularization and internalization of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspect of the faith. It was founded in 18th-century Eastern Europe by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov as a reaction against overly legalistic Judaism. His example began the characteristic veneration of leadership in Hasidism as embodiments and intercessors of Divinity for the followers. [1] Contrary to this, Hasidic teachings cherished the sincerity and concealed holiness of the unlettered common folk, and their equality with the scholarly elite. The emphasis on the Immanent Divine presence in everything gave new value to prayer and deeds of kindness, alongside rabbinical supremacy of study, and replaced historical mystical (kabbalistic) and ethical (musar) asceticism and admonishment with Simcha, encouragement, and daily fervor.[2] Hasidism comprises part of contemporary Haredi Judaism, alongside the previous Talmudic Lithuanian-Yeshiva approach and the Sephardi and Mizrahi traditions. Its charismatic mysticism has inspired non-Orthodox Neo-Hasidic thinkers and influenced wider modern Jewish denominations, while its scholarly thought has interested contemporary academic study. Each Hasidic Jews praying in the Hasidic dynasty follows its own principles; thus, Hasidic Judaism is not one movement but a synagogue on Yom Kippur, by collection of separate groups with some commonality. There are approximately 30 larger Hasidic Maurycy Gottlieb groups, and several hundred smaller groups. Though there is no one version of Hasidism, individual Hasidic groups often share with each other underlying philosophy, worship practices, dress (borrowed from local cultures), and songs (borrowed from local cultures).
    [Show full text]
  • David Bashevkin JEWISH THOUGHT
    David Bashevkin Rabbi Bashevkin is the director of education for NCSY and an instructor at Yeshiva University. He recently published Sin·a·gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought. JEWISH THOUGHT: A PROCESS, NOT A TEXT am deeply uncomfortable with the term “Jewish thought.” Its sibling, “mahshava” and its more formal uncle, “Mahashevet Yisrael,” make me Ifeel no better. Allow me to ignore altogether their uneducated cousin “hashkafa,” a term so vacuous it barely deserves our attention. There are several reasons I do not like these terms. First of all, they divorce these texts from the larger body of Jewish literature from which they arise. Cordoning off ideas with philosophical import was not practiced by the Talmud, nor by Maimonides in his Mishne Torah, and the idea of doing so was explicitly lamented by Rabbi Shmuel Eidels, known as Maharsha, in the introduction to his talmudic commentary.1 “I regret my initial decision to divide up my commentary into two separate works,” he writes, “namely, one on aggada and one on halakha.” Classifi cations and specialization, while often necessary and commonly accepted in academic circles, strips the fl avor and richness away from Jewish ideas. Jewish thought divorced from halakhic and, more broadly, talmudic discourse, can feel like caging a wild animal. A tiger in a zoo may be majestic, but it is clearly not in its natural habitat. The context in which ideas emerge, Jewish or otherwise, is part of what nourishes their signifi cance. Philosophical ideas cannot be taken out of context. Whether it is a consideration of the broader talmudic context, the larger work in which they appear, or the historical framework—context matters.
    [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]
  • צב | עב January Tevet | Sh’Vat Capricorn Saturn | Aquarius Saturn
    צב | עב January Tevet | Sh’vat Capricorn Saturn | Aquarius Saturn Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 | 17th of Tevet* 2 | 18th of Tevet* New Year’s Day Parashat Vayechi Abraham Moshe Hillel Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov Rabbi Salman Mutzfi Rabbi Huna bar Mar Zutra & Rabbi Rabbi Yaakov Krantz Mesharshya bar Pakod Rabbi Moshe Kalfon Ha-Cohen of Jerba 3 | 19th of Tevet * 4* | 20th of Tevet 5 | 21st of Tevet * 6 | 22nd of Tevet* 7 | 23rd of Tevet* 8 | 24th of Tevet* 9 | 25th of Tevet* Parashat Shemot Rabbi Menchachem Mendel Yosef Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon Rabbi Leib Mochiach of Polnoi Rabbi Hillel ben Naphtali Zevi Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira Rabbi Yisrael Dov of Vilednik Rabbi Schulem Moshkovitz Rabbi Naphtali Cohen Miriam Mizrachi Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler 10 | 26th of Tevet* 11 | 27th of Tevet* 12 | 28th of Tevet* 13* | 29th of Tevet 14* | 1st of Sh’vat 15* | 2nd of Sh’vat 16 | 3rd of Sh’vat* Rosh Chodesh Sh’vat Parashat Vaera Rabbeinu Avraham bar Dovid mi Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch HaRav Yitzhak Kaduri Rabbi Meshulam Zusha of Anipoli Posquires Rabbi Yehoshua Yehuda Leib Diskin Rabbi Menahem Mendel ben Rabbi Shlomo Leib Brevda Rabbi Eliyahu Moshe Panigel Abraham Krochmal Rabbi Aryeh Leib Malin 17* | 4th of Sh’vat 18 | 5th of Sh’vat* 19 | 6th of Sh’vat* 20 | 7th of Sh’vat* 21 | 8th of Sh’vat* 22 | 9th of Sh’vat* 23* | 10th of Sh’vat* Parashat Bo Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzeirah Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum Rabbi Nathan David Rabinowitz
    [Show full text]
  • The Thought of Maharal of Prague J PH 1815 Dr. Brill Spring 2006 This
    The Thought of Maharal of Prague J PH 1815 Dr. Brill Spring 2006 This course will examine the thought of R. Yehudah Loew of Prague through extensive readings in his writings. Topics covered will include: associative method, reasons for the commandments, creation, Divine attributes, miracles, determinism, anthropology, ethical system, and messianism. We will discuss the relationship of his thought to philosophy, kabbalah, and Renaissance thought. The course will conclude with an analysis of the influence of his writings on eighteenth and nineteenth century Jewish thought. You may reach me by e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected] There will be a paper, and a final. You will be responsible for handouts given in class, please be sure to receive copies. The selections labeled as Reading: are mandatory for the final. All the required readings have numbers. Those listed as Suggested: are optional. We will adjust the reading list, as needed, based on class discussion. Basics: Please have available a set of Maharal's writings. You may use any edition. For finding topics in Maharal, the following are helpful. Avraham Kariv, Kitvei Maharal miPrag: Mivhar A useful topical arrangement but usually without citation to the source of the quote. DBS CD-Rom has Maharal. Moshe Yehiel Zuriel, Otzrot Maharal: maftehot inyanim… Bene Berak: 1985. I. Background A] Ashkenaz: Kupfer Thesis, Rationality, Polemics, and Kavod Theories Suggested: Readings: Frank Talmage "Sefer ha-Nissahon of R. Yom Tov Lipman Muehlhausen Apples of Gold Settings of Silver (1999) 319-356. Frank Talmage, "Angels, Anthems, and Anathemas: Aspects of Popular Religion in Fourteenth-Century Bohemian Judaism" in Talmage Volume II (1992) 13-20.
    [Show full text]
  • Parshat Korach June 26-27, 2020
    4 Tammuz ● Parshat Korach June 26-27, 2020 Dearest Members and Friends, Judging historical figures along with the movements or ideals they launched and promoted FRIDAY, JUNE 26 is not an easy task. Decades, even centuries, may pass before there is the clarity of 6:30pm KABBALAT SHABBAT perspective. And even then there is always the chance of a complete revision. Is the VIA ZOOM enduring success of a message or legacy proof that someone or something is right? What 7:50pm CANDLELIGHTING happens if history has written them off as an aberration? Are we to assume that this judgment is correct? More importantly, what if someone or something is profoundly wrong, SATURDAY, JUNE 27 but contemporary thinking embraces them? Last month, Professor Shaul Magid wrote a superb article in Tablet regarding the anti-Zionism of Rabbi Joel 8:53pm SHABBAT ENDS Teitelbaum, the charismatic rabbinic leader of the Satmar Jewish community before the Second World War 9:20 HAVDALAH VIA ZOOM who went on to become the fiery beacon of ultra-orthodox anti-Zionism in the postwar world. He suggests that Rabbi Teitelbaum’s views are not just worth reading, but extremely important to read if you want to get Guidelines for Praying at a rounded perspective on the theological backdrop to the Jews’ post-exile return to their Promised Land. He home: is broadly correct, although I must respectfully disagree with the subheading of his article, which proclaims that “few Jews today agree with the late Satmar rebbe’s attacks on Zionism.” When davening at home, it is best Although the tens of thousands who make up the current Satmar community along with the many smaller to daven at the same time that Hasidic groups aligned with them may lack the theological sophistication of their founding father, they more you would have davened when in than make up for their superficiality with the depth and vehemence of their determined anti-Zionism.
    [Show full text]
  • Ohr Yisrael Newsletter
    Ohr Yisrael of Marine Park Newsletter wgyv [wrp Vol. 1 Issue 9 Cong. Ohr Yisrael, 2899 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11229 718-382-8702 www.ohryisroel.org I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE ... vhjq dev Myrjm lvbg hjqm 1 evbwh [wrp The Pasuk towards the end of the Parsha says v[a rybeh Mah [av” 2 KId’s Korner vhjq dev Myrjm lvbg hjqm Myrel” “As for the nation, he transferred it by cities, from one end of Myrjm’s borders to its other end.” 3 hklh yrbd 4 Yahrtzeits this week Rashi explains that Fsvy moved the Myyrjm from city to city for a specific purpose. He was concerned that when his family arrived in Community News & Events 5 Myrjm, they would be made to feel as strangers, embarrassed and 6 Kashrus Alerts rejected by Myrjm’s society. By moving around the Myyrjm he circumvented this problem since the Myyrjm themselves were no longer considered the “natives.” The author of Va’Yevch Yosef notes Fsvy’s Zmaanim remarkable wfn [rysm, devotion and self-sacrifice, just to prevent his brothers from being humiliated. His concern for their emotional needs [vrn [qldh 4:11pm was extraordinary. He was prepared to displace an entire country, q“we hxnm 4:19pm completely disrupting their lives, so that his brothers would not feel unwelcome. 4:29pm heyqw rveyw aybn 8:30am A number of other instances demonstrate Fsvy’s extraordinary concern for his brothers’ emotional well-being. When Fsvy revealed his true [yrxw 9:00am identity to his brothers, he insisted that no Myyrjm be present, so that w”q Nmz Fvs 8:55 / 9:31a his brothers’ shame would not be public.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Edition of Reb Zadok Ha-Kohen of Lublin’S Tzidkat Ha-Tzadik
    As The Kohen Exits The Sancta: A New Edition of Reb Zadok ha-Kohen of Lublin’s Tzidkat ha-Tzadik As The Kohen Exits The Sancta: A New Edition of Reb Zadok ha-Kohen of Lublin’s Tzidkat ha- Tzadik By Josh Rosenfeld Josh Rosenfeld is the Assistant Rabbi at Lincoln Square Synagogue and on the Judaic Studies Faculty at SAR High School. This is his fourth contribution to the Seforim Blog. Tzidkat ha-Tzaddik Commentary, Notes, & Excurses Ne’imot Netzah by R. Aharon Moseson 2 Vols. 532 + 564 pp. Arad: Makhon Ne’imot ha-Tzedek, 2015 “The Books of the ‘Kohen’, written by the very own hand of our Master, the Holy man of God, the Kohen Gadol, without peer, Reb Zadok ha-Kohen of Lublin, may his merit protect us… have taken an important place amongst the works of Jewish thought and Hasidut amongst the legions of those who seek God in every place. They serve as a magnet for all those who desire [to know] God, who find in it a veritable treasury of general instruction and guidance in the service of God – especially in the area of refining one’s character traits, and [his words] contain entire frameworks for understanding verses in Tanakh and sections of Rabbinic stories in the Talmud and Midrashic literature.” With these words, R. Aharon Moseson introduces his impressive new edition of what is arguably the central work of the “Kohen,” Reb Zadok ha-Kohen of Lublin (1823-1900), Tzidkat ha-Tzadik.[1] There is much already written on Reb Zadok and various different aspects of his thought, such that it would be redundant for me to recapitulate here,[2] although before we discuss this particular work and it’s advantages over previous editions, it behooves us to spend a moment on the book Tzidkat ha-Tzadik itself.
    [Show full text]