,muv vacug s; Volume 26 No. 20 TETZAVEH Daf Hashavua 8 February 2014 • 8 Adar 5774 Shabbat ends in London at 5.51 pm Artscroll p.464 • Hertz p.339 • Soncino p.519 Sayings & Sayers Rav Huna of the Sidrah by Rabbi Samuel Landau, Kingston, Surbiton & District United Synagogue Chumash: “And you shall take (some) of the of Jewish scholarship was no longer Israel blood of the bull and apply it on the horns of but rather Babylon. the altar with your finger…” (Shemot 29:12) During his early life, Rav Huna was so poor Talmud: “Without applying the blood to the that one Friday he did not have enough horns of the altar, the sacrificial service is money to buy kiddush wine. He decided to invalid. From where do we derive this? Rav pawn his “trouser-belt” to raise money. Huna said: ‘because the verse states: “…the When he arrived at synagogue, his teacher horns of the altar…”, and anytime that the Rav saw that his garments were being “altar” is specified, it indicates that this is a supported with twine rather than a belt. critical part of the proceedings.’” Rav asked what happened. (Zevachim 62a) After Rav Huna explained the situation, his teacher blessed Rav Huna was a second him that he should become so generation Amora (lit. ‘sayer’, wealthy that he would always referring to the generation of wear silk clothes. With the Rabbis after the completion of the power of this benediction behind him, Mishnah c.200 CE). He studied under the very Rav Huna became so rich that his fortune first of the Amoraim, Rav. After Rav’s death, achieved legendary status, as previously Rav Huna took over the lecturing in the mentioned. His generosity was very thought- academy of Sura, in Babylon. Under Rav ful; on Friday afternoons he would purchase Huna’s leadership, the academy gained all the leftover goods in the market. This ‘Russell Group’ status, developing into a encouraged the merchants to always bring metivta (a fully fledged yeshiva). Despite enough goods for Shabbat provisions and it earlier poverty, Rav Huna became very allowed Rav Huna to host all of the city’s wealthy and single-handedly supported 800 poor for delicious Shabbat meals. full time students. He also had thousands of students that mostly engaged in home study It seems fitting that a man who was so but joined the yeshiva for two months of the concerned with nurturing the religious and year (Adar and Ellul). Thus Rav Huna created physical needs of others should ‘unpack’ the one of the world’s first correspondence laws of offerings (in the quotation above) courses! It is testimony to the quality of his since those offerings provided ‘spiritual institution that in his time the leading place nourishment’ in a tangible form. Selfie and Selflessness by Rabbi Dr Mendel Lew Senior Rabbi, Stanmore & Canons Park United Synagogue Selfie. A photograph that one has taken of Although Moshe was successful oneself, typically taken with a smartphone or in gaining a pardon for the webcam and uploaded to a social media website people, his original threat [Oxford Dictionaries]. still came about – at least in part. Instead of his name Selfless. Concerned more with the needs and being omitted from the wishes of others than with one’s own [ibid]. entire Torah, it is missing Until quite recently, many people may not even from one sidrah alone – have heard of selfie. Then, in quick succession, it Tetzavah, which we read today. made two prominent headlines. First it was named Word of the Year by the Oxford Remarkably, this is where another similar word Dictionaries. This was soon followed by media comes into play: criticism of three world Self. a person’s essential leaders for taking a joint being that distinguishes selfie at the memorial service them from others [ibid]. for the late Nelson Mandela. Imagine for a moment that, Although Moshe’s name instead, selfless was named does not appear in the word of the year, indicating a sidrah, it is only his society whose overriding name which is absent. imperative is to put the He himself features in welfare of others first. the most beautiful way Imagine world leaders leading by example, the imaginable. The first word of the sidrah – captured image before their eyes being the ve’atah (“and you”) goes to the very essence plight of their citizens – not themselves. – the self – of Moshe. To really define selfless, one only has to look at One’s name is simply how we are known. It is the Moshe. The great commentator Rashi (d.1105) means by which others reach out to us. It isn't articulates this point cogently and powerfully: our true self, our essence. When we are alone “Moshe is the Jewish people, and the Jewish we have no need for it. When G-d communicates people are Moshe” (Bemidbar 21: 21). Moshe’s with Moshe in this verse, he reaches to his motives were always pure. His own legacy and very core - his true self - the real “you”. place in history were irrelevant to him. All that mattered were the people. Moshe fully deserved this intimate moment. He rejected the urge for a selfie, in the Following their terrible sin of worshipping the process demonstrating true selflessness. Golden Calf, G-d threatened to destroy the He thus became worthy of being addressed Jewish people. Moshe pleaded for them, directly to his deepest self. declaring that he was prepared to forgo any personal mention in the Torah if they would not As the Talmud (Eruvin 13b) succinctly puts it: be spared (Exodus, 32:32). An extraordinary "One who runs after honour will have it run sacrifice, especially considering that the people away from him; one who runs from honour will had committed such a grave sin! have it pursue him”. Eyes in the Torah The Evolution of the Eye (Part 1) by Menachem Salasnik, Israel Educator The first of the 10 Commandments seems to be an arriving at the beautiful complexity we have informative or introductory statement: “I am the today. (This theory does not demonstrate how the L-rd your G-d who took you out of Egypt” (Shemot very first living organism came into being.) 20:2). However, the Rambam (Maimonides Although evolution is taught as fact in the d.1204) understands that this commands us to majority of schools in the western world, there are know that there is a G-d, a commandment that still enduring scientific and mathematical issues we are able to perform any time and all the time. with the theory. They are beyond the scope of this Requiring us to have belief in Him is one thing, article. Yet I would like to focus on one of the but expecting us to know that He exists requires more shocking aspects of evolutionary theory, proof. known as convergent evolution. This is the Throughout centuries of religious philosophy, one phenomenon where two or more organisms of the most prominent arguments for the developed similar characteristics separately, a existence of a Creator was the Teleological or striking example being the eye. Intelligent Design Argument. William Paley Current evolutionists posit that while all (d.1805) described it using the “Watchmaker organisms with eyes had a common ancestor with Analogy”. If we were to come across a watch on a light-detecting spot (similar to those found the ground and examine its beautiful on many plants that help calculate seasonal complexity, we would never consider changes based on the length of daylight hours), suggesting that this watch always complex image-forming eyes evolved existed or that it came into between 50 and 100 separate existence by chance. Complex design times! For example, the vertebrate proves a designer. In comparison to the and cephalopod (e.g. octopus) eyes world, the complexity of a watch are extremely similar. They work pales into insignificance. Even the like a camera where a lens at the most basic multi-cellular organisms front focuses light onto a contain so many complex parts that photoreceptive surface at the back (the retina). all interplay perfectly with each other. That is Nevertheless subtle differences between them before we consider the symbiosis between (the vertebrate retina is covered by the neural completely different organisms. The world’s layer while it is the other way round for the complex design proves a Designer. cephalopod) and the difference in how they develop embryonically (the vertebrate eye is an However, with the advent of evolutionary theory, outgrowth of the brain whereas the cephalopod this argument seems to have lost a lot of its eye is a folding in of the head tissue) show that power. According to modern evolutionary they developed completely independently to each synthesis, beings undergo small genetic changes other. as a result of random mutations during conception. Natural selection or 'survival of the If evolution is driven by random mutations it fittest' then ensures that those with a beneficial becomes absurd to suggest that on 50-100 mutation survive better than those without it. separate occasions, beings underwent a series of Evolution from one being to another is gradual many random mutations that culminated in and comprises a build up of many small almost the same outcome, without a Director or mutations. According to this, the designer is Designer. natural selection itself. A multitude of options are Menachem Salasnik is a Geriatric and Low Vision created but only the best survive, eventually Optometrist THIS WEEK The Appointment of Rav Kook IN HISTORY by David Collins, Executive Director, Tribe Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook (Rav Machzickei Hadath Community in the East Kook) was one of the most influential Rabbis End.