cvr vacug s; Volume 26 BEHAR No. 33 Daf Hashavua 10 May 2014 • 10 Iyar 5774 Shabbat ends in London at 9.34pm Artscroll p.696 • Hertz p.531 • Soncino p.764 Sayings & Ulla Sayers of the Sidrah by Rabbi Samuel Landau, Kingston, Surbiton & District United Synagogue Chumash: ‘You shall not make idols for Israel, he was tortured by feelings of guilt – yourselves…and in your land you shall not perhaps he had encouraged the heinous place a flooring stone upon which to crime. His colleagues assured him that he prostrate yourself, for I am the Lord, your acted in acceptable self-defence. G-d’. (Bemidbar 26:1) Ulla was strict in his legal rulings. Once, Talmud: ‘Ulla said: “the Torah only forbids when he heard his colleague Rav Huna use prostration which involves [fully] an expression in a legal context with spreading out one’s arms and legs”’. which he disagreed, he commented: (Megillah 22b) "As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so are the Ulla was one of the leading words of Rav Huna". Ulla also Amoraim (lit. ‘sayers’, referring used this passionate form of to the generation of Rabbis expression elsewhere. For after the completion of the example, he was asked to what Mishnah c.200 CE) in the Land extent one must perform the of Israel. On his frequent visits commandment of honouring to the communities of Babylonia, one’s parents. He cited the case of he was often invited by the a non-Jew who was asked to Exilarch to deliver public lectures. perform a business venture for a very The Talmud relates one particularly large sum of money. However, there traumatic incident about Ulla. On a return was one slight hitch – the key to the vault trip to Israel, his travelling party was containing the goods was underneath the attacked by bandits, fatally wounding one of pillow that his father was resting on. Out of Ulla’s entourage. Bizarrely, the murderer respect, he passed over on the deal rather sought Ulla’s Rabbinic approval for this than disturb his father’s slumber. action as the victim lay prone. Fearing for both his own and others’ lives, Ulla Ulla produced a number of poignant acquiesced. But he pleaded that the aphorisms, including: ‘since the day that the murderer should finish the job off quickly so Temple was destroyed, G-d has nothing in as to minimise the existing victim’s this world save for the space within which suffering. After Ulla returned in safety to halacha is found’. Inflation, Deflation and the by Rabbi Mendel Lew Bits in Between Senior Rabbi, Stanmore & Canons Park United Synagogue On a recent trip to the Science Museum, a man It’s all in the count. The 49 days on a screen was revolving four cups, one of between Egypt and Mount which had a ball hidden inside it. When he Sinai were an opportunity for stopped, we had to accurately predict where the Israelites to elevate and the ball was. That turned out to be the easy refine themselves. They part. He then asked whether those watching were a chance to shed the had observed a horse walking past in the ‘chametz’ in their character, background. Predictably, no one had. The and to become worthy recipients of the intense concentration on the cups had shut Torah. out everything else. The mystics identified these days I was reminded of this while with 49 steps in self-refinement, writing this article. We are now as relating to seven emotional in the period between Pesach characteristics (such as kindness and Shavuot. The two festivals and discipline). In some siddurim, are connected by the counting of following the counting of the Omer, there the Omer. For 49 days, we is a prayer in which the specific step is concentrate intensely on the daily mentioned by name. count but, like in the experiment, This self-improvement was so complete something very strange happens. that the negative impact of chametz no I wonder if you can spot it. longer affected them. On the contrary, they What appears bizarre is that the count begins actually discovered it could be used as on Pesach when all chametz must be a stimulus! How? completely and utterly disposed of. One can This week’s sidrah, Behar (lit. ‘at the Mountain’) understand the necessity to eat matzah, but refers to Mount Sinai. It was chosen to be a why the antipathy towards chametz? One place of great revelation as it is the lowest suggestion is the behaviour of dough. When mountain in that region, symbolising humility. forming chametz, dough rises. When forming But why did G-d select a mountain? Surely matzah, dough cannot rise. The rising dough is humility is better defined by a valley or even analogous to arrogance and ego which ‘raises’ flat ground, not a mountain which is lofty? a person’s self-importance. The Exodus The answer is that Torah observance demands from Egypt led directly to Mount Sinai and two qualities: loftiness, represented by the to becoming a sacred, G-dly nation. A mountain, accompanied by humility and relationship with G-d can only be achieved subordination, as represented by the flat Sinai with humility. Chametz must be eliminated. desert plains. Yet when we arrive at the end of the count, on As much as humility is critical, one’s Judaism Shavuot, the exact opposite happens. Chametz should also be lived with loftiness, pride and was the central component of the festive determination, ignoring deflating comments offering of the Two Loaves (Shtei Ha’lechem) in and the ridicule of others. There really is a the holy Temple! What happened to all the balance between the two, a balance reflected important lessons of humility? by chametz and matzah. Inter-faith Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists Relations Part 4 by Zaki Cooper, Trustee of the Council of Christians and Jews One of the features of the 2011 census was the community contributed significantly to increase in the number of Hindus, Sikhs and commerce and public service. My grandmother, Buddhists in Britain. There are now more Sikhs who hailed from Calcutta, would often say that (423,000) than Jews (263,000) and three times India was the only country without any anti- as many Hindus (817,000) as Jews. The Semitism. By its nature, Hinduism can Buddhist community, which is more ethnically accommodate pluralism of different faiths mixed, numbers 248,000. more easily than most other religions. There are fundamental difficulties in engaging Furthermore, under British law, Sikhs and Jews with these faiths in a theological dialogue. are both defined not only as religions but also Unlike Judaism, they are not monotheistic, and as ethnic groups. They also have a strong their theological outlook is completely attachment to a distant land, the Punjab in different. There are also halachic difficulties in the case of Sikhs. entering the Temples of these religions. Meanwhile, the world’s most famous Buddhist, the Dalai Lama, However, in a practical way, these has professed himself an admirer communities, with their origins in of Judaism, joking that Jews must India, have a lot in common with be a very holy people because so the Jewish community. For many of his best followers are example, they are geographically Jews! In his book The Jew in the concentrated and place an onus Lotus, Rodger Kamanetz writes on the importance of family and about a historic meeting between education. For this reason, the Tibetan spiritual leader and a dialogue on non-theological group of American Jews. The Dalai matters can often be fruitful. Lama remarked that his people The 20th century educator Rabbi Eliezer might have something to learn from Jews, Berkovits (d. 1992) wrote about the dichotomy whom he labelled “survival experts”. of inter-faith dialogue. On the one hand, there Notwithstanding the difference in theology, are “improper topics for dialogue” but on the there is often a close kinship between Jews on other, “when we move from the private world the one hand, and Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists of faith to the public world of humanitarian on the other. In the UK, the Indian Jewish and cultural endeavours, communication Association provides a formal channel for this among the various faith communities is relationship. The Israeli Chief Rabbinate has desirable and even essential. We are ready to also embraced this, initiating a formal dialogue enter into a dialogue on such topics as war with the Hindu leadership in India in 2007. and peace, poverty, freedom. the threat of Pursuing good relations with like-minded secularism, technology... and civil rights”. citizens from these communities may have It is interesting that, historically, the Jews certain restrictions under Jewish law, but there thrived in India. Although never numbering is still space to engage within the realm of more than 20,000, the Indian Jewish “darchei shalom” – the paths of peace. Pesach Sheni by Rabbi Benji Landau, Assistant Community Rabbi, Stanmore & Canons Park United Synagogue Pesach Sheni (lit. second Passover) falls on Sometimes the ongoing demands of a long- 14 Iyar, a month after the regular Pesach lasting relationship can seem burdensome. celebration. Trying to understand what the other person The origins of Pesach Sheni are in Parashat in the relationship wants can be frustrating. Beha’alotecha (Bemidbar 9:6-13). Moshe Instead, we may simply do what we feel is was approached by a group of people right, though we may know deep down that who were unable to offer the Korban the other party feels otherwise. Pesach (Pascal lamb) which was offered in The same is true in our relationship with the Temple times, due to being in a state of Almighty.