The Advice of the Hertz Chumash

The classic Chumash one will find in a Modern Orthodox synagogue is the Hertz Chumash. It offers the commentary of Rabbi Dr. Joseph H. Hertz (b. 1872 d. 1946). Rabbi Dr. Hertz was the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth from 1913 until he passed away in 1946. As I was reading his commentary on this past week's Torah portion of Noah I couldn't help but be amused at the following quote discussing the incident of Ham's transgression against his father Noah:

Some Jewish and non-Jewish teachers omit this story in children's Bible classes. Yet, it is of deep significance in a child's moral training. An intelligent child cannot help now and then detecting a fault or something to laugh at in his parents; but instead of mockery or callous exposure, it is for him to throw the mantle of filial love over the fault and turn away his face. 'Am I the one to judge my parents?' a child should ask himself. Few Jewish children have parents who are drunkards, but there is a great number whose fathers and mothers do not, e.g., speak the language of the land as fluently as they do. Instead of laughing at them, Jewish children should be taught to feel: 'Have my parents had the opportunities in life that they have given me?' - pg. 34

Donating your life?

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, the former chief Sephardic rabbi of Israel, has been hospitalized in serious condition for more than a month. We all pray that he should have a refuah shlaymah, a full recovery. However, one devoted follower has taken it a step further as reported in Haaretz:

The advertisement, displayed all around Jerusalem, asks for people to donate a year of their life towards the lifespan of Rabbi Eliyahu. Where does this idea come from? There are other more traditionally grounded approaches in Judaism of contributing towards the recovery of a sick person. These approaches include adding a name to their Hebrew name, the recitation of Psalms, the inclusion of their name in a prayer for the sick said in synagogues and the donation of charity in their merit.

What does this significant request come to signify about the relationship of certain segments of Orthodox Judaism with their rabbinic leadership? What role do the rabbis play in these communities, both pragmatically and theologically? There are no easy answers to these very difficult questions.

Why start with creation?

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

- Genesis 1:1

Why does the Torah begin with creation? I would like to offer one possible approach based on the teachings of Nahmanides, Kli Yakar and Rabbeinu Bahyah.

Nahmanides (Rabbi Moses ben Nahman, b. 1194 d. 1270, Spain and Land of Israel) in his introduction to the Book of Genesis asks two fundamental questions in Biblical exegesis. Why does the first paragraph of the Torah not begin with the oft-repeated phrase “And God spoke to Moses, saying…” and why does Moses always address himself in the third person?Nahmanides argues in regards to the first question that it would not have been proper to include himself in the narrative prior to the account of his birth. Moses, according to Nahmanides, exercised tremendous humility in choosing to not mention his own self in places that it would have been seen as arrogant to do so. In regards to the second question:

The reason the Torah is written in this form [namely, the third person] is that it preceded the creation of the world, and needless to say, it preceded the birth of Moses our teacher.

Once again, the answer offered by Nahmanides is centered on the humility of Moses. The ability to copy down what would become arguably the most important literary work in human civilization and not flash your name everywhere was a deep testament to the integrity of Moses.

There is one phrase in the explanation offered by Nahmanides that I believe has a great amount to teach us as to why the Torah began with the story of creation and not with, for example, the first commandment of sanctifying the new month. Nahmanides states “… that it [the Torah] was written with letters of black fire upon a background of white fire.” How are we to understand this statement? What does it mean to have letters of black fire emblazoned unto a background of white fire?

Kli Yakar (Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz, b. 1550 d. 1619, Poland), a medieval commentator on the Torah, suggests an explanation of the phraseology of “black fire on white fire.” He writes in his commentary on Parashat Haazinu:

Like there is white and black similarly in the Torah there is what is revealed, like the color white, and what is hidden, like the color black… and both are dependant on each other.

Thus, the colors white and black take on new meanings as representative of that which is readily known and accessible and that which is secretive and difficult to penetrate. With every story mentioned in the Torah one can view it as white fire or as black fire and, indeed, both methods of interpretation are dependant on each other to create a full and holistic picture of Torah.

The account of creation offered in the Book of Genesis, on the surface level, provided a framework for understanding the formation of the world. However, if we end the discussion there or get bogged down in trying to reconcile religious truth with scientific truth, we will have missed the central point of the creation narrative which lies somewhere in the mix of white and black fire.

Rabbeinu Bahya (Rabbi Bahya ben Asher, 13th century, Spain) suggests that if the Torah would have only begun with the first commandment, it would have not provided us with the background behind the One who commands. We would have not gained a deep sense of appreciation for the wonder of God and how central the role of love is in the entire narrative of the Torah. Indeed, there are many commandments and directives in the Torah. Those rules and regulations though come from the same God who created all life and invested that life with sacredness. An omniscient, omnipresent and all-powerful God has no compelling reason to create life and sustain it. Thus, it is only the overwhelming force of love that causes God to bring the entire universe into existence.

Genesis then teaches us both to approach life with a sense of humility and recognize that it is appropriate at times to write about ourselves in the third person. It also provides insight into the character of God which becomes essential as the commandments begin to be given only shortly thereafter. The ultimate challenge for us as we begin anew our study of the Torah is to transcend a bit the black fiery letters and embark on a journey into the white fire of Torah.

Why Jews Pray

From my latest article for the On the Square web segment of First Things:

Every moment that we stop and begin to move our lips in prayerful words towards God is a testament to the notion of purposeful creation. The basic ability to pray, to yearn for a connection to God, demonstrates the meaningfulness of life. Yet, this only explains a broad universalistic Jewish motivation for prayer. What lies at the core of Jewish prayer?

The article, Why Jews Pray, can be found in its entirety on the First Things website.

Twitter Torah now only $10!

My book Twitter Torah is available for only $10!

Twitter Torah brings the profundity, beauty and depth of the Torah to you in 140 character messages based around the weekly Torah portions. The book shares insights from seven unique and thoughtful people. The contributors to this book all come from different places in the Jewish community: traditional and non-traditional, men and women, Jewish professionals and lay members. The common denominator that brings these people together is a love for Torah and a desire to share their short and profound thoughts with the wider world.

The following Torah Twitterers contributed to the book: Rachel Barenblat, Harriet Goren, Michael Green, Mark Hurvitz, Andrew Pepperstone and Phyllis Sommer.

Rethinking Judaism in the public square

Michael Paulson, in today's Articles of Faith segment of the Boston Globe, presents a fascinating interview with David F. Wells, a professor at the evangelical Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. I was particularly struck by the following quote from the interview:

Many of those who claim to be born again don’t live very differently than those who don’t make that claim. Biblical faith really should be producing moral authenticity and integrity -- you should see it in honesty, courage in articulating enduring moral principles, and the sacrificial giving to good causes.

This quote got me thinking about Judaism in the public square. How does Judaism interact with the public? What is the face that we present in the larger society? Are we more than Lubavitchers asking if you have put tefillin on yet? Can we be more than only concern for Israel?

What are the ways that we as a community exhibit "moral authenticity and integrity"? How can we do a better job of "articulating moral principles" and contributing to the national conversations on ethics and morality?

Enabling Community Through Sukkot

We are now in the midst of the pilgrimage festival of Sukkot. During the holiday of Sukkot, Jews dwell in booths which act as temporary living spaces. The "walls" are usually made of canvas and the "roof" of palm fronds or something similar. The ritual of living in these booths is meant to recall the booths our ancestors lived in during their journey through the wilderness from the bondage of Egypt to the Land of Israel. Another tradition understands the booths to represent the clouds of glory that accompanied the Children of Israel through the desert and guided them along the treacherous, sun scorched path to a land of their own.

While celebrating the holiday this year I have observed how the act of dwelling in a sukkah leads to the strengthening of community. As a campus rabbi I see all too often students get overwhelmed with their course load and in an effort to stay afloat spend the entirety of their non-class time locked in their dorm rooms or behind a cubicle in a library.

However, for those students who choose to observe at least some of the holiday of Sukkot, the tradition itself demands that they leave their rooms or library cubicles and emerge into a shared communal space. They are to enjoy their breakfast, lunch and dinner in the company of others celebrating the holiday and can not sit in solitude and confinement.

For one week a year we are commanded to move out of our comfort zones and enter the unstable and quickly constructed booths that we are to call home and dwell therein. For those who are students that means, for a week, calling a public space home. Thus, for one week a year, we are compelled to surround ourselves with friends and the sounds of community. It is my sincere hope that the moves towards furthering community that have transpired within that booth this week continue throughout the rest of the year.

Twitter Torah

I just published my first book on Lulu.com called Twitter Torah. It brings the profundity, beauty and depth of the Torah to you in 140 character messages based around the weekly Torah portions. The book shares insights from seven unique and thoughtful people. The contributors to this book all come from different places in the Jewish community: traditional and non-traditional, men and women, Jewish professionals and lay members. The common denominator that brings these people together is a love for Torah and a desire to share their short and profound thoughts with the wider world.

The following Torah Twitterers contributed to the book: Rachel Barenblat, Harriet Goren, Michael Green, Mark Hurvitz, Andrew Pepperstone and Phyllis Sommer.