Mosaic is a unique Jewish Community - in that we offer at least three weekly and festival services from the Liberal, Masorti and Reform traditions. After our services we get together for joint kiddushim, and offer study sessions before or after some of our services.
In Chapter 16 of Leviticus, in Parshat Acharei Mot, the Torah explains the rites of purification that were to take place annually on Yom Kippur and that part of the purification ritual on Yom Kippur included fasting.
The Torah states that in the “seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial (‘t’anu et nafshoteichem’) and you shall do no manner of work”. Some translations explain the Hebrew “t’anu et nafshoteichem” as “you shall afflict your souls”. This implies that abstaining from food, drink, and other pleasures on Yom Kippur is a way to punish ourselves for having sinned. I would suggest that a better translation is: ”To practice self-denial” — which has a different implication.
The purpose of the Yom Kippur abstentions is to demonstrate that we can exercise control over our instincts. Animals do not have this power; their instincts control them. So although we may have sinned, and thereby diminished our dignity, we have the capacity to rein in our appetite — to control and redirect our energies.
The following is an article by Masorti Rabbi Reuven Hammer (I edited it down) that I thought was important and wanted to share.
“Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all of the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously (Exodus 15:20-21).
The Torah pays great homage to Miriam. She may be ‘Aaron’s sister,’ but she is also granted the title ‘the prophetess.’ Moses was the supreme prophet, but Aaron is not identified as a prophet.
It was only proper that at this moment of supreme celebration and joy, it is Miriam who concludes the festivities. After all, she played a pivotal role in the Exodus, watching by the Nile to see what would happen to her baby brother who was put adrift in a basket. She witnessed his rescue by Pharoah’s daughter and saw to it that Moses was given into the hands of his true mother. Without that, he would never have known he was a Hebrew. The prophet Micah presents her as one of the three sent by God to redeem Israel from the house of bondage, “Moses, Aaron and Miriam” (Micah 6:4).
Rabbinic tradition went even further and gave a reason for her being called a prophetess. It was Miriam who persuaded her parents not to refrain from having another child when Pharoah issued his decree to kill all the male infants, and it was Miriam who prophesied that this child would be the savior of the people Israel who would lead them to freedom. When the child was put into the basket on the Nile, Amram, the father, said to Miriam, “What has become of her prophecy now?!” but she still had faith and made it her business to watch and see what would happen and indeed played a pivotal role in the child’s future.
Although Judaism has traditionally been a largely patriarchal religion, from the beginning women have played a crucial role. In addition to Miriam there are the midwives who refused to carry out Pharaoh’s murderous plan, Yoheved who bore and hid her child, Pharaoh’s daughter who knowingly saved an Israelite boy, Tziporah, Moses’ wife who acted bravely when her husband’s life was in danger, and all the Israelite women who carried on the tradition.
In later times as well there were other women leaders of the people, Deborah, a judge and prophetess, Yael who slayed the enemy Sisra, Hulda, a prophetess who lived at the time of Jeremiah and was consulted by kings, to say nothing of Ruth and Esther.
Unfortunately these leadership roles disappeared in post-Biblical times. Now women have once again begun to play such a role. In my own Masorti Movement women have functioned as rabbis for several decades and have made an enormous contribution to Judaism as teachers, halakhic experts, scholars and religious leaders. We have been spiritually enriched by their work. The same is true of the Reform Movement and even within more modern and open Orthodoxy where women are playing increasingly more important parts in religious leadership, regardless of what title they are given.
Miriam led the song because it teaches that the celebration was not complete without the added voice of the women. As a matter of fact they did even more than the men because they added musical instruments and the element of dance.
What was true then is true today. Our celebration, our religious life, is not complete without the addition of the voice of women and what they can contribute to Jewish worship and Jewish life. To the voice of Moses must be added the voice of Miriam.
This year we have four new guests at our seder — our dog Sheleg (Snow) gave birth to four puppies! We are over the moon with excitement. The first three days, she wouldn’t even let us near them — but she has calmed down after a full week, and we can pet them gently.
The question is, of course, do pets need kosher for Pesach food? The answer is yes. In fact, a dog is featured in the Halacha as being able to help us with keeping kosher for Pesach.
Any food which so spoiled that even a dog would not eat it, is no longer considered to be hametz and if such food is still in the house on Pesach it is not considered a violation of the law against having hametz in one’s possession during that week.
That is helpful for moldy crumbs in that hard to reach spot. The dog wouldn’t eat it? Then it’s fine. I mean, you should clean if you can, but if you can’t, it’s fine.
So from the Arberman family, now larger with four pups, we want to wish you a chag sameach v’kasher!
This week’s portion centers on the cure for tz’raat. The disease had a spiritual cause and curing it was a spiritual act. That is why the priests took on a major role in any healing. The Torah appears to be saying that disease may have a physical cause but there is also a spiritual dimension.
Medication and surgery treat the physical aspects of disease. But they ignore an equally important aspect of healing – the spiritual dimension. At shul we say a prayers for those who are ill. Judaism emphasizes the importance of bikur holim – visiting the sick. The Talmud teaches that someone who visits a sick person will take away 1/60 of the illness. (Nedarim 39b) Even modern science admits the importance of a positive attitude in healing the body.
Humans are more than machines. Perhaps the Torah, by emphasizing the role of the priest in healing, is teaching us the importance of the spirit, not just the body, in a cure.
Parshat Tazria deals primarily with afflictions like leprosy, skin lesions and mould in a house. Most of these plagues have been given a metaphorical or spiritual interpretation by the rabbis. The commentator known as the Kli Yakar explains that the house plague was a punishment for stinginess. He explains that this person’s sin was that he did not use this house to benefit others as well.
The Kli Yakar teaches that homeowners that do not fulfill their obligation to open their homes to guests and to the needy will eventually be driven from their homes. It’s a worthy lesson to remember as we approach the holiday of Pesach in which we are called upon to share our food with all who are hungry.
Parshat Shemini (in chapter 11) outlines a system of dietary laws that specify what we may and may not eat as food. The Torah states “as for the swine, although it has true hoofs, with the hoofs cleft through, it does not chew its cud; it is impure for you.”
Rabbi Nachum Ansel, in his book The Jewish Encyclopaedia of Moral and Ethical Issues, offers a symbolic interpretation of the prohibition against eating swine: “Only the pig (of all the animals on earth) has split hooves but does not chew its cud. It has been suggested that this symbol of the pig is the only animal in the world that has the outward symbol of kosher and not the inward symbol. Thus, the pig symbolizes the animal (and the person) that is kosher on the outside but not on the inside.”
We keep the mitzvoth because we believe we are commanded to do so — AND because we expect that it makes us better people. Yet there is no growth or improvement unless we learn lessons from keeping the mitzvoth. What lessons can we learn from keeping kosher? It reminds us that not everything on earth is ours to be consumed. We are supposed to be restricted in our actions and mindful of what we put into our bodies. And, as Rabbi Ansel teaches — outward appearances are not always what they seem.
The laws in the first five chapters of Leviticus were intended for the individual bringing the sacrifice. Parashat Tzav, on the other hand, is a manual for the priests who offer those sacrifices, and this aliyah instructions concerning the burnt-offering are given.
The burnt-offering is one of the only sacrifice where none of the parts of the animal are given to the priests to eat. The burnt offering is completely burnt on the altar; hence the name.
The Torah notes that every morning the priests were required to remove the ashes from the previous day’s sacrifices. They had to take out the “garbage.” Many commentators have pointed out that the priests, not the commoners, have this obligation so that they are less likely to let their status go to their head. So next time there is clean up to be done, don’t hesitate to give the rabbi a broom.
The laws concerning sacrifices always seem dry or not pertinent to today’s world. Yet the rabbis always find lessons in them that are eternal. Take the ”shelamim,” peace-offering or offering of well-being — it teaches a lesson that actually is important for me with regards to my children. My three lovely children frequently invoke the phrase: “That’s not fair, why do you give to him (or her) and not me!?” I try to be clear that everyone gets something.
Unlike the burnt offering which was completely consumed on the altar, the peace-offering was a sacred meal, shared by donors and priests.
Rashi explains the origin of the term for peace-offering (“shelamim”) “it has the spiritual capacity for increasing peace in the world… and they are called shlamim because through them there is “peace” and harmony for the altar, the priests, and the owners since all three receive a portion of the offering.”
In Parshat Pekudei we read the verse: “Just as the LORD had commanded Moses, so the Israelites had done all the work. (Ex. 39:42)
The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194–1270, Spain) asked: Why do we need the extra word — “work” at the end of the sentence? It is possible that it is meant to emphasise the fact that none of the work of the tabernacle was done by bringing artisans from other nations of the world (foreign workers). All the work was done by the children of Israel.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with hiring foreign workers. But I do think there is a special pride that comes from completing an important task yourself. We value the work and the final product much more when the work is done by our own hands.
In Parshat Vayakhel, the Torah returns to the construction of Israel’s Tabernacle. The Torah repeats the materials used in the building of the Tabernacle and the dimensions of this house of worship.
The Rabbis found an important lesson in this repetition. They believed that it was necessary to repeat this list of materials in order to show that Moses had not misappropriated any materials donated by his people. The Rabbis taught that people in charge of charitable funds or public works must maintain the highest standards. Temptation affects everyone at some point, so those that work for the community must take extra care to show that everything is accounted for.
Shabbat comes in 8.17pm: goes out 9.29pm 
