The Tenth of Tebet. What is the Septuagint?

This coming Thursday, January 1st, we will observe the Tenth of Tebet, a fast day which remind us of three tragic events. The main event we recall on this day is the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebukhadnezar, the King of Babylonia in 586 b.c.e.. But there were other two events that we also remember in this day: the rendition of the Tora into the Greek language (8th of Tebet), and the death of Ezra haSofer (9th of Tebet).

On the 8th of Tebet, approximately in the year 260 b.c.e., in Alexandria, Egypt, King Ptolemy ordered 72 Jewish scholars, six for each tribe, to translate the Tora (the five Books of Moshe or Pentateuch) to Greek. King Ptolemy sought to disprove the existence of an unified Jewish interpretation of the Tora and thus having an excuse to delegitimize the Jewish tradition and humiliate the Jews. To this effect, the Jewish scholars were placed in separate workrooms. Yet, miraculously they all translated every word of the Tora in the same exact way.

This translation of the Tora is known as the Septuagint (in latin, “seventy”). Although it was done by prominent Rabbis, the Septuagint is not considered a translation which follows necessarily rabbinical tradition (The official Jewish translation of the Tora is the Targum Onqelos , aka Targum Didan, done ca. 100 c.e.). As explained in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Megila 9) in many cases the authors of the Septuagint deliberately deviated from the traditional Jewish understanding of the Tora and adapted the Biblical text to the Greek mentality and sensitivities to please the king and avoid a situation of danger for the Jews. One example, instead of translating: “In the beginning God created”, they wrote: “God created in the beginning”. Why? Because for the Greek mentality the first word of this sentence would be considered its main subject. Had they translated “In the beginning God created” it would have been understood by the Greeks as if a god called “bereshit”, (“In the beginning”, i.e., a god who governs time, like the mythological “Cronus” or his son “Zeus”) was the one who begot Eloqim ח״ו.

As a whole, the translation of the Tora to Greek was considered by Jewish historiography as a dark event. Why? Because the Bible was now a book that everyone, gentiles included, expected to fully comprehend, even if they ignore completely the original language of the Tora: Hebrew. Furthermore, in the times of the Hashmona-im the Septuagint was extensively used by the assimilationist Jews to advance their agenda and seek to syncretize Greek and Jewish values.

Three centuries later, the Septuagint paved the way for the advancement of non-Jewish “Biblical” religions. Unlike pagan idolatry which was clearly antagonistic to the Tora, these new religions were supposedly based on a Jewish scripture. The Bible was now reinterpreted at will and used to justify non-Jewish ideas or beliefs “in the name of the Bible”, all of which caused uncountable tragedies to the Jewish people for centuries or millenniums.

As Timothy McLay explains, “the Jewish Scriptures as they were known, read and interpreted in the Greek language, provided the basis for much, if not most, of the interpretive context of the New Testament.”As we will see BH tomorrow, the 9th of Tebet we commemorate the passing of Ezra haSofer

The AL HANISIM prayer

At the end of the year 167 b.c.e approximately in December, by order of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, King of Syria and so ruler of the Jews, the Temple on Zion was desecrated and given over to the uses of idolatry. At the same time the law of Moses was rescinded by a decree of the King. Observance of the commandments of the Torah, such as circumcision and the sanctiﬁcation of Sabbath and New Moon, was made a capital offense. In addition, the Jews were required to worship the gods of the gentiles. Altars were erected to these gods in every locality, and the populace was commanded to offer sacriﬁce to new deities. It was the pig, precisely the animal regarded by the Jews as unclean, the most acceptable offering to these gods…. never before and never thereafter was the spiritual existence of Israel so imperiled.

From the book: “From Ezra to the last Maccabees”, by Elias Bickerman. p. 93.

Antiochus pillaged the Temple, attacked Jerusalem. More than 40,000 Jews who resisted the new laws (aka “Hasidim”) were killed by the Syrian-Greek army. Thousands of Jewish women and children were taken into slavery.

During the eight days of Hanuka we recite the prayer ‘al hanisim, (‘for the miracles’) in the ‘amida (=main daily prayer) and in birkat hamazon (= prayer of gratitude after a full meal). In ‘al hanisim we mention malkhut yavan harish’a, the cruel Greek-Seleucid Empire and their decrees to abolish our Tora. In this prayer we thank HaShem for the wonders and miracles He performed to our ancestors, preventing them from falling into the hands of the enemy. Bearing in mind that the defeated Seleucid army was one of the most sophisticated and well organized armies in antiquity, while the Jews did not practice war and never excelled in the art of warfare.

We also hint to the fact that the pious Jews who were willing to sacrifice their lives to uphold the Tora, lead by Yehuda Maccabee, were victorious in the struggle against those Jews who were willing to assimilate and reform Judaism. This is what Bickerman describes as the most dangerous threat for “the spiritual existence of Israel”, the civil war. Many Jews, especially the aristocracy and those in positions of power, were very eager to reform the “old laws of Moshe” and integrate themselves into the new universal culture, the Hellenic civilization. Tempted by these new winds, many Jews saw no problem in intermarriage or in adopting the worshiping of other gods, side by side with the God of Israel (=syncretism, like celebrating Hanukka and Christmas together). In the prayer ‘al hanisim we call these apostate Jews resha’im and zedim, wicked and sinners. We thank HaShem for His help in this struggle, because we are are mindful that it was, and it is, much more difficult to fight against our own, than to fight against the enemy.

THE PRAYER ‘AL HANISIM

“In the days of Matityahu, the son of Yochanan the High Priest, the Hasmonean and his sons, when the wicked Hellenic government rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Tora and violate the decrees of Your will. But You, in Your abounding mercies, stood by them in the time of their distress. You waged their battles, defended their rights, and avenged the wrong done to them. You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the wanton sinners into the hands of those who occupy themselves with Your Tora. You made a great and holy name for Yourself in Your world, and effected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people Israel to this very day. Then Your children entered the shrine of Your House, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courtyards, and instituted these eight days of Hanuka to give thanks and praise to Your great Name.”

EMUNA: “Abinu”, Abraham’s revolution

Last week we explained that one of the names we use to referring to HaShem is ABINU, our father. We said that Yesha’ayah, the prophet Isaiah, was the first to use this word in reference to God as our creator (see here ), the One who gave us our life.

But there is more, much more to this word. When we say Abinu we should recall the most important discovery of our father Abraham. Conventional wisdom has it that Abraham’s greatest finding was monotheism, that God is only one. Or that Abraham was able to conceive God’s incorporeality, that God is invisible, cannot be seen or represented by an image. But above all these great ideas there was something else that revolutionized the way we think about God.

In those days, ancient civilizations like the Sumerian or the Egyptians perceived the gods as super powerful beings who were always struggling to advance in their ranks or waging war against each other. They were too busy minding their own business and had no time, and absolutely no interest, in the dealings of human beings. But somehow, often indirectly, they affected the local weather, the destiny of human beings, etc. Marduk, for example, was the Sumerian storm-god. And sometimes in his battles against his grandmother Tiamat or other gods, he would involuntarily unleash a tornado or a heavy storm which threatened to destroy the city of Ur or Lagash. In Egypt the crocodiles were the incarnation of the Sobek, the Egyptian god of the Nile. In times of a heavy storm or in times of drought these gods needed to be appeased, often by feeding them or bribing them with precious sacrifices (human blood was of of their favorite snack!). It would have been inconceivable that these cruel and violent gods would do any favor for humans. Why would they? Humans were an annoyance. The gods had zero interest in humankind’s whereabouts, suffering or needs. They care only about themselves and humans were there to serve them.

What Abraham discovered and taught to the world is that HaShem, the real God who created heavens, earth and life, cares about His creation. Abraham realized this when HaShem expressed His interest about Abraham’s problems, specifically, about him not having a son. Abraham understood that HaShem cared about him. And that HaShem was willing to give Abraham a son without asking anything in return!

The only reason someone would do you a favor without asking anything in return is if that someone loves you. Abraham’s greatest discovery is that HaShem was ABINU, our father, and that he was Abraham “ahubi”, Abraham, my beloved, i.e., HaShem’s beloved. Abraham recognized that HaShem loves us as we love our children. Like a loving father, he cares about our suffering, our needs, and our lives. Like a protecting parent He gives us food, shelter, children, health .

The word ABINU is loaded with this beautiful meaning. It inspires us to appreciate how much HaShem cares for us, and reminds us that He loves us as much as we love our children.

Rabbi Hasday Crescas (1340-1411)

Rabbi Hasday Crescas (1340-1411) was born in Barcelona, Spain in the winter of 1340. He was a rabbi, a philosopher and a statesman. A student of the famous rabbi Nisim Gerondi, also known as the Ran. One of his colleagues and friends was the famous Rabbi Isaac bar Sheshat, the Ribash.

In the year 1370 he was assigned by the King Pedro IV de Aragon to adjudicate certain cases concerning Jews, and received legal queries from Jews throughout the Kingdom of Aragon and abroad.

With the accession of King John I, el cazador , in 1387 Rabbi Crescas became even more familiar with the royal household. In 1389 he moved to Zaragoza, seat of the main royal court, and served there as the rabbi of the city. In 1390 he was empowered by the throne to act as judge of all the Jews of the Kingdom of Aragon.

Things changed dramatically for the Jews of Spain in the year 1391. The cause of the violence was the incitement of a Christian monk named Ferrán Martinez. The priest’s speeches of hatred toward the Jews raised public expectations of a mass conversion of Jews and sparked popular riots. Angry crowds entered the Juderias, the city’s Jewish section, attacked its residents and pillaged their houses and businesses. On June 6, 1391, rioters entered the Juderia of Sevilla, blocked the two exits from the quarter, and set it on fire. An estimated 4,000 Jews were killed that day. Most of those who survived converted or left the city.

The progroms soon extended to Aragon and all over Spain. Hundreds of Jewish communities in Valencia, Majorca, and Catalonia were destroyed, thousands of Jews were killed, and more than 100,000 were converted by force to Christianity. Despite Rabbi Crescas’ efforts to have his family protected, his only son was murdered in the riots of Barcelona. He wrote about his murdered son, who chose to die as a Jew rather than convert: “My only son, a twenty years old bridegroom, a lamb without blemish, was sacrificed among other martyrs, for the sanctification of the name of God…”.

רבים קדשו שם שמיים ובתוכם גם בני יחידי, חתן בן כ’ שנה, שה תמים העליתיו לעולה, אני אצדיק עלי הדין ואתנחם לטוב חלקו

After the progroms of 1391 Rabbi Crescas devoted himself to the reconstruction of the devastated Jewish communities of the Kingdom of Aragon. He also secured passage for thousands of conversos, Jews that had adopted the Christian religion under duress, to sail for places outside Christendom, like North Africa or the Land of Israel, where they could return openly to Judaism. Among them was the Ribash, who escaped to Tunis.

Rabbi Hasday Crescas died in Zaragoza in 1411.

HIS BOOKS

Rabbi Crescas’ life was very intense and he had a very limited time for writing. As part of a campaign to combat the Christianizing literature aimed to convert the Jews, he wrote in Catalan his “Refutation of the Christian Principles”. There is a translation of this book into English done by my friend, Professor Daniel Lasker, from Ben Gurion University. See here

The most famous book of Rabbi Crescas is “Or HaShem”. In it Rabbi Crescas praises the immensity of Maimonides’ work but disagrees with him in many areas. One example: according to Maimonides, the opening words of the Ten Commandants, “I am the Lord your God” (Ex. 20:2) constitute the positive commandment to believe in the existence of God. Rabbi Crescas, by contrast, argued that to believe in the existence of God cannot be a commandment itself. It must be a presupposition for the other commandments. Before one can speak of a divine commandment one must be convinced of the existence of a Divine Commander. For rabbi Crescas belief is involuntary, and one can only be reasonably commanded to do what one has the power to choose to do. Therefore, he thinks that the belief in the existence of God is a preamble for all the other commandments, but not a commandment in itself.

To download the book OR HASHEM see this

TEHILIM # 06: Feeling close to HaShem

Rabbi David Qimhi explains (6:1) that David haMelekh composed this Psalm of Tehilim at a time that he was very sick. From the very beginning we see that David attributes his illness to HaShem. The Rabbis explained that not all health-disorders are sent from heaven. The Rabbis said explicitly: “Everything comes from heaven, except colds and sunstrokeד”. Meaning that it is man’s responsibility to protect himself against the inclemency of the weather and any other elements that might affect us physically. Many diseases are man-made, the consequence of man’s negligence. When we fails to take proper care of our health.

But many other times sickness is not caused by our negligence. And that is how David perceived his situation now. According to many commentators David haMelekh perceived that his condition was HaShem’s retribution. The consequence of the episode with Bat Sheba.

That is why David begins his Psalm with an invocation to HaShem.Admitting that he feels responsible for his condition, he begs HaShem for mercy

6:2: HaShem, do not rebuke me in Your anger, or discipline me in Your wrath.

Then, after his admission, he asks for HaShem’s forgiveness. He begs HaShem to absolve him and cure him.

6:3 Have mercy on me, HaShem, for I am faint; heal me, HaShem, for my bones are shaking.

The King’s body, his bones, are shaking. We do not know the exact nature of David’s illness. For all we know he could have been shivering from a simple fever, for which there was not remedy in those days.

The next pasuq reveals a deeper dimension of David’s condition.

6:4 My soul is also shaking… and You, HaShem for how long….?

Now we see that David is sick in body and spirit. Not just his body but also his soul is shaking. His soul shakes of fear. The greatest King of Israel is not embarrass to admit his vulnerability and emotions. But it is still unclear, what is David haMelekh afraid of? Death?

This pasuq ends with a mysterious question: “…and You, haShem, for how long….?The puzzle is solved in the next verse.

6:5 Come back, HaShem, and deliver me; save me, because of Your unconditional love.
All along the book of Tehilim David haMelekh proclaims once and again what his highest aspiration is. It is not money, or fame or eternal life: “As for me, all the good [I need/I want] is closeness with God” (Tehilim 73:28). Nothing makes the King of Israel feeling better than knowing that HaShem is with him. David haMelekh is NEVER afraid when he feels that HaShem is close to him. And vice-versa, nothing scares more the greatest King of Israel than feeling that HaShem is far, that HaShem, even temporarily, has abandoned him. David feels that HaShem’s distancing Himself from him is the toughest form of a punishment.In the battlefield, fighting a superior enemy; or in times of persecution, danger or sickness, even when he must walk in the valley of the shadows of death, David is not scared, if HaShem is with him.

For David, nothing compares to the anguish of feeling far or abandoned by Him…. David is not afraid of daying. He is affraid of HaShem distancing from him.

At the end of this verse David expresses one of the strongest arguments for his requests. He says: HaShem, I might not deserve Your closeness, Your presence. I know that when I sinned I erected a barrier between Your presence and I, but still, come back, for i know that You love me…

6:5 ….save me,[if not for my own merits, save me] because of Your unconditional love [to me]
In this beautiful Mizmor David haMelekh teach us how to pray, and also what should be the highest aspiration in the life of a Jew.

ואני קרבת אלוקים לי טוב

“As for me, all the good I need is feeling that HaShem is close to me” (Tehilim 73:28)

להצלחה של הזקן הכשר יעקב ישר בן טובה
יה”ר שהקב”ה יעזרהו על דבר כבוד שמו

EMUNA: ABINU, our Father

The names by which we call or refer to HaShem have much to teach us about our Emuna. First it’s worth noting that by saying EMUNA I do not mean our believe in God’s existence or how much we should trust HaShem (the latter would be called “bitahon”). In this case I am referring to EMUNA as learning how to think about HaShem. Since many times, perhaps unwittingly, we attribute to HaShem human conditions, images or representations, etc. which reflect what we are, not what He is. Such thinking about HaShem is incorrect. The Jewish strategy is to think of HaShem through His names. Each of His names, rigorously formulated by our Tora or our Hakhamim, has something very important to teach us about HaShem. Thus, when we think about God through His names, we do not visualize an image; rather, we reflect on an idea.

Previously, we explained the name Tsur . Today we will begin to explain the name ABINU, our Father.

The first one who explicitly referred to HaShem as “our Father” was Yesha’aya haNabi (64: 7) when he said, “And now [we declare] HaShem, that You are our Father. We are like the raw material, and You shape us. All of us are the work of Your hands. “

The most obvious reason to call HaShem “our father” is because He gave us life. HaShem is literally our “progenitor”. The Rabbis said there are three partners in the creation of a person. Father, mother and HaShem. What is the difference between what our earthly parents give us and what our Heavenly Father gives us? In my own words, all what allows our bodies to function, but is immaterial or invisible to the eye, is given to us by God. Our vital energy, or neshama, i.e., the fundamental difference between the body of a living human being and that same body lifeless, that’s what HaShem gave us, so to speak, “directly”. When we are born, it’s as if HaShem repeats the original act of the creation of man, in which He breathed life into a lifeless earthly body. When we say ABINU we think of God as our creator.

To differentiate it from our earthly father (“father” here means “parent”, father and/or mother) sometimes we call HaShem “ABINU SHEBASHAMAYIM”, “Our Heavenly Father”, a term other religions borrowed from our liturgy (“Our Father… in Heaven…. “).

Rabbi Hayim Abulafia (1660-1744), founder of modern Tiberias

The Abulafia family is considered one of the most famous Sephardic families of Castila, Spain, and according to their own traditions, they are descendants of David HaMelekh.

One of the most celebrated Rabbis of this family was Rabbi Hayim Abulafia, who was born in Hebron, Israel, in 1660. The family of Rabbi Abulafia moved to Yerushalayim and there Rabbi Hayim studied with the great luminaries of the time, Rabbi Shelomo Algazi and Rabbi Abraham Amigo.

From Yerushalayim he was sent to Turkey in a mission to encourage the thriving local community to support materially the Jews of Erets Israel. There in Izmir (Smyrna) he met the Rabbi of the city, Rabbi Israel Benveniste, who was so impressed with Rabbi Abulafia that he said about him that he was one of the greatest geniuses of his generation.

Rabbi Abulafia also lived for almost ten years in Tsefat, where he served as the rabbi of the community. He said that he “had the great merit of being born in Hebron, raised in Yerushalayim, and officiated as a Rabbi in Tsefat”, three of the four “holy” cities in Israel (we’ll talk about the fourth).

In 1705 Rabbi Israel Benveniste died and the local community invited Rab Abulafia to take his place. Rabbi Abulafia accepted and directed for several years the Jewish community of Izmir, which had over 15,000 families (sic). He was respected and admired by Yehudim and gentiles. And had an excellent relationship with the Sultan, who consulted with Rabbi Hayim on all kinds of subjects.

While he was in Turkey, Rab Abualfia kept thinking and worrying about Erets Israel. Rabbi Abulafia understood that his stay in Turkey might have been providential, not for him personally but for the future of Erets Israel. Thus his ambitious plan was conceived: to rebuild the city of Tiberias. Tiberias was the place where the last Sanhedrin functioned, after the destruction of the Second Bet haMiqdash. Since those days, the city was destroyed and despite the efforts of Don Yosef Nasi and Doña Gracia Mendes almost a hundred years ago, it was never restored.

He found a politically opportune moment, when the Turkish Empire was very influential in the Middle East. And he inspired the wealthy and very generous Izmir Jewish community to support its mission.

When he was 80 years Rabbi Abulafia traveled with his family to Israel and began to rebuild the city of Tiberias. He was engaged in creating jobs to stimulate Yehudim to settle in the city. And also founded schools and Yeshibot to study Tora. He also founded the Synagogue “Ets HaHayim”, which exists to this day, in the place of the old Synagogue of the Ari haQadosh.

Rabbi Abulafia z “l died and was buried in Tiberias in 1744.

His most famous book is “Ets haHayim” a profound commentary on the Torah. According to Rab Hida, the book “ets hajayim” can not be understood from a superficial reading, the greatest benefit is to discover its great depth. Click here to download it

He also wrote,

“Miqrae Qodesh” explaining some difficult texts of the Talmud.

“Yosef lemad” another commentary on the Tora.

“Shebut Ya’aqob” a commentary on the famous book ”’en Ya’aqob”.

MAIMONIDES on Ba’ale Teshuba and verbal abuse

In the Seventh chapter of Hilkhot Teshuba Maimonides discusses the tremendous merit of doing Teshuba. He also discusses the status of the “penitent” or ba’al teshuba. A ba’al teshuba is not just a person who repents for one or two mistakes he has done. Usually, a ba’al teshuba is a Jew who, for a variety of reasons was not observing Tora and Mitsvot and now he is. A ba’al teshuba undergoes a drastic change in his lifestyle, and he must face some big challenges. Beyond the personal difficulties of studying the basics of Tora at a more mature age and other intellectual and spiritual predicaments, sometimes he also has to face some “social” challenges. His friends, his former friends who, usually moved by their own insecurities, might make fun of him or hurt him with their words.

Maimonides refers to this case and describes it in three different steps:

First, in halakha 4 he explains that to God’s eyes, the penitent is as great as someone that was always a righteous person, or perhaps greater than him

“A ba’al-teshuba should not think that he is far from the level of the righteous (tsadiqim) because of the sins and transgressions that he committed. That is not the case. A person who repents is beloved and esteemed before the Creator, as if he never sinned. Furthermore, he has a great reward for he has tasted sin and yet, separated himself from it, conquering his [evil] inclination. “

Second, in Halakha 8, Maimonides describes how the ba’al teshuba needs to process the embarrassment and the mockery, considering it part of his process of growth, a very humbling experience.This is what he says:

“Ba’ale teshuba should be very humble and modest. If fool people shame them because of their previous deeds, saying to them [now you show yourself to be religious, but don’t you remember that yesterday you would commit such and such [sins]? “

The ba’al teshuba should not take these words to their heart. On the contrary, when hearing this abuse they should rejoice in their hearts, knowing that abandoning their previous lifestyle, means a great merit for them.

Finally, in the same halakha, Maimonides warns people never to remind the ba’al teshuba of his past. This is considered a great sin, a type of a verbal abuse [hona-at debarim] explicitly forbidden in the Tora.

“It is a great sin to tell a ba’al teshuba, “Remember your previous deeds?” or to recall them in his presenceand embarrass him or to mention the surrounding circumstances or other similar matters so that he will recall what he did. This is all forbidden. We are warned against it within the sin of verbal abuse which the Tora has warned us against, as is stated in vayqra 25:17 : “A man should not abuse his peers”

TEHILIM # 05: When a Jewish King prays

Like Israel today, David haMelekh had many enemies. Virtually in every border of his kingdom. David fought against the Syrians in the north and against the Moabites in the east (Jordan). But the biggest threat came from the west. From the Philistines, who lived in Gaza. The word Philistines means “invaders”. The Philistines are called by historians “The people of the Sea”. They had no culture or particular ethnicity. They were a mixed of various people mainly from the Mediterranean islands (Cyprus, Sicily, Crete) who got together to colonize the Middle East. They came with their wives and children, because they came to conquer and stay. They were extremely wild and dangerous, and they destroyed many empires and civilizations. The Hittites, the Minoans, the Mycenaeans, the Trojans and many other civilizations, all disappeared in the hands of the “People of the Sea”.

David knows that, same as today, Israel could not afford to lose a battle. For Israel wars are not about conquest but about survival. Every war Israel fights is an existential war.

David also knows that although the enemy is, unlike us, bloodthirsty, and more numerous than us, HaShem is in our side.

And in this Mizmor David requests help from God to defeat his enemies.

David mentions in this Psalm the morning (5:4), apparently because the army and the King were preparing themselves for battle in the morning. And it is possible that this was one of the Tefilot that were recited by the King and his soldiers in the morning before going the war.

In this Mizmor David prays to HaShem to protect him against the enemies, whom he describes (5:10) as wicked, bloodthirsty and deceitful

To me, the most touching part of this Psalm is the second and third pasuq, in which David describes three different types of prayers.

The first type of prayer is “amarai”, my words. That is a normal prayer which is said with words. A calm prayer. Probably the prayer King David and his army would say before battle, when one is able to convey his feelings with intelligible words.

The second level is “hagigi”, my thoughts. David haMelekh acknowledges that sometimes, in desperate situations like the middle of the battle, words might not come out of our mouths. All what is left is our raw, unspoken and perhaps chaotic thoughts. Anticipating those difficult times, David haMelekh rquests HaShem that if he would unable to articulate prayers, HaShem should attend David’s raw thoughts and feelings. In other words, David is asking HaShem to listen and pay close attention to him, if he cannot pray.

The third level of prayer is “shav’i”, my cry. Crying is a sign of desperation and sorrow. When the people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt and suffered the miseries of slavery the Tora said that their cry reached God. Crying is the way a person in pain and anguish reaches out to God. In front of God, David does not describe himself as an invincible Hercules but as vulnerable human being. Admitting that he knows that he is at all times at HaShem’s mercy.

King David’s prayer was very far away from lip service. His prayers were coming from the depth of his heart, as words, as raw thoughts or sometimes as tears.

Rabbi Isaac Caro (1458-1535), from Toledo to Yerushalayim

Rabbi Isaac (Yitshaq) Caro was born in the city of Toledo, Spain in 1458. His father was Rabbi Yosef Caro haZaqen, a great Rabbi and Talmudist of his generation. Rabbi Isaac was a student of rabbi Isaac Canpanton.

In 1492, the year of the expulsion of the Jews from spain, Rabbi Isaac escaped to Portugal and established himself in Lisboa. In 1497, the Jews were given the choice to convert or leave. So, rabbi Isaac left with his family to Jerusalem. That trip was very tragic for him: he lost his wife and all but one of his children. He did not reach Yerushalayim but established himself in the city of Constantinople, Turkey (modern Istanbul). According to some versions, at a later period Rabbi Isaac embarked again to Israel. And he arrived to Damascus, Syria, where he was appointed as a dayan (Rabbinical judge). At the end of his life, he finally reached Erets Israel, probably Tsefat (Safed) where his nephew rabbi Yosef Caro (1488-1575), the famous author of the shulhan ‘arukh, lived.

His most famous book was Toledot Yitshaq, a commentary on the Tora. Since he could not afford the expenses of printing a whole book, Rabbi Isaac would publish his work in small pamphlets, Parasha by Parasha.

He is also the author of Hasde David, a book of Derashot (sermons) on philosophy and the Agada (=the non-halakhic aspect of rabbinic literature)

Rabbi Yosef Caro mentions his uncle, Rabbi Isaac, many times in his books. For example, Bet Yosef, OH, 31, where he discuses the obligation to wear tefilin in Hol haMo’ed, the intermediate days of the holidays of Pesah and Sukkot. After he brings the different opinions he says that his uncle, rabbi Isaac wrote that the tradition in Sepharad was to not using Tefilin in Hol haMoed.

Rabbi Yosef Caro also mentions Rabbi Isaac in two more cases. One of them regarding the debate about yibbum vs. halitsa. If when a husband dies without children, his wife should marry his brother (Levirate marraige) or perform a special ritual called halitsa by which the widow is freed from the biblical obligation of marrying her brother-in-law, and then be able to marrying whoever she wants.

Rabbi Yosef Caro also quotes his uncle in a discussion about renting the house of a non-Jew, in that case, one of the officials of the city, for a matter concerning ‘erubin, the boundaries of cities and neighborhoods to the effects of the laws of hotsa-a in Shabbat.

After quoting his uncle in these cases in eben ha’ezer 392, Rabbi Yosef caro writes: “These responsa are from my uncle, the great rabbi R. Isaac Caro z”l, and I copied them next to my own responsa”.

Many of Rabbi Isaac’s responsa and his sermons are still in manuscripts in libraries and museums in Oxford and New york.

Recently, professor Shaul Regev from Bar Ilan University published a new book with some of Rabbi Isaac Caro unpublished sermons. See here

To download the book Toledot Yitshaq, printed in Amsterdam 1708, click this.