TEHILIM # 8: Is Man Important for God?

(Pasuq 2) מה אדיר שמך בכל הארץ David haMelej comienza este Mizmor diciendo que el nombre de haShem, es majestuoso en toda la tierra. O sea, que vemos en en cielo y en nuestro planeta una gran cantidad de maravillas (=milagros) que apuntan a la existencia de un Creador Majestuoso: HaShem.

(Pasuq 3) מפי עוללים ויונקים Los comentaristas explican este enigmático pasuq que habla de “la boca de los bebes y los niños” de la siguiente manera. En la tierra somos testigos de milagros permanentes. Una de las maravillas que más sorprenden al rey de Israel es, en palabras modernas, el milagro de la cognición infantil. De cómo un niño de 2 a 4 años, cuando su cerebro aun no está desarrollado para muchas otras cosas, aprende a hablar. La capacidad de un infante para aprender un idioma completo, incluyendo la complicada semántica de ese idioma, está en su máximo nivel. Tanto es así que cuando una persona quiere aprender otro idioma a una edad posterior, es casi imposible llegar a controlar ese segundo idioma, no importa lo inteligente que uno sea. David haMelej vio este fenómeno como una señal más de la sabiduría y majestuosidad del Creador del mundo.

(Pasuq 4) כי אראה שמיך מעשי אצבעתיך Ahora David haMelej mira para arriba. Contempla el cielo estrellado y le dice al Creador: “Cuando veo Tus cielos, la obra de Tus dedos, la luna y las estrellas que Tu estableciste”. David haMelej nos dice que los cielos también son un testimonio de la existencia de HaShem y Su infinita Sabiduría. Hay que prestar atención a los detalles del pasuq, a las palabras que el más grande de los poetas del pueblo judío utiliza. ¿Que significa “la obra de Tus dedos”? Que ni se nos ocurra pensar que David creía que HaShem tiene dedos o manos! Los dedos de HaShem o Sus manos son metáforas, expresiones poéticas, motivos literarios. Cuando David habla de la Creación a veces se refiere a lo hecho por las manos de HaShem y a veces , como en este caso, por los “dedos de HaShem”. ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre estas dos metáforas? Cuando David quiere resaltar los detalles exquisitos de lo creado por haShem, utiliza la metáfora de los “dedos” (en el mismo sentido que en pedagogia se habla de la motricidad fina). Tal como el artesano termina los detalles de su obra con la destreza sus dedos, así el Creador, que es el Artista supremo de la Creación, ha diseñado Su mundo coordinando con “Sus dedos” hasta los más pequeños detalles.

Al margen de los detalles del universo, está la inmensidad del universo, lo que HaShem ha creado con “Sus manos”. Los números que se manejan respecto al tamaño del universo marean. Pero a David haMelej lo inspiran a reflexionar en la increíble pequeñez del hombre. Hay por lo menos 100 billones (entendiendo 1 billón como 1000 millones) de galaxias en el universo. Se calcula que cada galaxia contiene, por lo menos, 100 billones de estrellas. Y no se sabe cuantos planetas hay alrededor de cada estrella. Si nuestro sistema solar se toma como referente, tendríamos que estimar que habrían unos 8-12 planetas por cada estrella. Pero este no es el tamaño definitivo del universo. Es sólo lo que podemos ver con nuestros limitados telescopios. De cualquier manera creo que estos números son suficientes para entender lo que David haMelej sintió cuando observó el cielo estrellado.

(Pasuq 5) מה אנוש כי תזכרנו La astronomía lleva a David haMelej a la reflexión. ¿Qué es el hombre para que Tú lo consideres, o para que Tú, el Creador de este infinito universo, lo tengas en cuenta? Nuestro planeta es ridículamente minúsculo, imperceptible, comparado con el resto del universo. En cuanto a nuestro tamaño, ¡somos absolutamente insignificantes! ¿Por qué HaShem prestaría atención a algo aparentemente irrelevante, como la tierra o la humanidad?

(Continuará…)

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto (1565-1648), rabbi of Damascus, Siria.

The family of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, came from Portugal. The famous patriarch of the family, Rabbi Yosef Pinto, established himself in Damascus the year of the expulsion of the Jews from Portugal, in 1497. He was a wealthy and generous philanthropist, known for his kindnesswith those in need.

The father of rabbi Yoshiahu Pinto, also named Yosef, devoted his attention to the education of his son, and did not spare efforts to get the best teachers for him, making sure that his son would finish the six tractates of the Mishna, probably by heart, before the end of his childhood.

The main teacher of rabbi Yoshiyahu was rabbi Ya’aqob Abulafia, one of the greatest luminaries of Syrian Jewry. Rabbi Abulafia was a “musmakh”, one of the seven ordained rabbis of his time. This point requires some elaboration. When the Jews left Spain and established themselves again in Erets Israel, one of the leading rabbis, rabbi Ya’aqob Berab, decided to “renew” the official rabbinical ordination, which could be issued only in Erets Israel. That ordination allowed the ordained rabbi (or musmakh) to legislate, not just for his particular community, but for all Am Israel. One of the first rabbis to be ordained in Tsefat (Safed) around 1550 was rabbi Yosef Caro, the author of the shulhan ‘arukh. Part of what makes the shulhan ‘arukh a book with authority for all Jews is the fact the Rabbi Yosef Caro was a “musmakh”. Those who were ordained could ordain other Rabbis. Rabbi Ya’aqob Abulafia was the grandson of rabbi Ya’aqob Berab, and was also a musmakh. The ordination had to be given with the consent of all living ordained rabbis. Rabbi Abulafia, with the other six ordained rabbis (musmakhim), granted the ordination to rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, who became one of the last rabbis to hold this prestigious renewed semikha. In the presentation of his books, one can notice the way Rabbi Pinto is always addressed by other rabbis “HaRab haMusmakh…” .

Rabbi Pinto became the rabbi of Damascus when the famous Rabbi Hayim Vital died in 1620.

After a few years, Rabbi Pinto decided to leave his position in Damascus and went to Erets Israel. In one of his books, kesef mezuqaq, he explains why he left to Tsefat. His son, Yosef, was a genius, a prodigious Tora scholar, and Rabbi Pinto knew that the best Rabbis in the world lived in Erets Israel. Unfortunately, after a short time his son Yosef became sick and died at the age of 24. Devastated, rabbi Yoshiyahu came back to Damascus, and to find solace and consolation for his great loss, he dedicated himself to writing and publishing books.

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto died in Damascus in 1648. His other son, Rabbi Daniel Pinto, moved to Aram Tsoba (Aleppo) and became one of the most important rabbis of the city.

HIS BOOKS

Rabbi Pinto was a very prolific writer. The first book Rabbi Pinto wrote was kesef nibhar. This is the only Hebrew book ever printed in Damascus. Kesef Nibhar is divided according to the wekly sections of the Tora (perashiyot). For each section there are two or more sermons (derashot). The sermons begin with the exposition of one Midrash, one of the fields of expertise of rabbi Pinto, and includes commentaries from the Talmud, the weekly Tora section and the exposition of selected practical Jewish laws (halakhot). Rabbi Pinto quotes very often, in this and in his other books, his teacher and mentor, Rabbi Ya’aqob Abulafia.

His second book, kesef mezuqaq, is also organized according to the weekly sections. But in this book rabbi Pinto writes mainly about musar (morality, ethics and Jewish philosophy). For example: the reason for the existence of man in this world; the ways to increase our trust in God (bitahon); the ways to appreciate the goodness and kindness of God to His creatures; the ways in which HaShem educates and teaches us when we suffer (yisurin, nisionot); the principle of divine reward and divine punishment; etc.

He wrote also a book explaining the Hagadot and Midrashim, called me-or ‘enayim, and a book on Mishle, the proverbs of King Solomon, kesef tsaruf.

Finally, he most important book he wrote is nibhar mikesef, a selection of his rabbinic responsa to a variety of Halakhic questions on the four sections of the Shulhan Arukh. In the introduction one can see the Haskamot, the licenses of approval to rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, the “Rab haMusmakh”, given by the prestigious rabbis of Aleppo and Damascus of his time.

Click here to download the book nibhar mikesef. This edition was published in Aram Tsoba (Aleppo) in 1869.

TEHILIM # 07, the boomerang effect

יגמר נא רע רשעים

מזמור ז’, פסוק י

This Mizmor describes the Tefila that David compose, before he became a King, asking for HaShem’s assistance and help, when he was escaping from his enemies.

Although opinions abound regarding the identity of the enemies that this Mizmor refers to, it seems that David felt threatened by domestic enemies, not by the gentiles who sought the destruction of Israel, such as the Pelishtim. Here, David is chased by internal enemies, other Yehudim who wanted to end the life of the future King of Israel. Most Rabbis said those enemies are King Saul’s men, who felt threatened because of the great popularity of David, and sought to get rid of him. According to this opinion Kush ben Yemini (Pasuq 1) is Shaul Hamelekh.

We also know that these enemies of David were previously his allies, his former partners who are now seeking to betray David. And to justify their betrayal, they falsely accuse David of treason, of planning to betray his covenant with King Saul (7: 4). David claims to HaShem that he is innocent. What is more and uncommon, is that David asks HaShem to be the Judge and he says: (7: 5): “HaShem, if I were guilty of what they are accusing me, if I have betrayed my allies, (7: 6) then, let all the bad things they wish to do to me, to happen to me.” David ends this appeal to HaShem saying (7: 9)”HaShem judge me (or defend me), since You know my innocence. You know that I have acted with integrity. You are “Eloqim shofet tsadiq” (7:12) The Almighty Judge who always acts righteously.

The most important point of this Mizmor is an idea that David HaMelekh formulates in this Psalm more than once, regarding the consequences of wrongdoings. He says: “igmor na ra reshaim”. (7:10) “May evil destroy the evildoer”. Many times we can witness a boomerang effect in good and in bad things we do. When someone plans to do evil to someone else, that evil deed backfires against the one who conceived it. Imagine that Mr. A wants to harm Mr. B. To do that Mr. A speaks ill of Mr. B to his friends. At the end, the friends discover that A lied about B, and now the words that Mr. A used to harm B, will harm Mr. A. Mr. A has become the victim of his own evil. This is probably the allusion of pasuq 7:14, “a man sharpens his arrows (arrows many times refer to “damaging, lethal words”), which will come back against those who used them.”

This idea was reiterated in other words by the son of David HaMelekh, King Solomon in Mishle (1: 18-19). When he says that those who tended traps to deceive and rob others, will end up falling into the ambush they prepared … this is the fate of those who pursue evil, evil takes the life of those who planned it.”

Towards the end of our Mizmor this idea reformulated with a different literary motif. Deliberate deception is compared with the process of giving birth. The evildoers (7:15) “Plant the seeds of evil, conceive betrayal and give birth to deceit”. What they do not know is that they are (7:16) “Digging a deep hole, into which they will end up falling”. And so the pit dug by the wicked to bring down the innocent, becomes his own grave. ”

David HaMelekh understood that when evil turns against those who planned it, Divine Justice is being served. Confident that Divine justice will prevail, David ends this Mizmor (7:18) praising HaShem for His infinite righteousness.

The Tenth of Tebet

Today is the Tenth of Tebet. The main event we remember on this day is the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebukhadnezzar, King of Babylonia. The siege of the city signaled the beginning of the battle that ultimately destroyed Yerushalayim and our first Bet haMiqdash. Hundreds of thousands of Jews died of starvation during the siege, were killed in battle or sent as captives to the Babylonian exile. The date of the Tenth of Tebet was recorded by the prophet Yehezqel. At the time of the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash Yehezqel was already exiled in Babylonia with the first group of Jews who were taken there by Nebukhadnezzar eleven years earlier.

According to Maimonides (MT, Hilkhot Ta’anit, 5:1), as every other fast day, today is a day that needs to be dedicated to Teshuba. To remember our present transgressions and mistakes , which are similar to the mistakes done by our ancestors. Those transgressions brought the destruction of our Bet haMiqdash and the distancing of the Shekhina, God’s Presence, from our midst. Shortening the distance between us and our Creator is within our power. And that renewed closeness will be bring us closer to have our Bet haMiqdash, once again, rebuilt.

LAWS OF ‘ASARA BETEBET

On the 10th of Tebet there are only two restrictions: eating and drinking. NO additional limitations apply, such as the prohibition of wearing leather shoes, working, driving, washing the body, etc. Most contemporary Rabbis (for example Rab O. Yosef z”l, or Rab E. Melamed) authorize to wash one’s mouth or brush one’s teeth in this fast day, provided you are careful to lower your head, avoiding swallowing water unintentionally.

*Minors: boys under 13 and girls under 12 years old are completely exempted from fasting.

*Nursing women: According to the Sephardic tradition after giving birth women are exempted from fasting for 24 months, even if they are not actually nursing their baby.

*Pregnant women, especially after the first 3 months, are exempted from fasting.

*A person who feels sick–for example, flu or fever– or one who has a chronic disease–for example diabetes– should not fast.

*Elders should consult with their physicians if the fast will not affect their health. If it will, they are exempted (and in some cases, prohibited) from fasting.

The fast of the Tenth of Tebet ends in NYC at 4:59pm.

YOM HAQADDISH HAKELALI

In modern Israel, the 10th of Tebet is also considered the day of the Kaddish haKelaly. According to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, on the Tenth of Tebet a remembrance-candle should be lit in the Synagogue and the Hazkara leHalale haShoah, the memorial prayer for the victims of the Holocaust, should be recited. Additionally, all those whose parents are not alive should say in ‘asara beTebet the Kaddish Yatom (Rabbanut haRashit LeIsrael, luah dinim uminhaguim 5772, pages. 55,109).

This point requires more explanation.

In 1949, and before the day of Yom HaShoah was established, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel decided that the Tenth of Tebet should be assigned as the national remembrance day for the victims of the Holocaust. They recommended traditional Jewish ways of remembering the dead, such as the study of Mishna Miqvaot, recitation of Tehilim, lighting a candle and a collective recitation of the Kaddish for the victims of the Holocaust whose names and date of death remain unknown. Fasting, the most common Jewish expression of sorrow, was already prescribed for this day.

In Israel many people felt that the horror of the Holocaust should be remembered on its own, and a special day, in which nothing else is remembered, should be dedicated to the Shoah’s victims’ memory. “For the survivors there was only one day worthy of being a memorial anniversary for the Holocaust, April 19, the beginning day of the Warsaw ghetto revolt the greatest revolt of them all, the uprisings that had held the Nazis at bay for a longer period than the great French army” (I. Greenberg). That is how the 27 of Nissan (April 19, 1943) was chosen to commemorate Yom haShoah. Yom HaShoah was inaugurated in 1953, by a law signed by the Prime Minister of Israel David ben Gurion.

Since then, and in practical terms, there are two days in which we mourn for the Holocaust: Yom haShoah, the official day, and ‘asara beTebet, in which many people would say the Kaddish haKelaly to remember the victims of the Nazi genocide.

TENTH OF TEBET: Ezra haSofer and the return of the Jews to Erets Israel

Tomorrow, Thursday January 1st, we will observe the Tenth of Tebet, a fast day which remind us of three tragic events (see here). One of the events we remember is the death of Ezra haSofer .

Seventy years after the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash, approximately by the year 516 b.c.e., the Persian Emperor Cyrus allowed the Jews to come back to Erets Israel. 42,360 Jews were led back to Israel by Zerubabel (see Ezra 2:64), and years later, more Jews came back to Israel lead by Nehemia and Ezra the Scribe.

Nehemia was the leader that persuaded the new Persian Emperor, Artahshasta, to allow more Jews to return to Zion, in order to strengthen the Jewish population in Yerushalayim (Nehemia, chapter 1-2), and Ezra had the tremendous responsibility of reeducating the Jews who lived for three or more generations in the Babylonian exile, without schools or synagogues, in the midst of the local population. Many Jews had forgotten the Tora, its laws and even its language, and adopted the values of the surrounding Babylonian culture.

In Yerushalayim, Ezra established the Anshe Keneset haGedola, the first Jewish Parliament, composed of 120 scholars and prophets. With them, Ezra issued many rulings to reclaim and revive the Tora and reeducate the Jewish people. He increased the days of public reading of the Tora, he composed the text of the Amida (main prayer) because people forgot how to pray, he adapted the names of the Hebrew months and modified the fonts of the Biblical text to facilitate the study of Tora, etc. Ezra also had to make very critical decisions, like excluding the Samaritans, a semi-pagan mixed population living in Israel from the times of the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash, who expected to be considered part of the Jewish people, and dealing with the issue of mixed marriages. This last dramatic event is narrated in chapters 9 and 10 of the book of Ezra. Thanks to Ezra’s wisdom and courage the Jewish people was able to survive and be reestablished again in Israel as the Nation of HaShem.

Ezra was considered by the Rabbis as the historical link between the written Tora and the oral Tora. The oral Tora, the rabbis said, was forgotten in the long Babylonian captivity, and it was retrieved by Ezra the Scribe. Together with Nehemia, they also completed the building of the second Bet haMiqdash and the protective walls around the city.

Ezra died on a 9th of Tebet. He was regarded by our Rabbis as second to Moshe Rabbenu.

Who is exempt from fasting?

The fast of the Tenth of Tebet begins tomorrow, January 1st, at dawn and ends at nightfall. In NY the fast will begin at 6:25am and end at 4:59pm.

*Minors: boys under 13 and girls under 12 years old, are completely exempted from fasting tomorrow.

*Nursing women: According to the Sephardic tradition after giving birth women are exempted from fasting for 24 months, even if they are not actually nursing their baby.

*Pregnant women, especially after the first 3 months, are exempted from fasting.

*A person who feels sick, for example, flu or fever, or a person who suffers from a chronic disease like diabetes, should not fast.

*Elders should consult with their physicians to find out if the fast will affect their health. If it will, they are exempted from fasting.

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