THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT: The difference between honoring and respecting parents

כבד את אביך ואת אמך
איש אמו ואביו תיראו
In the Tora there are two mitsvot that govern the parents / children relationship. The first is kabbed et abikha ve-et imekha“Honor your father and your mother.” This is the fifth of the Ten Commandments.

And there is a second mitsva in the book of Vayiqra -Leviticus- 19: 3, which says ish immo veabiv tira’u , “One must respect his mother and his father.” These two mitsvot are different, and in fact they complement each other, as we will explain below.

We will begin by the second mitsva: Respecting our parents. The language used by the Tora, which we translated as respect, istira’u, which literally means “fear.” But this Mitsva is not indicating us to be afraid of our parents, but to treat and address them with “reverential fear”, that is, respect.
Respecting our parents includes everything that we should NOT do to our parents.
Some examples:
I can not call my parents by their first name.
I can not contradict or disobey my parents.
A son or daughter should not sit in a place that is designated for her father or his mother. For example, I cannot sit in my mother’s seat at the table ,or in my father’s special chair at home, or on the seat of my father in the synagogue, etc.

Respect for our parents is a way to establish clear lines and limits: “I am the father and you are the son: we are not equal.”. This distance is absolutely necessary for the children, not for the ego of the parents. These principles set boundaries and define authority, without which a child can not be well educated. In a practical sense, the mitsva to “respect” our parents applies mainly when we are children or young adults, and we depend on our parents. A Jewish child is educated to act with discipline and to accept the authority of parents. Which eventually will train him or her to accept a higher authority: the Divine authority.

The first mitsva, “Honoring our parents” is very different. It is not about what we are NOT allowed to do to our parents, but rather, what we should do for our parents. Honoring our parents means “caring” and “taking care of” our parents. As we already explained, this is the fifth of the Ten Commandments.
Our sages explained that honoring parents includes, for instance, our obligation to serve our parents, accompany them, take them and bring them, and if necessary, feed them and clothe them. This mitsva emphasizes the duty of gratitude and appreciation to those who fed us, clothed us and looked after us when we were kids.
As the reader will appreciate, while respecting parents applies mainly when we, the children, we depend on our parents, honoring/taking care of our parents mainly applies when our parents are older, and they depend on us, the children.

 



Mourning, on Tish’a beAb

Tish’a beAb is a day of fasting and it is also a day of collective national mourning. During Tish’a beAb we behave as mourners grieving a loved one who just passed away.  To express or reach this emotional state of grief, during Tish’a beAb (from Saturday night August 13th, after Shabbat is over, until Sunday 14th at nightfall) we avoid engaging in certain activities from which we derive a physical pleasure, activities associated with happiness or which would distract us from the mood of mourning.
Some examples
LIMUD TORA: On Tish’a beAb we refrain from studying Tora, because studying Tora is a joyous and pleasurable activity. We might read and study books or texts with a sad content, such as the book of Iyob or Ekha, some passages of the book of Jeremiah or some Psalms, masekhet mo’ed qatan, etc.
WORK:  On Tish’a beAb it is not advised to work because working would divert our minds from the feeling of grief. Refraining from work on Tish’a beAb, however, is not a formal prohibition but rather a tradition some communities have adopted and some have not (minhag hamaqom) and it also depends on each individual’s financial or professional situation. In any case, if one would incur in significant losses or if one’s job position will be compromised, it is permitted to work.
SHE-ELAT SHALOM: On Tish’a beAb we don’t greet each other as usual, because our mood is, or should be, a mourner’s mood. If someone greets us, we can discreetly and politely acknowledge the gesture.
SITTING ON THE FLOOR: The general custom is that during the reading of Megilat Ekha people don’t sit on the Synagogue’s benches but on the floor, like mourners do during the shib’a (the first  seven days of Jewish mourning), while the lights are dimmed.
REHITSA (Washing) Same as Yom Kippur, taking a shower, bathing or washing for pleasure is forbidden on Tish’a beAb. However, if a part of the body is unclean we can wash it. Brushing our teeth or washing our mouth is not permitted on Tish’a beAb. Except in a situation of great distress. In such case, one should bend the head downward when washing the mouth to avoid swallowing any liquid (Rabbi Obadya Yosef z”l).  It is permitted to use baby wipes to clean one’s face, eyes, hands, etc. because this type of cleaning is not considered “washing”. Technically we could wash our hands normally in the morning for Netilat Yadayim, because we do it for a Mitsva and not for pleasure. The standard Sephardic custom, however, is to wash only the fingers for Netilat Yadayim.
SIKHA (Using creams) Using creams or ointments for pleasure or comfort is not permitted on Tish’a beAb. Medical creams or oils are permitted. Using deodorant is permitted.
NE’ILAT HASANDAL (Leather shoes) Leather shoes are dress shoes and therefore they are considered a luxurious item. During the day of National mourning then, we don’t wear leather shoes. We should wear sneakers or another type of footwear made of fabric, plastic, etc. Other leather items, like a leather belt or a leather Kipa could be worn.
TASHMISH HAMITA (Intimacy) Marital relations are suspended on Tish’a beAb. If the Mikve night falls on the night of Tish’a beAb, i.e., Saturday, August 13th at night, the Mikve has to be postponed for the following night .
TEFILIN: We do not use Tefilin in the morning of Tish’a beAb. Tefilin is a signal of honor and pride, a crown in our heads which declares that we are the people of God. In most Sephardic communities men wear Talit and Tefilin just in Minha. In Syrian communities, the tradition is that before going to the Synagogue in the morning one says Qaddesh Li and Shema Israel at home with Talit and Tefilin. In other communities, men wear Tefilin and Tallit normally in the morning (=minhag Yerushalayim).
Halakhot of Tish’a beAb
Meat and wine during the nine days.



The prophet Jeremiah, and the opportunity we missed.

In the days of King Joakim, HaShem spoke to the prophet Yirmiyahu and told him to go to Bet haMiqdash and transmit this message:
CAP 26: 1-6 “Thus says HaShem, … speak to all [those coming to the Temple from] the cities of Yehuda  … do not omit a word. Perhaps they will listen and repent of their evil ways. If they do that, [I will also] repent of the evil that I thought to do [with Bet haMiqdash and Yerushalayim] because of their wicked deeds. Warn them, that thus says HaShem: ‘If they do not obey and behave by the law which I have given them, and if they do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent again and again, and they have disobeyed, then will I make this house what I did to Shiloh. ‘ “

Here the prophet shows what his mission really is. The prophecy that announced the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash, at this time, can still be avoided. HaShem sent the prophets to save His people from the consequences of their wrongdoing. It might happen to the Bet haMiqdash what happened to the Mishkan of Shilo, which was destroyed by the Philistines in the days of the prophet Samuel. But if the people repent and correct their behavior, destruction can still be avoided!
The question is: How did people react to these words? Did they listen to the warnings of Yirmiyahu and correct themselves?
The Priests, and false prophets, who were the leaders of the Temple wanted to execute Yirmiyahu. They saw that this new prophet threatened their authority and leadership, and began to lynch Yirmiyahu. How did they justify this? They accused Yirmiyahu of being the bearer of bad news. The false prophets announced that everything was fine. They presented Yirmiyahu as a heretic and demanded his execution. The hypocritical priests and the false prophets said: How can this man say that the Bet haMiqdash will be destroyed? Does he think that HaShem does not have the power to prevent the destruction of His Sanctuary?
But, as we have explained, the building Bet haMiqdash, its walls, enclosures, ceilings, etc. meant nothing if the people who dwell in the Sanctuary did not live their lives with integrity. People who acted viciously in their daily affairs, could not come to the Bet-haMiqdash expecting an instantaneous cleansing from the sins that they were still consciously practicing. The religious ritual, if it not accompanied by a good religious behavior, can become a form of cynicism and sacrilege.
Yirmiyahu’s strong words against this hypocritical attitude speak for themselves:
CAP 7: 3- 11 “Amend your ways and your wrongdoings, and I’ll let you go on living in this country. Do not trust the deceptive words [that the false prophets] repeated: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord [which will never be destroyed]’…. but if you correct your behavior and your actions, if you practice justice with one another, if you do not oppress the stranger or the orphan and the widow, if you do not shed innocent blood in this place, if you do not follow other gods … then I’ll let you go living … in the land that I gave to your ancestors forever …. [But, so far] you … steal, you kill, you commit adultery, you swear falsely, you burn incense to the Baal, and you follow other gods … and then you come and appear before Me in this house that bears my name [=the Bet haMiqdash] and you say: “[Here] we’ll be safe ‘, and then you go on committing all these abominations! Do you believe that this house that bears My name is a refuge of thieves? “.
We, the Yehudim of that generation, missed the opportunity to do Teshuba, to absorb the prophet’s message and repent. And soon the city of Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed.
Yirmiyahu words, unfortunately, were not heard in his generation. But they were written for future generations. For us. In these coming days, which are days of national mourning, our primary mission is to dedicate ourselves to introspection, remembering the mistakes of our ancestors to correct them and never repeat them again.


Words that hurt, words that heal. By Rabbanit Coty Bittón

Balak, king of Moab, feels threatened by Israel’s presence in the area. He knows that conventional weapons will not be enough to combat this people who counts with the help of HaShem and an army of 600,000 soldiers. Balak decides to use a more sophisticated strategy. He hires Bil’am, a famous wizard, for the power of his words. Bil’am knows how to invoke curses and use magic words that supposedly destroy the enemy. Nothing more suited to defeat this unconventional enemy. But God intervenes and does not allow Bil’am to curse Israel. On the contrary, Bil’am is forced to pronounce blessings for Israel. Some of them so beautiful that we have incorporated them into our daily Tefilot.
Words are very powerful. Human beings were granted the incredible ability of language. HaShem gave us this gift that allows us to communicate with each other and express our ideas, thoughts and feelings.
A person’s speech reflects his or her intellectual and spiritual level. An educated and refined person will stay away from bad words and negative language. We have a number of Mitsvot in the Tora warning us about the pain that negative words can cause others.
As parents we must take every opportunity we have to teach our children to stay away from using toxic language. For example, if I hear my daughter talk to her friends about another friend, I must remind her the damaging effects of Leshon haRa. Obviously, the most effective teaching process happens when my children observe that my husband and I, in our conversations, stay away from negative comments.
But it is not all about being careful with negative speech. We must also realize the power of positive speech. For some reason, Balak did not think that the best way to help his army would be to bless them, instead of looking to curse the enemy. Bil’am and Balak were only able to think of cursing and criticizing.
We are different. We know that good words, blessings, praise, have enormous power to do good to others. When someone is having a hard time, is sad or depressed, the words of support from a friend give him courage and lift his spirit. Same with words of gratitude and recognition to the efforts made by others. Sometimes doing Hesed with others it’s so easy! All you need is only a handful of positive words that can do so much good.
Once again, in this area we must teach our children by example as well. We criticize them when they do something wrong, right? Well, we must learn to praise them when they do something right!. The power of praising is amazing. And we need to use it. Usually we correct the negative behavior of our children and very often we forget to praise. No doubt there are so many positive actions we can acknowledge. If our children only receive criticism they will likely suffer from low self-esteem. And it is quite possible that they would also become critics. 
We must learn to find a balance between constructive criticism, which as parents we have to exercise, and praise, words of encouragement and appreciation to our children that will nurture their self-esteem and will allow them to become good people, men and women who know how to use positive language.


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT: The two aspects of Shabbat.

זכר ליציאת מצרים  The notion of “rest” associated with Shabbat can be a bit confusing. The vast majority of translations of the Bible have the Shabbat as a “day of rest” that the Almighty granted to Am Israel. But, is the Shabbat really a weekly day of rest that our Almighty CEO granted His employees so they can work more efficiently over the next week? This could be the idea of rest in a slave society (or in an extremely materialistic society) where the reason for human existence is “work”,  and the objective of “resting” is to improve productivity.
As we have already explained, the Fourth Commandment, the observance of Shabbat, tells us “refrain” from our work. But this lack of activity is not intended for physical rest, but to express, through our inaction, the conviction that our livelihood comes, ultimately from HaShem. From this point of view, Shabbat reminds us Yetsiat Mitsrayim, our coming out from Egypt. Once out of Egypt, as we learned from the manna, we are no longer under the jurisdiction of Pharaoh, and we entered under the wings of the Divine Supervision. Shabbat is not the means (= resting) to an end (=working better). Quite the contrary: Shabbat is the end/main goal of the week. We work hard all week to celebrate and fully enjoy Shabbat. This is the meaning of the blessing of the Seventh Day in Genesis 2: 3: HaShem “blessed the seventh day and made it holly it” i.e., established it as the most important day of the week.
זכר למעשה בראשית In the context of Bereshit, on the other hand, Shabbat expresses a different notion, the culmination of the process of Creation. The main idea conveyed in Bereshit is that on the Seventh Day God “ended” (vayikhal) His creative work and stopped (vayishbot) forever the creation process.
RaDaQ explained very clearly that Shabbat marks the end of the Creation process. ונגמרו כולם ביום הששי ומכאן ואילך אין כל חדש … שלא ברא אחר יום הששי דבר , “And from this time [after the Sixth Day] there were no new creations … because [God] did not create anything new after the Sixth Day “(Genesis 2: 1-2)”.
Let us  explore the deeper meaning of the words of RaDaQ.
Why Christians celebrate Creation on Sunday, Muslims on Friday and we Jews on Shabbat? At first glance, it seems that it makes more sense to commemorate Creation on the first day of the week, celebrating the beginning of Creation. Or in the Sixth Day, the last day of Creation. The Tora, however, indicates that we should celebrate the act of creation on the Seventh Day when God “ceased” His Creation. A day with no creation to celebrate Creation? Why? What is the difference between the Divine process of Creation and nature? If matter and life would have been produced by nature, nature could not stop to keep creating. Nature cannot stop its “natural” course. Nature, should have continued the production of atoms and cells, matter, and living beings. Despite what some secular scientists might say, when an event occurs only once, it cannot be considered or viewed as a “natural” event. It is rather a “supernatural” event. In this sense, as explained by the rabbis of the Talmud, Shabbat observance is our testimony that God, and NOT nature, created the universe. Nothing was originated spontaneously or naturally.
The discontinuity of the creative process, i.e., the Sabbath, is what makes Creation a unique and unrepeatable phenomenon, something that only happened once during a particular and unique period called “The Six Days of Creation.”    Shabbat, is“zekher lema’ase Bereshit” because it celebrates the act of Creation. Our testimony that God, and NOT nature, brought our world to its existence.


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT: Shabbat, what I want vs. what I need.

 

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day [is a day of] rest [dedicated] to HaShem your God… you shall not do any work (Exodus, Shemot, 20: 8-11)

Of all the Ten Commandments, Shabbat seems to be the most far-reaching in its practical application. We must stop working, stop taking care of our livelihood, one-seventh of our lives. Bearing in mind, also when we work, our dependency with HaShem. In this way, we make from Shabbat a “sacred”, special, different and spiritual day.

The spirituality of Shabbat begins by understanding why we should refrain from work on this day. And the key, I think, is in the text that tells us about the “Man,” the first indication we had as a people about the essence of Shabbat.

Let’s see. After leaving Egypt, the people of Israel suffered shortages of food and water in the desert. HaShem makes the manna (in Hebrew “Man”, a special food that had all the necessary nutritional properties) descend from heaven. And He tells the people of Israel how to behave with respect to the “Man.” These instructions are primarily educational. They teach the Jewish people how to manage with the material assets.

There are three basic instructions about gathering the “Man”, from which we can learn a great lesson in Jewish spiritual economy. And all these lessons are related to Shabbat.

WHERE DO I GET MY FOOD FROM? First, the manna teaches us that food, the satisfaction of our material needs, comes from heaven (= God). That does not mean that we should not work to earn our bread. In fact, the fourth commandment virtually commands us to work. What the Tora wants, then, it is to educate us on the fundamental idea that ultimately our sustenance (parnasa) is determined from “heaven”. The farmer can work from sunup to sundown sowing his land, but if “heaven” does not provide rain, he will not have what to eat. An entrepreneur can be very intelligent and hardworking, but if he has an accident, or is the victim of a terminal illness, he cannot continue working. Our work must be accompanied by the Emuna (=conviction) that ultimately is HaShem who determines what I’ll have. This is the main idea of Shabbat: our livelihood, same as the manna, depends on HaShem’s will.

YOU SHALL NOT ACCUMULATE: The second lesson has to do with the rejection of a compulsive accumulation of material goods. In the desert, it was forbidden to accumulate “Man”. Each person had to pick only the “Man” needed for him/her and their family for that day. If someone picked up more “Man” than he needed, the extra “Man” rotted. This lesson is extremely important: in the world, there is food for everyone. As a Jew, I do not need to look at my neighbor as my rival, as if the more he has, the less I will have, or vice versa. Abandoning the idea of accumulating disproportionate supplies represents an expression of trust, appreciation, and gratitude for the generosity of HaShem. We must work to collect the “Man”, but knowing that the “Man” we gather is a gift from heaven.

NOT DURING SHABBAT : On Friday people collected a double portion of Man, for Friday and for Shabbat. Why? Because the Man did not descend during Shabbat. People did not have to come out (and could not come out) to work / collect their food on Shabbat. Every Jew who observes the Shabbat knows very well the importance of this lesson. One can lose many job offers, only for not being willing to work on the Seventh day of the week. In many cases, a Jewish businessman must sacrifice potentially 20% or 25% (or sometimes more) of his sells during the week, because on Shabbat he cannot continue his business. Shabbat, as once observed by the Romans, is not a genius “commercial” idea. But, is there a better way to express my confidence in HaShem’s capacity to bless me? Is there a better way to show my conviction that by working one day more I’ll not necessarily have more than what HaShem will determine for myself and my family?

To be continued.

 

 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT: You shall not invoke His name in vain

“You shall not invoke the name of HaShem your God in vain, for HaShem will not forgive those who  invoke His name in vain.”

For Maimonides, invoking the name of God in vain is limited to four categories, all related to “trivial” oaths made in the name of God.

MT, Hilkhot Shebu’ot 1: 4-7:

1. One invokes the name of Gd in vain when swears by the name of HaShem about something that is visibly false: for example if one swears that something black is white, or something white is black.

2. When one swear about something that is obvious and visible, then the oath is superfluous: for example, if one would swear that something white is white.

3. When one swears that a Mitzva of the Tora will not apply to him anymore. For example, one swears by HaShem that he will never wear the tefillin, etc. The Mitzvot remain applicable for him.

4. When one swears by the name of HaShem to do something that is humanly impossible: one who swears that he will not drink water or any other liquid for a week. This would be a trivial oath.

Rabbi Hayim Pereira Mendes, a great Sephardic rabbi of the last century, extended the scope of this commandment to the scenarios of modern society:

1. We are invoking the name of God in vain when we pronounce His name disrespectfully. And when we say His name or we refer to Him in our prayers, without thinking about what we are saying.

2. We are invoking His name in vain when we say that God is good, just, merciful, etc., but we do not behave to be good, just, merciful, etc. Because if we “really” believe what we say about God, which represents the highest degree of morality, we should make every effort to imitate His qualities. To act otherwise would be considered as if what we said about God was “in vain.” Therefore, we must develop a positive and noble disposition towards others. Be flexible, understanding and tolerant. Being forgiving with others as HaShem is with us.

3. As God’s chosen people, we Jews are called by His name: the people of HaShem. And when we do something wrong, we dishonor and defile His name. Besides, in the same way all family members feel ashamed when any of them incurs an offense when a Yehudi does something wrong, the pain is felt by all Jews.

4. We are invoking His name in vain when we call ourselves “Jews”, but we act like pagans. We trivialize our condition as the people of HaShem. For example, when we do not pray to HaShem, recognizing His power, or declaring to Him our needs, or thanking Him for everything He gives us. Another example: when we adopt the moral standards that do not belong to the people of HaShem.

5. We are invoking His name in vain when we make up excuses to justify our negligence or disobedience to His laws as if our wisdom is greater than His. In the latter two cases, there is an inconsistency between what we say and what we do, and that is considered invoking His name in vain.

Inspired in Rabbi Pereira-Mendes book “Jewish Religion Ethically Presented”, (New York, 1905)

 

 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not misrepresent Me

“You shall not invoke the name of HaShem your God in vain, for HaShem will not forgive those who carry / invoke His name in vain.”

Previously, we presented two explanations of the third commandment. In short, we could say that the two explanations differ as to the translation (or extent) of the Hebrew word “TISA”. First, we explored what is learned from the Third Commandment when we understand LO TISA as “You shall not ‘invoke’ the name of God in vain, in the context of an oath, promise, berakha, etc.  Second, we explain LO TISA as “do not ‘carry” the name of God in vain” and the responsibility that this mission demands (see here).

Following this same topic today, talking to my mom who lives in Buenos Aires, I heard some news of what is happening these days in Argentina, where many corruption cases from the previous government are finally unmasked. The last scandal involves a former government official who was found hiding 9 million dollars in a church. And today’s news was about the complicity of some church ministers with this act of corruption.

When a CEO of a company defrauds his company, using the firm’s funds for personal gain, he is deceiving his company, its partners, his customers and his employers. But when a religious leader uses public funds inappropriately or participates in an economic fraud, he is not just deceiving his “employers”, but above all, he is hurting the religion he or she represents. In Argentina, the nuns allegedly helped that thief entering their church in the middle of the night and hiding the ill-gotten money there. If this is confirmed, then, first of all, we would have a sad but very real example, although not within a Jewish context, of religious leaders who are using “in vain” or for material purposes the “prestige of a religious institution” that suppose to work in the name of God.

This, of course, can happen in any religion, and the effect of frustration and disappointment that these scandals can cause in the congregation is devastating. Those who represent God are supposed to set an example of honesty and moral integrity.

If something like this would have happened in a Jewish community, this will be considered Hillul HaShem, the desecration “of the name of HaShem” . And why is it called that way?

We Jews carry, bear, the name of HaShem in our personas, and we are therefore responsible for not defrauding or trivializing His name.

Imagine that you work for Federal Express. You wear the FedEx uniform, the cap and the badge that identifies you as Federal Express employee. Working for this company also means that you represent this company. If you treat customers with respect and effectiveness, customers are not going to say or write in Yelp that YOU treated them well, rather they will say that the Federal Express’s customer service is excellent. The credit goes mainly to the company, not to the individual. The same would happen if you treat the customers poorly: the company’s NAME and reputation is going to suffer a great damage.

In a similar manner, we Jews represent HaShem. We “work” (or maybe are His partners) in His company. We even wear a uniform that identifies us with HaShem: Kippa, Tseniut and above all, Tallit and tefillin. The latter represent a badge, with the actual name of the company CEO. As the pasuq say כי שם ה ‘נקרא עליך , the world is a witness that every Jew bears the Divine Name within him or her.

The third Commandment refers not only to the case in which by our words we trivialize or desecrate the name of HaShem. Our actions have a much longer and intense effect in the prestige and reputation of the name of HaShem that every Jew carries.

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THE THIRD COMMANDMENT: On being an observant Jew

מה תלמוד לומר לא תשא את שם ה ‘אלהיך לשוא, שלא תהא תפילין נושא וטלית עוטף והולך ועובר עבירות

“You shall take (carry, invoke) the name of HaShem your God in vain, for HaShem will not forgive anyone who takes His name in vain.”

The Third Commandment is perhaps the least known of all of the Ten. First, we will expose the traditional explanation of this commandment and then, based on an article by Rabbi Amar, we will explore the Third Commandment from a different perspective.

1. TO INVOKE: The third of the Ten Commandments “LO TISA” refers to the prohibition of swearing in God’s name falsely or unnecessarily (shebu’at shav). Jewish tradition understands the word “TISA” in this context as invoking, “you shall not invoke the name of God in vain” (in other contexts the word TISA or NOSE can be translated as “taking”, “carrying”, etc.). According to Maimonides, the prohibition on invoking the name of HaShem also extends to reciting a blessing, berakha, in vain. Why? Because a shebu’a, an oath, is basically a statement. The affirmation of a belief or a fact. A ritual blessing, when we say a berakha before eating, for example, is also a statement. We affirm an idea or a belief about HaShem pronouncing his name. For example, when I say the blessing “Bore feri ha’ets” I’m not saying “Thank God for this fruit,” I’m saying, “Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, (that YOU are the) Creator of the fruit of the tree “. In other words, I am stating, acknowledging that HaShem is the creator of this fruit. Therefore, if I pronounce this or another similar statement unnecessarily, “invoking the name of God in vain,” it would be considered as transgressing the third commandment. This is by the way, the origin of the Halachic principle: “Safeq berakhot lehaqel” in a situation where I’m not sure if I should or should not say a berakha, the right thing is to abstain, to not risk saying a berakha unnecessarily (lebatala) and transgress the third commandment “LO TISA”.

2. TO CARRY: Rabbi Shlomo Amar, today Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, exposes this commandment in a different way. He explains the prohibition of LO TISA as a warning not to “carry” the name of God in vain or falsely, pretending to be more religious or pious than I am. The Midrash brings the story of a Jewish merchant who traveled from city to city. Once, he came to a town on a Friday carrying a lot of money with him. What did he do? He went to the synagogue and saw a man praying and wearing the Tefillin on his head. Without much hesitation, he gave the money to the man and asked him to take care of it until the end of Shabbat. When Shabbat ended, the merchant went to the house of this man to withdraw his money. But to his surprise, the man deceived him and told him that he had never seen him and that he never received any money from him… The merchant went to the synagogue and prayed. And in his prayer, he said to God: “Master of the world, when I saw that man in the Synagogue, I did not trust him, as I never before saw him before, I trusted YOUR name that he was carrying in his head [in his Tefillin] “. The story has a happy ending. Eliyahu Hanabi revealed to the merchant in his dreams a secret code-word that allowed him access to the property of the thief and he recovered his money.
The Hakhamim brought the case of this man who pretended to be pious as an illustration of the third commandment: “You shall not “carry” the name of God in vain,” falsely, for you on personal benefit. Carrying the name of HaShem, in this case through the tefillin that man wore on his head (and I believe the same idea could be applied to a Kippa or any other symbol that identifies me as an observant Jew) implies a tremendous responsibility that we should be very careful to honor. And if ח”ו we behave inappropriately, betraying the name of HaShem that we carry with us, we will be transgressing the commandment that explicitly says: “… for HaShem will not forgive anyone who takes His name in vain.”
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THE SECOND COMMANDMENT: “Thou shalt not be superstitious”

המניח ספר תורה או תפילין על התינוק כדי שיישן

We are analyzing the second commandment, “Thou shalt have NO other gods before Me.” The Tora warns us not to believe in other gods or objects, or people or forces with supernatural powers.
While most of the modern world has overcome the traditional beliefs in idolatry, i.e., worshiping gods of stone or wood, certain habits, intimately connected with idolatrous practices, still survive. I’m referring more specifically to superstitions.

What do I mean by superstitions? A belief or faith in the supernatural power of something that is not HaShem, or under His control: a perfect illustration of the warning of the second commandment.
Examples: the belief in the power –to do good or evil– of certain objects. Say, a broken mirror, a ring or a book with superpowers, a red string, water blessed by a “holy” person, etc.

Humanity, especially the less educated sectors of the population, was always tempted to believe in superstitions and attribute certain powers to objects or natural phenomena. As already explained, it is much easier to serve an object, which does not require anything of us, than serving HaShem Who demands that we learn and study, and requires us to exert discipline and integrity, practice generosity, etc.

There is also the “control” factor. When I buy a “red string” I might have the feeling that I possess and control its power, as the ring in “Lord of the Rings.”

Out of a total of 613 commandments, the Tora devoted more than 50 to the denial of idolatry, to teach the Jewish people to reject all beliefs in magical or superstitious powers, or as the Tora calls it: Aboda Zara.

The second commandment teaches us that no-one and no-thing has a “power” or a supernatural influence on our lives, other than HaShem.

We must recognize that unfortunately, even some observant Jews might fall into the trap of superstition. It might seem to them that it is compatible to believe in God and be superstitious at the same time. Especially if the objects supposedly endowed with superpowers are ritual objects.

This phenomenon is not new. Here is an example. Tefillin, the phylacteries that Jewish men wear every day to pray. The Tefillin has obviously QEDUSHA, “holiness”, which means that it should be treated with great care, i.e., can not be introduced in inappropriate places, etc.

But we should not confuse “qedusha” which as exemplified by the case of tefillin, it demands us to take great care of these articles, with the false belief that the Tefillin, as a ritual object, might possess some superpowers… Maimonides wrote about this subject: a small child cries without stopping. And we try everything to calm him. The question Maimonides explores is the following: can we place the Tefillin in the bed of this child, so that with the “power of the sanctity of the Tefillin” the baby would stop crying and would fall asleep? The same could be said about a Sefer Tora, a Tora scroll, the most sacred religious article, higher than the tefillin. The idea is: if the sanctity of a religious object implies that these articles should possess some supernatural power, then these two items should be at the top of the list of effectiveness.

Maimonides, who mentions explicitly these two religiousarticles, considers this practice as a form of idolatry and condemns this act with extremely harsh words:
MT, Aboda Zara 11:12: “… also, if someone places a Tefillin or a Sefer Tora [in the bed of ] a small child to fall asleep, this person is not only guilty of [two forms of idolatry: ] enchantment and sorcery, but he is also guilty of heresy …. “.

As we can see, some people might be a little confused and be tempted to “use” ritual items for superstitious practices. This is not a new phenomenon.

The second commandment teaches us that there are no other “powers” independent of HaShem. No matter how sacred those objects might be.

Far from appealing to objects or amulets, what we should do in cases of illness ח”ו or when we face any other problem, is first of all, do our best effort to solve the problem, and simultaneously PRAY, asking HaShem directly for His help. Knowing that ultimately everything is EXCLUSIVELY in His power.