How to Have a Spiritual Shabbat in Modern Times
[continued from last class)....Light the two Shabbat candles at your table with a blessing to God, thanking Him for the Sabbath, and make a blessing to God for giving us fruit of the vine, such as wine or grape juice, and of course the challah bread. You can refer back to the chapter on prayer for these blessings. Why two candles? Talmud Bavli Tractates Shavuot 20b and Sanhedrin 119b tell us that we are obligated to light the Shabbat candles as they represent the two versions of the Ten Commandments (Exodus and Deuteronomy) with the different words: shamor v' zachor, guard (obey) and remember.
Serve some special foods that you would normally not eat during the week. Shabbat is special, so make the night special! Caesar asked Rabbi Joshua ben Channanya, "Why do Shabbat foods smell so good?" Said he to him, "We have a special spice, 'Shabbat' is its name..." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 119a).
You might ask how the sages prepared for Shabbat. "It was said of the sage Shammai that all his days he ate for the honor of the Shabbat. How so? For when he found a prime calf, he would say, "This is for Shabbat." Then, if he found a better one, he would set aside that one for Shabbat and eat the first one...." (Talmud Bavli, Tractate Beitza 16b).
Said R. Judah in the name of Rav, "So was the custom of R. Judah bar Illa'i: On Friday, they would bring before him a tub filled with hot water, and he would wash his face, hands, and feet; he then wrapped himself in fringed sheets and would have the appearance of an angel of God." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 25b).
Rava would personally prepare the fish for Shabbat. Rav Chisda chopped vegetables. Raba and Rav Yosef chopped wood. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak would be seen running about on Friday carrying bundles on his shoulders. Many of these were wealthy men who had numerous servants to do their work, yet they insisted on personally toiling in honor of the Shabbat. (Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 119a).
What did Rabbi Ahad Ha'am mean when he said, "More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews?" An Erev Shabbat meal with appropriate blessings is a wonderful encore for one who has been away from Judaism to return, to be renewed. For those on a path of Jewish Spiritual Renewal, Shabbat is day to which one can look forward to sharing with family and friends and which should be set aside as a time for rest and Spiritual Renewal.
The phone rang at a leading law firm.
The receptionist answered, "Levy, Minkoff and Rokenson. How may I help you?"
"Hello." said the caller, "May I speak to Mr. Levy please?"
"Mr. Levy is out of the office," answered the receptionist, "this is Shabbat."
"OK, Miss Shabbat. Would you please give him the message that his car is fixed and he can pick it up any time?"
The Shabbat table is a place for sacred conversation. Discuss the Torah portion, or a bit of Ethics of the Fathers. Trust me when I tell you that your non-Jewish friends will enjoy and have much to share. This elevates the meal from simply a dinner to a Shabbat spiritual experience. Avoid secular conversation such as Sunday's football action. Steer clear of the water-cooler talk because it could lead to gossip, and you know what we think about that!
"The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world. He who wants to enter the holiness of the day must first lay down the profanity of clattering commerce, of being yoked to toil. He must go away from the screech of dissonant days, from the nervousness and fury of acquisitiveness and the betrayal in embezzling his own life. He must say farewell to manual work and learn to understand that the world has already been created and will survive without the help of man. Six days a week we wrestle with the world, wringing profit from the earth; the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul." (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel).
Make your Shabbat about relationships. The 16th century Safed (a town in
"Come my beloved to welcome the bride, the Shabbat presence, let us receive 'Safeguard' and 'remember' said in a single utterance, the one and only God made us hear. The Lord is One; His Name is One, for renown, for splendor and for praise. To greet Shabbat, come let us go, for it is a source of blessing. From the beginning from antiquity she was honored. Last in deed but first in thought...Enter in peace, the husband's crown, even in gladness and good cheer, amid the faithful of a chosen people. Enter O Bride! Enter O Bride!"
Psalm 92 was written especially for Shabbat. It is a good poem to read and discuss at the table. Is the evil in the Psalm outside us? Or is it the evil thoughts that are inside us? Is the Psalm telling us that keeping Shabbat and keeping God close to us every moment of every day helps us overcome our yetzer ha ra?
A psalm, a song for Shabbat day:
It is good to give thanks to God, and to sing to your name, Most High!
To tell over your kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness in the night.
On an instrument of ten strings, and on the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
Because you, God, have made me happy through your actions; I will triumph through the works of your hands.
How great is your work, God! Very deep are your intentions!
A stupid man does not know, a fool does not understand this.
When wicked people bloom like grass, and all the workers of evil flourish; it is in order to destroy them forever.
And You, God, are most high forever.
For, behold, your enemies, God, for, behold, Your enemies will perish, all the workers of evil will be scattered.
But you will raise my horn like the horn of a wild ox; I will be anointed with fresh oil.
My eye has seen the downfall of my enemies, and my ears have heard the doom of the wicked who rise up against me.
The righteous person blooms like a palm tree, he grows like a cedar in
Those that are planted in the house of God, in the courtyards of God they shall bloom.
They still grow fruit in old age; they are fat and flourishing.
To declare that God is upright, He is my rock and there is no imperfection in Him.
Shabbat does require some preparation. "If you don't put in the effort the day before, what are you going to eat on Shabbat?" (Talmud Bavli Tractate Avodah Zarah 3a). Like everything else you have done toward your Jewish Spiritual Renewal, it is work well worth the effort. After you keep Shabbat a few times, you will develop a routine and it will be easy and joyful.
Resh Lakish said that on Shabbat Eve one is given an extra soul, and when Shabbat leaves, it is taken from him. (Talmud Bavli Tractate Beitza 16a). As mentioned, you should make Shabbat special even if at first you do only one thing different than on other nights. "One must do something extra for Shabbat." (Talmud Bavli Tractate Pesachim 112a).
You can also ask God to bless your friends, your spouse and your children. For children who are present, ask God by placing both hands on the children's heads and, for boys say: "May you grow to be like Ephraim and Menasah – Ye-simkha elohim k-ephraim v khe-m'nasheh."
For girls say: "May you grow to be like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah – Ye-simakh elohim ke-sara rivka rahel v laeh."
For all children, including those not present, continue with the Priestly Benediction: "May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord never turn His face from you. May the Lord always look on you kindly and give you peace. Y'varekhe-kha Adonai v'yish-mrekha. Ya'er Adonai panav ei-lekha ve-khoonekha. Ye-sah Adonai panav ei-lekha v'yasem lekha shalom."
For a wife it is customary for her husband to read to her from the end of the book of Proverbs, a Woman of Valor, Eshet Chayil. Proverbs 31: "Eshet chayil mi yimtza v'rachok mip'ninim michrah. A woman of valor, who can find? Her value is far beyond rubies. Batach bah lev ba'lah v'shalal lo yechsar. Her husband's heart relies on her and he shall lack no fortune. G'malathu tov v'lo ra kol y'mei chayeiha. She does him good and not evil, all the days of her life."
To bless your friends or your husband, just say a prayer to God with words from your heart with kavenah, pure spiritual intention.
Don't forget to say the blessings after the meal (see Chapter 8). When you are comfortable, add Shabbat prayers from your Jewish prayer book (siddur) to your Shabbat evening and morning prayers.
When Saturday arrives make your prayer and meditation sessions special. If you are ready to add special Shabbat prayers to your normal routine, do so. If you have a God-based spiritually-oriented synagogue to attend, where you feel comfortable, go and hear the words of Torah and Talmud and, hopefully, a sermon that brings you closer to God. You can pray and read Torah at home if you are in an area where the synagogue is closed on Shabbat, or you are not comfortable with the spirituality of the rabbi or congregants. God can still hear you. In fact, He will hear you better, as your mind will not be cluttered with background noise and secular conversation.
Some profound thoughts on Shabbat:
"Shabbat is equal to all of the other commandments of the Torah combined." – Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Beracoth 1:5
"Shabbat was given to us in order to study Torah." –Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Shabbat 15a
"On Shabbat, King David would spend the entire day studying Torah." – Rabbi Bachya, on Shemot (Exodus 20:8)
"One hour of Torah study on Shabbat is equal to a thousand hours of Torah study during the week." – Sefer Ben Ish Chai, Parashat Shemot
"If all Jews would observe one Shabbat properly, the messiah would come immediately." – Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Ta'anit, 3B
All of this study, prayer and rest can be done at home with your family. You can invite like-minded friends to study with you and pray with you. Judaism has become an organized religion (an oxymoron) with building funds, rabbinic salaries, and board member infighting all of which has detracted from the spirituality of Judaism. While this text is by no means meant to be anti-synagogue, it is very possible to have Jewish Spiritual Renewal outside of the walls of a synagogue if you cannot find one that meets your spiritual needs.
The Talmud backs this up and further stresses the importance of inviting guests to your home for Shabbat in lieu of going to synagogue. The Talmud speaks about the centrality of welcoming guests in Jewish tradition. "On Shabbat one is allowed to remove four or five large bundles of straw or wheat in order to make room for guests and to prevent people from leaving because of overcrowding." (Babylonian Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 127b). The rabbis are letting us carry, which is something normally prohibited on Shabbat, for the sake of dining with friends on Shabbat.
Commenting on this in the Talmud, Rabbi Yochanan said, "Welcoming guests is as great as rising early to go to the Beit Midrash (synagogue) as it is taught in the Mishnah: 'In order to make room for guests on Shabbat and to prevent people from leaving.'" Rabbi Dimi from Nahardea said, "Welcoming guests is greater, because the Mishna teaches it first and then talks about making room for students." Rabbi Yahudah said in the name of Rav, "Welcoming guests is greater than receiving the face of the Shekhinah (the Divine presence) as it is written." About Abraham, Genesis 18 says, "My lords if it pleases you do not go on past your servant. Let a little water be brought."
So let your home be open to guests on Shabbat for meals, blessings, prayer, study and spiritual conversation. God will be with you even if you are not at a synagogue. Mishna Pirkei Avot 3:3: "When two sit together and words of Torah pass between them, the Divine Presence rests between them, as it is written." Malachi 3:16: "Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name."
If you are without human companionship on Shabbat, you are not alone. The Mishna continues, "Scripture speaks here of two. Whence do we learn that if even one sits and occupies himself in the Torah, the Holy One blessed be he, appoints him a reward? Because it is written (Lamentations 3:28) 'to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it.'"
Nathan went to shul (synagogue) one Shabbat and Rabbi Bloom nearly fainted when he saw him. Nathan had not set foot inside a shul since his bar mitzvah. At the end of the Service, Rabbi Bloom said to Nathan, "I'm very pleased to see you here today, what made you come?"
Nathan replied, "I'll be honest with you, rabbi. I lost my favorite hat about 3 months ago and I really miss it. A friend of mine told me that Kenneth Gold has a hat just like mine. He also told me that Gold comes to shul every Shabbat, always takes off his hat before Service begins, leaves it in the cloakroom at the back of the shul and replaces it with his yarmulke. So I was going to leave after the Torah reading and steal Gold's hat."
Rabbi Bloom answered, "Well Nathan, I notice that you didn't steal Gold's hat after all. While I'm very glad, please tell me why you changed your mind."
"Well rabbi," said Nathan, "after I heard your sermon on the Ten Commandments, I decided that I didn't need to steal Gold's hat."
Rabbi Bloom smiled and said, "I suppose you decided against it after you heard me talking about Thou Shalt Not Steal?"
"Not exactly, Rabbi," replied Nathan. "After you talked about Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery I remembered where I left my hat."
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
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Parasha Re'eh: Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
"See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me."
The title of this parasha, Re'eh, is the command word "see" in the singular. Two Shabbats prior, the people were commanded to "hear" (Shema). What is the difference between the way we learn with our eyes and the way we learn with our ears? The sages say in Talmud Bavli Tractate Rosh Ha Shana, "hearing is not comparable to seeing."
Why does the Torah sometimes command us to look and other times to listen? What does Rabbi Israel Salanter, founder of the mussar (ethics) movement of Judaism, mean when he writes, "the distance between the mind and the heart is greater than the distance between the sun and the earth?" Which affects us more: An event that we heard about or an event that we witnessed? When we learn something in our minds, it is useless to us until we can move it into our hearts and act on it.
Liberal Judaism places a high premium on individual choice and action. Vision and seeing are unique senses. Our eyes are windows to our soul.
Modern Judaism came out of the Enlightenment in Europe. Developing our own personal philosophy, our own outlook, is called "hashkofa" in Hebrew. It is derived from the root word that means, "to look." Each of us has to see as individuals. No one can do this for us. To see clearly, our eyes must remain open. We cannot be spoon fed do's and don'ts." We have to use our eyes to read and to study, so that we can see for ourselves. The last thing modern Judaism needs is a modern halakah turning us into a "reformadoxy."
We say the Shema in every prayer service we attend. But as we read in my d'var on parasha Vaetchanan, few of us act as though those words have made it into our hearts. There is a Talmudic adage that says that a wise man is one who can foresee the outcome of actions. The parasha this week is asking each of us individually to see what a different place this world would be if we follow its teachings.
The Torah this week teaches us about giving. Deuteronomy 15:7-19 says, "if there shall be an impoverished person from among you or any of your brethren in your cities...you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand...rather you should surely give to him and you shall not harden your heart when you give to him." Why does the Torah repeat the phrase "to him?" There are two parts of tsaddakah, the recipient and the patron. Many times these two feel detached from one another, especially when we follow the Rambam's (Maimonides) view that it is best to give anonymously to an unknown recipient. Besides giving, the Torah is also asking us to identify with the needy. They are only the flip-side of the giver's situation. At any moment, the giver could come into circumstances that make him a recipient.
The Torah also this week warns against idol worship (Deut. 12:29-31). The Ramban (Nachmonides) says that this passage is not really referring to idol worship, but is really talking about using the methods used in idol worship to serve God. Talmud Bavli Tractate Ketubot 68A says, "anyone who looks away from giving charity, is as if he served idols." The sages also say in Tractate Sotah 4B that anyone who is haughty is an idol worshipper.
We learned about haughtiness in the preceding parasha. A haughty person is one who thinks all of his blessings came from his own hand and not from God. One who does not give charity believes he has earned his own money, and therefore can keep all of it. He does not believe that all that he has is really a loan from God, and can be taken at any moment. He does not have faith in God to part with some of his wealth, as he secretly fears he may not be able to have his success continue. Tractate Ketubot 66B says that giving to others is the way to guarantee that you will have a plentiful amount. It says that the "salt" for money, meaning its preservation, is to make sure some of it is missing, by giving to charity.
If we look at the first sentence of our parasha (Deut. 11:26), we see that while the word "see" is in the singular, the word meaning "before you" (lifneichem) is plural. In Talmud Bavli Tractate Kedoshim 40A, the rabbis say that a person should see the world as if it is half good and half bad. He should see the world as half meritorious and half lacking. He should see that an individual can make the difference by doing tsaddakah and tilting the entire world toward good and merit with his actions.
When Moses says that he presents us with a blessing and a curse, it is our choice to choose. We can make our world into a blessing or a curse. God does not do it for us. We have free will. We are not expected to hear this and to know it intellectually – we are to see it and know it in our hearts and to act upon it. We are all interconnected. We are all responsible for our own actions, and our actions do have consequences for those around us.
We are being taught in the first verse, as we discussed in the previous d'var Torah, that doing good is its own reward. As Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh explains, every time we do a mitzvah our entire being takes a step forward, and we bless ourselves whenever we do a good deed. Deuteronomy15:10 says that after you give charity, "do not let your heart sink." This is a very human thing, known as giver's remorse. Rashi says we should therefore give 100 times to make a habit of it.
The Rambam says that, even though one tremendous selfless act can have a great impact on a person, even a 100 smaller deeds will have a large influence. Rabbi Kagen, the Chofetz Chaim, says that it is better to give 100 individual dollars to 100 poor people than all to one person. This way one learns to fight his miserly inclination 100 times, and it will be easier in the future to give. He says it is not enough just to write a large check to "The Federation," or to some building fund. This may be tithing, but it is not tsaddakah or ahavath chesed, which are different mitzvoth. Tithing is "checkbook Judaism." It is not a substitute for acts of loving kindness. It does not bring you closer to spirituality, to God, or to your fellow man.
Why does the word "heart" come before "hand" in Deut. 15:7? Do not the poor benefit from our hand rather than from what is in our heart? Rabbi Isaac Karo (sixteenth-century), uncle of Joseph Karo (author of the Shulchan Aruch compilation of Jewish Law), says that this teaches that one should give charity with a smile. It also teaches that even if you have nothing to give, you should at least give kind words to the poor.
What does the Shulchan Aruch say about giving? "How much should be given to the poor? If he is starving, feed him. If he needs clothing, clothe him. If he needs items for his house, buy him those items for his house. Even if he was used to riding on a horse with a slave running ahead of him while he was rich, and now he is poor, buy him a horse and the slave. Each man according to his needs." Did Marx and Engels quote Karo? They foresaw, as did our sages, what can happen to a world of haves and have-nots. The rabbis say in Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 139A that "the world and Jerusalem will be redeemed only through tsaddakah." Remember that tsaddakah just doesn't mean charity. Its proper translation is "justice."
We are commanded to not "close our hand" to the poor (Deut. 15:7). When we close our hand we make a fist. That is an act of malice. When our hand is in a fist, all of our fingers look equal. When we open our hands, we see that some fingers are longer than others. This reminds us that not all of us are enjoying life equally. Rabbi Akiva Eiger has gone so far as to write that one must give tsaddakah even if he is so poor that he would have to give away the very food that is in his throat!
We are also taught this week that we should "walk in God's ways and to cleave to Him" (Deut. 11:22). We need to try to emulate God. This means we are to be compassionate and kind to others. One might think that doing ritual brings one closer to God. The most essential ingredient in cleaving to God is caring about our fellow human beings.
This parasha usually coincides with the month of Elul. Our Kabbalistic cosmology teaches that each month has a special spiritual opportunity for success. Elul is the time to work on personal growth and is a great time to being reclaiming one's Judaism through Jewish Spiritual Renewal. But this doesn't mean that you should limit your Spiritual Renewal to one month. Any day is perfect, as the "gates of return (renewal) are always open."
The Kabbalists write that the Hebrew letters of Elul is an acronym for the words of King Solomon's Song of Songs, "ani l'dodi v'dodi li" (I am to my beloved, my beloved is to me). These words are shared at marriage ceremonies. Elul is the time of year of heightened spirituality. It is a time, in the terms of the Zohar, when God is closer and more approachable. It is a time of introspection and preparation for Rosh Ha Shanah. As we know, this is the time to take stock of ourselves and mend our ways.
Just as we need to see; God also requires that we be seen by Him. "Three times a year all...shall appear before God." (Deut. 16:16). Seeing, as we have discussed, is a personal, private, introspective affair. Being seen, on the other hand, requires a public display. It reminds us that we are part of a community. This is why most of our prayers are in the plural. It reminds us that we are responsible for one another. The Torah, in Deut. 15:11, says, "Destitute people will not cease to exist." We can never give up. This is why the Torah says twice to open our hands to the needy (Deut. 15:8 and 15:11). We are commanded to continually see.
Doing ahavath chesed and tsaddakah helps not only the recipient, but also the donor. The feeling one gets from giving of his time and resources is indescribable. Even when it is frustrating, we are asked not to give up. We need to continually see that we really do have before us the choice of blessings and curses "this day." Proverbs 8:34-36 sums up the point of this d'var wonderfully. "Fortunate is a man who listens to Me, and sits by My doors every day, guarding the entrances of My house. Those who find Me have found life and will obtain favor. A sinner damages his soul. Those who hate Me, love death."
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