Ask JewishAmerica Archives
1999 - Volume 1

1/10/99
Oaths In Court
>What is the oath one takes before giving testimony before a Bet Din (a
>Jewish court of law)?

In the Torah court, a witness takes no oath prior to giving testimony. In and of themselves, their words must be sufficent for evidence. A witness that needs to provide an oath in order to testify is invalid for testimony.

According to Torah law, if a litigant suspects that a witness is withholding testimony, he/she can ask that person to swear that he does NOT know any testimony.

Oaths can sometimes be taken by the litigants to substantiate their claims.

I'm curious to know why a secular court requires witnesses to take an oath. Do the courts assume that the words of impartial witnesses are not to be taken seriously or that they are inherently false?

Perhaps you can shed some light on this for me.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

1/10/99
Evil Eye
>I recently received a gift from a friend containing a chamsa.
>I have become intrigued by the lore of the evil eye,
>but am unable to find any derivation.
>
>Can you provide any concrete explainations or derivations
>of the evil eye, or at least point me in the right direction?

I don't wear a chamsa and I'm not the type to wear one. However, a number of people do wear them and there appears to be some degree of heritage associated with it, in certain circles.

The concept of 'evil eye' was explained to me as follows.

Jealousy is natural. It is a form of suffering.

As a person grows in knowledge and belief, he/she comes to easily accept their lot within the context of G-d's will and management. That is, a person can grow and overcome the natural tendency to feel jealous.

Not everyone is on this lofty level. Those who achieve it may not be there at all times.

So, if a person flaunts an asset and this causes another person to suffer a tinge of jealousy, this may move the Heavenly court to suggest that the asset be taken away.

We are taught that G-d gives each person the resources he/she needs to accomplish their mission. Ownership of physical assets is therefore a means, not an end to itself. Also, it is possible for a person to accomplish his/her mission in many ways, so ownership of that specific physical asset may or may not be critical. Finally, a person's relative value is based on behavior, not on what he/she has.

Wearing a chamsa is not a license to flaunt assets. Rather, it should serve as a reminder that G-d is sensitive to how we make others feel.

All the best from JewishAmerica

2/16/99
Boys 'N Girls
>I am a fifteen year old Jewish young man.
>
>I was born in Israel, but have lived most of my life in America.
>Over the past while, I have attempted to become more religious.
>I have always believed in G-d, but my family is not strictly observant.
>We do not live in a religious community, and I do not attend a religious >school.

>For these reasons, my search has been at times very difficult.
>I find myself clueless in an overwhelming sea of ideas and laws.
>In trying to find information, I am often left with contradicting viewpoints.
>I don't know at what rate I should realistically change.
>I was hoping that you could help me on one touchy subject that especially >frustrates me.
>
>With my being a teenager, I suppose you can already imagine that this is >sex.
>
>I have tried doing research, and finding answers about this,
>but a lot of what I've found doesn't help me.
>I understand that in Judaism, sex is viewed (in the context of marriage)
>as a good and positive thing, something that is natural.
>
>However, what this information fails to address is what happens before
>marriage.
>
>I have found nothing that will guide me on how I should act.
>This is what really frustrates me.
>
>I read these laws about how men and women must not shake hands, make
>eye contact; and how one must not think about sex and women, etc.
>And yet, it is a fact that given the way I live now
>(since I don't live in an Orthodox community) there is no such thing as >arranged marriages.
>
>Somehow, I'm going to have to go out and meet a girl I like.
>There must be some element of dating involved given my circumstances.
>What is the right way to go about it?
>Religious Christian kids around the school seem to follow the thought
>that everything except sex is okay. Is this a good attitude?
>
>Is it all right for me to think about girls?
>To glance over and think, "wow, she's good looking"?
>And how about dating? Can I take a girl out to dancing or dinner or a
>movie?
>Is there anything wrong with kissing?
>
>These are all things that, clearly, a truly religious would probably never
>imagine doing.
>
>But I have different circumstances, and so I don't know what is realistically
>right.
>
>Living in America, I have been unfortunately submerged in
>the Catholic way of thinking that one must NEVER think of girls or sex;
>that one must always keep his mind straight. Is this thought also held in >Judaism?
>
>Is masturbation a sin? How about just having sexual fantasies?
>
>I am very sorry for the length and content of my letter.
>I truly hope that I have not offended you with my questions.

I admire and greatly respect the responsibility, dignity, and the yearning for truth that your words reflect. You should feel fortunate to have been blessed with a great and pure neshama.

The environment presents us with great challenges in this area. Please G-d, you will find the strength to sustain appropriate behavior.

I am glad to share some insights on the Torah’s approach to social life.

For your own sake, you should seek every opportunity to be with kids who value our approach. The summer is around the corner. Have you given thought to attending a Jewish camp, one that subscribes to authentic Jewish behavior (with plenty of summer fun - to boot.) Talk this over with your parents. Let me know if I can help.

The Torah provides us with instructions for living. We believe that a person’s body, emotions, and intellect were designed around the Torah’s structure. Therefore, following the Torah is the most natural course of action for a human being. It may not appear to be the most sensual and immediately gratifying approach, but it’s the best, for life in this world and the next.

Besides, we really don’t have a choice. We’ve been committed some thirty-three centuries ago. Welcome to the world of the Torah.

We are instructed against having extra-marital sex. Our guidelines provide us with many safeguards. Therefore, knowledgeable and committed Jews don’t attend mixed dances, men don’t go into seclusion with women, and they won’t have casual physical contact. However, if you see a girl drowning in a river, please jump in and save her.

In my circles, we have eye contact but we don’t maintain it for the sake of sensual enjoyment, sexual appreciation, or fantasizing.

At best fantasizing / thinking about sex leads to frustration. At worst it leads to compromise and burn-out. Besides not being practical, it’s simply not allowed.

We’re people of the book. There’s plenty of Torah to think about.

Masturbation and voluntary erection are not allowed. Release of seed outside of marriage relations is not allowed, either. We are also precluded from causing this release. This is another rationale for not fantasizing, because these thoughts can cause a loss while asleep.

Behavior according to the guidelines of our Torah is your best strategy of planning for marriage at this time. Don’t worry about an appearance of a lack of matchmakers. In due time, you’ll be bombarded. As certain as you can be that G-d will help you find a means to earn a livelihood, He will help you find your life-partner, at the right time.

Normal people don’t need to date at age fifteen in order to know how to behave with a girl at age twenty. When the time comes, you’ll know what to do.

The Oral Torah teaches that G-d matches a person with his mate prior to birth. She’s someplace out there already. Don’t worry. Just take action to find her at the right time and in the right manner.

You write that the kids around the school seem to follow the thought that everything except sex is okay. That’s a pretty good standard for them but not for us. We recognize the need for safeguards, especially in this area.

2/21/99
Why Suffer?
>I've been attending a spirituality class in
>New York City and the question of G-d's justice
>has come up. For example why does a just G-d
>allow for a young child to die even though
>he/she committed no sins. The answer they gave
>us in the class was one involving past lives,
>suggesting that any suffering that can't be the
>consequense of our action in this life is a
>result of wrongdoing in a past live.
>
>I was curious to see how Judaism answers this
>complex issue.

In his current existence, Man does have a narrow perspective into reality.

As such, we are not able to provide an explanation for G-d's acts with any degree of confidence. However, we can make educated guesses.

Suffering isn't always the result of a person's own wrongdoing. For example, G-d may decide that society requires a demonstration of martyrdom. He may select a person for the job, one who G-d has determined that he/she can handle it. This person will undergo some suffering. For all we know, G-d may provide him/her with extra strength to endure it. The person dies. As we believe in the afterlife and in just recompensation, the person becomes entitled to a level of eternal happiness that he/she would have never obtained otherwise. This is kind of like the person hitting the jackpot, although one wouldn't exactly wish it on anyone.

Make no mistakes from this particular and albeit scary example. It's G-d's call to have a thing like this happen to a person. Another person has no right to determine a need for martyrdom and to select someone do it, not even him/herself. Only G-d can make life-death decisions.

One does not to be a martyr in order to experience suffering for the sake of the needs of others or of society. Again, this is G-d's call and He'll more make it up to the person.

Sometime, G-d makes a person endure suffering for the sake of the person's self growth. I have personal knowledge of a family that endured great suffering. Both father and mother wound up in hospitals for extended periods. Over the course of full year of setbacks and recovery, they lost their home, their car, their business. Had a poor and widowed grandmother not pitched in, the kids would have wound up in an orphanage. Afterwards, they dislocated to another community. I can't go into details, but after several decades, the entire family looks back and recognizes that this was the best thing that ever happened to them.

I'm one of the kids.

With a bit of prying, I'm confident that you can find a myriad of such examples. Write a book!

The bottom line is that one should not feel guilty on top of suffering. Rather than having been due to wrongdoing, it may have been due an opportunity. Then again, it may be due to wrongdoing, so it's (always) good to do some soul-searching when things go bad.

Faith can help a person accept discomfort in life.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/2/99
Suffering & Punnishment
>What is the significance and importance
>of suffering and punishment in Judaism?

I'm a bit confused by the question. It implies that it is important to suffer. Judaism is not a masochistic religion.

Let's follow an alien who won a grant to study humans. It arrives on Earth and dons a cloak that makes it invisible.

It first finds a kid who just fall off his bike. He's brused and bleeding. The kid runs to Mommy, crying. Next it wanders into a school where a kid is writing a hundred times, "I will not run in the hall." Then it finds a busy and weary doctor who has not slept for twenty-four hours. Next it flys to Hollywood and drops into a live TV contest show. A lady has just won fifteen-hundred dollars. She is screaming for joy. She runs to the podium and trips, brusing herself. She picks herself up and continues to scream for joy. Then the alien goes to a hospital and sits by a person who is donating bone marrow so that someone else will live. It hurts a bit. It then goes to a clinic and sees people rolling up their sleves and nurses are giving them shots. Afterwards, they pay for them.

Weary and somewhat confused, the alien turns on its computer, fires up the word processor, and begins to type an essay entitled, "What is the significance and importance of suffering and punishment in Humanity?"

The writer responds:

>I should have got more information from my professor before sending you
>my question.
>
>The question is referring to the book of Genesis.
>
>My understanding is that throughout time the Jewish people have had
>suffered and have been punished severly by G-d, whenever they did not
>show obedience to Him.With the Jewish people being the chosen ones, to
>lead humanity back to G-d, they have had to be "perfect"
>to teach by example. When this did not happen there was punishment.
>
>Another understanding I have come up with from my text book
>is that by showing obedience when suffering was an issue it confirmed to >G-d that the Jewish people are indeed obedient and "fear G-d".
>
>This is all very new to me. I am taking this class to learn more and I hope >my ignorance of Judiasm is not taken wrong,
>I appreciate your story you sent me I have a
>speech tonight on the original question you sent me and I will definately
>read the story to the class. I am interested in hearing your response to my
>comments.

We view punishment as being a constructive experience. It is a necessary correction, based on negative behavior or a lack of positive behavior. It would be better if we would have behaved differently and not needed the correction. G-d does not punish us because He is frustrated or angry.

G-d does not need us to be obedient. We need to act in accordance with the way that we were designed.

G-d knows all. We are not His teacher. He doesn't need our confirmation.

The stress that the Jewish people experience provides a lesson to Mankind. The world has a creator who provided guidelines of behavior and who actively manages the affairs of the world.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/7/99
Hard Conversions
>Why is it so hard to convert to Judaism? I have a dear friend with such a
>sincere open heart wanting to do this. She has met obstacle after obstacle
>and a study program that reminds me of post doctoral work. This friend
>never was baptised or believed in Christianity. She has studied Judaism >and feels a kindred connection. Why is Judaism so elitist? As a Jew myself
>this is what "turned me off" growing up and to this very day.

I suspect that your friend working with a Rabbi that represents traditional Judaism.

As with anything else, you get what you put into it.

I know of clergy do quickie conversions. You pay some dollars, attend a few classes, take a skinny dip in a mikvah, and bingo, he/she says that you're Jewish. They will typically not represent traditional Judaism.

If the convert or his/her child wishes to be later treated as a Jew within the traditional community, a conversion by non-traditional clergy can be later subject to a need for defense, as there may be no indication that the
conversion process was done according to the standard.

Jewish behavior encompases more than eating gefilta fish for lunch on Saturday or writing checks. Your friend must realize that becoming Jewish is more like a transformation. Also, it's irrevocable. You can't unconvert.

Please be assured that there is nothing personal about the rigor that your friend is being subjected to. By doing it right, your friend won't later feel embarrassed or stuck.

You write about being turned off by the process.

You can turn this around. Go confront that Rabbi with your bewilderment. Go ask the Rabbi for yourself: "Rabbi, what's so special about being Jewish? Why make so much fuss when someone wants to become a Jew? I act no more Jewish than my friend who you are giving such a hard time to. Why can't she be like me?"

Don't be afraid to do this! Trust me. You owe it to yourself. The Rabbi won't bite you. If you want, give me your phone number and the Rabbi's and I'll arrange a conference call to help sort this all out.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

The writer responds:

>I suspect that your friend working with a Rabbi that represents
>traditional Judaism.

Actually it is Reform Judaism. The Rabbi teaching the class wants them to learn all types of Judaism except Orthodox so they can be ready for anything. So you can understand better why I was so surprised.

>As with anything else, you get what you put into it.

This is true but for me it also is a deep heart connection. The heart and the mind both in balance.

>I know of clergy do quickie conversions. You pay some dollars, attend a \
>few classes, take a skinny dip in a mikvah, and bingo,
>he/she says that you're Jewish. They will typically not represent
>traditional Judaism.

Well this is silly.

>If the convert or his/her child wishes to be later treated as a Jew
>within the traditional community, a conversion by non-traditional clergy
>can be later subject to a need for defense, as there may be no indication
>that the conversion process was done according to the standard.

I understand.

>Jewish behavior encompases more than eating gefilta fish for lunch on
>Saturday or writing checks.

I apologize for an undertone of sarcasm in my question by using the word "elitism" together with Judaism. That is probably why you responded with your sentence above.

>Your friend must realize that becoming Jewish
>is more like a transformation. Also, it's irrevocable. You can't
>unconvert.

I understand completely and so does she.

>Please be assured that there is nothing personal about the rigor that
>your friend is being subjected to. By doing it right, your friend won't
>later feel embarrassed or stuck.

That is what I needed to hear. Thank you very much for answering my question.

>You write about being turned off by the process.

I can understand a certain amount of rigor. Beyond that it seems excessive but if that is the choice between the extreme that you mention which may not even be recognized as valid, that is better.

>You can turn this around. Go confront that Rabbi with your bewilderment.

After getting your letter which explains the reason why the rigor and that it is not personal or intended to keep sincere people away from Judaism there is no need to do this.

>Go ask the Rabbi for yourself: "Rabbi, what's so special about being
>Jewish?

I know what is special about being Jewish on a very deep level. I guess I was reacting to the thought that being Jewish was an impossible thing no matter how sincere. I assure you my friend has put in hours of study for quite some time and her decision is very well thought out for over a year.

>Why make so much fuss when someone wants to become a Jew? I act no more
>Jewish than my friend who you are giving such a hard time to. Why can't
>she be like me?"

It is a little more complicated than that. Judaism is a balanced relationship of study and heart, to me. I don't try to "act Jewish", I feel deep Jewish roots and everyone in my entire family in every generation feels the same way about being Jewish. In fact, my grandmother, may she rest in peace, was Orthodox.

>Don't be afraid to do this! Trust me. You owe it to yourself. The Rabbi
>won't bite you. If you want, give me your phone number and the Rabbi's
>and I'll arrange a conference call to help sort this all out.

I really appreciate your offer but it is no longer necessary. Perhaps before your explanation as to why the rigor it would have been but not now.

3/7/99
The Death Penalty
>Hello. I am a Law Student from Singapore writing a paper on the
>death Penalty. Being a Catholic Christian, I am interested in looking at it
>from a religious perspective.
>
>I am also interested in knowing the Jewish perspsective on the matter as I
>intend to discuss how Jewish understanding has progressed in this area.
>What is the Jewish perspective on capital punishment? What is the
>interpretation of the verses in the Torah that seems to demand capital
>punishment for certain offenses? Is the understanding of these apodictic
>laws any different in this modern age. What are the specific
>historical/literary (or any other forms of criticism) that may have
>contributed to the different understanding?

The Jewish tradition provides no alternate reading for most of the references to capital punishment that are found in the Torah.

Even when applicable, there are significant safeguards that minimize the frequency of this sentence. For example, the court must ascertain that the person acted on purpose. The person must have been duly warned that the act carries a death sentence, he/she must acknowledge the warning, and the act must be done moments after the warning.

We believe in the afterlife. We also believe that criminal behavior is corruptive and damaging to a person's eternal fate. When properly administered, the death sentence is a means by which the criminal achieves some form of much-needed spiritual repair.

The acts for which this sentence is prescribed are enumerated in the Written and Oral Torahs. The prescription was made by G-d, author of the Torahs, the One who designed man and who grants life.

For many hundreds of years now, our courts have lost the ability to sit in judgement for capital crimes.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/11/99
Praying For An Athiest
>A Jewish person I know and like very much says he became an atheist.
>To him, all religions including Judaism are just senseless prejudices >explained by mankind's historical experience etc.
>
>He still loves Jewish humor, Jewish jokes, but would not go to a >synagogue, even to meet his old friends he likes.
>
>My question is: May I pray that G-d turns that person's heart to Judaism?
>What about asking that G-d at least nudge him a little bit,
>and, I hope, he will make the rest of the road all by himself.
>
>It seems the answer is "yes," but I have some doubts.
>
>As I understand it, we are given free will to make our own choice between >good and evil.
>
>So, if I pray that G-d helps that person to be closer to Himself, is this not self-contradictory?
>
>You know, not every prayer makes sense.
>
>One can pray forever that 2 x 2 should be 5 and not 4,
>but that wish is nothing but a wordplay, totally illogical.
>
>Also, I realize that G-d does not need my prayer,
>He can do as He wills, and He can turn that person's heart to Himself.

You should pray for the person. It will be an exercise of your own free will choice. It demonstrates your compassion towards your fellow man. It also demonstrates the strength of your own conviction.

He may be very deserving of your prayers. Our faith is frequently being cast in a negative light. Religion in general is frequently cast in a negative light. Your friend may very well be a victim of bad propaganda. Deep inside, he may very well be close to G-d and the truth. He may only be an athiest on the outside. Only he and G-d knows.

Even if he remains an athiest, there will still be an arena within which he will be making free-will choices.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/28/99
Why Is This Night..
>I have an assignment to do for university, which asks me
>why the event of the Exodus is so important for Jewish faith.
>
>Of course, I am doing a lot of my own reading on this topic,
>but could you briefly sum up the significance of the Exodus
>for me so I don't get sidetracked?

Well, G-d never did this type of thing before. That makes it very significant! I suggest that you look up Deuteronomy 4: 32-34.

The Exodus is the fulfillment of G-d's commitment to Abraham. Please look up Genesis 15:13-14. The Exodus therefore links the Jewish people with their great ancestors and their ways of life.

Also, the Exodus is the Birthday of the Jewish people as a nation. The aspects of this significance are clearly described in Exodus 6:6-8. Please look that up, too.

Since Abraham Lincoln, some lecturers have shown a tendancy to link the Exodus with emanciating slaves.

There are just so many ways that an orator, a politian, a writer, and a journalist can take something and place it in different lights.

I understand your concern for not getting sidetracked. I suggest that you look into the sources that I referenced. They are primary sources, transcribed at the time when the Exodus took place.

All the best from JewishAmerica

3/11/99
Mezuza
>Please could you explain to me the purpose of a Mezuzah, the prayers it
>contains and where this originated.

Affixing a Mezuzah on our doorposts is a Torah commandment.

(Deuteronomy 6:9 & 11:20) - 'And you shall write (this) on the doorposts of your homes and gates.'

The Mezuzah has the verses of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 hand-written on parchment.

There is a tradition that G-d provides an extra degree of protection for a home in which this commandment is properly fulfilled.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/14/99
Triune
>I have had the opportunity to know many "christians" in my life so far, and
>though I tell them that G-d is ONE, not three, they hold to the idea that
>G-d is three separate, co-equal and eternal persons, a "trinity" they call
>it. What amazes me further, there are jewish folks of all ages that will
>convert to this concept of a "triune" G-d, and by this I am referring to
>Jews for Jesus. I am always told that in the book of Genesis, they say
>that when G-d said, "Let us make man in our image" that G-d was >speaking to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit of G-d Himself. This is how they
>explain this "trinity."
>
>I have, in the past couple of years, met a group of people from
> a denomination called, "United Pentecostal Church International", that
>claim that G-d is one, not three, as other 'christians' claim and assert.
>
>What is your view on this concept of "trinity" -and do you think there can
>be any dialog with any of the United Pentecostal church, as far as a faith
>in our Creator? I would just like to know your thoughts on this.

The Jewish faith is based on that which is recorded in the Written and Oral Torahs, collectively known as the Torah.

There is simply no basis from the Torah, Written or Oral, to say that the triune is a part of Judaism.

Over history, other faiths have emerged that are based on their founder's personal interpretations of the Written Torah.

We can not criticize them for making their interpretations and living according to them.

It is important to realize that they simply have a different faith.

Throughout the past thirty-three centuries, the Jewish people have maintained the faith of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

With the help of G-d, we have learned to coexist in friendship with neighbors who have different faiths. With the help of G-d, we have survived many onslaughts of militant and coercive faiths.

It is unfortunate that some Jewish people are losing their grip on traditional Judaism.

From a long and painful history of religious blood baths, modern religions have come to realize that the best policy between faiths is to agree to respectfully and peacefully disagree. This the extent to which a dialogue is recommended.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/14/99
Beginning Life
>When do you believe that human life begins and why?

Your question is closely linked with the abortion issue.

The Torah provides us with our instructions for living. We believe that it was authored by G-d, the source and master of life.

The Torah teaches that human life is sacred. Abortions are not permitted unless there are specific extenuating circumstances. These circumstances are well defined within the Torah framework.

I do not feel comfortable addressing this via e-mail or on the Internet. Should a person need clarification, they should consult someone who is G-d fearing, well versed in the Jewish tradition, and competent.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/15/99
Why Not?
> When my christian friends ask me about being Jewish,
>they all invariably ask the same questions: 
>So Jews don't belive in Jesus?" and " Why not?"
>
>To me, the answers to the first question is easy enough to answer,
>but the second one is harder for me to give a quick and easy answer to.
>I don't want to get into a major religious discussion/debate with them,
>unless that's what they want, I just want to give them the simplest answer
>I can. What would you recommend I say?
>
>I don't want to hurt their feelings. I feel like I am surrounded.
>Sometimes some of them scare me when they talk about their religion.
>Thanks in advance.

They may not realize this, but it  is very offensive for someone to subject a person of another faith to such questioning.

Your response to them must be respectful and with dignity.

Consider this:

My dear friend, you are a fine Christian because your father was a fine Christian. Had you been born in another country and your father was fine Moslem then I'm sure that you would have been a fine Moslem.

Imagine for a moment that your father gets a great job in a devoutly Islamic country. He moves the whole family overseas. There you are, a kid growing up with Islamic friends. One day, one of your friends asks you, "Why do you have a different faith? Why don't you worship Allah?" What is your response? I would imagine that you would respond that your are a Christian because that is the religion of your parents.

My friend, my parents were Jewish. We have a heritage that pre-dates Christianity. It has survived for over thirty-seven centuries. We have lived among people of many faiths. We have not abandoned our faith and we can not abandon our faith.

You may also add that Christianity was heavily influenced by Judaism. Many of its key founders were Jewish. Judaism is referred to as the 'Mother religion.'

Two thousand years ago, had the Jewish people adopted another religion, as they are suggesting,  then there would not have been a Judaism from which a Christianity could have emerged.

Keep cool - and Jewish.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/21/99
Multi-Shabbos
>I read, on a Christian Web site, that the seventh day of the Feast of
>Unleaved Bread is also Shabbat.
>
>I have always understood there to be but one Shabbat,
>which begins when three stars can be seen on
>Friday evening and ends when three stars can be
>seen on Saturday evening.
>
>Am I wrong?
>
>If not too much trouble, would you also provide a reference that I might
>use in responding to this person?

There is no need to provide a response.

They have a different religion and are not bound by our tradition.

Together with the Written Torah, G-d gave us an Oral Torah which specifies how the Written Torah is to be read, understood, and interpreted.

They did not adopt our Oral Torah and therefore they are not bound by its clarifications.

'Shabbat' commonly refers to Saturday.

The word, 'Shabbat' means cessation.

Yom Kippur is called a 'Shabbat' because we cease to eat on that day.

The Torah teaches that G-d created the world in seven days. He ceased creativity on the seventh day.

Every seven days Shabbat we cease from doing specific acts of creativity, demonstrating our faith that G-d created the world.

The word, 'Shabbat' has been used in the Torah to denote a cycle of seven  A week is called a 'Shabbat.' A unit of seven years is called a 'Shabbat.'

Per the Oral Torah, the holiday of Passover is denoted 'Shabbat' (Leviticus 23:15) because we cease to eat leavened bread during Passover. As you are well aware, Passover need not occur on Saturday.

Perhaps the author of this site somehow confused the 'Feast of Unleaved Bread' - Passover, with the way our Oral Torah explains Leviticus 23:15. Perhaps the author feels comfortable with selectively adopting portions of our Oral Torah. It's hard to say.

Again, there is no need to respond.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/21/99
Bar Mitzva Prep

>Hello,I am wondering if you could help me.
>
>I am putting together a dvar torah for my upcoming
>Bar Mitzvah (behaalotkha - June 5)
>
>My father has said to me that the best way to put
>together a dvar torah is to first describe (briefly)
>the parsha and then describe a particular area of
>interest in greater detail. Finally, he says that
>I should apply the message from that specific area
>to me and my development as a Jew.
>
>I have attempted to do this but am having trouble.
>You see, part of the parsha deals with Miriam and
>Aaron questioning Moses' leadership abilities.
>For this Miriam was punished with leprosy while Aaron got
>off scot free!!!
>
>In one of the books that I used to research, the commentary
>says that Aaron was not punished because he was not a willing
>participant.
>
>This is the second time that this sort of thing happened.
>The other was with the golden calf.
>My father pointed out to me this week (as that
>parsha was being said) that the torah even goes so far
>as to say that the golden calf is "made by Aaron".
>Here the commentary also says that Aaron was
>not a willing participant.
>
>When my father & I discussed this he asked me how
>I thought that this related to my life as a Jew.
>We both had trouble with this. We took
>the example of the schoolyard clique of friends -
>if a bully decides to pick on a weakling, that is bad.
>If that bully is a leader of a group and he gets others
>to go along with bullying the weakling, that
>is also bad and the "go-alongers" are just as much at fault as the
>bully is, even if they know it is wrong.
>
>Yet going back to the parsha, Aaron is described in the
>commentary as a "go-alonger". His punishment??? -
>he got to be the person from which all "cohens" came from!!!
>(I think that this is more like a reward!!!)
>
>Something does not go well here. Does this mean that it
>is okay to go along with the crowd and do something wrong,
>even of we know it to be wrong???
>
>In discussing with my father, we got even more serious -
>if we take Aaron's behavior (and "cohen" reward) an example,
>then how can we criticize those who went along with
>the Nazis in World War II??
>
>So I would appreciate your assistance in trying to answer
>the question for the third part of my dvar torah -
>how does Aaron's behavior in the
>parsha (as well as with the golden calf) and
>what appears to be a lack of punishment by G-d,
>impact my life as a Jew???

I really enjoyed reading your questions. Your parents must be doing something really right.

You've got some great sparks and I do hope that you will keep them burning all of your life.

It's hard to address your questions without opening up other questions. I hope that my response will contribute and not confuse.

You write that 'Aaron got off scot free.'

Our Oral Torah teaches that both Aharon and Miriam became afflicted with this condition. Aharon recovered immediately (Shabbos 97) but Miriam remained afflicted for seven days.

Aharon didn't get off scot free. He lost a few heartbeats.

Aharon's sin was that he accepted Miriam's Lashon Horah, evil talk. He was not the speaker, so perhaps this is why he was not punnished equally with Miriam.

We are not always able to control what we hear. The Torah requires that listener not accept Lashon Horah as truth.

So, I would not say that Aharon was 'not a willing participant.' Rather, he was a passive participant.

Regarding the Golden Calf, I would not describe Aharon a "go-alonger". He acted deliberately, out of necessity. He did a destructive act in other to avert a much greater tragedy.

I say that his act was destructive because the Oral Torah teaches that this contributed Aharon to losing his two sons. (Deuteronomy 9:20, Rashi) So, he was indeed severly punished.

How could Aharon participate in the Golden Calf?

His nephew Chur tried to stop it and was killed. In Aharon's judgement, he would also have be killed if he didn't cooperate. Had this happened, the Jewish people would have been destroyed. With his participation, he hoped to deflect the blame from the Jewish people. Also, he reasoned, by taking on the job of making the Golden Calf, he could delay its construction until Moshe returned. (Exodus 32:5 Rashi and Medrash).

By participating, Aharon stood to loose whatever good standing and position he had in the future of the Jewish people. In his judgement, he had to take the risk in order to save the future of the Jewish people.

The calf unexpectedly emerged from the melting pot by an act spiritual magic, done by Michah. (Medrash) Aharon was stuck.

You write that Aharon was rewarded for his act. Perhaps it was a reward. I can't say. You know, the Torah teaches that we obtain our reward in the next world and not in this world, unless G-d forbid, a person loses his/her share in the next world.

If a reward, it's certainly quite unusual, because it lasts throughout the history of the Jewish people.

This started me thinking. Rather than being a reward, I wonder if part of the reason Aharon was selected was to give the Jewish people an opportunity to make it up to Aharon, for we were at fault for causing Aharon to  be dragged into risking his eternity, causing the subsequent destruction.

You see, G-d does not need a Temple service and priests for Himself. He always has our needs in mind.

This all raises a serious question. Should Aharon have done what he did or not? If yes, why was he punnished? If not, why does it seem that he was rewarded? From the wording in the Torah, it seems that it wasn't a very good idea.

The following comes to mind.

There are several aspects to doing good and evil.

One is G-d's will. Doing G-d's will is good. Going against G-d's will is evil.

So, we can ask: Did G-d want him to do it or not? Depending on the answer, Aharon should have gotten either a reward or a punnishment, but not both.

However, there are other aspects.

The Kaballah explains that G-d created the world in such a way that doing good causes good to happen to a person and doing bad causes harm. It's how the world operates. It's a mechanism, an automatic reaction.

Eating non-kosher isn't just naughty. It's damage. We can't see the damage during our current existence but we will see it in the next world.

Doing a mitzvah, like putting on Tefilin correctly, isn't just a nice thing. It creates worlds.

Given this aspect, we can better understand the contradictory consequences of Aharon's deed.

An act can cause both good and bad to happen, like spraining an ankle to shoot the winning basket.

As a Bar Mitzvah, I hope that this will inspire you to do only good.

You must seek to do that which is clearly defined by the Torah, our instructions for living.

There are people who suggest that the words of the Torah are subject to interpretation and they do this quite freely. They don't realize that we live within a framework, a wonderful framework at that. Redefining Jewish law without any evidence to do so from our tradition can cause great damage.

At times, Torah observance appears to be difficult. Don't worry. Difficulty brings only greatness and Divine assistance. Besides, there is no practical alternative. By properly keeping the Torah, you will come to enjoy life with depth and fullness.

Remember that a Rabbi is not a wizzard. He is not free to make up laws and answer your questions in a manner that you want to hear. Rather, a Rabbi is an investigator. He is an expert at figuring out clues from our Torah books to determine that which Moshe told us some thirty-three centuries ago.

I see great spiritual capabilities in your questions. I do hope that you continue your Judaic studies, that you go to a Yeshiva, and that you become a Rabbi.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

3/21/99
Bar Mitzvah Guest
>I am a Christian and have been invited to a Bar
>Mitzvah. I am a professional friend of the
>father.
>
>I would like to know what to expect during the
>ceremony, what my responsibilities are, and what
>a customary gift would be in this situation.
>
>I, in no way, want to disrespect or show my
>ignorance during this joyful time for the young
>man and his family. I would appreciate your kind
>answer.

You will do just fine. Don't worry.

Just be there.

There is no special customary gift. You can give a gift certificate or anything you think a thirteen-year old boy would appreciate.

Many places of worship promote full observance of the Jewish Sabbath. In these congregations, the congregants do not drive their cars and they don't carry belongings outdoors.

If the synagogue and family are observant, then you may want park your car a block away and walk the rest of the way to the synagogue. If you plan to give a gift, it would be understood that you would do so either before or after the Sabbath, as the boy would not be able to carry it home on Saturday.

The Bar Mitzvah is a time when family and friends get together. Everyone has both Jewish and non-Jewish friends, so it is very common for non-Jews to be there.

Jewish men and married women wear a head covering in many places of worship.

When you get to the synagogue, you'll probably see people who seem to be in charge or who know what to do. Just mention that you are not Jewish and ask them what their custom for visitors is.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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