Four Cups

Q: Why do we drink four cups of wine on Pesach?

A: Four is a number that reappears throughout the seder.  There are four sons, four cups, four questions, four exiles, four sections of the Haggadda…

It might well be asked why this number is repeated time and again.

In the Exodus story, God promises four different times in four different modes, to free the Children of Israel.  The first time it occurs, God states, “I will bring you out…”.  This first redemption is a physical one as we are freed from slavery.  The second occurrence, “I will deliver you,” refers to a future ingathering in the land of Israel.  The third promise is “I will redeem you.”  No matter the obstacle, the Jewish people will survive.  Many forces will attack the newly freed Israelites but they emerge.  Finally, “I will take you to Me as My people,” is the binding covenant that was assured at Sinai.

Mikveh

Q: What are the purposes of a Mikveh?

A: A mikveh, or gathering of water, is used for many functions. The essential elements uniting all the uses of the mikveh is that it cleanses, purifies. As a means of ridding oneself of a ritual impurity, a person what immerse himself in the Mikveh to become spiritually pure.

The Mikveh is used for conversions (potential converts go into the waters as an act of purification) before weddings (to spiritually prepare for the new union) prior to Jewish holidays, after menstrual cycles, for spiritual moments with God and after contact with the dead.

Magen David

Q: What is the origin of the Magen David?

A: The Magen David, or six pointed star of David, is now widely accepted as the symbol of the Jewish people and nationhood. As the name indicates, the Magen David professes to draw its roots in King David’s time. The legend has it that David’s troops used the symbol of a star as the rallying point. And all the popular biblical movies one sees inverted triangles in blazoned on everything from shields to flags.

There is no historical proof to indicate that the Magen David dates back to King David. In fact, the first known Jewish usage of the star is not until the seventh century C.E. when a Joshua ben Asyahu used it as his personal seal.

There are two theories as to the origin of the Magen David. The first is that it was initially used as a decoration. The second is that the star was an astrological symbol denoting the planet Saturn. The hexagram was also taken up by magicians as a symbol of power.

At one time called the “Seal of Solomon” by Arabs and being found in early churches in Israel and Italy, the Magen David has been used for many purposes the rock history.

In modernity, we have accepted the star of David is the symbol of the Jewish people because of the way it was used by the Nazis to humble us. And by the connotations it has for the people of Israel, like David, chai v’kayyam, “shall live and endure forever.”

Shaatnez

Q: I recently heard of some law which prohibits Jews from wearing certain types of clothing. What are these prohibitions and what do they mean?

A: The law to which you refer has its basis in Leviticus 19, where we read, "...neither shall there come upon you a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together." Later, in Deuteronomy, we read, these two elements are defined as wool and linen. The mixture of wool and linen is called shaatnez in Hebrew.

To this day, observant Jews can be seen examining the labels of garments before they purchase them in order to learn if they contain the shaatnez, cotton and wool, mixture.  As all clothes are mandated to have labels indicating the composition, it is a simple task to discover the ingredients of all fabrics.

One possible interpretation for the law of shaatnez is because of the disparate nature of wool and linen. While the former comes from a living creature, sheep, the latter grows from the earth.  Since the two textiles have totally different origins, it has been postulated that we would confuse the natural order of the world if we were to combine them.

To be truthful, however, we do not know the rationale for this law of shaatnez. There is no given reason in the Torah for the ordinance. The law simply states, 'do not get these fabrics mixed up.'  Some Jews are so sensitive to the issue of shaatnez that there are laboratories set up to minutely examine the individual fibers of the cloth in question.

Sins

Q: In the Yom Kippur confessional prayer there are two items which are puzzling: “For the sin we have committed under compulsion” and "for the sin we have committed unwillingly.”  Surely there are no sins performed under duress or in total ignorance!?

A:  While it is true that an act carried out under compulsion is not sinful, it is entirely possible that the person enjoyed the forced act. Although he is blameless for the crime he committed, he can be blamed for the enjoyment of the opportunity to sin in and for this he must confess.

An example that comes to mind are the Kapos of the concentration camps under the Nazis.  People were often taken from lines slated for death and given responsibility to keep order in the barracks and follow all the orders of the S.S..  While compelled to follow the Nazis, the Kapos sometimes went beyond their orders and violence.

The other example you cited of sins committed “unwittingly” is called b’lo yodeim, in Hebrew, literally “without knowledge.”  This refers to those who sin in ignorance. They cannot be blamed for the actual sin because they were unaware that it was a sin of the time. Yet, they are held to blame for their ignorance as they had the means of overcoming their lack of knowledge

The Mitzvah of Shabbat

Q: I am puzzled and troubled by one of the blessings in the Sabbath Amidah. It seems to belittle gentiles while extolling Jews. Why is it there and what does it mean?

A:  The passage referred to reads, “And You, Lord God, did not give it to the nations of the world and did not bestow it, our King, upon those who worship idols but to Israel, Your people.”  The “it,” of course, is Shabbat. The paragraph proclaims our inheritance, the gift of Shabbat.  An interesting variant to that reading, found in Sephardic liturgy, has instead “of those who worship idols,” “those who worship other gods.”

First glance one maybe taken aback by the comparison made between the Jewish people and the nations of the world. After all, our literature and liturgy is usually independent of the actions of the outside world. We have long been taught, and believe, that we follow God’s dicta irrespective of what others may say or do.

EXAMPLE: God demands fidelity in marriage. That others may be adulterous is of no consequence. We must obey the Holy One’s commands to be monogamous.

The passage to which you refer does, therefore, stand out as it compares us with them.

Genesis: When God finished creating on the sixth day, He stopped. The final day was one of rest. Is it odd that the Omnipotent One would require a breather? It stands to reason, agree are sages, that Shabbat was created with humanity in mind, not for God's benefit.

After the deluge in Noah’s time, tradition says that God demanded that the world observe seven eternal and basic concepts. We call this the Noachide covenant.  Not among these laws is to respect the Shabbat.  The only people required to accept the Shabbat were those who accepted the entire corpus of law much later at Mount Sinai, the Jews.

In sum, God granted Shabbat to mankind. Since humanity did not seem capable, as related by the Noah story, to maintain the day of rest, it was reserved for the people who would distinguish themselves by willingly taking on the yoke of God's word. The Shabbat, merely a single featured in the law, was one of the more outstanding events of acceptance that took place at Mount Sinai.  The words of the prayer book indicate joy at God’s willingness to grant His Torah to the people of Israel.