Moses

Q: Why is Moses called Moshe Rabbenu?

A:  Biblical heroes who rose to leadership roles during their lives were each given titles suitable for the role they fulfilled.  Thus we call Abraham Isaac and Jacob -- the founders of Judaism -- patriarchs. Similarly, their counterparts, instrumental in creating the Jewish lifestyle we term matriarchs.

Joseph is called “ha-tzaddik” because of his ability to overcome temptation and righteousness. You recall that Joseph grew up in a prosperous Egypt as vizier to the Pharaoh. Still, he never forgot his roots. He never neglected the cause and needs of his people. Another test he successfully transcended was when Potiphar’s wife tempted him and he turned away.

Moses was a great teacher of Torah. He expounded the Law to the people and helped create the apparatus for interpreting the Holy One’s will.  A teacher par excellence, Moses is called Rabbenu, which means “our teacher.”

The Middle Letter

Q: Why is there a large letter in the sidra of Shmini?

A: In that parasha, Shmini, the letter “vav” in the word “gachon” is enlarged.  Marginal note tells us that it is written in large print because it is the middle letter in the entire. How many letters are in the Torah?

It is a most difficult task to count all the letters of the Torah.  Not only are they many, but there are some without vowel indications (like vovs) and others that are whole.  This could mean that the letters in our Torah may not be the same number as the original letters in the first Torah. Transmission errors and duplications have made the process of counting letters most difficult.

According to the Masoretic note, there are 600,805 letters in our sefer Torah.  The veracity of the number is debatable.

Rice on Pesach

Q: Why do some Jews eat rice on Passover?

A: Sephardim or oriental Jews will eat rice while those of us from Ashkenazic lines do not.

In the Middle Ages, European Jewry adopted the practice of burning rice on Pesach as your precautionary measure. Since rice strongly resembles other types of forbidden grains, people might be tempted to consume them. 

And in a fermented state, the consumption of wheat or other grains during Pesach would abrogate the Law.

It is not appropriate for Ashkenazic Jews to eat rice on Pesach in the custom of their ancestors. For him, rice is hametz.

Historically, it has been suggested that the Sephardim, dependent upon price as a dietary staple, could not afford to dispense with it. Since the law does not directly prohibit rice, the Sephardim maintained it was halachically acceptable. Ashkenazic Jewry, on the other hand, never depended upon rice.

Of late there have been challenges to this Law. Many notable figures have posited that it may be time for a shift in the law now that the boundaries of Ashkenazim and Sephardim are more blurred and the likelihood of one grain with another is small. 

Wine

Q: What kinds of wine are permissible to use for Kiddush?

A: Halachically, we drink only good wine for kiddush. There are essentially two reasons for this ruling. 1) What do we call wine that has gone bad? Vinegar. If we recite the blessing over wine on Friday evening and discover -after the fact- that the liquid had soured and become vinegar, we will have been guilty of taking God’s name in vain. As you are aware, the blessing over wine is boray pree ha-gafen, while vinegar is sh’hakol n’hiyeh bidvaro.   In using the Holy One's name for the wrong blessing we sin. Therefore, in order to reduce the chance of reciting a beracha l’vatayla, purposeless blessing, we use only good wine.  2) Applying the principle of hiddur mitzvah, we use only the finest wines for the chanting of kiddush. Less costly ones are appropriate for other times. On Shabbat and festivals only the best will do.

A wide variety of wines exist for kosher consumption: apricot, almond, peach, raisin... It is the correct procedure to using exclusively wine made from grapes for Kiddush, though. The words of the blushing are boray pree ha-gafen, which means literally “fruit of the vine.”  There are many kosher wines available, not all of them made from grapes.  Raisin wine is an acceptable alternative as raisins are dried grapes.

Here are several colors of wine, each dependent upon the type of grape used; red, white, purple, etc. And of course there are blends of different groups to please a variety of tastes. The most favorable color, according to our sages, is red. It has the richest color and is the most aesthetically appealing.  In fact, one revered rabbi of the medieval period, Nachmanides, was so convinced of the superiority of red wine that he banned use of white for Kiddush. Nachmanides, however, it was overruled by his colleagues and prevailing view is that any kosher wine made from grapes is acceptable. But red is still the favorite.

Shattered Glass

Q: I recently attended a wedding where the Rabbi concluded the ceremony with the breaking of the glass.  Under the Huppah the Rabbi said that there are many interpretations for this tradition.  What are they and which is correct?

A: I once heard a congregant report that he had heard a person tell him, “It’s the last time he’ll put his foot down!”  Needless to say, that is not one of the traditional responses.

A wedding is the time with unrestrained joy.  According to our tradition, when a couple is betrothed the Holy One, Blessed be He, rejoices.  Weddings plans move along usually accompanied by great anxiety: elaborate preparations are the order of the day.  In the old country,  the entire Jewish community was invited to the wedding!  Entertainers were hired and musicians engaged.  All the stops were pulled out for the bride and groom.

Yet no event can be completely happy or sad.  When we return from a burial the first thing we consume is an egg, symbolizing that life goes on despite the pain.  At our marriages, we break a glass as an austere reminder that our lives are fragile and we can be easily shattered.  The glass adds the historical reminder of the destruction of the Temple many centuries ago.

We must be acutely aware that pain is a part of every life.  And for the person who can only see sorrow we reintroduce the thought that there is joy in the world and in his future.

Life is a delicate balance.  It is this balance that keeps us healthy to face each new day.