Did it Really Happen?

Q: How does one remain Jewish when the “literal” meaning of Scripture is, literally, unbelievable? 

A:  There are many Torah passages that could raise eyebrows well into the nether regions of the forehead. Among them are the age of the universe versus our almost six-thousand year calculation, manna feeding at least 11⁄2 million freed slaves for forty years, burning bushes and parted seas to name a few. 

The question actually runs yet deeper: If the Torah cannot be read at face value, if we cannot trust it to tell the truth all the time, how can we depend on it for truth any time? 

No one who reads Torah with any degree of seriousness will fail to notice these and other incongruities. In fact, it is probably the most frequent question asked of rabbis today. What do I tell people? Even more, how
can anyone, including a rabbi, have faith with such unbelievable tales and inconsistencies? 

I am fond of telling the story of the grandfather who greets his little one at the door. 

“So how was Hebrew School today, Yacov?” 

“Oh, great! We learned about how General Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Cornered by the Egyptians with their troops, General Moses fired bazookas and strafed the advancing army while the Israeli navy placed pontoons across the Sea. The people narrowly escaped!” 

“Oy,” said the grandfather. “Is this what they taught you??”
“Grandpa, if I told you what they said, you’d never believe it.”
On a primary level, the Torah is filled with stories. The tales we tell are 

human, full of adventure, achievements, falls, and recoveries. They are great stories that we know well and retell through generations. Think of Adam and Eve. They tell the story of reward and punishment; listening to God and the penalty of disobedience. Think of Noah, the savior of a world. What about Abraham, the one who discovered and was discovered by God? The narrative then follows Abraham through his trials and triumphs. This is storytelling at its finest. These are well-worn tales that have traveled the world many times over, through millennia. 

On a secondary level, each story contains kernels of knowledge and philosophy that we often miss (because we stop in step 1). For example, the depiction of Adam and Eve serves the purpose of telling us we are free. 

God rewards and punishes but the real lesson is about personal control and responsibility. And Noah? It is all about choosing your destiny regardless of what the outside world does and thinks. Consider that Noah’s righteousness was singular in a world gone bad. 

On a tertiary level, we are guided by the Zohar which states, “If the Torah were mere tales I could tell better stories myself.” We learn through metaphor. In Eden, we understand the trappings of Paradise. We are not meant for utopia. Our lives are only validated through struggle. We are Adam and Eve. We choose banishment because there lies our greatest hope. Abraham is the paragon of self-discovery. We must pass through walls of flames, become scarred before we can contemplate wholeness. We must travel far in our youth to eventually find what is most close, so close that it cannot be seen, only felt. 

Is there more? Yes, there is always more. That is why it continues to feed our souls after all this time. 

Tashlich

Q: Why do we go to a small pond or lake on the first day of Rosh Hashanah to offer prayers and throw breadcrumbs?

A: Rosh Hashanah begins the process of forgiveness and reconciliation. From the first day of a holy day until Yom Kippur, we count 10 days as we attempt to come to terms with our sins.  The Maharal, Rabbi Yehudah Leib of Prague, teaches that one way to commence the process of feeling and becoming contrite is found in the book of Micah. Forgiveness will come, says the prophet, “When you cast your sins into the depths of the ocean.” (7:19)

There is a beautiful Midrash which tells of Abraham on his way to fulfilling God’s command to sacrifice Isaac is made to pass through a raging river.  Waters swirling madly about him, Abraham prays to God, “Save me dear Lord me from these waters which threaten my life!” (Psalms 69:2)  The Almighty heard the words of His messenger and saved Abraham from certain death.

The waters in the Midrash symbolize the underworld of darkness and sin.  The waves tug at our legs but, with the help of God, we will survive.  Thus we go to a pond or lake or river with flowing waters each year for Tashlich, where we throw our crumbs into the waters.  We empty our pockets to begin the process of renewal.

Calendars

Q: Why do the Jewish holidays come late, or early, never at the same time?

A: The Jewish year is reckoned by the lunar calendar, not the Gregorian calendar which is observed by the Western world.

The lunar year consists of 354 days as opposed to the Gregorian calendar, which is 365 days. For this reason the Jewish holidays will always fall on the same date in the Jewish, or lunar, cycle but rarely will they coincide with the same secular date.

Pope Gregory the XIII established the Gregorian calendar that we use today.  In 1850 Pope Gregory mandated that a universal calendar be calibrated using the solar year, beginning on January 1.  At that time, several corrections needed to be made before they began using the new calendar.  First, 10 days had to be taken out of the year in order to gauge the correct date.  Understandably, the Pope’s actions caused great deal of frustration and anger by those who felt their lives had been cheated by fortnight.  Much later, when the original American colonies decided to adopt the Gregorian calendar, Benjamin Franklin wrote in his inimitable style and wit, “And what an indulgence is here for those who love to lie down in peace on the second of this month and not perhaps wake till the morning of the 14^th.”

The astronomers of Pope Gregory also saw a glaring problem in the computation of the solar year. The earth needs 365 days to complete its orbit around the sun, five hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. In order to compensate for the extra 1/4 day, a leap year was added every four years to correct the imbalance.  

The Jewish calendar, on the other hand, is dependent upon the appearance of the moon, hence the use of the term lunar calendar.  However, in order to remain within the framework of the seasonal year a leap year was added seven times every 19 years. Our leap year, unlike the Gregorian leap year that adds one day, consists of a full month.  All told, the solar and lunar calendars rarely agree on the same date.

On Marriage

Q: Is it obligatory for a bride to wear a veil?

A:  The custom of wearing the veil dates back to the Torah where Rebekah wore a veil when she saw her future husband, Isaac, for the first time. Throughout the ages the tradition of donning a veil has become virtually cemented in Jewish ritual practice.

Another fascinating episode featured in the Torah was when the bride and a groom did not see each other.  Married in darkness they wed the wrong person!  Jacob married Leah instead of Rachel.  It is for this reason that the veil is always lifted before the wedding takes place.

Q: My mother recently remarried.  Her new husband was married before too bit never bothered to obtain a Get (Jewish divorce).  I want him to stand with me under the Huppah at my wedding.   Is this acceptable?

A:  There are very few rules governing who could stand at the Huppah. Obviously, your stepfather made a mistake when he did not receive the Get. He is not legally divorced from his first marriage or for that matter; he is not married the second time in the eyes of Jewish Law. Nonetheless, even though he erred in not getting the Get this would not impede from standing with you at your marriage.

Q: A friend of mine is an artist and wants to design the ketuba -- Jewish marriage document -- which we would love. Would it be valid?

A:  There is no objection to your friend designing and writing the Ketubah. In fact, until very recent times, all Ketubahs were hand written and beautifully ornamented. There are many striking examples of illuminated Ketbot which are priceless heirlooms and valuable collectors items.

Of course, your friend should consult her Rabbi to make sure she has the correct wording and phraseology used in this document.

Many local artists and ones you can find online have created beautiful works of art which are readily available everywhere.

A Cantor

Q: What are the origins of a cantor?

A:  The Hebrew word for cantor is hazzan, which is taken from the Aramaic, meaning officer. Originally the hazzan had charge of the premises. Every Shabbat he gave the signal for the community to cease its working when the appropriate time came. He brought the Torah into public places for reading and sometimes led the prayers.

Time, as he was most familiar with the liturgy and music and prayers of the community to go for the sole function of leading services.

The correct term for a leader of prayers is shaliah tzibbur, or emissary of the congregation.  The ancient religious Codes state that person must be experienced, have a pleasant voice, and be agreeable and modest along with learned.

In Ashkenazic custom, the hazzan is a prayer leader.   He chants the first and last words of each section, thus regulating the speed of the service.  In Sephardic liturgy, the hazzan recites almost every word of the entire service alone.  This latter custom arose when prayer books were not usually available.

Shmini Atzeret

Q: Why do we recite the prayer for rain on the last day of Sukkot?

A:  The last service is actually called by different name, Shmini Atzeret, when we include a special prayer for rain. The following words are inserted into the daily until Passover, “Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall.”

Rain is vital to our survival. Without it we die. The Talmud states that Shmini Atzeret is the world’s Yom Kippur.  Just on the Day of Atonement, God declares “who will live and will die,” so too a declaration is made regarding the world on this day. If a positive judgment is decreed we will have rain, life. If not, the world will with.er and die.

Shmini Atzeret is an agricultural holiday. It is called the Eighth day of Assembly in English. Interestingly, it falls around the autumnal equinox. A change happens then. Rain does, with God’s blessing, begin to fall and the earth is renewed and continues

Hanukkah

Q: Is it true that Hanukkah is a minor holiday??

A:  Truth be told, Hanukkah is a minor holiday and not in the category of festival. In Judaism, a festival, Hebrew chag, is reserved for the three festivals Sukkoth, Pesach and Shavuot. Only on those three occasions to be greet each other with the words Chag Sameach, a happy Jewish holiday. During Hanukkah you simply say Hanukkah Sameach for the word chag does not apply.

On the festivals we do not put on tefillin and we abstain from work. There are no such prohibitions. Observances for this holiday are few, we light candles for eight days, we enjoy fried potato pancakes (latkes) and donuts and add a special paragraph to the daily prayers, the Amidah.

Many modern families have adopted the custom giving gelt or presents to the children. The practice of gift giving is undoubtedly compensation for the children missing out on what their Christian friends are getting.  Of course, the act of giving presents serves to enhance the holiday and add further feeling of joy the season.

The creation of the state of Israel has added a new dimension to the holiday. The heroic deeds of the Maccabees are an inspiration to the pioneers and defenders of the Jewish state. For Israelis, the kindling of the flames as it did reminder of the downloadable spirit of the Jewish people.  Its flames call attention to the light which will never be extinguished.