5784, AI art, Kedoshim, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha

The Power of Ten (Kedoshim)

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The Power of Ten (Kedoshim)

An individual can make a difference, but a team can make a miracle. -Doug Pederson

When I’m at a daily prayer gathering, it often happens that we are missing the tenth man that makes up the required quorum (minyan) to start communal prayer. There is a certain anxiety that sets in, in anticipation of the tenth man showing up.

In that context, one might think that prayer, which is generally a highly private, individual matter, is better, or at least equally good when done in solitude. It would be so much easier and perhaps even more conducive, to pray, where and when we wanted, without having to coordinate our schedule with at least nine other people.

However, Judaism does not seem to agree with such a view, especially regarding regular scheduled prayer.

There are a variety of Jewish rituals that require ten men in order to proceed. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), highlights this fact from Leviticus 19:2:

“Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.”

The Kli Yakar explains that ‘congregation’ refers to a minimum of ten men, and that a ‘holy’ act requires this number. Not only is this number required for ritual efforts, but ten Jewish men, united by one noble purpose, create holiness. There is some intrinsic otherworldly power in the gathering of at least ten men for divine service.

May we avail ourselves of such gatherings when we can.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Israel’s upcoming Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day). We have much to remember and much to be grateful for.

5784, Acharei Mot, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha

Bribing your way to God (Acharei Mot)

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Bribing your way to God (Acharei Mot)

 When I go to hell, I mean to carry a bribe: for look you, good gifts evermore make way for the worst persons. -John Webster

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619) claims that a way to get to God is to bribe the evil angel ‘Samael,’ an angel considered the guardian angel of the evil Esau and his descendants.

The account in the Book of Genesis tells us how our forefather Jacob masqueraded as his brother Esau in order to snatch the blessings intended for Esau from their blind father Isaac who was bestowing the blessing. The Kli Yakar (Leviticus 16:8) quotes a tradition that the day of the ruse and the blessings occurred on the day of the Passover Seder. There were two animals that were instrumental for the ploy of tricking Isaac: two goats.

The Kli Yakar states that these goats are mirrored in perhaps one of the most sacred sacrifices of the year, the goats of Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, two goats were chosen by the High Priest for wildly different endings. One was walked to the desert and pushed down a cliff to its death in one of the most unusual sacrifices described in the Torah. The other goat was sacrificed in the more conventional fashion in the Temple.

The Kli Yakar explains that both the desert goat and one of Jacob’s were meant as a bribe to the materialistic angel Samael. By appeasing this evil spirit, one is then free to sacrifice the second Passover animal to God. Jacob (and us, his descendants) are then able to receive the plethora of blessings that have a special force and power of reception on the day of the Seder, as well as the unique forgiveness that we are able to achieve solely on Yom Kippur.

May we know how to bribe whatever evil spirits we need to, in order to receive both the forgiveness of Yom Kippur and the great blessings of Passover.

Shabbat Shalom

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

 To the memory of Sheldon Schaffel z”l. May his family be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. 

5784, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Metzorah, Parsha

Lord of the Doppelganger Flies (Metzora)

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Lord of the Doppelganger Flies (Metzora)

If we were faultless we should not be so much annoyed by the defects of those with whom we associate. -Francois Fenelon

Ever heard a piece of really juicy gossip? A man cheated on his wife? A businessman caught for financial wrongdoing? Or some other nonsensical tidbit of embarrassing or deprecatory trivia? Well, according to Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), there is a high likelihood that the purveyors of such gossip are themselves guilty of the very same crimes they are so eager to point out.

According to the Kli Yakar on Leviticus 14, the gossiper is like a fly. A fly will scour the entire body of a person. The fly will inspect every inch of flesh and ignore the strong, whole, healthy skin. The fly will zoom in on any bit of exposed, unhealthy, putrid flesh. The fly will feast on the diseased part of the person.

The Kli Yakar adds an additional point. Such flies, such gossipers, are not only attracted to the bad in every person. They are attracted to those faults, those problems that mirror their own. They assume that others have the same faults and issues as they do and will gleefully point out that very fault in others.

So, the next time that a gossiper reveals the problems of others, take a step back and consider whether it is a confession on their part instead.

May we keep our ears and mouths closed to gossip. We might catch a fly.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To all the forces, national, international and divine, that intercepted the recent Iranian missile and drone barrages against us.

5784, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha, Tazria

Psychosomatic (Tazria)

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Psychosomatic (Tazria)

Psychosomatic: adjective: Psychological cause of physical symptoms or disorder.

Spiritual Malady

Science has demonstrated that one’s mental state can have a direct and negative effect on one’s physical well-being. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619) on Leviticus 13:2 states that a person’s health may reflect their spiritual condition.

The biblical disease known as ‘tzaraat’ and commonly mistranslated as leprosy (the only common denominator is, that both are skin conditions) is rabbinically attributed to the act of gossiping. The Kli Yakar adds two more character faults: haughtiness and avarice.

He explains that a function of disease is to bring to the surface various spiritual and character maladies. The Kli Yakar might have called it “Spirituosomatic”. He connects the three character defects to the three types of ‘tzaraat’:

‘se’et’ = elevated. Whoever is arrogant, whoever aims to raise himself above his fellow; this inner demon is brought to light.

‘sapachat’ = secondary. The Kli Yakar quotes Maimonides (‘The Eight Chapters’) that of all one’s acquisitions (wisdom, bravery, and positive traits) money is secondary and does not penetrate one’s persona as other acquisitions. Whoever is money-hungry – eventually his body will show it.

‘baheret’ = whiten. When one gossips, he eventually shames his fellow man, ‘whitening’ his face. The gossiper too will suffer the same fate.

Hence the disease is also called ‘metzora’ from the Hebrew ‘motze’ and ‘ra’, meaning to bring out the bad.

May we clean up our spiritual acts before they show on our bodies.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the birth of our granddaughter, Hila Renana Spitz, to Zavi and Elchanan. Mazal Tov!

5784, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha, Shmini

The Holy Fraud (Shemini)

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The Holy Fraud (Shemini)

The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat one’s self. All sin is easy after that. -Pearl Bailey

There is a creature that walks amongst us, sometimes it is us, who wear the garments of a saint. That creature dresses in the latest holy fashion. He wears the right garb and makes the right noises. He hangs out in holy enclaves and demonstrates great devotion. He shows the world how holy he is and makes sure his signs of holiness are visible for all to see. The Torah has a name for such a creature. The Torah names him a pig.

Yes. For some reason, the innocent, intelligent and highly sociable hog is considered traditionally to be the vilest of creatures. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619) on Leviticus 11:4, suggests why. As is widely known, pigs are not kosher animals – if anything, they are the antithesis and symbolic of the most non-kosher food one can consume. What is curious about the pig is that he actually does possess one of the two kosher mammalian traits and the most visible one at that: split hooves.

The pig has another interesting trait. It apparently sleeps with its hooves stretched out, as if to say: “Look at me! I have split hooves. I am kosher!” The Kli Yakar states:

“This teaches that all whose insides are not like their outside, as the fraudsters who present themselves as righteous; they are without doubt worse than the purely bad, whose insides and outsides are the same.”

May we beware of the fraud within ourselves and others.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

On the marriage of Hadassah Pieprz and Sason Sofer. Mazal Tov!

5784, AI art, Kli Yakar 2, Leviticus, Parsha, Tzav

Study vs. Action (Tzav)

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Study vs. Action (Tzav)

Criticism is a study by which men grow important and formidable at very small expense. He whom nature has made weak, and idleness keeps ignorant, may yet support his vanity by the name of a critic. -Samuel Johnson

I have met very knowledgeable and studious people over the years. There is one version of such educated people that for some reason always troubled me – the professional student. It’s that rare bird of academia who is constantly studying, constantly delving into wisdom or knowledge, but never taking it outside the study hall or classroom.

There is a deep line of thought throughout Jewish doctrine as to the value of study, particularly Torah study. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), on Leviticus 6:2, is no exception and he learns this from the extraneous phrase, “these are the laws of the burnt offering” and quotes the Talmudic explanation, that “whoever has learned the laws of the burnt offering, is as if he has sacrificed the burnt offering.” (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Menachot 110a). In some metaphysical fashion, study, just learning the theoretical aspects of some discipline, is converted, and considered the equivalent action, of having truly performed with one’s hands and body the subject being learned.

He adds, however, a notable caveat. Study is indeed a replacement for doing, but only when there exists an inability to do it. When a person has the ability to perform a commandment, to do the right thing, to accomplish what is within his power, but he sticks to his books, then according to the Kli Yakar, the person didn’t do anything and his study itself, though perhaps commendable, lacks the power of action.

May we be continuous students and perhaps more importantly, may we know how to turn that study into action.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the warm hospitality of Congregation Shaare Tefilla of Dallas, TX.

5784, AI art, Leviticus, Parsha, Vayikra

Harnessing Evil (Vayikra)

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Harnessing Evil (Vayikra)

 I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man’s being unable to sit still in a room. -Blaise Pascal

In an episode of the original Star Trek television series, there is a transporter mishap, that splits Captain Kirk into two beings (“The Enemy Within, Season 1, Episode 5). One version of Kirk is passive, gentle and good. The other is aggressive, passionate and bad. Perhaps one of their best and most powerful episodes, it demonstrated how man cannot live without his ‘evil’ traits.

To my great surprise, Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), says the same thing.

This week’s Torah reading deals with the laws of the sacrifices that were brought in the Tabernacle (and later, in the Temple in Jerusalem). It lists two items that are forbidden with sacrifices:

No leaven, nor any honey, shall you bring as an offering. -Leviticus 2:11

Curiously, there are two exceptions to the above commandment.

Leaven is brought as the sacrifice of the “two loaves” on the holiday of Shavuot, when we commemorate the giving of the Torah. Honey (in its original form as dates) is brought as part of the First Fruit offering.

The Kli Yakar explains that leaven represents the evil inclination and honey represents the desire for the physical and pleasurable. He claims that we need both, but just the minimum for survival, while anything beyond the minimum is harmful.

He quotes the Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 9:9):

“If not for the evil inclination, man would not wed, nor build a house, and the world would be desolate.”

Hence the need to rein in and harness our evil and natural inclinations for good and positive purposes.

May we control our desires as opposed to the other way around.

Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the memory of Daniel Perez hy”d. May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

5784, AI art, Exodus, Kli Yakar 2, Parsha, Pekudai

Hazy Clarity (Pekudai)

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Hazy Clarity (Pekudai)

 The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. -Henri-Frédéric Amiel

The modern world is fond of absolutes. People like to be absolutely sure that the course of action they are engaging in is both correct and will turn out as promised. Hence the success of both fast-food establishments and processed food, amongst a host of modern developments. A certain consistency, predictability, is built into a processed chicken part that looks eerily like the next and the next and the next.

Thankfully, in our inefficient world, there are daily reminders of the vagrancy and fickleness of those who attempt to provide us with goods or services. A serviceman who promises to come in half an hour arrives four hours later, or four days later, or not at all. If we would hold all and everyone around us to the standard of perfection, human endeavor would come to a screeching halt.

There is little in life, whether relationships, efforts, or dreams which we can see with absolute clarity. And apparently that is by design.

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), makes an interesting observation at the end of the Book of Exodus (40:34). The Divine Presence descends onto the newly constructed Tabernacle. It is surrounded by a cloud. According to the Kli Yakar, the cloud is there to enable us to see God. It is impossible for mortals to see the clear, unobstructed vision of God. Hence, a haze is required in order to enable our perceiving the Divine Presence.

May we enjoy the haze of our reality, which enables us to experience it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the completion of the renewal project of the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem.

5784, AI art, Exodus, Parsha, Vayakel

Real Generosity (Vayakhel)

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Real Generosity (Vayakhel)

What seems to be generosity is often no more than disguised ambition, which overlooks a small interest in order to secure a great one. -Francois De La Rochefoucauld

There are at least three types of charity givers; those who are forced to, pressured to, or shamed to give to something that they would really rather not. Those that don’t mind giving, but want to get something out of it, fame, recognition, connections or to satisfy some internal desire. Finally, there are those who want to give because it is the proper thing to do, because it is good use of the money he was blessed with, don’t even consider the money ‘theirs’ and have no other considerations or ulterior motives.

All charity is good, though there are different levels in the intentions behind the giving.

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), on Exodus 35:5 determines, the different levels based on the different languages that are used for different contributions for the building of the sanctuary. Two terms are: “take from yourselves” and “the contribution of God.”

“Take from yourselves,” indicates someone who believes the money he has is his, gained by his own efforts. He is loath to part with it and does so either only when pressured or when he sees an advantage.

“The contribution of God,” indicates someone who recognizes that whatever he has is a gift from God and is only in his hands for safekeeping, to determine if he will use it to further God’s interests wisely.

May we realize the gifts we have; realize they are on loan to us and that there may be an accounting as to whether we used God’s resources wisely.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the Prince of Wales, on his important visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in London.

5784, AI art, Exodus, Ki Tisah, Kli Yakar 2, Parsha

Fall of the Island (Ki Tisah)

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Fall of the Island (Ki Tisah)

 No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee. -John Donne

The Children of Israel commit one of their worst national sins. They worship the Golden Calf. They worship an idol, shortly after God Himself commands them not to worship idols. In His wrath, God threatens to annihilate the nascent Jewish nation. Moses argues and pleads for mercy and God relents.

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), on Exodus 30:12 explains, that one of the ameliorating factors that invoked God’s mercy was that Israel sinned as a nation, but they were also judged as a nation. If they would have been judged as individuals, God would not have been as forgiving.

When judging individuals, God will scrutinize each person’s unique ‘balance sheet’ of good and bad, and when God takes the microscope to review our actions, we may not like the results. However, when we attach ourselves to a group, the merits of the group as a whole (assuming it’s a good group) can shield us from Divine wrath or even warranted justice and keep us in the purview of Divine mercy.

May we remain united for good purposes.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the speedy recovery of our cousin, Ari Spitz, who was very badly wounded this Tuesday in Gaza. May he have a full recovery and healing together with all the sick and injured of Israel.