Category Archives: Talmud

I received the following question from a teenage girl:

How could the Torah command a father to sell his daughter into slavery?

She was referring to the verse in Parshas Mishpatim (Shemos 21:7) which states:

Now if a man sells his daughter as a maidservant, she shall not go free as the slaves go free.

She asked: isnt this cruel? How could the Torah tell a man to sell his daughter with the purpose of the master to marry her. Its disgusting for a 9-year-old girl to get married. This is forced marriage.

I think it is important to address this question. There are many places where the Torah appears to conflict with our modern moral sensibilities. It is vital for all of us, especially parents and educators to understand how to address such questions head-on without dismissing them. When students feel their questions are brushed aside or given only perfunctory answers they feel that maybe the Torah doesnt have all the answers and will start to look elsewhere.

A second reason to address this question is that it shows the supreme importance of not taking the written Torah out of context. It can only be fully understood with the help of the Torah she bal peh, the oral Torah, as we shall demonstrate.

The first question we need to address is whether the pasuk is actually referring to a , a positive commandment to sell a daughter. This would seem to hang on how we are to interpret the word (ki). Sometimes when a pasuk begins with ki the Torah is meaning if this happens to you then you will have a mitzvah, suggesting a positive commandment.

For example in Parshas Ki Teitzei (Devarim 22:6-7) we read about the mitzvah of Shiluach Hakan, sending away the mother bird from the nest. The text reads:

| | :If a birds nest chances before you on the road, on any tree or on the ground, [it contains] fledglings or eggs and the mother is sitting upon the fledglings or the eggs, you shall not take the mother upon the young

:

You shall send away the mother bird, [and then] you may take the young for yourself, in order that it should be good for you, and you should lengthen your days.

The promise of the reward of longevity would seem to suggest that this is a positive commandment. In that case, ki does not mean just if you happen upon the nest, and the mother is there and you actually want the eggs or the chicks, you could do it, but rather that there is merit in seeking out opportunities for this mitzvah. ( Aruch Hashulchan 292:1, Birchei Yosef 292:8 quoting the Arizal. Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky (Am Hatorah Journal 5:7, pg 12) recommends trying to perform the mitzvah at least once. See, however, Responsa Chasam Sofer O.C. 100 and Responsa Torah Lishmah 27710. See Responsa Minchas)

Can we apply the same logic to the pasuk regarding selling a daughter as a slave? There is no explicit promise of reward, but the initial ki remains the same, potentially indicating a positive mitzvah.

To resolve this question it is necessary to examine our Oral tradition. We do not derive Torah law from logic alone, nor from looking only at the text of the written law. Unlike the ancient Sadducees, Karaites, or the reform Jews, we do not attempt to derive our religious practices solely from the Written Torah. We have Mesorah, an unbroken chain of tradition passed down together with the written law to Moshe at har Sinai and transmitted by sages from generation to generation until today. The Torah She bal peh comprises the Mishnah and the Talmud. The Mishnah was compiled between 200220 CE by Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi. The Gemara is a series of running commentaries and debates concerning the Mishnah. Together, the Mishnah with its relevant Gemaras forms the Talmud.

Even though the Oral Torah was ultimately written down, due to the existential threat of dispersion facing the Jewish civilization following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, it was written in such as way that it is virtually impossible to understand it without learning it together with a teacher himself steeped in the oral tradition. The belief that at least portions of the Oral Torah were transmitted orally from God to Moshe on Har Sinai during the Exodus from Egypt is a fundamental tenet of faith for religious Jews. Indeed it forms one of the Rambams Thirteen Principles of Faith, the Ani Maamin recited daily after Shacharis. Many passages of the Torah and the details of laws central to Jewish life are almost incomprehensible without the oral tradition that explains them. They were clearly never meant to be separated, but always learned together.

So let us examine how the oral law explains the pasuk about the father who sells his daughter as a slave. Both the Rambams Sefer HaMitzvos and the Sefer HaChinuch compilations of Jewish laws derived from the conclusions of the Talmud and the earlier Torah Law Codes show that there is no positive commandment at all for one to sell his so daughter even though it states . The positive mitzvah is only for the man who buys her as a (maidservant)

In the Rambams Sefer HaMitzvos, Mitzvah 233 is the mitzvah of (liyod ama ivriya) the designation of a Hebrew slave woman. If a Jewish man has acquired a slave woman, he has to marry her or give him as a wife to his son. This mitzvah is derived from the pasuk (Shemos 21:8) that if she is bad in the eyes of her master, who designated her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. Rashi shows, based on a Chazal (Bechoros 19a), that this verse hints at the fact of a commandment of designation (marrying her or marrying her off) that precedes the commandment of redemption.

The Rambam goes on to explain that this mitzvah actually shows Gods mercy on the poor girl who is sold, and on her father who needed to sell her. In Biblical times, as until very recently, there was no such thing as a girl who could be financially independent. Girls were supported by their fathers or older brothers until they could be married off and supported by a husband. If a father was so poor that he was unable to support his daughter any longer, it was considered a chesed for another family to buy her: that is, a man would give the father money and in exchange, take the girl in as a member of his household. She would receive work, food, and lodging. Better than redemption is for the master of the house to marry her himself or give her to his son to be married, for this would bring joy to the girl.

The Rambam (Mishneh Torah Chapter 4:2 about slaves) explains that a father may only sell his daughter into servitude if he has become so poor that he has nothing left: not land, movables, or even clothing. Even then, as soon as he is able financially, he should be compelled to buy her back to avoid further disgrace to the family. If the father has fled or died or had no means to buy her back, she must serve until she goes free.

Later the Rambam says he cannot force a marriage against the girls will. She has to be in agreement with the arrangement.

So we see there is no mitzvah to sell a daughter. Rather this is a provision made for a girl whose father was forced to sell her rather than starve to death. What may seem a barbaric practice from the written text alone turns out to be a remarkably compassionate approach when we look at the Mesorah.

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| Maidservants, Mother Birds and the Importance of Mesorah | Rabbi Dovid Abenson The Lakewood Scoop - thelakewoodscoop.com

It is difficult to adequately describe the feelings and emotions experienced by thousands of Gerer Chassidim in the United States during this daysas many remain in disbelief from the incredible history, and the special focus from the Rebbe to which they were privileged.

Events like this have never taken place since Gerer chassidim have streamed into New York following the terrible Churban that had consumed the glorious court of Ger that lived and thrived in Gora Kalwaria. While the American community had merited visits from the Gerer Rebbeim over time, a simchabringing forth the glory and the heartfelt joy with the Rebbes simchahas never taken place here, since the court is centered in Yerushalayim. Likewise, they have never experienced a tisch conducted by the Rebbe on American shoressince these only take place during specula Shabbosim.

Yet, 5781 was the year in which history was madeas the Rebbe endeavored to come to the chassidim following two years in which they had been unable to journey to the court.

The committees in charge overcame enormous logistical challenges to make this massive event happenbeginning with two Shabbosim in Boro Park (parashas Shoftim and Ki Teitzei). But even more remarkable was the wedding itself: Thousands of men packed the Viznizter Beis Medrash, while the women occupied the Vilchovitz Hall.

Through all this, the children were not forgotten.

During a special kinder tisch, hundred of talmdim from the Gerer chadorim packed the hall, in the presence of the Rebbe, where children sang special grammen in honor of the occasion, and merited special attention and brachos from the Rebbe. Following this, the Kabbolas Ponim was geared for the bachurim, where, once again, they heard divrei Torah and brochos from the Rebbe.

Following this, the massive crowd made its way over to the Vilchovitz hall for the chupah. Here, the experience was otherworldly, as the crowd stood with deep earnestness and emotionwhile the Gerer menagnim provided a backdrop to the heightened emotionsduring these uplifted moments.

The Rebbe served as mesader kiddushin, while Rav Hershel Rottenberg, Rov of the Gerer community read the kesubah. The Viznitzer Rebbe was honored with the first six brachos, and the Skverer Rebbe with bracha achrita. At the conclusion, the crowd broke out into spirited and uplifted dancing that lasted for a whiletruly feeling the simcha of the Rebbe.

Throughout the evening, the feelings of joy, connection, holinessand the experiences the likes of which most had never seenwere palpable by the entire crowd of thousands, which overflowed from the hall.

In the following days, Sheva brachos events were hosted by various committees and supporters of the Gerer mosdosthose who maintain a connection the entire year, and take an active role in supporting the massive network of institutions in the chassidus.

This led into Shabbos Sheva Brochos, where the Rebbe was again spent in Boro Parkthis time, conducting an unprecedented three tischen throughout the Shabbos. An even larger crowd filled the Belzer Talmud Torah this time, with many having arrived from Eretz Yisroel for the wedding. Throughout the Shabbos, the infusion of Torah, tefillah, and holy, joyful niggunim reverberated throughout the hall.

The Rebbe is scheduled to return to Eretz Yisroel in the early part of the weekleaving behind an aura of holiness and connection that will not soon be forgotten from amongst the chassidim in America.

[PRESS RELEASE]

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| Thousands of Gerer Chassidim Infused with Joy and Holiness at Rebbe's Wedding in New York The Lakewood Scoop - thelakewoodscoop.com

In early August, the Biden administration announced a goal to make half of all new cars sold in the U.S. electric by 2030. In June, the congregation I serve, Temple Bnai Israel in Kalamazoo, installed an electric car charger with the assistance of Hope for Creation.

Through the congregations relationship with Michigan Interfaith Power & Light, as well as other groups, it has become clear that strong, clean car standards have the power to drive down vehicle pollution as well as spur innovation in the development of new clean car technologies.

Therefore, our congregation made the decision to invest knowing there are members who would benefit but also because our values teach us the importance of caring for the planet. Investing in electric vehicles is one way we can shift our dependency away from the fossil fuels that are causing our climate crisis.

As Reform Jews, we look to the Book of Deuteronomy for the basis of our belief in caring for the Earth. Verses 20:21-22 speak of actions during wartime that directly impact the Earth: When in your war against a city you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down.

From these verses arise the value of bal tashchit which is translated as do not destroy. Humanity is taught that they shall not destroy fruit trees during wartime. But Judaism does not only draw from the Torah, but also from the later commentaries of the rabbis, the sages, of the Mishnah and Talmud. These sages extrapolate from this idea to include all ecological destruction during times of war as well as peace. The expanded rulings include not feeding livestock polluted water, not diverting or destroying water and not throwing away food or wantonly breaking usable items. These interpretations have shaped how we, as a Jewish congregation, engage with the world we live in.

Another value guiding the Congregations decision to invest in an EV charger, along with other measures to make our building more energy efficient and less polluting, is the value of betzelem Elohim the understanding that all people are made in the image of God. This directly relates to how we view one another.

All people should have access to clean air and water, but we know this is not the case here in Michigan. Low-wealth and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities experience disproportionate harm from dirty vehicle pollution, leading to increased rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. We also know that low-wealth and BIPOC communities also are often closest to highways and bear the greatest burden from vehicle pollution.

We have a responsibility to act on our values, which teach us to care for the Earth and that all people are important and indeed, made in the image of God.

I am proud to lead a congregation who wants to put their values into action in any way that they can and know that there is still much to be done. The installation of an electric car charger is but one piece of a large puzzle that we must all work together on building.

As the EPA and Transportation Department now begin to work out the details of longer-term emissions standards, they have an opportunity to help create the conditions necessary for all life to thrive by supporting cleaner cars. We urge them to make these standards as strong as possible.

Simone Schicker is the rabbi of Temple Bnai Israel in Kalamazoo.

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Guest Column: Investing in the Future Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News

The Talmudic tractate Chagigah tells the tale of Rabbi Meir and his teacher Elisha ben Avuyah. Despite his teachers abandonment of Judaism and Elishas descent into heresy, Rabbi Meir would not abandon his mentor. Elisha was branded as Acher "Other by a Jewish community in the Land of Israel that had shunned the apostate and rebel.

One Shabbat, as Elisha rode his horse in violation of the seventh days sanctity, Rabbi Meir walked behind his teacher to learn from him words of wisdom. When they reached the techum Shabbat, the maximum of 2000 cubits that one may walk from his home without violating Torah law on the Shabbat, Rabbi Meir told his teacher not to proceed beyond the limit. Despite his students urging, Acher continued riding, thus doubly violating Shabbat. Rabbi Meir was often scolded for following the heretic and attempting to learn from his former teacher. Meir responded that when he finds a pomegranate, he eats the seeds and discards the peel. There were still lessons to be learned from the renegade.

Why did Elisha ben Avuyah abandon Judaism and descend into the heresies of the Greco-Roman world? Rabbinic literature provides a number of answers. The one explanation that I find compelling is that in the wake of the persecutions of Jews by Roman Emperor Hadrian persecutions associated with the Bar-Kochba rebellion of 132-135 Rabbi Elisha ben Avuyah witnessed the tongue of Jewish martyr Chutzpit the Interpreter being carried by a pig in its mouth. That the vehicle for the teaching of beautiful words of Torah to be debased in such a disgusting manner convinced Rabbi Elisha that God had abandoned His teaching and His people. The sight shocked him into a rejection of God and into the embracing of foreign teachings.

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What Elisha ben Avuyah saw drove him over the edge. He could not repent. The God he believed in was no longer a God of Justice. He could no longer believe in that God. It reminds me of a lecture I delivered in a senior community in south Florida more than a decade ago. A Jewish man in his 80s approached me before the lecture.

Rabbi, I was a liberator of Dachau in WWII. When I approached the barbed wire fence of the camp I was overcome by the stench of rotting flesh. As the smell of rot entered my nostrils I lost my faith in God. I could no longer believe. I have since been an atheist.

I could not judge this man. Perhaps if I were in his boots on that day I would have lost my faith in God too. I told him that and he shook my hand and thanked me. My father was a heavy-machine gun sergeant in the American 97th Infantry Division in the last weeks of the war in Europe German sniper fire was a constant danger as the American troops moved from building to building to destroy the last fanatics yet his encounters with Holocaust survivors and his discovery of a synagogue destroyed in Kristallnacht only served to strengthen his will as a Jew. He billeted American troops in German homes and the first thing he told the civilians while carrying a carbine, before throwing them out, was I am a Jew. They shuddered with fear and ran out as quickly as possible.

We all have different reactions to severe trauma. Some Jews lose their faith. Others are strengthened by it. But as we end Elul and approach the High Holy Days, we must realize that after the Shoah and the founding of the State of Israel nothing will ever be the same. Those Jews who go to shul on Yom Kippur and fast till they are on the verge of fainting, have learned nothing about faith and doubt in God in such perilous times if they fail to grapple with the watershed events of Jewish history. It cannot be business as usual for Jews in the first quarter of the 21st century. We seek teshuvah (repentance) but we should ask God to seek repentance for violating the Sinai Covenant. For those who observe the High Holy Days, there must be so many difficult questions to ask and so few answers. There is nothing wrong with celebrating Rosh Hashanah and observing Yom Kippur. But there is something not right if we do so as automatons. When I lead my congregation in the El Maleh (Memorial Prayer) for millions of Jews murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, I will not forget the Jew I met who liberated Dachau.

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Acher and the difficulties of teshuvah - The Jerusalem Post

Politicians blocked all attempts by the police to limit attendance on the site during Lag Baomer celebrations, a senior police officer told the Mount Meron disaster state commission of inquiry Sunday.

Northern District Police Superintendent Shimon Lavi, who gave a highly emotional account of how the tragedy evolved, was the opening witness before the commission, which is expected to hear from political, religious and security officials and from injured victims.

The commission is expected to hear testimony on Monday from Lavis predecessor as northern police commander, Alon Asur, and Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites.

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The government of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and haredi parties, which were at least partially involved in demanding unlimited attendance, had refused to establish a state commission of enquiry that would be free of political interference.

This was in contravention of the wishes of the majority of the families of the victims who said only a truly independent panel would be able to find who was responsible for the death of their loved ones and prevent such a disaster in the future.

Some of the haredi officials had advocated improved infrastructure in the past, but few had been ready to limit the number of attendees, and none of them wanted an inquiry that would point fingers at them.

While there had been some expectation that the coronavirus crisis would force the government to limit attendance, the first wave of vaccines was being administered.

The new government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett promptly endorsed a commission of inquiry. At the end of June, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut appointed a three-member panel to chair the Meron disaster commission of inquiry.

The commission is chaired by former chief justice Miriam Naor, and the other two members are Rabbi Mordechai Karlitz and IDF Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Shlomo Yanai.

Each of the commission members asked Lavi some hard questions on Sunday.

Yanai cited a 2017 police report that said no more than 9,000 people could be on the Meron site safely. But Lavi had allowed more than 25,000 people onto the site, he said.

Lavi responded with two main points.

First, the police had revised their view because the site had been enlarged since 2017, he said.

Second, every time he or his predecessors had tried to limit attendees and bonfires, and to increase safety measures, there was political and haredi pushback demanding that police would not interfere with how worshipers conduct themselves, he said.

Lavi seemed to say he was able to place limits on the number of bonfires despite political pressure, but he was less successful in limiting the number of attendees.

Former public security minister Amir Ohana and various religious figures pressed him to be more flexible, Lavi said.

Naor asked him what he would do differently in the future.

We need to restart everything about events at Meron, Lavi said. We need to change the location of the bonfires, the parking, to change everything. We need to pave streets and [build] infrastructure. The area is too small.

Naor asked him if he would agree to hold the Lag Baomer celebrations at Meron next year if major changes had not yet occurred.

Lavi said he would not and that a hard line must be taken for reforms and against political pressure that undermined public safety.

When the commissions members were announced, Hayut said a state inquiry of this kind would ensure independence from political considerations and restore public faith in the states handling of the issue.

Naor was picked due to her judicial stature and her experience handling highly complex matters, the government said in a statement.

Rabbi Karlitz was selected for having served as mayor of Bnei Brak and having experience in building and design issues, with the Meron events in general and with public policy and the haredi community regarding integration in the IDF.

Yanai was selected due to his expertise in logistical and planning issues, both during his service in the IDF and in the private sector since his retirement from the military.

Hayut said she had announced the inquiry on the 17th of Tamuz, a fast day commemorating the Roman breach of the walls of Jerusalem in 70 CE. She expressed hope that the Meron commission would counter that breach by restoring some positivity and stability to Israeli society.

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Top police official: Politicians refused to limit Meron attendance - The Jerusalem Post

The Jewish month of Elul is a time to do teshuva, or ask forgiveness for our sins of the previous year, with the intent of not repeating or continuing these same sins in the coming year. As we get into this mindset, we should reflect on a recent apology to children by the editor of Germanys Bild, the largest circulating newspaper in Europe:

To the millions of children in this country for whom our society is responsible, I want to express here what neither our government nor our Chancellor dares to tell you. We ask you to forgive us. Forgive us for this policy which, for a year and a half, has made you victims of violence, neglect, isolation and loneliness. Sorry for this policy and media coverage which, like poison, made you feel like you were a mortal danger to society. You are not a danger to society, dont believe this lie. Its up to us to protect you

Instead, we persuaded our children that they were going to murder their grandma if they dared to be what they are, children. Or if they met their friends. None of this has been scientifically proven. It was easy to force that on the kids, they cant defend themselves, and they dont vote. When a state steals the rights of a child, it must prove that by doing so it protects him against concrete and imminent danger. This proof has never been provided! It has been replaced by propaganda presenting the child as a vector of the pandemic. Those who wanted to contradict this propaganda were never invited to the expert table. Our policies would do better to open schools and sports halls rather than polling stations! Otherwise, they will have on their conscience and will leave in the history books a multitude of innocent souls.

Following the year and half we just experienced, this apology from a major media organization is nothing short of stunning. In fact, similar, if less explicit mea culpas have been penned in recent months by many other mainstream media organizations, including New York Magazine, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and others.

As the editor of Bild and others have pointed out, there is no data that demonstrates that isolating children, either through closing schools or restricting mingling with elders, has reduced the spread of the coronavirus. In a recent study, the UK Office of National Statistics actually found that there was no difference in communal spread whether schools were open or closed even during the Delta surge. These results echo the findings of dozens of other countries, including Chinese, Danish, and Finnish data published over 16 months ago. (For clarity, these results do not say that the disease does not spread in schools, but rather that the spread would be similar even if the schools were closed)

Yet, the damage to children has been extensive and catastrophic, relative to their specific risk from Covid itself. Children born during the pandemic have experienced reduced cognitive development, and their older peers have experienced similar educational losses. In poorer countries, deaths among children due to malnutrition and lack of access to basic medication has skyrocketed. And, while many in the upper middle classes of the Jewish world have been less affected, we should not be so naive as to think our children have come through this unharmed. Teens and young adults are facing psychological crises of epic proportions, drug and alcohol use by teens has risen, and suicide ideation by children has overwhelmed emergency rooms across the US.

Unlike the media outlets mentioned above, neither the leaders of the Jewish community at large nor the Israeli government, have expressed any regret for these actions. Rather, they continue to burden children with the guilt and responsibility of matters of life and death, while simultaneously excluding them from communal prayer and other major events with a punitive Green Pass system. The requirement that children be either vaccinated or prove themselves clean from disease on a daily basis, combined with limits on how many can attend any single event, means that children will again be largely excluded from participating in prayers on our holiest days.

Less than a century ago, Rabbinic leaders struggled with Jewish children who were losing their connection to the community. In response, they made Jewish education an absolute priority and tolerated bending Jewish law in ways to assure that the younger members of the community were not only included, but actively encouraged to grow into functioning and committed members of the Jewish world. The act of participating in the High Holiday prayers, with the entire community singing as one with recognizable tunes, has been a formative act in the lives of millions of Jewish children. This plays a part in why many of even the most secularized Jews still come to synagogue three days a year to feel the same connection to G-d and the community they felt as children. Yet, for the second year in a row, many in Israel and abroad are choosing to actively exclude children from this formative process, implying that it is simpler and safer for the older generation if the children do not attend. In Exodus, Pharoah offered a similar opportunity to Moses in Egypt, allowing the Jews to simply worship G-d in the desert without the hassle of children and the weaker elderly, yet Mosess reply is an emphatic BeNaarenu UVizkenenu Nelech with our young and vulnerable we go to worship G-d together as one nation. This sense of unity, and the importance of including every facet of our community, should be a driving force behind any religious policy decisions.

In the Talmud, Rav Ada Bar Ahava states:

A person who has a transgression in his hand, and he confesses but does not repent for his sin, to what is he comparable? To a person who holds in his hand a dead creeping animal, which renders one ritually impure by contact. As in this situation, even if he immerses in all the waters of the world to become pure, his immersion is ineffective for him, as long as the source of ritual impurity remains in his hand. However, if he has thrown the animal from his hand, once he has immersed in a ritual bath of forty sea, the immersion is immediately effective for him.

Standing in front of G-d, begging for forgiveness while simultaneously insisting on an ineffective Green Pass system that excludes children and others from participating in these prayers, may be akin to one who immerses themselves while holding onto an impure object. Approaching G-d who values honesty and humility in such a way seems entirely hypocritical. Our sincere motivation to save lives does not exempt us from distinguishing good strategy from bad, or ignoring the consequences, even if unintended or unanticipated. Real teshuvah requires an honest assessment of our actions and their consequences, and changing course accordingly.

Ahead of this coming High Holiday period, we should take a lesson from the editor of Bild, beseeching forgiveness from our children for the damage we have caused them over the past year and a half. We must also find a way to employ safety measures in our synagogues without sacrificing the full, unconditional and meaningful participation of the younger population.

Etan Golubtchik is an energy industry professional with a background in engineering and financial modeling. He made the decision to join the oil and gas industry after researching the issues involved, and is proud of the work he does to help bring affordable energy to modern society.

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Teshuvah with a Green Pass in Your Hand - The Times of Israel

In Parhsat Ki Tetze (Dvarim 24:5) we are taught:

When a man marries a new wife, he shall not go out to the army, nor shall it obligate him for any matter; he shall be free for his home for one year, and he shall gladden his wife whom he has married.

This reminds us of the verses that were recited on the border of Eretz Yisrael that we read in last weeks Parsha, Parshat Shoftim (Dvarim 20:5-7) about those who are unqualified to fight:

Who is the man who has built a new house and has not inaugurated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the war and another man will inaugurate it. And who is the man who has planted a vineyard and not redeemed it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the war and another man will redeem it. And who is the man who has betrothed a woman and not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in war and another man will marry her.

There is a difference between the case in Shoftim where the couple is engaged and the case in Ki Tetze where the couple is already married. As we see in the Talmud, Sotah 44a:

The rabbis taught in a Braita: The verse in Ki Tetze states he shall not go out with the army. It could be thought that it is with the army that he does not go out, but he must go out to supply water and food to the troops and he must go out to repair the roads for the passage of the army. The Torah therefore states nor shall [army service] be placed upon him regarding any matter.

This teaches that the army has no claim on the groom who is within his first year of marriage whatsoever, not even for rear-echelon duties. Unlike the man who betrothed a woman but did not marry her yet, the man who built a home and did not yet inaugurate it or a man who planted a vineyard and did not redeem it yet. Those three categories would still be obligated in going out to perform the rear-echelon duties.

The Mishna, Sotah 44b states: The cases above, where the man would be exempt from fighting in the war all refer to a milchemet reshut, a voluntary war. However, in the case of a milchemet mitzvah, an obligatory war, all go out, even a bridegroom from his chamber and a bride from her chuppa.

The wars fought in Israel today fall under the category of milchemet mitzvah, obligatory wars (as described by the Rambam in Hilchot Melachim 5:1) since we are conquering the Land of Israel, protecting it and saving Israel from the enemy. Therefore, the groom would be obligated to go to war and according to some opinions even the bride, if not to fight, then to supply food and water to the soldiers.

During the last war in Israel, Shmorei HaChomot, there was at least one case of a bride and groom who had just gotten married that went directly to serve in the army. This is the reality that we live with.

May the time come when we will have true peace in Israel and will no longer have to send our brides and grooms out to fight.

Sharona holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Stern College and an MS in Jewish Education from Azrieli Graduate School, Yeshiva University. Sharona was the first Congregational Intern and Madricha Ruchanit at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, NY. After making aliya in 2004, Sharona founded Torat Reva Yerushalayim, a non profit organization based in Jerusalem which provides Torah study groups for students of all ages and backgrounds.

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Does marriage take precedence over the military? | Sharona Margolin Halickman | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

Eldridge Street Synagogue.

Around the turn of the 20th century, thousands of Eastern European Jews immigrated to the United States and settled on the Lower East Side. Many moved into tenement buildings and took up employment at sweatshops, factories and local stores. Among the largest was 14-16 Orchard Street, which seemed to combine two buildings into one and featured an elaborate roof design. Many of these recent immigrants, though, struggled to survive on low wages and poor living conditions, leading many to eventually move away from the area. And as the area became more gentrified and built up, many of the historic Jewish sites of the Lower East Side were lost to history.

I think one of the fascinating things about the Lower East Side is that its been estimated that there were probably over 600 houses of worship that existed between 1880 and 1924 around there, said Richard Soden, a longtime Lower East Side resident and Museum at Eldridge Street docent who will be leading a tour of the Secrets of the Lower East Side starting in September. There was an overabundance of people on the Lower East Side at the time. Its been recorded and documented that probably the Lower East Side as we define it in those days probably had the largest population [of Jews] in the world during that period of time. About two-a-half-million left Eastern Europe, and about 2 million made their way to the Lower East Side.

Many Jews would frequent 113 Allen Street, which housed public baths for those who did not have baths or showers in their apartments. Many shopped at Ridleys Department Store on Grand Street and bought from pushcarts on Hester Street. Restaurants like Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery and Katzs Deli opened in the early 1900s and quickly became go-to spots for the local population. And even the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges played a major role in the lives of Jewish immigrants, enabling people to leave the area and spread out; the former of which was even known as Jew Bridge because so many people would come back on Saturdays from their house of worship.

With assistance from Soden, here are 10 Jewish history sites on the Lower East Side, from modern-day museums and synagogues to abandoned buildings whose connection to Judaism is not as obvious. Be sure to join us for our Secrets of the Lower East Side tour in September and onwards.

The Jarmulowsky Bank Building is a 12-story building that formerly housed the Jarmulowsky Bank at Canal Street and Orchard Street. The building is named after Sender Jarmulowsky, who established his bank in 1873. Jarmulowsky was born in 1841 in Grajewo, Russia now a part of Poland. He was orphaned and raised by the Rabbi of Werblow, and he was sent to an elite Talmudic academy called the Volozhin Yeshiva. He soon after married Rebecca Markels, the daughter of a wealthy Polish merchant, and he was on track to become a renowned scholar.

However, Jarmulowsky had other plans. In 1868, he moved his family to Hamburg, Germany, purchasing steamship tickets and selling them to German and East European Jews who hoped to immigrate to America. Jarmulowskys anticipation of hundreds of people going to America allowed him to outcompete steamship companies, leading him to move to New York and open up a bank where he made his wife a full partner. The bank, at 54 Canal Street, was considered a bank for immigrants that provided loans, deposits and ticket sales. The bank was open all day on Sunday, which allowed Sabbath-observant Jews to take care of their financial needs on the weekend. The bank was reputed to serve more than60,000depositors and survived bank runs in1886, 1890, 1893 and 1901. When World War I broke out just two years after the bank building was completed, German investors withdrew funds to send to relatives abroad, and the bank subsequently failed.

The Beaux-Arts faade of the building has been landmarked, although a boutique hotel may move in soon following restoration and renovation. The building is faced with limestone on the lower section and terra cotta at its top section. Until 1990, the building featured a rooftop Greek tempietto that rose 50 feet to a dome ringed by eagles, and a recreation of this was unveiled 30 years later. The exterior decorative banding S. Jarmulowsky will remain to honor the man who founded the successful bank, the Eldridge Street Synagogue with a few other successful businessmen, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

Continued here:

Top 10 Jewish History Sites on the Lower East Side - Untapped New York

In 1972, Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair opened SARM Studios the first 24-track recording studio in Europe where Queen mixed Bohemian Rhapsody. His music publishing company, Druidcrest Music published the music for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1973) and as a record producer, he co-produced the quadruple-platinum debut album by American band Foreigner (1976). American Top ten singles from this album included, Feels Like The First Time, Cold as Ice and Long, Long Way from Home. Other production work included The Enid In the Region of the Summer Stars, The Curves, and Nutz as well as singles based on The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy with Douglas Adams and Richard OBrien. Other artists who used SARM included: ABC, Alison Moyet, Art of Noise, Brian May, The Buggles, The Clash, Dina Carroll, Dollar, Flintlock, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones, It Bites, Malcolm McLaren, Nik Kershaw, Propaganda, Rush, Rik Mayall, Stephen Duffy, and Yes.

In 1987, he settled in Jerusalem to immerse himself in the study of Torah. His two Torah books The Color of Heaven, on the weekly Torah portion, and Seasons of the Moon met with great critical acclaim. Seasons of the Moon, a unique fine-art black-and-white photography book combining poetry and Torah essays, has now sold out and is much sought as a collectors item fetching up to $250 for a mint copy.

He is much in demand as an inspirational speaker both in Israel, Great Britain and the United States. He was Plenary Keynote Speaker at the Agudas Yisrael Convention, and Keynote Speaker at Project Inspire in 2018. Rabbi Sinclair lectures in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy at Ohr Somayach/Tannenbaum College of Judaic studies in Jerusalem and is a senior staff writer of the Torah internet publications Ohrnet and Torah Weekly. His articles have been published in The Jewish Observer, American Jewish Spirit, AJOP Newsletter, Zurichs Die Jdische Zeitung, South African Jewish Report and many others.

Rabbi Sinclair was born in London, and lives with his family in Jerusalem.He was educated at St. Anthonys Preparatory School in Hampstead, Clifton College, and Bristol University.

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My father is still alive I can hear his voice in his books and videos. Thats precisely how he wanted to be remembered not by eulogies or speeches, but by regular people learning from his works, says his eldest son and CEO of the Steinsaltz Center in Jerusalem, Rabbi Menachem Meni Even-Israel.

Steinsaltz was awarded the Israel Prize in 1988, for producing his masterpiece a translation and commentary on the Babylonian Talmud. His Talmud The Steinsaltz Edition was a pioneering work and made the Talmud accessible to the masses.

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In 2012, Steinsaltz was awarded the National Jewish Book Award by the Jewish Book Council for his commentary, translation, and notes in the Koren Babylonian Talmud. He also received the Presidents Medal in 2012, for his contribution to the study of the Talmud, and the Yakir Yerushalayim prize in 2017, for his writing and translation work.

My father had an eclectic ability to bring together a vast range of sources - both Jewish and non-Jewish - from archaeology and science, to history and technology - in one tapestry and impart an intellectual and moral message, says Meni.

He was a devout chassid (disciple) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but he had his own views which were different to the Rebbe. They did have a similar goal though that of bringing G-d and Torah closer to all people not just Jews.

When asked what he thought his fathers legacy was, Meni, is quite clear: To take the Jewish canon Talmud and the Bible and make it accessible and interesting to ordinary people. He used modern, scientific language which helped all religious and secular and non-Jews discover the beauty of authentic Judaism through texts like he had done himself in his youth.

My father was deeply pained by the reality that Jews were indifferent to Jewish life. He wanted to make Judaism meaningful and believed this can only be done through engaging with the original texts. My father never said, Keep all the mitzvot to people. He believed that Jewish knowledge was the most important thing and performing mitzvot was the natural result.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, believed that being Jewish is about keeping mitzvot about doing. For Rabbi Steinsaltz, being Jewish was about being connected to your past through text. He saw his role as to bring the Jewish bookshelf back to its rightful owners the Jewish people, says Meni.

Like Rabbi Sacks, Rabbi Steinsaltz wanted to take Judaism to the streets, using the language of the layman. Rabbi Sacks was in his own league in how articulate he was and making the non-Jewish world approach Judaism with respect and awe, observes Meni. My father and Rabbi Sacks had the same goal to take Judaism out of the hands of the learned and elite and make it relevant and engaging for the masses - to the public forum.

Both of their missions were charged by the Lubavitcher Rebbes vigilance, persistence and love for the Jewish people. Both of their deaths were far too soon and they were both involved in multiple projects at the time of their deaths. They were both selfless Jewish intellectuals and leaders they actually met when Rabbi Sacks was studying in Oxford and from then stayed in touch throughout their professional careers.

Practically what is the Steinsaltz Center doing to continue his legacy?

Firstly, Meni says, they are focusing on publishing his 80 books he left and disseminating his thought and knowledge through a new app and social media.

Since Rabbi Steinsaltzs death, there has been a proliferation of his books being published, in Hebrew, English and French. They plan to continue to publish two books per year, as well as starting to produce the new edition of the Talmud in French. The first volume of Rabbi Steinsaltzs commentary on the Tanya (early work of hasidic philosophy) is coming out in French to mark his first yahrzeit.

The app that is already available to download and is free - will be formally launched in September. It has all of Rabbi Steinsaltzs teaching and interpretations on from Talmud and Bible to Maimonidies and Jewish ideas and theology.

The Steinsaltz Center has a very active Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts sharing his quotes, video-clips, PDFs and articles using social media to reach as many people as possible.

Steinsaltz left over 10,000 hours of audio and 5,000 hours of videos. They plan on uploading them all to their website and app.

The Steinsaltz Center have established the Shalhevet program an international program where over 120 students in the Tekoa hesder yeshiva in Gush Etzion, learn online, on Zoom, Skype or telephone, with students from all around the world. They learn a whole spectrum of texts, all based on Steinsaltzs work from Talmud and Bible to Mishna and Jewish thought.

In English, the Erez series a set of five books, was Steinsaltzs concise guide to Judaism. A collection of the best of our Jewish wisdom and Halacha.

Also, a Hebrew collection of the hasidic talks he gave throughout the year and quotations will be available for the chagim with stunning pictures. The hope is that this book with also be translated into English.

For the yahrzeit itself, there will be a special 24-hour Mishna learning program connecting Jews all around the globe. From Rabbi Levi Woolf in Melbourne to Rabbi Yitzchak Mishna in Brazil, Jews will be learning Mishna from downloaded from their new app.

Is Rabbi Steinsaltz replaceable?

Meni says in one word no.

However, Meni continues, We can continue his legacy by reading his works and connecting with his ideas and thoughts. His philosophy was, Ill give you the keys you take responsibility and run with it. He did that in Yeshivat Tekoa (in the Gush Etzion, on the outskirts of Jerusalem.) He gave Rabbi Zinger the keys and he created an empire.

There are not enough superlatives to describe Rabbi Steinsaltz or what hes done for the Jewish world (though many have been used). He was said to have been a modern-day Rashi; that would be true, had Rashi also translated, written books, founded schools, lectured to vast audiences, and gone round the world helping Jewish communities.

Fine adds, Rabbi Steinsaltzs contribution is immeasurable. A year after his death, were still very far from understanding the magnitude of his legacy. It may take generations to fully appreciate it. For now, we can simply be grateful that we got to live in the shadow of this towering giant of Torah.

The Jerusalem Report also spoke with Meir Klein, former editor at the Steinsaltz Tenach commentary project, currently writing a dissertation on Rabbi Steinsaltz.

Rabbi Steinsaltz believed that if you were Jewish he was interested in you that every Jew has an equal share in our common inheritance. The basis for change was learning. He was determined to battle ignorance, as his lifelong project was making the sources of Judaism and particularly the Talmud, accessible to all, says Klein.

Steinsaltz was a complex man, Klein believes. He was influenced in his youth by the communist revolution and longed for a new hasidic revolution. On the other hand, he recognized that meaningful change took time and dedicated his life to promoting a Jewish renaissance. Without giving up on the dreams of his youth, he focused on the realistic, step-by-step approach and engineer change that way.

He was extraordinarily devoted to his work - the results of which speak for themselves. His books have become an entrance gate to Judaism for many, and a mobile teacher as he put it for many others.

The goal was affecting people and bringing them closer to Judaism. He wanted people to live a new kind of Jewish life, full of passion and emotion, relevant and contemporary, but also authentic and faithful to tradition, innovative but committed to traditional practices, rooted in foundations of Jewish knowledge and at the same time instrumental in creating a more functional and moral society, says Klein.

Klein believes Steinsaltz had a decisive influence on many trends of contemporary Judaism, from the teshuvah (repentance) movement to the study of the daily Daf Yomi (one page of Talmud per day) from the hasidic revival to the growth of pluralistic study centers, from the dissolving of sectoral boundaries to the strengthening of Jewish peoplehood.

Steinsaltz was looking at results rather than respect and credit. Someone once told him that he had received one of his books and thanks to him had returned to his Jewish roots. Recalling this, in tears of excitement, Rabbi Steinsaltz said that at that moment he felt that he had returned to the Jew his legal inheritance.

Rabbi Steinsaltz saw his students and followers as his living legacy. His lifes motto was, Let my people know. As we approach a year since Rabbi Steinsaltzs passing away, the vacuum he has left can only be filled by learning from his books and applying his message to our daily lives.

As Meni says, His agenda is still on Torah is reaching Jews and non-Jews alike. In this way, Rabbi Steinsaltz is still here with us. People having conversations about Judaism based on texts, knowledge and real learning not just folklore. Thats exactly what my father wanted.

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Reflections on the first yahrzeit of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz - The Jerusalem Post