Posted on Jan 2, 2017 |
Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Lain City: Saskatoon Profession: Retired physician Full Question: “I thought that a menorah had seven branches but I have recently seen one in my community that has nine branches. Why is there a difference? What do the branches mean?” Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: Thank you so much for your question! The original Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) had a total of 7 branches. The Menorah was lit daily in Temple times and aside from providing light, it contained much symbolism. Examples include wisdom (spreading light to the world), the 7 days of creation, the Shabbos (which is the 7th day) and the like. During the Greek Empire, after the Greeks conquered new lands, the Greeks usually assimilated the indigenous populations into their society and culture, rather then enslave or destroy them. In Jerusalem, this did not go so well, as many Jews preferred to remain committed to the Torah (Bible), rather than embrace the “enlightened” Greek culture. As a result, the Greeks defiled the Jewish Temple and banned the observance of key Jewish practices. Specifically, it became prohibited to observe Shabbos (the Sabbath) and holidays, to consecrate the new month, to observe kosher laws or ritual purity laws or to administer a Bris (circumcision). In addition, Torah study was prohibited. The Jews revolted under the leadership the Maccabees and the small band of fighters miraculously managed to oust the much lager, stronger and well-trained army of the Syrian-Greeks (Seleucid Empire). When they came to the Holy Temple, they found only one supply of pure olive oil, which would only provide enough light to last for one day. However, it would take 8 days to procure additional pure olive oil. So they utilized the supply they had to light the Menorah in the Temple, and it miraculously lasted the full 8 days needed, rather than just one day! In commemoration of these miracles, we celebrate Chanukah, in which every family lights a Menorah (or Menorahs) to commemorate and publicize the miracle of the oil. In order not to be confused with the 7-brach Menorah from the Holy Temple, and in order to reflect the 8-day miracle, we light a Menorah with 8 branches. There is a rule that these lights may not be used for any other purpose, other then viewing them. As such, a 9th branch is there for other functions, such as to provide light and/or to light the other branches. Since this 9th branch is not actually part of the Mitzvah (obligation) to light 8 lights, it is customarily placed at a higher height than the other 8 branches, clearly demonstrating that it is different. In contrast, in the Menorah in the Holy Temple, all 7 branches were the same height. Thank you again for your question! Wishing you a beautiful and enlightening...
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Posted on Jul 31, 2016 |
Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Daniel Indyk Full Question: “I understand Halachic Judaism has a problem with Zionism and the state of Israel. How does one deal with this?” Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: One of the many beautiful aspects of Judaism is the concept of “Elu v’elu Divrei Elokim Chayim” (there is more than one legitimate way to connect to G-d). Meaning, no one has the monopoly on the right way to live as a Jew. So along those lines, whether someone chooses to serve our country through fighting in the Israeli army, learning Torah or doing Sheirut Leumi (National community service), these are all methods that each individual can choose to contribute to Israel in a way that is meaningful for them. And one can certainly argue that all thee of these approaches are necessary. The same principle would apply to the questions of eating rice on Pesach (Passover), or waiting 1, 3, 5.1 or 6 hours after meat before consuming dairy, or “stay-at-home moms” versus working moms and many more examples. The Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) was destroyed due to “baseless hatred” among Jews. According to the Talmud, every generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is as if we destroyed it. In other words, if the Mashiach (Messiah) has not yet come, it means that we are perpetuating that same hatred of our brothers that caused the initial destruction and exile! And ironically, there is so much more that unites us all, than divides us. Yet many of us still manage to zoom in on our differences. And unfortunately, it seems that Hashem often needs to send tragedies our way, as those are often the only things that seem to remind us that we’re really all one family. Going back to your question, there are many different Halachik opinions about Zionism, ranging from those who believe it is a terrible thing to those who believe it’s a great thing. And there are also those who will both support it and oppose it, depending upon how you define Zionism. But what is generally not disputed is that Israel is our homeland. And regardless of what one thinks of the “modern state of Israel,” most Halachik opinions contend that even though we are still in exile, the land of Israel continues to maintain tremendous Holiness. Along those lines, there are many potential Mitzvos (commandments) that can only be performed in the Land of Israel. So regardless of which path you personally follow, and regardless of whether you view “Yishuv Eretz Yisroel (Settling the Land of Israel) prior to the arrival of the Mashiach as an obligatory Mitzvah, an optional Mitzvah (Kiyum Aseh), a Hechsher Mitzvah (a critical step enabling one to perform a Mitzvah), a neutral act, or even a prohibited act, I believe that the most important lesson for us is to learn...
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Posted on Apr 18, 2016 |
Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Cory Haffly Full Question: “Hello, I have always believed that the Sabbath begins at sunset Friday and ends at sunset Saturday, but I recently read in a book on Judaism that the Sabbath “officially” ends at “nightfall” on Saturday, about 45 minutes after sunset, when at least three stars can be sighted. Is this true? Thanks, Cory.” Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: In Judaism, as a general rule, days begin at night. But how does one define the end of daytime? Is it when the sun begins to set or is it when the sun has completely finished setting? And precisely when has the sun completely finished setting? Do we wait for stars? If so, how many stars do we wait for? What size? One could easily spend many weeks delving into the complexities of these questions, many of which are discussed in the Talmud Shabbos (Sabbath). Here is a VERY basic summary: In Jewish law, it is unclear whether the period of Bein Hashmashos (Twilight), the process during which the sun sets, should be treated as day or night. As such, when it comes to biblical questions such as the sanctity of Shabbos, we must err on the side of caution. So we begin Shabbos before sunset commences and we do not end Shabbos until the sun has completely set, which is commonly defined by the emergence of three “medium-sized” stars. In addition, there is a requirement of Tosefes Shabbos (adding on to Shabbos), whereby we extend the length of Shabbos to demonstrate our love for it. The custom in most communities is to add a minimum of 18 minutes onto Shabbos, such that candle lighting is usually marked at 18 minutes prior to sunset. So the length of Shabbos tends to be around 25 hours, instead of 24 hours. Locations that are closer to the equator tend to have a slightly shorter Shabbos, since the sun sets more quickly in those communities. In some communities, such as Jerusalem, the prevalent custom is to light candles at least 40 minutes prior to sunset, so Shabbos is even longer. It is also recommended to add onto Shabbos at the end. Unfortunately, as with many of the gifts from G-d (and from others), sometimes we don’t fully appreciate the gift of Shabbos. This could lead to a situation where someone could observe the letter of the law on Shabbos, but not the spirit of Shabbos. For example, they may light candles exactly 18 minutes prior to sunset (or maybe even 1 minute prior) and end Shabbos exactly at nightfall, rushing back to their smartphones, computer screens and their virtual world. But Shabbos provides us with a different type of virtual world – a world which we sometimes neglect, partly facilitated by our technological wonders. It is a world that not only provides us...
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Posted on Jun 7, 2015 |
Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Daniel City: Toronto Profession: Technical Writer / Mathematician Full Question: “I am still at a loss to understand why homosexuality is the one thing many Jews focus on to the exclusion of all else. There are 612 other mitzvoth in the Torah, yet no effort is made to bemoan their breaking. Why this fixation on homosexuality? I truly don’t care what two consenting adults (of either gender) do in the privacy of their home. If one is really worried about the long-term survival of our (Jewish) ‘species’, one should focus on why so many Jews marry out of the faith. This will surely make our ‘species’ extinct way sooner than homosexuality. Why Homosexuality is such a sin that it was deemed to be an extreme act that was punishable by death?” Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: I would like to start out with a few clarifications regarding the premise of your question: Judaism does not focus on homosexuality to the exclusion of all else. On the contrary, Pirkei Avos (Ethics of our Fathers) teaches us that we are not allowed to think that one Mitzvah is more important than another. Rather, as you pointed out, there are 613 Mitzvos (commandments). Our goal is to strive to keep all of them. In the event that someone is not yet ready to observe them all, keeping 612 is better than 611 and keeping 50 is better than keeping 5. While you may not care what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes, G-d does care. Most of Jewish law relates to private personal choices, including legislation about how we talk, eat, get dressed, go to sleep, and much more. In many respects, how we behave privately is a greater indication of our faith on G-d, since He is the only one who can see what happens behind closed doors. Intermarriage is definitely a major challenge facing the Jewish people. To this end, the Jewish community invests significant resources to combat intermarriage and assimilation, including hundreds of organizations, thousands of free trips to Israel and major campaigns on college campuses and in Jewish communities throughout the world. In contrast, it does not appear that any of the major Jewish organizations have launched major campaigns to fight homosexuality. You are correct that the Torah does include homosexual acts in the list of offenses that can incur the death penalty. The Torah actually applies the death penalty to a wide range of crimes, including (only partial list): Murder Adultery (along with many other sexual prohibitions) Idolatry Blasphemy False Prophecy Witchcraft Desecrating Shabbos (the Sabbath) in public Striking or cursing at one’s parent For an explanation about the Torah approach to the death penalty, see my article on The Death Penalty. All of the above notwithstanding, you are correct that the Torah does prohibit...
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Posted on May 17, 2015 |
Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Isaac City: New York Age: Teenager School: Chaim Berlin Full Question: “Isaiah Berlin – a philosopher – said that the greatest danger to the world is when people impose their beliefs on others. ISIS is a perfect example of this as they kill many people because they believe that that’s what Allah wants. So, my question is, what about Milchemes Amalek? Wasn’t that genocide? The Jews attempted to do it (in thew days of Shaul) because the Torah says so. But isn’t that imposing beliefs on others? What’s the difference between that and what ISIS is doing??” Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. As Jews, we are among a minority of religions who do not proselytize or impose our religion on others. At the same time, we believe that our understanding of truth is correct just as other people from other religions believe that they are right (See my article on the Chosen Nation). But even though we believe that we are right, and by extension, that others are wrong, we do not impose our beliefs on others, unless their beliefs put us or others in danger. If they say that I, my country, or anyone different from them does not have a right to exist, we are going to object (Just as I’m sure Amelek would object to our approach to them). But ISIS goes way beyond that. Their belief that they are morally justified when they torture, rape and brutalize those who oppose them, is not a belief that is based on clear scriptures. On the contrary, the majority of Muslims believe that ISIS has hijacked their religion and is merely justifying, rationalizing and masking their quest for power in religion. But as you have pointed out, the Torah (Bible) is quite clear that there is an obligation to wipe out the nation of Amalek (although certainly not to torture, rape or brutalize anyone – ever!). The next question is why would G-d put a commandment to kill others in the Torah? It seems so inconsistent with most of the laws of the Torah, including the laws that prohibit murder, theft, hatred, gossip and the many laws that command love of others, tolerance, kindness and the like. According to Jewish law, we are even required to be sensitive to the suffering of animals! So how could it be that this same benevolent G-d, who treats all people as His children, and expects us to nurture each other and the world He gave us, would actually require us to kill someone??? The truth is, most people agree that there are times when killing is allowed, or even required, but they just disagree on where to draw the line. For example, if someone is coming to kill others (referred to as a “Rodef”), and the only...
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Posted on Apr 23, 2015 |
Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Zachariah City: Annapolis, MD Age: 27 School: Public school Full Question: “I have a fully Jewish mother but a Christian father. I do know that Judaism is passed on maternal lines, and I was raised Jewish, but being the product of a mixed marriage, does that make me any less Jewish? Going to synagogue, when I say my last name, I often get the impression ‘something isn’t right.’ Yet, if my father was Jewish, and my mother was Christian, I wouldn’t be Jewish but would have a Jewish last name, and my Jewish identity would be seemingly less questionable. What are your thoughts?” Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: As you correctly pointed out, one’s Judaism is defined exclusively by the mother (or through a proper conversion). Perhaps one of the reasons is a recognition of the greater impact that the mother typically has on the home. An amazing study was done by a major magazine asking people to consider who, among all candidates, from presidents to dictators to doctors to business leaders, had the greatest impact on their life? Remarkably, most people replied that “the single person who had the greatest impact on my life was my mother.” But regardless of the reasons that G-d established it this way, it is clear that you are just a much a Jew as someone who is born to two Jewish parents. And if your mother was not Jewish, even if your father was and you had a Jewish last name, you would not be Jewish. It is also important to note that, who you really are, and what you amount to, is really in your hands. Ultimately, our greatness is not measured by our lineage and not by the skills and talents that G-d has given us. Rather, G-d is looking to see what we do with those gifts and what we make of...
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