Jewish Folklore 7

The eighteenth century saw a massive questioning of the issue of daily Birkat Kohanim. On the one hand, no one really remembered why not saying it had started. (We have access to documents that were not generally available at that time.) On the other hand, it is a Biblical command, which had been all but uprooted. Mix in with this, the issue of the Ashkenazic concept of the supremacy of minhag, and we wind up with extremely mixed emotions. Elijah of Vilna 

was convinced that it had all been a great mistake. He decided to reintroduce the blessing, at least on Shabbat. The first Shabbat it was done a major fire broke out in Vilna. The following Shabbat, the same thing happened. He took this as a sign from Heaven that this was wrong, and ceased his efforts in this direction. (Elijah of Vilna was far more receptive than most to correcting mistaken customs. In a letter he wrote, he explained that one of his primary reasons for wanting to emigrate to the Holy Land, was "to be rid of Polish customs"). A younger contemporary, Rabbi Shneur Zaman of Liadi, (the first Rebbe of Chabad), questioned the custom in his Shulchan Aruch HaRav, concluding with an enthusiastic "Yeyasher Koach (good for you!) to the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael, who bless daily". Chabad tradition maintains that there were three things that he wished to institute, but felt that he did not have sufficient authority. One of these was Birkat Kohanim every day. (The other two were the recitation of the Song of Songs before Shabbat, and the observance of the second day of Yom Tov even in Eretz Yisrael). The Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael was almost completely Sepharadic until the late eighteenth century. There was a large Ashkenazi "aliyah" at that time, consisting of both Hasidim and their opponents, the "mitnagdim". Many Sepharadic customs were accepted by both groups as "Minhag Eretz Yisrael". Among these, was Birkat Kohanim, either daily, or at least on Shabbat. To this day, Ashkenazim in E.Y. bless daily in most parts of the country, but only on Shabbat in the Northern part of the country. There are, however, exceptions. Chabad, for example, only bless on Shabbat everywhere in E.Y. Considering Rabbi Shneur Zalman's enthusiasm for this mitzvah, I find this rather ironic. An interesting proposition was suggested by Rabbi Shlomo Chaim of Koidanov (1797–1862), founder of one of the three Hasidic groups that existed in Lithuania. His proposal was as follows: When there is a service that would be appropriate for Birkat Kohanim, but for whatever reason it is not being said, the prayer leader recites a paragraph "Our G-d and G-d of our ancestors, bless us with the threefold blessing written in Your Torah, recited by Aaron and his sons, as it is said 'May the L-rd bless you and keep you...' (the text of the Birkat Kohanim is recited) The Rabbi of Koidanov suggested that the prayer leader always be a Kohen for the morning prayers, and should intend to be actually blessing the people. So as not to openly violate custom, rather than lifting his hands in the usual manner of Birkat Kohanim, he should show his enthusiasm by lifting them as though in supplication, thereby fulfilling the Biblical command, but not violating the custom in an obvious fashion. We see here the clash of folklore cum custom, conflicting with not only halachah, but with an actual Torah command. This is one of the reasons for which I became Sepharadic, and have never looked back. In my next post, I will get back to scientific and medical folklore, and how it is dealt with.

Jewish Folklore 6

One of the most tragic periods in Jewish History was the era of the Crusades (1095-1291). Populations were smaller then, but proportionately, it was the equivalent of the Holocaust, with fully one-third of world Jewry wiped out. A "slight" difference was that the Holocaust lasted twelve years, while the Crusades lasted almost two centuries. The end of this period saw some countries (like England) completely Judenrein through murder. while others had impoverished, decimated communities, many of which chose to emigrate eastward into Poland and other Slavic countries for refuge. The Crusaders, on their way to "free" the Holy Land from the Muslims, decided to vent their insane rage on the "enemies of Christ" in their own countries, and all the countries through which they passed. Now largely forgotten, the Crusades left an indelible mark on Jewish feelings of insecurity, and became the basis for many customs and traditions, whose true origins have mostly been forgotten. Since armies in those days usually fought in the Spring and Summer, thus avoiding harsh weather, numerous days of mourning were instituted locally in memory of great massacres. As time went by, the Spring tragedies became connected with the Talmudic report of the death of Rabbi Akiva's students during the Omer period, although a thousand years had since passed with no mourning period enacted. The Summer massacres became connected with the mournful period of the days preceding Tish'ah B'Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple. To be sure, the Talmud lists requirements for that season, but at this time they were magnified exponentially, in both length and depth of mourning. To this day, the German Jewish "Kinot" (dirges for Tish'ah B'av) contain sections entitled "the destruction of Mainz", "the destruction of Worms", etc. The Jews of the affected communities struggled between maintaining faith and hope, while keeping the memory of the martyrs alive. A prayer in their memory is still recited in Ashkenazi synagogues, either at special anniversaries, or every Shabbat (Av Harachamim). These additions are completely understandable in human terms. More problematic is the virtual abolishing of a Biblical precept in this context. The Torah commands that the Sons of Aaron bless the people. This was done at least daily in the Temple, at a particular point in the Sacrificial service. After the destruction, the Sanhedrin, which had been set up in Yavneh, ruled that this would now be done in every synagogue at the morning service, as well at Musaf services  (Shabbat, Rosh Hodesh, and Holidays), and at Minchah on fast days. This was not merely in memory of the Temple, but is the fulfillment of one of the 613 commandments. The blessing was henceforth performed in all Jewish communities...until the Crusades. The Talmud stipulates that the Kohanim who are blessing the people must do so out of love, and in a joyous mood. If a Kohen dislikes someone in the congregation, he is forbidden to bless. If he is in mourning, he doesn't bless. In a few communities, a Kohen whose wife is menstruating doesn't bless, as he lacks joy at that time.In order to "escape" the obligation to bless, he will walk out of the synagogue when the Kohanim are called. The Ashkenazi communities instituted that there would be no calling to the Kohanim to bless, thereby eliminating the actual obligation. Through the hell of the persecutions of the Crusades, when everyone knew that he, his wife and children, and all his friends had a 30% chance of being murdered any time, usually being burnt alive, many felt that a feeling of joy was no longer possible. To stop the blessing completely, seemed unthinkable. It was decided that it should only be recited on full holidays, when the eating, drinking and celebrating would allow at least some joy. Even Shabbat seemed too short to really forget the world they were living in. Although many Sepharadic communities were terribly affected as well, Sepharadim, more bound to sources than custom, saw the cessation of the blessing as unthinkable. Eventually, the origin of not reciting the blessing was largely forgotten. but was still observed based on the Ashkenazi concept of "a minhag trumps a law". A further blow came four hundred years later. The false Messiah, Shabbaetai Tzvi, was, as we have seen, Manic Depressive. When he was in his manic phase, he would deliberately sin. When he was in his depressive phase, he became a completely pious Jew, with great feelings of remorse. He would, at those times, try also to correct the sins of others. He wrote letters to communities that were lax in any commandment to change their ways. Primary among these were communities that were not careful about drinking non-Jewish wine, not leaving the "pe'ot" (sidelocks), and ...not reciting the blessing of the Kohanim daily. Shabbateans in Ashkenazi countries reintroduced the blessing in their synagogues. Henceforth, the recitation, and the fulfillment of this Biblical command became associated with heresy! I have even seen a book that alleged that NOBODY said the blessing daily anymore until some communities were seduced by the Shabbateans to say it! This is perhaps one of the greatest ironies in Jewish history. Once the Crusades became a distant memory, and even Shabbetai Tzvi no longer seemed relevant, there were attempts to reintroduce the blessing. More on that next time.

Jewish Folklore 5

An area that has been controversial for over a thousand years is the medical and scientific information in the Talmud. As I have pointed out in previous posts, there are some who regard the Talmud as a revealed work in its entirety, dictated to Moses on Sinai. They will go to great lengths to try to give an unscientific statement some "logical" reasoning. Moreover, they are sure that this view is THE view of Judaism, and those who hold different views are heterodoxic. Shmuel HaNagid (eleventh century), a leader of Spanish Jewry who wrote a commentary to the Talmud, still printed in scholarly editions, divides the Talmud into three parts. The first is the oral details of the Biblical laws. This is as authoritative as the Torah itself, as it records the information given at Sinai that is necessary for the fulfillment of the Mitzvot. The second is interpretation of verses beyond their literal meaning. He says that these are the rabbis' own understandings, which should be studied, as the rabbis were far greater than we in these matters; but these interpretations are by no means authoritative. The third division is statements on science and medicine, which simply reflect the knowledge of the time, and should be ignored. A century later, RAMBAM wrote of these areas, indeed, of the aggadic (non-halachic) areas of Talmud in general, that they should be understood as allegories. An example might be the assertion that the reason why women don't menstruate while pregnant is that the body transforms the blood into milk for the baby. This statement is widely used, especially in Hasidic literature, as a symbol of transformation of bad into good. Rabbi Nachman even saw the custom of eating dairy on Shavuot as symbolizing a repair of our character, and a repair of the Universe, through the counting of the Omer, leading from spiritual slavery to true freedom; blood to milk! When confronted with a statement that he believed to be less than factual, RAMBAM accepted later science over the Talmud. The Torah forbids a man with mutilated genitals from marrying. RAMBAM faithfully lists the types of injuries that, according to the Talmud, would render a man incapable of fathering a child. Then, he says that this is to be overridden by later medical advances, and we "accept the views of the great doctors".. MAHARAL, writing in the sixteenth century, simply calls the scientific statements in the Talmud "the best knowledge of the day". The fact is that in most yeshivot, these sections are skipped. But many have become matters of folklore. Some rabbis will say that these statements WERE valid, but "the human body has changed", and therefore they no longer apply. There is even a rumor that a ban of excommunication has been placed on those trying the remedies mentioned in Talmud, as they will no longer work, and this might cast aspersions on the Talmud in general. However, we search in vain for any such ban. Sometimes, on the other hand, a scientific statement in Talmud, which may have, at one time seemed ridiculous, has been proven to be accurate. For instance, the constellation Pleiades is called in the Tanach "kimah". Why, the Talmud asks, "kimah"? Because it has "about a hundred" (k'meah) constituent stars. This is very strange, as the unaided human eye can only perceive in this constellation seven, or at most eight, stars. With the invention of the telescope in about 1600, it was discovered that there actually were about a hundred stars in this constellation. That would be about a thousand years after the Talmud! Also, scientific and medical knowledge was sometimes better in Talmudic times than it was for the next thousand years. The Talmud discusses at length the matter of birth by Caesarian section and its halachic implications. RAMBAM, himself a physician in the twelfth century, dismisses this as folklore, as "it is totally impossible for a baby to survive such a procedure", and it is "highly unlikely for the mother to survive". Again, some would chalk this up to the "bodies changing". Others will grant that some things were known, forgotten, and then rediscovered. I will discuss some specific cases in my next post.

Jewish Folklore 4

Every year at Hannuka time, someone posts online "segulot" for Hannuka. A "segulah" (literally, a treasure) is an action that has a positive effect, with no rational reason behind it. There are many segulot listed in the Talmud, as well as later Jewish sources. My understanding of a segulah is that it is like a prayer said by actions rather than by words. I DO take segulot seriously. The eating of certain foods on Rosh HaShanah that hint at blessing and protection is already found in the Talmud. RAMBAM, however, rejects these practices as superstition, never mentioning them or giving them credence. The annually posted Hannukah list includes many things I have never heard of, or seen sources for. (Like making wishes over the Hannukah candles. Fortunately, it does not urge blowing them out so the wish will come true.) Among the others, is a list of meditations of RAMBAM to be held in mind while frying the jelly donuts. But RAMBAM never mentions jelly donuts, or even a custom of eating fried foods on Hannukah. His very consistent opposition to segulot makes the assertion that these ideas come from RAMBAM very suspicious, to say the least. (A friend said to me  on this topic: "How many times can a person roll over in his grave?") But people love "lucky secrets", and this post on Segulot of Hannukah has gone viral. Ascribing a popular practice to a great personage is one of the most difficult things to deal with. Is it real? Well, if Rabbi So and So said it, it must be!" But did Rabbi So and So really say it? In Israel, on the eve of the 1991 Gulf War, a rumor circulated that the Lubavitcher Rebbe had ordered every home to light three candles "for protection". Telephone squads called people to urge fulfilling this "order" as a segulah. Those who called me could give no explanation as to why this was put in place, therefore I ignored it. Soon afterward, the Chabad headquarters completely denied the rumor. The alleged connection to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, resulted in hundreds of thousands of people performing a meaningless act. This becomes all the more problematic when an enactment is ascribed to a great Rabbi, but we don't know if this is factual or merely connecting a custom to a name. One of the greatest personages in Jewish history is Rabbi Gershom ben Yehuda (c.960 - 1028). He is known to this day as the "Light of the Exile". Living one generation before RASHI, he is described by him as "the Rabbi of All Ashkenazi Jewry". Legend has it that in the year 1000, he convened a great synod, and made certain enactments on pain of excommunication, for several vital topics. He banned polygamy except in very rare cases. He enacted that a woman could not be divorced without her consent. He forbade reading other people's mail and required good treatment for Jews who had apostatized but now wished to return. These are known as "the bans of Rabbenu Gershom". However, there is no contemporary record of this synod having taken place, nor the bans being issued by the illustrious rabbi. One hundred and fifty years later, we find some references to the event and the bans, bemoaning that we have no written text, that would indicate the nature and scope of the bans. Other sources simply quote these practices as "the custom of Franco-German communities". There is a great deal of difference if something is a custom or an official ban. Besides the severity of the action, the question arises that if these were, in fact, bans, they would apply to all the descendants of Ashkenazi Jewry. If they were customs, they would have no halachic force outside France and Germany. (There is no truth in the commonly heard idea that the bans were "only" for a thousand years). But the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. We simply do not know. Recently, someone tried to convince me that the kitniyot "ban", stems from Rabbenu Gershom as well, despite its not being mentioned for another two hundred years. Folklore and halachah can get very intertwined. We must be careful when new things arise, checking our information about origins and attributions. . Sometimes, the information is already hidden by the mists of time.