Translation Into Life

When Abraham comes to the Land of the Philistines, he feels he must protect himself from the lawless and immoral inhabitants, taking several unusual measures in order to help insure his safety, including claiming that Sarah was his sister, so that he would not be murdered in order to steal his wife. When asked why he did this, he provides several explanations, including that he had arranged with Sarah at the beginning of his wanderings, to support his claim in this regard. "When G-d made me wander from my Father's house..." The traditional Aramaic translation of the Torah, written by Onkelos, a Roman nobleman who had given up everything in order to convert to Judaism, reads "When the Nations strayed after the works of their own hands (idols), G-d brought me to His fear..." The great eleventh century commentator, Rashi, writes "Onkelos translated the way he translated", but proceeds to explain the verse in a more literal way. This is generally understood to mean that he didn't think that Onkelos' translation was giving the actual, simple meaning. However, there is another understanding here that is mentioned in our literature. "Onkelos translated the way he translated" means that Onkelos had translated theory into action. "When nations strayed after the works of their own hands..." was the story of HIS nation, his family, indeed, himself at a younger age. But "G-d brought me to His fear..." is expressing his thankfulness. Now, although he had given up fame and fortune, family and friends, he was grateful that he had come to know the one true G-d.
Yes, we are meant to live according to the Torah. But we each must know how to translate it into our lives, within the guidelines of G-d's commandments. We each have a story, and that story must be itself a commentary on the Torah. We each must "translate it the way we translate it".

The Burgher and Us

In Rabbi Nachman's story, the Burgher and the Pauper (one of my favorites!), we learn of a rich businessman, known as a burgher, who lives upstairs from a pauper.  The pauper is poor in spirit as well as in money, but has a very kind, generous wife. The wife is one day kidnapped by a general, and is under great pressure to submit to his desires. The burgher, recklessly, goes to the general's palace, bursts in, and rescues the pauper's wife. Both had been childless, but now are rewarded with a son for the burgher, and an incredibly beautiful daughter for the pauper. She is so beautiful, talented and kind, that nobles want to make matches with her. Since it would not be fitting for them to marry the daughter of a pauper, they use their connections to raise his station, until he becomes emperor of the world! But his wife, now the Empress, had promised the daughter's hand in marriage to the son of the burgher! The Emperor will not hear of it, and begins to persecute both the burgher and his son. It's a very long story, but the son of the burgher is saved from death by the efforts of the Empress, and winds up on a desert island. The beautiful princess, urged on by the Empress, refuses to marry anyone but the now lost son of the burgher. After many trials and tribulations, and much anger and frustration on the part of the young man, the princess (disguised as a man), and the Emperor (now deposed) wind up on the same island. Eventually, all are reconciled. The Emperor is forgiven,. and the couple marry, ruling the world together.
This story is understood as relating to the Mashiach (Messiah), and the role of Jews and non-Jews in this drama. The word "burgher" in Yiddish has a double meaning. It means "business man", but it also m,ans "Mountains". Abraham is described as "going up into the mountain" to pray and offer sacrifice. The Talmud refers to Abraham as "the Mountain". When Lot is rescued from Sodom, he is told to flee into the mountain. The rabbis interpret this to mean "in the merit of Abraham" who is called "Mountain". Through Lot's incestual relations with his daughters, the nations of Ammon and Moab are born, two of the worst enemies of the Children of Israel. What?!?! Abraham's merit was used for this?!?! But wait. From Moab comes Ruth, the ancestress of King David, and of the future Mashiach!
The story of the Burgher and the Pauper is about the interrelationship of Jews and Gentiles. The Pauper is mean and cruel, symbolizing the unspeakable horrors of millenia of persecution. But his wife is kind and good. There are, in every nation, in every culture, great and noble traits. These are destined to unite with Jewish culture, bringing about a new renaissance of mankind. But the Messianic promise can only be fulfilled when there is reconciliation; a recognition on the part of the Nations of the unique mission of Israel, and on the part of the Jews, to welcome those aspects of world culture, those sparks of good that are in all nations and people, and to welcome them into G-d's covenant.
There is a verse in Psalms "I found David My servant..." The rabbis ask "where did He find him? In Sodom". The "sparks" are lying, as yet , concealed, waiting to be elevated and brought back to the Source of all.

Covenant-Contract

Abraham was commanded by G-d to circumcise himself, his sons, and all males in his household. He is told that it will be "a sign between Me and your seed". This is called in the Torah a "Brit", a covenant, a sign between Abraham's house and G-d of a very special relationship. It is the visible sign that a special contract of a unique relationship exists between Abraham's house, and the Eternal.
According to rabbinic tradition, Abraham, being a prophet, knew and observed all the commandments of G-d before they were revealed. This raises the question of why wasn't he ALREADY circumcised before he received a command from G-d to do so? The answer usually given is "Gadol hametzuveh..." greater is the merit of one who has been commanded to do something, thus fulfilling G-d's Will, than one who does the same act as a private devotion. Most of the mitzvot (commandments) were given to Moses centuries later. Abraham perceived them by prophecy, and did them. But he knew that this precious commandment of circumcision-Brit, was destined to be given to him by G-d himself, therefore he waited.
Once, I attended a Brit ceremony, afterwards I got on a bus in order to go to work. A neighbor who had also attended the Brit, a good pious Jew, but not a scholar, asked me if I knew the reason why Abraham had not circumcised himself earlier. I gave the above explanation. He said "I never heard that. But here's another explanation.A Brit is a covenant; a contract. There is no such thing as a one sided contract!" The words hit me like a ton of bricks. Of course! That was it! A contract must be two sided! The covenant expressed through circumcision means not only that I have chosen G-d, but that G-d has chosen me! That I love G-d is wonderful, but how much more wonderful that He loves me back! Since hearing this explanation, some twenty five years ago,  I have repeated it to many people.All who heard it were deeply moved.
There was recently in the news an item about a woman (in England) who married...herself. She even kissed her image in a mirror at the end of the "wedding" ceremony. Most people who saw this item saw it not as romantic, but bizarre.Weddings are about the celebration of two people who love each other, thereby finding happiness and fulfillment. A one-sided wedding is a joke. Similarly, when coming to Torah, we must be aware that we are entering a very special relationship with G-d. When we do a mitzvah, we are essentially expressing our love and commitment to G-d. But the even more important realization is that through the mitzvah, G-d is expressing his covenant-his love and commitment, to us.

Reclaiming Nobility

A King had an only son. One day, the son went mad. He thought he was a turkey! He stripped naked, and sat under the table, picking at scraps of bread. The greatest physicians were summoned, but to no avail. Finally, a sage appeared, and told the King that he could heal his son. The sage stripped naked, and sat under the table as well. The prince said: "Who are you?" The sage said "Who are YOU?" "I'm a turkey!" said the prince. "I'm also a turkey!" The prince was delighted to have a companion. Soon, the sage motioned to have clothing brought to them. "Clothing?!?! Why clothing?!?! We're turkeys!" cried the prince. "And if we wear pants and a shirt, will we no longer be turkeys?" reasoned the sage. The prince was convinced, and they both got dressed. Then the sage motioned that they be brought real food. "Food?! We're turkeys! We eat scraps!". "Will we cease being turkeys if we eat human food? argued the sage. Little by little, the sage brought the prince back to being a prince.
It has been pointed out that this story is very similar to Kafka's "Metamorphosis" in which a prince awakes one morning to discover he has been turned into a cockroach. Both stories deal with what is ugly in the human condition. But there is a huge difference. In Kafka's story, the prince IS the cockroach, and must learn to function as a prince despite this. In Rabbi Nachman's story, the prince is really a prince, who has DELUDED himself into thinking he is a turkey. The essential NOBLE nature of a man is the reality, That which is ugly and lowly is an error of great proportion. The sage (Tzaddik) must teach the man how to reclaim his nobility. We are noble. May each of us discover this reality within, and arise from under the table!

Conversion to Judaism Part 4

Conversion to Judaism has been for many centuries a forbidden topic. In many countries, conversion was actually against the law, and the convert plus the rabbis who converted him were subject to the death penalty. This was true in Eastern Europe into the beginning of the 20th century. Many books written in Czarist Russia, whenever the word "convert' was used, would include a disclaimer that this existed only in ancient times. Therefore, discussion of this topic could not be public, as this would often mean death.
Among the rabbis of the Middle Ages who did discuss the issue, we find two basic approaches One approach was that the Torah is for the People of Israel. The occasional non-Jew who wishes to join us is welcome, but the people of the world, as a whole, would, at best, live in peace with their Jewish neighbors; not join them. The other view is that Judaism was meant to be a Universal religion. In the future all men and women will worship G-d in purity. But does this mean they will literally become Jews, or something in between?
RAMBAM seems to indicate that all will join in the faith, but not necessarily in the peoplehood of Israel. In the laws of Torah study, in discussing the traditional exhortation to not teach Torah to the nations (this was often met with opposition and violence),RAMBAM  says that this applies to pagans and those who do not recognize the truth of the Scriptures. For those who do, it is meritorious to teach them, so they may see what Scripture is REALLY saying, and be brought to the Truth. In his description of the Messianic era, he writes that Christianity and Islam were used by G-d as tools to bring the knowledge of the G-d of Israel and His Word "to distant lands and islands" where Jews never went, so that when the world is filled with the knowledge of G-d, all can then come to the true faith. Nevertheless, he doesn't insist on conversion, but acceptance of G-d and his Torah. Israel will always have a special place, as the "Kingdom of Priests".
A similar idea is to be found in the writings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. (1772-1810). He sees the primary task of the Tzaddikim (righteous, saintly people) as elevating the "fallen sparks" and returning them to G-d. He points out that this is hinted in the name Moshe (Moses). In Hebrew, every letter has a numeric equivalent. This is one method of Torah interpretation, and is called Gematria. The Gematria of the word "shmad" (apostasy/destruction) is 344. The Gematria of "ratzon" (good will Divine favor) is 346. The Gematria of Moshe is 345, right between the two. Moshe, and all righteous people, must be constantly involved in raising up the fallen and bringing them to G-d. This includes the fallen of Israel, who have become distanced from G-d, as well as the fallen sparks among the Nations. Rabbi Nachman stresses that we must be active in making Gerim. However, there are two kinds of Gerim. Gerim B'fo'al; actual converts who will become fully Jewish, and Gerim B'ko'ach; potential converts who will accept the seven Noahide laws, and "come close to the faith of Israel". He envisions a time when all Mankind will call upon the name of G-d. The three groups, baalei teshuvah (penitent Jews), actual converts, and those who "come close" all have a huge share in the final redemption, and G-d's plan for the world. He calls this process "the repair of the flaws in the altar". He stresses, however, that Jews, as well as those who become Jews, will have a far greater perception of G-d and Torah than can now be imagined. Those who "come close" will perceive G-d as Israel does now.
The Rabbi of Lubavitch, Rabbi Menachem M. Shneerson urged Jews who come into contact with non-Jews to speak with them about the Noachide laws, thus bringing all "close".
There were, and are, many who are uncomfortable about this, feeling that Torah is for Israel, the rest of mankind will become Noachides OF THEIR OWN ACCORD, and we should not be proselytizing in any way.
 It is vital to understand, however, that different views exist on this topic in the Torah community.
It must be understood as well that Jews who are not (yet) connected to Torah generally have an "ethnic" rather than a religious sense of identity, and have difficulty understanding how one could join an ethnicity.
An ancient pagan Queen (Helena of Adiabene) and her son, Monbaz, converted to Judaism in the early first century. Monbaz said "My fathers amassed treasure here below, I have amassed treasure above".
May we merit to add to these treasures!

Conversion to Judaism Part 3

Attitudes towards converts and conversion vary widely. In the Torah, we are told to "love the Ger", not to oppress him "for you know the soul of the Ger, for you were Gerim (resident aliens) in Egypt". Several Gerim have prominent places in Scripture, most notably Jethro, the father in law of Moses, and Ruth, the ancestress of David, and hence, of the future Mashiach. Many Talmudic sages were either converts, or the children of converts (Rabbi Akiva, Shemaya and Avtalyon who were the teachers of Hillel, Rabbi Meir and many more. We read in the Talmud that the High Priest was once walking through the streets of Jerusalem, followed by a crowd of people. Shmaya and Avtalyon were walking on the other side of the street, and the people left to follow them. The High Priest (who was a Roman appointee) said "Will you abandon the seed of Aaron to follow concverts?" The people replied "better converts who walk in the ways of Aaron than his seed who do not". The Zohar states that when Jethro, who had been a pagan Priest, declared "Now I know that there is none like G-d" the glory of G-d was elevated through the Universe as never before. We know from Roman and Greek sources that the Jews actively missionized among the pagans. We also know that in about 135 BCE, there was a massive forced conversion of the Idumeans (South East of Judea). It is unlikely that the sages of the Sanhedrin approved of either of these actions. The attitude of the early sages seems to have been quite pro-conversion, as we can see from several stories about Hillel's dealings with converts. Later, when persecution of Jews became more prevalent in the Empire, and especially when Rome became Christian, converts were often looked at with skepticism, if they would be able to hold up under persecution, torture and death. Many did hold up, but there was, nevertheless, a fear. In later generations, many communities developed a strong sense of "yichus" (family pedigree) and converts were looked at askance. This was not true everywhere, however. RAMBAM foresaw a world where Judaism would be embraced by all. It was difficult, however, for communities in the throws of massive persecution to picture their tormentors as their future brothers and sisters.
Today, there are some rabbis who are very pro-convert (including yours truly) and many who are wary. Those of us who live in the west, live in open societies.One can be a Christian this week, a Jew next week, and a Buddhist the following week. Experience has shown that often converts lose interest in a few years. On the other hand, converts are often the best, devout, loyal Jews.Should the doors be closed before the sincere because of the insincere? The saying "we must not lock the door before converts" is used often in the Talmud.
Another problem is that many who come to convert actually are members of other religions and cults who merely want to join Jewish society in order to proselytize. There have been MANY cases of this. Another phenomenon is people who are excited about Judaism, but come with the attitude "You are not doing it right! I've found a website that shows the REAL Judaism, and I will open your eyes!" The Jewish community needs to be careful, but, at the same time, not to push away those who are genuinely sincere. This is the reason that many communities, under the guidance of the greatest rabbis, have made standards for conversion much stricter in recent years. If I were converting, what would I do? I would do everything possible to show both determination and sincerity. I would invite the Beit Din to investigate my motives freely. I would study about Torah True Judaism beforehand, as best I could, to make sure my views really were in sync with those of the Torah community, and not contain, even unwittingly, any heretical ideas. I would realize that something so vital is a privilege that must be worked for.
In my next  installment, I will deal with the theological implications of conversion.

Conversion to Judaism Part 2

Earlier I discussed the meaning of the Biblical term "Ger" and its implications. So, how does one become a "Ger Tzedek", a full fledged convert, who is part and parcel of the Jewish People? From the Written Torah, we only find circumcision. (Although in the Book of Ruth, we find a process of dissuading a potential convert, and a formal acceptance of Peoplehood and Religion; Your people will be my people, your G-d, my G-d). The Oral Torah presents several stages. Although there are several views in the Talmud as to which parts are absolutely necessary, the final conclusion is as follows:
1. The conversion candidate appears before a Beit Din (court) of three adult, male, observant Jews; preferably rabbis. They ask the prospective convert if he realizes that we are a persecuted nation, and he will be subject to the same persecution. If he says "I know, and I wish I were worthy to share in their suffering" he is accepted immediately.
2. He is told of some of the obligations of a Jew which he is not now responsible for, but will be should he become a Jew. He is reminded of certain basic Jewish beliefs. Shabbat observance and dietary (kosher) laws are given as examples.
3. He is informed of other laws, some easy, and some difficult. According to RAMBAM, we don't press too much, lest he be sincere but nevertheless be dissuaded. Others opine that we do try to dissuade, to make certain he is sincere.This latter view is nowhere to be found in the major codes.
4. The candidate then makes a declaration before the court that he accepts upon himself all the obligations of a Jew.
5. If male, he is then circumcised. If he has previously been circumcised, a drop of blood is drawn (the blood of the Covenant).
6. Male or female, the convert then immerses, either in a special pool called a "mikveh", or in a natural body of water. While in the water, before immersion, he is again reminded of some of the practices he will be required to observe, and once again accepts them.
7. The court proclaims "You are our brother (or sister)" and a Hebrew name is bestowed at that time.
Theoretically, this could all be done in about half an hour. Practically, the convert is first trained in Hebrew, practice of Jewish law, concepts of Judaism, and is made to feel comfortable in a synagogue and in the Jewish community. This usually takes about a year or two.
Once done, the person's Jewishness is indelible.
Although any three adult, male, observant Jews could perform the requirements, normally a recognized Beit Din is, for practical reasons, required, to assure that they are familiar with the rituals, and that there will be no fraud. (There have been, sadly, unscrupulous individuals performing conversions for large sums of money, or other unsavory actions. There are even some "rabbis" who will do a "conversion" by mail!).
There are views in the Talmud that circumcision alone or immersion alone, is sufficient. Up until about 1980, most Orthodox rabbis accepted ex post facto, any conversion that included immersion. Because of political/communal considerations, few accept that today. More on that in a future essay.
In my next installment, I will go into attitudes in the Jewish community towards converts and conversion.