Shabbat part 7

We left off last time with the fact that, if you are using the right prayer book, the Friday night Kiddush has exactly 70 words. This is reflective of a fundamental concept in Kabbalah; the mystery of Nogah. According to the Kabbalah, there exists a struggle in the world between Good and Evil. There is an interface between the two called Nogah (Brightness). Forbidden actions are tied into Evil. Holy actions are tied into Good. But most of our activities are neutral; their spiritual value, positive or negative, depends on HOW we act, and what is our intent. For example, Kosher food is unchained; it rises or falls with our eating. If we eat with the intent of using that energy to do good and holy deeds, the energy of the food is uplifted. If, on the other hand, we eat with gluttony, or we use the energy to hurt others or otherwise commit acts against G-d, the energy is lowered. In fact, the word "permitted" (Mutar) actually means "untied". The word "forbidden" (Asur) actually means "tied". The non Kosher food is "tied" into Evil. The struggle of a Jew is in part dealing with what is permitted by the Torah, and transforming the act from a permissible one to a holy one. Friday afternoon, a holy fire descends on Nogah, "burning away" any hold Evil has on it. The "permissible" becomes the Sacred. I mentioned this idea in speaking of the obligation to wash in hot water before Shabbat. Eating, drinking, marital relations become sacred, without our struggle to keep them holy. Now, they ARE holy. The same is true of reading on Friday the Torah portion of the week twice in Hebrew, and once in Aramaic. The simple reason was to know the portion, and, when Jews spoke Aramaic, to help them understand what they were reading. The Hebrew tongue is intrinsically holy. But any language can be sanctified if used for Torah and prayer. The Talmud tells us that the angels detest Aramaic above all languages; so close to Hebrew, but yet so far. Kabbalah teaches that it represents Nogah. It is a dangerous twilight, that when used with Torah, becomes Light. Beyond that, the Evil inherent in the languages of the Nations ("Lashon" means tongue, language, and culture) is attacked and subdued through Aramaic, until they, too, become holy. The Targum (Aramaic translation of the Torah) is essentially a battle line between cultures; the Holy and the Unholy. The Jew stands ready to receive the Supreme Sanctity of Shabbat. Sadly, the rest of Mankind stands ready to party, to get high, or to get drunk. Most likely, all of the above. We have begun the battle with our shower and our reading the portion of the week. Now, the sun has set. Mankind is far from Holiness; very far. We recite the seventy words of the Kiddush, which represent the Biblical seventy nations. We subdue the Evil Leshonot (In this context, "cultures") and begin to elevate them into holiness. This is similar to the bulls sacrificed on Sukkot. All in all, seventy bulls are sacrificed in the course of the holiday. One view in the Talmud is that the purpose of these seventy bulls is to defeat the Gentile cultures. Another view is that they were offered in order to "lift up" all the Nations. Kabbalah explains that it is both. We wish to defeat the evil in these cultures, thereby lifting them up to become vehicles for holiness. To use Lincoln's words, at Kiddush "we are met on a great battlefield of that war". In the midst of millennia of persecution and hate, the Jew sought not to destroy, but to transform. Nogah is meant to shine brightly! Now, dinner is served.

Shabbat part 6

The men walk home from synagogue, but they are not alone. According to Talmudic tradition, two angels follow a man home on Friday night; a good angel and a bad angel. When he gets home, if the house is ready for Shabbat; the candles lit, the table ready, the good angel says "May it be this way next week as well!", and the bad angel is forced to answer "Amen".But if there is no Shabbat in the home, the bad angel says with a smirk "May it be this way next week as well!", with the good angel, tears in his eyes, forced to respond "Amen". In nearly all communities, the man of the house recites (or sings) "Shalom Aleichem Malachei HaShareit" (Peace upon you, ministering angels). I say "nearly all", in that some rabbis consider some or all of the song to constitute angel worship, which is a form of idolatry. Others (including yours truly), consider that objection to be the result of an overactive imagination. In Kabbalistic circles, the man now takes in his hand the bundles of myrtles, or other sweet-smelling spices, announcing "this is the meal of the Field of Consecrated Apples" (Paradise, Malchut, Shechinah, the Divine Feminine) recites the appropriate blessing on the fragrance, and says "Observe and Remember were said in one utterance; a sweet savor, a burnt offering for Hashem". This is a reference to the fact that the commandment of keeping Shabbat in Exodus says "Remember", while in Deuteronomy it says "Observe". The rabbis say "Remember and Observe were said in one utterance" This, together with the double portion of Manna that fell on Fridays, is the prototype of many aspects of Shabbat being set around twos, as we shall see. Sadly, most Jews are unaware of this fragrance ceremony. Among Hasidim, it is usually performed by Rebbes only. We are now ready for Kiddush; the sanctification over wine. Kiddush, sanctifying the Shabbat with words, is a Biblical mitzvah. It is debatable if the recitation over wine is Biblical, or rabbinical. If no wine is available, one may make kiddush over the bread itself. Most consider this as second best. But RAMBAM considers it equal to wine in every way. During prohibition in the U.S. (1920-1933), many took grape juice as a substitute for wine. This has become almost standard in many families but is halachically problematic. If one has an alcohol problem, however, one should definitely use grape juice. Before the Kiddush, one should kiss the hand of his Mother, if present. This is a further expression of recognizing woman as a manifestation of the Shechinah. The structure of Kiddush is three sections. We first testify to the Creation by G-d, and His resting on the seventh day. Then comes the blessing on wine. After that, we declare the Shabbat as sanctified. The head of the household then drinks most of the cup, dividing up the remainder among his family. In some families, a small cup of wine sits in front of each participant, which is drunk at the conclusion of the recitation of kiddush. In many families, especially Hasidim, each male family member makes his own kiddush. This is, to say the least, halachically problematic. (Please, it is meaningless to say "but so and so did that"). Most people stand for the Friday night Kiddush. Some sit. Some stand for the first part, but then sit. One can make arguments each way. In the Sepharadic (and some Hasidic) version of Kiddush, there are exactly thirty-five words in both the first and last paragraphs. This is based on a teaching of the ARI. Seventy words. Seventy Biblical nations. What's the connection? Next time

Shabbat part 5

With Kabbalat Shabbat completed, we are ready for the Evening prayer (Arvit, or Maariv). There is a long standing difference of opinion whether it is better to wait for the evening prayer until it is actually dark, or whether it is meant to be said TOWARDS evening. Many who ordinarily wait until dark nevertheless pray early on Shabbat eve, in order to add from the profane onto the holy. (I am an advocate of early Evening prayers, but do not wish to go off on that tangent now). The earliest time to begin the Evening Prayer is at "Plag Haminhah"; one and a quarter hours before Sundown, adjusted for the length of the day (longer in Summer, shorter in Winter). Those who consider it preferable to pray only after dark, will delay the beginning of Arvit by singing a slow melody, expressing longing for G-d, in very romantic terms (Yedid Nefesh). Others will go right into the actual prayer. The first part of the prayer is Shema and its blessings, virtually the same as on weekday evenings, except for the last blessing, which on weekdays asks for salvation from all oppression, and now asks for "a tabernacle of peace, to be spread over us, over all Israel, and over Jerusalem". In most communities, some verses are recited relating to Shabbat, while others consider this inappropriate to say between Shema and the Amidah. The Amidah begins with Praise, and ends with Thanks, the same as on weekdays. The middle section, however, is totally different. On weekdays, there are requests for all of our needs. On Shabbat, one is to consider all of his needs as already fulfilled. The middle section speaks of Shabbat; especially as it relates to G-d resting, and our rest. The middle section differs in theme and mood in each of the prayers. In the evening, the theme is creation and rest. In the morning, it is Torah and revelation. At the afternoon prayer, it is the basking in the love of G-d. All Friday night melodies are soft and ...feminine. The melodies of the morning are exuberant. The melodies of the afternoon are longing for something that is partially in our hands, partially still unattainable. An interesting point is the line asking for G-d's help in giving us rest on Shabbat. Grammatically, it should read "Veyanuhu bah" (Rest in Her, as "Shabbat" is a feminine noun). Those prayerbooks that insist on perfect grammar, have that reading at all Shabbat prayers. Sepharadic and Hasidic prayerbooks, however, say "Bah" (in her) in the evening, "Bo" (in him) in the morning, and at the afternoon prayer, some also have "Bo", while others have "Bam" (in them). We begin with the Bride (Shechinah), we then go to the Groom, (the "masculine" aspects of Divinity), and then proceed to the union of the two. That would be "Bam", while others say "Bo", in recognition of the Feminine being so wholly encompassed in the Masculine, that she too becomes, in a sense, part of His being. After the services (which in Orthodox synagogues are quite brief on Friday night), we go home. There, waiting, is the human representation of the Divine Feminine; the wife. Although she represents this at all times,  never so much as on Friday night. This finds expression in several different ways that I will discuss in my next post.

Shabbat part 4

Well before sundown, the men go to the synagogue. The afternoon service is recited, essentially identical to any weekday afternoon service (Minhah), except for the omission of the supplications for forgiveness of sin, recited in most communities on weekdays. Hasidim have the custom of reciting Psalm 107 before Minhah, as it speaks of people being spared of calamities, and giving thanks to G-d. Sadly, for most people, the weekdays are filled with calamities, but now is the time of rescue and thanksgiving. We have come to a safe harbor! We now come to Kabbalat Shabbat (the receiving of Shabbat). This is not an ancient ceremony, and, in most cases, it is a shadow of its early self. (Although several Talmudic rabbis are reported to have said "Come, let us greet the Bride" or "Come o Bride, come o Bride"). No special ceremony is prescribed in the Talmud, other than a verbal acceptance of Shabbat. In Medieval Germany, it became customary to recite the Psalm of Shabbat (92), before the evening service. In 16th century Safed, the Kabbalists instituted a ceremony of Psalms and other prayers, including the Lecha Dodi song by Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz, composed especially for this occasion. "Come, my friend, to greet the Bride, let us receive the presence of Shabbat!". Originally, it was recited not in the synagogue, but in the hills just outside the city. The men would dress completely in white, with their bodies wrapped in a tallit. They would face the setting Sun, welcoming the Bride into the world and their lives. Two versions of this ceremony have come down to us; the better known one from Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, and a much shorter version by the ARI. The former became the custom of most communities, while the latter is almost exclusively done by Sepharadim of the regions near Eretz Yisrael. After the recitation in the hills, the Kabbalists would then go back home, and repeat the same ceremony, while walking around their table, holding two bunches of hadasim (myrtles). Carrying myrtles was an ancient custom, used primarily at a wedding celebration, in honor of the Bride. It is now the Cosmic Bride who is honored. Then, they would return to the synagogue for evening prayers. Today, the Kabbalat Shabbat is almost always recited at the synagogue. (Except in some anti-Kabbalistic groups where it is not said). In a few communities, it is recited outdoors. Sadly, I know of no communities where this is still done outside of the town. Most people are totally unaware of the history behind this ceremony. Many melodies are used for the Lecha Dodi song. Sometimes, a different melody is used for each stanza. Since the Shabbatean debacle of 1666, many communities have all but erased Kabbalah from their consciousness. For that reason, in most Ashkenazi communities, the reader leaves his usual place of prayer for the recitation of Kabbalat Shabbat. In my opinion, that is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. The image of the Bride remains very powerful during the evening of Shabbat. The entire mood is one of femininity for those who are Kabbalistically oriented, switching to masculinity in the morning. More on that next time.

Shabbat part 3

It's now time to light candles. The Talmud simply says that their purpose is "Shalom Bayit" (Peace in the Home). In an era before artificial lighting, eating a festive dinner would need to be in the dark. The candles would provide the aura of a gentle glow, making a loving feeling between husband and wife, parents and children. Medieval rabbis are divided between those who see candles as part of the mitzvah of Oneg Shabbat (delight of Shabbat), or of Kvod Shabbat (honor of Shabbat). Candles were often lit in honor of a distinguished guest. Shabbat is a distinguished guest! Some rabbis, and most historians, see another reason. The Torah commands (Exodus 35:3) "Do not burn a fire in all your habitations on the Sabbath Day" The word "Burn" (ba'er) can also mean "to kindle", and in that sense is it understood in the Oral Torah (interestingly, nearly all Christian Bibles also translate it that way). But the ancient Sadducee heresy. along with the Samaritans, together with the seventh century Karaite heresy (NOT the online variety), interpreted the verse in the sense of not allowing a fire to burn into Shabbat. Therefore, according to this view, the main reason for lighting candles before Shabbat is to distinguish us from those who sit in the dark (in more ways than one), in their freezing cold homes, eating cold food. The question then arises if we may use electric lights for Shabbat candles. Rabbi Y. Abadi holds that since the main purpose of the candles is to have light in the home, electric is even better than candles. (My daughter Simcha, who is married to Rabbi Abadi's great-nephew, says the blessing on the electric lights). Rabbi Ovadia Yosef preferred candles, but said "we have insufficient sources to say that electric lights are not valid for this purpose". On the other hand, Rabbi Yosef Kappah, opined that electric lights are not valid, as it is not sufficiently "fire" to show contempt for the ways of the heretics.(As you know by now, it is these three men whom I consider the greatest halachists of recent centuries.Please do not ask me "how about Rabbi so and so?" My answer will still be the same). Actually, there is a question as to what the obligation actually is. The Talmud merely says to light the candles. No blessing is mentioned. Afterwards, in Geonic times, a blessing was instituted. According to RAMBAM, the mitzvah is to HAVE light, not PRODUCE light. So, if candles are already burning one may leave them for Shabbat, and that would be sufficient. Otherwise, we must say a blessing and light one or more candles. RABBENU TAM (the greatest of the Tosafists), understood that it is a mitzvah to light in honor of Shabbat. So an existing candle must be extinguished, and lit anew in honor of Shabbat, while reciting a blessing. Sepharadic candle lighting is very different from what you are used to. The lady of the house says the blessing and THEN lights. In most cases, she will first extinguish all other light sources, say the blessing on the Shabbat candles, light them, and put back on any desired electric lights. Then, she will make an oral declaration that she accepts the sanctity of Shabbat. The Ashkenazi practice is that since women generally accept Shabbat with the lighting, no blessing mentioning Shabbat should be said until AFTER the candles are lit, as they might be inadvertently accepting Shabbat with that blessing. They then cover their eyes until after the blessing (most make various elegant hand movements) and only then look at the flames. They consider this a fulfillment of the rabbinic edict that a blessing must ALWAYS precede a mitzvah. The sole exception is the blessing on the immersion of a convert. Before they immerse, they are not yet Jewish! The sources say that after the immersion, they should step out of the mikveh, cover their bodies and say the blessing. Ashkenazi tradition does this in the case not only of a convert, but also in areas where a blessing before might be problematic. Even Sepharadic tradition has mostly accepted one additional case; reciting the blessing of washing the hands only after washing. When I spoke with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef about becoming Sepharadic (in 1991), he asked me if my wife says the blessing before or after candles. I replied "Before, of course! The way one is required!". He smiled broadly, and I was in! If no woman is in the home, a man recites the blessing on the candles. If a man is away from home (as on a business trip), he should likewise light and say the blessing. (in a hotel, I say the blessing over an electric light). If one is a guest, the lighting of the lady of the house is sufficient. There was a major dispute between the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef on this point. Rabbi Ovadia insisted that after one candle is lit, no one else may recite a blessing on their Shabbat candles. So, if another family is visiting, only one woman says the blessing for everyone. In Ashkenazic tradition, each woman lights with a blessing, even at the same table. When we have Ashkenazi guests, and we know that the wife will feel badly about not lighting her own candles, we allow her to light for all of us, and Sima then refrains. On this basis, Rav Ovadia objected to the Lubavitcher "Candle Campaign", in which girls as young as three light, with the adult woman lighting afterwards. According to the Sepharadic understanding, this completely invalidates the Mother's lighting. and makes her blessing to be in vain. Customs differ for the number of candles, as well as the time of lighting. We must add "from the profane on to the holy",(start Shabbat well before Sundown) besides the prohibition of kindling fire on Shabbat. The most common custom is eighteen minutes before Sundown, but traditions go from ten to forty minutes before Sundown. In certain cases, we may light even earlier. So what are the men doing while this is going on? Next time.

Shabbat part 2

Shabbat is the pinnacle of the week. It is "a Taste of the World to Come". The command to "remember the Sabbath Day" is actually an inaccurate translation. Rather than "remember" (zechor). it says "be remembering" (zachor). We are to remember Shabbat from the first day of the week. If we find some kind of delicacy, it should be purchased and set aside for Shabbat. In the daily prayers, we recite each day the Psalm that was recited in the Temple on that day. In the introduction to the Psalm, versions vary slightly, but they all say "This is the second (or third or fourth, etc.) day to Shabbat". Although some argue that "Shabbat" simply means "week" in this context, it is far more likely that it is a means of making each day an anticipatory event for the Shabbat. Most Sepharadim (and some Hasidim) say "this is the second day to the Holy Shabbat" as if to emphasize this idea. In the Ashkenazi rite, after the Psalm for Wednesday is recited, a few lines from the service for receiving Shabbat are recited, telling us that we are now more than halfway there. Friday is all about Shabbat preparation. As no cooking is permitted on Shabbat, we cook on Friday. The Talmud records how even great rabbis personally participated in at least some of the food preparation. The Shabbat food should be tasted before Shabbat, as one would do to make sure it is suitable for an honored guest. Kabbalistically, the food already contains the Holiness of Shabbat. Some, including yours truly, recite the words from the Shabbat prayers "All who taste her, merit life" before ceremonially tasting the food. On Friday, one is supposed to also prepare the week's Torah portion that will be read in the synagogue. Ideally, it is to be read twice on Friday in the original Hebrew, and once in the ancient Aramaic translation of Onkelos. Around midday, we pare our nails, and some also cut their hair. (Hair and nails are seen in Jewish tradition as symbolic of negative forces). One must wash their hands, face and feet in hot water. Most simply shower. The simple reason for this is to be clean and refreshed for Shabbat. Kabbalistically, it represents a great Heavenly fire that comes into the world at noon on Friday, burning away all evil from "nogah", the interface of Good and Evil, allowing all permissible things to become holy. Many choose to also immerse in a mikveh at this time; washing away the ordinary, in order to receive the extraordinary. The ARI even recommended not to use a towel after mikveh, so that we may absorb the waters of the approaching Shabbat, rather than give them to a towel. After the shower (and/or mikveh) one changes one's clothes. Again, this has the dual purpose of honoring the Shabbat, and making our garments, our manifestation in the world, different, clean, and holy. Kabbalists dress in white for Shabbat, or, at the very least, wear four white garments, symbolizing the four letters of the Divine Name. The ARI warns us to wear no black garments on Shabbat. I have never seen a satisfactory explanation for the current practice of wearing black robes or suits in most communities. I am careful to wear no black on Shabbat. In Jerusalem (and some other places), one can see many Hasidim and Sepharadim dressed in white robes. Sadly, Shabbat preparations in most families go "down to the wire", causing a feeling of anxiety right at the moment of supreme holiness. The classical texts say that one should complete all necessary preparations several hours before Shabbat, allowing one to contemplate what is about to occur. The Talmud says that one should "wrap himself". RASHI interprets that to mean in fine clothing. RAMBAM says that it means to wrap ourselves in a tallit, and sit in anticipation, as we would for a very honored guest. The Sun is now well towards the West. We are about to receive the "Shabbat Bride" (In Kabbalah, this is more than a metaphor). How is this done? Next time.

Shabbat part 1

Nothing, other than the existence of G-d, is more central to Judaism. In fact, the Torah makes clear that observance of Shabbat is the ultimate recognition of G-d's creation of Heaven and Earth. This is no minor matter, since, until the twentieth century, creation was viewed by most people as an untenable concept. The known laws of physics not only denied the possibility of a creation ex nihilo (from nothing), but the very idea of the world not having existed forever was decried as impossible, from the time of the classical Greeks until the early twentieth century. The idea of the Big Bang took quite a bit of time to be accepted by science. Actually, it was first suggested by RAMBAN in the fourteenth century, but was largely ignored Even now, it is difficult to explain, and no one knows for sure exactly what happened. Judaism has always maintained a view that the world started at a finite time in history, and was the result of a great master plan; not an accident. That in the Torah violation of Shabbat is a capital offense, shows its severity. In Jewish tradition, Shabbat observance has always been the defining feature of a religious Jew. To ignore Shabbat meant to deny creation, and by inference, to deny G-d Himself. We find in the Torah that G-d "rested" on the Shabbat (whatever that means), and so must we. We are also forbidden to make servile use of our beasts of burden, as well as making servile use of our non-Jewish employees. Only a true life and death situation permits violation of the Shabbat. Loss of money or property is never a consideration. In the Torah, we are commanded not to do "Melachah". This does NOT mean "work". It means skilled, creative activity. The word is also used in connection with building the tabernacle in the desert, and we have in the Oral Tradition the idea that the same thirty-nine types of labor involved in building and maintaining it are the same labors Biblically forbidden on Shabbat. By Torah law, exertion is not even considered a problem. You may feel free to carry your couch inside your home all day. However, we read in Isaiah (58:13-14) that we are to avoid our weekday pursuits, (even concerning how we speak or where we go), in order to call the Shabbat "'oneg" ( a delight). (Please remember that commands found in the post-Torah Biblical books are considered as being "rabbinic" rather than Biblical.). Just as blowing the Shofar on Rosh HaShanah is a simple mechanical act, imbued, however, with numerous layers of intent and association, the Shabbat is built upon numerous rules and regulations designed to inculcate a sense of delight, happiness, transcendence, peace, and contentment. These laws can be divided into several categories. The "Biblical" laws; or activities that come under the headings of the thirty-nine categories mentioned above, the rabbinic decrees; some of which are meant as "fences" around a Biblical law, while others are designed to be "mood setters", in keeping with the spirituality of the day. The primary difference between the Biblical and rabbinical laws is that the former may not be violated except in the case of possible loss of life. The latter may be ignored in cases of extreme discomfort. There are later local enactments, which have, arguably, no halachic meaning, as well as "svarot", theoretical constructs, that impart Biblical meaning to things and actions that have no actual source. These came in mostly in the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Many of these are controversial. Not for discussion now, but thus we come to the situation where most Ashkenazim consider brushing teeth or using solid soap as Biblical prohibitions. Most Sepharadic rabbis consider this comical, and the result of faulty logic. In this series, I plan to go through a typical Shabbat, pointing out both what we do and what we feel, as well as differences in customs, especially those based on svara. Please bear in mind that the laws of Shabbat are vast, taking up two full tractates in Talmud (Shabbat and Eruvin). It would be impossible to cover everything, but I hope to provide an understandable and workable framework. "The work is not ours to complete, but neither may we neglect it".