I was very excited to receive my copy of the new English Koren Edition of the Talmud Bavli, Masekhet Berakhot, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz. The Jewish world has been enriched by Rabbi Steinsaltz's prodigious contributions to Torah scholarship in Hebrew, English, Russian and French for decades now. The release of the Koren Edition of the Talmud Bavli is another well-deserved feather in his cap.
Twenty years ago, young English-speaking students like myself had few options as far as translations of the Talmud were concerned. Most of us relied upon the Soncino Edition which, although scholarly and precise, still demanded a great deal from its readership.
The benefit of Soncino was the fact that it was complete (there was a Soncino volume for every Tractate) and that leafing through its austere English rendition of the text combined with its sparse footnotes was easier than the alternative - looking up every word in an even more foreboding dictionary and then trying to fit the words together into complete sentences and make sense out of them.
Sadly, the Soncino Edition has become so unpopular that it is now available online, for free, in its entirety. It was only in more recent years that I came to appreciate the positive in Soncino and to understand that the fact that it did not spoonfeed us the Gemara was a good thing.
Providing students with only a bare-bones translation and minimal footnotes didn't free them from the obligation to think and to struggle with the text as they should. It helped them but didn't fulfill the mitzvah of Talmud Torah (study of Torah) for them. Moreover, in adulthood I realized the scholarly depth of many of the prefaces and introductions included in the Soncino Edition volumes which I, as a youngster, had skipped over as a matter of course.
Then there was the Steinsaltz Talmud. Without a doubt, the Hebrew edition was fantastic, displaying the presence and structure of different sugyot/topics on a given page by inserting a space after each self-contained unit and numbering the subsections that emerged (a one-sided page usually extended to two pages as a result), providing a nicely vowelized text and a simple running commentary in Modern Hebrew, and including important biographical, historical and halakhic notes.
Despite the inevitable controversy that attends any new project, the Steinsaltz Talmud was rightly embraced as an outstanding resource by many Torah scholars. My Rosh Yeshiva from High School (later my chevruta and lifelong mentor) had a special affinity for his Steinsaltz "Shas" (though it was not complete in those days) and used it whenever possible.
I believe that this was, in part, because of my Rosh Yeshiva's love of the straightforward and elegant Modern Hebrew translation that is, first and foremost, the defining contribution of Rabbi Steinsaltz. (At some point, one volume of Jerusalem Talmud - Masekhet Peah - appeared in the Steinsaltz Hebrew Edition, and I still have a copy which is now out-of-print; apparently, that project was discontinued, much to my chagrin.)
When the Steinsaltz Talmud began appearing in English, matters were a bit more complicated. First, each volume contained only a single chapter of the tractate, which meant that, in some cases, you would have needed dozens of volumes to complete one tractate. They were beautifully bound hardcover books with thick and durable paper that was easy on the eyes.
Inside, the layout was not confusing but may have been too ambitious. It included two translations: A running, contextualized, coherent translation on one side of the page and a literal translation of the words on the other side. I assume that the latter was designed to help students in the process of learning Hebrew and Aramaic for themselves.
Several volumes of the English Steinsaltz Talmud appeared and seemed to be attracting buyers. (Here is a review from that time.) After all, the only competition was the old Soncino, and Steinsaltz offered a user-friendliness that far surpassed its predecessor. But then a development of epic proportions took place and shook the Jewish world to its very foundations...I refer, of course, to the advent of the now ubiquitous Artscroll Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud.
We students couldn't help but adore the Artscroll. Available, at first, on only a handful of Tractates, the Artscroll allowed you to sit back and read the Talmud like a book. Every word, sentence, step in the argument, inference or conclusion was spelled out so simply and clearly that any layperson could grasp it.
Artscroll was to Talmud what No Fear Shakespeare is to Hamlet - it was more than a translation, it transformed a formerly abstruse and intimidating work into a pleasant, attractive and popular bestseller. Never would the world of Talmud study be the same. Never again would the sense of awe at the inaccessibility of the Gemara or the impenetrable depth of its sugyot grip a student quite the way it once had.
And as the number of Tractates of Artscroll's Schottenstein Edition increased, so did participation in Daf Yomi shiurim across the globe. Now anyone - literally, anyone - could follow the flow of the Gemara on their own, without getting lost or falling behind. No need for additional commentaries, for debates in the Bet Midrash or to ask your rebbe - it was all there, if not in the body of the text, then in the breathtakingly copious and comprehensive footnotes. Moreover, the volumes were sleek, the style predictable and "standardized", the typeface crisp and the language clear and direct. Each volume contained several chapters if not an entire Tractate. Who could ask for anything more?
As a result of the ascendancy of the Artscroll, Steinsaltz's English edition faded into the background and eventually into oblivion. This was unfortunate. The Steinsaltz had much to offer that the Artscroll did not provide, particularly insofar as the historical, cultural, botanical, scientific and halakhic context of the Talmudic sugyot are concerned. Nevertheless, it fell by the wayside for four reasons:
1) One rabbi, no matter how gifted, simply could not compete with the formidable team of scholars employed by Artscroll and they overtook the market by storm, publishing tractate after tractate at a relatively rapid pace and becoming the "address" for those in need of a translation.
2) Because the Steinsaltz Editions were prohibitively expensive at the time, costing the same as an Artscroll Talmud but covering much less material per volume than the Artscroll did. There is also the ease of use factor - carrying around one book that includes all or half of a tractate is more practical than one book per chapter.
3) While the footnotes in the Artscroll are often criticized for being excessive, they provided more sources, references, etc., than Steinsaltz, making their treatment of the Talmud more comprehensive and more attractive to the student interested in further research (or in showing off, as the case may be).
4) Rabbi Steinsaltz received criticism and was branded as controversial in some segments of the Yeshiva world. By contrast, Artscroll was in full possession of its Charedi/Yeshivish bona fides and was therefore more readily embraced by right-wing of Orthodoxy, which is home to a significant majority of students of the Talmud today.
I believe that Koren Publishers has done a tremendous service for the English-speaking public by presenting the valuable insights and perspectives of Rabbi Steinsaltz in a new and more accessible format that addresses many of these problems. Let me briefly review the Koren Edition of Masekhet Berakhot, starting with the positives:
1) The volume is extremely attractive. It is a well-bound hardcover book with thick, off-white paper, a reader-friendly typeface with just enough lines and boldface sections, and lovely illustrations/photographs (many in color).
2) All of Masekhet Berakhot is contained in one volume rather than the two volumes in Artscroll's Schottenstein Edition.
3) The layout is crisp and clear and the historical insights, background notes, etc., are nicely organized around the margins of the page.
4) An all-Hebrew version of the Tractate, with vowelized text and Rashi, Tosafot, etc., appears in the back of the volume.
5) The format of the translation is clear and elegant. Rather than intersperse Hebrew and English within the same paragraph, the Koren Edition has the Hebrew phrase appear to the left next to an English paragraph that translates and elucidates it. This makes it easier to move back and forth between the two languages without leaving the page.
6) Excellent introductions that provide background and context relevant to the tractate as well as the individual chapters. Helpful post-chapter summaries in the signature Steinsaltz form are also included.
I am proud to add the Koren Edition of the Talmud Bavli to my library. But here are some negatives about the edition that I feel I should point out as well:
1) The layout of the page strikes the reader as a bit busy. Granted, making the type any larger and/or leaving wider spaces between sections would have made the volume unwieldy. But to the casual eye, there is a lot of material in the midsection of the page and it can be difficult to find your bearings as a result.
2) The notes are wonderful, but oftentimes lack references or sources. When quoting halakhic conclusions the citation is usually complete, but when mentioning alternative interpretations and/or background material the exact location of the source is usually omitted. This is a drawback of Rabbi Steinsaltz's classic Hebrew version as well. It could have been corrected in the new edition, but was not.
3) Including the vowelized text of the Talmud in the back of the volume for one who wishes to see the text "inside" without English notes or translation is a great idea, but the typeface used for the Hebrew in the appendix is not as crisp or attractive as some other options might have been.
4) One of the most wonderful aspects of the Steinsaltz Hebrew Edition is the way in which the multiple units/sugyot on a given Talmudic page are presented. As mentioned above, the Hebrew Edition utilizes paragraph spacing to subdivide the text into easily discernible sections, providing a bird's eye view of the structure of the discussion or discussions underway. In my opinion, this is one of the key benefits of the Steinsaltz Edition. This outstanding feature has not been replicated in the Koren Edition of the Talmud Bavli, which is a shame.
One cannot deny the appeal and the value of this new addition to the collective library of the English-speaking Jewish community. The amount of thought and consideration invested not only in the content but in the aesthetic features of the volume is truly impressive.
While it is doubtful whether the Koren Edition will be able to supplant the dominant Artscroll/Schottenstein Edition in the Yeshiva world anytime soon, it will certainly be a viable option for many new students of the Talmud who seek a starting point for serious learning. Those already accustomed to the Artscroll/Schottenstein style will nonetheless find it to be a wonderful complementary resource and reference tool. Veteran students of the Talmud who don't require a translation will still be captivated by the wealth of information Rabbi Steinsaltz has culled from multiple disciplines to enhance and enrich appreciation of the text.
The Koren Edition of the Talmud Bavli is a handsome volume that offers an accessible English translation, informative notes, and a focused commentary that achieves accuracy and clarity without sacrificing brevity. It is a work in which religious authenticity and faith have been perfectly balanced and blended with philological, archaeological, historical and biographical scholarship - a testament to both the spiritual vision and the brilliance of Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Some Thoughts on Gay Marriage
I recently heard
an amusing anecdote about a young Orthodox man who, leaving his apartment
building one morning, was approached to sign a petition in support of
legalizing gay marriage. He politely declined. As he walked away, the
petitioner shouted after him, "but...you're Jewish!"
There is no
question that American Jews overwhelmingly support liberal causes, including the
movement to legalize homosexual marriage. While Jews can justify their
commitments to expanding government-sponsored social services, providing
assistance to the underprivileged, reforming health care, and protecting the
environment as consistent with the teachings of Judaism, it is much more
difficult for them to reconcile support for gay marriage with our tradition.
After all, our holiest text, the Torah, prohibits homosexual behavior and
labels it a "toevah", often translated as "an abomination".
This statement does not appear to allow much room for persuasive reinterpretation.
Ironically, though, a sizable number of Jews, many of them observant, are
outspoken in favor of what has come to be termed "marriage equality".
Speaking
personally, I am inclined to believe that the United States government should
refrain from any involvement in the definition of marriage, dealing only with
civil unions and leaving the protection of the sanctity of the family to
religious organizations. As one who opposes gay marriage for religious reasons, however,
I often find myself on the defensive in a culture that now embraces homosexuality
as mainstream.
Since my
convictions are based upon the Torah, this means that I am frequently called
upon to justify what is seen as the Torah's antiquated and biased
attitude toward homosexuals. And being that the subject matter is especially timely
right now, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a philosophical
explanation of why the Torah forbids homosexual conduct. I hope that this
will convince the reader that, contrary to popular belief, one can oppose
homosexual marriage without being bigoted, ignorant, discriminatory or
homophobic.
Let us go
what I think is the root of the controversy: the term “abomination”. In Hebrew,
the word is “toevah”, and this term is applied not only to homosexuality but to
an array of forbidden activities, including incest, the consumption of
non-kosher food, adultery and idolatry. The Talmud was troubled by the meaning
of “toevah” and translated it as a composite of two Hebrew words “toeh bah” –
literally, “one who does this errs therein”.
In the eyes
of the Talmud, then, contrary to the pronouncements of many a Bible-thumping
evangelist, the term “toevah” does not imply a passionate distaste for the act
described. The word is lacking any emotive content. No feelings of visceral disgust
or homophobic fears are being evoked. “Toevah” simply means that one who
performs the act in question is making a serious philosophical mistake.
Now, we can
see why this would be the case for an idolater who replaces the Almighty with a
pathetic graven image. But why is the loving relationship between two men classified
as “toevah”? What error can be seen or imputed here?
The answer to this question is a critically
important one. The purpose of the Torah is to ennoble human beings by teaching
them to transcend their base instincts and strive for spiritual growth.
Indulgence in food is limited by the laws of kashrut, which remind us that
eating is not an end in itself; it is a means to keeping our bodies healthy so
that we can involve ourselves in learning, the pursuit of justice and acts of
kindness.
Similarly, sexual activity is not an end in itself; it is a means to
the creation of family and the perpetuation of the Jewish people and the human
race. One who attributes intrinsic significance to sexual behavior puts it on a
pedestal it does not deserve and commits a grave error about the place it
should occupy in our minds, hearts and lives.
By limiting
the context within which sexual needs are satisfied – namely, the context of
heterosexual marriage, which is the bedrock of the family - the Torah reminds
us of the fact that the satisfaction of these needs is not an end unto itself.
(The objection may be raised that some heterosexual couples have fertility problems and cannot have children. Moreover, it is clear that not all acts of intercourse eventuate in reproduction. The answer to these objections is as follows: As Maimonides explains, the Torah addresses the universal, general and typical with its legislation. The laws of the Torah, like the laws of nature, are categorical and abstract and are not specially crafted to fit each and every particular circumstance. In this case, in order to make its overarching point, the Torah limits sexual activity to a certain type of relationship - the relationship instrumental to procreation - notwithstanding the fact that there are some specific and/or exceptional cases in which the reason behind the general law might not seem to apply.)
The Torah teaches that the belief that sexual relations have some worth beyond that of perpetuating the species is a toevah, a fundamental mistake. And the Torah classifies homosexuality as one of many ways in which people make more out of sexuality than it is meant to be - severing it from its procreative function and celebrating it as a source of erotic pleasure or as an expression of romantic love in its own right.
Put simply, one who raises the means of human sexuality to the level of an end is committing an error of Biblical proportions.
(The objection may be raised that some heterosexual couples have fertility problems and cannot have children. Moreover, it is clear that not all acts of intercourse eventuate in reproduction. The answer to these objections is as follows: As Maimonides explains, the Torah addresses the universal, general and typical with its legislation. The laws of the Torah, like the laws of nature, are categorical and abstract and are not specially crafted to fit each and every particular circumstance. In this case, in order to make its overarching point, the Torah limits sexual activity to a certain type of relationship - the relationship instrumental to procreation - notwithstanding the fact that there are some specific and/or exceptional cases in which the reason behind the general law might not seem to apply.)
The Torah teaches that the belief that sexual relations have some worth beyond that of perpetuating the species is a toevah, a fundamental mistake. And the Torah classifies homosexuality as one of many ways in which people make more out of sexuality than it is meant to be - severing it from its procreative function and celebrating it as a source of erotic pleasure or as an expression of romantic love in its own right.
Put simply, one who raises the means of human sexuality to the level of an end is committing an error of Biblical proportions.
In summary,
I remain opposed to the homosexual lifestyle on philosophical but not personal
grounds. I do not feel the slightest distaste, disgust or disdain for
homosexuals or for the desires they have. I see them as created in the image of
God and entitled to the same rights and respect as their fellow men and women. I
also recognize and appreciate the fact that, for the most part, their
inclinations and preferences are biologically determined and not a matter of free
choice.
Nevertheless, I still maintain that by transcending these desires, by insisting
that the significance of the sexual drive in our lives be understood properly
and that its value not be overestimated or exaggerated, they achieve and represent the highest level of holiness to which human beings can aspire.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
I have been invited by the Washington Jewish Week to write a regular blog on their website. Posts on the new blog, which the editors have named (for now) Maroof's Musings, will probably be of a lighter, more popularly accessible nature than the material you might find here. But I still invite you to check it out! My first two posts:
The Meaning of Lag BaOmer
Hillula - The Other Festival of Lights
In the future, I may repost the material from that blog here, but in the meantime please visit it at its current location!
The Meaning of Lag BaOmer
Hillula - The Other Festival of Lights
In the future, I may repost the material from that blog here, but in the meantime please visit it at its current location!
Monday, April 02, 2012
Some Thoughts on Selling Hametz
In addition to forbidding the consumption of hametz (leavened products) on Passover, the Torah emphatically prohibits us from owning any hametz during the holiday as well. Indeed, the Torah commands us to rid ourselves of hametz on the eve of Passover, which is done through ביטול חמץ (verbal nullification of hametz) and through ביעור חמץ (physical elimination of hametz from one's domain). Any hametz that remains in the possession of a Jew during Passover becomes forbidden to eat or enjoy even after the holiday.
Now, it is certainly true that selling your hametz qualifies as completely removing it from your domain. Once you sell an item to someone else, it is no longer yours. It permanently belongs to the buyer.
Nowadays, however, hametz is "sold" in a legally fictitious manner. A representative of a large number of Jews in the community "sells" their hametz to a non-Jew using various legal instruments that would normally be fully valid methods of transferring ownership. Typically, the non-Jew leaves a "deposit" with the representative and stipulates the following condition: He agrees that he will deliver payment in the amount of the full value of the hametz by the night after Passover, and that if he does not do so, the sale will be cancelled and the hametz will revert back to the Jewish owners who are presently "selling" it.
The hametz, meanwhile, remains securely locked in the pantries of the "sellers". Bear in mind that the "buyer" doesn't know any of the sellers, has no idea where they live, has no access to their residences and - were he somehow to gain entry to their homes and attempt to claim his hametz - no chance of actually being able to eat it during Passover! As soon as the holiday is over, the non-Jew predictably fails to deliver the outstanding balance he promised, and the sale is cancelled.
From a strictly legalistic standpoint, this might be a valid arrangement, (although, to be honest, some authorities do question its efficacy). During the course of the holiday, the argument can be made that the hametz is, technically speaking, officially owned by the gentile. And we can understand why the rabbis initially promoted this ceremonial sale. Jews in the Old Country were poor and could not afford to destroy what hametz they possessed. Moreover, many of them had expensive liquor or were in the liquor business and would stand to absorb major losses were they forced to discard their stock of hametz.
Let's face it though - selling hametz MAY "work" on a technical level, but in terms of the spirit of the law it fails miserably. Psychologically, we never fully disconnect from our hametz, knowing that it is safe and sound in our cabinets. We never experience the absolute dissociation from hametz we were meant to experience on Passover. "Sure, we sold our hametz" we say - wink wink - as we anxiously await reopening those cabinets at nightfall when the holiday draws to a close and we can once again partake of the hametz we possessed all along...
Today, thank G-D, most of us are in a far better position than our ancestors and can afford to dispose of our hametz in accordance with the original law of the Torah. We don't need to rely on a form of subterfuge that satisfies most (NOT ALL) legal opinions while undermining the spirit and confounding the purpose of the Torah's instructions.
In summary, if you really, truly cannot afford to dispose of all of your hametz, then by all means, do not hesitate to sell it through your rabbi.
But if you won't be seriously financially harmed by doing the mitzvah, then be true to the spirit and the letter of the law, and remove all hametz from your domain for Passover!
Now, it is certainly true that selling your hametz qualifies as completely removing it from your domain. Once you sell an item to someone else, it is no longer yours. It permanently belongs to the buyer.
Nowadays, however, hametz is "sold" in a legally fictitious manner. A representative of a large number of Jews in the community "sells" their hametz to a non-Jew using various legal instruments that would normally be fully valid methods of transferring ownership. Typically, the non-Jew leaves a "deposit" with the representative and stipulates the following condition: He agrees that he will deliver payment in the amount of the full value of the hametz by the night after Passover, and that if he does not do so, the sale will be cancelled and the hametz will revert back to the Jewish owners who are presently "selling" it.
The hametz, meanwhile, remains securely locked in the pantries of the "sellers". Bear in mind that the "buyer" doesn't know any of the sellers, has no idea where they live, has no access to their residences and - were he somehow to gain entry to their homes and attempt to claim his hametz - no chance of actually being able to eat it during Passover! As soon as the holiday is over, the non-Jew predictably fails to deliver the outstanding balance he promised, and the sale is cancelled.
From a strictly legalistic standpoint, this might be a valid arrangement, (although, to be honest, some authorities do question its efficacy). During the course of the holiday, the argument can be made that the hametz is, technically speaking, officially owned by the gentile. And we can understand why the rabbis initially promoted this ceremonial sale. Jews in the Old Country were poor and could not afford to destroy what hametz they possessed. Moreover, many of them had expensive liquor or were in the liquor business and would stand to absorb major losses were they forced to discard their stock of hametz.
Let's face it though - selling hametz MAY "work" on a technical level, but in terms of the spirit of the law it fails miserably. Psychologically, we never fully disconnect from our hametz, knowing that it is safe and sound in our cabinets. We never experience the absolute dissociation from hametz we were meant to experience on Passover. "Sure, we sold our hametz" we say - wink wink - as we anxiously await reopening those cabinets at nightfall when the holiday draws to a close and we can once again partake of the hametz we possessed all along...
Today, thank G-D, most of us are in a far better position than our ancestors and can afford to dispose of our hametz in accordance with the original law of the Torah. We don't need to rely on a form of subterfuge that satisfies most (NOT ALL) legal opinions while undermining the spirit and confounding the purpose of the Torah's instructions.
In summary, if you really, truly cannot afford to dispose of all of your hametz, then by all means, do not hesitate to sell it through your rabbi.
But if you won't be seriously financially harmed by doing the mitzvah, then be true to the spirit and the letter of the law, and remove all hametz from your domain for Passover!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Laws of Pesah 5772 - 10th Anniversary Edition!
Essential Laws of Pesah by Rabbi Joshua Maroof
איסור החמץ - The Prohibition of Hametz
1. On Pesah we are not permitted to eat or to possess any hametz. This includes any food product that contains one of the five grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye or spelt) or one of their many derivatives, unless it has been properly supervised for Pesah use.
2. In addition to the prohibition of eating and possessing hametz, the Torah prohibits us to benefit from it in any way. Therefore, we may not sell it, present it as a gift or feed it to any animals on Pesah.
3. Containers of condiments and spreads like butter, cream cheese and fruit preserves that have been opened and used with hametz should be thrown out and new ones purchased for Pesah.
4. Since spices, oils and other additives are sometimes poured directly into a pot over the fire and may have absorbed hametz from its steam, one should purchase new, unopened ones for Pesah. However, the old ones do not need to be thrown out or sold, just put away.
5. The prohibition of hametz also requires us to treat all of the pots, pans, utensils and other cookware that have been used with hametz as non-Kosher for Pesah use.
6. In addition to the restriction on eating actual hametz, Ashkenazim also refrain from eating kitniyot (‘legumes’, such as rice, corn, and beans) during Pesah. However, they are permitted to possess kitniyot and may utilize pots, pans, dishes and utensils that have been used with kitniyot.
7. The restriction on kitniyot only applies to foods that are primarily made up of kitniyot. Food products that contain less than fifty percent kitniyot AND in which the kitniyot are not recognizable, like soft drinks that contain corn syrup, are permitted even for Ashkenazim on Pesah.
8. Sephardim who are accustomed not to eat kitniyot during Pesah may discontinue their custom if they so desire. Ideally, they should ‘annul’ the custom before a Jewish court (bet din).
9. Nowadays, Sephardim who eat kitniyot such as rice that are packaged commercially are not obligated to check them for traces of hametz because the companies that prepare these products have already purified them. However, if one happens to find a grain of hametz mixed in with rice, it must be removed. If one has already cooked the rice, consult a Rabbi about how to proceed (many factors are involved).
10. Sephardim are permitted to eat ‘egg matza’ on Pesah, provided that it is prepared under proper supervision. Ashkenazim only allow egg matza for the sick and elderly who cannot digest regular matza.
11. Some authorities permit both kitniyot and egg matza even for Ashkenazim on Erev Pesah.
12. Items that are not edible, such as shoe polish, aluminum foil, glue, cosmetics, toiletries, shampoos and medicines do not need to be kosher for Pesah (or in general), because they are not foods. Pet food, however, must be kosher for Pesah, because it is considered an edible item.
13. The prohibition of eating hametz will begin on the eve of Pesah – Friday, April 6th - in Rockville, Maryland at 11:02 AM this year. The prohibition to possess, sell or otherwise benefit from hametz will begin at 12:06 PM.
בדיקת חמץ- The Search for Hametz
1. On the night before Pesah begins – this year, Thursday, April 5th - every Jew is required to search their property for any hametz. The search should be a genuine, serious inspection for hametz, not a ritualistic walk through the house with a feather and a candle.
2. The search for hametz should begin twenty minutes after sunset or as soon as possible thereafter.
3. Before the search, we recite the appropriate beracha (found either in the Haggada or Pesah prayerbook) and proceed to inspect all areas that we may have brought hametz into during the year. This includes our homes, cars, offices, coat pockets, etc.
4. A flashlight should be used during the search so that one can inspect all of the necessary areas with sufficient lighting.
5. There is no need for ‘spring cleaning’ during the search for hametz. One should concentrate on finding substantial pieces of hametz (like a cookie or pretzel) rather than sweeping up crumbs. If there is extra time, removing even smaller bits of hametz is an enhancement of the mitzvah.
6. After the search for hametz, one should gather all the hametz one intends to save for dinner or breakfast and keep it in one place.
7. When the search for hametz is concluded, one must say the nullification of hametz (‘bittul hametz’) formula found in the Haggada or Mahazor. The nullification statement is repeated in a slightly different form in the morning, right after one destroys or eats the last of one’s hametz.
8. If one is going away for the holiday before the night of the search but is leaving less than a month before Pesah one must conduct a proper search for hametz without a beracha on the last night that one is still home. One should recite the nighttime ‘bittul hametz’ formula immediately after the search, but should wait until erev Pesah to make the daytime “bittul” statement.
ערב פסח - The Eve of Pesah
1. On the eve of Pesah – this year, Friday, April 6th - it is prohibited to eat matza, so that the matza eaten at the seder will be special. Egg matza is permitted for Sephardim as well as for those Ashkenazim who are lenient in this matter on Erev Pesah.
2. It is customary that every firstborn male fasts on the eve of Pesah. The fast may be broken if one attends a ‘Siyum Masechet’, a celebration held when somebody completes the study of an entire tractate of the Talmud.
3. Where possible, first born females should attend the Siyum as well, since many authorities maintain that they are also obligated to fast.
4. One is not permitted to begin work projects that are very involved after midday on Erev Pesah so that one can fully devote one’s energy to preparing for the seder.
5. Beginning about two and a half hours before sunset on Erev Pesah, one is not permitted to eat the equivalent of a meal (even of egg matza), so that he/she will be hungry enough to enjoy dining at the seder. Snacks of fruits and vegetables are permitted.
ערוב תבשילין - Eruv Tavshilin
1. On Yom Tov, it is prohibited to make preparations for any other day. Therefore, When Yom Tov falls on a Friday we are required to create an Eruv Tavshilin in order to permit us to prepare for Shabbat. The Eruv must be prepared before the holiday begins.
2. The Eruv Tavshilin is made by taking a cooked dish (like a hard boiled egg) and a piece of matza and then reciting the beracha and declaration written in the machzor or haggada.
3. It is preferable to recite the Eruv declaration in a language that one understands.
4. When Yom Tov falls out on a Thursday and Friday, preparations for Shabbat may only be made on Friday, despite the fact that the Eruv was created on Wednesday.
5. When preparing for Shabbat on Yom Tov, one should complete one’s preparations early in the afternoon so that it is not obvious that one is using Yom Tov to prepare for Shabbat.
6. It is customary to eat the Eruv Tavshilin at Seudah Shelishit on Shabbat.
הכשר כלים -Kashering Vessels
1. Many people keep separate sets of cookware and utensils for Pesah use. If, however, one wishes to use one’s year-round kitchenware for Pesah, it must first undergo a process of ‘kashering’. In order to avoid complications, it is best to complete this process before hametz becomes prohibited (i.e., before 11:02 AM on April 6th this year).
2. Only metal, stone, wood and plastic vessels can be kashered. Items made from earthenware, such as china, cannot be kashered.
3. Sephardim do not require any kashering for glass and Pyrex vessels and are permitted to use them after a thorough cleaning. Ashkenazim treat these items like earthenware and prohibit their use for Pesah unless they have been used exclusively with cold food.
4. The method used to kasher an item is always based on the way in which the item is used. A vessel that is used for cooking liquidy substances, such as a pot, should be kashered by boiling water in it and then dropping a hot rock or hot piece of metal into it so that it boils over on all sides. Utensils such as soup ladles and carving knives that are placed directly into hot pots are kashered by completely submerging them in a pot filled with boiling water. Serving platters and strainers that have food poured onto them from hot pots are generally kashered in this way as well.
5. After kashering a vessel with boiling water, it is customary to rinse the item off with cold water.
6. Customs differ with regard to kashering vessels that are used for eating hot food but have no direct contact with hot cookware (for example, forks, spoons, knives, etc.) Sephardim may kasher these utensils by cleaning them thoroughly and then running them through a regular cycle in a kosher-for-Pesah dishwasher. Ashkenazim require all vessels that come into contact with hot food to be kashered through placement in a pot of boiling hot water.
7. According to Ashkenazic practice, a vessel must be left unused for 24 hours before being purged with boiling water for Pesah use. Sephardim are only required to observe this stringency in two cases: (1) when kashering a microwave and (2) when kashering meat and dairy vessels together in the same vat. However, it is meritorious for Sephardim to follow the stringent practice in all cases if possible.
8. Before a vessel can be kashered with boiling water, it must be totally clean. When cleaning a vessel to prepare it for kashering, one may come across food substances that adhere to it and cannot be removed. In such cases, simply apply a caustic cleaner such as bleach or detergent to the substance in order to render it inedible.
9. A vessel upon which dry food is directly placed to cook, like a grill or baking pan, should be kashered by cleaning it carefully and then heating it until it is red hot (libun). This is the most intense form of kashering, and vessels kashered in this way do not need to be left unused for 24 hours beforehand.
10. Vessels used for cold food only, such as goblets for Kiddush or cups used for cold drinks, need only to be rinsed with water and are permitted for Pesah use.
11. According to Sephardim, if a vessel is used in different ways at different times, the method of kashering that is applied will follow the primary usage. For example, if a pot normally used for cooking liquidy foods were used for dry cooking once or twice, it would still be kashered by boiling water inside. Similarly, if a fork normally used for eating was used to stir a pot over the fire a couple of times, it could still be kashered by a run through the dishwasher. However, if the vessel was used in a more intense way than usual during the past 24 hours, the more intense method of kashering must be applied.
12. Ashkenazim always kasher based on the most intense way that the vessel has been used with food, even if it has been used that way only once. Therefore, in the two cases mentioned in Law #11, the pot would need to be heated until red hot and the fork would need to be placed in a pot of boiling water.
13. If one carefully cleans one’s oven racks and covers all food placed in the oven with single sheets of tin foil, there is no need to kasher the oven because there is no way for food cooked in the oven to absorb hametz from it.
14. If one does decide to kasher an oven, self-cleaning is perfectly acceptable. If one’s oven does not have a self-cleaning option, one should carefully clean the racks and walls of the oven and then - after leaving it unused for 24 hours - place the oven on its highest temperature setting for one hour.
15. For Sephardim, the grates on which pots are placed on a gas or electric stovetop need only to be spotlessly cleaned to be kosher for Pesah. As an added measure of stringency, some Sephardim also place them into a pot of boiling hot water.
16. After cleaning the grates, Ashkenazim are required to heat them to the temperature at which a tissue that touched them would ignite.
17. Sephardim may kasher dishwashers, regardless of the material they are made of, by leaving them unused for 24 hours and then running them (without dishes inside) through at least one complete cycle with detergent. Ideally, for Ashkenazim, three complete dishwasher cycles should be run (only one needs to include detergent). The racks do not need to be changed.
18. For Sephardim, sinks, countertops and tabletops require nothing more than a careful cleaning to be kosher for Pesah (however, please be sure to consult Law #20.) Some Sephardim are stringent with sinks and, in addition to cleaning them, pour boiling hot water over them
19. Ashkenazim are advised not to use their sinks, countertops or tabletops without kashering them first. They should either (1) not use these items with anything hot for 24 hours and then pour boiling water over them OR (2) simply clean and then cover them.
20. If a sink, countertop, tabletop or stove grate is known to have had contact with hot hametz during the past 24 hours, then Sephardim are required to kasher them according to the same standards as Ashkenazim.
21. Dish sponges and toothbrushes should be cleaned thoroughly with hot water or replaced for the holiday.
22. A microwave can be kashered by leaving it over for 24 hours, cleaning the inside thoroughly and then heating a dish of water in the microwave until it is filled with steam.
23. Refrigerators and cabinets need only to be wiped down with water to be kosher for Pesah. Dish strainers on which clean dishes are placed to dry do not require any kashering at all.
24. If one is not planning on using a particular vessel or appliance for Pesah, it does not require any kashering. Non-Pesah vessels should be cleaned and put away, preferably in a cabinet that is taped up or locked.
ליל הסדר - The Seder Night
1. One may not begin the Pesah Seder until at least 45 minutes after sunset.
2. Men, women and children are obligated to fulfill all the mitzvot of the night. It is especially important for children to have the Haggada explained to them.
3. The custom of Sephardim is to use red wine for the Four Cups, even if superior white wine is available. The custom of Ashkenazim is to use red wine unless a superior white wine is available.
4. The minimum amount of wine that must be contained in each of the four cups is approximately 3 fluid ounces. One must drink more than half of each cup (about 1.6 fl. oz.) to fulfill the mitzvah.
5. Almost any vegetable may be used for karpas, provided that its blessing is bore peri ha-adama. One should make sure that any vegetables eaten at the Seder (and all year round) have been carefully inspected for bugs.
6. It is preferable to use handmade matza shemura for the Seder. However, machine-made shemura is also acceptable.
7. It is ideal to use Romaine lettuce for Maror.
8. Everyone participating in the Seder is required to lean to the left when drinking any of the four cups or eating the matza, korech, or the afikoman. If a man forgot to lean while performing one of the mitzvot he must go back and redo it. Women may be lenient and need not repeat the mitzvah.
9. Sephardim recite the beracha of Borei Pri Hagefen only on the first and third cups. Ashkenazim say a beracha on all four cups.
10. The most essential part of the Haggada is “Rabban Gamliel Haya Omer”, in which the special mitzvot of the night are explained.
11. The minimum amount of matza that must be eaten for each mitzva is a little more than one third of a medium size handmade matza. However, for motzi matza on the first night, one should eat at least half of a handmade matza. The minimum amount of maror one must eat for each mitzvah is approximately 28 grams.
12. One should make every effort to complete the entire Seder, including Hallel, before “midnight” (in Rockville this year, 1:11 AM). If this is not possible, one should at least eat the afikoman before this time.
איסור החמץ - The Prohibition of Hametz
1. On Pesah we are not permitted to eat or to possess any hametz. This includes any food product that contains one of the five grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye or spelt) or one of their many derivatives, unless it has been properly supervised for Pesah use.
2. In addition to the prohibition of eating and possessing hametz, the Torah prohibits us to benefit from it in any way. Therefore, we may not sell it, present it as a gift or feed it to any animals on Pesah.
3. Containers of condiments and spreads like butter, cream cheese and fruit preserves that have been opened and used with hametz should be thrown out and new ones purchased for Pesah.
4. Since spices, oils and other additives are sometimes poured directly into a pot over the fire and may have absorbed hametz from its steam, one should purchase new, unopened ones for Pesah. However, the old ones do not need to be thrown out or sold, just put away.
5. The prohibition of hametz also requires us to treat all of the pots, pans, utensils and other cookware that have been used with hametz as non-Kosher for Pesah use.
6. In addition to the restriction on eating actual hametz, Ashkenazim also refrain from eating kitniyot (‘legumes’, such as rice, corn, and beans) during Pesah. However, they are permitted to possess kitniyot and may utilize pots, pans, dishes and utensils that have been used with kitniyot.
7. The restriction on kitniyot only applies to foods that are primarily made up of kitniyot. Food products that contain less than fifty percent kitniyot AND in which the kitniyot are not recognizable, like soft drinks that contain corn syrup, are permitted even for Ashkenazim on Pesah.
8. Sephardim who are accustomed not to eat kitniyot during Pesah may discontinue their custom if they so desire. Ideally, they should ‘annul’ the custom before a Jewish court (bet din).
9. Nowadays, Sephardim who eat kitniyot such as rice that are packaged commercially are not obligated to check them for traces of hametz because the companies that prepare these products have already purified them. However, if one happens to find a grain of hametz mixed in with rice, it must be removed. If one has already cooked the rice, consult a Rabbi about how to proceed (many factors are involved).
10. Sephardim are permitted to eat ‘egg matza’ on Pesah, provided that it is prepared under proper supervision. Ashkenazim only allow egg matza for the sick and elderly who cannot digest regular matza.
11. Some authorities permit both kitniyot and egg matza even for Ashkenazim on Erev Pesah.
12. Items that are not edible, such as shoe polish, aluminum foil, glue, cosmetics, toiletries, shampoos and medicines do not need to be kosher for Pesah (or in general), because they are not foods. Pet food, however, must be kosher for Pesah, because it is considered an edible item.
13. The prohibition of eating hametz will begin on the eve of Pesah – Friday, April 6th - in Rockville, Maryland at 11:02 AM this year. The prohibition to possess, sell or otherwise benefit from hametz will begin at 12:06 PM.
בדיקת חמץ- The Search for Hametz
1. On the night before Pesah begins – this year, Thursday, April 5th - every Jew is required to search their property for any hametz. The search should be a genuine, serious inspection for hametz, not a ritualistic walk through the house with a feather and a candle.
2. The search for hametz should begin twenty minutes after sunset or as soon as possible thereafter.
3. Before the search, we recite the appropriate beracha (found either in the Haggada or Pesah prayerbook) and proceed to inspect all areas that we may have brought hametz into during the year. This includes our homes, cars, offices, coat pockets, etc.
4. A flashlight should be used during the search so that one can inspect all of the necessary areas with sufficient lighting.
5. There is no need for ‘spring cleaning’ during the search for hametz. One should concentrate on finding substantial pieces of hametz (like a cookie or pretzel) rather than sweeping up crumbs. If there is extra time, removing even smaller bits of hametz is an enhancement of the mitzvah.
6. After the search for hametz, one should gather all the hametz one intends to save for dinner or breakfast and keep it in one place.
7. When the search for hametz is concluded, one must say the nullification of hametz (‘bittul hametz’) formula found in the Haggada or Mahazor. The nullification statement is repeated in a slightly different form in the morning, right after one destroys or eats the last of one’s hametz.
8. If one is going away for the holiday before the night of the search but is leaving less than a month before Pesah one must conduct a proper search for hametz without a beracha on the last night that one is still home. One should recite the nighttime ‘bittul hametz’ formula immediately after the search, but should wait until erev Pesah to make the daytime “bittul” statement.
ערב פסח - The Eve of Pesah
1. On the eve of Pesah – this year, Friday, April 6th - it is prohibited to eat matza, so that the matza eaten at the seder will be special. Egg matza is permitted for Sephardim as well as for those Ashkenazim who are lenient in this matter on Erev Pesah.
2. It is customary that every firstborn male fasts on the eve of Pesah. The fast may be broken if one attends a ‘Siyum Masechet’, a celebration held when somebody completes the study of an entire tractate of the Talmud.
3. Where possible, first born females should attend the Siyum as well, since many authorities maintain that they are also obligated to fast.
4. One is not permitted to begin work projects that are very involved after midday on Erev Pesah so that one can fully devote one’s energy to preparing for the seder.
5. Beginning about two and a half hours before sunset on Erev Pesah, one is not permitted to eat the equivalent of a meal (even of egg matza), so that he/she will be hungry enough to enjoy dining at the seder. Snacks of fruits and vegetables are permitted.
ערוב תבשילין - Eruv Tavshilin
1. On Yom Tov, it is prohibited to make preparations for any other day. Therefore, When Yom Tov falls on a Friday we are required to create an Eruv Tavshilin in order to permit us to prepare for Shabbat. The Eruv must be prepared before the holiday begins.
2. The Eruv Tavshilin is made by taking a cooked dish (like a hard boiled egg) and a piece of matza and then reciting the beracha and declaration written in the machzor or haggada.
3. It is preferable to recite the Eruv declaration in a language that one understands.
4. When Yom Tov falls out on a Thursday and Friday, preparations for Shabbat may only be made on Friday, despite the fact that the Eruv was created on Wednesday.
5. When preparing for Shabbat on Yom Tov, one should complete one’s preparations early in the afternoon so that it is not obvious that one is using Yom Tov to prepare for Shabbat.
6. It is customary to eat the Eruv Tavshilin at Seudah Shelishit on Shabbat.
הכשר כלים -Kashering Vessels
1. Many people keep separate sets of cookware and utensils for Pesah use. If, however, one wishes to use one’s year-round kitchenware for Pesah, it must first undergo a process of ‘kashering’. In order to avoid complications, it is best to complete this process before hametz becomes prohibited (i.e., before 11:02 AM on April 6th this year).
2. Only metal, stone, wood and plastic vessels can be kashered. Items made from earthenware, such as china, cannot be kashered.
3. Sephardim do not require any kashering for glass and Pyrex vessels and are permitted to use them after a thorough cleaning. Ashkenazim treat these items like earthenware and prohibit their use for Pesah unless they have been used exclusively with cold food.
4. The method used to kasher an item is always based on the way in which the item is used. A vessel that is used for cooking liquidy substances, such as a pot, should be kashered by boiling water in it and then dropping a hot rock or hot piece of metal into it so that it boils over on all sides. Utensils such as soup ladles and carving knives that are placed directly into hot pots are kashered by completely submerging them in a pot filled with boiling water. Serving platters and strainers that have food poured onto them from hot pots are generally kashered in this way as well.
5. After kashering a vessel with boiling water, it is customary to rinse the item off with cold water.
6. Customs differ with regard to kashering vessels that are used for eating hot food but have no direct contact with hot cookware (for example, forks, spoons, knives, etc.) Sephardim may kasher these utensils by cleaning them thoroughly and then running them through a regular cycle in a kosher-for-Pesah dishwasher. Ashkenazim require all vessels that come into contact with hot food to be kashered through placement in a pot of boiling hot water.
7. According to Ashkenazic practice, a vessel must be left unused for 24 hours before being purged with boiling water for Pesah use. Sephardim are only required to observe this stringency in two cases: (1) when kashering a microwave and (2) when kashering meat and dairy vessels together in the same vat. However, it is meritorious for Sephardim to follow the stringent practice in all cases if possible.
8. Before a vessel can be kashered with boiling water, it must be totally clean. When cleaning a vessel to prepare it for kashering, one may come across food substances that adhere to it and cannot be removed. In such cases, simply apply a caustic cleaner such as bleach or detergent to the substance in order to render it inedible.
9. A vessel upon which dry food is directly placed to cook, like a grill or baking pan, should be kashered by cleaning it carefully and then heating it until it is red hot (libun). This is the most intense form of kashering, and vessels kashered in this way do not need to be left unused for 24 hours beforehand.
10. Vessels used for cold food only, such as goblets for Kiddush or cups used for cold drinks, need only to be rinsed with water and are permitted for Pesah use.
11. According to Sephardim, if a vessel is used in different ways at different times, the method of kashering that is applied will follow the primary usage. For example, if a pot normally used for cooking liquidy foods were used for dry cooking once or twice, it would still be kashered by boiling water inside. Similarly, if a fork normally used for eating was used to stir a pot over the fire a couple of times, it could still be kashered by a run through the dishwasher. However, if the vessel was used in a more intense way than usual during the past 24 hours, the more intense method of kashering must be applied.
12. Ashkenazim always kasher based on the most intense way that the vessel has been used with food, even if it has been used that way only once. Therefore, in the two cases mentioned in Law #11, the pot would need to be heated until red hot and the fork would need to be placed in a pot of boiling water.
13. If one carefully cleans one’s oven racks and covers all food placed in the oven with single sheets of tin foil, there is no need to kasher the oven because there is no way for food cooked in the oven to absorb hametz from it.
14. If one does decide to kasher an oven, self-cleaning is perfectly acceptable. If one’s oven does not have a self-cleaning option, one should carefully clean the racks and walls of the oven and then - after leaving it unused for 24 hours - place the oven on its highest temperature setting for one hour.
15. For Sephardim, the grates on which pots are placed on a gas or electric stovetop need only to be spotlessly cleaned to be kosher for Pesah. As an added measure of stringency, some Sephardim also place them into a pot of boiling hot water.
16. After cleaning the grates, Ashkenazim are required to heat them to the temperature at which a tissue that touched them would ignite.
17. Sephardim may kasher dishwashers, regardless of the material they are made of, by leaving them unused for 24 hours and then running them (without dishes inside) through at least one complete cycle with detergent. Ideally, for Ashkenazim, three complete dishwasher cycles should be run (only one needs to include detergent). The racks do not need to be changed.
18. For Sephardim, sinks, countertops and tabletops require nothing more than a careful cleaning to be kosher for Pesah (however, please be sure to consult Law #20.) Some Sephardim are stringent with sinks and, in addition to cleaning them, pour boiling hot water over them
19. Ashkenazim are advised not to use their sinks, countertops or tabletops without kashering them first. They should either (1) not use these items with anything hot for 24 hours and then pour boiling water over them OR (2) simply clean and then cover them.
20. If a sink, countertop, tabletop or stove grate is known to have had contact with hot hametz during the past 24 hours, then Sephardim are required to kasher them according to the same standards as Ashkenazim.
21. Dish sponges and toothbrushes should be cleaned thoroughly with hot water or replaced for the holiday.
22. A microwave can be kashered by leaving it over for 24 hours, cleaning the inside thoroughly and then heating a dish of water in the microwave until it is filled with steam.
23. Refrigerators and cabinets need only to be wiped down with water to be kosher for Pesah. Dish strainers on which clean dishes are placed to dry do not require any kashering at all.
24. If one is not planning on using a particular vessel or appliance for Pesah, it does not require any kashering. Non-Pesah vessels should be cleaned and put away, preferably in a cabinet that is taped up or locked.
ליל הסדר - The Seder Night
1. One may not begin the Pesah Seder until at least 45 minutes after sunset.
2. Men, women and children are obligated to fulfill all the mitzvot of the night. It is especially important for children to have the Haggada explained to them.
3. The custom of Sephardim is to use red wine for the Four Cups, even if superior white wine is available. The custom of Ashkenazim is to use red wine unless a superior white wine is available.
4. The minimum amount of wine that must be contained in each of the four cups is approximately 3 fluid ounces. One must drink more than half of each cup (about 1.6 fl. oz.) to fulfill the mitzvah.
5. Almost any vegetable may be used for karpas, provided that its blessing is bore peri ha-adama. One should make sure that any vegetables eaten at the Seder (and all year round) have been carefully inspected for bugs.
6. It is preferable to use handmade matza shemura for the Seder. However, machine-made shemura is also acceptable.
7. It is ideal to use Romaine lettuce for Maror.
8. Everyone participating in the Seder is required to lean to the left when drinking any of the four cups or eating the matza, korech, or the afikoman. If a man forgot to lean while performing one of the mitzvot he must go back and redo it. Women may be lenient and need not repeat the mitzvah.
9. Sephardim recite the beracha of Borei Pri Hagefen only on the first and third cups. Ashkenazim say a beracha on all four cups.
10. The most essential part of the Haggada is “Rabban Gamliel Haya Omer”, in which the special mitzvot of the night are explained.
11. The minimum amount of matza that must be eaten for each mitzva is a little more than one third of a medium size handmade matza. However, for motzi matza on the first night, one should eat at least half of a handmade matza. The minimum amount of maror one must eat for each mitzvah is approximately 28 grams.
12. One should make every effort to complete the entire Seder, including Hallel, before “midnight” (in Rockville this year, 1:11 AM). If this is not possible, one should at least eat the afikoman before this time.
Friday, January 13, 2012
THE WRITER RAV
THE WRITER RAV
Give him what you write and he'll make it RIGHT!
Do you struggle to express yourself clearly, elegantly or persuasively in writing? Organized, stylish and effective writing gives you the competitive edge in school, business and your personal life.
The Writer Rav is a detail-oriented perfectionist with a love of language who will edit and refine your work until it becomes something even he can live with....
He has a proven track record in writing and editing all kinds of material, including (but not limited to):
- College and Graduate School Admission Essays
- Non-technical High School, College and Graduate School term papers, theses, etc.
- Announcements, Resignation Letters and Business Communications
- Cover Letters, Advertisements and Solicitations
- Important and/or Sensitive Personal Correspondence
Remember, it is not only what you say but how you say it that matters. And The Writer Rav can transform your ordinary prose into a custom-made professional-quality product that will enable you to convey your message clearly, achieve your objective effortlessly or simply help you stand out from the crowd.
The Writer Rav is also available to lead Write-Time Clinic Seminars and multi-session workshops upon request. These programs are designed to advance YOUR writing skills to the next level and will get you thinking and writing more like a professional in no time, GUARANTEED.
Listen to what people have said recently about The Writer Rav:
"Reading my version and then reading yours makes me think...this is simply not fair."
"There is no doubt - your writing skills are superb. Outstanding!"
"Holy *%$&# ! I am crying. This is truly beautiful...you are a gifted writer! Thank you for putting so much thought and effort into this."
"He is unbelievable! I could NEVER have done that myself. It frightens me how well he was able to build on the separate components and express it so well!"
So what are you waiting for? Contact The Writer Rav (in writing, of course) at thewriterrav@gmail.com and help yourself to the rare advantage of great writing today!
Give him what you write and he'll make it RIGHT!
Do you struggle to express yourself clearly, elegantly or persuasively in writing? Organized, stylish and effective writing gives you the competitive edge in school, business and your personal life.
The Writer Rav is a detail-oriented perfectionist with a love of language who will edit and refine your work until it becomes something even he can live with....
He has a proven track record in writing and editing all kinds of material, including (but not limited to):
- College and Graduate School Admission Essays
- Non-technical High School, College and Graduate School term papers, theses, etc.
- Announcements, Resignation Letters and Business Communications
- Cover Letters, Advertisements and Solicitations
- Important and/or Sensitive Personal Correspondence
Remember, it is not only what you say but how you say it that matters. And The Writer Rav can transform your ordinary prose into a custom-made professional-quality product that will enable you to convey your message clearly, achieve your objective effortlessly or simply help you stand out from the crowd.
The Writer Rav is also available to lead Write-Time Clinic Seminars and multi-session workshops upon request. These programs are designed to advance YOUR writing skills to the next level and will get you thinking and writing more like a professional in no time, GUARANTEED.
Listen to what people have said recently about The Writer Rav:
"Reading my version and then reading yours makes me think...this is simply not fair."
"There is no doubt - your writing skills are superb. Outstanding!"
"Holy *%$&# ! I am crying. This is truly beautiful...you are a gifted writer! Thank you for putting so much thought and effort into this."
"He is unbelievable! I could NEVER have done that myself. It frightens me how well he was able to build on the separate components and express it so well!"
So what are you waiting for? Contact The Writer Rav (in writing, of course) at thewriterrav@gmail.com and help yourself to the rare advantage of great writing today!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Confession and Yom Kippur - Musings from Last Year
Three questions about the confessions of sin we recite on Yom Kippur - included in all five of the prayers of the day - had been bothering me for years until a conversation with my wife Elana last year opened my mind up to a totally new perspective that sheds light on the whole concept of Yom Kippur itself. Here are the questions:
1 - Why are the words in the confession so generic ("we have been guilty, we have rebelled, we have been unjust, etc.") instead of specific?
2 -How can we confess for all of these things when we clearly haven't committed, let alone repented, for all of them?
3 - Why does the Rambam say that a person who has repented and confessed his error on one Yom Kippur can go back and do so again, despite the fact that he has not wavered in his repentance and has no new infraction to confess?
Overall, there is an even more general difficulty - how can the Rambam say there is a mitzvah for everyone to repent leading up to Yom Kippur? If one committed a transgression and was required to repent for the sin, he or she should do it because of the sin, not on account of Yom Kippur. And if one has not committed a specific sin, what is one supposed to repent for before the Holiday?
These problems are only problems because we assume that the repentance and confession of Yom Kippur is focused on our personal process of self improvement and development. Because we are attempting to understand repentance and confession in that framework, it makes no sense to repeat generic confessions that are unrelated to our individual repentance process.
However, the reality is that the process of repentance we are obliged to go through prior to Yom Kippur is not primarily about correcting our individual sins and flaws (although that is, of course, a wonderful byproduct). Individualistic repentance should be done year round, whenever a mistake has been recognized it must be acknowledged and corrected. There is no need to defer it until Yom Kippur, and it makes little sense for there to be a "deadline" each year for the completion of our self-improvement.
The theme of Yom Kippur is the general awareness of a gulf that exists between a transcendent, metaphysical Creator and His limited, physical and very flawed creations. Our acknowledgment of myriad sins is a manifestation of our awareness of how distant we are from perfection. And our individual and collective repentance at this time, although it certainly serves to improve us and our lives, also serves to highlight the existence of human imperfection in general and to contrast that with the perfection and transcendence of Hashem.
So, although personal development would not necessitate the repetition of confession - what has been rectified is rectified and requires no further discussion or declaration - our past sins, and the sins of others that we have not committed personally, are indeed relevant to our general awareness of the limitations of the human quest to know and serve God. The occurrence of these transgressions in the past, even though they may have been corrected afterwards, still testifies to the reality that we are finite creatures whose understanding and worship of an infinite Creator is necessarily filled with distortions, shortcomings and flaws. These distortions and flaws are what lead us to value the physically pleasurable and the material over the intellectual or spiritual - i.e., to commit intentional or unintentional transgressions.
This approach is clearly supported in the Torah, where we see that one of the main purposes of the Order of the Temple Service was to cleanse and atone for the Sanctuary itself, which "dwells among the Jews amidst their impurity". In other words, the very notion of human beings standing before and worshiping God must be recognized as paradoxical and deeply problematic. We cannot take it for granted; rather, we must realize that the very institution of a Sanctuary or of a way of life or system of Mitzvot that allows human beings to approach the Almighty is almost an absurdity given our physicality and consequent intellectual and moral limitations.
This "absurdity" can only be "tolerated" provided that we are well aware of the difference between our flawed conceptions of God and His worship on one hand and the ultimate reality on the other hand. We demonstrate our awareness by repenting and confessing individually and communally on Yom Kippur, all the while affirming the transcendence, uniqueness and inscrutability of Hashem throughout the prayers. Indeed, a close examination of the Temple Service, especially the entry into the Holy of Holies and the pronouncement of the ineffable name of God - and the linking of those activities, fascinatingly, to the fasting and repentance of the nation - reveals that this distinction between our limited and distorted understanding of metaphysical truth and the awesomeness of metaphysical reality itself is what is being emphasized throughout the process. To confuse the two is either to denigrate the Creator or to arrogantly lift man onto a pedestal of which he is not worthy.
(I do not mean that Hashem is unsatisfied with man's existence and wants us to feel bad - after all, He created mankind the way that it is. What I mean is that Hashem instructs us to recognize the degree to which we fall short of true knowledge and perfection, for our own sake, so that we bear the proper perspective in mind.)
On Yom Kippur, our personal process of repentance becomes the window through which we perceive the abiding reality of our own humble position in the universe and recognize the tremendous kindness bestowed upon us by our Creator. We acknowledge that despite our inability to truly know Him or live by His wisdom in the absolute sense, and despite our harboring countless illusions and distortions in our view of ourselves, our world and our God which, by pure justice, should be intolerable, He nonetheless grants us "forgiveness" and "atonement", the opportunity and the tools to engage in the lifelong process of striving for an ideal which we never more than partially attain.
1 - Why are the words in the confession so generic ("we have been guilty, we have rebelled, we have been unjust, etc.") instead of specific?
2 -How can we confess for all of these things when we clearly haven't committed, let alone repented, for all of them?
3 - Why does the Rambam say that a person who has repented and confessed his error on one Yom Kippur can go back and do so again, despite the fact that he has not wavered in his repentance and has no new infraction to confess?
Overall, there is an even more general difficulty - how can the Rambam say there is a mitzvah for everyone to repent leading up to Yom Kippur? If one committed a transgression and was required to repent for the sin, he or she should do it because of the sin, not on account of Yom Kippur. And if one has not committed a specific sin, what is one supposed to repent for before the Holiday?
These problems are only problems because we assume that the repentance and confession of Yom Kippur is focused on our personal process of self improvement and development. Because we are attempting to understand repentance and confession in that framework, it makes no sense to repeat generic confessions that are unrelated to our individual repentance process.
However, the reality is that the process of repentance we are obliged to go through prior to Yom Kippur is not primarily about correcting our individual sins and flaws (although that is, of course, a wonderful byproduct). Individualistic repentance should be done year round, whenever a mistake has been recognized it must be acknowledged and corrected. There is no need to defer it until Yom Kippur, and it makes little sense for there to be a "deadline" each year for the completion of our self-improvement.
The theme of Yom Kippur is the general awareness of a gulf that exists between a transcendent, metaphysical Creator and His limited, physical and very flawed creations. Our acknowledgment of myriad sins is a manifestation of our awareness of how distant we are from perfection. And our individual and collective repentance at this time, although it certainly serves to improve us and our lives, also serves to highlight the existence of human imperfection in general and to contrast that with the perfection and transcendence of Hashem.
So, although personal development would not necessitate the repetition of confession - what has been rectified is rectified and requires no further discussion or declaration - our past sins, and the sins of others that we have not committed personally, are indeed relevant to our general awareness of the limitations of the human quest to know and serve God. The occurrence of these transgressions in the past, even though they may have been corrected afterwards, still testifies to the reality that we are finite creatures whose understanding and worship of an infinite Creator is necessarily filled with distortions, shortcomings and flaws. These distortions and flaws are what lead us to value the physically pleasurable and the material over the intellectual or spiritual - i.e., to commit intentional or unintentional transgressions.
This approach is clearly supported in the Torah, where we see that one of the main purposes of the Order of the Temple Service was to cleanse and atone for the Sanctuary itself, which "dwells among the Jews amidst their impurity". In other words, the very notion of human beings standing before and worshiping God must be recognized as paradoxical and deeply problematic. We cannot take it for granted; rather, we must realize that the very institution of a Sanctuary or of a way of life or system of Mitzvot that allows human beings to approach the Almighty is almost an absurdity given our physicality and consequent intellectual and moral limitations.
This "absurdity" can only be "tolerated" provided that we are well aware of the difference between our flawed conceptions of God and His worship on one hand and the ultimate reality on the other hand. We demonstrate our awareness by repenting and confessing individually and communally on Yom Kippur, all the while affirming the transcendence, uniqueness and inscrutability of Hashem throughout the prayers. Indeed, a close examination of the Temple Service, especially the entry into the Holy of Holies and the pronouncement of the ineffable name of God - and the linking of those activities, fascinatingly, to the fasting and repentance of the nation - reveals that this distinction between our limited and distorted understanding of metaphysical truth and the awesomeness of metaphysical reality itself is what is being emphasized throughout the process. To confuse the two is either to denigrate the Creator or to arrogantly lift man onto a pedestal of which he is not worthy.
(I do not mean that Hashem is unsatisfied with man's existence and wants us to feel bad - after all, He created mankind the way that it is. What I mean is that Hashem instructs us to recognize the degree to which we fall short of true knowledge and perfection, for our own sake, so that we bear the proper perspective in mind.)
On Yom Kippur, our personal process of repentance becomes the window through which we perceive the abiding reality of our own humble position in the universe and recognize the tremendous kindness bestowed upon us by our Creator. We acknowledge that despite our inability to truly know Him or live by His wisdom in the absolute sense, and despite our harboring countless illusions and distortions in our view of ourselves, our world and our God which, by pure justice, should be intolerable, He nonetheless grants us "forgiveness" and "atonement", the opportunity and the tools to engage in the lifelong process of striving for an ideal which we never more than partially attain.
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