Hate? HATE??

Love/Hate

This week we will take a little break, while we enjoy a sandwich (without matzah)!

A break from Pirkei Avot, that is.

But first; our (Hebrew) word for the week: Ahavat-Ahavas: אהבה

With the root of:

אהב

Love; loving; relating intimately; devote completely to another. dv: offer/bring forth. “Ahab”, which occurs 250 times in our Hebrew Bible, means, and shows, spontaneous, impulsive love. While “Hesed” denotes a deliberate choice of affection and kindness [notice that this indicates a lesser ‘devotion’ to another]*. And the Hebrew word: raham translates into having compassion or ‘brotherly love’. (that: [brotherly love] is, in itself, worth investigation in this era of "PC" attitudes; but we'll best leave that for another discussion)

* We will consider this later in our discussion but please note that Greek (and Latin) have many many more 'shades' of meanings in 'interpretation' of LOVE.

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Today we got to that word by way of an essay by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in the L.A. Jewish Journal, entitled: Christian Love vs. the Obligation to Hate Evil. Allow me to paraphrase his words – as I have several other words sitting in my computer that want to contribute to the discussion.

After a preface discussing which horrific event we can control and which we cannot, he asks why we do not stop the evil. “Why does evil continue to flourish so mightily in the year 2011?” “Why has the Mafioso Assad family continued to rule Syria for decades?”

“Why, only after beginning to use rocket-propelled grenades against demonstrators is [Gaddafi] declared by an American president to have lost ‘the legitimacy to rule’?”

Because, he says, “(W)e have forgotten how to hate evil.”

Early Christians – like Paul – embraced the Jewish Bible but rejected what they called the ‘vengeful’ G-d of the "Old Testament”. In its place they promoted Jesus (to, or) as, a deity. He, they claim was, synonymous with love. Hate had no further place – and that included evil! [In the book of Malachi] we read HaShem saying; “I love Jacob but I hate Esau.” The former being a representative of those who struggle for peace and the latter is a symbol of those who live by the sword. Jesus tells the Christians to ‘turn the other cheek’ and this is to advocate passivity in the face of blind cruelty. And look where that got the Jews in 1939, 1940, 1948, 1967... !!!

The rabbi says that this was a sanitized version of Jesus. He says that JC was a rebel against Rome (the Empire) and for that reason was put to death; but the effects of this misapprehension are still felt today. He then mentions just a few of the 20th century genocides: The Turks slaughter of the Armenians (WWI); the Shoah (!!!); the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia; the Hutus murders of the Tutsis in Rwanda; the Croats... the Muslim Janjaweed militias (not to mention the murder of hundreds, or perhaps, thousands, of Mexicans by the cartels). [Where did that ‘turning of the cheek’ get the world’s population in the past 100 years alone?]

Rabbi continues: “How did the world allow so much suffering? Because we practice love with hating?” Meaning we often lack the motivation to stop monsters from committing their crimes against innocents. Is it that or our lack of ethics? Our lack of ‘backbone’? Our lack of wanting the other fellow to do it (for us)? Or our own lack of courage? That is mankind’s lack of courage, to be sure!

A couple more points that the rabbi made: The Obama presidency hosted a state dinner for China while they brutalized a Noble Peace Prize winner. The Carter administration lobbied to have the Khmer Rouge recognized by the UN! Kofi Anan (as head of all UN Peacekeeping forces) kept a Canadian General from using force against the Rwandan genocide forces. [His reward? The appointment of him as Secretary-General].

Can, he asks, love really exist without hate? [can we have light without knowing what darkness is?] “Can someone claim to love the 1.5 million children who were killed by Hitler without hating the SS who gassed them and dashed their brains against rocks?”

Rabbi continues with more (rhetorical?) questions and then says that it is stupid to say that once we hate evil and terrorists, that it will spill over into hating innocents as well. Discerning adults, however, are capable of controlling their emotions and direct them to legitimate targets. This, then, he says, is what Jesus himself meant. He never told the Christians (or anyone else) to love G-d’s enemies. Just your (true) enemy. Likewise, by turning the other cheek, Jesus never meant that if Osama bin Laden blows up New York that we should let him take Los Angeles as well. Jesus knew, full well, that Evil Exists.

If (JC meant [to perhaps put words in his mouth, just as evangelicals seem to do]) someone whom you consider a friend said something unpleasant about you, (you) need to transcend the provocation.

But remember that Evil Exists.

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A recent article in “Time” asked; “What if there’s no HELL?” In the article, it is noteworthy that “Christianity becomes more of an ethical habit of mind than a faith based on divine revelation.” Which seems to say that the evangelical Christians are beginning to understand what the Jews have been attempting to do in their lives for multiple centuries before Christianity was created. When the evangelists say that G-d is love... (and) that it should lead human beings to work for the good of this world, it shows an awareness that one can love a fellow and still hate evil. Perhaps even work to eradicate evil?

Consider then, these two final comments:

The Rebbe Maharash quoted what the Baal Shem Tov says, that when one passes judgement on another, he is passing judgement on himself, whether for positive or negative.

The Frierdiker Rebbe said; If a negative aspect is noticed (in another), it is due to a lacking of the beholder and he should correct it within himself.

As a friend of mine is quick to say: Think about it.

d

Starting in Chapter Two:

In chapter two, we read:

Two/One

והוי זהיר במצוה קלה כבחמורה שאין אתה יודע מתן של מצות.

“Be as scrupulous in performing a “minor” mitzvah as in a “major” one, for you do not know the reward given for the respective mitzvah

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The word this week: זהיר

The 3-letter root is: זהר

Meanings: radiating {?}; warning of limit; clarifying limitations and the cm: limit/complete From the “Babylonian9” software translator we find: adj. cautious; careful; guarded; observing; safe; shy; cagy...; calculating... Thus we are being told by the Avot to be scrupulous and cautious, or careful and guarded... to set a limit in how we respond to and perform – what we consider – to be a “minor” mitzvah. Obviously the question is: what do we consider a minor and what do we consider a major mitzvah? Catch 22? Is ‘your’ minor mitzvah the same as ‘my’ minor mitzvah? Is ‘remembering’ Shabbos the same as observing’ Shabbos? Do we really know? How?

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...that a man should choose... (to be) as scrupulous; moves us into the realm of the imperative and announces a shift from personal choice to that of a mandatory observance (of the Mitzvot). This is not The Saying of our Fathers (nor the Wisdom of our Fathers); this is now a declaration of law, if you will. This is Torah Law and Ethics, yes – Ethics or Mussar. So there is not a ‘Catch 22’ – we must observe the lesser mitzvah just as we do the greater.

Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi advocates for doing what we believe (is right/correct)! Or, as he says, “Upright behavior comes first in the Mishnah, because proper social conduct should precede Torah observance.”

Based as it is on Vayikra Rabbah “Proper social conduct - or: derech eretz - preceded the Torah by 26 generations.” !!!

Before we can continue with this, we need to stop and consider the implications in that comment. Now, especially, as we observe Pesach. As I write this we are still some 47 days away from the observance of receiving Torah. That means that the Israelites were observing, even as slaves, the Proper Social Conduct through the teaching of their fathers for more than 600 years (in round numbers)! While enslaved to Pharaoh, our Jewish ancestors, were ‘doing the right thing’ and teaching the children to ‘do the right thing’ and telling them to teach their children the ethics of monotheism from father Avraham.

1Now we are told that all mitzvot must be observed equally. And as a mitzvah may come into conflict (if you will) with another; one must defer the observance of one over the other.

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As we speak of Pesach, we can see an example of this conflict. The burial of a deceased person takes precedence over the Pesach observances. This does not say that the burial of the dead is in any way more important as a mitzvah than the observance of Pesach. Simply, the body is to be buried without delay.

Thus we see how it is that we do not know what mitzvah is to be considered more, or less, important to the Holy One. We have no way of comprehending how, or why, the observance of Shabbos is more, or less, important than the observance of having the proper symbols displayed on our Seder plate.

We know that of the 613 mitzvot, many cannot be observed outside of the Holy Land, many cannot be observed now because we no longer have a Temple and cannot offer the sacrifices specified in Torah, but what mitzvot we can observer – we are to perform equally with due diligence.

In the same manner, we do not know what our loss is in missing a mitzvah any more that we can know the reward gained against its cost. Be as scrupulous, calculating, guarded and knowing the limits of observing, or not observing, any particular mitzvah.

We have three exhortations addressing the reasons we do not adequately observe Torah: There is a lack of motivation. There is a concern for loss. And there is the temptation for pleasure [Yetzer Hara at work]. We know a man who once told a Rabbis’ class that his family would not eat bread at some meals so that they would “not have to” ‘Bench’. The Rabbi, as well as most of us in the class could not understand why he (or any Jew) would want to miss an opportunity to do another mitzvah. As the rabbi told us; one (more) mitzvah at a time [it is not all or nothing]. But observe each one with all good intentions.

Know what is above you -

a watchful Eye, an attentive Ear and all your deeds are recorded in a book.

Mishnah 2 Rabban Gamliel, son of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, says: “Torah study is good together with proper social conduct, for the exertion of them both makes sin forgotten. All Torah study

that is not joined with work will cease in the end, and leads to sin*. All who exert themselves for the community should exert themselves for the sake of Heaven, for then the merit of their fathers aids them and their righteousness endures forever. Nevertheless, as for you, I {HaShem} will bestow upon you as great a reward as if you had accomplished it on your own.”

*Sin, as we learn from our observance of the High Holy Days, is considered as ‘missing the mark (target)’. If we are not concerned with the proper social conduct or if we are lax in our Torah studies, we are and will be missing our goal. Ergo, we are finding ourselves involved with ‘sin’.

As our Siddur tells us in our Sharkharit service;

“In fulfilling the following commandments one enjoys the yield in this world while the principal remains for all eternity: honoring father and mother, performing deeds of loving kindness, punctually attending the house of study morning and evening, showing hospitality to strangers, visiting the sick, helping the needy bride, attending the dead, praying with devotions, and making peace between individuals; and the merit of Torah study is equal to all of these.” __Talmud, Shabbat 127a

We will continue to look at and learn from the Pirkei Avot, and the commentary based upon the Maharal’s Derech Chaim – but I do want to make a bit of a detour next week, if you will indulge me this, and we will then return to the Pirkei Avot.

Shalom __and may you enjoy your Pesach Holiday.

Don’t forget that each person is to Count the Omer for him/herself.

New... New... New

Something new for each blog:

Investigation of the three-letter Hebrew “root” of a random word found in the subject matter that we will be discussing. For an example; this week we will begin with the 1-14 ‘item’ from Pirkei Avot, in which Hillel makes a well known comment; He used to say: If I am not for myself… (as we discuss below).

יד הוה אומר– אם אין אני לי, מי לי?

Let’s look at the Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (Matityahu Clark):

אומר

The three-letter root is: אמר

“Saying; speech; utterance”

Some of the meanings that we find in the Tanach are:

Speaking…

Informing [Lv 21:1] ויאמר די אל משה אמור

Assimilating speech...

Thinking...

Causing speech...

Arouse/Oppose/Exchange

Sayings...

Tradition…

Command…

dv (derivational ):

Arouse/Oppose/Exchange

cm (cognate): [interesting]

Bring together/ Collect/Heap

So the word Omer carries many shades of saying or telling and perhaps it is best related to “informing” in this context. But we find it interesting that the word will shortly be used as in; Counting the Omer. Certainly we are not counting the speech or promise and so we look to the cognate meaning of “heap”, for the Omer that we count is usually referred to as being a “measure” of our offering(s). In Biblical time we can probably safely assume that everyone did not have access to accurate weights and measures, but certainly everyone could make a “heap”. The three-letter root of words give us great insight into some of the shades of meaning that we encounter in Torah study.

He used to say: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?

Hillel continues his theme of humility. His is the opinion that we should not consider ourselves adequately accomplished in spiritual growth or as Torah Scholars. If we do not push ourselves and make an effort to improve ourselves in understanding Torah and in performing the mitzvot we will not grow. Study, study, study; only study will make a miracle. That is an ancient Japanese saying. [Did any of the “Lost Tribes” make their way to Japan?] If your father, grandfather, and his father learned Torah - that does not mean anything about our growth in Torah scholarship. We do not inherit it. We do not learn through osmosis or sleeping with our head on the Bible.

Hillel meant, when he asked [...if I am for myself, what am I?], “Even if I fulfill my obligation to perform mitzvot, I am only human and I cannot put in the amount of effort that the soul requires!” Or; we can only grow a little at a time and we never reach a plateau that is “good enough” for eternity.

And if not now, when?

Life is short.

If we do not act now… when?

Or: if we don’t wake up and smell the coffee…

you know the rest.

There is no one lest that can achieve our spiritual

goals for us.

Even our best efforts (at doing the mitzvot) will certainly

fall short of our goal. Our needs to improve our soul.

Ars longa,

vita brevis,

occasio praeceps,

experimentum periculosum,

iudicium difficile.

[The] art is long,

life is short,

opportunity fleeting,

experiment dangerous,

judgment difficult.

Art [is] long,

vitality [is] brief,

occasion precipitous,

experiment perilous,

judgment difficult.

Shammai says: Make your Torah study a fixed practice;

say little and do much; and receive everyone with a

cheerful face.

Hillel and Shammai are frequently of differing opinions.

That is not to say that one is right and the other wrong.

Generally speaking we ‘follow’ the teachings of Hillel.

That, again, is not to say that Shammai and his teaching

was ‘wrong’. The had different life experiences - as do

we - and had differing philosophies on life.

Nu? Let’s consider Shammai and what he says here:

Shammai tells us to guard agains transgression and warns us not to compromise the core issues surrounding Torah study [and Hellel agrees with this - see they do not always have a dispute]. They do, however, disagree on how rigid the practice of Torah should be - is there, or is there not - room for differing practices? One opinion of Shammai’s dictum is that you need to have a strict (or lenient) code which applies to both yourself and to others. Or: do not be lenient yourself and demand that others be strict. Or vice versa. Even so, we find Hillel strict with himself and lenient with others.

...say little and do much…

Shammai warns us agains committing to do too much and then transgress your own word. Hillel agrees. In the context of Torah study “say little” means that you should say only the law -- as you intend to practice it! That is opposite of: saying much and doing little. Shammai is saying that our actions and our words should not differ so - just as Torah is not subject to change, so Torah study should not accommodate variations.

Is that the same as saying that Torah does not change; it is ourselves,

with our needs and desires and understanding and life experiences, that change?

This is, indeed, a point of disagreement between Shammai and Hillel. How do we understand it? How do we come to grips with it? Is it a matter of liberal vs traditional backgrounds - in the Jewish understanding of these terms (not the political usage)? Do we think that the Orthodox follow the school of Shammai and the Reform the school of Hillel? Or is that “profiling”?

...and receive everyone with a cheerful face.

Here we find Shamai’s advice stemming form the ‘fear of G-d’ where it avoids slighting people, and that complements Hillel’s opinion that we need to energetically pursue harmony. Hillel maintains that we do not need to follow this dictum in that the other person should not care if he does not receive a cordial greeting, because he should not be particular whether people’s conduct conforms to his personal preferences. Therefore is is not necessary to ‘receive everyone with a cheerful face’. And while Shammai does agree that the other person should not care… he maintains that the one doing the greeting must be particular to greet each individual in a pleasant manner because that is an absolute standard of conduct (and the recipient’s attitude is irrelevant to our conduct).

Heady stuff and it offers much to think about, consider, and discuss. Is there black are white? Are there differing shades of grey? Is there a Whiter shade of Pale? Beyond the Pale?

Shalom.

For the:

Shabbos Torah Study Group

Whoa, Big Fella. Whoa

[I have been asked to change the format in increase the font size for the sake of 'tired eyes'.

So here it is. Let me know what you think. Thank you.]

WHOa__

Pirkei Avot Mishnah 1–6 מסנה א–ו

“Accept a Torah teacher upon yourself; acquire a friend for yourself, and judge everyone favorably.”

We should be receptive to learn from a Torah scholar who has something to offer (even if he is not learned enough to serve as our main teacher). It is worth the effort required to accept that person as a teacher whether we learn much or little from him.

Acquire a friend for yourself...

friendship is owned in partnership between the two friends.

We should give a positive overall evaluation to all people, and be prepared to overlook things when necessary. Do not rebuff person by saying that he is unworthy.

Dealing, as it does, with social conduct and the fact that we do live as a part of kindred people; successful participation in society flows from the love of HaShem. This, in practice means that we should accept a religious superior as a “Rav” - although he be not perfect. In the same manner we need accept our peers as companions - although they do not always meed our standards. Perhaps what is more important, we need judge everyone favorably and do not let differences keep us apart. Or, as the Maharal tells us: Draw people near and do not rebuff them.

ז 7

Distance yourself from a bad neighbor

And do not associate with a wicked person, and do not despair of retribution.

Okay. Let’s stop to consider this.

What are we speaking about? Are we talking about the guy next door (over the backyard fence)? Are we talking about our Jewish mishpochen? Or an Yehudah? Are we talking about anyone in our city, county, state... or country? Hey! What about our country’s relationship with other countries? How do we distance ourselves from Canada or Mexico? How do we draw near our friends in Japan, or Israel, or Gabon or The Gambria [yes, those are real countries]? How do we avoid dealing with countries like Syria, Cuba, Somolia? How do we distance ourselves from the Jew who wants to befriend our shul but we know that he has “dirty hands”? How do we befriend the real dirty hands of the homeless in need?

Whoa !!! These questions are loaded. It is not a black-and-white life here in 2011.

1Nittai warns us to be vigilant agains the death and destruction that are an integral part of the physical world. [that is Nittai of Arbel] We should not trust that wealth (like our wealth of technology, as an example - just go read the weekly military obits for proof of that!) will save us from difficult times - look what happened to Hamen in the blink of an eye, and what happened to the country dedicated to the avoidance of earthquake problems; Japan. But the Mishnah tells us to not give up on harmful events and not to worry about them because worrying about impending danger is itself an undesirable trait. On the other hand, we need to consider the dangers and to prepare for the worst possible conditions that we can think of - without worrying that we did not do everything possible.

As an individual then, does it do any good to worry about the unrest in the Moslem lands? As a country should we be concerned about the Moslem unrest? What do we do? Distance our selves? Develop defense methods? Use covert approaches and “Black Ops”? The words of the Pirkei Avot do not address this but are there guidelines here to use?

As residents of quake-country, CA, are we to worry - or are we to prepare as the Wisdom of our Forefathers tells us? This whole section is full of questions for us to address individually and in concert with our friends, teachers and judges advise us. Nor does that mean that we cannot develop our own avenues of life independent of others. Which is, of course, when we speak of individuals and of smaller groups; the questions remain for countries and way in which we govern ourselves when we are not a homogenous group but a country of diverse needs and talents. [you can use America, Israel, the UK or any other larger country to discover the many needs of people.

To continue-

8 x

This deals with judges and how they should consider both parties as guilty and then, after the trial has been resolved, to judge them both righteous. This in the case of litigation, of course, not as in a murder trial. Again in Mishnah 9 we find the Avot addressing legal matters involving the judges. So we will give over and continue with:

10 y

Here we find mussar which is directed toward the spiritual leaders so that they may develop and protect the love & fear of HaShem (as we previously addressed) within the respective communities. Shemayah & Avtalyon (both descended from converts, simply as a manner of record) received [the Torah] from them.

Shemayah says: “Love work; despise holding office; and do not become overly familiar with the government.” Is is not interesting that our own United States developers of our Constitution included the “Right to bear arms... as a protection against our own government”? The rabbis said that (being in) positions of authority result in the opposite of loving work, for it shortens live in this world. Maharal asks this: Why did Yosef die before his brothers? Because he conducted himself in a position of authority. Of course, we look at the history of our presidential holders and wonder why some of them could not have passed earlier. Rather, we are encourages to love (our) work, thus we are too busy to become overly familiar’ with the government. Today we might extend this to include not becoming overly familiar with the “Fourth Estate”; can you tell me of more than one or two magazines, newspapers, TV or radio news that do not earn its living by promoting doom and gloom?

Since officials seek only that which is in their own benefit, no good can come of associating with them. But evil certainly will. People in power approach an individual only when it is to their own benefit. That person can be certain that he will not gain from such an affiliation.

Are these words of bitterness? Does this sound like someone who has been passed-over or slighted and has missed out in being part of the “In Crowd”? Or is this the way of the world? The truth being a bitter pill sometimes? Government is a creation of man. Ask Yithro. As the creation of man it is, ipso facto, flawed. Some government more. Some less. All flawed. [why would someone spend millions of dollars (Pound; Franc; Guilder...) to secure a job that pays a few hundred thousand]?

...think about it.

tvba yqrp

Shabbos Torah Study Group

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