Would I Encourage My Daughter to Enlist in a Combat Unit of Israel Defense Forces?

Parshat Bamidbar
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Is Army Service for Jewish Girls Acceptable in the Torah?

No matter what, I could never imagine myself carrying a gun. Even back in the eighties, when I was in my early twenties and we lived in a desolate new Yishuv – Metzad, surrounded by Arabs, I could not imagine it. Then, I didn’t join my many female friends in a course in weapons training offered to the women. It was not because I didn’t agree with women learning to shoot. I was well aware that Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and Rav Ovadia Yosef allow women to bear arms on guard duty when there is a question of pikuach nefesh (saving lives). So why not? In my case, it would be more dangerous to try to use a gun than not. Any weapon in my hands could easily be used against me. I believe Israel is the only army in the world that recruits girls for combat units. Women in Israel must complete two years’ compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces. Some even choose to serve for three years alongside the men. These women want to demonstrate their support for the State of Israel while serving their country in the same way as the boys. They pride themselves in being treated completely equal in the Israeli army. Apparently, Israeli women are fighters – girls with character. Still, despite their dedication to serve their country they are admittedly not as physically strong as men. For over 20 years, Midreshet Lindenbaum offers Judaic studies combined with service in the IDF – Israel Defense Forces – for post-high school young women from abroad. One of their graduates even received an award for her significant service in the Intelligence Corps and her extraordinary contribution to the country. Midreshet Lindenbaum is under the auspices of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, known for being on the fringes of Orthodox Judaism. I would like to explore additional Torah views on women and army service.

From the Bridal Canopy to the Military

Although army service is compulsory in Israel, among those who are unable or don’t want to serve in the army, many choose (mainly Zionist-religious) to serve our country through Sherut Leumi (National Service) as volunteers in hospitals, schools, special education, administration, nursing homes, teens at risk, disadvantaged communities, immigrant assistance etc. Despite this option, every year, the army receives more and more religious female recruits, who not only enlist for traditional roles in the Education Corps but also join combat units. If I had a daughter, would I support her if she was to choose army service over Sherut Leumi? According to the Mishna, when it comes to an obligatory war, e.g., to defend the Land of Israel as well as protect Jewish lives from the enemies, not only is permission granted for women to participate, even a bride is compelled to leave her bridal canopy and join the army:

משנה מסכת סוטה פרק ח משנה ז

אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, בַּמֶּה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִים, בְּמִלְחֶמֶת מִצְוָה. אֲבָל בְּמִלְחֶמֶת חוֹבָה, הַכֹּל יוֹצְאִין, אֲפִלּוּ חָתָן מֵחֶדְרוֹ וְכַלָּה מֵחֻפָּתָהּ:

Rabbi Yehuda says …in an obligatory war all go out, even a bridegroom from his chamber and a bride from her canopy (Mishnah Sotah Chapter 8, Mishnah 7).

Yet, according to Rabbi Israel Lipschitz (1782–1860), it is not the role of a woman to serve in a combat role:

תפארת ישראל /יכין/ על מסכת סוטה פרק ח משנה ז

[נב] וכלה מחופתה - אשה לאו בת מלחמה, רק לספק מזון ולתקן הדרכים אף היא יוצאת:

A BRIDE FROM HER CANOPY – A woman is not a daughter of war. She only goes out [to the army] in order to provide food and other services (Tiferet Yisrael, on Mishna Sotah, Chapter 8, Mishnah 7).

Biblical Female Leaders Avoid Using Weapons of Warfare

Similarly, Devorah, the prophetess, expressed strong resistance to entering the army during the war with Yavin, king of Canaan (Shoftim 4:6-9). Although she initiated and led the entire process of the war, she, nevertheless, appointed Barak to be the General of the Army, while she herself never actively participated in the actual warfare (Rav Shlomo Aviner, Eishet Chail, Women in the Bible p. 138). Devorah did everything in her power to avoid any position in the army.  We learn about Devorah’s outlook on women and army service when she tells Barak that as a punishment for depending upon her, the final victory would not be through him, but through a woman. Devorah held by certain role divisions between men and women. She believed that it is the job of the man to be victorious in war. Therefore, she refused to enter combat, not because of a soft heart or a delicate soul, not because of sensitivity to blood or corpses. It was only her conviction of the correct role division between men and women that kept her from going to war.  Devorah regarded the attempt to drag her into the battle as a weakness of Barak, the general. This flaw caused his dishonor so that the final victory took place through Yael – a woman (Rav Adin Steinzhaltz, Nashim b’Mikra p. 53).

Why did Yael use a tent peg to kill the enemy? I don’t even know how to stick a tent peg into the ground, let alone to use it to kill anyone. Why did Yael endanger herself by killing Sisera with this awkward, clumsy tool rather than using his sword? She risked her life in order to uphold the laws of modesty:

“She lays her hands to the distaff” (Mishley 31:19). This is Yael, who did not kill him with a weapon but with the peg of a tent, as it states, “She put her hand to the tent peg.” Why did she not kill him with a weapon? In order to fulfill that which it states in Devarim 22:5 “A woman shall not wear that which pertains to a man” (Yalkut Shimoni 31:964).

From the prohibition of cross-dressing (Devarim 22:5), Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov learns that a woman should not wear a military uniform or carry weapons of war (Nazir 59a; Sifra on Devarim 22:6; Targum Onkelos on Devarim 22:5).

Male Military Service with Exemption for the Levites

In Parashat Bamidbar, military service seems to be strictly a male and not a female task. Half of the parasha (the entire chapter 1 and 2) is dedicated to enumerating the men suitable for joining the military:

ספר במדבר פרק א (ב) שְׂאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת כָּל זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם: (ג) מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כָּל יֹצֵא צָבָא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל תִּפְקְדוּ אֹתָם לְצִבְאֹתָם אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן:

“Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by families following their fathers' houses; a head count of every male according to the number of their names. From twenty years old and upwards, all who are fit to go out to the army in Israel, you shall count them by their legions you and Aharon” (Bamidbar 1:2-3).

Note that the word זָכָר/zachar – ‘male’ is mentioned three times in connection with army service in the first chapter of the Book of Bamidbar. When I listened to the news today, driving home from the pool, I heard that the head of Yisrael Beitenu, Liberman, insists that the Chareidi (ultra-Orthodox) also be drafted into the military. Otherwise, he refuses to join the coalition (The Times of Israel, May 27, 2019). This statement was made during the week of Parashat Bamidbar which describes the biblical male, military role, and in which the root צ-ב-א/tzadik-beit-alef is mentioned 37 times!

The last two chapters of Parashat Bamidbar deals with the tribe of Levi who is distinguished from the rest of the tribes by being exempt from army service. This is because of their duty to serve in the Tabernacle:

ספר במדבר פרק ג (ו) קְרֵב אֶת מַטֵּה לֵוִי וְהַעֲמַדְתָּ אֹתוֹ לִפְנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן וְשֵׁרְתוּ אֹתוֹ:

(ז) וְשָׁמְרוּ אֶת מִשְׁמַרְתּוֹ וְאֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת כָּל הָעֵדָה לִפְנֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לַעֲבֹד אֶת עֲבֹדַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן:

(ח) וְשָׁמְרוּ אֶת כָּל כְּלֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְאֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲבֹד אֶת עֲבֹדַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן:

“Bring forth the tribe of Levi and present them before Aharon the kohen, that they may serve him. They shall keep his charge and the charge of the entire community before the Tent of Meeting, to perform the service of the Mishkan. They shall take charge of all the vessels of the Tent of Meeting and the charge of the children of Israel, to perform the service of the Mishkan” (Bamidbar 3:6-8).

Being a Combat Soldier Defies Natural Feminine Compassion

Whether the claim of Chareidi men to have taken on the role of the tribe of Levites is justified or not (see Rambam Hilchot Shemita and Yovel 13:13) is a discussion for another time. Yet, surely, the daughters of Israel have a right to this army exemption for similar reasons to those of the tribe of Levi. Just as the Levites “perform the service of the Mishkan,” women traditionally perform the service of the home – the miniature Mishkan, where they are the chieftains who raise Jewish families. In addition, just as the Levites, women are closer to the Shechinah – the Divine Feminine Presence. The Shechinah expresses the feminine attributes of the Creator; thus, She provides us with motherly love, compassion, empathy, nurturing, and protection. This contrasts with masculine energy, which tends to be outgoing and assertive, sometimes even aggressive. Whereas, a woman integrates her spiritual, emotional and physical sides, a man’s physicality is often detached from his emotional and spiritual aspects. The masculine role, such as serving in the army, requires special focus and detachment from his emotions and family ties. In contrast, a woman naturally integrates all parts of her being, which facilitates her role as a multitasking mother. When a woman enlists in an army combat unit, she suppresses her natural feminine attributes and thrusts herself into the masculine mold. Although there are exceptions to the general differences between men and women, why would we want to encourage a Jewish woman to become more masculine, by taking on masculine, military roles and thereby detaching herself from her emotions and family ties?

The Talmud sums it up frankly, “It is the way of a man to make war, not the way of a woman” (Kiddushin 2b). In the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society, No. 16 (1988), Rabbi Alfred S. Cohen finds across-the-board rabbinic objections to compelling women to serve in the Israeli military. He quotes the Chazon Ish (Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz), who told David Ben-Gurion that Judaism would be morally endangered if there were women soldiers. For all these reasons, if I had a daughter, I would encourage her to choose Sherut Leumi, rather than entering the military. I would especially do anything in my power to prevent her from joining a combat unit.

Who Says the Curses are the Main Theme of Parashat B’Chukotai?

Parshat B’Chukotai
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Fulfillment of Prophetic Blessings in Israel Today

I feel so grateful for all of Hashem’s blessings. Thank you, Hashem, for giving me the opportunity to have traveled to three countries in less than three weeks in order to spread the light of Torah from Israel for the nineteenth time at least. Thank you for the opportunity to plant such a beautiful, memorial garden for my dear father, Shlomo ben Yisrael Leib z”l at Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin, and to be able to build two new beautiful permanent dormitories. I thank all of you who organized events, hosted me, picked me up and dropped me off, supported, helped spreading the word and participated! I will let you in on a little secret. I’m writing all this in advance of the week I depart from Israel, and it’s actually very therapeutic, to think ahead and imagine having returned from a successful tour in one piece, with Hashem’s help and yours! Going on these kinds of speaking tours is like jumping into ice-cold water, with all the apprehension. At last, when we emerge from swimming the planned laps, we feel amazing! Actually, I really didn’t want to leave Israel at this most beautiful time of year. As you can see in the photos, my garden is in fuller bloom than ever. Throughout the years, I’ve been crying out to Hashem about my flowerless garden. Every flower I planted would wither away in no time. Finally, with a sudden intensity, the colorful display of triumphant flowers, transformed my garden. Each flower, proudly lifting its head, nurtured by a mixture of heavy winter rains and my tears, gives me immense pleasure. How we marvel at Hashem’s overflowing blessings this year, as we testify the prophecy of the opening blessings of Parashat B’Chukotai unfolding:

ספר ויקרא פרק כו פסוק ג אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ וְאֶת מִצְוֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם:

(ד) וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם וְנָתְנָה הָאָרֶץ יְבוּלָהּ וְעֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה יִתֵּן פִּרְיוֹ:

“If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them. I will give your rains in their seasons, the Land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit” (Vayikra 26:3-4).

Without doubt Israel had more blessed rain this winter than in several decades. Northern Israel has exceeded the normal yearly rainfall, with most places in the north recording 130 percent of the average rainfall. Since rain is a reward for Torah observance, I was asking myself, “what did the people of Israel do to deserve such blessing?”

Finding Recent Merits for the Jewish Nation

Answering such a question is a tall order for a person who doesn’t have time to follow the news and in general lives in her own little ‘Bat-Ayin-Bubble.’ What do I know about Israel’s national merit? Based on my own experience, it seems that families in our neighborhood and in most yishuvim (settlements) extend themselves more and more to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim, hosting Shabbat guests. Every Friday afternoon, the busses are bursting with visitors, consisting mostly of yeshiva students thirsting to experience a shabbat in the countryside of a religious Yishuv. Families open their homes to offer sleepover arrangements and meals to a multitude of guests they’ve never even met. Actually, I just found an article by the anti-religious paper, Ha’Aretz, complaining that the government has been sponsoring Orthodox Shabbat dinners. The article titled, Why Israel is Spending Millions on Orthodox Missionary Work, protests the government funding for Orthodox ‘indoctrination’ in Israel that takes place, for example, through the Garin Torani movement, funded by the housing and agriculture ministries. The Garin Torani, which encourages young Orthodox Israelis to settle as a group in an urban area, where they can run religious, social and educational programs, has witnessed a major boom in recent years. In mixed Jewish-Arab cities, it has taken on the additional objective of helping tip the demographic balance. “We are talking about public financing of an apparatus that draws people into chazarah b’tshuva (Return to Judaism) and is active in pre-schools, public schools and community centers” (Recent report by Molad, a non-religious think tank dedicated to preserving Israeli democracy). From a Torah perspective, it is a great merit for the government of Israel to offer Torah education for secular Israelis and teach them about the beauty of Shabbat observance. I’m positive that such feats are contributing the merits which brought about this year’s blessings of rain. Possibly, the fact that Naftali Bennett, the head of the national religious party, had, served as Israel’s Minister of Education, also contributed some blessed ‘Orthodox indoctrination’ into the secular school system. Another great merit for Israel is that more and more diaspora Jews are making Aliyah. It seems that way, judging from all the women, who previously frequented my tour lectures, and who now live in Israel. Actually, last year the Aliyah rate rose 5%. Please help me think of other merits of Israel that may have brought us the blessed rainfall this winter. It’s a beautiful practice, rather than always complaining, to look for nekudot tovot (good points) within the Jewish nation.

Is Parashat B’Chukotai “The Parasha of Rebuke”?

People call Parashat B’Chuktai – פרשת התוכחה/Parashat HaTochecha – ‘The Parasha of Rebuke.’

Is this title justified when the Parasha actually starts off with blessings? We may think that the curses outweigh the blessings, since 30 verses deal with the curses, and only 13 describing blessings. Yet, we need to understand a general principle in the Torah, “The measure of goodness [reward] always supersedes the measure of punishment” (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 76a). The reason why there are seemingly more curses than blessings in our parasha is only due to Hashem’s kindness. If we walk in His statutes, we will receive all the abundance of the blessings immediately. However, if we, G-d forbid, break His covenant, Hashem only punishes gradually, in stages, in order that we may repent before receiving the worst punishments. The first stage of curses is light, but if we don’t repent, G-d forbid, then a more severe set of curses kicks in. If Israel still does not repent, then G-d is compelled to send His worst curses. Since the curses don’t happen all at once, there are more of them, as they are broken down into stages.  Returning to our opening blessings, “…I will give your rains in their seasons” (Vayikra 26:4). The Divrei Yisrael asks, “in whose seasons?” He answers, “the seasons of the Jewish people, are beyond nature.” We, the people of Israel, are gifted with a special blessing. For the rest of the world things follow a natural order, but in Israel things can happen outside of the natural course. When we believe in Hashgacha Pratit (Divine Providence) – that Hashem is constantly watching over us, then blessings can occur in the seasons of the Jewish people – even outside of what is natural. May we merit to experience both hidden and revealed miracles in our time! May we witness the continued blossoming of Israel both of the Land and the hearts of every yid!

Making Every Day Redemption Day

Parshat B’Har
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What is Redemption on a Personal, National, and Global Level?

I’m impressed with my friend, Rivka Malka Perlman, who has organized a ‘redemption day’ with thousands of adherents throughout the globe. Yet, for me and Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin, every day is ‘redemption day.’ What is גְּאֻלָּה/geulah – ‘redemption’ exactly? It may mean very different things to different people. It would be interesting to interview random people in various places and ask how they define the word, and what kind of vision they have for redemption. That would make a fascinating YouTube. Perhaps it would even go viral! Geulah can be global, national or personal. On a personal level, I believe geulah is ultimate freedom to express our soul-potential within this world. When the constraints, blocking our soul from truly shining its light evaporate, then we experience personal redemption. Practically speaking, this can be manifested in several ways, such as being healed from a debilitating illness, finding and marrying our soulmate, giving birth to a child or making Aliyah. On a national level, redemption of the land is when it returns to its rightful owner. This implies liberating the land from the other nations, removing its thorns and thistles, bringing out its fruitful potential, by planting and building Jewish settlements on the land. “The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land belongs to Me…” (Vayikra 25:23). The Land of Israel belongs to Hashem, Who designated it not only to the Jewish people in general but allotted specific land plots to each individual family according to tribes. This explains why the mitzvah of buying back land for a relative – whose state of poverty compelled him to sell it – is also called ‘redemption’ as it states, “If your brother becomes destitute and sells some of his inherited property, his redeemer who is related to him shall come forth and redeem his brother’s sale” (Ibid. 25). Each kind of redemption spiritually infuses the physical realm by overcoming any blocks preventing the soul from illuminating it fully. Since the Jewish people are the soul of the land, each particular plot of land- in Israel must be illuminated by its particular designated spiritual owner. This is called redemption. On a global level, the Mashiach embodies the complete image of G-d, since his soul includes all other human souls within it. Therefore, he has the potential to redeem the entire world.

Redemption in the Scroll of Ruth

Both our personal plot of land in Israel, and our body, are physical manifestations of our soul. During the final redemption, every Jewish soul will not only inhabit its physical body, but moreover, we will all live on our designated land that can be called our extended body – a body to our body.

Redemption is the underlying theme in the Scroll of Ruth (mentioned in Megillat Ruth 2:1, 2:20, 3:2, 3:9, 3:12, 4:1-10, 4:14). “Naomi said to her daughter-in-law: ‘Blessed be he of Hashem, who did not abandon His kindness to the living and to the dead.’ And Naomi said to her: ‘The man is a relative, one of our redeemers.’” (Megillat Ruth 2:20). Since “the man” – Boaz is “a relative” he is a potential “redeemer” to redeem the land that belonged to Naomi’s and Ruth’s deceased husbands as well as redeeming the soul of Ruth’s late husband through the mitzvah of yibum – ‘levirate marriage.’ Performing yibum by marrying the ‘brother’s (or closest relative’s) widow, is called “redemption,” since it redeems the deceased from spiritual death. When a man passes away without children, his soul has no continuation in the world, and is therefore unable to ambulate within the physical realm. In the Scroll of Ruth, yibum brings about a twofold redemption: both for Machlon, who receives a second chance in life, and also to bring about our ultimate redeemer – the Mashiach – whose birth is a result of this mitzvah. King David, the Redeemer of Israel, descends from the union of yibum that Boaz performed with Ruth subjugated to the highest, most altruistic and spiritual intention. The concept of redemption also teaches us that no matter how unfruitful we have been in our lives, or how low we may have fallen, eventually Hashem will redeem us and extend us new life in the face of our past failures (Yesha’yahu 40:2-5; Michah 7:8 and many other verses throughout the Tanach).

Redemption for the Land

ספר ויקרא פרק כה פסוק כד ו

בְכֹל אֶרֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶם גְּאֻלָּה תִּתְּנוּ לָאָרֶץ: כה) כִּי יָמוּךְ אָחִיךָ וּמָכַר מֵאֲחֻזָּתוֹ וּבָא גֹאֲלוֹ הַקָּרֹב אֵלָיו וְגָאַל אֵת מִמְכַּר אָחִיו:

“Therefore, throughout the land of your possession, you shall give redemption for the land. If your brother becomes destitute and sells some of his inherited property, his redeemer who is related to him shall come forth and redeem his brother's sale. (Vayikra 25:24-25).

A deeper explanation of “redeeming the land” refers to Hashem commanding the neshama and the ruach to bring redemption to the body (also called ‘the land’). This is manifested through a process of connecting each part of the soul with the body: The neshama illuminates the ruach, which in turn illuminates the nefesh to enact the perfect body-soul connection (Siftei Kohen, Vayikra 25:24).  The juxtaposition between “redemption for the land,” and “your brother becoming destitute,” teaches us that redemption happens specifically during poverty, as it states, “The son of David will not come until… the [last] coin has gone from the purse” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a). Although “Tzion shall be redeemed through justice and her captivities through tzedakah (charity)” (Yesha’yahu 1:27), the accusing spiritual powers cannot blame Israel for not giving enough tzedakah, when the last coin has gone from the purse (Pardes Yosef, Vayikra 25:24). The word, בְכֹל/v’kol – ‘throughout’ it is an allusion to the Shechinah. אֶרֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶם/eretz achuzatchem – ‘the land of your heritage’ refers to the land of the living – the heritage of your souls. גְּאֻלָּה תִּתְּנוּ לָאָרֶץ/geulah titnu la’aretz – “redemption you shall give to the land,’ denotes the physical Land of Israel. When we have the intention to redeem the holy sparks imbedded within the land, we will be able to bring about it’s redemption. As soon as all the sparks have emerged from their husks, then all husks and blockages will vanish forever. At this point, we will experience final global redemption, may it be soon! (Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, Agra d’kalah, Parasaht Emor).

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Is Israel’s Independence Day Hinted in Holidays of Parashat Emor?

Parshat Emor
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Windows for Illuminating Our Daily Day

Coming out of Parashat Kedoshim, which means ‘holy,’ we keep rising in holiness through the Hebrew holidays described in Parashat Emor. Thinking back about my secular Jewish upbringing, I have no recollection of Shavuot or Tisha be’Av whatsoever, and only a faint memory of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Nevertheless, I vividly remember the holidays of Pesach, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Chanukah and Purim. They were childhood highlights, if not of spirituality then at the very least of family togetherness and fun. As a child, I experienced these holidays with my senses. The matzo and my aunt’s gefilte fish gave me a taste of the exodus. The scent of the Sukkah of the Jewish school I attended still lingers. In vain I have searched for that scent in my Israeli Sukkah. Simchat Torah was our once a year synagogue holiday, when we children would walk in circles with open bags, and the men would fill them with all kinds of sweets and candies! The sparkling light of Chanukah is etched within my eyes, whereas my ears still recall the sound of Purim laughter. These childhood memories are like pilot lights waiting to be reignited, with greater intensity, in a mature Torah setting, where the vitality and intention of each aspect is appreciated.  Now we can celebrate the holidays in a much deeper way, as portals of Divine connections – windows of illumination – opening into our daily day. How fortunate we are to be celebrating holy days as a holy nation, in our Holy Land!

Working as a Team with Hashem in Establishing the Hebrew Holidays

I find it interesting that Yom Ha’atzma’ut always falls between Parashat Kedoshim – where we learn that community i.e. Jewish national unity is prerequisite for Holiness – and Parashat Emor –in which are  repeated all the holidays. As opposed to Shabbat, Hashem desires that we be partners with Him in establishing the holidays. In this week’s parasha He commands us twice that we, the Jewish people must designate the holidays:

ספר ויקרא פרק כג

ב) דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם מוֹעֲדֵי הָשֵׁם אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ אֵלֶּה הֵם מוֹעֲדָי:

ד) אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי הָשֵׁם מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם בְּמוֹעֲדָם:

“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: Hashem’s appointed [holy days] that you shall designate as holy occasions. These are My appointed [holy] days: These are Hashem’s appointed [holy] days, holy occasions, which you shall designate in their appointed time” (Vayikra 23:2,4).

Rashi explains, that in verse 2, Scripture is referring to our proclamation of a leap year, while in verse 4, Scripture refers to the Jewish people’s sanctifying the new month. Both “designations” impact the particular dates of each holiday. In establishing the holidays, Hashem empowers us to work with Him in a team. Another paradigm for this teamwork is the institution of the holidays Chanukah and Purim, which are not mentioned in the Torah. Esther had to really insist to get the rabbis to agree to include the holiday of Purim in the Jewish calendar (Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 7a). We experience a similar rabbinic opposition to establishing the holiday celebrating the return of Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel after nearly 2000 years of exile.

Future Holidays Hinted in Torah Texts

As I skimmed through the list of holidays mentioned in Parashat Emor, looking for hints for the Rabbinic holidays, it struck me that perhaps the repetition of “These are Hashem’s appointed holy occasions, which you shall designate in their appointed time” could be an allusion to Purim, since it was designated at a later time. This future holiday, would then be referred to in the sequence of the holidays right before Pesach. Likewise, there is a clear allusion to Chanukah immediately following the entire order of the holidays:

ספר ויקרא פרק כג פסוק מד

וַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה אֶת מֹעֲדֵי הָשֵׁם אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:

ספר ויקרא פרק כד

א) וַיְדַבֵּר הָשֵׁם אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: ב) צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד: ג) מִחוּץ לְפָרֹכֶת הָעֵדֻת בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד יַעֲרֹךְ אֹתוֹ אַהֲרֹן מֵעֶרֶב עַד בֹּקֶר לִפְנֵי הָשֵׁם תָּמִיד חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם:

“Moshe told the children of Israel [these laws] of Hashem’s appointed [holy] days. 1 And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they shall take for you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually. 3 Outside the dividing curtain of the testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aharon shall set it up before Hashem from evening to morning continually. [This shall be] an eternal statute for your generations” (Vayikra 23:44-24:1-3).

The command to Aharon to ignite the menorah by, an eternal statute for generations, right after the description of the holidays ending with Sukkot, undoubtedly hints to the holiday of Chanukah – enacted by the Chasmonaim – who were Kohanim and direct descendants of Aharon. The “eternal statute” of lighting the menorah, is moreover, ensured even when our Temple lies in ruin through the Chanukah candelabra, lit in the small Temple of every Jewish home.  Now what about the holiday of Yom Ha’atzma’ut?  Could it also be hinted in Parashat Emor? When I searched the Torah verses following Pesach, it was, thank G-d, not in vain. Right after the description of the holiday of Pesach (Vayikra 23:5-8) I noticed the prediction of our entering the land of Israel:

“…on the fifteenth day of that month is the Festival of Matzot to Hashem; you shall eat matzot for a seven-day period. On the first day, there shall be a holy occasion for you; you shall not perform any labor. Then you shall bring a fire offering to Hashem for a seven-day period. On the seventh day, there shall be a holy occasion; you shall not perform any labor. Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you come to the Land which I am giving you…”  (Vayikra 23:6-10).

Yom Ha’Atzma’ut in the Hebrew Calendar

There is another amazing support that strongly predicts Yom Ha’atzma’ut being part of the Jewish calendar, way before the light of that day had been actualized in the year 1948. We have a tradition of how to know in advance the weekdays on which the various Jewish holidays will fall. This can be found in many sidurim (prayer books). Each of the Jewish holidays parallel one of the seven days of Pesach by means of a numerological system called the Atbash. Through a simple substitution cipher for the Hebrew alphabet, aleph (the first letter) is substituted for tav (the last letter), bet (the second) for shin (one before the last), gimel (the third letter) for resh  (the third to the last letter) and so on, reversing the alphabet. Hence the name, אתבש/Atbash – ‘aleph-tav-bet-shin.’

The first day of Pesach (alef) corresponds to the last letter taf, which is the first letter of the fast day Tisha b’Av. Thus, whatever weekday the first day of Pesach falls is always the same weekday as Tisha b’Av.

The second day of Pesach (bet) corresponds according to atbash to the shin – the first letter of the holiday of Shavuot. Thus, whatever weekday the second day of Pesach falls is always the same weekday as Shavuot.

The third day of Pesach (gimel) corresponds to the resh, which is the first letter of the holiday of Rosh Hashana. Thus, whatever weekday the third day of Pesach falls is the same weekday as Rosh Hashana.

The fourth day of Pesach (dalet) corresponds to the kuf – the first letter of the word Ke’riat HaTorah – the reading of the Torah, which we complete on Simchat Torah. Thus, whatever weekday is the fourth day of Pesach falls, is the same weekday as Simchat Torah.

The fifth day of Pesach (heh) corresponds according to atbash to the tzadik – the first letter of tzom, which means ‘fast,’ corresponding to Yom Kippur – also called Yom Tzom Kippur. Thus, whatever weekday the fifth day of Pesach falls is the same weekday as Yom Kippur.

The sixth day of Pesach (vav) corresponds to the peh – the first letter of the holiday of Purim. Thus, whatever weekday the sixth day of Pesach falls is the same weekday as Purim.

The seventh day of Pesach (zayin) corresponds according to atbash to the ayin, which was traditionally explained as corresponding to the holiday of Tub Av. The reason is that ayin is the first letter of עֵצִים/etzim – ‘trees,’ or ‘wood.’ They used to complete cutting the wood for the Temple on Tu b’Av. Thus, whatever weekday the seventh day of Pesach falls is always the same weekday as Tu B’Av.  However, in recent times a more direct holiday connection has been discovered. The Hebrew letter ayin is the first letter of עַצְמָעוֹת/Atzma’ut in Yom Ha’atzma’ut. Amazingly, this has been verified in the calendar. Whatever weekday the seventh day of Pesach falls is always identical with the weekday of the Fifth of Iyar (Yom Ha’atzma’ut).

The First Yom Ha’atzma’ut Celebration by the Students of Vilna Gaon

There are several indications that the fifth of Iyar – the day that part of the Land of Israel was returned to the Jewish nation after nearly 2000 years of exile – has the status of a true Jewish holiday. When students of the Vilna Gaon originally immigrated to Israel in the year 1809, they laid the cornerstone for the Beit Midrash Eliyahu (the first name of the Vilna Gaon) in Jerusalem on the 5th of Iyar. The students of the Vilna Gaon believed that at that very moment opened the first window of the iron curtain to reconnect with the merit of the covenant of our patriarchs (Rav Hillel of Shklov, Perek Chadash). That very day was the 20th of the Omer – Yesod of Tiferet. The first Jewish settlement in Jerusalem made a foundation (Yesod) and reconnected it to Tiferet of Jerusalem – a connection that had been broken ever since the destruction of our glorious Temple. History is cyclic. It is not by chance that the first day of establishing the Jewish community in Israel by the very first Zionists became the very day that the State of Israel would be established less than a hundred and forty years afterward. The day itself has a special light being Yesod of Tiferet – the foundation of balanced beauty. May we merit to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day with united Rabbinic consensus under the leadership of Mashiach!

How Can We Reconcile Individual Holiness with the Holiness of the Community?

Parshat Kedoshim
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What Does it Mean to Be Holy?

Parashat Kedoshim is bursting to the brim with mitzvot – especially interpersonal mitzvot, teaching us proper relationships such as, honoring parents, providing for the poor, avoiding bearing grudges and taking revenge, while loving others like ourselves. Our Parasha opens with the mitzvah to be holy, yet what does it mean to be holy? How do we define it? Rashi explains that to be holy is to separate ourselves from sexual immorality and from sin, for wherever we find a barrier against sexual immorality, we find holiness. Likewise, our Sages teach that קְדשִׁים/kedoshim means פְּרוּשִׁים/perushim – ‘separate’ (Sifra, Parashat Shemini 12). The first time the root ק-ד-ש/k-d-sh –’holy’ is used is in connection with Shabbat, which Hashem blessed and set aside from the rest of the weekdays (Bereishit 2:3). Under the marriage canopy the groom sanctifies his bride with a ring and declares that she is hereby מְקֻדֶּשֶׁת/mekudeshet from the root ק-ד-ש/k-d-sh. With this declaration he designates his betrothed and sets her apart from other women, to be his wife. Likewise, the Jewish people are set apart from the nations of the world to be designated as Hashem’s beloved partner. Through keeping His mitzvot, we affect the entire creation and become partners with Hashem. Therefore, we must be extremely careful to separate ourselves from any act that infringes on our exclusive relationship with Him, which might cause a barrier that conceals His infinite light. Yet, does our quest for קְדֻשָּׁה/kedusha – ‘holiness’ require separation from others in order to develop our personal innate holiness? Is it even possible for everyone to achieve holiness? Perhaps, holiness is only a few select high-level Chassidic masters or, perhaps just for Rabbis, Rebbetzins and Kohanim?

Every Jew Can Attain Holiness

Since Parashat Kedoshim alerts us to be holy and resemble our Maker, some people might think that only very few select people in each generation can achieve this level. Yet, among Israel, anyone who so desires is able to climb the ladder of piety until he reaches holiness. G-d instructed Moshe to assemble “the entire congregation of Israel” when giving them the commandment to be holy in order to make it clear that holiness is not something achievable only by the few. People shouldn’t claim that high standards of morality and ethics are only for the special pious, elite. Rather, every single Jew has the potential to be holy (Alshich). Indeed, every Israelite is commanded:  וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ – “You shall be to Me a kingdom of Kohanim and a holy nation” (Shemot 19:6). Similarly, Ohr HaChaim explains that Moshe addresses “the entire community” in order to teach us that each and every person can attain holiness, for there is no essential distinction between the people of Israel.” I recall being a new ba’alat teshuvah (returnee to Judaism) in Diaspora Yeshiva, where we constituted a bunch of barefoot, hippies with dreadlocks and unconventional, colorful, cotton tunics. Nevertheless, Rabbi Goldstein spurred all of us to reach the loftiest Torah achievements by repeatedly proclaiming, “Each one of you must strive to be a Moshe Rabbeinu! As the Rambam says, ‘Every person has the potential to be righteous like Moshe Rabbeinu’” (Rambam, Hilchot Teshuvah 5:2).

Separating from the World for the Sake of Devotion to the Divine

In our ‘spirituality-seeking’ day and age, we may conceive of ‘holiness’ as meditating on a mountain top and engaging in ‘silent retreats.’ Indeed, ‘holy people’ of other religions around the globe practice various forms of separation from the world at large such as meditative practices, vows of silence, celibacy, or other ways of cloistering themselves away from the general population. In Judaism, too, some people believe that serving Hashem requires a certain disconnect from the world, in order to free ourselves to devote all our strength and abilities to the Divine. Although we can find teachings in Judaism that seem to confirm this view, it is only for the sake of avoiding evil that a person sometimes needs to escape the company of others (Rambam, Hilchot Deot 6:1). This approach is only directed at avoiding the negative. Yet, to reach true holiness it is necessary to join others in serving G-d both through Torah and Tefilah. These foundations of Jewish holy life take precedence over Kabbalistic or Chassidic spiritual practices. Jewish meditation should never be seen as a core practice, of Judaism that replaces mitzvot, as holiness is not a matter of contemplation. Rather, it is a result of actions within a social context.

Spirituality and Meditation Do not Replace Torah & Mizvot

Fulfilling the will of G-d in doing mitzvot are the core practices of Judaism: Respecting our mother and father, observing Shabbat, leaving gleanings for the poor, paying workers promptly, treating the deaf and blind justly, rendering fair judgment in court, and living alongside our fellow without hatred or grudge, and, indeed, with love; these are actions that engender holiness. Therefore, rather than withdrawing and removing ourselves from the community, the opportunity to make the greatest strides toward the Divine is within the confines of the earthly world and specifically within the Jewish community (Yehoshua Gerstein). Rabbi Nachman’s call for hitboddedut (literally to be alone) – so popular in our times – implies taking a daily, hourly break from other responsibilities in order to go out into nature alone and talk with Hashem. With all due respect and great admiration to those self-disciplined individuals who succeed in freeing time from their daily schedule for this spiritual practice, we must be aware of the pitfall of taking this practice to an extreme, ignoring the needs of family and community for the sake of individual spiritual elevation. In contrast, I really love the emphasis of the Chabad movement on ‘Ahavat Yisrael’ – totally extending themselves to help other yidden, whether to kosher their kitchen, comfort a mourner, bake challah for hundreds of people, or reach out to assimilated Jews in every nook and cranny, even at great expense to their own personal Torah learning.  Now, that is what I call קְדֻשָּׁה/kedusha – ‘holiness.’

Community is Prerequisite for Holiness

How can we keep the mitzvah ‘to be holy’ that emphasizes being part of the Jewish community while at the same time requires a certain separation? This dichotomy makes the mitzvah קְדשִׁים תִּהְיוּ/kedushim tiheyu – “you shall be holy” one of the most difficult mitzvot in the Torah. It implies celebrating the Divine spark within each and every individual, accepting our special spiritual contribution, while consciously and purposefully including that unique individuality within the greater Jewish community.

ספר ויקרא פרק יט פסוק ב דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיכֶם:

“Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, Hashem, your G-d, am holy” (Vayikra 19:2).

Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel: [This] teaches us that this passage was stated in the assembly [of the entire congregation of Israel] because most of the fundamental teachings of the Torah are dependent on it (Rashi, Vayikra 19:2).

The mitzvah to be holy was taught publicly, to communicate to us that the holiness we seek is found in the community. The words of Rashi teach us that it is impossible to reach holiness without being united as a congregation. This section relates equally to Jews of different social status and ages: the Kohen, the judge, the son, the farmer etc. The complete fulfillment of the Torah depends upon all the different sectors of Jews, within all their various social framework. Therefore, this parasha was said in the assembly of everyone because only the complete nation can carry it into action (Maor v’Shemesh). The fact that the command קְדשִׁים תִּהְיוּ/kedushim tiheyu – “you shall be holy” is written in the plural, furthermore highlights that holiness requires a community. “Hashem does not unite His name to an individual, for an individual who is not connected to the general community is not the goal at all” (Meshech Chachma Vayikra 18:4). I always emphasize to my conversion students the importance to be part of the Jewish community. This includes making efforts to participate in our special Shabbat and holiday programs. Indeed, there is no better way than experiencing the community, where everyone stops working, stops driving cars, stops turning on and off electrical devices, and attends only to Hashem, family, friends, Torah, and tefilah. This  kind of joint communal holy practice represents the unique spirituality of Judaism – a combination of physical and spiritual revitalization where an entire community works together to create an ideal time and space in which we can  get a taste of the perfected world (Based on Dr. Steven Kepnes)