What’s Nu?! politico wannabees took this lesson to heart, don't you think? Live & Laugh In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days. The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!" The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honour, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays." The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant." The lawyer said, "Your Honour, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists." The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no G-d.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no G-d, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned." Sydenham Shul’s Shabbos Smorgasbord Rabbi Goldman - Halacha of the Week Fish & Fowl and other Kosher Curiosities in the Main Shul Rabbi Stern - Tanya for Beginners in the Elk Hall Rabbi’s Pesach Appeal Help Those in Need This Yom Tov Rabbi Goldman Discretionary Fund Cheques or Cash to Shul office or EFT to FNB Norwood: Branch Code 258624 Account No: 503 600 89202 Thank You and G-d bless you. The Barmy Boy Saul Joseph Mazal Tov Avi & Avril Joseph and grandparents Doreen Bensaul, Rhoda Joseph, Lionel Joseph and great-grandmother Phyllis Barnett. Calendar Parshas Parah, 2 Torahs Shacharis 8:15; Shtibl: 8:45 Shul Brocha in the Seeff Hall sponsored by the Joseph Family in honour of Saul’s Bar Mitzvah. Smorgasbord of Shiurim. Mincha: 5:40 pm Shabbos ends: 6:48 pm Shiurim @ Sydenham Shul Sunday morning 9 am—Mishna & Mysti cism Rabbi Goldman (boardroom) Monday 1 pm - Businessman’s Lunch & Learn (Ukhuni Furniture Centre, Wynberg) Tuesday 1 pm—Ladies Shiur Rabbi Goldman (Elk Hall) Tuesday 7:45 pm - Gemorra Rosh Hashana Rabbi Goldman (Rabbi’s home) Tuesday 8:15 pm - Talmud Brachos (for young men) Rabbi Stern (Rabbi’s home) Wednesday 8:00 pm - Gemorra Sukkos Rabbi Stern (Rabbi’s home) Shabbos 8:15 am - Chumash Shmos Rabbi Stern (Shtibl) See pictures from Purim on: www.sydshul.co.za Management & Staff of Jack’s Paint & Hardware, Highlands North wish all congregants a good Shabbos. 011 440 5868. Nathan Fine of I.deal Furnishers at Midway Mall, Bramley Gardens wishes all congregants a Good Shabbos. Call 011 887 5456/082 854 5706. Furniture, Bedding & Appliances. Acknowledgements: Chabad.org, zahavi. Please take Good Shabbos Sydenham home if you will only carry it within the Eiruv. 22 Mar 2014 Parshas Shemini/Parah 20 Adar 2 5774 Why We Keep Kosher By Rabbi Yossy Goldman An observant Jew was experiencing a crisis of faith. He decided to sneak into a non-Kosher restaurant and have a fling. He orders ‘you know what,’ and is pumping adrenalin big time, full of nervous anticipation of what that forbidden ‘white meat’ really tastes like. Unfortunately for him, his Rabbi was walking down the road behind him and saw him enter the restaurant. The Rabbi was shocked. He waited outside to see what he would order and when the waiter duly arrived and removed the tray cover revealing the swine in all its glory, decorated with the customary apple in its mouth, the Rabbi rushed in and confronted the Jew. “How could you?!” he demanded. The shamefaced Jew trying desperately to explain himself out of a corner replies, “Rabbi, this is such a fancy restaurant. You order an apple and they make such a fuss!” This week’s Parsha, Shmini, introduces the Bible’s dietary laws. Animals must chew their cud and have split hooves, fish need fins and scales, and a long list of forbidden fowl is enumerated. To those of us in Jewish education, it is a continuing source of disappointment that so many Jews still believe the Kosher laws to be outdated. After all, they reckon, in the desert our ancestors needed to protect themselves from trichinosis and all sorts of diabolical diseases so some kind of dietary system was needed. But today, they argue, in an age of government inspection and modern hygiene standards, Kashrut is archaic, anachronistic and quite dispensable. How sad. The fact is that the Kosher laws were never given to us for health reasons. If they happen to be healthy or provide good hygiene that is purely a fringe benefit. It may well be one of the perks but it has never been the reason. I often joke that if Kashrut was for health, then all the Rabbis should look like Schwarzenegger! And those who don’t keep kosher should look sickly. In fact, anecdotal evidence seems to prove the very opposite. Your average religious type looks rather scrawny (or overweight) and the non-kosher guys are the ones with the big biceps! So let it be stated categorically. Kashrut is not for our physical health but for our spiritual health. It is not for our bodies but for our souls. It is a Jewish diet to help Jews remain spiritually sensitive to their innate Jewishness. While the Torah actually records no official reason for these laws, the Rabbis and philosophers have speculated on their purpose. They act as a bulwark against assimilation, we are taught. On a simple level, if we keep kosher, inexorably, we will remain close to Jewish communal life. We will shop in the Jewish neighborhood, possibly find it more convenient to live nearby and generally mix in Jewish company. A Rabbinic friend of mine once asked a very high-profile Jewish businessman why he was about to marry a non-Jewish woman. Couldn’t he find a ‘nice Jewish girl?’ His reply was very revealing. “I just don’t mix in those circles anymore, Rabbi.” There is no doubt that had he still kept Kosher he would have been compelled to mix in Jewish circles and his life choices may well have been very different. On a deeper, more spiritual level, keeping kosher keeps our Jewish souls sensitive to things Jewish. This is clearly a mystical concept and completely imperceptible but according to our sages it is a fact. Just as too much red meat or fatty foods are bad for your cholesterol; non-kosher foods are bad for your neshoma. They clog your spiritual arteries and prevent those warm, healthy Jewish feelings from circulating through your kishkes and your consciousness. It’s very important to have a Mezuzah on your door. It identifies your home as Jewish. But what really defines your home as a ‘Jewish Home’ – what your Zayde meant when he said with pride ‘My children run a Jewish Home’ – is the kitchen! A kosher kitchen makes a Jewish home truly Jewish. It also extends a very warm and gracious invitation to all fellow Jews. Here you are welcome. Here it is safe to come in and eat. Make yourself at home. Your favorite diet may build healthy bodies but a kosher diet builds healthy souls. Parsha Pointers Shemini: Hertz Chumash pg 443; Living Torah pg 537 On the eighth day following "seven days of inauguration," Aaron and his sons begin to officiate as Kohanim (priests); a fire issues forth from G-d to consume the offerings on the Altar and the Divine Presence comes to dwell in the Sanctuary. Aaron's two elder sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer a "strange fire before G-d, which He commanded them not" and die before G-d. Aaron is silent in face of his tragedy. Moses and Aaron subsequently disagree as to a point of law regarding the offerings, but Mo- ses concedes to Aaron thatAaron is in the right. es off with an admonition to keep ourselves pure and holy. Afraid? Good! G-d commands the kosher laws, identifying the animal species permissible and forbidden for consumption. Land animals may be eaten only if they have split hooves and also chew their cud; fish must have fins and scales; a list of non-kosher birds is given, and a list of kosher insects (four types of locusts). I've never understood it. Is this the culmination of our becoming a nation? That is what G‑d demands of us? Instead of sitting and basking in the presence of G‑d or developing an appreciation for spirituality, we're expected to leaf our way through a description of scavenging beasts. Couldn't we stick to the high road? Let's talk about truth, justice and the rabbinical way, rather than take the low road of filth, avoidance and disagreeability. In the process of the Tabernacle's inaugural, the Torah describes an interesting scene: The time had arrived for the newly appointed high priest, Aaron, to bring his first offering to G‑d—but he stood on the side, reluctant to assume his duties. His brother, Moses, came over to him and said: "Aaron! Why are you fearful? L'kach nivcharta— you were chosen for this!" Also in Shemini are some of the laws of ritual purity, including the purifying power of the mikvah (a pool of water meeting specified qualifications) and the wellspring. Thus the people of Israel are enjoined to “differentiate between the impure and the pure.” In preparation for the upcoming festival of Passover, when every Jew had to be in a state of r ritual purity, the section of Parah (Numbers 19) is added to the weekly reading this week. Parah relates the laws of the Red Heifer with which a person contaminated by contact with a dead body was purified. A Tale of Two Extremes By Rabbi Elisha Greenbaum In this week's Torah portion, Shemini, there is a total contrast between the topics addressed at the beginning to that of the end. It starts off so spiritually. Moses inaugurates the Tabernacle and hands the reins to Aaron and the priests. There are days of celebrating and rejoicing. Spirituality reigns supreme and a new era of goodness and G‑dliness is ushered into the world. The tail end of the portion is so pedestrian in contrast. In excruciating detail, G‑d lists the animals that a Jew may not eat. There are signs given for permitted land animals and fish, and a list of birds that can never appear on our menus. The Torah describes the process of contracting various ritual impurities and finishSydenham Shul 24 Main Street, Rouxville, 2192. Telephone: 640-5021, Fax: 485-2810 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sydshul.co.za www.facebook.com/sydenhamshul The same degeneration of purpose appears in the Yom Kippur prayers. We start off the day so puritanical and determined. We thrill to descriptions of G‑d's mercy and wonders. We resolve to remain perfect and committed to our mission and religion. However, as the sun sets, we pull out a Torah scroll and, instead of all the highminded prayers of the morning, we recite a list of forbidden sexual encounters and perversities. It seems so out of context with the moment. Why ruin the mood with depictions of unpleasantness when we could appeal to our better feelings with stirring calls to idealism and religiosity? For better or for worse, this is the struggle of humanity. It is never enough to rely on one's natural abilities or innate connection with the divine. Whether we like it or not, life is a daily struggle against the profane and the immoral. It is as much an act of courage to refuse to partake of forbidden flesh or a perverse pleasure as it is to shelter in the tent of Torah, communing with G‑d. No one is immune from temptation. Dressed all in white on Yom Kippur, we must still hold true to our morals and determine to remain connected to G‑d. It is not easy. We can sympathize and understand. Even those with the greatest spiritual gifts and accomplishments struggle to remain perfect at all times and under all circumstances. There is nothing unnatural about sin. No one is immune from temptation. The choices we make directly impact on our future and those whom we love and respect. All we can do is hope and pray to somehow find the courage and conviction to remain at all times true to our G‑d and beliefs. By Rabbi Levi Avtzon The holy Baal Shem Tov, founder of the chassidic movement, took these two words, "l'kach nivcharta," and shined a deeper light into them: It was at that moment, when Moses saw his brother Aaron's hesitation to accept the highest position, that he finally understood why his brother was chosen. L'kach nivcharta—it is for this – i.e., because of your humility and fear of heaven – that you were chosen. It was precisely because Aaron did not seek power or prestige that he was chosen to be high priest. Now try telling that to our wannabee politicians… "I'm the best for the job!" "My experience demonstrates that I can tackle any issue!" "You can have 100% confidence in my ability to weather any storm…" Where's the realization of – and hence apprehension in the face of – the responsibility that leadership requires? Isn't it ironic that while we are bombarded by speech after speech from self-idolizing hopefuls, polls show that 75% of Americans believe that there is a glaring lack of leadership in our country? Rabbi Sholom DovBer, the fifth rebbe in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, once advised one of his chassidim to become a shochet (ritual slaughterer). The chassid was reluctant: "But Rebbe, I'm afraid! It's a huge responsibility!" (Due to the immense responsibility involved, the job of shochet is traditionally reserved for individuals of outstanding piety and integrity.) The Rebbe smiled, and said: "Who then should I appoint as a shochet? Someone who is not afraid?" Of course one must have the skills to execute the tasks that leadership demands, but humility and sterling character constitute the meat of the soup. The world would be a much better place if the
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