How to honor your parents?

Daniel over at the Christian4Moses blog has an interesting post on the halakha of honoring your parents. As kibud av va em is another one of the positive mitzvot, it's definitely something worth thinking about, especially for those of us endeavoring to live faithfully to Torah.

What are the most important ways of honoring our parents?

What is the Talmud? (Do you know?)

If someone had turned to me after class one day in high school or college and asked me, "What is the Talmud?" I probably wouldn't have been able to give more than a vague answer--something along the lines of "traditional Jewish commentaries on the Bible."

Now technically that answer's not wrong, but if you came from a Christian (or even Messianic) upbringing, you might expect that, as a Bible commentary, the Talmud would have the following basic characteristics:

• Exposition and background information on the books of the Bible
• Commentary, ordered according to books/passages of the Bible
• Verse references backing up statements that are made
• (What other characteristics do you readers think someone might expect?)

If you've read any of the Talmud (60+ tractates!), you know that these don't adequately describe it. Rabbi Joshua from Yinon gives us a better definition of the Talmud in a recent post:

The Talmud is really just volumes of case law, setting prior precedents for understanding, interpreting, and establishing halachah. Attorneys, and those familiar with legal codes really get this. One of the major aspects that separates Judaism from other religions like Protestant Christianity is this notion of halachah (of Jewish law). Jewish life and practice is established on prior communal precedent. One cannot just do what one sees fit. There are accepted previous understandings and interpretations that determine Jewish life and observance. And proper innovation and creativity should be established based on communal understanding of these prior precedents. [Emphases mine]

"A Talmudic Highlight"

Thus, anyone who opens the Talmud expecting something like the Jewish version of Matthew Henry's commentary on the Bible or Calvin's Institutes is in for a surprise. (In fact, they might be tempted to chuck the whole thing and conclude that, since the Talmud is full of "traditions of men," it would be useless--or even dangerous!--to allow it to influence the way we think about Scripture. Hopefully that person would think twice, and choose to learn more about what the Talmud is before rushing to judgment.)

Rabbi Joshua's post has reminded me that I have several introductory books on the Talmud on my shelf which I've been meaning to read. If you want to join me, the books are Adin Steinsaltz's The Essential Talmud and Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud. (If you have others to recommend, do chime in!)

Even if you don't have time to read a whole book, you at least owe it to yourself to read a little bit (or a bissel, as they say in Yiddish). I recommend checking out Derek Leman's articles over at Messianic Jewish Musings:

• Talmud 101 from a Beginner
• Why Messianic Judaism Needs Talmud Study
  

I'll close with a teaser from Derek's Talmud, Messianic Judaism, and Imperfect Truth (in fact, I may have subconsciously stolen the idea for this post from him!):

Talmud is not what you think it is.
I say that because Talmud is not what I thought it was. I had done a fair amount of reading in Talmud and about Talmud before taking a class, which I am half-way through, at the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (mjti.org).
Wow, was I ever wrong. So I will just assume that you are wrong as well about what is in Talmud and what it’s purpose is.
I don’t intend to go in depth here and give you examples. I intend only to open your mind to something and perhaps create a desire for further study (guided study, by a qualified instructor — it is foolish to think you can learn Talmud on your own or by reading a few books).

Duly noted, Rabbi Derek. However, for now, "a few books" will have to do!

A Post-Hanukkah Post

Rabbi Gil Steinlauf (from DC synagogue Adas Israel) asks (with the rabbis of the Talmud), "Mai Chanukah?"--what is Hanukkah? He writes:

I once heard a wonderful story about a man whose Native American friend came to visit him in New York City. The Native American had never before been to New York, or to any big city. All day he gave his friend a marvelous tour, the East Side, the West Side, uptown, downtown. When night fell, he took him to see—what else?—Times Square, with its dazzling spectacle of lights and sounds. And as they stood there, gazing at it all, the Native American suddenly started looking up with a troubled, bewildered expression, his gaze darting here and there erratically. The man became concerned about his friend: “Are you alright?” he asked. “I just heard the call of a yellow-bellied warbler bird somewhere around here, and I’m trying to find him,” said the Native American. The man laughed, “My friend, there are many noises here, and maybe lots of pigeons, but I doubt that what you heard was a yellow-bellied…” He didn’t finish his sentence when his friend excitedly pointed “There he is!” And indeed, there on a ledge was the yellow bellied warbler! The New Yorker was flabbergasted! “How could you possibly do that!?” he asked. The Native American showed him. He reached into his pocket and scattered all his change on the sidewalk. Immediately, 150 heads turned and looked for where the sound of the change was coming from. “All these people come to the city in search of riches and bargains, so their ears are trained to listen for money. On my reservation, I spend my whole life listening for the sounds of the animals and the birds. It doesn’t matter where I go. I am always listening for their voices.”

What's Rabbi Steinlauf's point? The essence of Hanukkah is this: seek out the light. That certainly resonates with me, and I hope it does with you too.

Read the whole post over at Rabbi Steinlauf's blog, Dover Emet.

Happy Hanukkah!

To all the Gathering Sparks readers: Happy Hanukkah!

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

The Dedication Dreidlers--a jazz-esque quartet my friends and I threw together for our congregation's Hanukkah party. (Do me a favor and rate our picture to help us win CustomInk's Photo of the Week contest! It only takes a second!)

New album from Roman and Alaina - Sounds of Prayer!

Judah Gabriel over at Kineti L'Tziyon has a great review of the new album Sounds of Prayer from Roman and Alaina.

If you're a hip young person in the Messianic Jewish movement, you're gonna want to check this out. Plus--Judah was authorized to post a free download!

Being "Godly" 2

Continuing our thread on being "Godly":

"Follow the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 13:5). What does this mean? Is it possible for a mortal to follow God's Presence? The verse means to teach us that we should follow the attributes of the Holy One, praised be He. As He clothes the naked, you should clothe the naked. The Bible teaches that the Holy One visited the sick; you should visit the sick. The Holy One comforted those who mourned; you should comfort those who mourn. The Holy One buried the dead; you should bury the dead.

Rabbi Simlai taught: The Torah begins with deeds of lovingkindness and ends with deeds of lovingkindness. It begins with deeds of lovingkindness, as it is written, "And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). It ends with deeds of lovingkindness, as it is written, "And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab" (Deuteronomy 34:6).

~Talmud, Sotah 14a
Siddur Sim Shalom, p. 19

The Second Soul of Shabbat

When G-d drove Adam from Paradise, he retained part of his soul to remain there. On Shabbos, G-d releases that part and gives it back to man. This is our extra soul of Shabbos. On this day we are given the opportunity to return to Paradise.

Now, I must be satisfied with Paradise on Shabbos; in the future we hope to be brought to Jerusalem of High.

~Reb Shlomo Carlebach

There is a tradition within Judaism that on Shabbat we all receive an extra soul with which to enjoy the Sabbath. As I said in a previous post, in the past I had found this idea intriguing and even beautiful, but I didn't see any way to integrate it into the rest of my beliefs. However, recently an idea occurred to me which I want to share with you.

The Talmud says that Shabbat is "a taste of the world to come." (Berachot 57b) The author of the letter to the Hebrews made a similar point when he or she wrote "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." (Hebrews 4:9a) The point is the same: the Sabbath is a sign pointing not just to the past, but also to the future.

So what about this second soul? Well, if in order to experience the joy of Shabbat, God gives us each week a neshama yiterah, a second soul, how much more does this imply that we should receive a neshama yiterah gedolah in order to experience the joys of the world to come, where we will enjoy an even greater rest and know an even greater delight?

In fact, since the sages say in that same passage of Talmud that "Shabbat is one sixtieth of the world to come," then that implies that the neshama yiterah we receive on Shabbat must be one sixtieth of the neshama yiterah we receive from God in order to enter into the World to Come!

I believe this is in fact a teaching of Yeshua, when he said in a discourse to one of the teachers of Israel:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

Yeshua taught that in order to see the kingdom of God, a person had to receive from God a second soul. This is no less than the fulfillment of the promise God made to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. (Ezekiel 36:26a)

So, when we sanctify the Shabbat, let's thank God for the little neshama yiterah with which we can enjoy the beauty of the day. And let it also remind us each week to thank God for the greater neshama yiterah by which we will one day enter into the great Shabbat which is the World to Come.

Shabbat shalom, friends.