Building Yiddishkeit:
Reading Jewish Values and Traditions into Non-Jewish Children’s Books and other things>
A Highly Selective Selection Collected by Bart Berlin
This is the first installment of a lengthy list of Jewish values and traditions I have collected over the years. Please feel free to send your own ideas.
A House is House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman (Penguin Putnam Books, 1982)
In Exodus 25:8, G-d says, "Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." (The Kotzker Rebbe said that the Torah says "among them" and not "inside it" to teach us that each of us must make a space for G-d within our own hearts.)
The TorahAura website gave this explanation of the sanctuary in Judaism. The sanctuary is called a mikdash. Since we no longer have this "holy sanctuary," the temple, our home can be called a "mikdash me’at," a small sanctuary. A main gathering area in most of our homes is the dining room table. This is the altar for Jewish living. Exodus 27:1 gives the instructions for making the mizbe’ah or altar. The Hebrew for mizbe’ah has been explained by the rabbis this way: Mem stands for mhehillah or forgiveness, the zayin stands for z’khut or merit-gratitude, the bet stands for brakhah or blessing, and the het for hayyim or life. So now we have our own sanctuary, the home, to pray, and our own altar, the dining room table, to seek forgiveness, gratitude, blessing and life. This is another reason why we dip the hallah in salt after blessing it on Friday night. Salt was used in the temple for sacrifices for several reasons: It drew out the blood, it preserved the meat, and it symbolized purity and longevity. So, we keep a shaker of salt on the table all week to help remind us that our home is a sanctuary and the table an altar.
Abbreviations
From the website “www.scifaq.org”
These abbreviations are shorthand for common Hebrew phrases. Here are some of the most common ones:
A”H (Alav (male), Aleha (female) Hashalom)
- Translation: Peace Be Upon Him/Her
- For any deceased Jew
- Sometimes written as PBUH, generally by Muslims.
Amo’r (Adonainu, Morainu, VeRabbeeinu)
- Translation: Our Master. Our Teacher, and Our Rebbe
- Honorific title given to scholarly leaders of a Jewsih community, (“R’ Ploni Alomoni, SHLITA, Admor of Chelm.”)
- This is usually a specifically Hassidic term.
AMUSh (Ad Maia Veesrim Shana)
- Translation: He/She should live for 120 years
- Used for salutations in correspondence: “Dear Ploni AMUSh”
B’H (Baruch Hashem)
- Translation: Blessed be G-d (occasionally: B’Ezras/Ezer Hashem)
- Translation: With G-d’s help (i.e. at top of papers sometimes with an ayin following the bet)
B’N (B’li Neder)
- Translation: Without taking a vow
- Used after a promise, since failure to fulfill a promise is a serious violation of Jewish law. For example, “I’ll check that reference tomorrow, B’N” (i.e., if I forget, I don’t want to be liable under Jewish law.)
BLA’H (B’li Ayin Hara) or (K’ain Ayin Hara)
- Translation: ‘without the ‘evil eye’”
- Meaning: “I’m saying this without hubris.”
- Often pronounced Kanaina horo (Yiddish)
BS’D (B’siyata d’shmaya) (Aramaic)
- Translation: With the help of heaven (common)
HY’D (Hashem Yikom Damo(am))
- Translation: Hashem will avenge his (their) blood
- For martyred Jews.
IY’H, IYH (Im Yirtzeh Hashem)
- Translation: If it be G-d’s will (very common)
- Used for referring to future actions; “I’ll see you tomorrow, IY’H.”
N’E (Nishmaso (male)/Nishmasa (female) b’Eden)
- Translation: His /Her soul should be in Eden/paradise.
O’H (Olav HaShalom)
- May he rest in peace
R’
- Rabbi
SHLIT’A (She’yikhye Lirot Yamim Tovim ve’Arukim)
- Translation: That he/she should live to see good and full days (long life)
- Used for loving prominent Jewish scholars.
YM’SH, Y’SH, Y”SHU (Yemach Shmo Vezichro)
- Translation: May his name be wiped out (YH’SH, YSH); May his name and memory be wiped out (Y’SHU)
- For deceased enemies of the Jewish people.
Z’L (Zichrono Livrocho)
- Translation: Of Blessed Memory
- For deceased prominent Jewish scholars.
- Sometimes written as OBM.
ZT’L (Zecher Tzadik Livrocho)
- Translation: The Memory of the Righteous is a Blessing
- For deceased prominent Jewish scholars.
Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger, illustrated by Michael Hays (Simon and Schuster, 2001)
A wonderful South African lullaby story of a monster that gets put to sleep by magic. The illustrations are beautiful. My sons noticed that one of the men is wearing a kipah and tallit.
Alphabet books
I told my four-year old son that if he is unable to say prayers then he can just say the alphabet and let G-d compose the prayers from the letters.
There are many stories that illustrate this alphabet prayer. This one is from the Rosh Hashanna Anthology by Philip Goodman (Jewish Publishing Society, 1994).
Levi Isaac stood by the reader’s table prepared to sound the shofar. The congregation waited patiently for him to commence. After a long interval, the sexton hesitantly approached Levi Isaac and asked the cause for the delay.
The rabbi whispered to the sexton:
"A stranger is seated near the door of the synagogue. Reared among non-Jews, he never learned to pray. However, he has just said to G-d:
‘Lord of the Universe, You understand the true meaning of prayers and You know those that are most acceptable. Since I know only the letters of the alphabet, I shall repeat them and You can compose from them the prayers I should recite on this sacred day.’
"The Almighty is now preoccupied with composing prayers from the letters. Therefore, we must wait."
This story takes on a lot more meaning the first time you hear a four-year old quietly say the alef-bet after his father goes to the hospital.
From the Aish website, www.Aish.com, "Ask the Rabbi"--
A riddle: What letter from the Aleph Bet is missing from the Birkat Hamazon (Grace after meals) and why?
Answer:
"Peh sophit" -- final peh. The reason being that who ever says the blessing after bread properly will be saved from "aph, shetseph and ketseph;" all of these words are expressions of G-d’s anger and they all end with the letter "peh sophit."
Exodus
Daniel Gordis, in his book, God Is Not In the Fire (Simon and Schuster, 1997), mentions a tradition of finding the verse in Psalms that begins with the first letter of your Hebrew name and ends with the last letter of your Hebrew name. Use this verse for your personal prayer at the end of the Amidah. The list of verses can be found in the back of the ArtScroll Siddur, (Mesorah Publications, Limited, 1986).
A famous story from the Talmud relates how Hillel taught a prospective convert the entire Torah while standing on one foot. The prospective convert had first gone to Shammai and challenged him to teach him the Torah while standing on one foot. Shammai reportedly gets angry and sends the man away. He goes to Hilllel with the same question. Hillel says: “What ever is hateful unto yourself, do not do unto others. All the rest is commentary. Now, go and study.” This is also the Jewish version of the Golden Rule. The Christian version, which gets the most publicity, says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Notice the difference. The Jewish version does not make it permissible to do something distasteful just because you would do it to yourself.
Another version of how to teach the entire Torah while standing on one foot came from the Aish website, “Ask the Rabbi,”
"Whistle till the fish comes backwards." "Whistle" in Hebrew is "Tishrok." It is spelled "tav shin reish koof." These are the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, backwards. "The fish comes," in Hebrew is "hadag ba," spelled "hey dalet gimmel bet aleph." These are the first letters of the Hebrew alphabet, backwards. Hence, "Whistle till the fish comes backwards," refers to the entire Hebrew alphabet, which is the foundation of the entire Torah.
Several prayers and psalms are written in Hebrew alphabetic order. Ashrei is one of the more well-known ones. One letter is missing; the letter “nun.” One explanation I’ve read before but can’t remember where is that the number 22 is a perfect number in the mystical sense and by leaving out one letter it reminds us of the brokeness of the world since the destruction of the
The El Adon prayer that comes right after the Bareku in the Sabbath morning service is another alphabetic prayer in Hebrew. The English translations in the contemporary prayer books used in the Conservative movement don’t follow an alphabetic order. Usually it’s because it would be stilted and unnecessary. However, the Traditional Prayer Book printed by the Rabbinical Council of America in 1960 has this lovely alphabetic translation of El Adon:
Almighty is God over all His works,
Blessed, yea, blessed by the breath of each soul.
Creation is filled with His goodness and might.
Deep knowledge and wisdom engird Him around,
Exalted above all His holiest works.
Far grander His brilliance than radiant skies.
Guarding His throne is His justice all pure.
His glory is clothed with His merciful love.
Illumining orbs He has made for our good,
Justice and knowledge alone gave them form,
Kindling within them both power and strength,
Loftily ruling the courses of space.
Manifest luster and splendor ablaze,
Nature throughout is aglow with their flame.
On rising and setting alike they rejoice,
Performing the will of their Maker in awe.
Quest of His name is the theme of their song,
Rejoicing in paeans of praise of praise of His rule.
Swift dawns the sun at His morning behest,
The moon in its phases He gives to the night.
Unto Him heaven’s host chant the music of spheres,
Vastly resounding in radiant rhythm,
Winging their way through their orbits on high,
Yea, praises melodic engirdle the skies.
Zodiac’s mysteries of His holiness sing.
Always Room for One More by Sorche Nic Leodhas (Henry Holt and Co., 1972)
hachnasat orchim (hospitality)
This Caldecott Medal is a Scottish tale about the generous hospitality of a family, so generous that their house finally bursts after they have taken in just one more passerby. But, as soon as the house bursts, the family starts rebuilding an even bigger house in case an army comes by. The Talmud says that no one was ever turned away from a place to stay in
Anansi Goes Fishing by Eric Kimmel (Holiday House, Inc., 1997)
(tzedek, tzedek tirdof--pursue justice)
The African trickster character (Is Jacob the Jewish trickster character?). Anansi tries to trick the other animals but in the end the other animals get justice. He is brought before a judge (shoftim -judges-- the value of the universal obligation to set up a system of justice; the only positive mitzvah of the seven Noachide laws; also, mishpat din, the value of justice, law -- a foundational set of rabbinic assumptions on the need for government and a just legal system)).
The other Noachide laws are found in Talmud - Sanhedrin 58b: (the Laws of Noah are found in Parasha Noach in the Book of Genesis and are the laws that rabbinic Judaism says are incumbent upon all nations)
1) Do not murder.
2) Do not steal.
3) Do not worship false gods.
4) Do not be sexually immoral.
5) Do not eat the limb of an animal before it is killed.
6) Do not curse God.
7) Set up courts and bring offenders to justice.
Maimonides explains that any human being who faithfully observes these laws earns a proper place in heaven.
The court that the animals bring Anansi to is somewhat similar to a bet din, the three-person court that is established by Jewish law to settle disputes. Something you can do if you feel you have been practicing a Jewish custom that you want to stop practicing is to convene your own bet din. Say the following: “I practiced this custom because I mistakenly thought it was the halacha. I wish to be exempt from this practice.” The bet din responds three times “It is permitted for you.” (from the Aish “Ask the Rabbi” website)
In Kimmel’s Anansi and the Strange Moss Covered Rock, (Holiday House, Inc., 1990) justice is pursued by the character of Little Bush Deer (tzedek, tzedek tirdof, the value of pursuing justice/ the obligation to actively promote justice; also, lo ta’amod al dam re’echa, do not stand by the blood of your neighbor/ the prohibition against passivity in the face of violence to others).
My four-year old son asked if Little Bush Deer was Jewish which prompted an interesting discussion about Little Bush Deer’s behavior and which characters’ behavior reflected Jewish values.
Ancestors
Compare the similarity between the opening lines of the Amidah with the theme of honoring ancestors in the Disney movies The Lion King, Pochohantas, and Mulan. Questions raised by the movies: Are we here because of our ancestors’ actions? Are we the reason for their existence? Will our descendants be Jewish because of our actions?
Angels in Jewish Tradition
The Thirteen Petalled Rose by Adin Steinsaltz (Basic Books, 1980), devotes the first chapter to the meaning of angels in Jewish tradition.
The Talmud says that angels travel on our breath so we should not blow out a candle’s flame that was used for a mitzvah. This may be where the tradition came from for dipping the Havdalah candle in the wine. The Talmud also says that angels live in between our layers of clothing so we should remove one layer at a time when getting ready for bed. This way the angels can enjoy freedom of movement. It’s quite touching to watch your 5-year old shake out his clothes when undressing at night so the angels can move around.
Seven Angels are listed as reminders when winding the tefillin strap:
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Tzadkiel, Yufiel, and Raziel.
(Agra D’Pirka, in name of Zohar)
Metratodon is another angel who figured more prominently in early Jewish history.
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel are the angels listed in a bedtime prayer:
In the name of HaShem, the God of Israel:
May the angel Michael be at my right,
and the angel Gabriel be at me left;
and in front of me the angel Uriel,
and behind me the angel Raphael
and above my head the presence of God.
The Joy of Hebrew by Lewis Glinert (Oxford University Press, 1993) tells the following story:
When God wanted to test Abraham with the Binding of Isaac, God first went to the angels to get them to deliver the message to Abraham for him to kill his son. The angels said, “If you want to kill a Jew, do it yourself.”
We welcome the ministering angels in the Friday night song, “Shalom Aleicheim.” One custom is to sing the first three verses while opening the front door to physically experience the setting sun. Then, after Havdalah, sing the last verse which mentions the departing ministering angels.
From the ArtScroll Siddur by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, (Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 1999).
We emulate angels when we bow to the left and then right in the Kedusha part of the Amidah when we say, “zeh el zeh” (and one angel will call to another angel) We try to “break loose from the bonds of earth and unite our service with that of the angels” when we rise successfully higher on our toes while saying “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh” during the Kedusha.
The reason we stand with our feet together while saying the Amidah is to emulate the image of angels that Ezekiel had in his chariot vision .
A Jewish tradition says that an angel bends over each blade of grass and says “Grow!”
Torah texts relating to angels:
Genesis 1:26
God said: Let us make a human in our image, in our likeness: and they shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heaven, and over the beasts, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth.
Rashi: Let us make a human - Although they did not assist God in forming the man, and although this use of the plural may give the heretics an occasion to rebel, yet the verse does not refrain from teaching proper conduct and the virtue of humbleness, namely, that the greater should consult, and take permission from the smaller; for had it been written, "I shall make a human," we could not, then, have learned that God spoke to God's judicial council, but to God's own self. And as a refutation of the heretics, it is written immediately after this verse, “And God created a man;” and it is not written “and they created.”
Genesis 16
"Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
And the Angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
And the Angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude."
Genesis 22
And the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall of all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."
Genesis 28
"And he (Jacob) dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the Angels of God ascending and descending on it.
And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."
Exodus 3:1-4
And Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock far away into the desert, and came to the
Numbers 20
"And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an Angel, and hath brought us forth out of
Talmud and Midrash texts relating to angels:
Midrash Rabbah I:3
R. Tanchuma commenced with: For You are great and do wondrous things [Psalm 86:10]. R. Tanchum b. R. Hiyya said: If a gourd has a hole even as small as the eye of a needle, all its air escapes; yet though a human is formed with many cavities and orifices, his breath does not escape through them. Who achieved this? You God alone [Psalm 86:10]. When were the angels created? R. Yochanan said: They were created on the second day, as it is written, Who lays the beams of Your upper chambers in the waters [Psalm 104:3], followed by, Who makes the spirits Your angels [Psalm 104:4]. R. Chanina said: They were created on the fifth day, for it is written, And let fowl fly above the earth {Genesis
Sanhedrin 38b
Rab Judah said in Rab's name: When the Holy One, blessed be God, wished to create humanity, God created a company of ministering angels and said to them: Is it your desire that we make a man in our image? They answered: Sovereign of the Universe, what will be their deeds? Such and such will be their deeds, God replied. Thereupon they exclaimed: Sovereign of the universe, What is many that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you think of him? [Psalm 8:5] Thereupon God stretched out God's little finger among them and consumed them with fire. The same thing happened with a second company. The third company said to God: Sovereign of the Universe, what did it avail the former [angels] that they spoke to You? The whole world is Yours, and whatsoever that You wish to do in it, do it. When God came to the men of the Age of the flood and of the division [of languages], whose deeds were corrupt, they said to God: Lord of the Universe, did not the first [company of angels] speak correctly? Even to old age I am the same, and even to hoar hairs will I carry [Isaiah 46:4] God retorted.
Shabbat 119b
Rabbi Yose Ben Yehudah said: "Two angels, one good and one bad, accompany every man from synagogue to home on Erev Shabbat. If he enters his house and finds the candles lit, the table set, and his bed made, the good angel exclaims, 'May it be thus next Shabbat as well!' and the bad angel must respond 'Amen' in spite of himself. If the case is otherwise, the bad angel exclaims, 'May it be thus next Shabbat as well' and the good angel must respond 'Amen' in spite of himself.
Midrash Rabbah 8:5
R. Simon said: When the Holy One, blessed be God, came to create Adam, the ministering angels formed themselves into groups and parties, some of them saying, "Let him be created," while others urged, "Let him not be created." Thus it is written, "Love and Truth fought together, Righteousness and Peace combated each other " [Psalm 85:11]: Love said, "Let him be created, because he will dispense acts of love"; Truth said, "Let him not be created, because he is compounded of falsehood"; Righteousness said, "Let him be created, because he will perform righteous deeds"; Peace said, "Let him not be created because he is full of strife." What did the Lord do? God took Truth and cast it to the ground. Said the ministering angels before the Holy One, blessed be God, "Sovereign of the Universe! Why do You despise Your seal? Let Truth arise from the earth!" Hence it is written, "Let truth spring up from the earth" [Psalm 85;12].
All our rabbis say the following in the name of R. Chanina, while R. Phinehas and R. Hilkiah say it in the name of R. Simon: *Me'od* [very] is identical with Adam, as it is written: "And God saw everything that God had made, and behold it was tov me'od [very good]" [Genesis 1:31], that is, and behold Adam was good. R. Huna the Elder of Sepphoris, said: While the ministering angels were arguing with each other and disputing with each other, the Holy One, blessed be God, created him. God said to them: What can you avail? The human has already been made!"
Angels found in the Legends of the Bible by Louis Ginsburg, (Jewish Publication Society, 1994):
(angels did not get names until after the time of Daniel)
Kemuel: the porter in charge of 12,000 angels of destruction. He tries to block Moses but Moses strikes him and destroys him as he goes to get the Torah.
Hadarniel: tries to block Moses with 12,000 fiery lightning flashes. God intervenes and reprimands the angel. Hadarniel leads the way for Moses.
Sandelfon: binds garlands for God but frightens Moses so much that Moses has to ask God for help so he can pass.
Gallyin: also called Rafiel.
Yefefiyah: the prince of the Torah.
Metatron: the prince of the Face.
Satan or Sameal: the Adversary
Labbliel: angel of healing; also called Raphael the Rescuer
From a web page:
"http://www.jewishworldreview.com"
By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood
“Jewish View Of Angels: Are angels Jewish?
The answer is a definite yes. Despite the Christian orientation of many books on angels and the Jesus-like look of angels in the paintings of the great masters, the winged creatures are unquestionably part of the Jewish tradition.
Indeed, asking if angels are prominent in Jewish tradition "is like asking if G-d is prominent in Jewish tradition," says Rabbi Yosef Posner of
Yet most experts agree that there are clearly defined differences between Jewish and non-Jewish views of angels.
Guardian angels who watch over and protect particular human beings is a conception from the Roman Catholic, not the Jewish, tradition.
"Jews probably think less about angels than the average person," says Dr. Byron Sherwin, vice president for academic affairs of the Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies . Possibly this is so because "the Jewish community is more secularized" than other religious communities, he says.
Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer of
Bechhofer says a course he taught on "Malachim (Angels): What are they and what do they do?" at the
ROLE OF ANGELS
"There's a precedent (in Jewish literature) for calling human beings angels," observes Rabbi Asher Lopatin, spiritual leader of
"Reform Jews rarely talk (of angels) in literal terms, but we can extend the notion to anybody who does a mitzvah," says Rabbi Jay Moses of
"We don't have a better description than 'angel' for people who are humane, good and kind," says Rabbi Nathaniel Stampfer, professor of Jewish Studies at
While angels are the subject of divided opinions among Jews, on one point there's agreement: in Judaism, angels take a back seat to both G-d and humans.
They are, first and foremost, messengers --- the literal meaning of the Hebrew word malach. In fact, it is sometimes translated as "messenger," sometimes as "angel," says Spertus' Sherwin.
Many commentators note that, in the Bible and throughout the Judaic literature, angels are depicted as being static, unable to grow. That makes them very different from humans.
"An angel can never rise to a higher level than what it was created on," says Rabbi Moshe Francis of the Chicago Community Kollel. "A human being is not quite on the same level as an angel, but a human has the potential to grow spiritually and go on to the next level. Angels stand stationary. They can't grow spiritually."
Angels and humans "are very different creatures," agrees Rabbi Lopatin. "According to the mystical tradition, the angels can only sanctify G-d after we sanctify G-d. Angels are perfect, they are only doing
God's will, but we have free choice, and G-d wants people to have free choice."
Throughout Jewish history, "angels are considered a metaphor. They are not considered to be physically present," says Rabbi Yehoshua Karsh, outreach director at the Chicago Community Kollel.
The term malach is significant, he believes: "G-d sends healing to mankind, and that healing might be called the angel Raphael. But the angel has no independent personality. The angel is the message."
Even the mystical sources of the Kabbalah "do not consider angels to be beings you could interact with. To a Jew (not studying Kabbalah), angels would have no relevance to modern-day life."
Kabbalists "wanted to make a connection to a different spiritual world," he says. "They considered angels to be moving energy. Their wings were a metaphor for movement."
But even to them, "angels were never beings that can grant your wishes or have an independent personality that you can relate to."
Rabbi Bechhofer sees G-d and humans -- but not angels -- as the universe's "independent operators."
"We don't have as much access to spirituality as a malach, but we have free will," he says. "Each malach has a specific task, but it doesn't impact on the entire universe. Humans impact on the entire universe. They are in an exalted position, but we have the real power."
Rabbi Yehiel Poupko, director of the
On that day, according to the Talmud, "we serve G-d here on earth as G-d is served on high," Poupko says.
"We behave like angels: they are dressed in white, and so are we. They don't eat and drink, and we don't either.
They are without family, they are pure, and we are all those things for that one day.
"On most days, when we say the Shema prayers, we whisper the unmentionable name of G-d. Only angels can say that name out loud, because they are utterly pure. But on Yon Kippur, every Jew becomes an angel and can say that name out loud."
In traditional Judaism, and particularly the Chasidic strain, there is a strong tradition of belief in angels.
References to angels in the Orthodox prayer book are more frequent than in the other movements and are "very enriching," says Spertus' Stampfer.
"Every Friday night we sing 'Sholom Aleichem,' which is an address to the angels, welcoming them,"
Posner of Chicago says. "Judaism teaches that every person is accompanied by two angels, and we can speak to them. "
Beyond these specific beliefs, Jewish writings are rich with teachings about angels. Rabbi Francis of the Chicago Community Kollel relates that the Pirke Avos, or Ethics of the Fathers, posits that "when a person performs a mitzvah, he creates a good angel. When he performs a sin, he creates a bad angel. When he passes away and has to stand in judgment, the good angels testify on his behalf while the bad angels prosecute him."
Another tale from a famous 18th century rabbi, Grand Rebbe Pinchas of Koretz, holds that when two people develop a friendship, an angel is created between them and lives as long as the friendship flourishes.
And one section of the Talmud states that every word that comes from G-d creates an angel.
Still, popular culture notwithstanding, most agree that angels play a decidedly secondary role in today's Jewish life, thought and prayer. ‘Heaven," says Rabbi Elliot Gertel, a Conservative rabbi from
Arthur by Marc Brown (Random House, Inc.)
He changed the spelling of his first name from “Mark” to “Marc” to honor the Russian-Jewish artist Marc Chagall. As odd as it may seem to base a Jewish value on a background illustration, I was able to do that while reading Arthur’s Tooth, (Little Brown, and Co., 1986). One of the illustrations shows the teacher leading a lesson on nutrition and in the background is a sign that says, "You are what you eat." I had just finished reading a commentary on Parasha Bo in Exodus where the Israelites are told to stay indoors on their last night in
The very basic rules relating to food are these:
All mammals must both chew their cud and have a split hoof. All these animals turn out to be domestic with the exception of buffalo, deer, and the giraffe. The buffalo and deer are kosher but the giraffe has been rabbinically declared Traif (not kosher) since no one knows how to slaughter it due to its long neck. No kosher animal is carnivorous. All mammals must be killed ritually; no road kill or accidental death.
No mixing of meat and dairy products. This also doesn’t have a reason given, but meat comes from a dead animal and milk comes from a live animal which we are taking care not to mix life and death. A powerful thought. The generally accepted time to wait between eating meat and then eating dairy is six hours. Some say three and the Dutch Jews say 90 minutes. Eating meat after dairy doesn’t usually require a waiting period unless you’ve eaten hard cheese and then it gets a little trickier. Best to consult a book devoted to kashrut. I had a friend who passed away in 2002. She was 92 and we often ate together or visited. I once asked her how long she waited between meat and milk and she said six hours but that she would eat her meat meal at six in the evening and then get up at
Humans are traif but human milk is not. Blood is traif, but if you cut yourself accidentally and a drop gets into your food then it is not traif as long as the proportion is less than 1/60th of the entire serving.
All fish must have both fins and scales. It turns out that almost all fish which have scales also have fins. (Catfish does not have scales and so is not kosher) No shellfish or eels or squid. Watch out for oyster sauce in bottled stir-fry sauce.
All birds must be domestic and slaughtered ritually. No birds of prey or scavengers. Check eggs for blood. There is a 1/60th rule that says if the blood is less than 1/60th of the prepared food then it is still “eatable.”
Certain insects, notably grasshoppers, may be eaten, but a rabbinical ruling says that no one is really sure which ones, so none are kosher (there’s a story that Yemenite Jews knew which ones and ate them, but they all moved to Israel fifty years ago; it’s doubtful that any eat insects now). This makes broccoli and lettuce difficult to clean as there are usually tiny insects. When my 6 year-old learned this he became a stickler for not eating his broccoli unless he had personally inspected it.
There are some who say that if you can’t see it then it isn’t traif.
Bee honey is kosher (the honey referred to in the Torah is almost always date honey) but bees are not.
Kosher wine is kosher because at one time some red wines were filtered through ox blood and also because it may have been made for sacramental purposes for idol worship. The kosher certification attests that neither happened. Even though neither is likely to happen with the good wine we can buy now, it is still nice to buy kosher wine, especially for making Kiddush. Whiskey and beer are considered kosher but do not usually get a kosher authentication although there several liqueurs have one.
Fruit from a tree has a special status due to the commandment to not pick it until the tree is three years old. Most people only observe this in
Arthur, King of Camelot and the Sword in the Stone Legend
Crusades and knights, kings and castles all meant more dead Jews. The legend of Arthur is tied up in the romance of the Crusades. But the Crusades turned into a war against the Jews. When the knights realized how far away the
The Sword in the Stone legend refers to the story about a sword being stuck in a stone and who ever could pull it out would be the next king of
When Moses met Zipporah at the well, she took him home to meet her father, Jethro. Jethro said many men had come wanting to marry his daughter but the one who would win her would be the one who could pull the tree out of the ground in front of their home. The tree had been planted there by an angel who had brought it from the Garden of Eden. Whoever could pull it from the ground would be the true leader of
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