gth@erc3ba.UUCP (A.Y.Feldblum) (08/14/85)
This Shabbat is the beginning of the month of Elul, the last
month before Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kipur (Day of Atonement).
During the month of Elul, the custom among Ashkanazi Jews is to blow the
Shofer (ram's horn) every day following morning services. [This custom
is brought down by R. Moshe Isserles (RAMAH), while R. Yosef Caro brings
down the custom to recite Salehot(sp?) from the beginning of Elul. (I
just unpacked my encyclopedia Judaica) R. Yosef Caro wrote the Shulhan
Arukh (Prepared Table) which codified Sephardi practice, and R. Moshe
Isserles wrote a set of glosses to the Shulhan Arukh called the Mappah
(tablecloth) which contained the Ashkenazi customs.] The explanation
given for these customs is that during these 40 days, 1st of Elul to
10th of Tishre, Moshe Rabanu went back up Mt. Sinai after breaking the
first Luchot (tablets) to receive the second Luchot. The verse in Song
of Songs - I am to my love and my love is to me, whose first initials
spell out Elul, is interpreted as meaning that this month is a time when
a persons heart is closer to Hashem, and Hashem is ready to accept his
repentance with love.
These ideas are also found in this weeks Parsha, Re'e. The
parsha starts off by saying - 'Behold, I set before you today, a
blessing and a curse'. The blessing, if you listen to Hashem and the
curse if you do not listen. At its simplist level, this is a staement of
reward and punishment: if you do good, then Hashem will reward you [just
complex conjugate to get second half :-) ]. The malbim, however,
understands this to be a much more fundimental statement. One thinks of
the world operating according to the laws of nature (Tevah), while one's
actions and deeds go into some seperate heavenly reckoning, which is
totally seperate. This is not so, acc. to the Malbim. What Moshe is
telling Bnei Yisrael is that each and every action has cosmic impact.
Man is described as an Olam Katan - a small world. The state of blessing
and curse in the world at large, is a response to the heeding or lake
thereof of Hashem in the 'small world' that is man. Rather than saying:
If you do good, Hashem will reward you, the more correct statement is:
The positive actions you do cause blessing in the world.
This appears to be a perfect positive reenforcement situation.
The only problem is that we don't see it working. We do not see the
blessing that comes as a result of our actions. The Sifre, a collection
of Tanaitic commentaries on Devorim, deals with issue by giving an
example. There was a person sitting at the crossroads, and before him
was two roads. The first was clear and smooth at the beginning, but
later was full of thorns, while the second had thorns at the beginning,
but was clear and smooth afterwards. He warned all those who passed by,
saying the first looks clear, but after 2-3 paces it turns thorny, while
the second, once you get past the first 2-3 thorny paces turns smooth
and clear. So too Moshe told Israel, you may see the wicked prosper for
a period of time in this world, but their end will be crushed in the
world to come, while the rightous, may suffer for a time in this world,
but will rejoice eternally in the world to come.
Two quick tidbits for the end. There are two topics which have
been discussed recently on the net, and the source is found in the Sifre
to this weeks parsha. The first is the question of eating Hadash (new
wheat before the second day of Pesach) in grain that was grown outside
of Israel. On Chapter 12 verse 1, the Sifre says that those commandments
that depend on the land do not apply outside of the land of Israel,
except for Arlah (not eating the fruit of a tree for the first three
years) and Kelaim (mixing of species). R. Eliezer says, also Hadash. The
second is the issue of erasing the name of Hashem (the net discussion
was specifically about the local language word for the deity, this is
the source for not erasing a letter of tetragram(?) - Shem Havayah.). In
verse 4 it says, do not do so to Hashem your Lord. The Sifre says this
refers to chopping down a brick from the Temple or Alter. R. Ishmael
says it refers to erasing a letter from THE NAME. R. Gamliel says, who
can imagine a Jew breaking down the Alter? Rather it is saying, do not
follow the evil ways of the nations and cause the Temple to be
distroyed.
May the true reign of Hashem over the world come to us soon.
Avi Feldblum
AT&T Tech. - ERC
uucp: {allegra, ihnp4}!pruxc!ayf or (return path of this message)
!erc3ba!gth