de@moscom.UUCP (Dave Esan) (01/06/85)
(quote at the end of the article) In our recent interchange about the state of Israel and saying Hallel on its Independance Day (a subject never really resolved, but beaten to death), there was a side issue that was touched on and never discussed. The subject was the observance of Shabbat; whether the spirit of the law or the letter of the law is important. The question centered on whether a Jew (particularly an Israeli) who seperates the day from the rest of the week is not is a sense observing Jewish law (this is a basically biased synopsis, sorry Eliyahu). I have seen too many "good", Torah observant Jews violate the spirit of the law, the very spirit of Judaism that I begin to wonder what they have learned, and what they believe. Someone posted to the net about making sure to say Avraham correctly,"a warn to speed daveners". Speed daveners??? (to daven is the Yiddish to pray). Is the saying of a prayer so important or is the understanding of the prayer, saying it with "kavanah" important? A speed davener obeys the letter of the law (saying all his prayers), but does he obey the spirit of prayer? Does saying all the prayers in two hours constitute prayer or bored repitition?? Is it better to say all your prayers or just one with meaning? I was taught that once a conversion is done, one should never mention the fact again (assuming it was a kosher conversion -- not a debate point here). One should accept the person as if all their previous generations were as Jewish as yours. And yet I hear the very pious say: She's wonderful, she's a ger(convert), you know. Shabbes is a day that is seperated from the rest of the week. It should be a time of holiness, but also of rest. If one chooses to rest by the TV or the radio, does that cause to that person to labelled as a non-observant Jew, or is this the case of two paths to Judaism? Are the rules the important part or is it rather the spirit of the day? David Esan (moscom!de) > Also, not opening a refrigerator door is as much a question of Shabbat > and its essence as is not working. Actually, the > essence of Shabbat according to the Ramban on the Torah ( Vayikra, I don't > remember the exact location ) is to deal in spiritual endeavors, to learn > Torah, and the such. He says that if a person sleeps all day on shabbat he > has not desecrated it but he has not fulfilled the essence of shabbat ( I > wrote this when we were discussing electricity and shabbat ). Another thing > about shabbat. The g'mara considers one who desecrates the shabbat publicly > a non-Jew ( for certain laws ). A pretty strong statement. So violation > of the shabbat cannot be brush off with a simple "and that is the essence of > shabbes" . >