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2000

Hanukkah: Judaism for Everyone (2000)

Chanukah Torah Umadda Antisemitism Passionate Moderation
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Note

On Moderation and Excess (1996)

Many years ago, Rabbi Hyman Tuchman ע״ה commented to me that he wondered about a slight difference between the Christian and the Jewish expressions of aversion to Satan – which may or may not reflect deeper attitudes. Thus, Jesus says to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23), implying that Satan is a menace only when he is in front of a person. Whereas the prayer in Judaism is, as expressed in the hashkiveinu prayer of the daily ma’ariv service, v’haser Satan milfaneinu u-me’achareinu – “remove Satan from before us and behind us” – implying that Satan is a danger whether in front or in back of us. (The hashkiveinu blessing is already mentioned in the Talmud [Berakhot 4b] as an ordinance of the Sages which resonates with the theme of the previous geulah blessing – the two together thus comprise what the Talmud terms geulah arikhta, a “long redemption” blessing. Eliezer Levi [Yesodot ha-Tefillah, Tel Aviv 1952, p. 186] therefore argues that the hashkiveinu blessing is a later addition, appended to the geulah. Some much earlier authorities argue that the content of the blessing is ancient in provenance and articulates well with the redemption theme – thus implying a co-equal status for both blessings even chronologically [see Sefer ha-Eshkol, Hilkhot Tefillah u-Keri’at Shema, p. 17]. The particular expression v’haser Satan milfaneinu u-me’achareinu occasioned comment by a number of rabbinic writers, such as Abudrahm, R. Yaakov Zvi Mecklenburg in his commentary Iyun Tefillah, and R. Samson Raphael Hirsch – but none of them offers the explanation which follows.) Now, some forty or more years later, it occurs to me that the position of “Satan” relative to the human victim of his evil designs sheds light upon his function. In front of a person, the tempter misleads and misdirects him – into a life of sin and degradation. When Satan is behind one, he does not direct or misdirect him; he merely pushes him harder in the direction he is already going. Why is thi…
Torah Umadda Passionate Moderation

Speech

Y.U. Hanukkah Dinner (1988)

The festival of Hanukkah, but recently concluded, is centered about the מנורה – celebrating the victory of the Israelites over the oppressive Greek‑Syrians. The origin of the מנורה goes back to Moses, who was commanded by God to construct it. I want to share with you a rather strange legend about the מנורה: Moses had difficulty with the divine instruction to construct the מנורה in the Tabernacle – משה נתקשה במעשה המנורה עד שהראה לו הקב"ה מנורה של אש... What did the Sages mean to teach us with this comment? What made them attribute to Moses difficulties which even a beginner would not have, so clear and explicit are the Biblical instructions? I believe that one major problem perturbed them: מנורה yields mixed signals; is symbol two apparently conflicting values — beauty/spirituality. The very loving attention Torah showered on details ornamentation מנורה is sufficient evidence its status as work unblemished art. In course time, generations Jews came to revere מנורה as Jewish symbol of beauty. At same time, pure flame of מנורה made of מנורה itself the ultimate symbol spirituality/רוח. Thus, Zechariah envisions a מנורה, exclaims, כי לא בחיל ולא בכח כי אח .ברוחי אמר ה״צ. Now, these two values suggested by the מנוחה, beauty and spirit, da not at all seem compatible. Beauty is external, it speaks to appearances. Spirit is inwardness, it reflects essence, not appearance. Beauty is enchanting, spirit is enduring. Beauty thrives in revelation — artist seeks exposure; spirit shuns public scrutiny and flourishes only in concealment, in the closed chambers of the heart, shy and shame-faced. In course history, symbols expanded: not only beauty but all worldly knowledge; & spirit=sacred, Jewish teaching. And these two as well — considered incompatible, irreconci1eable. Yet the מנורה implies both; hence difficulty experienced by Sages/Moses. How indeed construct this center-piece for the Temple when it in and of itself is a contradiction? Hence, the מנוחה required the direct…
Chanukah Torah Umadda Yeshiva University General Education

Outline

דרשה לחגיגת חנוכה (1981)

1. א' המקורות למאורעות של חנוכה = מגילת אנטיוכוס או מגילת החשמונאים – שנקרא בצבור בביהכנ"ס האיטלקים בימה"ב, ועד היום אצל התימנים. יש ב' מהדורת – ארמית ולה"ק, והארמית הוא המקורי או כי קריאתם היתה בנוסח העברי. בריש המגילה מובא על אנטיוכוס מלך יון: בשנת עשרים ושלוש למלכו... שם פניו לעלות לירושלים ליען ויאמר לשריו, הלא ידעתם כי שעם היהודים אשר בירושלים בינינו, לאלהינו אינם מקריבים, ודתינו אינם עושים, ודתות המלך הם עוזרבם לעשות דתם, וגם הם מיחלים ליום ש
Miketz Chanukah General Jewish Thought Torah Umadda