NUM41 See [[NUM47]] Numbers 6:14 offering AMEMEI 101

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM47 These two classical Jewish approaches, achieving holiness through abstention (Rashi) and achieving holiness by sanctifying the physical fulfillment of bodily desires (Maimonides) are both legitimate and have been argued by authorities throughout the ages. The controversy still continues today. Both refer to bodily desires such as sex and food, one claiming that abstention achieves the holiness and the other asserting that fulfillment under the proper circumstances and purpose achieves the holiness. Perhaps the classical mitzvah that typifies this clash is the two views of the nazir, the person who voluntarily abstains from drinking wine, cutting one's hair, and coming in contact with the dead. One talmudic approach (Taanit 11a) is that indeed the nazir is holy because he chose to abstain from more things than everyone else. The other opinion in that passage is that the nazir is wrong in his action because he chose to deny himself that which God permitted him. This argument about the nazir continued until the Middle Ages. At the end of the period of abstention, usually thirty days, the nazir brings a sacrifice. One of the sacrifices is a sin offering [this verse]. Maimonides (Hilchot De'ot 3:1) uses this sin offering as proof that the Torah looks at the nazir as a sinner because he should not have taken the oath to begin with. Maimonides continues to rail against the entire philosophy of fasting and using other physical denials by Jews to achieve holiness, as a perversion of the intended Torah path, quoting the verse (Ecclesiastes 7:16) admonishing the Jew not to be "too righteous." Nachmanides (commentary on this verse), who believes the nazir's act is to be praised, explains that the reason for the sin offering is because when the person stopped being a nazir, he lowered himself from a higher status of holiness to a lower status. In fact, the Torah does call the nazir holy (Numbers 6:8). According to Maimonides and his camp, the only reason the Torah permitted the concept of nazir is that it recognizes that there are some misguided individuals who think that they can become holy by denying themselves more and more. Rather than letting these people "go on their own," as is often the case with individuals who have improper tendencies, the Torah takes these feelings and channels them into the most acceptable and legitimate Torah structure. Thus, the lines of both sides are clearly drawn. There are numerous talmudic statements supporting both sides. On the one hand, the Talmud (Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 48b) says that a person will have to answer in heaven for all the permitted things he could have partaken of in this world but did not. On the other hand, there is a conflicting statement (Avot DeRabbi Natan 28:5) that says that anyone who denies himself the pleasures in this world will receive pleasures in the next world and, conversely, he who partakes of physical pleasures in this world will be denied pleasures in the next world. Thus, the argument is still not resolved, but both approaches are authentically Jewish.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM73 See [[EXOD925]] Exodus 24:11 leaders AMEMEI 115

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM78 See [[EXOD205]] Exodus 14:21 wind AMEMEI 173-4

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM80 See [[EXOD925]] Exodus 24:11 leaders AMEMEI 115

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM82 See [[EXOD925]] Exodus 24:11 leaders AMEMEI 115

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM83 When Moses asked for new elders to help him, God told him that he should pick those whom he already knew to be worthy [this verse with Rashi commentary). (Continued at [[EXOD101]] Exodus 5:14 AMEMEI 198 beaten).

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM89 Despite emphasizing the need to participate in the community and help the Jewish community when in trouble, Judaism also recognizes the difficulties and disadvantages of being involved in communal work. When Eldad and Meidad were prophesizing in the camp and Joshua, believing them to be false prophets, wanted them to stop and desist, he said to Moses Kla'aim [this verse], which means "restrain them." Rashi (commentary on this verse) offers two explanations of how to restrain them. One is the simple explanation--to put them in jail. But Rashi also quotes the explanation cited in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 17a) that Moses should give them some community responsibility, which would automatically make them stop prophesying. What does this mean? Why would they stop prophesizing if they had community responsibility? Other commentaries explain that since a prophet had to prophesy out of a sense of joy (see the chapter "Prophecy"), a community worker would never feel joy and thus would not prophesy. Therefore, it seems that even then was understood the great discomfort caused by involvement in Jewish communal work. The Jerusalem Talmud (Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot 11a) makes a statement about a particular person, that he rose to greatness in the community and still lived a long life. The implication of this statement is that those who work on behalf of the Jewish community normally do not have long lives. For whatever reasons, it seems that communal work shortened peoples lives. Even today, it can clearly be seen that world leaders age very rapidly while in high office.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM90 Each Jewish blessing … reflects this idea of a personal relationship with God. The term Baruch Attah at the beginning of every blessing means blessed are you God, using the familiar "you" in a second person and not in the more distant third person. In the Torah, when the prophets Eldad and Medad were prophesying back in the camp without the knowledge of Moses, Joshua wanted to lock them up. Moses responded by commenting, "Would that all of Israel be prophets like these" [this verse]. Why did Joshua wish to lock them up and what was Moses' response? According to one explanation, Joshua thought that all contact with God had to go through Moses, much as does the Christian approach. There had to be a go-between for God to relate to the people. All contact with God in the past had been through Moses and, therefore, Joshua believed that any prophecy that was not sanctioned by Moses had to be false prophecy. Moses responded by saying that the prophecy situation was such that until now no one was worthy, but if all the people could communicate as prophets directly with God, that would be the highest level of all. Hence, we see from this episode that Judaism does indeed encourage a direct communication with God. In fact, in most traditional synagogues, the verse that is prominently displayed in the front of the chapel during prayer is "God is always before me" [Psalms 16:8], indicating that every person sees God before him or her.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM100 When the government of Israel airlifted 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, it was the first time in the history of man that black people were taken from Africa to achieve freedom and not slavery. (Nevertheless, some ignorant Israeli Jews are still prejudiced against black Jews, even though this is totally contrary to Jewish and Israeli law). In fact, in Judaism, blackness is not looked upon as a mark of inferiority, but rather as a badge of merit and something to be admired. The Talmud (Mo'ed Katan 16b) relates that the Scripture calls King Saul a black man (from Ethiopia) (Psalms 7:1) because just as a black man is different in his skin color, so, too, King Saul is different and superior to others in his behavior. The passage continues and asks why Tzipporah, the wife of Moses, was called a black woman [this verse] and answers that just as a black person is different in his or her skin color, so, too, Tzipporah stood out in her good deeds. King Tzidkiyahu was also called a black man (Jeremiah 38:7) to demonstrate Tzidkiyahu's superior moral behavior. Finally, the entire Jewish people are compared to black people before God (Amos 9:7), to demonstrate how different and superior their moral behavior is to the nations of the world.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT