Why Don’t Jews Pass the Collection Plate on Shabbat? Originally published March 9-10, 2018
Harkening back to the days of tithing, when Jews (and evidence shows also the Babylonians and Ugarit) would set aside one-tenth of what they had, had earned, or had taken in (there were varying definitions), this question prompts us to look at the contributions which support our religious goings-on. We might, as some do, refer […]
Is a Haftarah Like a Half-Torah? Originally published March 2-3, 2018
NO! Even though the haftarah reading is associated with the Torah reading, the word does not mean “half-Torah,” and it should not be pronounced “huff-TOE-ruh.” So what is a haftarah (plural haftarot)? I was taught that it is dessert, after the meal of the Torah reading. The word הפטרה refers to our taking leave of the […]
Why Do We Do Relevé During Kedushah? Originally published February 23-24, 2018
The Kedushah, the third berakhah of the Amidah, comes in several forms in and out of the Amidah, but always has “kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai tzeva’ot…” and “barukh kavod Adonai…” These lines quote Isaiah and Ezekiel, respectively. Tzeva’ot is often translated as “hosts,” and literally means “armies.” It also may refer to those who “serve” […]
What is a Gabbai? Originally published February 16-17, 2018
Generally speaking, a gabbai (feminine: gabba’it) is appointed to serve to distribute honors for a service and to conduct (stage manage) some of the ritual. Over time, similar jobs in various places and times have been done by a shamash or a sexton. Some places even have had “beadles,” but that leads to too much […]
Why Did My Loved One’s Yahrzeit Change? Originally published February 9-10, 2018
The months of Adar, Heshvan, and Kislev have variable numbers of days - either 29 or 30. Also, in leap years, we have a whole extra month. We don’t add Adar II, though, for leap year, we add Adar I. (This distinction is especially important because it governs when Purim happens!) This has generated certain calculations, […]
What is Pirkei Avot? Originally published February 2-3, 2018
Pirkei Avot פרקי אבות)), which translates to Chapters of the Fathers, consists of the ethical teachings which were passed down (it says) from Moses through Joshua, the “elders,” and the prophets, to the Great Assembly, to the first generations of rabbis. It is a part of the Mishnah, but rather than covering Jewish law, it […]
What are tefillin and why is that shin wonky? Originally published January 26-27, 2018
“Tefillin” is actually plural for tefillah, prayer, but the concept is really neither singular nor plural. The tefillin, which are also called “phylacteries” (a Greek word deriving from “to guard”), are two small black leather boxes with parchment scrolls inside containing verses from the Torah. One box is made for placing on the forehead (“shel […]
What is all the pomp and circumstance in the Torah service? Part 2 of 2 (last week had Part 1) Originally published January 19-20, 2018
The Sefer Torah is the only book we decorate with velvet mantel, velvet gartel (the belt that goes around its waist, literally “belt” in Yiddish), and sometimes silver crown and breastplate. Sometimes we sew semi-precious stones to the mantel or affix them to the breastplate. We parade the scroll before and after reading it (parading […]
What is all the pomp and circumstance in the Torah service? Part 1 of 2 (next week will be Part 2) Originally published January 12-13, 2018
The Sefer Torah is considered our most holy book. We dress it royally, carry it regally, and ritualize its taking out, opening and reading and closing, and putting away, in order to give (and convey) the proper respect. Whenever the Ark is opened, we stand. Whenever the Sefer Torah is being carried or dressed or […]
Can Non-Mourners Say Kaddish? Originally published January 5-6, 2018
Many people believe that the Mourner’s Kaddish is the Kaddish, but although it is important, there are four other forms of Kaddish. So we say various forms of Kaddish regardless of whether we are mourning. But looking more closely at the forms of Kaddish, we see that the Kaddish DeRabbanan (“our rabbis’ kaddish,” recited after […]