Parsha Emor
I looked into what other Rabbis wrote about the
horrible immoral acts of Canaan and Mitzrayim. Rabbi Edward Davis Shlita had an
incite into the non-Jewish Practices. About 150-200 years ago, the Rabbis came
out strongly against sending flowers to Jewish Funerals as a non-Jewish custom.
It turns out that mostly it was to honor the dead. Now laying a wreath may go
back to the ‘crown of thorns’ of Yeshu, my thoughts, so perhaps no wreaths but
otherwise nowadays it is not looked upon flowers with horror.
Still we have horrible practices on non-Jews. The
original prohibition against circuses was not because of a woman in a bathing
suit doing a high-wire act which is not modest. The original prohibition was
because of gladiator slaves’ nude fighting each other or lions to the death.
Other prohibitions of the Torah Laws of modesty ignored by the non-Jews are
appalling to Jews. A number of years ago
grandpa remarried a woman a bit younger than himself. Sometime later, she
divorced him and ran off with 19year old grandson. The Torah of course forbids
this with more than just Kares but in a US Court nothing. The same goes for
caring and sharing of actors and actresses on Soap Operas. Perhaps one of the
worse is Ilhan Omar marrying her half-brother. Well Christianity and Islam
could learn a bit of holiness from our Torah.
The highest level of holiness is that of a Cohain
and our Parsha starts out with who can or cannot marry a Cohain and it is a
direct continuation of our last two Parshiyos.
21:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: Speak
unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them: There shall none defile
himself for the dead among his people; 2 except for his kin, that is
near unto him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his
daughter, and for his brother; 3 and for his sister a virgin, that is
near unto him, that hath had no husband, for her may he defile himself.
With the exception of an abandoned body found by
a Cohain with nobody else to bury it meaning a Meys Mitzvah; he can only become
Tumay Meys for seven relatives listed here.
4 He shall not defile himself, being a chief
man among his people, to profane himself.
The Cohain Gadol is so holy only marrying a
virgin not even a widow that in his state of holiness, he cannot defile himself
for the seven close relatives that a regular Cohain can defile himself.
5 They shall not make baldness upon their
head, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beard, nor make any
cuttings in their flesh.
The Shiites in Lebanon have a practice of taking
razors to their heads and making cuttings. This is forbidden. Even an ordinary
Ben Yisrael is forbidden to making cuttings and shave the corners of their
beard with the exception of the Nazir and the Metzora.
6 They shall be holy unto their God, and not
profane the name of their God; for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the
bread of their God, they do offer; therefore, they shall be holy.
This applies to all Cohanim who eat Challah,
Teruma and portions of Korbanos.
7 They shall not take a woman that is a
harlot, or profaned; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband;
for he is holy unto his God.
The three types of women forbidden to a Cohain.
The first is a completely immoral woman, the second according to Gemara Shabbos
could be a woman who rubbed herself against another woman and the third is
divorced meaning rejected by her husband for whatever reason or flaw. The flaw
could even be that she is wonder but he was a bad choice for her.
8 Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he
offers the bread of thy God; he shall be holy unto thee; for I the LORD, who
sanctify you, am holy.
This is similar in wording to Pasuk 6 above
adding he is holy because I (the L-RD) am holy.
9 And the daughter of any priest, if she
profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father: she shall be
burnt with fire.
This is not a matter of an unmarried daughter of
a Cohain but a woman who has violated the laws in which she occurs the death
penalty.
10 And the priest that is highest among his
brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated
to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head go loose, nor rend
his clothes; 11 neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile
himself for his father, or for his mother;
Now we are told in detail what Pasuk 5 tells us.
12 neither shall he go out of the sanctuary,
nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil
of his God is upon him: I am the LORD. 13 And he shall take a wife in
her virginity.
Contrary to another Cohain who can marry a widow,
he can only marry a virgin.
14 A widow, or one divorced, or a profaned
woman, or a harlot, these shall he not take; but a virgin of his own people
shall he take to wife. 15 And he shall not profane his seed among his
people; for I am the LORD who sanctify him.
A normal Cohain can marry a widow and she is
permitted to him. A widow is not a woman who is divorced and rejected by a
husband or vice versa and not a harlot etc. however, the Cohain Gadol can only
marry a virgin and according to tractate Yoma has a spare wife just in case his
wife dies on Yom Kippur as he has to atone for his household and household
refers to his wife.
16 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 17 Speak unto Aaron, saying: Whosoever he be of thy seed
throughout their generations that hath a blemish, let him not approach to offer
the bread of his God.
The ordinary Cohain has to be ‘perfect’ without
blemish and the next few Pasukim cover what is unblemished.
18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish,
he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath anything maimed,
or anything too long, 19 or a man that is broken-footed, or
broken-handed, 20 or crook-backed, or a dwarf, or that hath his eye
overspread, or is scabbed, or scurvy, or hath his stones
crushed; 21 no man of the seed of Aaron the priest, that hath a
blemish, shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire; he
hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.
A person who serves G-D has to be close to
perfect in form and not somebody missing anything.
22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of
the most holy, and of the holy. 23 Only he shall not go in unto the
veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profanes
not My holy places; for I am the LORD who sanctify them. 24 So Moses
spoke unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.
Moshe taught these laws to Aaron
and sons for all future generations.
22:1 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate
themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they hallow
unto Me, and that they profane not My holy name: I am the LORD.
... 26 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 27 When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is
brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; but from the eighth
day and thenceforth it may be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the
LORD. 28 And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not
kill it and its young both in one day. 29 And
when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, ye shall sacrifice
it that ye may be accepted. 30 On
the same day it shall be eaten; ye shall leave none of it until the morning: I
am the LORD. 31 And ye shall keep My commandments, and do
them: I am the LORD. 32 And ye shall not profane My holy name; but
I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD who hallow
you, 33 that brought you out of the land of Egypt,
to be your God: I am the LORD.
23:1 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them:
The appointed seasons of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy
convocations, even these are My appointed seasons. 3 Six days shall work be done; but
on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do
no manner of work; it is a sabbath unto the LORD in all your dwellings.
As long as the Torah is
dealing with holiness the Torah comes to remind us of the holiness or Shabbos
and Yom Tov. With 7 Aliyos for the Torah reading we start off with the weekly
spot of holiness and rest from Melacha, Shabbos. Then we go though the Yomim
Tovim in order starting with Pesach and even though they have 5 Aliyos, we only
return to Yom Kippur and the six Aliyos when we receive it in order.
4 These are
the appointed seasons of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall
proclaim in their appointed season. 5 In the first month, on the
fourteenth day of the month at dusk, is the LORD'S Passover.
Since we start the year
for Kings and Yomim Tovim in Nissan, we meet Shabbos at least twice and then on
the 15th Pesach.
6 And on the
fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD;
seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have a
holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. 8 And ye shall bring an offering
made by fire unto the LORD seven days; in the seventh day is a holy
convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work.
Like Shabbos the
Melachos are forbidden. No Melacha can be performed with the exception of food
for the body and soul necessary for Yom Tov festive meals but not to be for
Chol HaMoed. Thus, if one has so and so many guests, he can prepare food for
that number of guests but no more. If more guests come, he can add and prepare
for more guests but not above the number there.
9 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses saying: 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them:
When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the
harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your
harvest unto the priest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be
accepted for you; on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave
it.
The day after Shabbos is
Motzei Pesach and the first-fruits of the harvest is an Omer of Barley as it
ripens before wheat.
12 And in the
day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish of the
first year for a burnt-offering unto the LORD. 13 And the meal-offering thereof
shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an
offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savor; and the drink-offering
thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.
He-lamb not old enough
to be a ram yet.
14 And ye shall
eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day,
until ye have brought the offering of your God; it is a statute forever
throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
The Omer must be brought
at the crack of dawn so that people could eat and drink.
15 And ye shall
count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that ye
brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete; 16 even unto the morrow after the
seventh week shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new
meal-offering unto the LORD.
This is the source for
the Mitzvah of the counting of Omer.
17 Ye shall
bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah;
they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, for first-fruits
unto the LORD. 18 And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without
blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams; they shall be a
burnt-offering unto the LORD, with their meal-offering, and their
drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the
LORD. 19 And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and
two he-lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them
with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before the LORD, with
the two lambs; they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
This is the Korbanos
required for Chag Shavuos outside of bringing the Bikurim of the farmers.
21 And ye shall
make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto
you; ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a statute forever in all your
dwellings throughout your generations.
From the counting, one
knows what day it is when Yom Tov is beforehand.
22 And when ye
reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy
field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest; thou shalt leave
them for the poor, and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
The Mitzvah of leaving
the Peah of the field is conjunct to the barley harvest and therefore the Megillas
Ruth is read of Shavuos.
23 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying: 24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: In the
seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you,
a memorial proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convocation. 25 Ye shall do no manner of servile
work; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
The original holiday was
not called Rosh Hashanah or head of a holy year.
26 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying: 27 Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the
day of atonement; there shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall
afflict your souls; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 28 And ye shall do no manner of
work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you
before the LORD your God. 29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted
in that same day, he shall be cut off from his people.
Inflict your souls by
not eating & eating, no marital relations, not wearing shoes or washing.
30 And
whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul
will I destroy from among his people. 31 Ye shall do no manner of work;
it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your
dwellings. 32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye
shall afflict your souls; in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto
even, shall ye keep your sabbath.
Yom Kippur is the second
holiest day of the year with six Aliyos to Torah. Only Shabbos is holier with
seven Aliyos.
33 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying: 34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: On the
fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days
unto the LORD. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; ye shall
do no manner of servile work. 36 Seven days ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto
the LORD; on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall
bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD; it is a day of solemn assembly;
ye shall do no manner of servile work. 37 These are the appointed seasons
of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to bring an
offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a
sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day;
This is Sukkos and the Korbanos
for the general public
38 beside the
sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and
beside all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
Each Aliyah Le Regel
(three Yomim Tovim) one brings a Korban Chagigah to Yerushalayim but can bring
more out of his free will.
39 Howbeit on
the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of
the land, ye shall keep the feast of the LORD seven days; on the first day
shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
The start of the Bikurim
for wheat and barley start on Chag Shavuos. The ending is the grapes, figs,
dates, olives and pomegranates of Sukkos.
40 And ye shall
take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees,
and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice
before the LORD your God seven days.
These are the four
species of the Lulav and Esrog. The Chabad Translation is: And you
shall take for yourselves on the first day, the fruit of the Hadar tree, date
palm fronds, a branch of a braided tree, and willows of the brook, and you
shall rejoice before the Lord your God for a seven-day period. Hadar is the Esrog,
willow and lulav commonly known but braided is the 3 leaf branches of the Hadas
aka Myrtle.
41 And ye shall
keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever
in your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month. 42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven
days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths; 43 that your generations may know
that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out
of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
The Torah takes its time
mentioning the Sukkah Booths but now the Mitzvah is clear and associated with
the name of the holiday. Only after all the other requirements are mentioned is
the Mitzvah of living in a Sukkah mentioned.
44 And Moses
declared unto the children of Israel the appointed seasons of the LORD 24:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 2 'Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto
thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn
continually. 3 Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting,
shall Aaron order it from evening to morning before the LORD continually; it
shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 4 He shall order the lamps upon
the pure candlestick before the LORD continually.
This command is related
to Parsha Behaalosecha and although written here may have been given at the
same time as from Vayikra through Parsha Shelach Lecha occurs within a little
over a month. Our section here deals with the extra virgin olive oil used for
lighting the lamp.
5 And thou
shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts of an
ephah shall be in one cake. 6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six in a row, upon
the pure table before the LORD.
This is the Shewbread that
is brought on Shabbos and the previous Bread from the week is removed.
7 And thou
shalt put pure frankincense with each row, that it may be to the bread for a
memorial-part, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
During the process of
bringing the new Challah Like Shewbread and removing the old, incense is
brought before the L-RD.
8 Every
sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually; it is from
the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant.
The bringing of the new
Shewbread and removing the old occurs on Shabbos itself.
9 And it shall
be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is
most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, a perpetual
due.'
The Bread is brought in warm
from the oven and removed a week later warm and fresh as if just baked. This
was one of the miracles of the Mishkan-Mikdash and occurred weekly.
10 And the son
of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the
children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel
strove together in the camp. 11 And the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the
Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother's name was Shlomit,
the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 And they put him in ward, that
it might be declared unto them at the mouth of the LORD.
As to our great sorry
happens in mixed marriages, the child grows up confused, unsettled and insecure.
This leads to an individual who is outcast either by peers or feels this way
internally. In the case here, the man is the son of a woman from the tribe of
Dan but has too much connection with the Egyptian side of the family causing
his hatred for Torah and Mitzvos.
13 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying: 14 'Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and
let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the
congregation stone him. 15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel,
saying: Whosoever curses his God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that blasphemes the name
of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall
certainly stone him; as well the stranger, as the home-born, when he blasphemes
the Name, shall be put to death.
In the end, he is put to
death for cursing G-D with the 72 letter name.
17 And he that
smites any man mortally shall surely be put to death. 18 And he that smites a beast
mortally shall make it good: life for life.
The Torah at this point
is talking about the death penalty and as a reminder the laws learned in Parsha
Mishpatim are relevant and reviewed.
19 And if a man
maim his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him: 20 breach for breach, eye for eye,
tooth for tooth; as he hath maimed a man, so shall it be rendered unto
him.
As mentioned in Parsha
Mishpatim, eye for eye, tooth for tooth and maiming is money compensation.
21 And he that
kills a beast shall make it good; and he that kills a man shall be put to
death. 22 Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the
stranger, as for the home-born; for I am the LORD your God.'
This section is much
more condensed from Mishpatim and the Beast (Bull or other animal) that kills a
man that was not known to be prone to injure man or beast and was kept corralled,
does not bring death upon the owner. The Beast that is Muad (three times attacked
other animals or humans) and is not put under the slaughtering knife may cause
the owner to die if it kills a human. The reason is that this Beast was known
to be a danger and equivalent to placing a car on the road without breaks or
under the influence of a substance impairing the ability of a driver to safely
navigate the streets.
23 And Moses
spoke to the children of Israel, and they brought forth him that had cursed out
of the camp, and stoned him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the
LORD commanded Moses.
And the evil was removed
from Yisrael.
1 of 800
reasons why Bubbe buys this Jam by Dennis Quellete
Walmart and Costco carry this jam
and I felt that this story needed to be shared and you will feel the need to
too.
*The incident took place in a
supermarket in New Jersey. The tweet is by Michael Perino @ProfessorPerino*
“At the supermarket today, I found a
small, elderly woman standing in front of a high shelf holding @BonneMamanUS
preserves. She was having trouble finding the flavor she wanted because the
jars were set back on the shelf.
She couldn’t read the labels. She
could barely reach them. I offered to help.
After I handed her the raspberry
preserves, she thanked me, paused, and then asked, “Do you know why I buy this
brand?”
I laughed and replied, “Because it
tastes good?”
“Yes, it tastes good.” She paused
again. “I am a Holocaust survivor.”
This was not the conversation I
expected on a Sunday grocery run. “During the war, the family that owns the
company hid my family in Paris. So now I always buy it. And whenever I go to
the store, my grandkids remind me, ‘Bubbe, don’t forget to buy the jelly.’”
I told her that that was the best
reason I ever heard to buy any company’s product. And then we both smiled
behind our masks and went our separate ways.”
*****************************
Someone else on Twitter looked into
the story and indeed, the town that Andros Company, the makers of Bonne Maman,
comes from, hid and saved Jewish families in WW2. It was called Biars sur Cere,
which then had about 800 villagers.
From an article, “You have to
understand what it was like then. There were posters on the walls, from the
Nazis and from the collaborators, and they said that if you are found to help a
Jew, a freemason, a communist, a socialist, or a pervert, you will be shot on
sight.” Despite the great danger in which helping them put the villagers in,
still they kept the children safe.”
A good reason to buy Bonne Maman
products. And a poignant reminder that when we look out for each other it can
change lives, and that there are good and selfless people in the world. - Bonne
Maman!
Each has a name by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1324-31
Born in Ukraine in 1914, Zelda Schneurson-Mishkovsky was
the daughter Rabbi Sholom-Shlomo and Rachel Schneurson. Her
father was a brother of Rabbi Levi-Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the
Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem-Mendel Schneerson, making Zelda first
cousins with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Her mother, Rachel, was the daughter of a
distinguished Chabad chased, R. Meir-Shlomo Yanovsky, the chief rabbi of
Nikolayev. Zelda's mother Rachel, was the daughter of a well-known
distinguished Chabad Chasid, Rabbi Dovid-Tzvi Hain [HaRadatz].
In 1928, at age 14, she immigrated with her family to Israel.
Her father and grandfather died shortly afterwards.
In Jerusalem, where the family had settled, Zelda attended a school for
religious girls and later a teachers' college. It was during her years at the college
that she began to write and publish poetry.
At the age of eighteen Zelda moved with her mother to Tel Aviv, where she took
private painting lessons and befriended other young artists. When her mother
remarried and relocated to Haifa in 1933, Zelda once again accompanied her. In
Haifa she developed a love for the landscape of Mount Carmel, to which she paid
homage in many poems.
Zelda left her mother's home for the first and only time in 1935, at age 21, to
pursue her dream of studying painting at the Bezalel Art Academy in Jerusalem.
She worked as a housepainter to earn money, but jobs were scarce and she was
unable to save enough for tuition. When her mother became ill, she returned to
Haifa to care for her, never having had the chance to study art formally. She
continued to paint on her own, however, and to write poetry and teach in an
elementary school.
In the early 1940s, after her mother was widowed again, the two women returned
to Jerusalem, this time to stay. They settled in a small, dilapidated,
ground-floor apartment in the religiously mixed neighborhood of Kerem Avraham
(which later became part of Geulah), where Zelda taught school until 1950.
That year, at age thirty-six, she married Chayim-Aryeh Mishkovsky, and the
couple made their home with Zelda's mother in the Kerem Avraham flat. It was
there that Zelda ministered to her mother until her death in 1965 and also
cared for Chayim, who fell ill shortly after their marriage.
Once married, Zelda gave up teaching and began writing more prolifically and
intensely. Chayim encouraged her to publish, and in 1967 her first book of
poems, Penai (Leisure), was released to great acclaim.
Dedicated to her father and mother, it contained many poems about them and
about her childhood.
Her second book, Ha-Karmel ha-I-Nir'eh (The Invisible Carmel),
was published shortly after Chayim died, in 1971, and was dedicated to him. It
was followed by four more volumes, each of them a critical and popular
success: Al Tirhak (Be Not Far, 1974), Ha-Lo Har Ha-Lo
Esh (Surely a Mountain, Surely Fire, 1977), Ha-Shoni ha-Marhiv (The
Spectacular Difference, 1981), and She-Nivdelu mi-Kol Merhak (Beyond
All Distance, 1984).
An only child, and childless herself, Zelda was broken by her husband's death,
and would continue to grieve for him for the rest of her life. Her later books
include many poems to him, giving voice to the deep sorrow and grief that
remained with her until the end of her life. Especially poignant are the lyrics
in which she calls out to her beloved across a chasm of silence to reach him in
"the hidden world."
Five years after she was widowed, Zelda left Geula, which had become
increasingly religious and insular, and moved to a street on the border between
the Orthodox area known as Shaarei Chesed and the religiously mixed
neighborhood of Rehavia. Situated at the boundary between two worlds, Zelda's
new location was more open to the many non-religious friends who were among her
frequent guests. The change proved felicitous in another way as well: the new apartment
let in more daylight, which, as the poems reveal, was a healing presence for
her.
Zelda and Chayim had no children, but after Chayim's death Zelda began taking
in boarders-young women, often students, whom she treated like daughters. She
was extremely devoted to these companions, as they were to her, and supported
them financially and in many other ways, even providing them with wedding
celebrations. During her last years, when she suffered from cancer, she was
surrounded by these women and their families, as well as by her many other
friends. Her final book, completed not long before her death in 1984, was
dedicated to "the friends of my soul."
Zelda's students, translators and critics of her work discerned
influences of her Chasidic background in her poetry. Indeed, one reviewer
described her work as "a poetic expression of the tenets of Chabad, to
which the poet was linked by family ties and spiritual leanings."
Her poems, all in Hebrew and now widely translated in numerous
languages, are filtered through a uniquely Chabad spiritual perspective that
manages to startle readers-no matter their orientation. Contemplative as they
are, they shatter fixed ideas yet find their footing at the kitchen table,
making her-poet, woman, Chasidic Jew-an anomaly both within and outside of the
literary world.
In her introduction to The Spectacular Difference (HUC
PRESS), Marcia Falk, author and translator of Zelda's poems recalls her
first visit to the author's Jerusalem home in the 1970s:
"I showed up at her doorstep in a knee-length skirt and a
sleeveless blouse, a kerchief on my head. I had debated with myself about the
skirt and blouse, knowing that the very religious do not approve of women
revealing bare arms or legs; but the heat was oppressive that day and I had
heard that Zelda was tolerant by nature. I didn't give a thought about the
kerchief, which looked, I later realized, like the traditional tichil worn by
some Orthodox married women to cover their hair in public. I had worn it only
as protection from the beating sun.
"When Zelda opened her door to me, a bemused smile spread
across her face. 'You have a secular body,' she commented wryly, 'but a
religious head.'
"Her poems had not prepared me for her sense of humor.
Indeed, little about Zelda turned out to be predictable. In that first visit I
found her to be soft spoken, unassuming and even shy. But more than anything
else, she was utterly original. I'd never heard anyone speak quite the way she
did."
Imagery and concepts from Jewish traditional and mystical
sources abound in Zelda's work, prompting readers to linger over her lyrical
allusions to the infinite, the supernal, the otherworldly, as in this excerpt
from "A Sabbath Candle" (translated by Varda Koch Ocker):
The candle's sparks are palaces,
and in the midst of the palaces
mothers sing to the heavens
to endless generations.
And she wanders in their midst
toward God, with a barefoot baby
and with the murdered.
Hurrah!
The soft of heart comes in dance
in the golden Holy of Holies, inside a spark.
She kept up a long correspondence with her cousin, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Some
of his letters to her have been published in various volumes of his Igrot
Kodesh correspondence. Though her letters to the Rebbe remain
unpublished, it is possible to infer some of what she must have written by his
responses to her.
In one particular letter to Zelda following the death of her
husband, in the summer of 1970, the discussion turns to coping with loss, the
ascent of the soul and the imperative upon the survivors for life. The Rebbe
urges his cousin not to become resigned to loneliness, and insists that the
experience of the death of a loved one should rather stir a desire to live more
intensely in a social environment.
The Rebbe always addressed his letters, "To my cousin
Shaina Zelda." He concluded this one with a postscript:
"Obviously, I hope you will let me know how you are faring,
especially with respect to your finances, and I trust that you will tell me
things as they are-being that we are family, and especially as only very few
remain among our surviving relatives."
Appreciating her artistic achievements which no doubt derived
largely from her identity with darkness, the Rebbe was nevertheless was pained
by her angst, and often implored his cousin to turn her focus to the brighter
side of life.
In one letter, dated 1974, he chides her good naturedly, saying,
"From the spirit of your letters, I get the impression that though I keep
writing you to take a more joyful perspective . . . my words have made no mark
. . . But I will persist, and repeat myself even 100 times, and you will
forgive me . . ."
Maybe, the Rebbe's words did leave their mark on his cousin's
poetry. That same year, Zelda published this poem-one of the few in her
volume, "Be Not Far" (in the collection translated
by Marcia Falk) that ends on a brighter note:
Enchanted Bird
When the feeble body
is about to fall
and reveals its fear of death
to the soul
the lowly tree of routine,
devoured by dust,
suddenly sprouts green leaves.
For out of the scent of Nothingness-
the tree blossoms-
glorious, beautiful.
and in its crown-
an enchanted bird.
Among the poets in Israel's literary circles, many quietly
remember Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky every year on 27 Nissan. That she died (in
1984) on the same day designated by the state of Israel as "Holocaust
Remembrance Day," is in itself poetic; her poetry, for which she received
the Bialik and Brenner Prizes in literature, speaks of death and darkness but
also of renewal and transcendence.
Zelda's reputation has only increased since her death, and today
she is also appreciated beyond the borders of Israel. Her poems have appeared
in translation in many journals and anthologies, and in 2004 the first book of
her poems in English translation was published: The Spectacular
Difference: Selected Poems of Zelda (trans. Marcia Falk).
One of her poems, L'khol Ish Yesh Shem ("Each
Person Has a Name") has achieved iconic status; it is recited on every
Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel [and is also very appropriate for Yom Zicharon
- "Israel Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers"].
EACH OF US HAS A NAME
Each of us has a name
given by God
and given by our parents
Each of us has a name
given by our stature and our smile
and given by what we wear
Each of us has a name
given by the mountains
and given by our walls
Each of us has a name
given by the stars
and given by our neighbors
Each of us has a name
given by our sins
and given by our longing
Each of us has a name
given by our enemies
and given by our love
Each of us has a name
given by our celebrations
and given by our work
Each of us has a name
given by the seasons
and given by our blindness
Each of us has a name
given by the sea
and given by
our death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Excerpted and compiled by Yerachmiel Tilles from two online
articles:
https://www.lubavitch.com/zelda-remembering-an-israeli-poet/ by Baila Olidort and https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/zelda by Marcia Falk. The final poem is from https://www.poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems/poems/poem/103-3275_EACH-OF-US-HAS-A-NAME © translation: from: The Spectacular Difference (see
above, in article, on top of the poem)
Connection:
Tuesday night, Wednesday is Yom Zicharon - "Israel
Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers"].
Biographical note:
Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky [1914 - 27 Nissan 1984] was a first
cousin of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, with whom she frequently corresponded. Born in
Ukraine, at age 14 she immigrated with her family to Israel and settled in
Jerusalem. Her six volumes of award-winning poems, all in Hebrew, are now
widely translated in numerous languages. One of her poems, L'khol Ish Yesh Shem
("Each Person Has a Name") is recited annually throughout the world
on 27 Nissan, the date designated by the Israel government as Holocaust
Memorial Day.
Milestone: Jerry Springer, 79,
retired controversial TV host. https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerry-springer-son-of-jewish-refugees-whose-talk-show-was-known-for-conflict-dies-at-79/
Milestone: Harold Kushner, 88,
bestselling theological author. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370712
Inyanay Diyoma
Apr. 30
Hezballah convoy attacked with many
trucks bearing munitions against Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370704
After militia attacks, US brings
bunker busters to the fight. https://www.debka.com/us-arms-warplanes-in-mid-east-with-bunker-buster-bombs-vs-iran-syia/
Hamas brags that Israel will pay the
price. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370716
Ed-Op Daniel Greenfield: Israel is
fighting the world’s war. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370540
Despite the recent rapprochement
between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Washington is examining Riyadh's demands for a
potential normalization with Israel, an American official told Israel
Hayom. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370728
Lapid is sabotaging Reform
Negotiations. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370731
Netanyahu: "There is also a comprehensive discussion going on
between us regarding judicial reform, but we are making an effort to resolve
this debate through dialogue. With the goodwill of both parties, I am convinced
that agreements can be reached - and I fully support these efforts." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370736
Reckless homicide under the
influence in the accident that killed a baby and left the family in the
hospital. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370732
A man was arrested this morning (Sunday) on
suspicion of tearing down dozens of mezuzahs in Jerusalem on the night Israel's
Independence Day last week. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370734
Who should run the Likud after
Netanyahu? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370722
You confiscated our tanker now take
this: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-741575
Antisemitic cartoon and apology. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-741646
Thurs.-Fri.
Russia sacks war criminal. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-741537
Lion’s Den leader turns himself in
to PLO. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-741528
https://www.aol.com/news/2-us-army-helicopters-crash-095952443.html
May 1,
1 Shachid 7 wounded in over night
raids. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370774
High Court angry at State for not enforcing law. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370781
Over a year has passed since teenager Moishe
Kleinerman disappeared. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370780
First step in free education from
birth. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370769
May Golan people in my party with
personal interests leaked information about me. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370765
Senator Tim Scott teasing
Presidential Run 2024. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370767
Kevin McCarthy visits the Kotel and
Knesset. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370741
"If the Ayalon [highway] can be blocked for
leftist protests, it can also be blocked in order to prevent Sabbath
desecration due to railway construction," the signs read. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370782
Arab woman and two sons murdered. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370762
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-seizes-assets-of-first-republic-bank-third-to-collapse-in-2-months/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/23-killed-in-uman-missile-attack-including-6-children-laid-to-rest/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-charged-with-setting-fire-to-two-mosques-in-minneapolis/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dairy-prices-to-rise-by-9-with-further-hikes-for-next-3-years/
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-741746
Ukrainians uprooting Russian
Positions. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-741740
Russian Sub was near Nord Stream
before explosion. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-741692
Turkey killed ISIS leader. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-741720
Green Tea can cause Liver Damage. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/nutrition/article-741683
Kohlrabi one of the best vegetables.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/nutrition/article-741671
Artemis II to explore Lunar South
Pole. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-741721
The making of a leaner Hamburger. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/nutrition/article-741664
Oil Fire part of Ukrainian counter
offensive. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-741735
Scientist capture image of Black
Hole expelling material. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-741722
SETI and messages sent out could
receive a reply by 2030. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-741584
20years after G.W. Bush “Mission
Accomplished”. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-741725
Israel tackles passport backlog. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-741746
More on TX murders. https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-fugitive-accused-killing-5-deported-5-times
May 2nd
Afternoon Rocket Barrage 1 in
serious Cond. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370847
Charedi Minister: If Netanyahu
cannot keep the agreement on the over-ride cause then he should go home. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370845
Terrorist shooting in the Shomron. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370823
Syria officer dies in air attack. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370810
Hunger striking terrorist dies after
86 days Hamas vows revenge. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370830
Israel Press ignores the 600,000 in
favor of Reform. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370825
Arab smuggling in 10 Arabs arrested.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370807
Gafni: The
cost of living is soaring, the prices of dairy have risen, and now we hear
about the rise in the price of dairy products which are not
price-controlled." … "This is unthinkable, and we cannot allow this
to happen. We promised to fight the cost of living, and we will do this in any
way possible." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370835
Jewish Journalist Jeremy Gordin
murdered in South African Home. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370834
Man dies on El Al flight. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370785
Noam Chomsky, Ehud Barak and others
on Epstein’s Calendar. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370821
https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-shot-dead-near-wadi-ara-as-wave-of-deadly-crime-continues/
https://www.debka.com/us-speaker-mccarthy-warns-israel-china-wants-to-steal-our-technology/
https://www.debka.com/mivzak/at-least-11-dead-in-gas-leak-disaster-in-punjab/
NSA’s penetration into
Israel’s secure communications has come to light through the coincidental
leaking of a trove of top-secret Pentagon documents. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjybndv72
May 3
Happy news from Israel. My grandson,
Yosef Yitzchak, got engaged!
That calmed down my anger from 104
rockets and mortars and a weak wishy-washy response.
Attempted assassination of Putin from Ukraine. https://www.debka.com/kremlin-ukrainian-drones-aimed-at-putins-office-were-shot-down/
Arabs view us as weak. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370902
Mortar Barrage: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370859
The hacker group Anonymous Sudan claimed to
have hacked Israeli rocket warning systems, including for the Iron Dome, on
Tuesday amid a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, and
warned it would do so again should more rockets be launched.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-741869
Poor performance of Iron Dome. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370858
Miracle: “Our car was hit
as wife headed towards it.” https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370853
Woman – my house was hit by a
rocket. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370890
Arms from Gaza smuggled in
Furniture. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370905
Terrorist attacked Prison Guard. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370909
Ed-Op Diane Weber Bederman: Left wing Progressives, now the
opposition in Israel, have protested “judicial reform” for 4 months. They claim
that Israelis are united against judicial reform. The Main Stream Media
went out of its way to promote those views.
I suggest the issue dividing the Jewish people, today, in
Eretz Yisrael is not really about Judicial Reform, but a battle between the
present day Jeremiah and Korach: The loyal Israelis, the patriots, who want to
preserve Eretz Israel for the Jewish People under PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and
the insurgents, who have been misguided by the opposition led by Yair Lapid and
Barak Olmert, pushing a Globalist concept of Israel. https://dianebederman.com/the-meaning-behind-the-march-of-the-millionin-israel/ R. Pauli: Netanyahu is
no Jeremiah or Moshe and the protests have turned ugly against the Charedim.
Another 16year old with lung
collapse and electronic cigarette. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370863
Dem’s complicit in hate. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370850
https://www.timesofisrael.com/contentious-general-once-again-left-out-of-new-idf-promotions/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-killed-as-revolutionary-guard-base-in-iran-rocked-by-explosion/
There is a high prevalence of
colorectal cancer due to hereditary polyposis syndrome among Arabs and
Druze in the north of the country. According to a new study by researchers at
the Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa, the condition is caused by consanguinity
– inbreeding of first cousins. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-741783
Gas
clouds with first star formations. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-741958
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/05/02/us-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-make-iran-sanctions-permanent/
May 4th
Raid in Shechem. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370954
Dog dies in raid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370947
A senior source in Israel's military on Thursday
morning responded to the elimination of terrorists in Shechem (Nablus) with the
statement that the military is prepared for a widescale operation, if need be.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370940
IDF commends officer injured in ramming attack.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370956
Iran has material for 5 Nukes. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370943
Left Wing blocks major roads. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370944
At least two American couples have been caught by
Israeli customs attempting to smuggle a total of more than 650 pounds of Fruit
Roll-Ups into Israel, as the country experiences a dire shortage of the snack.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370933
Don’t giggle Pres. Kamala. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370931
Ed-Op Bederman Gay Pride is no longer about
acceptance they want our children. https://dianebederman.com/gay-pride-is-no-longer-about-the-acceptance-of-a-different-sexual-lifestyle-you-want-to-get-our-children/
Netanyahu to Congress – Iran a danger to every
US City. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-may-4-2023/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-advances-bill-to-expand-use-of-sperm-from-fallen-soldiers/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/woman-and-baby-found-dead-in-their-haifa-home/
May 5th
Vehicle driven by pregnant woman flips after
stoning. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370989
Protests are helping the left as the right
cannot keep promises on law and order so quickly. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370987
Belgrade 2 mass killings. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370981
Charedim boycott Angel Bakery as CEO
participates in demonstration in front of Charedi Rabbi’s Home. If you think
Budd Light in the US had individual boycotts this is a whole sector boycott
that supplied the main customer base. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370960
Bnei Menashe attacked in India. 1
dead, 10 missing in pogrom. https://www.timesofisrael.com/bnei-menashe-community-member-killed-2-synagogues-torched-in-northeast-india-violence/
Ed-Op Ben Yishai Israel losing deterrent
with Gaza. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byn9z0ynh#autoplay
Israel’s unmanned sub. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742088
Arab League ready to welcome back Syria.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-742152
According to current archeological data, Homo sapiens began
settling in what is now Europe in the Upper Paleolithic Age (50,000-12,000
years ago); however, new research indicates that they did so in three distinct
settlement waves. https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-742159
Archeologist find many species of
whale. https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-742150
Eyes show first symptoms of
Alzheimer Disease. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/mind-and-spirit/article-741834
Have a healthy and
peaceful Shabbos rest,
Rachamim Pauli
