B”H

By Rabbi Yossi Groner

Congregation Ohr HaTorah

March 26, 2009

Orthodoxy Today 

A Orthodox Chassidic Rabbi arrives by train in a small town in Alabama in the 1930’s.  As he gets off the train he is followed by a group of boys who stare at him with intense curiosity. Annoyed, the Rabbi turns to them and asks: “Have you never seen a Yankee before?” 

To many people in America, Orthodoxy reminds them of some ancient tribe that still lives in the yesterday and has somehow not yet made the adjustment to modern day life. I will attempt to shed some light on Orthodox Judaism and some of the rewards and challenges we face today. 

Orthodox is a label that has been added in recent years to distinguish it from other streams of Judaism.  In the past all of Judaism was one. It was either you are observant or you are not observant. 

The principles of Orthodoxy are based on the 13 principles of faith as elucidated by Maimonides Beginning with the first principle; complete faith in one and only G-d and concluding with the belief of the resurrection of the dead in the Messianic age.

One of the 13 principles is that the Torah will never change; Torah is eternal just as G-d is eternal. We believe that the Torah is G-d’s word given at Mt. Sinai and we live by it 24/7.  I will soon address the difference between the written word to the Oral part of the Torah. 

But first, the motto of Orthodox Judaism is: “I was created for the purpose of serving my master”. There is a purpose in the creation in which we humans are partners.  This purpose is to transform our material world in to a Divine garden for G-d.  As it is explained in the Oral Torah, G-d wanted us to be His partners in creation. He provides us with the materialism and we transform it by making it holy. 

Today is Rosh Chodesh Nissan the first day of the Hebrew month of Nissan. The word Nissan is plural for the Hebrew word Ness which means miracles.  Nissan means multiple miracles, and indeed this month was filled with miracles beginning with the Exodus as told in the Bible. 

It was on this day that G-d commanded Moses to prepare for the Exodus which was to take place on the 15^th of Nissan which is celebrated as Passover.  The Bible likens the Exodus to the birth of Israel, so Passover is the birthday of the people of Israel.  Seven weeks after the conclusion of Passover we celebrate the festival of Shavuot. One of the reasons for this celebration is that it marks one of the most historic events in Judaism, the giving of the Torah by G-d at Mt. Sinai. The day of Shavuot is likened to the marriage between G-d and the people of Israel.   

This amazing event of the giving of the Torah has become the basis of our relationship we have with G-d.  We live our life in pursuit of this mission and are constantly seeking to improve it. This is expressed by total adherence to the Biblical precepts and protecting its integrity through specific enactments as needed. 

We are aware of the presence of G-d and are thankful for his gifts.  A moving ritual we do each and every morning as soon as we wake up and open our eyes, is reciting of the Mode Ani where we thank G-d for restoring our soul and giving us life. We continue to recite the morning blessings, each one expressing recognition to G-d of these gifts. We thank G-d for restoring our vision each and every day, for giving us mobility and for injecting us with new energy. 

As mentioned before one of the 13 principle is the belief that the Torah is eternal and we are bound by it.  Now the Torah contains both the written word as well as the oral narration.  The written Torah is the word of G-d and it cannot be changed or altered.  Every Torah written contains the exact same wording and the same 304,508 letters.  If there is even one letter missing it invalidates the entire Torah scroll. 

The written Torah is code to something much deeper. The written word itself tells us that there is a narration that was given to Moses. This narration is called the Oral Torah which has since been documented in the Talmud and code of Jewish law. 

To illustrate this principle that the written word came with narration from Sinai I once tried an experiment with words to prove this point.  At one of my classes with 75 people in attendance, I played the telephone game, where I recited a short statement to the first student and by the time it reached the last student the phrase bore no resemblance to the one I recited. 

Then I handed the first student a piece of paper with writing but without vowels and I whispered a new phrase which matched the word missing vowels and some letters. When it came to the 75^th student she recited it exactly like the original. The reason was obvious, there was a basis for the phrase which kept it intact. The Torah which means teaching works the same way.  The written word is the code but the phrase is in the narration. 
 

One example for this principle are the laws of the Sabbath. G-d commands us numerous times not to work on the Sabbath and to keep the Sabbath day holy. Yet nowhere does the Torah define work.  This is a question that is asked throughout the generations, one persons work could be another’s delight.  Oral Torah reveals the answer.  In the Book of Exodus when Moses assembles the people of Israel and instructs them on the construction of the Tabernacle, he begins by saying Six days a week you shall work the seventh day is holy. No one shall work on the Sabbath.  From this we learn that all the work done in constructing and maintaining the sanctuary is considered work.  From this the Rabbis have extrapolated 39 items considered work amongst them construction, sewing, writing and cooking and baking.  We cannot prohibit anything more then what the Torah allows. So it is these items including the one explicit prohibition of igniting a fire that are prohibited on the Sabbath. 

So Orthodox Jews do not cook, bake or light a fire on the Sabbath.  We don’t turn on lights, radio or TV nor do we drive or shop, etc. Instead we focus inward by spending lots of quality time with family and honoring this special day with prayer, study and spirituality. 

The Oral Torah has three distinctive dimensions.  The first is received.  The received dimensions are laws and principles that were handed down from Moses at Sinai and passed on from generation to generation. The second dimension is derived. In this dimension we can derive a law or precept from a similar law in the Torah.   

For example, we cannot cook on the Sabbath.  The Bible does allow us to cook on the Holy days of Passover.  As it says all work that is directly connected to the food of life can be done on this holiday.  From this we derive the law that we can cook on all holidays and festivals when they don’t fall on the Sabbath.  The reasoning is that G-d emphasizes joy on the holiday which is increased through cooking fresh food and sharing it with family and friends.  This joy is common in all biblical festivals and thus we can apply the law of cooking to all holidays.  This also explains why we can carry objects from one domain to another domain on the festivals as it allows us to share our food with neighbors and friends.  Yet we are not permitted to carry from one domain to another on the Sabbath.   

The third dimension is legislated enactments.  This dimension allows the Rabbis to enact a new protective law to keep the integrity of existing biblical laws. These enactments are implemented only after tremendous deliberation and discussion and only after a majority of the Rabbinic Assembly agree that they are necessary.  After the destruction of the second Temple in Jerusalem when Jews were spread throughout the Diaspora any new enactments were strictly regional. 

Being Orthodox means acceptance of Halacha – the code of Jewish law, is our guide and we are committed to it.  We follow it in all areas of life and we don’t view it as an option, rather it is a lifetime commitment. 

I will give you 2 examples of how Jewish law has impacted the development of Orthodox life.  One is kosher laws. Two is the Sabbath. 

Kosher observance is mostly Biblical with some rabbinic enactments.  A kosher observing person will shop differently them tour average shopper. Going down the aisle we search for items that bear one of the known kosher symbols like the circle U or the circle K, we only by kosher meat and abstain from non kosher foods. In large Orthodox communities we can find many kosher establishments with lots of kosher restaurants in the neighborhood. So Orthodox Jews generally tend to live in areas where these items are accessible easy to find. 

The Sabbath has an additional impact on Jewish life as Orthodox Jews don’t use vehicles or any other mode of transportation; we need to live within walking distance of the synagogue.  This helps build a community and a neighborhood where many Orthodox Jewish families will live close to the synagogue and each other.  A typical Sabbath or festival scene in an Orthodox neighborhood is seeing families walking to and from the synagogue or to each other’s home sharing a meal together. 

Jewish education is of prime importance to Orthodox families. Sending our children to a good Jewish Day School is mandatory.  We live by the scriptural mandate and you shall teach them to your children.  Children from preschool age learn to read the Hebrew Alpha-Bet and can also recite some essential short prayers in Hebrew.  Children in elementary school study the Torah with commentary and begin Talmud in Middle school.  Even those students who choose not be in the clergy will advance in their Jewish knowledge by studying in a Yeshiva or Rabbinical school in order to avail of the best Jewish education. 

Study of Torah is a lifelong pursuit. There are at least 2 benefits from studying Torah. 1) Knowledge of G-d’s law is essential in conducting a sound Orthodox life.  2) Connectivity. By studying the Torah we ingest the wisdom of G-d in to our minds. This is the highest internal bond we can make with G-d. The Talmud goes further by saying that when one sits and studies Torah G-d appears and studies with him.  In other words, the presence of G-d is felt at the time of study. 

Prayer is very important as well. The Hebrew word for prayer is Tefilla which also translates as connection.  The purpose of prayer is to form a passionate and meaningful connection with G-d.  Prayer offers us the opportunity to form and nurture a loving bond with G-d. The obligation for individual prayer is three times a day, morning afternoon and evening. Communal prayer is preferred. Orthodox synagogues including Ohr HaTorah in Charlotte have morning and evening services every day of the week.  We begin our weekday services at 6:30 am and afternoon services are combined and begin at sunset.  

Charity is a very important precept in Judaism.  The Talmud instructs us to give money to the poor before we recite our prayers.  

Now let us look at some of the challenges facing the Orthodox Jew in a secular world. Secular society puts prime value on materialism. Orthodox Judaism places prime importance on the Divine.  Material objects are good as long as we use it in the proper way and see it as a way to bring it closer to G-d.  See the Torah on the building of the Tabernacle where the material was elevated to a higher purpose.

Popular culture does not jive with Torah values as it places value on fame and almost worships celebrities.  In Orthodox Judaism piety and scholarship are admired trairts.

Orthodox Judaism believes that it is paramount to be involved in our society and gently help it move towards more important values.  Today’s economic climate certainly gives us a unique opportunity to bring people to a reevaluate our priorities.

Living in Charlotte the past 29 years presented many interesting challenges.  Personally I can share with you some of our experiences.  A few of our children were born on the Sabbath. As mentioned before, we do not drive on the Sabbath.  However, if we face a medical emergency all the laws of the Sabbath are suspended. Having a baby falls in to that category.  So when my wife went into labor I drove her to the hospital. After the baby arrived and my wife was comfortable in her room I decided to go home to be with our other children. I walked the six miles from the hospital. Many people stopped along the way to offer me a ride not understanding why I declined. One time when we arrived at onset of the Sabbath, I left the car engine on as I escorted my wife into the hospital.  An African American guard ran towards me yelling in Yiddish: “Why are you driving on the Sabbath”. Then he laughed and said; “I know the drill, I need to park your car and shut the engine.  You see I am from Brooklyn!”

How we maintain our core values is by making our home the center of our spiritual and religious life.  Yes the Houses of Worship play an important role in our live but they are not the center of our lives.  That should be the home which is transformed in to a spiritual and holy place.  When our core values are lived out at home and are consistent with what we learn in the Torah we can succeed in maintaining our core even in the most difficult and challenging environments.

In the 1970’s when the Jewish community at large was facing the threat of assimilation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson instituted a ten point Mitzvah campaign with which to attract disenfranchised Jews to become connected to their heritage.  All of the ten precepts had a commonality that they could be observed in the home.  These included Torah study, Mezuzah, lighting the Shabbat candles, Holy books, etc. The house of worship is quite important as it inspires us and teaches us what to do.  But the real arena is in the home. This is a tremendous way to build confidence and to be grounded in Judaism.

Another important step in maintaining our core is by sending our children to the Charlotte Jewish Day School.  It is an excellent way to nourish the children in a positive environment where they learn to love our heritage.  There is a self confidence that we find in Jewish Day school children that is unique and real.