Honey

The Israelites in the Wilderness ate something called manna. It is described as a miraculous food. What did it taste like?

The ratio of 1:60 represents the threshold of an experience. The Talmud applies this concept to various experiences that people wonder about.

Therefore, if you want to "taste" manna to get an idea of what the experience of manna was like, taste some date honey. Experientially, honey is 1/60 the sweetness of manna, just the threshold of tasting it.

Talmud Brachot 57b

Click to hear Rabbi Gottlieb's cogent wisdom on this topic....

The Whole Megilla

15 Adar 5772
8-9 March 2012

The Purim story is traditionally read as yet another episode in the on-going battle with the Jewish People's great nemesis Amalek, a race or culture descended from Jacob's twin brother, Esav.

On the Shabbat before Purim we read a special Torah passage instructing us to remember Amalek, for his descendants will try to destroy us time and itme again.

The Talmud (ca. 500 CE) predicts that in the future Amalek will be found in a place called "Germamia", made up of 300 kingdoms. Beware should they unite, warns the Talmud, "for they will seek to destroy the entire world..."

Genesis 36:16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19; Talmud Megilla 6b



This More Info link takes you to the R. Shraga Simmons article on Haman and Amalek.

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is not discussed in most Jewish schools. Therefore many assume that it is not a Jewish concept. After all, it is not mentioned in the written Torah.

Nevertheless, it is discussed in many rabbinic texts and is a central idea to Jewish philosophy and spirituality.

Zohar I 186b

Article for further reading
 Book for further reading
  Awesome class by R. Gottlieb on 'evidence for the soul'

Rabbi Akiva

Tevet 5772
1 January 2012

At the age of 40, Akiva (ca. 60 CE) was an illiterate shepherd.
At his wife's insistence, he went to learn, but was embarrassed to be sitting in school with kindergarteners. Yet he couldn't go home, because his wife told him not to return until he was a scholar.
Feeling sorry for himself. Akiva sat down by a stream and stared at the water.
As he watched the dripping water slowly wearing away a rock, he had a flash of inspiration:
"If water, which is so soft, can wear away a hard rock, surely a little Torah can get into my hardened heart!"
So inspired, he returned to kindergarten.
By the age of 64 he had become Rabbi Akiva, the greatest scholar in Israel, with 24,000 students.
Talmud Nedarim 50a, Ketubot 62b-63a

Wikipedia on Rabbi Akiva
A book about Rabbi Akiva
An amazing class by R. Akiva Tatz on the meaning of life 

Hillel & Shammai

26 Kislev 5772
22 December 2011

Beit Hillel - the School of Hillel - say that on Hanukkah one candle should be lit on the first night, two on the second, and so on.

Does this sound familiar? This is what we do today.

However, Beit Shammai - the School of Shammai - say that eight candles should be lit on the first night, seven on the second, and so on.

Today we follow the Beit Hillel, the realist, who argued that people need increasing light in order to remain inspired throughout the entire holiday.

Beit Shammai’s view, however, teaches a profound ideal: spiritual greatness only comes through increasing humility.

Talmud Shabbat 21b


5 links:
A great kids' Hannukah book
A biography of Hillel
A fabulous online selection of Hannuka menorahs.
R. Keleman on the Xmas-Channuka link
R. Cardozo on Channuka

Napoleon

December 8-9, 2011
15 Kislev, 5772

In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte landed in Palestine. From his headquarters in Akko, he appealed to the Jews, the rightful heirs of Palestine, to return to their ancient homeland. The letter showed understanding of and sympathy toward Jewish history:

Arise! Show that the once overwhelming might of your oppressors has not repressed the courage of the descendants of those heroes whose brotherly alliance did honor to Sparta and Rome (I Macc. 12), but that all the two thousand years of slavish treatment have not succeeded in stifling it.

(Franz Kobler, Napoleon and the Jews)

Link to the book
Link to a blog with longer discussion of Napoleon's "zionism"

The Word

December 2, 2011
6 Kislev, 5772 

An estimated 46 common English words come directly from Hebrew, including...

amen, alphabet, abbot, babble, behemoth, camel, cherub, cherubim, hallelujah, horn, hosanna, kosher, leviathan, mammon, manna, messiah, rabbi, Sabbath, sabbatical, Satan, seraph, seraphim and shibboleth.
.

This is how some others evolved:

Jubilee - every 50th year is the Biblical celebration of Yovel when all slaves are freed

Scallions - from the city of Ashkelon

Gauze - from Gaza

Sodomy - behavior practiced in Sodom

Armageddon - from the city of Megiddo

Behemoth - means wild animals, probably source of Bahamas

Europe - from erev, which means "evening" or "setting sun" (Europe was in the direction of the setting sun for the ancient Hebrews and Phoenicians/Canaanites).

The Word: The Dictionary that Reveals the Hebrew Source of English

Very best (IMHO) introductory Hebrew course for adults

Kids' picture book - First 1000 Words in Hebrew

Jewish Thanksgiving?

November 24 2011
27 Cheshvan 5772

Imagine you are the first European to visit America. It's an amazing New World! Strange people, strange foliage, strange animals. And you see this odd chicken-like bird for the first time. What do you call it?

Since you think you're in India, you naturally call it "Indian chicken."

Are you with me so far?

So French explorers dubbed this new bird poulet d'Inde (Indian chicken) later shortened to dinde (pronounced "dand").

English settlers called the bird turkey because they thought it looked like another type of fowl that was imported from Turkey.

Jewish explorers sided with the French and called it tarnegol hodu which means "hindu chicken" and was later shortened it to simply hodu.

What's interesting for us is that the Hebrew word HODU also happens to mean "give thanks."

Similarly, we ourselves are called "Jews" because most of us descend from the remnant of the 12 Tribes who survived the repeated pounding from Assyria and Babylon 2,500 years ago. The one remaining landed tribe was Yehuda or Judah. And that name - Judah - means "thankful".

Therefore, being "Jewish" means cultivating a Thanksgiving mindset every single day.

(I can hear it already - "Gee honey, I"m watching so much football because the rabbi told me to....)

Below: Two links on cultivating gratitude...

Article by R. Pliskin
Audio by R. Rietti

In Woman We Trust

November 21, 2011
21 Cheshvan, 5772

"The trust God places in women is greater than the trust God places in men." 

— Talmud Brachot 17a

Here is a class given this week by Rebbetzin Esther Baila Schwartz, on one of the greatest Jewish women ever. 

Star of Whom?

November 11, 2011

14 Cheshvan, 5772

There is no evidence that the six-pointed star was a particularly Jewish symbol prior to the Middle Ages. It can be found in ancient inscriptions all over the world, as can the swastika.

Read more:

Wikipedia article A
Wikipedia article B
Loosely relevant book

Destroyed

November 4, 2011
7 Cheshvan, 5772

In contrast to the country’s stunning natural beauty, Israel currently faces several environmental catastrophes, e.g., low rainfall has depleted the aquifers, risking permanent damage; several of the rivers are so polluted with industrial waste that humans are not allowed in their vicinity; there are few municipal recycling programs and a plethora of desert landfills.

Fortunately, organizations such as the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) and the Jewish National Fund (JNF) are working hard to strengthen laws and teach people new behaviors.

More info:
R. Becher's great class on the Land of Israel
SPNI website
JNF website

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From the Amazing Jewish Fact-a-Day Calendar

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Have an amazing day!