The Talmud on Broadway

This morning while walking around the neighborhood alone, meaning without my walking buddies, I was listening to Broadway tunes on Spotify. The King and I is one of the shows on my "Broadway" selection, and as I listened to the words before the song "Getting to Know You," I suddenly realized that the "ancient saying" referred to was Jewish. I was sure that the concept  "If you become a teacher, from your students you'll be taught." was from  Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers. When I got home, I quickly skimmed a translation I have of the book but couldn't find it.



Then I asked my husband to find the source, and he did. It's in the Talmud, Taanit and was said by Rabbi Chanina.

Sefaria

Considering the disproportionately large percentage of Jews who were involved in writing/composing Broadway musicals in the mid-twentieth century, the chances are pretty good that the line was inspired by the words of Rabbi Chanina. Rodgers and Hammerstein fit that ethnic/Jewish bill. Richard Rogers was Jewish as was the father of Oscar Hammerstein.

Can you think of any other Broadway shows or popular tunes or stories that could be inspired by, or related to the Talmud or other Jewish sources?

Blessing the Government, Ethics of the Fathers, Pirkei Avot, Chapter 3:2

This was first posted on Israel Bloggers.

Pirkei Avot, Kehati Mishnah

Chapter 3:2. Rabbi Chanina, deputy to the kohanim, would say: Pray for the integrity of the government; for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive. Pirkei Avot, Chabad.org

This Shabbat, as we were learning the that mishna,  I began to think of those who in anger or disappointment at various politicians and/or policies, even including the very legitimacy of the State of Israel, refuse in principle to say the Prayer for the State of Israel.

Prayer for Shlom Hamedina, Welfare of the State of Israel, Jewish Virtual Library

Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your lovingkindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory. Ordain peace in the land and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness.

Lead them, swiftly and upright, to Your city Zion and to Jerusalem, the abode of Your Name, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: “Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your fathers.” Draw our hearts together to revere and venerate Your name and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah, and send us quickly the Messiah son of David, agent of Your vindication, to redeem those who await Your deliverance.

Manifest yourself in the splendor of Your boldness before the eyes of all inhabitants of Your world, and may everyone endowed with a soul affirm that the Lord, God of Israel, is king and his dominion is absolute. Amen forevermore.

I think not saying it is a big mistake. Just look at what it really says, especially the section I emphasized. The prayer was very carefully worded. It does not endorse the policies of the politicians leading the State of Israel. It has us asking Gd to bless those people with wisdom and the ability to follow Gd’s instructions. Yes, it asks Gd to take away Free Will from our leaders so they won’t make dangerous mistakes. And isn’t that what we really want?

Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers Chapter 1 in Macro

Pirkei Avot, generally translated as Ethics of the Fathers begins with:

1. Moses received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua. Joshua gave it over to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it over to the Men of the Great Assembly. (Chabad)

That's to show or remind us that Jewish Law is derived from Gd and has been passed on from generation to generation of Jews.

Yes, that's the message to the Jewish People.  But what about individuals, especially those who have returned to Torah Judaism after a generation or more of our family didn't observer mitzvot? Or what about the convert who has no family customs/memories to follow?

In my family I was considered a "rebel" when I became Torah observant, since my parents, and even some of my grandparents had thrown off the "yoke" of Torah. I didn't grow up with any strong religious memories or family customs. And sometimes I feel the alack.

The other day I was with a couple of friends. Besides me, there was a convert and one from a long unbroken line of Torah observant Jews. The convert and I spoke about things we had asked rabbis, while the one from the unbroken line admitted that she never had.

And I replied that many of the questions we asked the rabbi were simple halachik, Jewish Law questions, because for those of us who have no family customs to go by and no family to ask, it makes more sense to ask the rabbi.

Sometimes when you look for the answer yourself, you get more confused or end up getting it all wrong.

This reminds me of a game we played as kids. We'd pass around a "message." The first one would whisper something in the ear of the next child, who would whisper to the next, on and on, and the last one had to say it outloud. Most frequently, the message would be so garbled it bore no resemblance to the original.

In Judaism, that's why we still have copies of the Torah text and learn it all and the Mishna and Talmud on a regular basis. It's just too easy to get off track and distort things. And there's the tradition to learn Pirkei Avot every year after Passover. And Pirkei Avot reminds us that there's an unbroken chain from Moshe who heard from Gd when he and the Jewish People were on their way to the Holy Land after escaping slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt.

Could the Word "Money" Derive From Yesterday's "Parshat HaMon?"

Yesterday during a lull at work, a smartphone* was passed around, and we all no matter how externally Torah observant one appeared very carefully and conscientiously prayed the text for "Parshat HaMon," to bring us more money.

Rebbe Mendel of Riminov said that saying Parshas HaMon on Tuesday of Parshas B'Shalach is a Segulah for Parnossa (wealth, income). 

By the time I got home from work, I found lots of reminders and texts in my inbox.  Quite a few bloggers blogged about it in time to help others, like Reesa (credit her for explanation below) and Mystical Paths.

Parshat (Episode of) HaMan (the manna) has to do with the reading in the Torah about the story of the Children of Israel miraculously receiving manna in the desert. For 40 years, Bnei Yisraelwandered in the desert. Every morning, manna fell from the sky, and every day, the people went out to gather enough for just the one day. If they collected more than they needed – let’s say to put some in the freezer for next week when they were expecting company – by the next morning, it would stink and rot in the jar. Moreover, on Friday mornings, Bnei Yisrael were instructed to collect a double portion—one for Friday and one for the Sabbath, for collecting on the Sabbath is forbidden. And on Sabbath morning, when they arose, Bnei Yisrael would find that, not only did no Manna fall that day, but the second jar would be whole and fresh. And if, indeed, they had company coming, or the grandkids popped in for a visit, the manna - which tasted like cake spread with honey - stretched to meet all the needs of the people.

Hope company wasn't coming

This episode taught/teaches us to put our faith in G-d and that everything we have comes from Him. 

I have no doubt that the magic, secret ingredient to success, financial, personal, health etc. is the Hand of G-d.  Of course we must not forget that G-d originated the "matching funds" policy.  We must do our part first and then G-d decides how much to match our efforts.

For complete text click here

It's very rare, headlining news for someone to find a winning lottery ticket floating ownerlessly among garbage.

In October 2012, 27-year-old Marvin Rosales Martinez found a winning million-dollar lottery ticket while blowing leaves during a cleanup following Superstorm Sandy, the New York Post reported.
Martinez promptly turned the ticket in, and the New York Lottery launched a year-long investigation to find its owner, according to CBS New York. But since there was "no report of theft or of a ticket being misplaced," Martinez was told that the ticket was rightfully his. The win was officially announced on Friday, according to the New York Lottery's website.

In most cases we must work very hard for those "lucky breaks."  And they are only "lucky" or successful if G-d decides they should be.

The aim of the Biblical "mon" was not to make us rich.  It was to give us just what we needed. And it was to teach us the value of Shabbat.

Since there are experts who say that we should say Parshat HaMon daily, it's not too late to say it, even if you missed it yesterday.

May G-d give us all we need and may we enjoy what we have.  

As it is said in Pirkei Avot, Lessons of Our Fathers:

He who is rich is satisfied with his portion.

Enjoy your riches in good health.

*It's amazing what one can do with a smartphone.  I can't wait to join in.  When I do I'll ask for help from all of you, of course.  I usually panic at first when I get something new, but then I quickly learn how to use the contraptions. 

Why Won't Israel Fight To The Finish?

Regular readers know that I'm very troubled by the fact that the State of Israel refuses to totally destroy the terrorists, our mortal enemies. Our soldiers are ready, but the government is negotiating a ceasefire, which only emboldens the terrorists.

Does the Jewish People, as a People, suffer some sort of psychological defect?

There are some very interesting points in this Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, article. Does it answer questions or bring up new ones?

I remember during the Six Days War, Eshkol's government did not plan on liberating an Land at all. All it wanted was to defend Israel as it stood in the 1949 ceasefire lines, the "green line."

G-d had other plans, and less than a week after the first shot was fired, Israel found itself at the Jordan River, the Golan Heights and the Suez Canal. Those were the borders to the Mediterranean Sea on the west. I have no doubt that the Moshiach, Messiah, was here and ready. But the Israeli Government gave the key to Har HaBayit, The Temple Mount, to the Moslems, and he left.

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach
May You Have A Peaceful and Blessed Sabbath

Same'ach b'Chelko, To Be Satisfied With What You Have

According to Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, a "very commons sense" book of philosophy, the truly rich is the one Same'ach b'Chelko, Satisfied With What He Has.

As the news is filled with stories of "the great scam," how people lost fortunes, larger than what most people earn in a year, all I can think of is the simple wisdom in Pirkei Avot.

Bernard Madoff preyed on the super wealthy, the middle class and all sorts of endowment funds, charities, pensions etc. Who else would have the masses of money adding up to tens of billions of dollars?

Here in Israel, we're hearing about the charity funds which are now empty, but in the states, and possibly immigrants living in Israel, ordinary people are discovering that they've lost their investments and won't be getting the interest they'd been living on.

Back to Pirkei Avot:

7. He would also say: One who increases flesh, increases worms; one who increases possessions, increases worry; one who increases wives, increases witchcraft; one who increases maidservants, increases promiscuity; one who increases man-servants, increases thievery; one who increases Torah, increases life; one who increases study, increases wisdom; one who increases counsel, increases understanding; one who increases charity, increases peace. One who acquires a good name, acquired it for himself; one who acquires the words of Torah, has acquired life in the World to Come.

In G-d's Honor

Bimhaira biyamainu... Speedily in our days...

Yesterday at the last of this year's Pirkei Avot classes, we learned the last chapter.

11. Everything that G-d created in His world, He did not create but for His glory. As is stated (Isaiah 43:7): "All that is called by My name and for My glory, I created it, formed it, also I made it." And it says (Exodus 15:1): "G-d shall reign forever and ever."

As we read and discussed it, suddenly I saw a "vision," or call it an "inspiration."



I imagined that if only, as the 1967, Six Days War, ended, if everyone in Israel had only ascended the Temple Mount, Har HaBayit, instead of crowding at the inferior Kotel, the Moshiach would have come!



Yes, the more I think of it, the less doubts I have. G-d was ready to reveal the Moshiach, the Messiah, but the Jewish People weren't ready.



Not only did we crowd at the outer wall and hand the key to our Holiest Place to the goyim who want to destroy us, but we thanked and praised the army, not G-d. And instead of repopulating our Holy Ancient Land, we (as a People and government) have been offering it to the terrorists and terrorizing the good Jews living in every hill and valley.



Each wrong step we take, makes it harder to return. But return we must.



Chag Shavuot Sameach