Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
SHEMINI 5775
“FOR
THE SAKE OF HIS NAME”
My rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, often reminisces
about his relationship with Rabbi Alexander Rosenberg z’l, founder of the
kashrus division of the Orthodox Union, and its administrator for thirty years.
When he began working for the O.U.’s kashrus division, Rabbi Wein shared an
office with Rabbi Rosenberg for a number of months.
Whenever a proprietor would propose a
new idea to Rabbi Rosenberg he would quietly listen without uttering a word.
When the person finished, he would always ask, “Und vos zugt Gott- And
what does G-d say?” Rabbi Wein would impress upon his students that a Jew
should always live his life asking himself that question, “Und vos zugt Gott”.
Ironically, we often don’t take G-d into the equation.
In Rabbi Wein’s words, “While he was
training me for the job before his retirement, he had impressed upon me the
importance of our work. ‘Kashrus is more than checking chickens’, he used to
say, ‘The job of the O.U. is to pay attention to G-d. “Und vos zugt Gott” is the main
concern. “What would G-d say about this?” That is the question that must always
be answered before making any decision.”
The conclusion of parshas Shemini
discusses how to distinguish kosher animals from non-kosher animals. The Torah
offers a detailed list of the credentials an animal requires to render it
permissible for consumption.
At the conclusion of those laws the
Torah writes, “…And you shall not contaminate your souls through any teeming
thing that creeps on the earth. For I am Hashem Who elevated you from the land of Egypt
The gemara[2] states: The academy of Rabbi Yishmael
taught, G-d said, "Had I not brought the people of Israel up from Egypt
What is the added merit of refraining
from eating something because it is repulsive and disgusting?
Kesav Sofer explains that ideally the
reason why a Torah Jew refrains from eating crawling insects should not be
because they are abhorrent, but because G-d commanded us not to eat them since
they contaminate and enervate our souls. The goal of a Jew is to live his
entire life as G-d commanded, because G-d commanded. In other words, the
motive and driving force behind all of ones actions, even those actions that he
would perform without the Torah instructing, should be because it is the Will
of G-d. Ultimately, one must honor his parents, maintain his integrity in his business
dealings, and seek to be a moral person, not because it makes sense, but
because that is what the Torah demands. If one adheres to the Torah’s rulings only
when he can comprehend the logic in doing so, he is perilously hovering atop a
slippery slope.
The reason why we practice the laws of
kashrus has nothing to do with physical health[4].
We keep kosher simply because the Torah instructs us to do so.
In a similar vein, our Sages state[5],
“One should not say I could never eat the meat of a pig (i.e. because it is
disgusting to me)… Rather he should say, ‘I would eat it. But what can I do?
For my Father in heaven has instructed me not to’… Thus, one who separates
himself from sin accepts upon himself the yoke of heaven.”[6]
It
is for this reason that there is (potentially) more reward for refraining from
consuming insects then from refraining from usury, faulty weights, or wearing
tzitzis. Most people would not entertain the notion of eating insects because
the idea is utterly loathsome. But one who is able to instill within himself
the notion that he doesn’t eat insects because that is G-d’s Will, has reached
a far greater level.
The holiday of Pesach is called, ”Chag
Haemunah- the holiday of faith, and matzah is termed, “מיכלא
דמהימנותא –
food of faith.” The holiday which celebrates the revelations, miracles, and
plagues that G-d demonstrated in Egypt at the time of the exodus, impresses
upon us the Divinity, Omnipresence, and Omnipotence of Hashem, the One G-d.
Seder night is the jovial celebration of
the transformation that occurred within us at that time. We were no longer slaves
to Pharaoh and his tyranny. We became free men; free to be slaves to
G-d.
The final step of the Seder is “Nirtzah”,
in which we sing lyrical songs which extol the greatness of G-d and our
exuberance in becoming His Chosen Nation. One of those songs is, “Echad mi
yodea – Who knows One?” Prima facie, it seems like a children’s song, with
little profundity. But after an entire seder, replete with special mitzvos and
a unique atmosphere, it if foolhardy to believe that we would conclude the glorious
evening with children songs. What is the significance of this song?
A fellow once proposed the following
question to Harav Gedalia Schorr zt’l: The gemara (Chullin 89a) states:
“Techeiles[7]
is similar (in color) to the sea, the sea is similar to the heavens, and the
heavens are similar to the Throne of Glory.” Thus, the techeiles on one’s
tzitzis are supposed to serve as a constant reminder to its wearer about G-d.
Does any person really think in that manner – that the techeiles trigger images
of the sea, which triggers images of the sky, which reminds him of G-d’s
Throne?
Rabbi Schorr replied, “The gemara[8]
also states that it is forbidden to stare at colored clothing belonging to a
woman because it may conjure up forbidden thoughts in his mind. That also seems
a bit far fetched. But that point most people do seem to understand! Why isn’t
that far-fetched? The reason is because we are easily reminded of things that
we are focused on. That is the way our minds work.[9]
When one allows himself to think about inappropriate things, even staring at
certain clothing can trigger inappropriate thoughts. But one who is focused on
G-d and His Service will be reminded of G-d when he sees the techeiles, even
though it may be a far-fetched symbolism.”
The
whole sequence and process of Seder night guides us to realize the direct involvement
that G-d maintains over every aspect of our lives. By the time the Seder is
over we have hopefully been emotionally and spiritually elevated and are able
to see our lives and the world in a different light.
Therefore, just prior to the conclusion of
the Seder we start over. We go back to the most rudimentary level of learning
that we are taught in our youth, i.e. the concept of numbers. But at that point
the numbers take on new meaning. We do not see one apple, two giraffes, three
buildings, and four airplanes. Rather, we see One G-d, two tablets, three
Patriarchs and four Matriarchs, etc. After eating the ‘food of faith’, consuming
marror which reminds us that even the bitterness of exile is divinely ordained,
after relating all of the events leading up to the redemption, and singing
hallel to G-d with joyful bliss, everything takes on higher meaning.
Pesach does not end after the Seder is
completed. The remainder of the holiday serves to instill within our psyche all
of the lessons and levels we gained at the Seder, so that we can take them with
us.
Pesach has come and passed - not passed by
but passed through! Now we continue our trek towards reaccepting the Torah on
Shavuos with a new perspective on life. After we ingrained within ourselves
that there is but One G-d in heaven and earth, and that we follow his mitzvos
simply because He commanded them, we can focus on the ever integral question - “Und
vos zugt Gott!”
“For I am Hashem Who elevated you from the land of Egypt
“Techeiles… the Throne of Glory.”
[1] Vayikra
11:44-45
[2] Bava Metzia
61b
[3] In other
words, it is unbecoming for a Jew to eat something which is repulsive. G-d took
us out of Egypt
so that we can become a holy elevated nation. By consciously refraining from
eating disgusting foods, we demonstrate our greatness.
[4] There are certainly many aspects of Kosher which are logical
and contribute to good health. Some examples: the prohibition against eating
diseased and sickly animals, checking the inner organs to ascertain that the
animal is not diseased, not eating meat from animals found dead, as well as
checking all sorts of food in order not to ingest bugs and insects. Not mixing
meat and milk and waiting between eating them also makes good sense from a
health point of view, as each entails different types and rates of digestion.
But all these are "fringe benefits."
[5] Sifra (Vayikra 20:26)
-
"אמר רבי אלעזר בן עזריה מנין שלא יאמר אדם אי
אפשי לאכול בשר חזיר אי אפשי ללבוש כלאים אי אפשי לבוא על הערוה אלא אפשי אבל מה
אעשה ואבי שבשמים גזר עלי תלמוד לומר ואבדיל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי נמצא הפורש מן
העבירה מקבל עליו עול מלכות שמים".
[6] I often
think about this statement during the summer, when I accompany my campers to a
theme park on Trip Day. As the day wares on and hunger pangs set in, it is
impossible not to smell the tantalizing aromas of the hot dog stands wafting
through the air. At that point I am reminded of the words, “I would eat it. But
what can I do? For my Father in heaven has instructed me not to”.
[7] There is an
obligation for a man to have a strand of techelis interwoven into his tzitzis.
The techelies was a bluish dye created from a rare fish called the chilazon.
There is much debate about whether we know what the chilazon is today.
[8] Avoda Zara
20b
[9] For example, if a close friend/family member
dies, G-d forbid, for some time afterwards anything can trigger a memory about
the deceased.
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