What can/does/should Judaism bring to our lives?
(ה) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֤ם אֶת־חֻקֹּתַי֙ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָ֛ם הָאָדָ֖ם וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָֽה׃ {ס}
(5) You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which human beings shall live: I am יהוה.
ועבודת כוכבים לא והא תניא א"ר ישמעאל מנין שאם אמרו לו לאדם עבוד עבודת כוכבים ואל תהרג מנין שיעבוד ואל יהרג ת"ל (ויקרא יח, ה) וחי בהם ולא שימות בהם
(Babylonian Talmud, 600 CE)
The Gemara asks: And should one not transgress the prohibition of idol worship to save his life? But isn’t it taught in a baraita (an external source): Rabbi Yishmael said: From where is it derived that if a person is told: Worship idols and you will not be killed, from where is it derived that he should worship the idol and not be killed? The verse states: “You shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which a person shall do, and he shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5), thereby teaching that the mitzvot were given to provide life, but they were not given so that one will die due to their observance.
We should be proud to be Jewish, right?
(Collection of Midrash, 1909)
On his mother's side, Mordecai was, in very deed, a member of the tribe of Judah. In any event, he was a son of Judah in the true sense of the word; he publicly acknowledged himself a Jew, and he refused to touch of the forbidden food which Ahasuerus set before his guest at his banquet.
(י) לֹא־הִגִּ֣ידָה אֶסְתֵּ֔ר אֶת־עַמָּ֖הּ וְאֶת־מֽוֹלַדְתָּ֑הּ כִּ֧י מׇרְדֳּכַ֛י צִוָּ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תַגִּֽיד׃ {ס}
(10) Esther did not reveal her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had told her not to reveal it.
וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ. שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבַד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם.
וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה and this [promise] is what has stood by our ancestors and us; for it was not only one man who rose up to destroy us: in every single generation people rise up to destroy us –But the holy one, blessed be God, saves us from their hands.
Questions to Discuss:
- When was a time you were proud to be recognized as Jewish?
- Have you ever been told by a relative not to publicly display your Jewishness?
- Have you ever had the instinct to say this to your children? If so, how did you respond to that instinct?
- Is it comforting to know that we are not the first generation to deal with this issue? (it's okay if it's not!)
רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר: הַהוֹלֵךְ בִּמְקוֹם סַכָּנָה, מִתְפַּלֵּל תְּפִלָּה קְצָרָה, וְאוֹמֵר: ״הוֹשַׁע ה׳ אֶת עַמְּךָ אֵת שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּכָל פָּרָשַׁת הָעִבּוּר יִהְיוּ צׇרְכֵיהֶם לְפָנֶיךָ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה״.
(Babylonian Talmud, 600 CE)
Rabbi Yehoshua says: One who cannot recite a complete prayer because he is walking in a place of danger, recites a brief prayer and says: "Redeem, Eternal One, Your people, the remnant of Israel, at every transition. May their needs be before You. Blessed are You, Adonai, Who listens to prayer."
Questions to Discuss:
- Have you ever felt that you couldn't share your Jewishness in public and, as a result, changed your behavior?
- How does it feel to know that our ancestors created an entire alternative ritual for this particular situation? What do you think of the prayer's content?
How can/should we change OUR behavior for the "sake of peace"?
Is it our responsibility? Choice?
עיר שיש בה ישראל ועובדי כוכבים הפרנסין גובין מישראל ומעובדי כוכבים מפני דרכי שלום ומפרנסין עניי עובדי כוכבים [ועניי] ישראל מפני דרכי שלום [מספידין] וקוברין מתי עובדי כוכבים מפני דרכי שלום [מנחמין] אבילי עובדי כוכבים מפני דרכי שלום.
(Land of Israel, 3rd century CE)
In a city that has both Jews and Gentiles, those who oversee the communal fund should collect from both Jews and Gentiles for the sake of peace. So should they distribute to the poor Gentile and the poor Jew alike for the sake of peace. One should eulogize and bury the deceased Gentile for the sake of peace, and one should comfort the mourning Gentile for the sake of peace.
Context: A question as to whether a Jewish soldier fighting in the European theater during WWII can choose not to have his religion identified on his dog-tag.
In the discussion in Yoreh Deah 178,1, where the question is raised about Jews wearing the garments of non-Jews as to when that is prohibited and when permitted, the commentor Sifthe Cohen (1500s, land of Israel) says that in times of persecution it is certainly permitted for a Jew to disguise himself by wearing non-Jewish clothes.
Thus, if, for example, the question were whether Jewish soldiers fighting on the European continent might not be permitted to conceal their Jewish identity by wearing "dog-tags" without the letter "H" so that, if captured by the Nazis they would not be mistreated, the answer would be that this is certainly permitted.
מי שנשכו עקרב מותר ללחוש עליו ואפילו בשבת ואע"פ שאין הדבר מועיל כלום הואיל ומסוכן הוא התירו כדי שלא תטרף דעתו עליו:
(16th Century, Spain, Codification of Jewish Law)
Someone who has been bitten by a scorpion: it is permitted to whisper spells for them, even on Shabbat, and even though this thing is completely ineffective, because the person is in danger, they permitted it in order that their mind should not be torn apart (made insane).
**note: "spells" and "witchcraft" are explicitly prohibited in Torah. Colloquially, "Jews don't do that."