Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance for All of Us

This Wednesday night - Thursday is Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year marks 70 years since the liberation of the concentration camps. There are fewer survivors from the holocaust as each year goes by and it is up to us to ensure that this Remembrance Day is meaningful and that the next generation places in their hearts never to forget what happened.

Having grown up in England and having lived in Australia for several years, Yom HaShoah is a very poignant day. Relatively large numbers of survivors settled in England in Australia so there are always large communal programs to mark the day. I was very impressed by the quality of the Yom HaShoah programming in Seattle but I was surprised by the relatively low turnouts at the different community events. When I asked people about this, I was told that since there is a very low percentage of holocaust survivors in Seattle, it never took on the same significance in Seattle as it did in other places with larger percentage holocaust survivors.

Sociologically it makes sense that if I am personally involved in a tragedy I will feel more connection to it than if I am not. However, with the passing of years there will come a time when there are no more survivors. There will come a time when there are no children or grandchildren of survivors. Holocaust remembrance must move from personal and family tragedy to a tragedy for our people. I mourn the holocaust, not just for my mother's extended family who were murdered but for all the Jews who had their lives cut short. Ashkenazim, Sephardim, religious, secular, rich and poor alike. Not to mention the many non Jewish people who were also murdered at that time. 

My message for everyone who reads my blog is that Yom HaShoah is a day of national mourning for what happened to us as a people. Therefore the day is relevant and poignant for all of us. I encourage you to attend one of the Holocaust programs happening as well as to light a memorial candle at home on Wednesday evening.

I encourage all of you to visit holocaust websites, to take a few minutes in your life this week to remember those who died. I was particularly moved by this piece on Anne Frank's website. Click here to read.

I will be attending the Holocaust Remembrance program on Sunday April 19th at the JCC and will be reciting kaddish. May all those that died in the holocaust be remembered in our hearts. 

Modern Pesach Issues

Last year, I wrote a blog about what really needs to be kosher for Pesah. I discussed how we shouldn't go overboard "blow torching everything" and that things that are inedible are not a hametz concern. This year, I would like to tackle the topic of being more careful about food products that may indeed have genuine issues of hametz.

Modern food is produced in a very different manner than it was 30 years ago and certainly in our grandparents days. Every year there are developments in food chemistry. Foods are infused with additives and preservatives and stabilizing agents that may well contain hametz. 

I was asked by a congregant why it was that the VAAD guide listed any kosher certified vegetable oil as permitted for Pesah use but Canola oil was not. But when it came to cooking sprays the VAAD guide listed that Pam was ok when the main ingredient was Canola oil!

So I looked into the situation to understand it better. Canola oil is not a problem for Sephardim as such. The issue is the admixture of grains that are often in it due to the proximity to other grains. The canola oil in Pam is produced in a plant that gets its rapeseed from fields that have been checked, whereas other Canola oil products are not produced in the same plant.

UPDATE 2019: The OU has informed us that we no longer have a source of the canola oil so PAM spray is not certified for Pesah use this year.

Another question I was asked is why is it that coffee needs to be certified kosher for Passover? It is true that the coffee beans are kosher for Passover. The issues are the processes done to the coffee beans - the decaffeination, drying and flavoring. Please read here for more information.

Milk is fine but most dairy products such as cheeses and yogurts have problems. The issue relates to enzymes used in making these products. Enzymes are made from glucose which often comes from barley (hametz), corn or sweet potato. The source of enzymes must be checked to ensure it is not from the hametz source. 

The Vaad Pesah list is a list where everything is guaranteed hametz free. I cannot say that for other lists around. Therefore I recommend to be extra careful for the 8 days of Pesah. When I know there is a legitimate concern that an item may have hametz I prefer to avoid it then run the risk of eating hametz on Pesah. 

Wishing you all a Pesah Allegre!

Collecting for Matanot La'Evyonim

It happens every year, everyone is really excited about what food they will be sending their friends for Mishloach Manot and what costumes they are going to wear at the Purim Party (by the way the Hassan costumes will be legendary) but most of us pay less attention to the Mitzvah of Matanot La'Evyonim.

One of the four mitzvot of Purim is Matanot La'Evyonim - gifts to the poor. These contributions to the poor allow them to celebrate Purim just like we do and helps them out with their day to day needs. The mitzvah of Matanot La'Evyonim – providing the equivalent of a Purim meal for two individuals on Purim day – was always understood by our rabbis as being even more important in priority than the monies spent on mishloach manot and personal seudot. Therefore, one should spend less money on mishloach manot and more on matanot la'Evyonim. I encourage you all to be generous. 

Once again, SBH is looking to raise funds for needy families in our community. We are collecting funds for the Nathan Etkin Chesed Fund. This Chesed Fund has already helped many families with saving homes from foreclosure, paying rent when a job is lost, paying health insurance premiums, debt reduction structure planning, certified financial counseling, money for weddings and everyday needs like groceries, utilities, and helping families make Purim, Pesach and other Holidays.

How can you help? The holiday of Purim is around the corner. And as we say at SBH, “Purim, Purim lanu, Pesach en la mano” – Purim is here, Passover is near.  

This time of year brings two wonderful opportunities to help:

1. We will be accepting Purim Matanot La’Evyonim donations starting now and until March 22nd, so we can distribute those funds in a timely fashion. You can make those donations by either sending a check to the SBH office with the word “Purim” in the memo line and the checks made payable to the Nathan Etkin Chesed Fund.

I can be reached at rabbibenhassan@gmail.com. Please note that sending in money early for Matanot La’evyonim is the best way of fulfilling this mitzva and I will be acting as your shaliach in this matter. Of course, we will also accept donations up until the day of Purim as well.

2. Rabbi Morton & Leya Moscowitz have established the “Chasdei Shmully” fund in honor of Rabbi Shmully Moscowitz, zt”l. This fund, part of the larger Seattle Chesed Fund, ensures that local families have enough food to feed their children and provides dedicated assistance for major Jewish holidays. In order to help financially struggling families with the significant costs of Passover, congregants are encouraged to give to this fund specifically. Donations for Pesach should be mailed to the SBH office by April 8th, so we can make our distributions. Please write “Chasdei Shmully Matzah Fund” in the memo of your check.

Please note all checks whether for Purim or for Pesach need to be made out to The Nathan Etkin Chesed Fund and NOT to SBH.

The Chesed Fund functions with total respect for the person in need, and all requests are handled with dignity and confidentiality. It partners with Jewish Family Services when the need becomes more long-term.  A dollar donated is a dollar distributed. The Chesed Fund is a registered 501(c)3 organization, and all gifts are tax deductible.   

Mikveh - Why is it so important to support it?

Why should I support the mikveh?

Having a mikveh in the Jewish community is a fundamental prerequisite that is so essential that it even takes priority over building a synagogue. However, since most people don't talk about the mikveh in the same terms as schools and synagogues its importance gets minimized. In this short blog I'd like to draw your attention to the significance and relevance of having a mikveh and also how you can support the Seattle Mikveh located in Seward Park. 

Ritual immersion is an essential part of Jewish law and is as significant as observing Shabbat and eating Kosher food. Immersion in a mikveh is an act required by Jewish law: for converts to Judaism, for brides, for women observing niddah and after childbirth. We also immerse new utensils used for eating and cooking foods but that is done in a separate mikveh - called a mikveh keilim.

I would write in length about debunking the myths about mikvaot, or why women should make it a priority to go, but there are wonderful websites that we all can read which have this information. Instead I will recommend just a couple of links from the website mikvah.org. The first is a video clip on the centrality of the mikveh. Please click here for the link. The second link is on a number of great articles about mikvaot, click here to read more. 

Finally, our Seattle Mikveh housed in the BCMH compound is having its annual fundraiser on February 21st. I would encourage women to attend the event as well as community organizations to financially support our mikveh. There are constant costs with a mikveh to keep it in line with halakha and providing women with the opportunity to immerse privately and with dignity in the 21st Century following in the footsteps of our mothers for over 3000 years. 

Checks should be made payable to Seattle Mikvah Association and sent to BCMH or to Sharon Adatto.

Tu Bishvat - Fixing the Original Sin

Being a rabbi, I don't get to hear many classes or talks given by speakers. But at SBH we have a learning Shabbat every four to six weeks. At these learning Shabbatot, different rabbis, educators and congregants give a twenty minute class. This past Shabbat I had the pleasure of listening to my wife's presentation on the "Roots of Tu Bishvat". This blog is based on her shiur. Click here to read the source material. 

Tu Bishvat is first mentioned in the first mishna in Masekhet Rosh Hashana. The topic of the mishna is the different New Years in our calendar. The date for the New Year for trees is an argument between Bet Shammai (1st of Shevat) and Bet Hillel (15th of Shevat). We hold with Bet Hillel and the New Year for trees is the 15th of Shevat. This date is significant in agricultural terms but for those of us who are not farmers there is very little relevance. The mishna and the Talmud make no reference to this being a festive day or a day for eating fruits and wine with friends and family so where does that come from?

Although the English translation of the phrase ראש השנה לאילן is New Year for the trees. The truth is that אילן is in the singular. So what tree is the mishna referring to? According to the Kabbalists there is a deep connection between Tu Bishvat and the tree in the Garden of Eden - עץ הדעת טוב ורע - the tree of knowledge. This was the one tree that God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from. But as we all know, this was the tree that they couldn't resist.

It is a point of discussion in the Talmud (Masekhet Berakhot 40a) of what type of fruit the tree was. You are all thinking an apple tree? Well not exactly. The Talmud posits three possibilities.

"Rabbi Meir holds that the tree of which Adam ate was the vine, since the thing that most causes wailing to a man is wine, as it says, And he drank of the wine and was drunken. Rabbi Nehemiah says it was the fig tree, so that they repaired their misdeed with the instrument of it, as it says, 'And they sewed fig leaves together'. Rabbi Yehuda says it was wheat, since a child does not know how to call ‘father’ and ‘mother’ until it has had a taste of grain."

The Midrash (Bereshit Rabbi 15:7) adds "Rabbi Abba of Acco said that the fruit referred to the etrog as the verse states ‘and the woman saw that the tree was good’. Go forth and see, what tree is it whose wood can be eaten just like its fruit, and you find none but the etrog" So where does the apple idea come from? The etrog was known in Ancient Greek as the golden apple.

There is a lot more to Tu Bishvat than just eating fruit and wine. The 16th Century Kabbalists under the Arizal established the Seder Tu Bishvat with a particular order and sequence. The idea being that by eating these particular foods we are repairing the original sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge. We eat from the seven species connected to the Land of Israel - wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. Firstly to keep us connected to Israel and second to repair the sin of Adam and Eve who may have eaten from one of these fruits. Some also have the custom to eat etrog jam on Tu Bishvat too.

Have a wonderful and meaningful Tu Bishvat!

What is an Avraham Seev?

Wendy Bensussen and John Lefor are getting married on Thursday and having an Avraham Seev on Shabbat at SBH. But what exactly is it? The Shabbat after the wedding the bridegroom (Hatan) is called to the Torah. Indeed, this custom is done by all Sephardic communities but most Sephardic communities call it a Shabbat Hatan. Ashkenazim have the custom to call up the Hatan the Shabbat before and they call it an "Aufruf" which is Yiddish for an aliyah to the Torah. 

This custom of calling the Hatan to the Torah either the Shabbat before or the Shabbat after is ancient and goes back to the time of King Solomon. Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir comments on the significance of being called to the Torah. "The custom of calling the Hatan up to the Torah sends a powerful message of belonging and context... There is the belonging to the community and to the Jewish people as a whole." To read his piece click here.

What is unique to Sephardic Bikur Holim and Ezra Bessaroth, is not just the fact that we call this event an Avraham Seev. There is a whole ceremony which to my knowledge is only done by these two congregations in Seattle. (Feel free to let me know if I have that wrong).

Hazzan Ike Azose makes the following remarks when introducing the Avraham Seev Ceremony on page 375 of the Zehut Yosef Siddur. "The Avraham Seev is a custom that goes back many years. It is observed on the Shabbat following a wedding when the bride and groom are present in the synagogue. For this ceremony, we take out an extra Sefer Torah. It is not read until we are finished with the Aftarah. At that point, we place the special Sefer Torah on the Tevah and call up the bridegroom, the Hatan, who will say the blessings of the Torah as usual. From the Sefer Torah, the reader sings the first seven verses of Genesis, Chapter 24 (פ' חיי שרה) alternating each sentence with its Aramaic translation, which is sung by someone else. Each Aramaic verse, however, is sung to the tune of a different Makam (musical mode or theme).

"The appropriateness of the seven sentences can be found in the fact that Abraham, who is old and nearing death, makes his servant Eliezer swear that he will go back to Abraham's birthplace and choose a wife for his son Isaac... Eliezer came back with Rebecca, a beautiful match and soulmate for Isaac. The congregation's wishes, likewise, go out to the married couple for a very happy marriage."

It is my berakha for Wendy and John that they have a long and very happy marriage together. Mazal Tov!

Fasting on New Year's Day

Last year, I wrote a blog about the fast of the 10th of Tevet and Friday the 13th as it fell out in 2013, click here to read. This year the fast falls on New Year's Day. For what New Year's Day traditionally means for Jews please click here. But in today's blog post, I want to focus on what this fast really means for us.

The short answer is it was the start of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, 2600 years ago. But if you look a bit deeper the fast actually commemorates 3 things that happened on the 8th, 9th and 10th of Tevet. On the eighth of Tevet during the Second Temple period, Ptolemy, King of Egypt, ordered the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, a work which later became known as the Septuagint. Seventy two sages were placed in solitary confinement and ordered to translate the Torah into Greek. 

The expected outcome would be a multitude of different translations that would then be compared and critiqued by the Greeks as there were some sentences in the bible that could be understood as offensive to pagans if taken wrongly and would obviously need to be changed. This would demonstrate the muddled meanings of the Torah and the divergent opinions of Jewish interpreters. 

Masekhet Megillah  records the event as follows "King Ptolemy once gathered 72 Elders. He placed them in 72 chambers, each of them in a separate one, without revealing to them why they were summoned. He entered each one's room and said: Write for me the Torah of Moshe, your teacher. God put it in the heart of each one to translate identically as all the others did."

The Greeks saw this as a most impressive feat at the time. However, despite this great miracle the various rabbinical sources see this event as a tragedy, a debasement of the divine nature of the Torah, and a subversion of its spiritual qualities. They reasoned that upon translation from the original Hebrew, the Torah's legal codes & deeper layers of meaning would be lost. Many Jewish laws are formulated in terms of specific Hebrew words employed in the Torah; without the original Hebrew code, authenticity of the legal system would be damaged. 

Indeed, our reliance on English translations today can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. A blessing to have the ability to study texts that up until now were only available to Hebrew scholars. And a curse since we rely too heavily on their translations and interpretations without properly studying the Hebrew.

I like to view the 10th of Tevet as the polar opposite of Hanukah. On Hanukah, we celebrate the fact that the Greeks and the Hellenized Jews were defeated by the Torah faithful Jews. However, there were costs involved in our survival and living among the Greeks. Our Holy Torah was translated into Greek and this affected our culture and our very way of life. 

As a child growing up in England, in my teenage years, we would often discuss are we English Jews or are we Jewish Englishmen? To what extent do we value the Western values that enhance our lives and to what extent do they change our views of Judaism? These are the kind of things I ponder this time of year, when the world around us is focusing on Christmas and New Year, we have Hanukah and the fast of Tevet. I think the calendar is designed like this to make us think about our Judaism when it is so much easier to get wrapped up in non-Jewish Holidays instead. 

On the 9th of Tevet Ezra HaSofer who brought the Jews back from Babylon to build the Second Temple died. Some say Nechemia also died. The Tenth itself marks the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians ultimately leading to the destruction of the First Temple. Even though these events took place over a couple of hundred years. I think the message is clear. If we allow ourselves to become totally assimilated into foreign cultures it can lead not only to our spiritual numbness but eventually to even worse scenarios. We should not only celebrate our holidays but also commemorate our fasts and hold dear to what is truly valuable. 

Thursday's  Fast begins at 6:17am and ends at 4:58pm (Seattle Times). Shacharit at SBH is at 8:00am and Minha with Talet and Tefillin is at 3:45pm.