Friday, September 22nd 2023 |
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
Meir Tamari, killed by terrorists, was laid to rest on his 32nd birthday in the Israeli settlement of Hermesh. He left behind a devastated widow, Tal, and their two children, ages 1 and 3. Tal tearfully eulogized her beloved husband:
“Today we were supposed to have a fun day with the children, to celebrate your birthday. Instead…we are here eulogizing you. This is a reality...
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
The Babylonian sage Rav stated that “the Yetzer Ha-Ra (one’s natural inclination to sin, the evil urge, temptation) is like a fly” (Berachot 61a). Rav cited Ecclesiastes 10:1 – “As dead flies turn the perfumer’s ointment rancid, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” Like repulsive, filth- and disease-carrying flies, temptation can spoil even the most wholesome individual, impairing those of heretofore salutary character.
...By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
One of the unique privileges and obligations of the Kohen – one directly descended from the Israelite priesthood – is recitation of the Priestly Blessing… Birkat Kohanim. The Kohen invokes God’s blessing on the congregation: “God bless you and keep you….” In the Diaspora, this dramatic synagogue ritual is conducted only on the High Holy Days and major festivals. Citing shortcomings in personal piety, some...
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
This Shabbat is the anniversary of the first successful kidney transplant. On June 17, 1950, Richard Lawler, MD, operated on 49-year-old Ruth Tucker, who had polycystic kidney disease… replacing her non-functioning kidney with a donor organ. While the transplanted organ lasted only several months, the pioneering procedure succeeded in restoring normal function to Ms. Tucker’s other kidney, which had been functioning at only 10%. She...
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
The Talmudic expression designating the individual leading the congregation in prayer (specifically, the Amidah) is “Yored Lifnay Ha-Teivah” (Shabbat 24b, etc.). That is, the prayer leader is said to “go down” or to “descend” before the Ark. This terminology reflects the architectural reality of ancient synagogues: there was a sunken area in front of the Ark – a depression in the floor, in which the...
By RABBI JOSEPH H.PROUSER
A beloved Talmudic blessing (Berachot 17a) states, Olamcha Tir’eh B’Chayecha – often inartfully (and far too literally) translated: “May you see your world in your lifetime.” Well… what exactly does THAT mean?! Rashi theorizes: “May you benefit from all the good in the world in your lifetime.” Syntactically more sound; a tad grandiose.
Olam (especially with the possessive inflection: Olamcha/Olamo/Olamah – your/his/her “world”) is also used...
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
The early eighteenth century Ger Tzedek of Vilna, Avraham ben Avraham, is one of history’s most celebrated converts to Judaism. He was born to the powerful Potocki family – Polish nobility famous for its leadership in the military, government, and Roman Catholic Church. While the Ger Tzedek is commonly referred to as Valentine Potocki, there is no record of his given name until an 1873...
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
Today is the 35th anniversary of my ordination as a rabbi on May 19, 1988. I cherish memories of friends, classmates, and colleagues with whom I shared eight defining, formative years at the Jewish Theological Seminary. I gratefully recall teachers, professors, mentors, and exemplars of Jewish piety and scholarship from whom I was privileged to learn.
My ordination preceded Shavuot by a matter of days....
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
The Sages teach: “Even if one recited the Shema during congregational evening services, it is a Mitzvah to do so again before bedtime” (Berachot 4b). Rabbi Yitzchak advised that this prayer (“Kriyat Shema al Ha-Mitah”) bestows upon the worshipper a measure of spiritual, if not physical security: “One who recites the bedtime Shema, it is as if he is armed with a double-edged sword… Malevolent...
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
Mishnah Yadayim 2:4 addresses cases in which a measure of doubt impacts the washing of hands to achieve ritual purity, as before a meal. If it is uncertain that a sufficient amount of water was used, we are to assume that the ritual was properly performed and that our hands are pure.
If it is uncertain whether the water previously had been used for some...
