Our forefather Jacob merited witnessing one of the greatest and most awesome revelations ever granted to a human on earth. He saw a ladder set on the ground with its top reaching the heavens, and the angels of God ascending and descending it. And suddenly, beyond the ladder, and beyond the angels – “And behold, the Lord stood beside him! And He said: I am the Lord, God of Abraham your father and God of Isaac.” And we await to hear what important, foundational, essential thing the Lord will say to Jacob.
If we pause for a moment and ask members of the various Jewish sectors today, what they think the Lord should have said in one of the most important revelations, we would likely receive different answers. Lithuanians would say: “Study Gemara in depth, until you become a Torah scholar.” Hasidim would say: “Cleave to God, and serve Him with joy.” Followers of Maran Beit Yosef would say: “Learn Jewish law in Maran’s method.” Zealots would say: “Hate the wicked, and those who draw near to them.” Those devoted to kindness would say: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Modern religious would say: “Derech Eretz (proper behavior) precedes Torah.”
However, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “The land on which you are lying, I will give it to you and your descendants. And your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south,” and through this “all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you.” This is the Divine revelation.
And indeed, Jacob our forefather recognized through this, the great holiness of the Land, and this is what he said: “Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. And he was afraid, and said: How awesome is this place, this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven” (Genesis 28:13-17).
Content of All Revelations
From my experience, I know that many Torah scholars from the various circles, who have read the Torah many times, did not pay attention to the Divine revelations and their importance, and therefore, tend to argue, and claim: Indeed, in this instance, God spoke about the people and the Land, and bringing blessing to all peoples, but there are other revelations on various topics, etc. However, their words are incorrect; all Divine revelations to the patriarchs dealt with establishing the people of Israel, so that they would multiply, inherit the Land, and bring blessing to all peoples.
There were sixteen revelations to the patriarchs in the book of Genesis. In five of them, these three ideas were stated together: to establish a great people, to inherit the Land, and to bring blessing to all peoples. In nine revelations, a promise was made about inheriting the Land, and in three more revelations to Jacob, guidance was given regarding his return from Haran to the Land, about descending to Egypt, and God returning his descendants to the Land. In eleven revelations, a blessing and promise were given about the proliferation of Israel – that they would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and as the dust of the earth, that cannot be counted.
More than any of the earlier and later Torah scholars, Rabbi Judah Halevi in his book ‘Kuzari,’ emphasized and explained these foundations. Therefore, the Vilna Gaon said about the ‘Kuzari,’ that the essentials of Jewish faith and Torah are contained within it, and subsequently, our teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, of blessed memory, would greatly speak in its praise, as the first and most important book of emunah (faith).
Blessed are the Righteous
Blessed are the soldiers, fighting with self-sacrifice, and defending the Nation and the Land; blessed are the women who strengthen their husbands serving long months at the front; blessed are the mothers who raised such heroes; blessed are the Rabbis and Rebbetzins, teachers and educators, who educated the heroes at the frontlines, and the heroines in the home front.
May it be His will that the soldiers, together with all their family members, merit abundant blessing in all their endeavors, and merit to see sons and daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, engaged in Torah and mitzvot. Through this, we will all merit – through self-sacrifice and by the light of the Torah – to continue building the Nation with justice and righteousness, with kindness and mercy, and through this, blessing will continue to flow for Israel, and all peoples.
The Levites and Priests Led the Army of Israel
Q: In your previous column, the honorable Rabbi wrote that Torah students are obligated in army conscription; however, I heard it said that Torah students are considered like the tribe of Levi, who were dedicated to matters of holiness and Torah, and therefore, did not enlist in the army. As Rambam (Maimonides) wrote: “Why did the Levites not receive a portion in the inheritance of Eretz Yisrael in the spoils of war like their brethren? Because they were set aside to serve God and minister unto Him and to instruct people at large in His just paths and righteous judgments, as written: “They will teach Your judgments to Jacob, and Your Torah to Israel.” Therefore they were set apart from the ways of the world. They do not wage war like the remainder of the Jewish people, nor do they receive an inheritance, nor do they acquire for themselves through their physical power. Instead, they are God’s legion, as written: “God has blessed His legion” and He provides for them, as written: “I am your portion and your inheritance. Not only the tribe of Levi, but any one of the inhabitants of the world whose spirit generously motivates him” (Shemittah and Jubilee 13:12-13).
A: There is no basis for this view, because the Levites and Kohanim (priests) participated in Israel’s wars. And what Rambam wrote: “Not engaging in war like the rest of Israel” (ibid.), means that since the tribe of Levi did not inherit like the other tribes, they did not participate in wars of each tribe when needed to defend its specific inheritance. But when there was a war for all of Israel against the enemy, the tribe of Levi was obligated in war like all of Israel. As explained by Maran Rabbi Kook (in his book ‘Shabbat Ha’aretz’ on Rambam, there). And as we have learned from explicit verses in Divrei Hayamim [Chronicles] (1 Chronicles 12:25-28), when they crowned David and counted the army’s vanguard, 4,600 were from the Levites, 3,700 from the Kohanim, and 6,800 from Judah.
In addition to this, the Levites were the police, as we have learned from numerous verses (1 Chronicles 23:1-4; 26:29; 2 Chronicles 19:11; 34:13). And as our Sages have said: “Initially (in the First Temple period), they would only appoint police from the Levites, as it is said: ‘And Levites shall be before you as police'” (Yevamot 86b). In the Second Temple period, since only a few Levites ascended from Babylon, police were appointed from all the tribes.
Since the Levites were intended to be police, during war time, they served as the military police. As it is said: “And the police shall speak to the people saying… And it shall be, when the police finish speaking to the people, the army commanders shall review the people” (Deuteronomy 20:5-9). In other words, in a milchemet reshut (voluntary, initiated war), the role of the Levite police was to exempt those who built a house and did not dedicate it, planted a vineyard and not harvest it, married a wife and had not been with her for a year. In a milchemet mitzvah (obligatory war), such as a defensive war against an enemy threatening Israel, all these were required to go to war, and the police would only exempt the sick and disabled who were unable to fight.
After this, when they began to go into battle, the police would stand behind the soldiers, encouraging the weakened, and punishing those seeking to flee the battlefield. For this, they appointed strong police with spears, to cut the legs of those trying to escape, because fleeing is liable to lead to defeat (Mishnah Sotah 8:6; Rashi on Numbers 26:13).
Additionally, the Kohanim and Levites played important roles in shaping Israel’s army, and served as an army rabbinate, education corps, and police.
A select group of Levites and Kohanim carried the Ark of the Covenant that went out with the fighters, and before battle, aKohan Mashuach Milchama (Kohan anointed for war) would encourage the soldiers, and some would blow trumpets and sing, as commanded by the Torah (Numbers 10:8-9; Sotah 42b; Sefer Yerei’im 532).
In summary, not only did the Levites fight like other tribes, but being holders of Clal Yisrael roles, they served as an army rabbinate, education corps, and military police. Some of them also established the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, meaning, the reconnaissance unit of the fiercest fighters, who guarded the Ark and the command. And when army commanders failed, the responsibility for leading the campaign was placed on the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, as in the days of the Hasmoneans (see, Ramban’s commentary on Numbers 8:2).
Namaste
Q: Is it permissible for Jews to bless with the ‘Namaste’ blessing, which is customary in Indian culture when meeting or parting from a person, with a slight bow, and pressing the palms together. Is there a concern of Chukot Hagoyim (imitation of non-Jewish religious practices) or Avodah Zara (idol worship)?
A: Just as it is permissible to bless with greetings accepted in all other languages, so it is permissible to greet with ‘Namaste’. And this is not considered Chukot Hagoyim, because the prohibition of Chukot Hagoyim is to imitate a custom that has been established and sanctified in one people’s culture, and has no reason or benefit, other than it expresses their custom. But when there is a reason for the greeting, there is no prohibition. The literal translation of “Namaste” is “I bow to your feet”, and its meaning in ancient Vedic literature is: “I bow to the holiness within you”. There is no idolatrous meaning in this, rather, a truth – that in every person, there is a divine spark, worthy of honor.
However, it is preferable for Jews to greet with “Shalom”, which is the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He (Shabbat 10b), and with which Jews are accustomed to greet their fellow Jews. And even decent non-Jews should be greeted with ‘Shalom,’ but one should not double “Shalom, Shalom” (Gittin 62a; Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De’ah 148:10). The meaning of the “Shalom” greeting is that through the meeting between two human beings, with body and soul, mutual enrichment and complementarity are created, and consequently, God’s name is revealed in the world. In other words, not just recognition of the sacred value of the other as an individual, but rather, recognition that the meeting itself adds revelation and mutual enrichment, and therefore, God’s name is revealed through it.
Shambhala and Mandala
Q: Is it permissible to wear a ‘shambhala’ bracelet (ed., Buddhist prayer bead created by Tibetan monks to help them meditate), or hang a ‘mandala’ picture, (ed., a picture with geometric lines and shapes to repeat a circular pattern, intended to embrace a sense of wholeness and purity in Hindu and Buddist culture), or decorate one’s house with a plant pot called “Lucky Bamboo” (said to bring good luck and prosperity to the place where it is grown)?
A: It is permissible, and even if idol worshippers believed that using them grants peace and healing through mystical forces, as long as they are thought of as nice decorations, there is no prohibition. And even one who believes they grant peace, if he believes the peace comes from their visible influence, that is, through the combination of their colors and proportions, there is no prohibition.
Voodoo Dolls
Voodoo dolls are used in certain African countries for witchcraft, mainly to harm others, and sometimes to heal. Anyone who uses them for these purposes transgresses a Torah prohibition. One who does not believe in the ability to cast spells with them does not transgress a Torah prohibition by keeping them, but it is proper not to keep them as decorations, because it is not appropriate to decorate one’s house with something that is forbidden for use.
This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew.