Parsha Ki Tissa D’Var Torah Shabbat

Parsha Ki Tissa              D’Var Torah

Shabbat 20 Adar,5773    2 March, 2012

Barry Fineman

12 Vayomer HASHEM el-Moshe lemor.

And G-D spoke to Moses, saying,

13 Ve'atah daber el-benei Yisra'el lemor ach et-shabtotai tishmoru ki ot hi beini uveineichem ledoroteichem lada'at ki ani HASHEM mekadishchem.

Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between ME and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am G-D who sanctifies you.

14 Ushmartem et-haShabbat ki kodesh hi lachem mechaleleiha mot yumat ki kol-ha'oseh vah melachah venichretah hanefesh hahi mikerev ameiha.

You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.

15 Sheshet yamim ye'aseh melachah uvayom hashvi'i Shabbat Shabbaton kodesh l'HASHEM kol-ha'oseh melaChah beyom haShabbat mot yumat.

Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to G-D. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

Talk about ‘Tradition’!  Our ‘Traditions’ are that of sacredness, reverence and that of the Torah; our law!  No changes over thousands of years, no deviations over thousands of years, no personal agendas or shortcuts, just pure truth of G-D, The Torah! Our Story, Our Values, Our Faith, Our Belief System, Our Religion, Our Manner of Living.  

Shabbat is NOT a chose; Shabbat is what partly defines and makes a Jewish Person who he is and that of character! …….. Just one of our 613 Mitzvahs.  Shabbat is present whether you are in that seat in front of me in Shul, or at home with your loved ones.  Shabbat is present; the act of the Mitzvah is what defines us as a person of faith!

I am not here to cast judgment, nor am I able; for who am I?   I am only one of, and I am NOT  “THE”!

What I am VERY clearing stating is the focus of, the respect of, the comprehension of OUR Precepts, OUR Commandments, OUR Mitzvahs; All 613 of them! 

We are here today because of Shabbat. And I’m ALSO aware we are all here because we choose to be present.  We make the choice to be in shul, to have the woman of the house light the Shabbat Candles, to make Kiddish, Wash our hands, and Say the Hamotzi, and bench after our Shabbat meal as a family.

Let’s look at the Mitzvah of Shabbat candles and how it applies to men and women equally, and if there isn't a woman in the house, then the obligation to light the candles falls on the man.

 For a few reasons, it’s the Rabbis of yesteryear, OUR forefathers that instituted that if there is a woman (over the age of Bat Mitzvah) in the house, she should be the one who fulfills the obligation for the entire household:

1. In the home of the first Jewish couple, Abraham and Sarah, it was Sarah who lit the Shabbat candles.

2.  It is the presence and contribution of a woman that transforms a house into that of a home; it is therefore her privilege to transform it into a Jewish home - filling it with the light of Judaism through the lighting of Shabbat candles. I’ve got first-hand experience, as my own wife, Hendel, and my Mother, the 2 women who have the most Jewish Influences in my home, as a child and as an adult!

3. It can also be ‘interpreted’ that Eve, the first woman, introduced sin and darkness to the world through convincing her husband to eat from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. In an ongoing effort to restore the world to its original light, women throughout history were given the opportunity to add light, through the Shabbat Candles, and reverse Eve's mistake.

Both men and women are obliged to fulfill G-D's mitzvahs (precepts). The man is obligated to perform all 613 commandments. The women, on the other hand, are excused from the performance of a few positive mitzvahs which are restricted to specific time periods, in recognition of her primary obligation to family and home duties, But do not be fooled or have misunderstanding or any misconception, as Woman play such an important part of our Mitzvahs, and to who we are and our families, and there are 3 are specific to them (not my opinion, but scribed long ago..):

1)         Separating the dough of the Challah; a small portion of the dough is not kneaded into the loaf, but is put aside, a blessing is recited and the dough is later burned.

2)         Niddah - laws relating to Family Purity, and menstruation.

3)          HADLOKAS NEIROT - lighting the Shabbat and Holiday candles.

Each Mitzvah is vital, and obviously in modern and socially liberal Judaism this differs a tad! 

Do we today as Jewish people of a more modern era, and in a generation where we text instead of talk and not have a verbal conversation, or we “post” or “tweet” about our personal thoughts, expressions, and opinions on Facebook or Twitter respectively, and that of the instant gratification generation, and personal agendas have time for all 613 Mitzvahs or the applications there of? 

Whether you’re a man, or a woman, YOU as a Jewish person make time for the Mitzvahs! All 613? Well, not at one time, of course! One Mitzvah at a time, and tonight/today we choose ‘Shabbat’!

-Amen-