Pemikiran Yahudi Imamat 23:4: Akeidat Yitzchak

Considering all the efforts made in the Bible to combat tendencies toward idol-worship, the fact that the first commandment given to the Jewish nation should be the sanctification of the moon, seems puzzling. The ceremonies connected with observing this commandment raise the specter of this being akin to idolworship. There are special sacrifices in the temple, benedictions must be recited only when the moon is visible, hallel must be recited; all these observances must seem strange to the uninitiated. Rashi's statement in Genesis 1,1 that the Torah could really have commenced at this point, were it not for the fact that G-d wanted the nations to know that the Jewish people have a valid claim on the land of Israel, is even more puzzling when viewed in light of the above. Even stranger is the observation of Ben Azzai (Chullin 60) that the Almighty decreed a male goat to be offered on the new moon, to atone for the fact that he had diminished the size of the moon. Anyone who dares to withhold from a people items long considered as life sustaining such as bread, milk etc., must be prepared to face the wrath of the people. It requires skill and wisdom to teach that people that the very things which they had for long considered to be life sustaining were in fact most detrimental to their continued wellbeing. In Jeremiah Chapter 44, we find that the people upraid the prophet for warning them against idolworship, that they claim that their recent troubles had been due to their having forsaken their former idols. In such circumstances, one needs to enlighten a few intelligent leaders of the people about the true nature of things, and hope that these leaders in turn will be able to persuade the masses, once they themselves have been convinced of the error of their previous thinking. Idolatry can be divided into three kinds: 1) Belief that the object worshipped is itself a deity; in that event worship of that deity is the real thing. 2) One considers the object in question as close enough to the real deity to exercise some influence on said deity's decision-making process; in that event one worships the object as a sort of intermediary. One hopes that the object worshipped will intercede on one's behalf with the inaccessible deity. In such instances, worship is not a form of adulation, but rather a form of labor, service. 3) One worships the object in question only for the specific visible function it performs; one considers the continued performance of that function by said object as vital to the welfare of the worshipper. In this latter case, worship is merely a form of thanksgiving. All of the above, has been fully explained by Maimonides. When we consider the kiddush hachodesh legislation, the sanctification of the new moon, and the commandment concerning the observance of a leap year, i.e. an extra month at certain intervals, we observe that the mitzvah addresses itself 1) to the moon itself; 2) its motion, its movements; 3) the unique ritual involved. The moon itself, after reflecting progressively more light until full moon, reflects progressively less light until at the end of its cycle it does not reflect any light at all. It proves by its behavior that it is not a primary source of light at all. Astronomy has proved that unless the face of the moon is turned towards the sun, it cannot reflect any light. This teaches the Jewish people that the moon cannot possibly be a deity, since it has nothing of its own to contribute. Deities, by definition, are givers, not recipients. During a lunar eclipse, when neither face of the moon reflects anything, its impotence as a possible deity is demonstrated even more forcibly. What is valid for the moon, is equally true of other heavenly bodies, even the sun, since the sun's light too is eclipsed from time to time. As the prophet exclaims, "Do not be scared for they cannot cause any harm" (Jeremiah 10,5). At the time of the new moon, both moon and sun appear close to one another in the West around sunset time; it seems clear to the beholder that both follow a path imposed upon them, that they are not free to move in the direction of their choice. Which free individual moves forever in a single direction? In the third aspect of the mitzvah of kiddush hachodesh, we are no longer concerned with the moon or its orbit, but rather with the use we can make of it for the needs of our calendar. Since our holy days are determined in large measure by the calendar, the Almighty uses the moon to demonstrate His sovereignty over it. Jewish law provides leeway to use the moon in such a way that it accomodates itself to the needs of the Jewish people, instead of the other way around. The outstanding example of this phenomenon is found in Rosh Hashanah 20, where we are told, "When it is like this, sanctify!" This means that only when the moon is visible can the ceremony be performed. Since the moon is a minimum of eighteen hours into its new cycle before it becomes visible, we do not actually welcome the arrival of the new moon on time. Should the astronomic time for the new moon be less than eight hours before sunset, the ceremony is delayed for fully twenty-four hours. In such an event, the festival of the new moon would actually not be declared until forty-two hours after its advent. All this shows clearly that to think that any star or heavenly body has dominion over the Jewish people, is completely erroneous. On the contrary, if we follow Saadiah Gaon, that visual observation of the new moon has never been a factor determining when Rosh Chodesh would be declared, the mitzvah would demonstrate that we can exert influence on the calendar. The Torah grants the Jewish Supreme Court the right to proclaim the dates of the Jewish holy days, although calendar dates have been spelled out in the Torah. This means that the Jewish Supreme Court has the authority to manipulate the calendar to suit its purpose. "The seasons of the Lord which you will proclaim they will be My seasons" (Leviticus 23,4). The Almighty said in effect, "Even if you err, or even if you deliberately change the correct date by manipulation of the festival of the new moon, My holy days are yours to determine." The elders who are charged with the intricacies of the new moon observance, and who cannot fail to realize that this commandment is the very antithesis of idolworship, will in turn persuade the people of this profound truth. The reason that we add songs and praises to the Lord in our liturgy on that day, is to reflect the awareness that He alone is Master of the Universe, and all that exists therein. Rashi's comment that the Torah could have commenced with this chapter now becomes clearer. Had we not read about the creation and the whole book of Genesis, and only used the commandment regarding the new moon as our introduction to G-d as the sole ruler of the universe and the prime Cause and Creator, that would have been quite sufficient. The unchanging nature of the orbits of all the planets testify to their very impotence as potential deities. The male goat offered as a sin offering is to atone for any lingering subconscious doubts that may have been entertained about the true nature of the heavenly bodies. Isaiah 5,12 castigates those people who, while enjoying all that life has to offer to the senses, fail to give thought to the handiwork of the Lord. Anyone who does not conduct himself properly, is somehow influenced by the thought that the Lord does not observe his conduct. This is a form of heresy which requires the powers of atonement inherent in the offering of the male goat.

The experts of the Kabbalah have revealed to us another fine spiritual aspect of this day, inasmuch as it possesses the distinction to help also those who seek out wisdom and Torah. This great day alluded to the seventh of the ten sefirot, emanations, which is called Sabbath, and which is like a hallway leading to the illustrious palace which is called Shabbat hagadol, the meaning of which will be discussed later. All of this is included in the commandment "six days you shall work," i.e. expend your energy performing mitzvot in this world of "vanity," so that on the seventh and holy day you will be able to enjoy contemplative rest. We can now answer the question of why the Torah speaks about "My Sabbaths." (plural) Since, as we have demonstrated, there are in reality three dimensions to the Sabbath idea, the Torah is at pains to include them all when listing the commandment. After stating the idea, each dimension is explained individually. Concerning the first dimension, it says "for it is a sign between Me and you for generations, so that you know that I, the Lord, sanctify you." Abstention from work is the visible sign for all future generations to know that He has hallowed us through this commandment, and that this distinction will make us take part in the hidden world reserved in the future. This is the key, the gateway to that ultimate Sabbath. (3) Concerning the second dimension of the Sabbath, the Torah states "Observe the Sabbath for it is holy for you, anyone desecrating it will be put to death, since anyone doing work on it, his soul will be cut off from his people." He who osseh bo, will use Torah and mitzvot to enrich himself, uses the idea of the Sabbath for transient personal gain, studies for ulterior motives, mot yumat, deserves death in both worlds, will never experience the ultimate Sabbath. On the other hand, "kol ha-osseh melachah beyom hashabbat,” he who performs physical labour (of the forbidden categories) will be put to death by human tribunal. Hillel said in in Avot 1, according to Rashi, that "anyone using," i.e. abusing the "crown,” i.e. holy scriptures, religion, loses his claim to eternity. "Anyone eating" (mundane satisfaction) from words of Torah, is really taking away from his life. (Rashi on Avot 4,7) Concerning the third dimension, it says "veshamroo..,the eternal covenant." When the first two dimensions of the Sabbath have been fulfilled, we will be party to the third dimension, the treasure reserved for us by G-d, concerning which the prophet Isaiah 64,3, said "no eye has beheld such treasure, it is reserved for the Lord alone to grant to him who waits for Him. We find all three dimensions of the Sabbath alluded to in our Sabbath prayers. 1) "You have not given this day of the Sabbath to the nations of the world." 2) "You have not given an inheritance to idol worshippers." 3) "Also on His day of rest, an uncircumcised person must not rest." Line one, corresponds to the idea of ot, sign, it is sufficient to set us apart from them. Line two tells us that the granting of the Sabbath legislation applies only to believers; non believers do not benefit from the gift of the Sabbath. Our sayes (Eycha Rabbati 2) tell us that if a gentile claims that he possesses Torah, do not believe him, if he claims to possess wisdom however, you may believe him. The gentiles have no share in the Torah of Israel. Line 3 tells us that as long as he is uncircumcised and impure, the most well intentioned gentile cannot be included in the community of Israel. Only conversion can make him part of the Jewish nation. The prayer continues "for to Your people of Israel You have given it, to the seed of Jacob whom You have chosen." The Talmud Shabbat 119, relates that the emperor asked Rabbi Joshua ben Chananyah "why does the Sabbath food exude such a pleasant fragrance?" The Rabbi answered that we have a special seasoning called shevet which we put into it. Thereupon the emperor requested to be given some of this seasoning. The Rabbi told him that that seasoning was effective only when used by people who observe the Sabbath. The emperor had realised that the seasoning of our lives provided by the Sabbath, permeates the world, so that Jews could inherit it; he wanted to know by what means and what merit Jews achieve their ultimate triumph. The Rabbi told him that it was due to compliance with the two dimensions of the Sabbath legislation discussed previously. When the emperor said "let me participate anyways," he had to be told that without accepting the burden of all the commandments first, all of which depend on these two dimensions of the Sabbath, this could not be. Let us return now to the opening statement in this chapter, that all the tasks G-d has allotted to man specifically are included in the commandment "six days work shall be performed, and the seventh day shall be holy for you, a Sabbath to G-d." (35,2) G-d has given this day three names (dimensions) which between them remove the obstacle to Sabbath observance represented by the six malachey chabbalah, angels of destruction. The Sabbath therefore is the source of all blessings and sanctities; the sanctity of all the other holy days is derived from the Sabbath. A sign of this is the fact that all holy days are called holy convocations because they take this name from the Sabbath, and are hallowed by its sanctity. However, the Sabbath itself, seeing that it does not need to draw on outside inspiration to achieve its own sanctity, is nowhere referred to as a holy convocation except in Parshat Emor,where it is like a guest in the paragraph dealing with all the festivals, heading the list. At any rate, the Sabbath is the source of sanctity and blessing from which blessing and sanctity flow to all those who prepare themselves to welcome it. Under the aegis of the seventh sefirah, Israel received the Torah under oath. It is all one great mystical experience for them. This in turn confers upon its adherents the atzilut, spiritual nobility, that is the reward for observing this commandment. The reason that the Sabbath is considered equal to all the other commandments then is the sefirah Shabbat, the mystical domain from which all commandments have been issued to Israel. It is this which Isaiah has in mind in chapter 58, 13. This is also what Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai meant when he interpreted the Midrash which has G-d’s consoling the Sabbath that Israel would be its mate. (Bereshit Rabbah 11) For this reason, the Sabbath legislation took chronological precedence over all the other mitzvot having been taught to the people already at Marah, prior to the revelation at Mount Sinai. (Sanhedrin 56) We welcome the shechinah every Sabbath, calling it a bride, since it is a tangible expression of G-d love for us. (Shabbat 119) This also explains the strange statement in Shabbat 118, that if someone had committed adultery such as Enosh, as long as he observed the Sabbath meticulously, he would be forgiven. The scriptural proof for this statement is brought from Isaiah 56,2, "hail ENOSH (person?) who does this..who observes the Sabbath, not to desecrate it." Anyone who observes the Sabbath in all the aforementioned aspects, must already have been truly repentant. We apply the principle then that the position occupied by repentant sinners cannot even be matched by the perfectly righteous. (Berachot 34) Such a person is referred to as enosh, just as the original Enosh of whom the Torah states that he "proclaimed the name of G-d." (Genesis 4,26) The common denominator then between how the two aspects of Sabbath observance affect us is, that this noble, holy day paves the way for study and understanding of, and eventual observance of all the mitzvot.