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Rosh Hashanah: The Day of Judgement. Really?

If there is one Study Jewish thing (with a capital E) tells us, is to not take everything at face value. For some, the firm is even synonymous "I take nothing for granted"

I attended a small few months ago that, given off by a Rabbi Babysitting, perhaps one of the greatest Talmudic French. At one point, Rabbi exposes us that EVEDA Kenaan (a special legal status associated with a non-Jewish servant) is subject to the requirement of Korban Pesach.
Indeed, the eved Kenaan lives in the master's house and is subject to a number of obligations halakhic and therefore, particularly Korban Pesach sacrifice to be the day of Passover, which supreme paradox, represents the ultimate expression of freedom.
short, I personally believe and I therefore call on the rest of the course which is, I suppose, to explain this paradox. Imagine my surprise when a participant asked the exact references of the halakha. Imagine a student Terminale S Einstein ask if it is certain that E = MC ²
And what was my biggest surprise yet when the Master smiled and said with his characteristic accent, "You're right, you're right you want references, I do not of problems. "And he began to look for the precise volume of Shulhan Arukh, opened it and then show it to students who entered a discussion a few subtle attempt to show that this is not necessarily exactly the case .
is a rule of the study: what counts is the pursuit of truth. All social obligations or relationships, of course, useful for life in society, should disappear when you open a Gemara.

What relationship will you tell me with Rosh Hashana? Well this party is that sometimes feels autopilot mode: Start of the year, Chana Tova, Teshuvah, Shofar, Judgement, Fear, 10 days to catch up to Yom Kippur, etc. ... are all words used suitcases full during this period. They have the advantage of creating a special atmosphere, to realize that this is a special stage of the year (the holidays of Tishrei) during which the followers of the regime will Dukhan to execution and for which Treasurers community redoubled attention, waiting impatiently for the result of the best months of the year in terms of turnover.

But as so often, when we start asking questions, we say that frankly, we did perhaps take bladders for lanterns.
Some examples: the Talmud teaches that on Rosh Hashanah, the creator of the world judge the whole world and divided the men into 3 categories. The Tzadikkim, the Righteous, which are inscribed in the Book of Life. The Rechaim the wicked, who are enrolled in the Book of Death. And Beinonim (it looks today, those who must pass the oral, or better still September) that until Yom Kippur to catch up and eventually reach Tzadikkim in the Book of Life.
Although some rabbis are having a field day to explain that we are all Beinonim and it will whip up Kippur to be sure to spend another year on this earth.

Others are content to sweep the metaphor of a backhand just before going to play golf at the Country Club: "all this nonsense, this is still one of these legends alienating the religious opium producers are struggling to disseminate to exercise totalitarian control over the souls and hearts of the naive and uninformed masses ". Well, it will surely improve his handicap Mr. and catch up with Tiger Woods, but what do you want me to do with it?

Is there no way to exercise his critical texts on some of Tradition while taking them seriously as highly confident they convey a sense fruitful?
Well, it turns out that the guy living in my beautiful country 800 years ago obviously have dared to ask a question of pure common sense unimpressed by the establishment (OK, I added a bit on the side Besancenot of the Talmud). Still, the
Tosafists, since it is from them that it is, wonder (Rosh Hashanah 16b): "It turns out that in real life, we see lots of Tzadikim die in the year and Rechaim full of live many more years, which is somewhat contradictory to what they say on the Book of Life ". Obvious question, he to ask, which begins to make us doubt that the literal meaning is most relevant, but in return we open to interpretations more meaningful and tasty (we will not elaborate here, but for those who are interested, all the commentators conventional resume this question: Ramban the Ran , Rabbeinu Yona , etc ... and are synthesized in an article in Siftei Haim's work during the compilation of Rabbi Friedlander ).

Similarly, is it really relevant to think that on Rosh Hashanah is truly a day of trial, with God at his table surrounded by his assessors reviewed as and when each of the defendants?
I have a friend who pushed through the literal sense. Indeed, it is customary not to sleep on Rosh Hashanah so "his mazal, his luck did not sleep during the year" . Some say it is inappropriate to sleep when we will soon stand trial before the King of Kings. My friend thinks he can allow himself to sleep during Rosh Hashanah. The reason? "Ayache, it was early in the alphabet, at noon for me it is folded, I can sleep peacefully for the rest of the party!"

Beyond the joke, is it still valid to keep that image in mind? Several clues lead us
rather to get rid of it. First, the fact that the main names of Rosh Hashanah does not convey the idea:
- Rosh Hashanah, which is the common name of the party and the Talmud under the Treaty of addressing different aspects of legal means Head of the Year. Recall the creation of man and repentance after opening the fault of the Garden of Eden
- Yom Térou the day of the ringtone is the name given by the Torah, obviously related to the primary mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah, the ringing of the Shofar, indispensable tool for revival
souls - Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day, the name given by the sages at the party when codified format of the prayer of Rosh Hashanah

short, when the party speaks, it is called Rosh Hashanah , when the Torah speaks of is Yom Térou and pray when the day of Rosh Hashanah is Yom Hazikaron .
While the festival is sometimes called Yom Hadin , the Day of Judgement. But honesty impels us to recognize that the name seems almost "non-essential", never used by the Torah and even ambiguous, as evidenced by the reluctance of halachic sages impacts to consider when it comes to value the concept of "Judgement Day". Without too much space to this subject is somewhat technical, very well covered by the Rabbi CY.Zevin in Moadim BeHalakha (note: all of CY Zevin books are pure wonders), we can cite the following examples:
- it rejects the use of a Shofar horned cow not to recall the fault of the golden calf during the day of Judgement
- we do not say Hallel on Rosh Hashanah: how Jewish people could start singing happily while the King of Kings judge?
- But on the other hand, if some Wise wanted to impose a fast on Rosh Hashana because of the Judgement Day, most makers have formally banned.

What about this? The dimension of the Day of Judgement is clearly a dimension of Rosh Hashanah and it exists in our tradition. But its almost "magical" or "folk" to us. How to resolve this paradox. It is among the
Pr Yeshayhou Leibowitz I found most illuminating answer:

"There are faith deep meaning in the distinction between repentance and Judgement on Rosh Hashanah, say between a conception of repentance as a means of obtaining a favorable ruling and the cancellation of a bad verdict, and one that sees repentance as an end in itself. The Torah has focused attention on the memory, as this is fundamental, "Remembrance Day", that is to say, of repentance, while the tradition has added this concept of Rosh Hashana when the trial is fundamental . (...)
For the believer who seeks the fullness of faith, the meaning of Rosh Hashanah is the reminder of his position before God, and the question being on trial arises every day and every moment . For cons, the unaccomplished man, that is to say most people, it is clear that we can hardly expect him to be engages in self-examination and repentance, the things he is far, every day of the year. He is awakened to these issues at the approach of "austere days," during which, he says, he is judged. However, although it is not that the perfect form of faith, this approach has its place in folk religious world. "

One recognizes the famous distinction made between Leibowitz service of God and interested selfless service of God. For the latter, Rosh Hashanah is a time of recall (from memory) of the place of man in this world before God. His life was not rhythmic by what God has to offer, but capacity and the will of man to serve God regardless of notions such as the benefits or risks of divine punishment. In this context, the notions of Térou, souvenir, existential thrill make sense.
But not everyone has the ability to reach a spiritual level totally disinterested. Hence the introduction of the concept of ruling which, if not perfect, still has its place because it may be the germ of a more robust approach in the future.

As usual, Leibowitz causes, by denigrating totally prayer of Ounetané Tokef he considered the prototype of prayer for the masses, fully making use of mythological and fears over animal rights. Let me give you an excerpt:

"A quiet murmur is heard. The celestial figures stand up, tremble and announced with anguish:" This is the Day of Judgement! "Even the Almighty is called Your front court. All creatures of the world pass before Thee as the shepherd who looks to his flock.
(...) For every creature that moves past you, you fixed the duration of its existence and the circumstances of his destiny that do not depend on his will. On the day of Rosh Hashanah, our fate is written. On the day of Yom Kippur, our fate is sealed.
It was decided:
who disappear during the year and will in the world,
those who will live and who shall die,
those who belong to end of their lives and those who still have time to live.
you determine if one will die by fire, others by water,
those who are affected by war or taken by wounds: famine, earthquake or disease.
established that you will enjoy a peaceful life, happy and worthy, will be honored and prosperous, will experience the agony of wandering, hardship, humiliation and misery.


Honestly for Sephardim, provocation falls a bit flat because this prayer is not recited routinely and it is nothing special in terms of emotional development.
But my wife, hard-Ashkenazi, was deeply outraged. For her and many of his coreligionists, he is the epitome of the Rosh Hashanah Tefillah: where Hazan crying the most, where everyone is terrified, where people have little imagining, such as Gauls of Asterix, the sky will fall on their head.

Leibowitz is very strict on this prayer because it removes the man in the true meaning of Rosh Hashanah (re) realize that the return to God is an end in itself, it passes the point of a valiant existence devoted to God and not idols (golf, working life, high society, fear of death, etc. ...) and that the concepts of rewards or punishments are incidental.

vast program for this year, I wish you smooth and happy!

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(Small) travel within American Judaism. Episode 1: Chicago

Ten days in the United States, Chicago (for professional reasons) and then in New York (for the kif), allowed me to come back with a few scraps of finer understanding of American Jewry. Make some surprising discoveries, confirmed some a priori, while flying in the face of other beliefs. Obviously, everything that follows is often subjective and open to debate.

Chicago

Before my aircraft landed on the runways at Chicago O'Hare, I got a rattrapge film in good and due form with the VOD system of the aircraft. And put me in the leg on American Jewry, I chose to be accompanied by the Coen brothers and their last film "A Serious Man" . I will try to do a review later, but one thing is sure, he thought a lot about the question: Does Judaism was transformed by the massive transplantation of Jews from Eastern Europe Eastern lands New World? Obviously, the answer not fail to be positive, but to try to understand it better, we must plunge.

Nevermind week job to go directly to the need to spend Shabbat in Chicago.

Above all, do not repeat the mistakes already made in 2003 to spend a Shabbat in a large hotel in the Loop, historical and tourist center of Chicago. AC, I have already given a few years ago: through Priceline (if you do not know, I recommend this site to find a great hotel bargain prices to a few days of your trip), the Palmer House Hilton Chicago for less than $ 70 night. Eat kosher? Just ask at reception that you order kosher plates (of course duly charged), which will take you if you do not know anyone nearby or if you do not get to the nearest Chabad .

Then things get complicated. Imagine that on Saturday morning, you want to go to the nearest synagogue. You say very candidly "I'm right in the center, the synagogue is not what will be missed, especially in the 3rd American Jewish city with nearly 300,000 Jews! ". Well this is not so simple. First, you must be well known to the fragmentation of American Judaism. If you do not want to appear in the Assembly Reconstructionist Hebrew Gays and Lesbians, or worse (because at least they assume a particular identity) among the hippies in mixing guitar, Gospel, proclamations of love worthy of Eddie Murphy and conviction to represent the future of Judaism, we will have to mobilize your detective skills to find a Schule consistent with the idea that you get to the Halacha. After the initial surprise of not finding myself with myriads oratories in the Loop, I finally found next to the hotel, the "Chicago Loop Synagogue " on South Clark Street. A very beautiful architectural point of view, on several levels, with the names of major donors clearly shown, one senses America with its relaxed compared vis-à-vis Judaism and its money well integrated and longstanding in American society.

Following is more surprising in this room of hundreds of places, we do find that 30 or 40 people for to the office! The reason (I suspect that for some time now)? Jews working in the Loop, but do not live there. The synagogue is very active on weekdays, but very little traffic on Shabbat. Only a sweet kiddush after the service that does not have me satisfied and I'm back at the hotel early in the afternoon ... luckily the city is beautiful and you can enjoy beautiful walks, especially summer!

Back to 2010: this time, no errors. Call a friend I had not seen for over 10 years but lived Chicago and confirms me : "Jews live in two main areas: West Rogers Park which is still in Chicago and Skokie, which is a town outside of Chicago." The reason is obvious: when you start a family, we will search for schools, the areas most consistent and specific infrastructure that is not offered by the center, rather focus on business and tourism. Go then to West Rogers Park. The cityscape is completely different: one is more on Desperate Housewives with residential houses that are not more than 2 storeys along street grid, as in "Mad Men" with its skyscrapers and bustle.

Problem: there are no hotels. My friend then gave me something: the Jewish retirement home in West Rogers Park provides rooms for travelers. For $ 75 a night, it's worth it. Especially when we have the opportunity to admire the quality of the nursing home: a big, clean, lively atmosphere in a Jewish (kosher meals, offices, courts, etc ...) and welcoming to tourists ...

Friday night arrives, looking for an office! It is in the Loop is obvious: dozens of schule of all persuasions succeed on the Internet: Reformed, Conservative, Orthodox, Lubavitch, Sephardic (with even a Moroccan community!) a few blocks of each other. I choose KINS who seems to be a major Orthodox communities in the area, midway between my "hotel" and my friend whom I'll have dinner. Not much to say except that the building is imposing and well integrated into the neighborhood. The rabbi is casual, with a white Panama on his head and a light suit. We go out there and surprise people wear! It is indeed a Eruv in West Rogers Park (the Eruv is a method to circumvent the ban on wearing one in public domain on the Sabbath. Including the ability to go out in a stroller, something prohibited without Eruv). Halakhic, the subject is controversial, I actually bought in New York a little monograph on the subject very well done which I will try to do a little review. Still, the question arises: can we really count on an Eruv perimeter as large as West Rogers Park and with a sufficient degree of reliability? On the other hand, why not see an Eruv is radically changing the perception that Jews (and families) have Shabbat, when at last it is possible to go out and make friendly visits or even family with young children?

Friday night meal with my friends (whom I thank again warmly welcomed and guided me in this trip) and very interesting exchanges on the lives of young French full transplanted Chicago. Regrets first on the poverty of the offer "intellectual" approach to Judaism in France. Difficulties in finding places and teachers able to convey an authentic Judaism but also intellectually demanding than in effect at the graduate level profane. It is true that from this point of view, the United States several steps ahead and that if France was a pioneer in the '70s with Levinas, Neher or Manitou is now a bit behind. Most followers of Manitou (who had managed to address the problem of articulation between Jewish thought and authentic materials and especially metaphysical imperatives of the modern world) are now in Israel, and Levinas has left few students able to mobilize both resources philosophical level and a strong commitment to the texts of the tradition Jewish (Benny Levy is one but also aired his teaching in Israel). Finding nevertheless there are still some hidden gems as well the Yeshiva Student of Rav Zyzek in Paris or that of Rabbi Eliyahu Abitbol Strasbourg or more publicized in a completely different style, as the initiatives taken by Rabbi Elie Lemmel through its association Lev.

A simple matching United States between work life and demands a halachic Jew. During my one-week training in Chicago, no problem to receive kosher meals provided courtesy of the Learning Center even keep his kippa including in the workplace (I personally did not, forcing French culture, but I saw an American custody without problem, as do Sikhs with their impressive turban). But beware, all is not rosy either: there are still difficulties, of course, primarily related to Shabbat observance in the winter. And make no mistake, it is easier to negotiate some arrangements discrete jobs in high-level positions in more standardized. In fact, if we give a rational reason to the fact that Jews are choosing more frequently than the rest of people a career in Entrepeneurship and the professions, it is certainly for flexibility in the schedule that these jobs provide, essential to a harmonious balance between work and religious beliefs.

The next day my friend was asked by a Chabad couple who very kindly agreed to receive me well. Branch Office Lubavitch therefore, beginning as of course after 9.30am (this does not change) and very pleasant. A valuable discovery: the Chumash published by Kol Menachem publisher. I can not tell you that without a digression on "Artscroll Revolution," as they say up there and as the post begins to be long, we'll do that in Episode 2 (promised in not too long).

Happy holidays to all!

continued ...

Interesting Tay Sachs Facts

EQUALITY OF ARMS

EQUALITY OF ARMS

Equality of arms is a principle that ensures a balance between defense and prosecution in criminal trials, so that the accused has reasonable opportunity to present his case, there including per-proven in court under conditions which do not place a substantial disadvantage compared to his opponent, the Public Prosecutor. Obviously, this rule of conduct paralegal is a broader aspect of the concept of a fair trial before an independent and impartial. But how to measure if the arms are equal between a defendant who knows the truth but do not have the police and public prosecution that has public power, but must seek and demonstrate what is the truth? How indeed accept this principle when the Prosecution is almost a second judge in the trial?

configuration even in our courtrooms placed over the accused. And more surprising still is the right granted to him to directly question the defendant or witnesses without going through the head judge for this possibility is not given to defense counsel. However, the prosecution has the freedom to tilt in favor of the trial because the testimony of the accused and witnesses are the determining factors on which the judge will be based headquarters to train and base its conclusion on the case before it ... where the facts of the hearing. So it is like a blank check authorizing the Legal Department to perform all sorts of intimidation and psychological pressure on the accused, already in a weak position. It may even outside the rules of professional conduct and ethics require him to plead guilty, take it to accuse other people or to extract a confession with promises of excuses or extenuating circumstances, oftentimes, unfulfilled. When we know that some representatives of the Public Ministry are unconcerned about the morality of means used to achieve their goal. No! In practice, the principle of equality of arms does not exist and never existed in criminal law in Haiti.

How to understand your opponent has the authority to arrest you, send you to jail and then keep for a while and then you continue to court? Even when, previously, it is appealed before the Dean in accordance with Articles 26, 26-1 and 26-2 of the Constitution, to address the illegal and arbitrary arrest or detention, or it does not attend the hearing and reversed the court which can take place properly, or it comes to hearing and ignored the decision "On behalf of the Republic "by the court in favor of the accused. Already, he does not even understand that the prosecution is his opponent ... so, like him, a party to the suit, he takes it to a judge. Now, what are we talking about? Equal opportunity, perhaps? Unfortunately, neither the National Association of Magistrates and Bars of the Republic nor civil society and public opinion have never denounced the ugliness of our legal system or even to question them.

Theoretically, trial, and particularly the criminal trial is not a fight where each party has one goal: to win. The mission of the Public Ministry is not to win or obtain the conviction of the accused or defendant, but to arrive at the truth and to deduce the consequences, whether positive or negative victims or defendants. A trial exists to contribute to justice and peace among men, not the victory and defeat each other. In this sense ... the fighting talk, the perfidious behavior, anti social and evil are not suitable for men of their laws ... are public prosecutors or lawyers.


Heidi FORTUNE
Magistrate, Magistrate
Cap-Haitien, Haiti, July 18, 2010
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