A FAIR TRIAL “By the testimony of two or three witnesses shall the condemned person be put to death; he shall not be put to death by the testimony of a single witness.” The notion of fair and transparent judicial procedures has been accepted as a fundamental basis of civilised societies. Both the beginning of the Bible and this week’s portion provide firm basis for this requirement. In an old English judgement R. v. University of Cambridge, one of the judges observed that before Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of knowledge, he...

SHECHITA “You may slaughter from your cattle and sheep…as I have commanded you.” (Devarim 12:21) Shechita is the Jewish religious, humane method of slaughtering permitted animals and poultry for food. It is mandated in the Torah – the source of all Jewish Law. It is the only method of producing kosher meat and poultry allowed by Jewish law. The source is the above verse in this week’s portion. The precise method has been handed done, by Oral Tradition, since Moses, as conveyed in the above verse. Shechita is performed by a highly trained Shochet. The procedure consists of a rapid...

ISRAEL’S EMBASSIES This week’s portion includes the passage well-known to us from the siddur: the second paragraph of the Shema. The conclusion of this passage seems difficult to accept at face value: “so that your days will be lengthened on the land which the L-d promised to your ancestors, to give to them.” The Torah promises longevity in the land of Israel for those who fulfil the previously mentioned commandments, such as Tefilin, Mezuzah and Torah study. The Talmud (Berachot 8a) states that the Palestinian Amora, R Yochanan expressed surprise that there should be elderly people in Babylon seeing as...

TAKING RISKS The temptation to get that perfect selfie can have tragic consequences. More than 250 people have lost their lives picturing themselves at a toxic lake in Siberia. The Torah’s advice is enunciated in a verse in this week’s portion: Venishmartem me’od lenafshoteichem, which Rav Hirsch translates as: “You shall take very good care of yourselves.” [Devarim 4:15] Later in the Torah, in parshat Ki Teitzei, we will read of the requirement to build a fence or a parapet for the roof of a house that is accessible for use. Our Sages extended this commandment to all cases of...

FATHER OF MERCY This Shabbat we will be reciting an extra prayer before Ashrei called Av Harachamim “Father of Mercy.” Its origins lie in the wake of the First Crusade. Many Jewish communities in Germany were decimated as mobs found an outlet for their religious zeal in killing Jews before making their way to the Holy Land to wrest it from the Muslims. Thousands of men, women and children lost their lives in the communities of the Rhineland. Mainz, Worms, Speyer were ravaged over the course of a few weeks as the Crusaders made their way down Europe. Most of...

FLATTERY The recent announcement that the US Justice Department is reinstating the death penalty after a sixteen-year break has reopened the debate about the place of capital punishment in a modern democracy. The Torah prescribes capital punishment in principle for a number of transgressions. In practice, however, it was extremely rarely implemented, as severe conditions were required to be fulfilled before it could be applied. Nevertheless, the severity of the offence committed was, in no way, denied. The Torah specifies in this week’s portion that it was not an option to accept blood-money in lieu of a punishment to the...

JOSEPH’S GIFT Rachie and I recently returned from a visit to Israel where we had a chance to visit some of the excavations around the southern wall of the Temple Mount. We saw the replica of the cornerstone of the southern wall, which bears the inscription that this was the place where a Cohen would stand, and sound the shofar or trumpet to announce the pending arrival of Shabbat. Shabbat in the Temple was characterized by an extra sacrifice, over and above the regular daily sacrifices. It is described in this week’s portion, known as Musaf. This is reflected, today,...

CAN A DONKEY SIN? The episode of the talking donkey in this week’s portion reads more like an excerpt from a fairy tale than a passage from the bible. Yet it draws our attention to a fundamental teaching of Jewish philosophy. When the donkey speaks to Bilaam she says: “What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times? (Bamidbar 22:28) Bilaam replies: “Because you mocked me. If I would have a sword in my hand I would kill you!” (ibid. 29) The Midrash portrays the response the donkey must have given to Bilaam: “You have...

SPARE THE ROD In the fortieth year of their wandering in the desert, the Israelites arrive at Kadesh. They have no water to drink and they complain to Moses. G-d tells Moses to take the staff and speak to the rock. Instead, Moses strikes the rock. Although abundant water miraculously pours forth, Moses is severely criticized by G-d for failing to sanctify Him before the people. He is told that, as a result of this transgression, he will forfeit the right to take the people into the land of Israel. The incident is widely debated and analysed by the commentators...

WHO IS HOLY? When Korach makes a bid to be leader of the Jewish people, he doesn’t assert that he is wiser, richer or more powerful than Moses. He simply says: “All the community are holy. What right do you have to assert yourself over the rest of us?” (Bemidbar 16: 3.) In one sense, Korach is right. We are described as a holy nation. As members of the Jewish people, we each share in that intrinsic holiness. If that is the case, then it is wrong for one individual or group of individuals to have unelected rights over all...