Ask The Rabbi

Question: Moses, Abraham and Elijah all encountered God in desert places and we read that Jesus deliberately went up a mountain or a "lonely place" to meet with God. Was he following a common practice for Rabbis at the time and was the practice was encouraged amongst the religious leaders.

Hmm, an interesting question ... I am quite confident that it was custom in some form or fashion for our rabbinic ancestors to wander in the wilderness.  In fact the early rabbis all dwelled in a similar wilderness of the land of Israel, and so that had the same access - to the kind of place and the kind of lifestyle that our Biblical ancestors knew.  

It is the qualifier “accepted" that I am struggling to confirm or deny.  While there is an awareness and appreciation in rabbinic tradition of the connections between being alone outdoors and encountering the divine in that space - I would not be confident in saying that there was an institutionalization of it.  Early and developing rabbinic Judaism was seeking to create a Judaism that could offer an viable alternative to the crumbling sacrificial cult of the Temple. It needed to provide an alternative structure, rhythm and process to an already well established structure, rhythm and process of the Temple practice. I would imagine that while "outdoor spirituality" was valued, it was a more difficult to concretize such practices.

So, my great rabbinic answer - yes and no.  Still, these treks taken by Abraham, Elijah and Moses have had much to teach us through the millennia.  The prayer by the 18th century rabbi, Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav expressed it well:

Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone.
May it be my custom to go outdoors each day among the trees and grasses,
Among all growing things,
There to be alone and enter into prayer.
There may I express all that is in my heart,
Talking with Him to whom I belong.
And may all grasses, trees and plants
Awake at my coming.
Send the power of their life into my prayer,
Making whole my heart and my speech through the life and spirit of growing things,
Made whole by their transcendent Source.
Oh!  That they wound enter my prayer!
Then would I fully open my heart in prayer, supplication and holy speech;
Then, O God, would I pour out the words of my heart before Your Presence.

- Rabbi Morris

Question: I am trying to impress on my congregation the Hebrew word Lord and how it means more than master. Can you help me?

The simplest of answers is that the Hebrew word for lord is “Adon” and is used most frequently when referring to God and is said “Adonai” (“my Lord”). However, as with many things in Judaism, simple answers do not quite do the truth justice...

In Judaism and in Hebrew the name of God is not ‘God’ or “Lord” ... it is spelled with four letters: yud, hay, vav and hay. Quite remarkably we do not know how to pronounce the combination of these letters in the correct manner needed to say the name of the Divine. Not only do we not know how to pronounce the name correctly, Jewish tradition also purports that the correct pronunciation of the name contains unthinkable power. So, in the course of Jewish history to account for both the mystery of pronunciation and the possible misuse of power (to say nothing of disrespect) when Jews read these four letters in the context of sacred ritual moments they have said: Adonai - My Lord.

Why this word – Lord? Well, quite possibly at the time when its use began and became the accepted way of addressing the deity this term, and all it symbolized within that societal context, made sense when trying to address the omnipotent and omniscient deity. Today, we could argue how that particular parlance is a bit of an anachronism to our society and our world. However, that actual Hebrew word, Adonai, still carries the weight, awe and meaning of being God’s name.

Question: Could you tell me what the Wailing Wall is all about? - from Merrickville, Ontario

The Wailing Wall goes by a few different monkers ... all giving a hint to its significance for Jews. It is called Wailing, Western and simply in Hebrew Hakotel - The Wall. Historically speaking it is the outer western wall of the complex of the second Temple - the one that finds itself in the stories of Jesus life and the one that was destroyed in the year 70 C.E. by the Romans. It is the only remaining remnant of the Temple - and also a reminder of the sometimes difficult and painful history of the Jewish people. In turn, it is a place that either caused people to wail or cry as it reminds us AND wails or cries itself as a witness to this history. It is the most significant geographic spot in the world for the Jewish community. Inside the wall is the site of the Temple Mount - the place where the Temple stood and more importantly the site where the Biblical God would dwell on earth. The wall itself is the spot and not the Temple site for a couple of reasons. For traditional Jews, the wall is about as far as they can go - they believe the Temple Mount is a holy site and until properly consecrated as such, it is prohibited to stand there. (Even today, whenever possible, Jews pray toward Jerusalem and this holy site.) In addition, the third most holy site in Islam - the al-Aska mosque - is built on that site ... and is currently only open to followers of the Muslim faith. So you can see, that it is not just a wall ... it is The Wall. - Rabbi Morris

Question: What is the significance of the Ark of the Covenant for the people of Israel? What is its significance today?

Answer: In our sacred story the Ark of the Covenant is the place where the tablets of the Pact between God and the Israelites were kept.  It lived in the Tabernacle and was not your ordinary suitcase.  It was adorned with plated gold and two cherubim sat on top of it.  It became a symbol of the Israelites and God’s power and so traveling with them and its presence lent strength and credulity to the people as they moved and fought.  We don’t know what happened to it … legend and myth are attached to its whereabouts and powers (see: Raiders of the Lost Ark!).  The ark remains part of our lives as Jews today in synagogues around the world, as arks, of different constructs than those described in the torah, sit in each sanctuary housing the synagogue’s Torah scrolls.
 

Question: What is "wilderness"?
What does the term "in the wilderness" mean for Jews?

Answer: Have you ever started a brand new school or gone away to camp for the first time? Think about what it was like for you … the whole thing from beginning to end.

I guess that for many of us when we leave our familiar school or home to go somewhere new like a new school or camp – it is really difficult. Nothing is familiar – schedule, people, food – nothing. It is scary and intimidating. You even may want desperately to go back, even if where you have to go back to wasn’t even that great. But, I am also going to guess that even though it was hard and there may have even been some tears involved, most of the time it turned out pretty good. (Even if the new place did not turn out so good, you probably learned a lot about yourself in the process.)

If you understand this kind of situation, then you understand what it is like to wander in the wilderness.

In Jewish tradition, the wilderness is the place and time that the Israelites wandered through after they were freed from slavery. (We read about it in the books of Exodus and Numbers.) This place is called the Midbar – which is Hebrew for “wilderness.” It was a scary and intimidating place. It seemed empty and lifeless compared to Egypt. Even though the Israelites were free, they did not like it. But, something very important happened there in this barren, empty and desolate place where they pined away for the “comforts” of Egypt – the people of Israel met God there. This meeting changed them forever. In fact two of Judaism’s three most sacred stories occurred in the Midbar – walking through the Sea of Reeds and being freed from slavery, and meeting God at Mount Sinai. (The Creation of the world is story #3.)

The wilderness is so important to the Jewish tradition that we retell part of the story of it each year at the Passover Seder, and relive the experience at Mount Sinai each year at Pentecost or Shavuot. When we Jews talk about our struggles in this world, as communities or as individuals we turn to this metaphor of the wilderness to give us strength and comfort. The Midbar – as desolate, empty and frightening as it was – was the place where our people knew God so well, it reminds us that we can know God in the places in our lives that feel empty, barren and frightening. - Rabbi Morris
 

Question: A question for a question
Sometimes it seems like Jesus answers a question with a question. Was this a common teaching and learning style in the culture at that time?

Answer: There is an old joke/line that Jews throw around ... if you have three Jews in a room discussing an issue you will have at least four opinions. It may or may not be funny, but it is somewhat true! Jews like to talk and even like to debate.

The debates in which Jesus engaged in scripture seemed to be part of this tradition. These debates were not angry, personal exchanges but heated, intellectual discussions.

In Jewish tradition there is an idea of learning called pilpul . Pilpul comes from the Hebrew word meaning "pepper" or "spice." This type of learning involved intense debate and discussion. They both have a long history in Jewish tradition. As early as the book of Genesis we read of Abraham debating with God the destiny of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was through debate that Abraham learns that there are no righteous people in these cities and therefore they do not merit being saved. A part of this way of learning – of being sharp or spicy – would be to answer a question with a question just as Jesus often does in scripture. - Rabbi Morris

Question: How important is the Shema in Jewish life?
 

Answer: The Shema is, hands down, one of the most important, the most well-known, most used verse from the Torah used by Jews all over the entire world. These six words: “Listen, Israel; Adonai is our God; Adonai is One” – are a declaration of faith. (Adonai is the Hebrew word we use for God’s actual name.) The idea of God’s oneness is a very important idea in the Jewish faith. What is oneness? Some think of it as the idea that there is only one God is an important idea back in the day when many religions of the world believed in many different gods. Some think of oneness as meaning that Adonai is the only One, the only God – not money, or fame or power or any stuff. Some think of oneness as meaning that God is the One that is everything – meaning that everything and everyone is a part of one big, important thing... God. (That would affect how we act every day, wouldn’t it?)

No matter how different people interpret it, the Shema is very important part of the Jewish faith. The Shema is so powerful; its six words are used in many ways:

1. As a regular part of the daily prayer service – it is said every day.
2. As part of prayer by some Jews before they go to sleep at night – the last thing you think about before sleep.
3. As part of the ceremony for people converting to the Jewish faith – the first thing you say as a Jew.
4. As a final prayer that Jews say before they die –some of your last breaths are used saying these words.

- Rabbi Morris

Question: How important was the Temple?
How did Judaism change after the destruction of the Temple? What meaning does it hold for Jews today?

Answer: It is difficult to describe the meaning of the Temple for Jews in the first century Before the Common Era (B.C.E.) – because our religious lives are so different today. I can live in almost any city in the world and attend synagogue in that city, somewhere. In many cities, I have a few synagogues to choose from. Same goes for Christians; too; in many places around the world where you may live, there are so many choices about where you may go to worship. Back then, there was only one place to go -- the Temple in Jerusalem. Yes, Jews did not live all over the world like we do today, but then in a time without cars, even a 30–40 mile trip may have taken a couple of days to complete. So, take all of the energy that you imagine goes into the praying, studying and acts of community service in thousands of synagogues around the world today, focus it into one place and one time and you have an idea how important the Temple was to Jews. The way that Judaism was practiced in this place was focused on the sacrifices and people who organized them -- the priests. People made regular pilgrimages to offer sacrifices and to celebrate the festivals throughout the year. Their Judaism was not like the Judaism that I know today, it would change dramatically in the 2000 years between then and now. To be honest, things had already begun to change for Judaism around the time that Jesus lived. People were beginning to build other centres of Jewish religious life, but it was not until the year 70 CE that Judaism began to change dramatically into something new. In the year 70CE, the Romans destroyed the Temple – this place that was the most important place for Jews. Jews who focused their religious lives on the Temple suddenly had nothing. And then something incredible happened. Instead of “dying” with the Temple, instead of trying to recreate the same kind of practice that had been part of the Temple, slowly, but surely a new kind of Judaism evolved. Instead of dying out, Judaism morphed into something new. It took hundreds of years, but instead of priests who had so much power, there were rabbis who were more “of” the people rather than “above” the people. Instead of the Temple being the most important institution in Judaism, another institution – harder to destroy and wipe out – became the most important, the family. There are a small group of Jews who pray and even prepare for the building of another Temple – complete with sacrifices and priests. Most Jews do not see such an event in our future – sacrifices are a way of worshipping God that was appropriate for that time in history, but not today. The Temple is an important part of our history, a symbol of our people’s dynamic relationship with God. Still today, people go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem – the wall of the outer courtyard of the Temple – to pray and feel close to God. It is considered by Jews our most holy site on earth. (Today, on the site of the actual Temple sits the Dome of the Rock, Islam’s 3rd most holy mosque.) - Rabbi Morris
 

Question: Dietary Laws and Sabbath
What were the dietary laws and Sabbath observances before the destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE?

Answer: The dietary laws (kashrut in Hebrew) and Sabbath observances at this time were probably pretty different to the ways that Jews today observe the Sabbath and the dietary laws. The core of these observances remains the same.

The dietary laws described in Leviticus 11:1–23 are only a part of modern day observance of kashrut. Back in Second Temple days, these laws were probably the bulk of following kashrut. These laws list the appropriate animals to eat (clean and unclean). For example, under this law, cows are okay, pigs are not. Salmon is okay, shrimp and prawns are not.

The observance of the Sabbath (or "Shabbat" as it is called in Hebrew) is the most frequent command in the entire Torah or Pentateuch – the first five books of the Bible. Again, the observance of Sabbath has evolved dramatically over the past 2000 plus years since the days of the Second Temple. The major difference between now and then is that in Temple days, offering sacrifices was a huge part of Shabbat observance (in addition to not working). After its destruction, many other rituals came to fill the gap. - Rabbi Morris

Question: Phylacteries and Prayer Shawls
What are phylacteries and prayer shawls? Why did the Pharisees wear phylacteries and prayer shawls?
 

Answer: Have you ever played on a sports team – baseball, soccer, basketball, anything? When I played Little League Baseball, I remember the thrill of putting on my uniform. I just remember feeling different. Something about the uniform made me feel special; it put me in a different frame of mind.

Jews (if they so choose) have a uniform to wear for prayer. The uniform does the same thing – it puts us in a different frame of mind, more focused to pray. Two of our uniform parts are the tallit or prayer shawl and the tefillin or phylacteries.

In Numbers 15:38 the Israelites are commanded to “make for themselves fringes (special knots) on the corners of their garments through the ages.” In Deuteronomy 6:8–9 the Israelites are commanded to “bind them (the commandments) as a sign upon your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead.”

The tallit is a four-cornered garment that Jews wear either during certain prayer services. On each corner of the tallit is a specially tied knot called a tzitzit. These knots are worn to remind the wearer of God’s presence and what God commands each of us to do in our lives. Very observant Jews may wear something called a tallit katan or “little tallit.” This tallit is a garment that is worn everyday (like an undershirt) that allows the special knots to hang out and remind the wearer all the time of God’s presence.

Tefillin are traditionally worn for the regular morning prayers (except for the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday morning). The tefillin consist of two boxes; one to be worn on the head (as a sign between the eyes) and one to be worn on your hand (as a sign on your hand). The boxes are about 3 cm / 1 in tall. Attached to each box is a slightly larger base. Attached to that base are leather straps that help a person to wear these two boxes on the head and arm. If one would take the box apart, inside one would find a small piece of parchment with the words of the Shema written upon it.

As to why they wore them, all types of Jews have different practices with both of these sacred objects. In orthodox and more fundamental Jewish denominations, only men are permitted to wear a tallit or tefillin. In the more liberal Jewish denominations, both men and women are permitted to wear both. As I mentioned, only very observant Orthodox Jewish men would wear the tallit katan. - Rabbi Morris
 

Question: How can forgiveness heal?
How could forgiving someone heal him or her?

Answer: In some ways our ancestors were much smarter than we are (and in some ways we are smarter than them, but right now I want to talk about how they are smarter...). Today when we have a foot ache - we think it can only be our foot, or even our leg. No way could the pain in our foot have something to do with the pain in our heart or our soul - YES WAY! Back in Jesus' day our ancestors believed that it was all connected. The way you acted affected the way you thought and that affected the way your soul felt and that affected the way your body felt. They believed that even though you may have a sore foot - it may have to do with the shoes you are wearing OR it may have to do with how you feel about the terrible thing you said to your mother OR it may have to do with the fact that you feel all alone in the world. So, when they gave someone forgiveness they believed that it could heal all of them, not just a part of them. - Rabbi Morris
 

Question: Ten Commandments Today
Dear Rabbi, I teach Sunday School to 11-13 year olds. This month we are doing a bulletin board on the Ten Commandments. Could you tell me if there is a more modern way to interpret them for youth?

Answer: You ask a great question that really cuts to the heart of the matter as to why we teach Scripture – or as we Jews may call it, text. We teach it because on some level we believe in our heart of hearts how relevant it is – no matter the anachronistic language or even uncomfortable story details (Leviticus and leprosy come to mind!). We believe that there is relevance to us today.

Even though the language of the commandments can be somewhat distant, at the core of each is a truth that each of us knows and faces. I think that the key to interpreting them for kids is hooking into that truth and staying positive and appropriate. Jews order the Ten Commandments a bit differently than in the Christian tradition, but I’ll share our way of counting.

The Commandment about
I am the Lord your God
Can be re-told as
Knowing who is the one with the power

Taking God’s name in vain
Can be re-told as
Being aware of the language we use (cursing, blessing, etc.)

Idol Worship
Following after the god of stuff (watches, clothes, phones, etc.)

Shabbat
Taking care of ourselves/souls

Parents
(Too much relevancy here!)

Murder
All about life

Stealing
Acting on jealousy and feeling left out (see #10)

Adultery
Focus on the positive – the need for loving relationships

Bearing false witness
Truth – how much they value it from others

Coveting
Not feeling good about themselves so wanting what everyone else has.

- Rabbi Morris

Question: The Meaning of Oil
What does oil symbolize to Jewish people?
 

Answer: If I were answering this question in any synagogue in the world, I would be pointing my finger at a light at the front on the sanctuary. And not any old light and it may look a little different from place to place. Every synagogue in the world has one of these. It is called a Ner Tamid - an eternal flame. It is always lit to show that God is always present.

In Exodus 27:20–21 the Israelites are commanded to use oil to continually burn lights. This tradition, still using the oil, was continued in the Temple in Jerusalem hundreds of years later. Today, the Ner Tamid - the eternal lights in synagogues – are lit without oil, but the idea of the oil is still there. In Jewish tradition oil was the thing used to show God’s eternal presence. - Rabbi Morris
 

Question: Righteous Living
What is the role of God's law in righteous living?

Answer: When our spiritual ancestors Abraham and Sarah first entered into a covenantal relationship with God – there were a few things that God was going to do for them and there were a few things that they promised to do for God. One of the cornerstones of this covenant or brit in Hebrew (sounds like sheet) was when God commanded them in Genesis 17:1 to “walk in My ways and be blameless.” Jews generally understand this “walking in My ways” as acting as righteous people. Even more so, Jews generally understand acting as righteous people as the way to be a good Jew and fulfill the promise of the Brit. The best way to explain how important righteousness is in the Jewish covenant with God is to do a very Jewish thing, and tell you a story. There were two great schools of Jewish learning in the first century before the Common Era – that of Rabbi Hillel and that of Rabbi Shammai. A man wishing to become a Jew approached Rabbi Shammai’s and asked Rabbi Shammai to teach him everything about Judaism while he stood on one foot. Rabbi Shammai laughed in his face and sent him on his way. The man then went to Rabbi Hillel and made the same request. Rabbi Hillel responded, “Do not do unto other what you would not want done to yourself. That is the essence of Judaism, the rest is commentary, go and study it!” Rabbi Hillel sums up what it means as a Jew to be righteous and how important it is. How we treat others is the most important thing in living up to the promise of the Brit and securing God’s presence in the world. But, wait! It is not like we have this great new computer program and no directions on how to install or use it. We are not left out there in the cold to figure out how to act this way – the tradition of Jewish teachings and Jewish law is our instruction manual. - Rabbi Morris
 

Question: Yahweh or other?
Does the Hebrew Bible use Gods’ name as given to Moses, or LORD where Yahweh (our translation) was found in the original scriptures?

Answer: The mystery and tradition surrounding God’s name in Judaism is long and storied. The name that God tells Moses when Moses asks in Exodus is not the common word used for God’s name in the Torah. (In fact, God’s answer is three words – Eh-yeh Ah-sher Eh-yeh – I will be all that I will be … or something like that. No one is sure of the exact translation).

Actually, God’s name in the Torah is the same word that the name Yahweh comes from. It is a four-letter Hebrew word (with the letters Yud, Hay, Vav, Hey). In the Jewish community, we are not permitted to even utter it. No one is quite sure how to pronounce it correctly. Yahweh is an attempt to do so.

The story goes that this name of God was said by the High Priest once a year on Yom Kippur when he went to ask for atonement for the people of Israel. Since the Temple was destroyed and the priesthood with it, so too went the knowledge of how to say this name. When we come across it in the Torah or in prayer we say the word, Adonai, which translates to “my Lord.” Some Jews who will not even say that word unless they are praying, and when they come across that name for God (unless they are in prayer) they simply call God, Hashem, “the Name.” - Rabbi Morris

Question: Lepers in the Community
What did the word leper mean in Jesus’ time, and why were people with skin diseases segregated from the community?
 

Answer: Most scholars believe that the skin diseases mentioned in the Bible were not leprosy (where parts of people’s bodies simply rot away). What were they then? Many think that the diseases caused parts of the skin to turn different colours or get infected. In the Bible, people with such diseases had to be separated from the community and then perform rituals that would make them clean again. The rabbis thought that these people with skin disease were not really suffering from only diseases of the skin, but were individuals who had committed Lashon Hara or “gossiping." Perhaps that helps us to understand why someone who is doing things or saying things to harm the community needed to be separated for a while so that the individual and the community can heal. - Rabbi Morris

Question: Who were "outcasts"?
In Jesus' day who were some of the outcasts?

Answer: For me to answer your question I had to do some research about what it means to be an outcast. Unfortunately, I did not have to look far - just in the mirror. No, I am not that old that I was alive back then. I just mean that all I had to do was think about times in my life that I was an outcast or helped to make someone feel like an outcast. When I thought about it I realized that people who were outcasts were people who were just a little different from everyone else. Those differences made people feel comfortable about themselves or even scared that the people who were different were more interesting or exciting than them. Sometimes, people can make themselves feel better or stronger when they make other people outcasts. (I bet you could think of times, too that you've felt like an outcast or even helped to make someone else feel like one.) I think that in Jesus' day - the outcasts were people who were a little different from the rest of the Jews. People who did not have the same things or live in the same place or even think the same things. The people who made them outcasts felt threatend by their differences. I think what makes the stories about Jesus so special is that he saw all people as children of God and tried to treat them that way. - Rabbi Morris
 

Question: Demon possession
What does Jewish tradition say about demon possession and unclean spirits?

Answer: Like any good rabbi, I have more that one answer for this one! One answer is pretty logical and rational and one that is well, not so logical or rational. First the rational answer.

The word unclean in Judaism has to do with holiness. One way to think about holiness is that it is like electricity. It can be transferred from one person to another; it can bring light from one person to another. We all walk around somewhere between holiness and uncleanness. We strive for holiness, but most of the time we are somewhere in the middle. We are neutral. There is nothing wrong with being there. The problem is when sometimes we fall below the neutral point and become unclean. We need to get a charge of holiness to bring us back. The man Jesus encountered probably was in this state on account of something he did or said. Jesus was to many people someone who had the authority to help someone move from a state of uncleanness to a state of holiness.

Now the other answer. I know that many read this story in Mark and read a story about demon possession. Do Jews believe in such things? Well no and yes. No, because if I would take a survey of most Jews (rabbis, too) and ask them about this question they would certainly say that they do not believe in this idea. Still, if you would ask me is there any discussion in Jewish tradition of an idea like this one, I would tell you that, yes, there is such a discussion. In the mystical and folk traditions of Judaism, there are beliefs that speak about both good and not so good souls that inhabit other people’s bodies. Are they true? I do not know.

Is this story in Mark one of those cases? My guess is probably not. My guess is that the story in Mark is more about holiness and uncleanness rather than about demon possession. - Rabbi Morris

Question: Ritual Impurity
What might cause ritual impurity in the daily life of a Jew in Jesus' time?

Answer: Do you know what it is like to come after someone has cleaned the house? I bet you know. All of a sudden you have to take your shoes off before you come in the house, or you cannot use a sink or shower or even a whole room because it was just cleaned and you may make it dirty. You may have been doing nothing at all to get dirty or you may have been doing a lot of things to get dirty. Whatever, your house was a clean zone and only clean things could enter into it, or else it may get dirty. Back in the day of The Temple in Jerusalem, and even in the day of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the places where the sacrifices took place and, to a lesser extent, the whole camp was kind of like your or my house. Except instead of being about clean or dirty, it was about pure and impure. The priests who ran the practice of the sacrifices had very specific rules about who could participate in the rituals and even who could hang out with the other Israelites in the camp. It was their job to keep those areas pure because in their understanding of things PURITY = HOLY = GOD and IMPURITY = NO GOD. When people did things like told a lie or cheated, when women menstruated, when people had certain illnesses they were ritually unclean or impure. Being impure was not a value judgment – that means it was not like someone bullying these people and saying, “Hey! – You smell!” or “You are disgusting!” Things that made you impure were everyday things that everybody faced and did. However, there was always something to do -- offer a sacrifice, spend time away from the community, physically clean oneself, and so on -- to help become CLEAN. Sometimes, sadly, the things that were needed to be done to end the ritual impurity were things that cost money (having the wealth to have a choice animal to sacrifice) or needed time to accomplish. It was often only the wealthy people who had the money and time to do so. In a very famous musical/movie based on Jewish life and values in 18th century Poland called Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye, the poor, working class milkman, laments in one of its most famous songs, “If I Were a Rich Man.” My favourite line in that song is this, “If I were rich I’d have the time that I like to sit in the synagogue and pray… that would be the sweetest thing of all.” Unfortunately, it is sometimes true that we do not always have the resources to spend our time and money on the things most important to us. - Rabbi Morris

Question: The Meaning of Jonah
What do Jewish people think is the meaning of the story of Jonah? Why is it important in Jewish history?

Answer: The story of Jonah is one of those cool stories that has something for kids of all ages. I mean who isn’t at least curious about a guy getting swallowed up by a huge fish and living to tell about it! The “meat” of the story goes way beyond it being an ancient version of the movie Jaws , (cue the menacing theme music, da-da, da-da, da-da-da-da...). Some scholars think it was written in the 5th century B.C.E. at a time when two significant Jewish leaders (Ezra and Nehemiah) were very, very focused on nation of Israel and only the nation of Israel. The book of Jonah is a story about how God cares about all of creation on the earth – whether it be Jews, Ninevites, or just a gourd that grows in the desert – not just one particular group or people.

Today in the Jewish world, the Jonah story has one of the most popular stages in all of Judaism it is read every year on the most holy day of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day on Atonement. On this day, Jews seek forgiveness from God and from the people we have hurt. We seek something called teshuvah , "to return to God." It is no coincidence that the people of Ninevah are seeking the same thing. We read this story on this holy day to remind us how important it is to seek forgiveness, to make teshuvah and to know that God will always accept our sincere atonement. - Rabbi Morris