What is the difference between heritage and inheritance? Write a definition and an example of each on an index card.
(א) וְזֹ֣את הַבְּרָכָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר בֵּרַ֥ךְ מֹשֶׁ֛ה אִ֥ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לִפְנֵ֖י מוֹתֽוֹ׃ (ב) וַיֹּאמַ֗ר יְהוָ֞ה מִסִּינַ֥י בָּא֙ וְזָרַ֤ח מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ לָ֔מוֹ הוֹפִ֙יעַ֙ מֵהַ֣ר פָּארָ֔ן וְאָתָ֖ה מֵרִבְבֹ֣ת קֹ֑דֶשׁ מִֽימִינ֕וֹ אשדת [אֵ֥שׁ] [דָּ֖ת] לָֽמוֹ׃ (ג) אַ֚ף חֹבֵ֣ב עַמִּ֔ים כָּל־קְדֹשָׁ֖יו בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וְהֵם֙ תֻּכּ֣וּ לְרַגְלֶ֔ךָ יִשָּׂ֖א מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ׃ (ד) תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃ (ה) וַיְהִ֥י בִישֻׁר֖וּן מֶ֑לֶךְ בְּהִתְאַסֵּף֙ רָ֣אשֵׁי עָ֔ם יַ֖חַד שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(1) This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, bade the Israelites farewell before he died. (2) He said: The LORD came from Sinai; He shone upon them from Seir; He appeared from Mount Paran, And approached from Ribeboth-kodesh, Lightning flashing at them from His right. (3) Lover, indeed, of the people, Their hallowed are all in Your hand. They followed in Your steps, Accepting Your pronouncements, (4) When Moses charged us with the Teaching As the heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
עברית
What happens at the end of the Torah?
What happens to the Israelites?
Why does the Torah leave them in Egypt?
Why don't they get to enter the land of Israel while still in the Torah?
תורה. אֲשֶׁר צוה לנו משה מורשה הִיא לִקְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב, אֲחַזְנוּהָ וְלֹא נַעַזְבֶנָּה:
תורה THE LAW which צוה לנו משה MOSES COMMANDED US, מורשה is AN INHERITANCE to THE CONGREGATION OF JACOB: we have taken it and we will not abandon it.
וַאֲמַר יְיָ מִן סִינַי אִתְגְלֵי לְמִתַּן אוֹרַיְיתָא לְעַמֵיהּ בֵּית יִשְרָאֵל וּדְנַח זִיו אִיקַר שְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ מִגַבְלָא לְמִיתְּנָהּ לִבְנוֹי דְעֵשָו וְלָא קַבִּילוּ יָתָהּ הוֹפַע בְּהַדְרַת אִיקַר מִטַוְורָא דְפָארָן לְמִיתְנָהּ לִבְנוֹי דְיִשְׁמָעֵאל וְלָא קַבִּילוּ יָתָהּ הֲדַר וְאִתְגְלֵי בִּקְדוּשָׁא עַל עַמֵיהּ בֵּית יִשְרָאֵל וְעִמֵיהּ רִיבַן רִיבְווָן מַלְאָכִין קַדִישִׁין כְּתַב יְמִינֵיהּ וְאוֹרַיְיתָא מִגוֹ שַׁלְהוֹבִית אֵישָׁתָא פִּקוּדַיָא יְהַב לְהוֹן
And he said: The Lord was revealed at Sinai to give the law unto His people of Beth Israel, and the splendour of the glory of His Shekinah arose from Gebal to give itself to the sons of Esau: but they received it not. It shined forth in majesty and glory from mount Pharan, to give itself to the sons of Ishmael; but they received it not. It returned and revealed itself in holiness unto His people of Beth Israel, and with Him ten thousand times ten thousand holy angels. He wrote with His own right hand, and gave them His law and His commandments, out of the flaming fire.
עברית
What is the lesson for the ages here?
וזאת הברכה - לפי שאמר להם משה לישראל דברים קשים תחילה: מזי רעב ולחומי רשף, מחוץ תשכל חרב ומחדרים אימה, ובחורב הקצפתם, ממרים הייתם - חזר ואמר להם דברי נחומים: וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה.
(Devarim 33:1) "And this is the blessing wherewith Moses, the man of G-d, blessed the children of Israel before his death:" (Devarim 33:1) "And this is the blessing": Because Moses had first spoken to Israel hard words — (Ibid. 32:24-25) (They will be) "hairy with hunger and embattled by demons… On the outside (of the city) the sword (of legions) shall devour (them), and in the chambers (of their hearts, when they flee), fright" (will pound, eventually killing them), (Ibid. 9:8) "And in Chorev you angered the L-rd," (Ibid. 7) "You have been rebellious…" — he reverted to words of consolation, viz.:
עברית
What does this tell us about Moses as a leader?
קטן היודע לנענע חייב בלולב: גמ׳ פשיטא מהו דתימא הואיל ואשה לאו בת חיובא היא אימא לא תקבל קא משמע לן: קטן היודע לנענע: ת"ר קטן היודע לנענע חייב בלולב להתעטף חייב בציצית לשמור תפילין אביו לוקח לו תפילין יודע לדבר אביו לומדו תורה וק"ש תורה מאי היא א"ר המנונא (דברים לג, ד) תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב ק"ש מאי היא פסוק ראשון
A minor who knows how to wave the lulav is obligated in the mitzva of lulav due to the requirement to train him in the performance of mitzvot. GEMARA: With regard to the halakha in the mishna that a woman may receive the lulav, the Gemara asks: That is obvious. Why would it be prohibited? The Gemara answers that it is necessary to state this lest you say: Since a woman is not subject to the obligation of the four species, as it is a time-bound, positive mitzva, say that she should not receive the lulav, as for her, moving the lulav is tantamount to moving set-aside objects and would therefore be prohibited. Therefore, the mishna teaches us that it is permitted. § It is taught in the mishna: A minor who knows how to wave the lulav is obligated in the mitzva of lulav. The Sages taught: A minor who knows how to wave the lulav is obligated in the mitzva of lulav; one who knows how to wrap himself in a garment, is obligated in the mitzva of ritual fringes; if he knows to preserve the sanctity of phylacteries in a state of cleanliness, his father buys him phylacteries; if he knows how to speak, his father immediately teaches him Torah and Shema. The Gemara asks: And in this context, what is the Torah taught to a child who has just learned to speak? Rav Hamnuna said: It is referring to the verse: “Moses commanded us Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4), underscoring the relationship between the Jewish people and the Torah. The Gemara asks further: And what is Shema taught to a child who has just learned to speak? The Gemara answers: It is referring to the first verse of Shema.
עברית
In what way is this text relevant to us as a community of Melton learners?
תנא רבי חייא כל העוסק בתורה לפני עם הארץ כאילו בועל ארוסתו בפניו שנאמר תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה אל תקרי מורשה אלא מאורסה
The Gemara shifts to a discussion of an ignoramus who has some degree of sensitivity (Me’iri). Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: Anyone who engages in Torah study in the presence of an ignoramus, causing the ignoramus embarrassment and anguish over his inability to study Torah, is considered as though he had sexual relations with the ignoramus’s betrothed bride in his presence, as it is stated: “Moses commanded us the Torah, an inheritance [morasha] for the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4). Do not read it as inheritance [morasha]; rather, read it as betrothed [me’orasa]. The Torah is compared to the betrothed bride of the Jewish people until one studies it and thereby consummates his marriage with it.
Covenant and Conversation - The Crown Everyone Can Wear, Britain's Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
Pinchas - 19th July 2008 - 16th Tammuz 5768
The Holy One blessed be He said to him, Moses,
"He who tends a fig tree will enjoy its fruit" (Proverbs 27:18). Your sons sat idly by and did not study the Torah. Joshua served you faithfully and showed you great honor. It was he who rose early in the morning and remained late at night at your House of Assembly. He used to arrange the benches and spread the mats. Seeing that he has served you with all his might, he is worthy to serve Israel, for he shall not lose his reward.This is the unspoken drama. Not only was Moses fated not to enter the land, but he was also destined to see his sons overlooked in the search for a successor. That was his second personal tragedy.
But it is precisely here that we find, for the first time, one of Judaism's most powerful propositions. Biblical Israel had its dynasties. Both priesthood and, in a later age, kingship were handed down from father to son. Yet there is a profoundly egalitarian strand in Judaism from the outset…
…The crown of priesthood was bestowed on Aaron . . . The crown of kingship was conferred on David . . . But the crown of Torah is for all Israel . . . Whoever desires it, can win it. Do not suppose that the other two crowns are greater than that of Torah . . . The crown of Torah is greater than the other two crowns.
"Moses commanded us the Torah as an inheritance [morashah] of the congregation of Jacob" - read not "inheritance [morashah]" but "betrothed [m'orasah]."By a simple change in pronunciation - turning a shin into a sin, "inheritance" into "betrothal" - the rabbis signaled that, yes, there is an inheritance relationship between Torah and the Jew, but the former has to be loved if it is to be earned. The sages were fully aware of the social implications of R. Jose's dictum that "the Torah is not given to you as an inheritance." It meant that literacy and learning must never become the preserve of an elite:They sent word from there [Israel] . . . Be careful [not to neglect] the children of the poor, because from them Torah goes forth . . . And why is it not usual for scholars to give birth to sons who are scholars?- R. Joseph said: so that it should not be said that the Torah is their inheritance.
- R. Shisha, son of R. Idi said: so that they should not be arrogant towards the community.
- Mar Zutra said: because they act highhandedly against the community.
- R. Ashi said: because they call people asses.
- Rabina said: because they do not first utter a blessing over the Torah. In these dicta we see the full range of rabbinic meditation on why the crown of Torah was not hereditary - because it might become the prerogative of the rich; because children of great scholars might take their inheritance for granted; because it could lead to arrogance and contempt for others; and because learning itself might become a mere intellectual pursuit rather than a spiritual exercise ("because they do not first utter a blessing over the Torah").The very fact that the sages said these things is evidence that they had to be constantly on their guard against exclusivist attitudes to Torah. Equality is never preserved without vigilance - and indeed there were contrary tendencies. We see this in one of the debates between the schools of Hillel and Shammai:
- “Raise up many disciples": The school of Shammai said, A person is to teach only one who is wise, humble, of good stock, and rich.
- But the school of Hillel said, Everyone is to be taught. For there were many transgressors in Israel who were attracted to the study of Torah, and from them sprang righteous, pious and worthy men… To what may it be compared? To a woman who sets a hen to brood on eggs - out of many eggs, she may hatch only a few chicks, but out of a few eggs, perhaps not even one.
One cannot predict who will achieve greatness. Therefore Torah must be taught to all. A later episode illustrates the virtue to teaching everyone:
- Once Rav came to a certain place where, though he had decreed a fast [for rain], no rain fell. Eventually someone else stepped forward in front of Rav before the ark and prayed, "who causes the wind to blow" - and the wind blew. Then he prayed, "who causes the rain to fall" - and the rain fell. Rav asked him: what is your occupation [i.e. what is your special virtue that causes G-d to answer your prayers]? He replied: I am a teacher of young children. I teach Torah to the children of the poor as well as to the children of the rich. From those who cannot afford it, I take no payment. Besides, I have a fish pond, and I offer fish to any boy who refuses to study, so that he comes to study. It would be wrong to suppose that these attitudes prevailed in all places at all times. No nation achieves perfection. An aptitude for learning is not equally distributed within any group. There is always a tendency for the most intelligent and scholarly to see themselves as more gifted than others and for the rich to attempt to purchase a better education for their children than the poor. Yet to an impressive, even remarkable degree Jews were vigilant in ensuring that no one was excluded from education and that schools and teachers were paid for by public funds. By many centuries, indeed millennia, Jews were the first to democratize education. The crown of Torah was indeed open to all. Moses' tragedy was Israel's consolation.
"Why is it not usual for scholars to give birth to sons who are scholars? . . .
So that it should not be said that the Torah is their inheritance." The fact that his successor was not his son but Joshua, his disciple, meant that one form of leadership - historically and spiritually the most important of the three crowns - could be aspired to by everyone. Dignity is not a privilege of birth. Honor is not confined to those with the right parents. In the world defined and created by Torah, everyone is a potential leader. We can all earn the right to wear the crown.
On the eve of Simchat Torah, many synagogues auction the three major honors of the day, with proceeds benefiting the synagogue or other Jewish institutions. Two honors, hatan Torah (for the one called to the final reading in Deuteronomy) and hatan Bereshit (for the one called to the first reading in Genesis), usually receive the highest bids. The third, kol hanearim — supervising the blessing of all minor children as a tallit is held over their heads, while the honoree receives the next-to-last aliyah in Vezot Haberakha — can be a close second.
One year, however, the auction for kol hanearim in my synagogue was unusually competitive. When finally over, I asked the man who fiercely bid the highest why he vied for this honor.
Surprised by my question, he replied as if it were self-evident: “The one who supervises scores of little children crowded under the tallit, reciting the same blessing Jacob uttered over his grandchildren, is himself guaranteed Jewish grandchildren. Could I want less for myself?”
These words come to me again and again, whenever I contemplate the unique Torah portion, Vezot Haberakha, the only parsha not identified with a specific Shabbat. Rather, it is reserved for the joyous Simchat Torah holiday, with its unique kol hanearim ceremony, and as such deserves close analysis.
The Talmud, in Sukkah 42a, referring to Vezot Haberakha, provides a provocative comment: “Our rabbis taught: A minor who is able to speak, his father must teach him Torah…. What could be meant by Torah? Rav Hamnuna replied, the Scriptural verse [Deuteronomy 33:4], ‘Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.'”
Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein, an early 20th century commentator, questions why the Talmud chose this particular passage as the first Torah verse that a parent must teach a child. Epstein suggests that by referring to Torah as a morasha, an inheritance of all Jews — young and old alike — it rejects the notion that only mature adults are obligated to observe Torah. An inheritance is age blind, and so too is the Torah.
The word morasha, however, may contain another dimension. An early 19th century German scholar, the Ktav V’Kabblah, notes that the usual word for inheritance is yerusha, not morasha. In fact, morasha is best translated as “a possession” rather than “an inheritance.” The difference is crucial. One receives an inheritance without individual effort, but one attains a possession through personal exertion. Torah, in other words, requires personal exertion rather than effortless lineage. The only way to become fluent in Torah is to work at studying Torah.
Ketav Sofer, a 19th century scholar, remarks that “morasha kehillat Yaakov,” “a possession of the congregation of Jacob,” meaning that no Jew is an island. No Jew can observe all of the mitzvot of the Torah, for the 613 commandments don’t all apply to any one person. Some only apply to Kohanim, others to Leviim, some to women, while others only to those who live in Israel. Only as a part of the congregation of Israel can we become complete Jews.
Certainly, these lessons are themes that the beautiful kol hanearim ceremony emphasizes.
First, each child has a right to Torah, an inheritance that comes with birth.
Second, kol hanearim suggests that Torah requires effort. Neither children nor adults will acquire knowledge unless they work at studying Torah. If they put in the effort, they will be rewarded with the greatest gift: the Torah itself.
And, finally, we must appreciate that a Jewish life must include the community of fellow Jews. The children are blessed as part of an entire group — part of a future community — because Torah can’t be lived in isolation. Instead, our blessing emphasizes the need for everyone to be involved with the Jewish community, for only together do we comprise the congregation that both Vezot Haberakha and Simchat Torah celebrate.
This column originally appeared in The Journal on Oct. 9, 1998.
Elazar Muskin is rabbi at Young Israel of Century City.
This column originally appeared in The Journal on Oct. 9, 1998.
Elazar Muskin is rabbi at Young Israel of Century City.
On the eve of Simchat Torah, many synagogues auction the three major honors of the day, with proceeds benefiting the synagogue or other Jewish institutions. Two honors, hatan Torah (for the one called to the final reading in Deuteronomy) and hatan Bereshit (for the one called to the first reading in Genesis), usually receive the highest bids. The third, kol hanearim — supervising the blessing of all minor children as a tallit is held over their heads, while the honoree receives the next-to-last aliyah in Vezot Haberakha — can be a close second.
One year, however, the auction for kol hanearim in my synagogue was unusually competitive. When finally over, I asked the man who fiercely bid the highest why he vied for this honor.
Surprised by my question, he replied as if it were self-evident: “The one who supervises scores of little children crowded under the tallit, reciting the same blessing Jacob uttered over his grandchildren, is himself guaranteed Jewish grandchildren. Could I want less for myself?”
These words come to me again and again, whenever I contemplate the unique Torah portion, Vezot Haberakha, the only parsha not identified with a specific Shabbat. Rather, it is reserved for the joyous Simchat Torah holiday, with its unique kol hanearim ceremony, and as such deserves close analysis.
The Talmud, in Sukkah 42a, referring to Vezot Haberakha, provides a provocative comment: “Our rabbis taught: A minor who is able to speak, his father must teach him Torah…. What could be meant by Torah? Rav Hamnuna replied, the Scriptural verse [Deuteronomy 33:4], ‘Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.'”
Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein, an early 20th century commentator, questions why the Talmud chose this particular passage as the first Torah verse that a parent must teach a child. Epstein suggests that by referring to Torah as a morasha, an inheritance of all Jews — young and old alike — it rejects the notion that only mature adults are obligated to observe Torah. An inheritance is age blind, and so too is the Torah.
The word morasha, however, may contain another dimension. An early 19th century German scholar, the Ktav V’Kabblah, notes that the usual word for inheritance is yerusha, not morasha. In fact, morasha is best translated as “a possession” rather than “an inheritance.” The difference is crucial. One receives an inheritance without individual effort, but one attains a possession through personal exertion. Torah, in other words, requires personal exertion rather than effortless lineage. The only way to become fluent in Torah is to work at studying Torah.
Ketav Sofer, a 19th century scholar, remarks that “morasha kehillat Yaakov,” “a possession of the congregation of Jacob,” meaning that no Jew is an island. No Jew can observe all of the mitzvot of the Torah, for the 613 commandments don’t all apply to any one person. Some only apply to Kohanim, others to Leviim, some to women, while others only to those who live in Israel. Only as a part of the congregation of Israel can we become complete Jews.
Certainly, these lessons are themes that the beautiful kol hanearim ceremony emphasizes.
First, each child has a right to Torah, an inheritance that comes with birth.
Second, kol hanearim suggests that Torah requires effort. Neither children nor adults will acquire knowledge unless they work at studying Torah. If they put in the effort, they will be rewarded with the greatest gift: the Torah itself.
And, finally, we must appreciate that a Jewish life must include the community of fellow Jews. The children are blessed as part of an entire group — part of a future community — because Torah can’t be lived in isolation. Instead, our blessing emphasizes the need for everyone to be involved with the Jewish community, for only together do we comprise the congregation that both Vezot Haberakha and Simchat Torah celebrate.