To my family, friends and readers…

For 2022, I wish you

A happy and healthy New Year

Bonne Annee

Feliz año nuevo

Buon anno

Yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun

שנה טובה ומתוקה

Rabbi Rifat  Sonsino, Ph.d 

MODERN JUDAISM By Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D ; An Introduction to the Beliefs and Practices of Judaism

 

ON CURSES

 

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D 

          A curse is usually defined as an expression of a wish that misfortune befall another person or group. Therefore, strictly speaking, using a cuss word is not really a curse.

          Here is a biblical example of a curse: God said to Adam: “By the sweat of your brow, shall you eat bread to eat” (Gen. 3:19).

          Here is a Talmudic example: “May it be Heaven’s will that a horn sprouts from between your eyes” (Shab. 108a). 

          Here is a modern example from a Yiddish curse: “ I hope you sink like a ship.”

          In the past, people took curses seriously. In fact, one Rabbi taught: “Let not the curse of a common man seem trivial in your eyes” (B. Meg, 15a). Many actually believed that curses had a power of action and derived their strength from the gods (e.g. I Sam. 17:43). That is, people thought that when someone uttered a curse, it will actually take place. Sheldon Blank, a biblical scholar, called them “automatic and self-fulfilling” (HUCA 33, 1950-51, 73-95). Therefore, many were afraid of being cursed.

          In order to insurance compliance, curses in the past were often attached to law codes or covenants. Here is an example of a curse from the Laws of Hammurabi (17^th cent. BCE): “May Enlil (the god) , the determiner of destinies…incite revolts against him [the person who disregards the laws] in his abode, which he cannot suppress, misfortune leading to his ruin” (ANET, p. 179, line 51). Here is another one found at the end of a treaty between Suppiluliumas, the Hittite king (14^th cent. BCE),  and Kurtizawa; “If you, Kurtiwaza, the prince……do not fulfil the words of this treaty, may the gods, the lords of the oath, blot you out” (ANET, 206). Similarly, many biblical law codes ended with blessings and curses to insure compliance. Here is an example from the curses attached to the end of the laws in Leviticus: “ If you do not obey Me (God)…I will loose wild beasts against you..(Lev. 26: 18-22).

          Today, however, many of us do not believe that curses include the power of action. Therefore they are not likely to take effect. They simply express our displeasure towards another. They do not have any reality attached to them. They are just silly statements, like, “May you always step in a wet spot after putting on fresh socks,” or, “some day you’ll go far-and I really hope you stay there.” So, don’t waste sleep over if someone utters a curse against you. It is not going to happen, though you may have to find a new friend.  

Dec. 15, 2021; Total pageviews: 680,124.  

DO YOU HAVE A TATTOO?

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

          I do not, and don’t need one. But many people do. In fact, in my research I found out that Lucky D. Rich (d.1971), a New Zealand performance artist, is best known for holding the Guinness World Record as “the most tattooed person.” He had tattoos in every part of his body!

          The origin of the word “tattoo” is controversial. Some people derive it from the Samoan “tatau,” meaning “to strike,” others derive it from the Tahitian, “tatu,” meaning “to mark.” Was tattooing known in the past? Yes. Ancient Egyptians used to brand their slaves with the names of the owners to whom they belonged. It was a sign of submission.

          It is also not clear how tattooing became popular in the West. According to the dominant view, it was the British explorer, James Cook, who brought it back to Europe after his voyages to the Far East in the late 18^th century.  

          The Hebrew Bible prohibits tattooing when it states that a person should not “incise any marks” on oneself (Lev. 19:28). The Hebrew word for tattoo is ketovet  kaaka. We know ketovet refers to writing, but we don’t know exactly what  kaaka means. Nor do we know the root of the verb. Onkelos, the author of the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, 3^rd cent. CE, renders it as rushmin haretin, meaning, “engraving a mark.”

          It is not even clear why is there a prohibition against it, even though most scholars claim that somehow it has to do with idolatrous practices involving the cult of the dead (Martin Noth, Lev. p 143). The medieval Jewish commentator Ibn Ezra  seems to agree with it (see his comments on Lev. 19:28). The Quran does not specifically mention tattooing, but there is a strong Muslim tradition that considers tattooing “haram” (prohibited) based on the belief that one should not change the creation of Allah (See Quran, Women, 118-121). Christianity does not have a clear teaching on this subject.

          Jewish law is ambivalent on the subject of tattooing.  In general, it prohibits it, especially if it leaves a lasting mark (Mak. 3:6). However, Rabbi Simeon b. Judah, applied this law only in cases of idolatry (Mak. 21 a). The medieval Jewish philosopher , Maimonides, considered it an idolatrous practice (Mishne Torah, Laws of Idolatry, 12:11). There is also a popular belief that tattooed Jews are not allowed to be buried in Jewish cemeteries, but this is not correct (See, Freehof’s Responsa, viii, 119).  Yet, there are indications that in the past even some Jews accepted tattooing for the right reasons. According to the Hebrew Bible, it was acceptable if one were to mark his arm with a sign referring to God, thus becoming subservient to the divine: “Another shall mark his arm “of the Lord” “(Isa. 44:5, JPS).

          Why do people get tattoos today? You will get various answers: self-expression, artistic freedom, rebellion, to cover imperfections etc.

          One thing is clear: tattooing is here to stay, and I presume it will continue to be popular among many people.

          So, do you want to get a tattoo? Get one, and make sure it is medically safe, but you don’t need to compete with Lucky!

Dec. 5, 2021. Total pageviews world-wide:  677,239

My Commentary of the Ten Commandments- And God Spoke These Words

 

DO YOU LIKE YOUR NAME?

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

In Jewish tradition, it is customary to name children after parents. Sephardic Jews  name a child after a living parent, who, while alive, can rejoice in the perpetuation of one’s name. Ashkenazic Jews, however, name their children after parents who are deceased, because giving some else your name while alive implies that the donor is about to lose his/her own life. It was the Romans who originated a system of naming, consisting of a combination of personal and family names. Today, many parents are giving their children names freely chosen by the father and mother, unrelated to family.

However, whether one names a child after a living or a dead relative, or, a parent chooses names taken from the realm of nature, the ethical question for me is whether or not it is appropriate to burden someone with a name chosen by others. 

To give you an example: I was born in Turkey and was named Rifat after my grandfather whose Hebrew name was Refael. The Hebrew word means, “Heal, [O] God”, and is found in I Chr. 26: 7, as the name of a Levitical priest. Refael-Rifat: that was close enough. The name Rifat is in Turkish (from the Arabic verb RAFAA, meaning to elevate; RIFAT in Arabic means, “excellency.”). I had no issues with it while I lived in Istanbul or Ankara, but when I moved to Paris and then came to the States in the early 60’s, my name became a problem, because few people could recognize it and even fewer could pronounce it.

A quick study shows that many societies around the globe have different traditions regarding naming.  In Costa Rica, for example, it was common to name children after saints; in some parts of India, it is the horoscope that determines the name; in Spain, one gets one or two names, followed by two surnames to honor mother and father or grandparents; in Greece, one waits a few days and then is given the name of a grandfather or grandmother.

However, all these customs still impose a name upon children who have to live with it. What happens if, later on, they don’t like their name? Why should they carry this burden for the rest of their lives?

In the Hebrew Bible, a number of people had a name change: For instance, Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Joseph became Zafnat Paneah, Yedidyah became Solomon. In the New Testament, Saul became Paul.  In modern times, a  number of celebrities have changed their name. Thus, for example, Reginald Kenneth Dwight became Elton John; Jennifer L. Anastassakis became Jennifer Aniston; Destiny Hope Cyrus became Miles Syrus and Eric Marlon Bishop became Jamie Foxx.

Maybe, one should get a temporary name for the first few years of one’s life, and then, upon reaching adulthood, adopt a personal name chosen freely by the individual. In my case, I should have changed my name when I came to the States in 1961, but I never did.

What do you think?

Nov. 9, 2021; 669,980 blog viewers, worldwide.

OLD PEOPLE DON'T LIKE CHANGES

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

There is a statement in the Book of Ecclesiastes, 1:9 that reads: “There is nothing new under the sun.” We find similar statements in Akkadian proverbs, such as “The life of the day before yesterday is that of any day” (ANET, p. 425). R.B.Y. Scott tells us that one finds parallel statements in Elamite and Greek texts (The Anchor Bible, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, p.211).

The meaning of the Hebrew proverb is not clear: does it imply that things always remain the same and that there are no changes in anything? This goes against our human experiences. Very often, we see that what was acceptable yesterday is no longer de rigueur now. In fact, we see changes everywhere. Nothing remains the same. The river keeps flowing. Styles change, habits change, our language changes as they reflect what is going in our lives today. 

Some commentators in the past tried to explain the proverb according to their own understanding of the times. The Talmud, for example, states that the biblical assertion that “there is nothing new under the sun,” simply means that there are no new creations after the six days of creation” (Sanh. 110a). For the medievalist commentator, Rashi, “the phrase contrasts futile daily activity done ‘in place of the Sun (: Light, Torah), i.e,  in contrast to the spiritual activity of Torah study and living”(The Jewish Study Bible, p. 1607). 

My wife and I now live in the independent section of a retirement community outside of Boston. My experience here seems to echo the biblical assumption that changes are not always well received, especially by people of old age.  Many residents don’t want to see any changes in the structure of our association. They long for the days when dinner was formal, with proper attire by the servers. No phones during dinner time. Any change is threatening to their psyche. Maybe because seniors have seen too many changes in their lifetime, and now that they have reached the zenith of their existence, they wish to preserve whatever they had accomplished intact. Any alteration, for them, means that what they had done in the past is no longer good or valid. And that hurts. But, I think, this is simply part of the fear of death or the fear of the unknown. It is better, I believe, to confront the changing realities around us and face them with courage, instead of ignoring the novelties that affect our daily lives. Changes will happen, whether we like it or not. We might as well deal with them.