Do You Light Yahrzeit Candles on Passover?

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My Darlings,

It has come to my attention that many of you are wondering if/when one should light a Yahrzeit  candle on Passover. The short answer - Yes!

Yahrzeit candles are also supposed to be lit whenever a Yiskor (remembrance) service is said in synagogue. This would be, Yom Kippur, and the last day of the three pilgrimage holidays: Shemini Atzeret (the 8th day of Sukkot), Passover, and Shavuot.

Remember my quizative ones, Jewish 'days' begin at sundown of the previous day (according to our secular-everyday- calendar). So, for Pesach you will light the Yahrzeit candle at sundown the evening before the final day of Passover. If you are Reform or live in Israel and celebrate the holiday for 7 days, this will be after sundown on April 20th 2014. If you are Orthodox or Conservative and observe Pesach for 8 days, you will light your candle(s) on the evening of April 21st 2014.

Now don't fret if you forget the evening before. It is still permissible (among all streams of Judaism) to light the candle the following day if you have forgotten.

Here is a link to find the candle lighting times in your area. There is even a mobile app if your phone is smarter than you are!

If you have more questions, please feel free to leave me a comment and I'll be glad to respond!

May you have fond memories of sharing Pesach with your departed loved ones.

Tanta Golda

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Are Locusts Kosher?

Dear Tanta Golda,
I was reading in the news that in early March, 30 million locusts invaded Egypt and have since then migrated to Israel. Are locusts kosher? If so, are they meat or dairy? Can I eat them with ice cream? 
Creeped Out But Curious

Dear Creepy,
What planning by those locusts - just in time for Pesach! Apparently this is an annual occurrence, they just happen to be more abundant than usual this year.

Leviticus 11 states that all things that creep on the ground, and all winged swarming things, including insects, are not kosher - with the exception of those with jointed legs above their feet which they use to leap upon the earth. The Torah specifically enumerates: locusts, the cricket, and the grasshopper as being okay. Now darling, there are some rabbis who say since we can’t know exactly which types of locust the Torah was referring to, it is advisable to avoid eating them altogether so as not to risk eating the non-kosher variety. (Like anyone would need to tell Tanta Golda not to eat locust, uch - so...crunchy!)

However, according to Tanta Golda’s Pentateuch, it says: the locust after its kinds…(Lev. 11:22) That seems to me to include all locusts. But, what do I know?

Locusts, like fish, are considered parve (neutral), so neither strictly meat nor dairy. That means bubbelah, that you can go right ahead and sprinkle locusts all over the top of your ice cream sundae!

Have a joyous Passover, may your matzah balls be fluffy, and your locusts...oy.

Love, Tanta Golda

Hamsa - What Does it Mean? Where Does it Come From?

amazon reviewed Hamsa Hand of Fatima

Dear Tanta Golda,

My friend and I were comparing Hamsa necklaces the other day, and we wondered – why is it a Jewish symbol? What does it mean? How could we be wearing something without knowing what it stands for?

Hopelessly Hung Up on my Hamsa

Dear Hung Up,

Ah, symbolism! For those darlings who don’t know what we are talking about, a Hamsa looks like a funky hand. Funky, because typically the ‘thumb’ and ‘pinky’ on a hamsa are symmetrical (the same). If you look at yours, you’ll notice they most certainly are not! Hamsa are worn as jewelry, hung on walls, even decorate religious books.

This symbol can be found throughout the Middle East, and its original origins may pre-date monotheism. However, in its present form, it would appear to come from Islam where it is a symbol of good luck and often referred to as ‘the hand of Fatima’. What? You say, a Jewish symbol comes from Islam? Yes dear, get over it. Things were not always so contentious in the holy land. Hand of Fatima

    The Arabic and Hebrew words for “five” khamsa/hamesh are very similar, and where the symbol gets its name. In Judaism it is said that the five fingers represent the Five Books of Moses, though others say it represents the hand of God, and in kabbalistic manuscripts it often doubles as the letter shin standing for the first letter of the divine name Shaddai.

The hamsa is said to protect against the ‘evil eye’, a look that brings bad fortune. Additional protection is offered by other symbols added to the hamsa. Some common ones are a blue eye; the letters chet-yud for chai- life; a Star of David; or fish – which are thought to be symbols of luck themselves. Hamsa

    The hamsa became more popular as interest in the Kabbala grew in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

    Tanta Golda thinks it is wonderful when a symbol unites cultures, instead of separating them! Perhaps when more of us wear them, there will indeed be peace in the Middle East.

amazon reviewed Hamsa Hand of Fatima

Satan in Judaism-playing devil's advocate

Dear Tanta Golda,

At our book club meeting this month, one of my friends brought up this interesting question: If Adonai is perfect, how could he have created Satan, the embodiment of evil? We don’t talk about Satan much in Judaism, so we were at a bit of a loss. Can you help?

Bookishly Bewildered

My dear Bookworm,

Ah, when a bunch of scholars get together such interesting questions arise!

To begin with, not wanting to hurt your friend’s feelings, he is basing his premise on two fallacies. The first is the misconception that Jews believe Adonai is infallible. This is Christian dogma, not necessarily Jewish. Now, I’m not saying that Jews believe God goes around making mistakes at the drop of a hat. But let me make two points.

First, let us look at two prayers which are said everyday that heap praise on God. Avot: “The great, mighty and awesome God, supreme God...Sovereign, helper, rescuer, and shield...” Kaddish: “Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, magnified, and adored…” 

Nowhere in this litany does it saw “perfect, infallible, unerring, or faultless”.  I mean, wouldn’t you think that would be in there somewhere?

Second, if Adonai were unerring, why would God have remorse after the flood? “Tanta Golda, She did?” Yes! That is why She made a convent with Noah, sealed with the rainbow. Another example - the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. If God were unerring, would Abraham have stood a chance in ‘negotiating’? Wouldn’t God know whether the whole city was bad,or if there were fifty or ten good people within? And what about Lilith-God’s direct creation...

Now, the big question: Satan

My darling nephew Ethan wrote a paper for college (such a smart boy) about Satan in the Bible, and I’m going to use his research to help answer your question.  Believe it or not, the Torah does not mention Satan, at least not as the evil being that seeks the downfall of Humankind.

The original Hebrew term Satan is a verb that means “to oppose or obstruct” it is often found with the article “ha-” which translates to “the”. Ha-Satan appears thirteen times in the Masoretic Text, a word specific version of the Tanakh. The Masoretic Text/Tanakh includes not only the Torah (Jewish Bible), but also writings of prophetic scholars, and selected other Jewish stories. In it, ha-satan appears 3 times in Zechariah and 10 in Job. It appears another ten times without the article “the” elsewhere, and it is more often than not translated as ‘opposer’ or ‘adversary’.

For example, in the story of Baalam and his ass going off to curse the Israelites- Numbers 22:22 “God's anger was kindled because he (Balaam) went; and the angel of the LORD placed himself in the way for an adversary (לְשָׂטָן-l’satan) against him.” Here we see an angel acting as an adversary of Balaam at Godʼs command. Hardly the fallen angel, evil, soul-sucking, tempter of the Christian Bible.

In fact, out of the twenty-three different times that the word satan or ha-satan is used in the Jewish texts, not one time do they mean devil. Where did this concept come from? Honestly the answer in brief: mistranslations by the Greeks and other scholars along the centuries.

Thank you for your wonderful question! Much love and Happy Hannukah - TG

Shabbat Candles: Whys & How tos

Dear Tanta Golda,

My friend was given the honor of lighting the candles at Temple recently and we began to wonder about some of the customs about lighting the candles, like covering the eyes, the swooping motion with the hands. And, while we’re at it, why DO we cover the challah?

Sheepishly Ignorant About Shabbat

My darling Lamb, you ask wonderful questions!

I’d like to begin by differentiating between what we are required to do and what have become ‘traditions’. 

On Shabbat, one is commanded “to kindle the light of Shabbat”, and to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy” (sanctify it). That’s it. (Well, not counting the 39 labors prohibited on Shabbat.) Everything else we do is tradition - even if you don’t live in a village with a fiddler.

Let’s begin with the lighting of the candle(s), since this is how we bring in Shabbat. Did you notice above I quoted “ light of Shabbat”, as in a single lamp or candle? However, it is a widespread custom to light at least two since the the commandment to observe Shabbat comes up twice in the Torah. There is nothing that says one can’t light more than this, and some families have the tradition of lighting a candle for each woman in the family.

The blessing over the candles signals the beginning of Shabbat. Now my darling, all of Tanta Golda’s sources stipulate that we always recite blessings just before we do an act. However, the laws of Shabbat prohibit us from kindling fire on Shabbat, so how can one follow both? By being just a wee bit sneaky. One closes their eyes and or places their hands between their eyes and the candles to ‘hide’ the light until the blessing has been completed. Then, once the hands are removed  - viola! Shabbat has begun.

As you’ve noted, some women have the tradition of swooping their hands to their eyes three times before reciting the blessing. This is done to bring the light and holiness of Shabbat to you. This would seem contrary to the admonition of seeing the lights before the blessing is said, but even my Modern Orthodox friends at Aish.com say it’s okay. Again, this is a custom, and not required if it makes you feel self-conscious. 

While we’re on the subject of covering things while performing Shabbat mitzvot, let’s discuss why we cover the challah. You might think it’s just to keep off the flies, or dust, but you’d be wrong (though, who wants to eat challah covered with fly-prints?) The actual reason has to do with protecting the dignity of the challah. Believe it or not, there is actually a hierarchy for eating foods. Bread, is highest on the list - the staff of life, so logically one should say the blessing over the bread first. Have you ever seen this? No, of course not! This is because we are commanded to sanctify Shabbat, and we do this by first saying the kiddush (which means ‘holy’ or ‘sanctification’) over the wine. We cover the challah so it won’t be shamed at playing second fiddle to the wine, a lesser food. The sages said that if we go to such lengths to pay respect to inanimate objects, we are lead to see the importance of showing respect living beings.

May this Shabbat, and all that follow be filled with holiness and joy - TG

If Judaism and Islam Both Use Lunar Calendars, Why Are They So Different?

amazon reviewed Jewish Calendars

Dear Tanta Golda,

There’s been talk in the news about the Islamic holiday of Ramadan and how their lunar calendar works. It got me thinking, I know that the Jewish calendar is also lunar and has something to do with why the holidays seem to change every year, but I don’t really get it. Rosh Hashannah is always in September, but I remember when Ramadan was in October and now it’s in July.

Lunar Lunatic

Dear Loony,

The short answer: Yes, they’re both lunar, but both are modified lunar calendars.

For reference, most of the world follows the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, based on our rotation around the sun. One complete circuit=one complete year.

Many traditional societies follow(ed) a lunar calendar: one based on the cycle of the waxing and waning of the moon. In a true lunar calendar, each lunar month begins at the time of the monthly "conjunction", when the Moon is located on a straight line between the Earth and the Sun. Months alternate between 29-30 days. With one day added every 3 years. Both Judaism and Islam use some form of lunar calendar.

Islam’s calendar is close to a ‘pure’ lunar calendar. It consists of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. Being a lunar calendar, it is not synchronized with the seasons. With an annual drift of 10 or 11 days, the seasonal relation repeats about every 33 Islamic years. This is why Ramadan began in July this year. Each month begins when a crescent moon - or ‘new moon’ is sighted at sundown after the 29^th day. If for some reason it is not sighted (clouds, the sky is too bright when the moon sets) then the month continues through the 30^th day. (This lead this year to different countries beginning Ramadan on different days.) Years in the Islamic tradition are counted from the time Mohammed travelled to Medina. This is the year 1433.

Judaism follows many of the same practices, with modifications. However, in practice we follow a lunisolar calendar: a combination of lunar and solar cycles. It takes about 12 ½ lunar cycles for the Earth to travel around the sun. If we only followed the lunar cycles we would soon be celebrating Hannukah during the summer. To correct for this the Jewish calendar adds a leap month every 2-3 years. It comes after the month of Adar, and is called, creatively, Adar II. This means that Passover always occurs in the spring, Hannukah in the dark days of winter, and the High Holy Days - my little moonbeam - can start as early as September 4^th (2013) or as late as September 28^th (2011), but never in July or December. Years in the Jewish tradition are counted from the creation of the world. (Feel free to ask that lovely young man Rabbi Jeremy how the ancient rabbis determined this.) This year we enter the year 5773.

I hope this answers your question. Please keep sending your queries to TantaGolda@gmail.com

amazon reviewed Jewish Calendars

Marriage - Interfaith, Same - Gender, What's the Deal?

Dear Tanta Golda,

I’ve been curious what the three main streams of Judaism have to say about interfaith marriage, and for that matter, what their stands are on same-sex marriage? And what about same-sex interfaith marriages while we’re at it?

Ardently Ambiguous

Dearest Ambiguous,

Very timely questions you ask!  What makes it timely? Well darling when I began looking into this I found out that just one month ago, May 31^st, the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards - which sets halachic policy for the Conservative movement - voted unanimously to provide the roughly 1,600 Conservative rabbis with guidelines on performing same sex marriages. According to my sources, this move constitutes an official sanction of same-sex marriage by the movement! 

In 2000 the Central Conference of American Rabbis - which speaks for the Reform movement - adopted a resolution which stated “the relationship of a Jewish, same gender couple is worthy of affirmation through appropriate Jewish ritual.” The Reform movement today sees the biblical injunctions against same-gender* couples and homosexuality in general, as being inconsistent with its long tradition of justice and compassion.  *This is the preferred term

The Orthodox movement however, still adheres to the traditional views of homosexuality expressed in the Torah. That is: no, never, no way. There is a nascent movement within the community to modernize this view, along with other egalitarian ideals, such as the ordination of female rabbis, but unfortunately as Tanta Golda sees it, same gender marriage has a long road to travel within the Orthodox movement.

Now, for your other question: interfaith marriage. Believe it or not, interfaith marriage has garnered far less acceptance across all streams of Judaism than same-gender marriage! Maybe you’re not surprised, but I was. (So, ‘no’ to the question of same-gender interfaith marriages.) As a Reform Jew Tanta Golda reads a lot about how the movement encourages reaching out to interfaith couples - but apparently this is after their marriage is a fait-au-complete.

Let me elucidate. The basic premise is that interfaith marriage “denies the distinctiveness of Jewish marriage, it weakens the fabric of family relationship and the survival potential of the Jewish community.” And this is from Mark Washofsky who wrote the definitive guide to contemporary Reform practice! This was re-affirmed institutionally at the 1973 meeting of the CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis).

The Orthodox have called interfaith marriage the “second silent holocaust”. No mincing of words here! They point to numerous sources to support their stance.

The Conservative movement ‘discourages intermarriage’, meaning their rabbis won’t perform any, but that they don’t shun those interfaith couples who wish to be members. They hope that eventually through acceptance of the interfaith couple, they will choose to raise their children as Jews, and the non-Jewish spouse will move closer to Judaism and eventually choose to convert.

The Reform movement holds similar views as above. You will find some Reform rabbis who will perform Jewish marriage ceremonies for interfaith couples, but they are in the minority.

Now perhaps you think the fears of the dilution of Judaism is unfounded, let me share some statistics gathered by the National Jewish Population Study of 2000-2001:

The intermarriage rate before 1970 was 13%. Between 1970-1979 it jumped to 28%. By 2001 it had reached 47%. That is, nearly half of marriages of Jews were to non-Jewish spouses. Half the couples in interfaith marriages  do not expose their children to any kind of (Jewish) religious instruction. 

Tanta Golda understands that these numbers are troublesome. But we live in an integrated society. Our social and business contacts are no longer limited solely to other Jews. You love who you love: Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, gay or straight. Who can say that this is not God’s will? Tanta Golda for one, would not presume to know.