Torah Portion
Behind The Shabbat Ban:
`You Shall Kindle No Fire'
generally considered a phenomenon of
divine origin and dimension."
When Adam and Eve were expelled
from the Garden of Eden, the cheru-
bim stood with a "fiery, ever-burning
sword" to guard the entrance.
Abraham saw God in a vision of smok-
ing oven and flaming torch. God
appeared to Moses in a burning bush
and to all of Israel as a pillar of fire.
The Tabernacle (and synagogues
hese are the things that the
throughout our history) featured a per-
Lord has commanded you
petual fire (ner tamed) as a symbol of
to do: on six days work may
the mysterious relationship between
be done, but on the seventh
the Eternal One and the
day you shall have a Sabbath
people.
of complete rest, holy to the
And Yuter continues: ...
Lord. You shall kindle no fire
"ancient Israel believed that
throughout your settlements
God appeared in fire. Fire is
on the Sabbath day." (Exodus
the creative force that has a
35:1-3)
presence, but no body. To
In the Torah's narrative, it
use fire, the sacred symbol
is the day after Yom Kippur.
on the sacred day (the
Moses had just descended
Sabbath), is a misuse of the
from Mt. Sinai a second
divine symbol ... which rep-
time, with the rewritten
resents not a workday phe-
RABBI
tablets containing the Ten
nomenon, but the image of
NORMAN T.
Commandments in his arms.
God, which must be main-
ROMAN
God had forgiven the people
tained and preserved."
Special to the
of their sin of worshipping
Coming as it does in the
the Golden Calf. It was time
Jewish News
Torah, so soon after the
for the children of Israel to
experience of the Golden
begin developing their dis-
Calf, another connection
tinct religious practice.
between the Shabbat and fire seems
The rabbis derived a list of 39 cate-
obvious. By melting down in a fire all
gories
ories of labor forbidden on the sev-
of their faith in the God who brought
enth day. But why is the kindling of
them out of Egypt and split the Sea of
fire singled out so explicitly for prohi-
Reeds, the impatient children of Israel
bition?
tried to use that fire only towards their
One very appropriate Chassidic
own goals.
teaching, cited in Rabbi Gunther
But, having renewed His love for
Plaut's commentary; reminds us not to
them, and reestablishing that they were
add "fire" to our talk on the Sabbath
worthy of maintaining the covenant,
— in other words, not to gossip, nor
God instructs the people specifically to
criticize negatively, nor even to dissent.
never again use fire in an unholy man-
Perhaps, also, the Torah is establish-
ner, on the day that is dedicated to
ing the principle that the burning of
holiness, rest, and peace — the
fire on the Sabbath was allowed within
Shabbat.
the context of Avodah (divine service)
It is listed first among the categories
— in the Tabernacle or Temple, but
of labor, as it is first in symbolic con-
not in private homes.
nection to our faith in God. ❑
Rabbi Alan Yuter cites another
interpretation: the prohibition against
fire was singled out here precisely
because this particular labor is not
hard work. We shouldn't be confused
The opening verse of the portion
labor is not forbidden because of the
can be translated to mean that
strain it entails. Labor/work is prohib-
Moses "made them a community."
ited in order to set the seventh day
What differentiates "a group of
apart, and to make us more Godlike in
people" from "a community?"
our lives.
Which of the mitzvot (command-
Rabbis Plaut and Yuter both teach
ments) best serves as a connection
us of the many connections in the
between you and God? Which are
Torah between God and fire: "Fire was
the most meaningful customs you
Shabbat 11 aChodesh;
Vayakheil- Pekude:
Exodus 35.. 1-40:38;
12:1-20;
Ezekiel 45. .16-46:18.
LOCK IN RATES
NOW BEFORE
THEY DROP.
12 MONTH CD
T
Conversations:
Norman T. Roman is rabbi of Temple
18 MONTH CD
■
Visit our Birmingham branch and Farmington Hills branch,
or call 1-800-421-Bank to discover the bank where personal
service and BIG RATES are Paramount.
FARMINGTON HILLS BRANCH
31000 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 150
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
(248) 538-7600
FAX (248) 538-7580
Hours: MON.—FRI. 9-6
BIRMINGHAM BRANCH
1732 West Maple Road
Birminaham, MI 48009
(248) 723-4800
FAX (248) 723-4848
Hours: MON.—FRI. 9-6 SAT 9-12
PARA:NIOUNT
BANK
Your Hometown Bank
FDIC
,INSURED
*Annual Percentage Yield for balances of $500 minimum
"Annual Percentage Yield for balances of 52500 minimum
Rates subject to change at any time without notice
Penalty for early withdrawal
LENDER
Maxie
Collision, Inc.
Jim Fleischer
"Since 1987"
32581 Northwestern Highway, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
248-737-7122
observe on Shabbat?
Kol Ami.
3/4
200
65