Words From Rabbi White

Dear Chevra Shaas/Shearith Israel,

SLAVERY

For those who many have forgotten, slavery has been illegal in Canada since the Slavery Abolition Act of 1836. Yet, slavery is still prevalent in the modern world. According to Wikipedia, estimates of the number of enslaved people today range from 38 million to 49.6 million!!

(Of course, I hear complaints from women who complain "my husband treats me like a slave," or workers who make that charge against their boss, or mothers who say that their children "slave" over their homework.)

This week's parasha begins with a discussion of how to treat your Hebrew slave. From a literary point of view, it is logical that the parasha begins with a discussion of slavery, since the ten commandments, which immediately preceded our parasha, begins by stating that HaShem has taken us out of Egypt, the "house of slaves."

Nevertheless, you might ask why the Torah did not forbid slavery outright. In his book "The Mitsvot," Rabbi Abraham Chill pointed out that in ancient societies, slavery was often an economic necessity. However, he stressed that the classical commentators were outspoken in their condemnation of cruelty to slaves. Nahmanides (Spain and Israel, 12th cent) learns from the first of the 10 commandments that the lesson we learn is that since HaShem has freed us from slavery, we should understand that we have no right to enslave others in a cruel fashion. Nahmanides stressed the importance of offering the slave adequate food and clothing.

Sefer HaHinukh (Spain, 14th cent) says that kindness to one's servants is a way to perfect oneself in the ways of kindness and compassion. Abrabanel (Portugal, Spain, Italy 15th cent) stressed that a master is not allowed to prevent a Jewish slave from observing mitsvot.

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As freed hostage Noah Argamani had reported back in June, "the Israeli women captured on Oct. 7 had been treated as slaves, forced to clean and cook" for wealthy Gazans. 

We rejoiced at the release last Shabbat of 3 captives from Gaza, but we all pray every day for the release of the others.

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I try to follow the news from Montreal, and hope that you have been able to cope with the double whammy snow storm. It has been pointed out that the Hebrew word for snow, "sheleg," has three letters: shin, lamed, and gimmel. The numerical value of these letters is 300, 30, 3, respectively. So, we can learn that the snow might come down in a great pile, but it will eventually diminish, just as the numerical value diminishes from 300 to 30 and then to a mere 3. (That's not a scientific interpretation, but it at least gives encouragement that eventually the snow will give way to beautiful spring days.

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You might have snow, but we have ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). As I am writing this article, we were waiting for our cleaning lady to arrive: a very nice and efficient Spanish woman named Ivonne. She didn't arrive on time, which is not like her. My daughter texted her. She responded that she had been riding on a bus to come to us. An ICE agent got on the bus, and took anyone without proof of proper status to immigration offices. Hopefully, she will be able to prove her case. I am reminded of the cartoon that appeared during the first Trump term: Ivanka was on the phone with her father: "please Dad, could you wait until after Pesach before expelling the illegals?"

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Rosh Hodesh Adar will be on Friday and next Shabbat. It is a 2-day Rosh Hodesh, but only 1 month of Adar this year. The molad will be Thursday night, at 7:02 pm. Following our tradition in CS to announce in Yiddish, it is "Der molad vet zayn danershtag nacht, tsvei minut nokh zibn."

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Shabbat shalom, may this be a month of genuine joy for all of us, and for all of Israel.

Rabbi Menahem White, Chevra Shaas