Summer 2009 - Tammuz 5769 - Maimonides School

ARABIC LYRICS AND RAV HUNA’S HETERBy Rabbi David Shapiro, Rosh YeshivaRambam (who lived in the 12th-centuryMuslim cultural orbit) was asked whetherit is permissible to listen to music whoselyrics are in Arabic. His answer is preservedamongst his teshuvot (Responsa):“There is no halachic distinction betweenthe Hebrew language and the Arabiclanguage. Something is either permittedor prohibited by virtue of its substance(content), not the language that is itsmedium … God intends for us to be ‘asanctified nation’ (‘goi kadosh’ [Shemot19:6]); therefore every action and everyspoken word should lead toward thatgoal.”This is quite a daunting mandate; itassumes a high degree of self-awarenessand purpose. Our harried lives oftendeny us the regular moments of introspectionthat Rambam presupposes. Forthose who live by the September-Juneacademic calendar, the two months ofJuly and August offer a precious opportunityfor self-assessment. Are we, in fact,leading our daily lives by the standard ofShemot 19:6? This brings us directly tothe second half of the title of this essay.now treats that violation-of-halachah asif it were permitted.” In other words,once a sin of omission or commissionbecomes routine, one loses inhibitionsregarding it, and no longer feels pangsof conscience over its violation.This is certainly true on a personal level.There is yet, however, a further dimensionto this challenge. The verse citedabove from Shemot 19:6 is part of God’scharge to us before our experience onMount Sinai. Subsequent to it, God commandedus (Devarim 4:9-10): “You shalltransmit to your children the impactof the experience you had (Ramban)and the content of the revelation youreceived (Rashi) at Mount Sinai.” So weare charged not only with the responsibilityto live our own lives by thesedemanding standards, but also to fosterin our children the same values andcommitment.Each of us thus needs to ask at regularintervals: am I leading my life with halachicconsistency? Am I modeling for mychildren a religious life that will engagethem, that will inspire them, that willcommand their respect?Based upon my daily conversations withour high school students, I’d like to suggesta few areas in which Modern OrthodoxJews need to ask the above questions.I have chosen one behavioral goal in eachof the following aspects of our lives: intellectual,emotional, and physical.The Talmud cites 7 times (Yoma 86b, 87a;Mo’ed Katan 27b; Sotah 22a; Kiddushin20a, 40a; Arachin 30b) a profound psychologicalinsight of Rav Huna. “‘Whena person sins, and then repeats the sin,that sin is now permitted.’ Can Rav Hunahave truly meant to say that the forbiddenDVARdeed is now permissible?! Rather,TORAHhemeant to communicate that the sinnerIntellectual: Do I learn Torah daily? Do Iset aside 10–15 minutes each and everyMyriam Lebowitz introduces someof her kindergarteners following apoetry session for parents. Childrenare, from left, Judah Gewurz,Nadav Weglein, Eliana Nahoumi,Noam Shapiro, Eitan Garner, JonahWeinstock, Gabrielle Green, EmmettWechsler, Noga Starobinski, LainaParis and Noa Domankevitz.day to learn a few pesukim from theTorah, or a Mishnah, or a paragraph ofthe Shulchan Aruch? Am I fulfilling thehalachic requirement to engage in talmudTorah daily, and am I modeling formy children a passion for that religiousvalue?Emotional: Do I daven Shacharit,Minchah and Ma’ariv daily? Again, amI discharging my personal obligation?Furthermore, am I conveying to my childrenthe centrality of tefillah in the dailylife of a Jew?Physical: Do I restrict my food intaketo kosher food? Has “Rav Huna’s heter”allowed me to fall into the trap of rationalizingmy visits to Legal Sea Foods,Chuck E. Cheese, Domino’s Pizza andsushi restaurants? Have I convincedmyself that these are different from eatingpork? How seriously will my childrenrelate to halachah if I trivialize the standardsof kashrut in my own life?Let each family spend time during Julyand August discussing these questionsat home. We, in school, shall then challengeour students upon their returnin September to do the same. ByMaimonides School working togetherwith our students and their families, weshall elevate the level of halachic compliancein our community, and therebypresent to our children a lifestyle theywill find attractive and meaningful.Rabbi Shapiro holds the Rabbi YitzhakTwersky Chair in Talmud and JewishThought at Maimonides School.