28th October 2020 - 10th Cheshvan 5781 |
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Greetings!
You may be interested to know that on 15th October, it was ‘Global Hand-Washing Partnership Day’. Established in August 2008 at the annual Water Work Week, it was a way of promoting a global and local vision of hand-washing with soap - apparently in order to reduce respiratory and intestinal diseases by as much as fifty percent.
The stated aims of Global Hand-Washing Day are to:
• Foster and support a general culture of hand-washing with soap in all societies
• Shine a spotlight on the state of hand-washing in each country
How amazing that this was established over twelve years ago, and now, in the past ten months, it has become such an essential way of protecting ourselves from Covid19.
This intrigued me enough to trigger my undertaking some research into how Judaism and Jews dealt with the importance of washing hands.
At the beginning of the campaign against Covid19, we were told that we should wash our hands with soap for at least twenty- or twenty-five seconds. Indeed one of the famous watches which came on the market recently has an appropriate timer specifically for this purpose. Also, as we comply with this order, we need to teach our children to wash their hands - without them feeling embarrassed by the scorn of their friends.
Back in the nineteenth century, a Hungarian Jewish doctor and scientist -Ignaz Philipp (Fülöp) Semmelweis (1 July 1818 – 13 August 1865) was known as an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures and was described as the ‘saviour of mothers’. Semmelweis discovered that the so called ‘childbed fever’ could be drastically cut by the use of hand disinfection in obstetric clinics. Puerperal fever was common, and often fatal, in mid-nineteenth century hospitals so in 1847, when working at the Viennese First Obstetrical Hospital, Semmelweis proposed the practice of simply washing hands with chlorinated lime solution. Despite various publications of results where hand-washing reduced mortality to below one percent, his recommendation conflicted with the established scientific and medical opinions of the time and his ideas were rejected by the medical community. How incredible that such a simple solution should have been doubted and rejected, when it could have saved lives!
In many ways we can compare this to the varied opinions of scientists today, which clearly demonstrates how difficult it is to find the right solution. However as in the case of Semmelweis somebody must be right or wrong and so the only question at this time is WHO? and then how to interpret what we know.
In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, (which I must have seen at least twelve times) I recall a scene when the inhabitants of Anatevka ask Tovyeh whether there is a blessing for the Tzar. His reply is ‘Of course there is a blessing for everything and for him it is May the Lord Keep the Tzar far away from us.’ So, as there is a Blessing for everything there is also a blessing for washing hands:
‘Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us through your commandments and has commanded us concerning the washing of hands’
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הָ׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם
Interestingly and depending on how fast you say this blessing it takes about twenty seconds to say it -almost as good as singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and if you don’t know the blessing, you even get to learn some new Hebrew words!
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Jewish laws and customs prescribe the ritual of hand-washing in a number of situations. This is known by the Hebrew term as נטילת ידיים (netilat yadayim), which literally means lifting up the hands. I guess the reason is that you lift your hands to the tap or the Washing Cup. It’s traditional to wash hands before making hamotzi ,the blessing for eating bread, at the beginning of a meal. And in the Haggadah the leader of the Seder is required to wash their hands before eating the karpas (vegetable) and also before making hamotzi for the matzah.
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The Talmud used the requirement of washing hands in Leviticus 15:11 as a hint for general hand-washing law, using something which is called asmachta (a Biblical hint, rather than an explicit requirement). The Gemarah of the Babylonian Talmud contains discussions on the importance of hand-washing including the argument that washing before meals is so important that neglecting it is like being unchaste, and risks divine punishment in the form of sudden destruction or poverty. This was written around 450-500 CE - 1500 or so years ago.
According to the Shulchan Aruch, the sixteenth century’s Code of Jewish Law, a person should wash both hands before prayer. This hand-washing does not require the use of a cup (or similar vessel), though many observe the custom of using a cup. No blessing is recited over this washing. If water cannot be obtained, the hands may be cleaned in another manner. There is also evidence that there was a custom of hand-washing in the Tent of Meeting,( Exodus 30:18-20), requiring the priests to wash their hands and feet. A reference to hand-washing is also made in the New Testament.
So as we can see hand-washing is not new and we should have been doing it well before this Virus, so hopefully we will do this as well as, for the time being, keeping our distance and wear masks. After all, as we read in Ecclesiastes 1:9:
מַה־שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ ה֣וּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶ֔ה וּמַה־שֶּׁנַּֽעֲשָׂ֔ה ה֖וּא שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂ֑ה וְאֵ֥ין כָּל־חָדָ֖שׁ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ
“That which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun”.
B’Shalom
Rabbi Thomas
P.S. We're forming a team to ensure our Chanukah this year is really something special. If you would like to volunteer - or have some ideas for our community - contact Jon Zecharia.
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Shabbat Services Links and Resources
Friday at 6:30pm -
Shabbat Evening Service
This week, Rabbi Benji will be leading the evening Service as we welcome in Shabbat.
Meeting ID: 687-484-054
Password: 518750
Saturday at 10:30am -
Shabbat Morning Service and Adam King's Bar Mitzvah
This week, Rabbi Benji will be leading our Shabbat Morning service.
To follow along, click here to download the Siddur we will be using. This is updated on Friday afternoons.
Meeting ID: 809-168-590
Password: 146760
If you want to pick up a WS Siddur from Kent House, or wish to have one posted to you, rather than using the online version, let us know by clicking here.
As part of continuous reviews we have now opened our doors on Shabbat for members who are unable to access the Zoom services at home. If you, or someone you know, would like to attend, let us know. Please note, you must register each week before Friday afternoon, by either phoning us on 020 7584 3953 or by sending an email here.
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For our next series of Monday Night Learning for Times of Uncertainty and Challenge, we will explore The Two Most Important Principles in the Torah: Love your Neighbour as Yourself, and Humanity Being made in the Image of God. Our learning, over the five sessions, will explore both the concepts of V’ahavtah L’reachah Kamocha (loving our fellow as ourselves) and B’tzelem Elohim (human beings created in the image of God).
As the global pandemic continues, these sessions will support us to cultivate love and care for our neighbours, our community, and all of humanity. The sessions will build on each other from fortnight to fortnight, as we deepen into our exploration of how to relate outwards from a place of self-love and commitment to Torah.
On Monday 9th November Yael Roberts will teach on Talmudic tales of love, from stories exploring the “va’ahvtah” verse, to Rabbinic stories of love and friendship. How can we bring love to our relationships as life continues to greet us with the unexpected?
Monday 9th November
7:30-8:30pm
To sign up for the session on the 26th, click here. For more information, and to see the full list of upcoming sessions and their topics, click here.
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It’s never too early to start Jewish learning, so take part in our special Shabbat experience for the youngest members of Westminster Synagogue (plus parents & grandparents!)
Our interactive Tots service, for 0-3 year olds, brings Shabbat to life with songs, stories and arts & crafts. Sessions also look at Jewish festivals and are a great way to meet other young families in the community.
Saturday 14th November
11:00pm
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It's always important to give ourselves the time to break away from the hustle and bustle - perhaps even more so when the stress of staying in can be getting stronger. As such, we're delighted that our Yin Yoga teacher, Shelly Annapurna, is back and running our Yin Yoga.
We will now be running the Yin Yoga sessions once a month. Whether you can attend one session or every month, do join in and make sure you're looking after your mental health as well as physical.
Register below to receive the Zoom link to join in.
For the session we would normally use a yoga mat, a bolster and blanket to keep warm. This can be accomplished at home with some blankets and pillows, do bring some to the session and Shelly will instruct you on how to use them.
Friday 6th November
5:15pm-6:00pm
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Mitzvah Day - Every Mitzvah Matters
This year we won't hold any big projects in person at Kent House on Mitzvah Day, Sunday 15th November. We will however still mark the day at Or Shabbat, that weekend. More information to follow.
Even if we won’t do an organised Mitzvah Day for the greater community, we can all do a little something to help. The theme of Mitzvah Day this year is “Every Mitzvah Matters” and we encourage everyone to take a moment to look at what you can do. Whether you donate clothes to charities or take part in one of the projects below, please do what you can.
Let us know what mitzvah you’re doing by sharing on our members' Facebook group.
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Most classes are on half term, see the date for the next
class below.
Saturday 14th November
11:00am
Saturday 7th November
10:00am
Friday 6th November
5:00pm
Friday 27th November
5:30pm
Wednesday 4th November
5:30pm
Wednesday 4th November
6:30pm
Monday 9th November
7:30pm
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Young members Sonny (9) and Jude (6) have launched a campaign to raise money for local foodbanks.
During the Coronavirus lockdown, they invented a brilliant game called Treat Trumps (think Top Trumps), all about their favourite desserts.
They worked hard over the summer holiday and have launched a Kickstarter campaign, aiming to raise £2,500 for foodbanks by selling Treat Trumps. And ALL profits go to charity.
The game is easy and fun to play, based on the classic ‘trumps’ format. There are 34 cards, each with a dessert on. Desserts are scored by their age, how hard they are to make, their popularity, guilt factor and deliciousness. The only problem is that playing the game makes you very hungry, so make sure you have an éclair nearby.
Click here to get your pack and to help Sonny and Jude with their fundraising.
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MyKoCo (My Kosher Company), offers a wide selection of gourmet kosher frozen meals, which are unavailable anywhere else within the UK. We are also able to build bespoke menus based around your culinary desires.
The Kitchen values at MyKoCo are to source as many locally produced products as possible whilst striving to reduce any wastage within the cooking processes. They believe every part of each ingredient has its uses, and should be respected when cooking. By supporting local businesses, they aim to have a Low Carbon Footprint, which helps protect the environment.
MyKoCo, by working closely with the London Beth Din and Suppliers aim to produce products for the Jewish Market which have not been seen before in the hope to change people’s view of Kosher food.
Click here to find out more and to get your order in.
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Imagine a world where children grow up never doubting whether they are included…
Sophie Says is the only children’s brand that has been built consciously from the ground up, enabling children to bypass harmful stereotypes and see the world as it should be.
They are providing a go-to trusted toolkit for parents and people looking for gifts for little ones with characters they’ll want to be best friends with.
Their mission is to enable all children to grow up feeling equipped and empowered to face their futures, to learn more about themselves, others and the world around them. To inspire them to achieve whatever they want regardless of their gender, race, religion or background.
Following 'Sophie Says I Can, I will', the second book in the series has now been released. Click here to find out more about 'Sophie Says It's Okay Not To Be Okay'.
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Shabbat Services
Shabbat Evening Service - Every Friday night, 6.30pm - Join here.
Shabbat Morning Service - Every Saturday morning, 10.30am - Join here.
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