WHEN THE TORAH PORTION IS AHEAD OF THE ORTHODOX

WHY ARE WE RUNNING AHEAD?

I know we are progressive, but why have we progressed to be a full week ahead in all our Torah readings?  We read Acharei Mot on Saturday 1^st May when most other synagogues read it on 8^th May, we start the book of Numbers (and read the first portion, Bmidbar)’ on 4^th June when others are starting it on 11^th, and even on 6^th August we are reading Masei when most congregations are reading Mattot-Masei?  

The short and easy answer is that we follow the Israeli Torah readings.  The more involved explanation is that the tradition developed that outside of Israel, where Jews were uncertain of exactly whether the new moon had been sighted and thus a new month declared in Israel, would mark two first days of festivals.  If one was not correct, it must be the other.  So each festival became a day longer, the one day Shavu’ot of became two, and the seven day festivals of Pesach and Sukkot became eight days.  This also explains second night seder – it is really the first night (Seder night), but repeated on the next night in case that was really the first night!   

By two thousand years ago, astronomers (some of whom were the Rabbis themselves) were able to determine exactly when the new moon would appear and produced detailed tables years in advance.  But tradition had taken hold, and that was that!  Until the Progressive movement came along and said ‘we know when the new moon is, and we only need observe festivals as instructed in the Torah!’.

But how does this explain why we are a week ahead in our Torah readings at the moment?  Because for us the seven days of Pesach started on 22^nd April and concluded on the sunset of 29^th April, whereas the orthodox (outside of Israel) continued to celebrate Pesach until the end of Shabbat on 30^th April.  So Shabbat was not Pesach for us (and hence we returned to the regular Torah reading cycle) but it was for the orthodox (who instead read special readings for the last day of Pesach).

Actually this happens in many years, but usually only for a few weeks at a time.  But because this is a leap year in the Hebrew (as well as Gregorian) calendar, there is only one ‘doubled-up’ Torah reading, Matot-Ma’asei.  (Doubled-up readings ‘take up the slack’ in a normal year, so that there are enough Torah readings to go around even in a leap year with an extra month in it).  So from Shabbat 30^th April, all the way through to Shabbat 30^th July, we will be a week ahead – so if you want to know what happens next in the Torah story, come and hear it at LBC!

(You can get the Progressive Torah reading calendar on Google calendar by searching PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM CALENDAR WITH SHABBAT AND FESTIVALS or by using the link oi25cfvcm19vdoquc8p3abif68@group.calendar.google.com). 

Do we do Pidyon HaBen - Redemption of the first born?

Not usually: Let me first give the background (with thanks to help from Torah and Wiki!).

In Exodus 13:2 at the end of Parshat Bo, God is reported to instruct that: ‘Every firstborn that opens the womb amongst the Israelites, whether human or animal, is to be set aside as holy to Me, for they are Mine.’

Moses seems to expand on this in Exodus 13:12-13, explaining that firstborn cattle were to be offered as sacrifices, a firstborn ass (not kosher as a sacrifice) was to be swapped ('redeemed') with a sheep (or be 'given' by breaking its neck), and firstborn sons were also 'redeemed', though here it doesn't specify how. Moses' explanation (Exodus 13:15) is that God slew every firstborn in Egypt, animal and human (so this is apparently a perpetual reminder of the tenth plague).

In Numbers 3:41-45, after the sin of the Golden Calf, we find repeated twice the instruction: 'Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine - I am the Eternal One.'  This is because the Levites were loyal to God, and seems to imply that the firstborn were to be God's functionaries in running the Tabernacle, but lost that honour because of their involvement in the Golden Calf, to be replaced by the Levites. 

There were apparently 273 more firstborn Israelites than Levites, and Aaron and his sons, the priests, were to be given five shekels per head in compensation for each of these, this being called 'redemption money', Numbers 3:46-51.

So we can deduce that originally, the first born son in each family was to serve God as a functionary, but they were replaced by the Levites, and the value of this 'redemption' from a life of holy service was 5 shekels each.

Over the generations and especially in transition from 'Israelitism' (biblical Judaism) to Judaism (Rabbinic Judaism), these details were formalised. The Shulkhan Arukh states that when a Jewish woman gives birth to a firstborn male (but only by natural means) then the child must be "redeemed". The process is that the father of the child purchases back the child from a known Kohen (representing the original Temple priesthood), for the sum of five silver Shekels, or equivalent in their country's currency. The procedure does not apply when the father is a Kohen or Levite (because then the child will continue that line and need not - and cannot - be redeemed from the responsibility).

This redemption ceremony is performed when at least thirty days have passed since the child's birth, since child mortality was common and a child was not considered to have proven its viability until after 30 days.

Pidyon HaBen is an interesting question as we don't usually do it in the Progressive Movement, I think largely because of course we don't recognise Priests etc. and therefore the concept of the firstborn serving as priests... and needing to be redeemed.  (There is also a problem of discrimination - it only counts if your first born is a boy, and if he is not born by Caesarean). But we could adapt and reinterpret the tradition to the idea of thanking God for the start of the next generation, which is a lovely idea, and where it is done, the money is directed to charity - so perhaps it should go to a baby care or mothers' support charity.  On the other hand, there are so many costs involved with a first new baby - and if it is a boy you already have to pay the mohel, so perhaps we don't need another way to make a 'religious charge' on the family!   

Rabbi Jonathan