Inside Tefilin – A Land Flowing With Milk and Honey

Both words milk and honey instill positive connotations to virtually every human being. Their presence in the land demonstrates a good economy. This goes so far that honey is actually the word used to describe any “sweet” concept. Milk and milk products are universally rich and fatty substances.

 

In the Torah honey generally refers to date honey. However, several uses of the word honey refer to bee’s honey as well as others that refer to any honey like substance that easily exudes from fruit. Riesh Lakish was a Emora during the Talmudic period. He says that he saw a lamb grazing under a fig tree dripping with honey. The lamb itself was dripping its milk onto the honey. He said that this represented the land flowing with milk and honey. (Ketubot 111b)

Our Rabbis of Blessed Memory have additionally said that the fruit of Israel are fatty like milk and sweet like honey. (Ketubot 112a)

It seems that the term honey is in reality a difficult word to specifically understand. Above we saw that Reish Lakish leaves the term honey open ended by referring to fig “honey” while discussing the phrase, “A land flowing with milk and honey.” However, what the words milk and honey include seems to be a disagreement of Tanaim of the Mishnaic period.

According to Rabi Eliezer milk in “Milk and Honey” means that the milk of the fruits is very rich and that the honey refers only to Date Honey. However, Rabi Akiva disagrees and says that milk refers to real milk and that honey refers to “Yearot Dvash ” “Yearot Honey .“ (Mechilta Derashb”i)

There is further disagreement between Rashi and his school of thought and Radak as to what “Yearot Dvash” means. According to Rashi it means canes with honey in them that grow in Israel. It seems possible that Rashi refers to cane sugar or perhaps another sweet cane. However, Rada”k questions Rashi’s source material and then says that “Yearot Dvash” refers to ordinary bee’s honey combs. (Shmuel 1 14 25)

In Parashat Ki Tisa The Holy one Blessed be He stated that he would not himself lead the people of Israel into the Holy land instead an Angel will do this. “A land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go in your midst, since you are a stiffnecked people, lest I destroy you on the way.” (Shemot 33 3)

On this Pasuk Seforno points out that the Jewish people need a land that is naturally rich. They are a stiff-necked people. Do to this they will not be successful living in a place like the desert where they need constant miracles to survive.

Dairy products are central to many Jewish customs. On Shavuot we eat dairy. Many say that this is because the Jewish people did not have time to learn the laws of Shchita (ritual slaughtering) and Kashrut laws. Therefore, they ate dairy.

Honey has left a great impact on the Jewish people. Although a tiny portion of the worlds population is Jewish we consume 20% of the world’s honey. This was pointed out to me by the people at www.interhoney.com . The most famous of these sweet customs is on Rosh Hashana when almost every Jew in the world dips an apple in honey.

Bo – Importance of Tefillin

Perashat Bo – Importance of Tefillin

Why is the Mitzvah of putting on Tefillin viewed as being so important? During a Bar Mitzvah
it is a central part of the celebration. What is the purpose of donning Tefillin?

At the end of this weeks Perasha we find two of the four paragraphs which we write on
parchment and put into sturdy leather boxes which we call Tefillin. In its Tefillin oriented
commandment the first of these paragraphs uses a different syntax than the others.

 

It should a be sign for you on your hand and a remembrance between your eyes,
so that the teachings of G-d will be in your mouth since with a mighty hand
G-d took you out of Egypt.

Our rabbis of blessed memory have said that the Mitzvah of Tefilin is equal to the entire
Torah. (Torah Shelema) I believe that this Mitzvah is similar to tying a thread around your finger to remember
something. By donning Tefillin we should remember the concepts which we learn from the
Torah. A person who wears Tefillin should find it difficult to steal, yell at his mother, or think
licentious thoughts all of which are forbidden and are especially mentioned with regards to
wearing Tefillin.

In the Torah is a story about the first man who violated Shabat. There e is a Midrash
which remarks that Moshe Rabbienu said to G-d that the man sinned because it was Shabbat
when it is forbidden to wear Tefillin. He had no reminder of G-d’s presence. Under an Ideal situation
which has not yet occurred in Jewish History it is best to wear Tefillin all day. Some have said that
this applies more to those who are working than those who are immersed in Torah Study.

Some might say that it is childish to require a constant reminder but for busy people like ourselves we need secretaries
and all types of electronic gadgetry to remind us of what we need to do.

The concepts which are written on the parchments of the Tefillin discuss many topics
which are central to a Torah lifestyle. A central theme in the first two paragraphs (in our Perashsa)
is the final plague of the death of all of the firstborn which included man and beast. It is pointed
out that since the Jewish firstborn were spared they must be redeemed from the sanctity which
was then given to them. This demonstrates to us the greatness of G-d who differentiated between
Jewish households and Egyptians, he knew which of a set of twins was firstborn and which
animal was a firstborn. We use this to demonstrate G-d’s providence. G-d can guide us and
intervene in any of our plans. Additionally, we see this providence in the Tefillin with a mention
of G-d’s removing us from slavery in Egypt.

Concepts involving Passover and education of children are also mentioned several times.
On Passover we have a special Mitzvoth to tell our children how we were released from bondage
in Egypt. Indeed, the subject of education, both for us and our children is recurrent many times
in all four paragraphs. Knowledge of the Mitzvoth and all of the concepts in the Torah should be
a fundamental part of all of our lives. I have been known to say that Judaism does not thrive
on ignorance.

The other two paragraphs inside the Tefillin are from the Shemah Yisrael. In these paragraphs
we meet up with concepts of monotheism, love of G-d, education for all, writing Mezuzot, the
tremendous rewards in store for us if we love G-d and follow the Torah, the punishment if we
don’t, and many more.

For those who don Tefillin and think about these concepts it is considered that he was
busy studying Torah. (Mechilta)