Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

Bind them as a sign on your hand . . .(Deut. 6:8)

Was Moses speaking metaphorically? Or was he being quite literal? Rashbam chose the former possibility: The Torah exhorts that your devotion to God should be so ever constant, it should be as though your love were literally inscribed upon your hand:“Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm” (Song 8:6) [1] One 19th century exegete observed:

“Is not this an allusion to an ancient and general custom observed in almost every part of the world? When a person wishes to remember a thing of importance, and is afraid to trust to the common operations of memory, he ties a knot on some part of his clothes, or a cord on his hand or finger, or places something out of its usual order, and in view, that his memory may be whetted to recollection, and his eye affect his heart. God, who knows how slow of heart we are to understand, graciously orders us to make use of every help, and through the means of things sensible, to rise to things spiritual.”

Commenting on Exodus 13:9, Ibn Ezra takes umbrage with the a view found among the Karaite expositors (as well as Rashbam) who also interpreted that “Bind them as a sign on your hand” is meant metaphorically and is similar to “Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck.” (Prov. 6:21). By the same token, “fix them as an emblem on your forehead,“ is similar to “Let faithful love and constancy never leave you: tie them round your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Prov. 3:3). Strangely, Ibn Ezra seemed to think that metaphor plays a primary role in the Book of Proverbs, but plays virtually no role in this particular passage! History records how Ibn Ezra actually met Rashbam, and, evidently, they did not get along. Rashbam loved metaphor interpretations more than he did literal ones.

Like Ibn Ezra, most rabbinic commentaries view this verse quite literally, and argue that it refers to the tradition better known as tephillin (“phylacteries”). Tephillin consists of two little squared leather boxes that are tied to the forearms and forehead which are faithfully warn by traditional Jews every day barring the Sabbath and the biblical holidays.

There are four Scriptural passages that signify three basic themes: (1) the importance of accepting God as the only Deity—to the exclusion of all other deities (Deut. 6:5-9) (2) remembering the Exodus (Exod. 13:1-10; 13:11-16); (3) the acceptance of yoke of God’s commandments (Deut. 11:13-21). Among the Jews of Qumran, their tephillin included the Ten Commandments. Continue Reading

There is an old quote that the former Secretary of State James Baker used to say about the Jews during election time, “F—k the Jews, they won’t vote for us anyway.” I can just imagine President Obama and his team of anti-Israel supporters chime in unison, “‘F—k the Jews, they will still vote for us anyway.”

Today’s hot story is probably something that most Jews would ever take notice of, but not this one!

The time: August 5^th, 2011. The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) decided to file what is better known to attorneys as, “amicus” a “friend of the court” brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of a man named Benyamin Zivotofsky, who happens to be a native-born Jerusalemite and an American citizen. Since he was born in Jerusalem, the U.S. Government denied his right under American law to have “Israel” listed on his passport.

Any normal person might wonder why this might be a problem? According to our wise leaders in the State Department, listing “Israel” in conjunction with “Jerusalem” might interfere with President’s Middle East Foreign policy.

The ZOA’s brief responds to the substance of the State Department’s claim. To begin with, many government agencies in the Executive branch—including the Executive Office of the President –routinely refer to Jerusalem as part of Israel, without any evident impact on any presidential power, and thus listing “Israel” on a passport would have no such impact either. Recognizing the persuasive power of this aspect of the ZOA’s argument, the White House has engaged in a shameful and outrageous tactic, this week suddenly changing references to “Jerusalem, Israel” on its Web site to “Jerusalem” only, with no mention of Israel.

The rest of the news story reads:

Among the many governmental references to “Jerusalem, Israel” described in the ZOA’s amicus brief were several photos posted on the White House Web site, which were taken on the trip that Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, made to the Middle East last year. One photo was captioned: “Vice President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Israel, March 9, 2010” (emphasis added). The caption to another photo read: “Vice President Joe Biden laughs with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, Israel, March 9, 2010” (emphasis added). The caption to a third photo said: “Vice President Joe Biden has breakfast with Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair . . . in Jerusalem, Israel, March 10, 2010” (emphasis added). Each of these photos is described as an “Official White House Photo.”

Today, the New York Sun reported that the White House has removed these references to Jerusalem being in Israel. Indeed, on the White House Web site, the captions to these photos now refer to “Jerusalem” only. The reference to Israel has suddenly been deleted.

Morton A. Klein, ZOA’s National President, and Susan B. Tuchman, Esq., the director of the ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, condemned the White House for altering the references to “Jerusalem, Israel” on its Web site: We are appalled that the White House would resort to such a transparent and shameful tactic in an effort to diminish the strength of the ZOA’s argument in its amicus brief to the Supreme Court. But suddenly removing the White House’s references to ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ on its Web site will not help the U.S. government’s case before the Supreme Court.

If anything, the White House’s actions show that the government recognizes the strength of the ZOA’s argument: Given how frequently and routinely the White House and many U.S. departments and agencies have referred to Jerusalem as part of Israel, it is simply absurd to suggest that permitting Menachem Zivotofsky and other Americans born in Jerusalem to have ‘Israel’ listed on their passports will have any impact on any presidential power to make foreign policy or recognize foreign sovereigns. If Jerusalem-born Americans wish to identify with Israel by having it recorded as their birthplace on their passports – which is plainly their right under legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush – that right should be upheld and enforced.

President Obama and his administration should be ashamed of themselves for taking these outrageous actions which will surely do nothing to help the government’s case.”

President Obama is the first American President to declare Old Jewish Jerusalem (which was originally conquered by Jordan in 1948, only to be liberated in 1967), as an “Occupied territory.” Incidentally, after Israel liberated the holy city, King Hussein of Jordan sent the keys to Hadassah Hospital to its rightful owners–the Jews. In addition, Hadassah Hospital has always had a long tradition of serving both Israelis and Palestinians since the time of its inception. Continue Reading