(ב) שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק הָיָה מִשְּׁיָרֵי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד, עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים:
(2) Shimon the Righteous was one of the last of the men of the great assembly.
He used to say:
"The world stands upon three things:
the Torah (study of Divine instruction)
the Avodah (Prayer/Temple service),
and the Chesed (acts of kindness/giving)."
(26) And God said, “Let us make Adam in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.” (27) And God created Adam in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
"Every human being is a living image of God" this is the most essential moral principle of the Torah that God introduces it to the world through the Jewish people. This affects how we behave toward even the most powerless people (orphan, widow, foreigner, slave). There is one God who cares about all of His/Her children. Everyone of us is the son/daughter of God. In Judaism, what you believe is important but what you do is really what matters.
Yeshua - ישועה Jesus - All of his concepts came from Judaism and were directed mostly toward Jews - all of his original followers were Jewish -
The rabbis in his time were also fed up with corruption among the priests, the overemphasis on ritual life and not enough effort developing spiritual and ethical life.
Christians introduced ethical monotheism to the non-Jewish world.
Christians and Jews are part of the same biblical Abrahamic tradition - like branches from the same trunk of the Tree of Life.
He explains: Rather, the meaning is that one should follow the attributes of the Holy One, Blessed be He. He provides several examples. Just as He clothes the naked, as it is written: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21), so too, should you clothe the naked. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, visits the sick, as it is written with regard to God’s appearing to Abraham following his circumcision: “And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre” (Genesis 18:1), so too, should you visit the sick. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, consoles mourners, as it is written: “And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son” (Genesis 25:11), so too, should you console mourners. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, buried the dead, as it is written: “And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab” (Deuteronomy 34:6), so too, should you bury the dead.
(9) And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shall thou gather the gleaning of your harvest. (10) And you shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the YHWH your God.
(א) כמה נותנין לעני, די מחסורו אשר יחסר לו. כיצד, אם היה רעב, יאכילוהו. היה צריך לכסות, יכסוהו. אין לו כלי בית, קונה לו כלי בית... וכן לכל אחד ואחד לפי מה שצריך.
How much is it appropriate to give to the poor? 'Sufficient for their needs in that which they lack.' If they are hungry, one must feed them. If they need clothing, one must cloth them. If they lack housing utensils, one must provide them with housing utensils...To each person according to what they need.
Charity - derived from the Latin word (caritas) meaning love, fondness, and caring
Philanthropy - derived from two Greek words (philia & anthropos) that mean love and man
Tzedakah - derived from tzedek, meaning justice
How does the origin of these words impact our understanding of why we give money? In other words, how is tzedakah significantly different from giving charity or philanthropy?
ת"ר: בשלשה דברים גדולה גמילות חסדים יותר מן הצדקה, צדקה- בממונו, גמילות חסדים- בין בגופו בין בממונו. צדקה- לעניים, גמילות חסדים- בין לעניים בין לעשירים. צדקה- לחיים, גמילות חסדים- בין לחיים בין למתים.
Our rabbis taught: Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness) is greater tzedakah in three ways: Acts of tzedakah involve only one's money - gemilut chasadim can involve both money or one's personal service. Tzedakah can be given only to the poor - gemilut chasadim can be done both for the rich and for the poor. Tzedakah can be given only to the living - gemilut chasadim can be done both for the living and the dead. (AJWS Translation).
(ז) שְׁמוֹנֶה מַעֲלוֹת יֵשׁ בַּצְּדָקָה זוֹ לְמַעְלָה מִזּוֹ. מַעֲלָה גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁאֵין לְמַעְלָה מִמֶּנָּה זֶה הַמַּחֲזִיק בְּיַד יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁמָּךְ וְנוֹתֵן לוֹ מַתָּנָה אוֹ הַלְוָאָה אוֹ עוֹשֶׂה עִמּוֹ שֻׁתָּפוּת אוֹ מַמְצִיא לוֹ מְלָאכָה כְּדֵי לְחַזֵּק אֶת יָדוֹ עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִצְטָרֵךְ לַבְּרִיּוֹת לִשְׁאל. וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (ויקרא כה לה) "וְהֶחֱזַקְתָּ בּוֹ גֵּר וְתוֹשָׁב וָחַי עִמָּךְ" כְּלוֹמַר הַחֲזֵק בּוֹ עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִפּל וְיִצְטָרֵךְ:
(ח) פָּחוֹת מִזֶּה הַנּוֹתֵן צְדָקָה לָעֲנִיִּים וְלֹא יָדַע לְמִי נָתַן וְלֹא יָדַע הֶעָנִי מִמִּי לָקַח. שֶׁהֲרֵי זוֹ מִצְוָה לִשְׁמָהּ. כְּגוֹן לִשְׁכַּת חֲשָׁאִים שֶׁהָיְתָה בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ. שֶׁהָיוּ הַצַּדִּיקִים נוֹתְנִין בָּהּ בַּחֲשַׁאי וְהָעֲנִיִּים בְּנֵי טוֹבִים מִתְפַּרְנְסִין מִמֶּנָּה בַּחֲשַׁאי. וְקָרוֹב לָזֶה הַנּוֹתֵן לְתוֹךְ קֻפָּה שֶׁל צְדָקָה. וְלֹא יִתֵּן אָדָם לְתוֹךְ קֻפָּה שֶׁל צְדָקָה אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַמְמֻנֶּה נֶאֱמָן וְחָכָם וְיוֹדֵעַ לְהַנְהִיג כַּשּׁוּרָה כְּרַבִּי חֲנַנְיָה בֶּן תְּרַדְיוֹן:
(ט) פָּחוֹת מִזֶּה שֶׁיֵּדַע הַנּוֹתֵן לְמִי יִתֵּן וְלֹא יֵדַע הֶעָנִי מִמִּי לָקַח. כְּגוֹן גְּדוֹלֵי הַחֲכָמִים שֶׁהָיוּ הוֹלְכִין בַּסֵּתֶר וּמַשְׁלִיכִין הַמָּעוֹת בְּפִתְחֵי הָעֲנִיִּים. וְכָזֶה רָאוּי לַעֲשׂוֹת וּמַעֲלָה טוֹבָה הִיא אִם אֵין הַמְמֻנִּין בִּצְדָקָה נוֹהֲגִין כַּשּׁוּרָה:
(י) פָּחוֹת מִזֶּה שֶׁיֵּדַע הֶעָנִי מִמִּי נָטַל וְלֹא יֵדַע הַנּוֹתֵן. כְּגוֹן גְּדוֹלֵי הַחֲכָמִים שֶׁהָיוּ צוֹרְרִים הַמָּעוֹת בִּסְדִינֵיהֶן וּמַפְשִׁילִין לַאֲחוֹרֵיהֶן וּבָאִין הָעֲנִיִּים וְנוֹטְלִין כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לָהֶן בּוּשָׁה:
Maimonides defines eight levels in giving charity (tzedakah), each one higher than the preceding one.
On an ascending level, they are as follows:
8. When donations are given grudgingly.
7. When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.
6. When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.
5. When one gives directly to the poor without being asked.
4. Donations when the recipient is aware of the donor's identity, but the donor still doesn't know the specific identity of the recipient.
3. Donations when the donor is aware to whom the charity is being given, but the recipient is unaware of the source.
2. Giving assistance in such a way that the giver and recipient are unknown to each other. Communal funds, administered by responsible people are also in this category.
1. The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others.
Gittin 61a
Our Rabbis taught, "Give sustenance to the poor of the non-Jews as well as the Jews. Visit the sick of the non-Jews as well as the Jews. Bury the dead of the non-Jews along with the dead of Israel. Do all these things because of the sake of peace."
- What does "for the sake of peace" mean?
Rabbi Israel Salanter
A person should be more concerned with spiritual matters than with material matters, but another person's material welfare is his own spiritual concern.
- Why might material matters of another person our spiritual concern?
Ha Lachma Anya - from the Pesach Haggadah
הא לחמא עניא די אכלו אבהתנא בארעא דמצרים. כל דכפין ייתי ויכל. כל דצריך ייתי ויפסח. השתא הכא לשנה הבאה בארעא דישראל. השתא עבדי. לשנההבאה בני חורין.
This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt
Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need come
and eat the Pesach offering.
Now we are here. Next year in the land of Israel.
Now we are slaves. Next year we will be free.
- Why the seeming repetition?
- Is there a difference between a meal invitation to all who are hungry and all who are in need?
- What are these two types of need?
(7) If there be among you a needy person, one of your community, within any of your gates, in your land which Adonai thy God giveth thee, you shall not harden thy heart, nor shut your hand from your needy brother; (8) but you shall surely open thy hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he is lacking.
(34) The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the LORD am your God.
שוב מעשה בנכרי אחד שבא לפני שמאי א"ל גיירני ע"מ שתלמדני כל התורה כולה כשאני עומד על רגל אחת דחפו באמת הבנין שבידו בא לפני הלל גייריה אמר לו דעלך סני לחברך לא תעביד זו היא כל התורה כולה ואידך פירושה הוא זיל גמור.
Another time a non-Jew came before Shammai and said, "I will convert if you can teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot." Shammai pushed the non-Jews aside with the ruler that was in his hand. The non-Jew came before Hillel and Hillel converted him saying, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor, that is the entire Torah, the rest is just commentary, now go and study."
LGBTQ issues in Jewish Law
(21) And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to to give them over to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Adonai. (22) And with a male you shall not lie the lyings of a woman, it is a "to'evah" (abomination) (23) And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto; it is perversion.
(13) And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination (to'evah): they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
What does the word "to'evah" (abomination) mean?
- Joseph invites his brothers to dine with him, and we are told that the Egyptians do not eat with the Hebrews because doing so is toevah.
- Idolatry, sexual offenses, magical practices, and food prohibitions are all described as toevah.
- One traditional Jewish commentary defines toevah as an acronym for “that which leads one astray.”
- Scholarly definitions: something that offends the accepted order, ritual or moral (Steve Greenberg Wrestling with God & Men) or the violation of a socially constructed boundary (Saul Olyan “And With A Male”)
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
- What are these texts talking about?
- Is it surprising to you that these texts come from the Torah? Why?
- Why do you think this is relevant-what could be the concern(s) behind the prohibition?
- What exactly do you think is prohibited here? Rashi, the great medieval Jewish commentator, explains “He inserts like an applicator into a tube of cosmetics” Are these texts referring to men or to women?
- What do you think is meant by abomination?
- What do you think was upsetting about this act?
- Is there a tension between what you feel is morally and ethically right and what these texts say or are they in line with your ethics and morals?
(18) And the LORD God said: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.’
ת"ש גדול כבוד הבריות שדוחה [את] לא תעשה שבתורה ואמאי לימא אין חכמה ואין תבונה ואין עצה לנגד ה' תרגמה רב בר שבא קמיה דרב כהנא בלאו (דברים יז, יא) דלא תסור אחיכו עליה לאו דלא תסור דאורייתא היא אמר רב כהנא גברא רבה אמר מילתא לא תחיכו עליה כל מילי דרבנן אסמכינהו על לאו דלא תסור ומשום כבודו שרו רבנן
Come and learn: So great is human dignity that it supersedes a negative commandment of the Torah. And why? Don’t we say, “there is no wisdom, nor comprehension nor counsel against the Lord”? (Proverbs 21:30) Rav bar Sheba interpreted it thus before Rav Kahana: “[this principle applies only] to the negative commandment of ‘do not stray’” (Deut. 17:11). They [i.e., his colleagues] laughed at him, saying, “‘Do not stray’ is itself from the Torah!” But Rav Kahana said to them, “When a great man states a matter, do not laugh at it. For all of the words of the Sages are supported by the negative commandment of ‘do not stray,’ but for his dignity, the Rabbis permitted him [to ignore their ruling].”
Rabbi Steve Greenberg - An Openly Gay Orthodox Rabbi
“The verse (in Leviticus) prohibits the kind of sex between men that is designed to effect the power and mastery of the penetrator. Sex for the conquest, for shoring up the ego, for self-aggrandizement, or worse, for the perverse pleasure of demeaning another man is prohibited, as a law against sexual domination and appropriation." and he adds that reading Leviticus 18:22 “as a law against sexual domination and appropriation offers gay people a way to reconnect to God, Torah, and the Jewish people... It’s a radical reading, but if you believe that God hates what you are, why would you go to such a temple? The very verse that was for centuries read as requiring the ongoing demotion of women through the marking of intercourse as humiliation and thus femininity as degraded could be read as a full-fledged critique of the male dominated social hierarchy! The only way to redeem intercourse from its inevitable dominations is to press for gender equality on the deepest of emotional planes, to work formally toward ending the gender hierarchy, and to heal the ugly misogyny at its foundation.” (Wrestling with God and Men received the 2005 Koret Jewish Book Award for Philosophy and Thought, considered one of the highest honors for authors writing prose on Jewish themes)
Rabbi Seth Farber
My own approach to the matter is that the Orthodox community should adopt the stance of “oh'ness rach'mana pah'trei” – The Merciful One overlooks what is out of a person’s control... urges are controlled by the calming factor of knowing there is an alternative outlet. Unlike heterosexuals, gay Orthodox Jews have no halakhically acceptable outlet for the vital human need for intimate partnership, and never will... The oh-ness derives from the cumulative weight of the totality of the moments of a person’s life, an absolutely crushing weight in this case.
Psychologically, gay Orthodox Jews are faced with one of two options: either be sexually active and fragment this transgression from their conscious minds, or be celibate and live with the knowledge that they will never experience a real intimate relationship. I firmly believe that the latter is not really a livable option for most adults, but a debilitating and life-crushing prospect. Advocating for it is an exercise in futility.
"In December 2006 the Conservative Movement’s Law Committee voted to accept two contradictory teshuvot (positions) on homosexuality in halakhah: one reaffirming the status quo, and one affirming change. The result of the vote is that rabbis, synagogues, and other Conservative institutions may choose to continue to not permit commitment ceremonies and not hire openly gay or lesbian rabbis and cantors, or may choose to do so. Both positions are considered valid." http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/homosexuality-in-jewish-thought/2/
Conservative Movement's Responsa on Homosexuality (Dorff, Nevins, Reisner)
Based upon our study of halakhic precedents regarding both sexual norms and human dignity, we reach the following conclusions:
1. The explicit biblical ban on anal sex between men remains in effect. Gay men are instructed to refrain from anal sex.
2. Heterosexual marriage between two Jews remains the halakhic ideal. For homosexuals who are incapable of maintaining a heterosexual relationship, the rabbinic prohibitions that have been associated with other gay and lesbian intimate acts are superseded based upon the Talmudic principle of kvod habriot, our obligation to preserve the human dignity of all people.
3. This ruling effectively normalizes the status of gay and lesbian Jews in the Jewish community. Extending the 1992 CJLS consensus statement, gay and lesbian Jews are to be welcomed into our synagogues and other institutions as full members with no restrictions. Furthermore, gay or lesbian Jews who demonstrate the depth of Jewish commitment, knowledge, faith and desire to serve as rabbis, cantors and educators shall be welcomed to apply to our professional schools and associations.
4. We are not prepared at this juncture to rule upon the halakhic status of gay and lesbian relationships. To do so would require establishing an entirely new institution in Jewish law that treats not only the ceremonies and legal instruments appropriate for creating homosexual unions but also the norms for the dissolution of such unions. This responsum does not provide kiddushin for same-sex couples. Nonetheless, we consider stable, committed, Jewish relationships to be as necessary and beneficial for homosexuals and their families as they are for heterosexuals. Promiscuity is not acceptable for either homosexual or heterosexual relationships.
(ח) נשים המסוללות זו בזו אסור וממעשה מצרים הוא שהוזהרנו עליו שנאמר כמעשה ארץ מצרים לא תעשו אמרו חכמים מה היו עושים איש נושא איש ואשה נושא אשה ואשה נשאת לשני אנשים אע"פ שמעשה זה אסור אין מלקין עליו שאין לו לאו מיוחד והרי אין שם ביאה כלל לפיכך אין נאסרות לכהונה משום זנות ולא תיאסר אשה על בעלה בזה שאין כאן זנות וראוי להכותן מכת מרדות הואיל ועשו איסור ויש לאיש להקפיד על אשתו מדבר זה ומונע הנשים הידועות בכך מלהכנס לה ומלצאת היא אליהן.
Women who rub one against the other—this is forbidden. It is among the acts of Egypt against which we were warned, for it says [Leviticus 18:3]: “You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt.” The Sages said [Sifra, Aharei Mot, parsheta 9:8]: “What is it that they would do? A man would marry a man, a woman marry a woman, or a woman marry two men.” Even though this practice (between women) is prohibited, one does not receive lashes, for there is no specific biblical prohibition and it is not called ‘intercourse’ at all. Therefore, they are not prohibited [from marrying] into the priesthood on account of prostitution (with other women) and a woman is not prohibited to her husband on account of this... But it is appropriate to give them [rabbinic] lashes for rebelliousness, since they have done a prohibited thing...
WOMEN
"Each era is redeemed only in the merit of the women that of the righteous women who live in that era. It is in the merit of the righteous women that the people were redeemed from Egypt and in the time to come it will be in the merit of the women that redemption shall come again." - Rabbi Aca - 4th Century on the Yalkut Shimoni on Megillat Ruth Ch 606:4 - Gershon Winkler ibid.
Comments From the Middles Ages: The Kabbalists
"The reason the wives of the sages of our time are domineering of them is because these men are reincarnated souls of the very men who rebelled during the ancient wilderness journey, and their wives, as we know, the women were not involved in any of these acts of dissention." - Rabbi Chayim Vital 16th Century - (Kabbalist Sefer Sha'ar HaGilgulim, Ch. 20) - The Way of the Boundary Crosser - Gershon Winkler Rowman and Littlefield Publishers 2005
(15) Then Esther told them to return an answer to Mordecai: (16) ’Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast for me. Neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I also and my maidens will fast in the same way; and so will I go to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.’
(כב) וְכִֽי־יִנָּצ֣וּ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְנָ֨גְפ֜וּ אִשָּׁ֤ה הָרָה֙ וְיָצְא֣וּ יְלָדֶ֔יהָ וְלֹ֥א יִהְיֶ֖ה אָס֑וֹן עָנ֣וֹשׁ יֵעָנֵ֗שׁ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָשִׁ֤ית עָלָיו֙ בַּ֣עַל הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וְנָתַ֖ן בִּפְלִלִֽים׃ (כג) וְאִם־אָס֖וֹן יִהְיֶ֑ה וְנָתַתָּ֥ה נֶ֖פֶשׁ תַּ֥חַת נָֽפֶשׁ׃ (כד) עַ֚יִן תַּ֣חַת עַ֔יִן שֵׁ֖ן תַּ֣חַת שֵׁ֑ן יָ֚ד תַּ֣חַת יָ֔ד רֶ֖גֶל תַּ֥חַת רָֽגֶל׃ (כה) כְּוִיָּה֙ תַּ֣חַת כְּוִיָּ֔ה פֶּ֖צַע תַּ֣חַת פָּ֑צַע חַבּוּרָ֕ה תַּ֖חַת חַבּוּרָֽה׃ (ס)
(22) And if men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that her child comes out (and dies), and yet no catastrophe happens, he shall be surely fined, according as the woman’s husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. (23) But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, (24) eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (25) burning for burning, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
If one assaults a woman, even unintentionally, and her child comes out, he must pay the value of the child to the husband and the compensation for injury and pain to the woman.
Time Bound ritual commandments - Tzitzit, tefillin,
Aliyah to Torah
Mechitzah
Niddah
Agunot
Abortion
Tzniut - Married women covering hair
Shechinah
(ה) לֹא־יִהְיֶ֤ה כְלִי־גֶ֙בֶר֙ עַל־אִשָּׁ֔ה וְלֹא־יִלְבַּ֥שׁ גֶּ֖בֶר שִׂמְלַ֣ת אִשָּׁ֑ה כִּ֧י תוֹעֲבַ֛ת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ כָּל־עֹ֥שֵׂה אֵֽלֶּה׃ (פ)
(5) A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
The Talmud says that what is prohibited is falsifying identity for the purpose of spying on the other sex. The great medieval commentator Rashi says that the prohibition is limited to concealing identity for the purpose of adultery. The Shulhan Arukh notes that cross-dressing is permitted on Purim because its purpose is simha (celebration, joy) and that it is forbidden if it is for the purpose of fraud. In limiting the prohibition to situations of fraud and deception, the talmudic and medieval rabbis indicated that cross-dressing in a way that is true to the cross-dresser’s identity is permitted.
(www.jewishrecon.org)
(א) ויאמר אלהים נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו. אמר רבי ירמיה בן אלעזר: בשעה שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא את אדם הראשון, אנדרוגינוס בראו, הדא הוא דכתיב: זכר ונקבה בראם. אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמן: בשעה שברא הקב"ה את אדם הראשון, דיו פרצופים בראו ונסרו ועשאו גביים, גב לכאן וגב לכאן. איתיבון ליה, והכתיב: ויקח אחת מצלעותיו?! אמר להון: מתרין סטרוהי, היך מה דאת אמר: (שמות כו): ולצלע המשכן, דמתרגמינן ולסטר משכנא וגו'.
רבי תנחומא בשם רבי בנייה ורבי ברכיה בשם ר"א אמר: בשעה שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא את אדם הראשון גולם בראו, והיה מוטל מסוף העולם ועד סופו, הדא הוא דכתיב: (תהלים קלט) גלמי ראו עיניך וגו'.
(1) And God said: Let us make Adam in our image, in our shape: R' Yirmiyah ben Elazar said, when Hashem created Adam HaRishon, he was created as both genders; thus is it written, "male and female did He create them." R' Shmuel bar Nachman said, when Hashem created Adam HaRishon, He created him with two faces, one on each side, and [when He made Chavah,] He split him along the middle, forming two backs. They challenged him: but it is written, "And He took one of his ribs!" He said to them, ["mitzalosav" doesn't mean rib, it means] one of his sides, similar to that which is said, "and to the 'tzela' of the Mishkan," which is translated "the side of the Mishkan." R' Tanchuma said in the name of R' Benaya, when Hashem created Adam HaRishon, He created him as a lifeless mass able to reach from one end of the Earth to the other; thus is it written, "Your eyes saw a mass."
ספר רזין דאורייתא, בשם הרבי ר' מיכל מזלאטשוב
אולם הכוונה, דנודע אשר יצחק נולד בנשמת נוקבא, וכמו שכתב בעל אור החיים הק', ועל ידי העקדה היה לו נשמת דכר להשפיע. ועל פי זה מובן למה לא נמצא באדם יותר עקרה מאשר מבבהמה, אשר בפסוק נשתוו זה לזה בברכה, לא יהיה בך ובבהמתך עקר ועקרה, רק זאת נודע סדר הגלגולים. ולפעמים נקבה תסובב גבר כי בסבת הגלגול נשמת נקבה תבוא בזכר, כאשר י'תרעם ה'גלגל ו'יתרעש ה'חוזר לבוא בגלגול שני ושלישי. ואם נקבה אשר תסובב בגבר, שני נקבות אינם מולידים, רק עח ידי מעשי הטוב מחליפין הנשמה, וליצחק החליפו הנשמה. לפיכך לו ולא לה, כי יצחק היה צריך לאותו דבר ולא רבקה:
18th Century Hasidus
It is known that when Issac was born, he was born with the soul of a female, as it is written in Or Hachaim, and through the akeidah (binding of Issac) he got a male soul that can influence (meaning, can impregnate). With that we can understand why humans are no more infertile than animals, even though that they both got the same blessing "There will not be within you and within your animals infertility". But, this is known according to the Sod (Secret/Mysticism) of reincarnation - that at times, a female would be in a male body, because in the reasons of gilgal (reincarnation) the soul of a female would come to be in a male. ... that is why it says by Issac that Hashem answered to him and not to her (Rebecca), because he needed divine help to be able to have kids.
Translation by Abby Stein
"Jews earn like Episcopalians, and vote like Puerto Ricans
American Jews tend to favor Democratic candidates, with 71% of Jewish voters choosing Democratic candidates and only 25% choosing Republicans since 1968.
The study found that as of 2018, there are approximately 7.5 million Jews in the contiguous United States
That’s only about 2 percent of the U.S. population, but it’s enough to make the United States home to the largest Jewish community in the world. According to recent government statistics, Israel has 6.7 million Jews.