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Shabbat Teaches the Jewish People to Be Different — and We Should Embrace That

Shabbat candles. Photo: Olaf.herfurth via Wikimedia Commons.

“Moshe then gathered the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that God has commanded you to do. On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day, you shall have a holy rest … You shall kindle no fire throughout your settlements on the Shabbat day” (Shemot 35.1-3).

The fundamental importance of Shabbat is reiterated more than any other mitzvah in the Torah. But little is said in the Torah itself about what to do and what not to, and how to define work. This reference to not burning or rather transferring fire, is the only clarification. Why is fire so important?

Fire was always the most important symbol of civilization and power. It was used not only for cooking in the home, but for almost every example of industrial activity. So much so, that fire came to symbolize society — both religiously through the sacrificial system, as well as through the production of metal instruments both for war and for peace.

Fire fueled early societies and the industrial revolution. If you had to choose one word to describe what human life depended and depends on, fire would be it. This is illustrated by the famous Greek myth of Prometheus who stole fire from the gods and gave it to men, and was punished by having eagles peck away at his chained body.

This law about transferring fire on Shabbat is another way of emphasizing that Shabbat is supposed to be a break from the domination or subordination to external societies. It has to be a different day, one dedicated to family, community  and spirituality.

Nowadays electricity and energy are crucial to the functioning of society. Imagine city life with no electricity — air conditioning, heating, elevators, transports, communications all cease to function. But Shabbat tells us that there is another way of living one’s life apart from the dominant culture.

Significantly, the Torah doesn’t say we should not have fire or benefit from it. But rather that we prepare it in advance, so that it’s already there to take advantage of without being involved directly in its generation.

The Hebrew word for gather is Hakhel. This refers to a Biblical command that comes toward the end of the Torah (Dvarim 31:10-12) — gathering all of Israel (men, women, and children, as well as converts) to come together, to hear the reading of the Torah by the ruler or leader of Israel once every seven years.

This ceremony originally took place in Jerusalem during the festival of Sukkot. And it was performed throughout the years of the Temples. The Biblical mitzvah of Hakhel only applies when all the Jewish people reside in Israel.

Another word for community is the noun, Edah. Both come together in this week’s opening sentence of the Torah reading. But the word Hakhel is both a verb and a noun. It is where we get the term we now use for a Jewish community, particularly in the Diaspora, namely the Kahal. In addition, we have the word Am meaning the people. Each of these words convey different facets of Jewish communal and national life, and explain the differences and social conflicts that we experience internally and always have. All of them define what Jews are in different ways — a people, a nation, a community, in terms of social structure and religious activity.

We are a body of people who share a common origin, a national identity, a religious way of life, a culture, and a history that distinguishes us from all others. This is a source of pride but not superiority, and strong desire to preserve our traditions in the face of opposition and prejudice. When the world is in crisis because of its own failed or inadequate systems, we find ourselves caught up as the scapegoat for its deficiencies.

The author is a writer and rabbi, currently based in New York.

The post Shabbat Teaches the Jewish People to Be Different — and We Should Embrace That first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy

Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.

“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”

The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.

“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.

Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.

The post Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.

Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.

Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”

The post Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool

i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.

The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.

The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.

The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.

The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.

The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.

The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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