COMMUNITY MAGAZINE April 2021

14 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Words of Rabbi Eli J. Mansour לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה. Rabbi Avraham Saba (1440-1508) was a brilliant rabbi, kabbalist, thinker, and writer in Spain, who endured a great deal of suffering and hardship throughout his life. He was expelled from Spain in 1492 along with the rest of Spanish Jewry, and went to live in Portugal. Just several years later, his two sons were kidnapped and forcefully baptized. He ended up having to flee Portugal, leaving behind his numerous manuscripts of scholarly writings, which he hid under a tree in Lisbon, hoping to one day return. Unfortunately, he never did, and the vast majority of his priceless scholarship has been lost. Rabbi Saba died aboard a ship bound for Verona, Italy. The Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azoulay, 1724-1806), in his work Shem Hagedolim , relates that two days before Rabbi Saba’s passing, a torrential storm struck, and the ship was in grave danger. The sailors pleaded with the rabbi – who had taken ill – to pray for the ship’s safety. Rabbi Saba agreed, on the condition that if he died on the ship, the sailors would see to it that he receives a proper Jewish burial. His prayers were answered, and the ship was saved. The sailors brought his remains to the Jewish community of Verona, who tended to the burial. If anyone can teach us about maintaining faith and religious devotion during difficult times, it is Rabbi Avraham Saba. One cherished work which he composed and which we still have today is his Torah commentary, entitled Tzeror Ha’mor . In his discussion of Parashat Tazria, which we read this month, he offers a beautiful insight into one of the more enigmatic laws in the Torah, and encourages us to follow his inspiring example of faith and commitment even when confronting difficult challenges. The Irrational “Heshek” The Torah instructs that during the times of the Bet Hamikdash , after a woman delivered a child, she would have to bring two sacrifices, one of which was a hatat – sin-offering. As its name suggests, the hatat sacrifice is brought to atone for a sin which one has committed. The Gemara (Niddah 31b) thus poses the question of why a woman must bring such a sacrifice after delivering a child – something which not only has nothing to do with sin, but is one of the greatest mitzvot . The answer, which the Gemara cites from Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, is that the excruciating pain of childbirth often leads women to vow never to cohabit with their husbands so that they would never need to endure this suffering again. Several weeks later, after the woman recovers and experiences the euphoria of having a newborn child, she regrets making this vow, and so she brings a sin-offering to atone for having sworn to separate from her husband henceforth. Rabbi Saba makes a simple but important observation – despite the intense pain of childbirth, women nevertheless later reunite with their husbands and seek to beget more children. Gd implanted within women a natural yearning for intimacy with their husbands which overrides the natural instinct to avoid the agonizing pain of childbirth. This was said by Gd Himself, when He informed Havah after she ate from the forbidden tree, “ ve’el ishech teshukatech ” – she will have a “ teshukah ,” yearning, for her husband. And so even after the grueling ordeal of childbirth, the wife eventually seeks to resume her marital life. Rabbi Saba adds that the word “ teshukah ” is related to the Hebrew word “ heshek ,” which is generally understood to mean “strong desire.” However, Rabbi Saba explains that this world Our Unconditional Love