TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Abigail Bushell on Vayikra

Shabbat Sholom!

 There’s one special, furry member of my family who I wish more than anything could be here today. I’m sure you can guess whom I’m referring to. Yes, it’s my 7 year old black Labrador retriever, Maggie Mooch.

As many of you know, Maggie is a very unique dog. She was bred and trained to be a guide dog, but happily (for me at least) she failed her final exam. She had an undeniable tendency to be interested in anything but her studies, (unlike me of course.)For instance, sometimes when she’s hot, she will just lay down, wherever she is. One time as I was walking her, she lay down smack dab in the middle of Shippan Avenue. She also has a habit of jumping on people and lunging after other dogs. As you can probably imagine, these would not be good qualities for a guide dog.

Even though Maggie’s role nowadays isn’t to save lives, she has sure made my life a lot better and would have done the same as a guide dog, if she hadn’t failed out of guide dog school. But their loss is my gain.

Animals have a way of bringing out the best in people. Even on the worst of days, they help us appreciate the little things in life, like how a lick on the face can brighten your day.

My portion, Vayikra, also talks about animals, although not in a way that I, along with most animal lovers, would appreciate. Back in ancient times our ancestors would bring animals to the priest to sacrifice, almost like they way we would have a barbeque nowadays. The priest would slaughter and cook the animals, and the smell supposedly traveling up to God and the heavens as an offering. After the temple was destroyed, sacrificing was replaced with a much less violent act, prayer, which I approve of.

I can only imagine how hard it was for people back then to give up their companions, even though in those days they were goats and sheep rather than cats and dogs. It can really trigger deep feelings within a person, knowing that we have the power of life and death over our loved ones.

I for one know that I have the power of life and death over Maggie, so I feed her before I even look at my own food. I didn’t realize this until recently, but this is actually an important Jewish custom, a mitzvah. And while Maggie has never saved my life, she has always been there to offer a comforting hug or kiss when I’m upset.

But, there are dogs who do have the power to save a person’s life. These dogs are the ones who actually passed their guide dog exams. My mitzvah project, which is in Maggie’s honor, consisted of raising money to sponsor a guide dog. Not just any guide dog center, you may wonder, but the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind. These dogs are trained in both America and in Israel, but the commands they learn are in Hebrew. So their graduation, is sort of like a bark mitzvah.

         As I become a bat mitzvah, I have come to realize that my job in some ways is to be a seeing eye person, for dogs and other people, and that I also have the power to save lives.

Is it Cruel to Force Dogs to Keep Passover? Hammerman on Ethics

Is it Cruel to Force Dogs to Keep Passover? Q - I've heard that pets are supposed to keep Passover. I'm fairly traditional regarding Passover and just got a dog. Isn't it cruel to force an innocent animal to change its entire diet for a whole week? It's hard enough for humans!



A- As the proud owner of two adorable standard poodles, one of whom is extremely neurotic, I can sympathize with you. Let's start by saying that Passover is absolute heaven for dogs. Lots of exotic, tasty table scraps tossed their way by easily manipulated relatives who have no idea how you've been trying to keep your pooches from begging, plus an added bonus: crumbs are everywhere. I believe that in dog language, in fact, Passover is known as "The Festival of the Crumbs." So almost by definition, there will be a week-long love affair between mutts and matzah.



But what about their regular diet? Dogs often have difficulty adjusting to sudden, radical changes in their food, especially those on special diets. But our kitchens need to be hametz-free. On Pesach we are not only required to refrain from eating leavened products, we also can't benefit from them. That goes beyond the regular standards for kashrut year round, when it is fine for pets to eat non-kosher food. Passover is another animal entirely.



Interestingly, dogs play a major role in determining what household products require rabbinic supervision. One standard applied is whether a dog would eat it. The technical term is "Nifsal mayachilat kelev," "unfit even for a dog to eat." Things that are determined to be unfit for canine consumption do not require special Passover certification. That includes dish soap (in many opinions), cosmetics, pure alcohol, as well as burnt bread. That's why we burn the hametz - to render it so disgusting that even Fido would turn up his nose at it.


Several years ago, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (a.k.a. the Rav) ruled that toothpaste is not "fit for a dog to eat" and therefore can be consumed on Passover without special rabbinic certification. After hearing this in class, a student raised his hand and stated that the prior night he had conducted an experiment, leaving an open tube of toothpaste by his dog's bowl. The next morning, the toothpaste was gone, seemingly disproving Soloveitchik's theory. The Rav simply responded, "Your dog is crazy." I know that my dogs probably would also eat the toothpaste, but I follow Soloveitchik's lenient ruling. In rabbinic times, pre Purina, there was no such thing as dog food; table scraps and garbage were all the rage. But in recent years, certified kosher for Passover pet foods like Evangers have hit the market (I wonder which rabbi does the taste test). Soon your dog will be waiting three hours before Milkbones! If you don't want to go that route, keep in mind a few things:

* Table scraps are OK. * Foods that are all-meat need no certification (dogs don't need to keep kosher in that sense).

* Pets are automatically considered Sephardi - in other words, they can consume the kitniyot (legumes, rice, corn, soybeans, etc.) that Ashkenazi Jews don't traditionally eat on Passover. My dogs' regular food is a rice and meat mixture, which is perfectly OK for Passover.

* Take care to buy pet products before Passover begins, when the restrictions on hametz are also more lenient (see my Passover guide for more). The Aish website has some helpful suggestions on how you can make life easier for pets on Pesach. And while you are online, you might want to outfit your dog for the Seder with some Passover pet clothing.



Happy Pesach to all our four legged friends.

Take Your Dog (or Ass) to Work Day

Today is "Take Your Dog to Work Day." I'll spare you by not bringing either of my dogs to services this gorgeous evening, outdoors at 6:30 (dress is casual), though it is tempting! But this week's Torah portion describes how the prophet Balaam did bring his pet to work, with interesting results. For him it was "Take Your Ass to Work Day," and for this latter-day Shrek, the donkey wouldn't let him get his work done. Eventually, though, as with most pets, the ass sensitized her master, and Balaam was a better person because of it. He came to curse Israel, saw how peacefully they dwelled in their tents and composed the immortal Mah Tovu prayer.

When you think about it, although he was not an Israelite, Balaam was like many Jews who come to synagogue these days. Many of us come into the sanctuary with preconceived negative notions ("Boy is this going to be b-o-r-i-n-g!"). This story teaches us that we should leave our prejudices at the door when we come into the sanctuary, enter with open minds and open hearts, ready to experience the holy. You might be surprised with what you discover.




Parshat Balak from G-dcast.com

More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

A Dog's Letters to God

In honor of this week's portion of Balak, featuring the most famous talking donkey this side of Shrek, I include here "A Dog's Letters to God." The origin is unknown, as I've seen various versions of this online (e.g. here)

I dedicate this to my own faithful pooches, Crosby (pictured below) and Chloe (above).

Dear God,
How come people love to smell flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another? Where are their priorities?

Dear God,
When we get to Heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it the same old story?

Dear God,
Excuse me, but why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not one named for a dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around? We dogs love a nice ride! I know every breed cannot have its own model, but it would be
easy to rename the Chrysler Eagle the Chrysler Beagle! (or the New Yorkie)

Dear God,
If a dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad dog?

Dear God,
When my foster mom's friend comes over to our house, he smells like musk! What's he been rolling around in?

Dear God,
Is it true that in Heaven, dining room tables have on-ramps?

Dear God,
More meatballs, less spaghetti, please.

Dear God,
When we get to the Pearly Gates, do we have to shake hands to get in?

Dear God,
We dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent IDs, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?

Dear God,
Are there dogs on other planets, or are we alone? I have been howling at the moon and stars for a long time, but all I ever hear back is the beagle across the street!

Dear God,
Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?

Dear God,
Is it true that dogs are not allowed in restaurants because we can't make up our minds what NOT to order? Or is it the carpets again?

Dear God,
When my family eats dinner they always bless their food. But, they never bless mine. So, I've been wagging my tail extra fast when they fill my bowl. Have you noticed MY blessing?