Tadir v’she-eino Tadir Kodem

In this talk the speaker unpacks the halachic rule “Tadir v’she’Eino Tadir, Tadir Kodem” – the idea that regular practices take precedence over occasional ones. By tracing the rule through Shabbat blessings, Torah‑reading order, and even ancient Temple sacrifices, they show how it points to a deeper ethic: make the ordinary sacred. Listeners will leave with a concrete way to shape personal and communal Jewish life around steady, meaningful rhythms rather than waiting for rare, spectacular moments.

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What is Kolot: Voices from The Ark Synagogue?

Welcome to Kolot, the podcast of The Ark Synagogue, a bold, experiential and caring Progressive Jewish community in Northwood, London.

Through sermons, reflections and conversations from across our community, Kolot explores Jewish life, learning and values in the world we live in today. Rooted in tradition and open to new perspectives, these episodes bring together voices that inspire thought, connection and belonging.

Whether you are Jewish, exploring Judaism, or simply looking for meaningful reflection, you are warmly welcome.

To learn more about The Ark Synagogue, visit arksynagogue.org.

Chag Sameach and Shabbat shalom.

I am really delighted to be with you this morning.

Actually, that’s not quite right.

Not the bit about being delighted to be here. I am truly thrilled to be with you, giving a sermon at The Ark for the first time.

But the way I began does need a bit of attention.

When I started ‘Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom’, what I actually meant was ‘Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach’.

Now, you might think that this doesn’t make a huge amount of difference and of course you’d be absolutely right. But in the tradition of saying Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach, in that order, is a story; is a Jewish legal principle and an important religious ideal.

That we say Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach on a day like today. Or a couple of weeks ago, on Rosh Hashanah which was Shabbat, we said ‘Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah’ – these reflect a Jewish principle: “Tadir v’she’Eino Tadir, Tadir Kodem” – a mitzvah that happens frequently comes before one that happens infrequently.

When faced with two aspects of Jewish life – one that is a regular occurrence, and one that is less regular, the halachic principle is that the more regular should take precedence.

This is seen in a number of practices in the Jewish world.

In communities that mark special shabbatot, and days like Rosh Chodesh, by reading multiple Torah scrolls - occasionally up to three scrolls – the order of reading is defined by the regularity, the ordinariness - because “Tadir v’she’Eino Tadir, Tadir Kodem”. So, the weekly portion comes first, then the monthly, then the special passage that it is only read once a year.

Every Friday night we live an example of Tadir Kodem. During Kiddush, we first say the blessing for wine and then we say the special blessing marking Shabbat as a holy day.

Why? Because wine – and its blessing - is regular, it is an every day thing (well maybe not every day), but Shabbat is only once a week.

Another example. Those who go to a regular service on a weekday will first put on Tallit and then put on Tefillin. That which comes more frequently trumps that which is worn less often.

If we were forced to make a choice between ritual practices, because we could only afford to do one thing, or are running out of resources, the principle also applies.

The Talmud asks, what do you do if you are a priest in the Temple and you are running low on sheep.

Granted, this is not a question that has been keeping many of us up at night. Nor is it one that, as Progressive Jews, we hope will ever again be a real, practical dilemma.

But it is instructive.

If the priest found themselves only with sufficient animals for the korban tamid – the daily sacrifice, or for a special additional offering – which should they do? “Tadir v’she’Eino Tadir, Tadir Kodem”. The daily takes priority.

And we in theory might find ourselves in a similar dilemma. If we have forgotten to make sure we have enough candles on erev Shabbat Chanukah for example, and we need to decide whether to light the Shabbat candles or the Chanukiah. “Tadir Kodem” – We should light the Shabbat candles not the Chanukah ones.

Why am I spending so much time on an obscure halakhic principle?

It is not that these things matter in themselves. One of the things that defines us as Progressive Jews is that we know that these details are not what makes our religious lives sacred.

But underneath the principle of “Tadir Kodem” is an important idea - a way of thinking about the world.

Instinctively, we often give great prominence to that which is special, unusual, occasional – to life cycle events, birthdays, anniversaries, festivals.

And these are important. They are opportunities to add joy to our lives.

But this principle “Tadir v’she’Eino Tadir, Tadir Kodem” reminds us that what is much more important is how we approach the everyday. That more important than big celebrations is that we establish patterns in our lives that make the everyday sacred; that the health of our relationships, our sense of personal wellbeing, our religious lives, is about making the regular special, not making the special extra-special. And so, given a choice, the most important challenge is to work to make the everyday religiously meaningful.

This is true of our communal lives, as well.

A few years ago, there was a trend in the ‘religious business’ of talking about ‘mountaintop moments’.

The idea was that religious leaders worrying about dwindling attendance should focus on creating big, special moments – moments in which people could encounter the beauty and the majesty of what we do.

But mountaintop moments are not enough to sustain meaningful Jewish life.

One of the things I’ve learned in over 25 years of working in synagogues is that the real task of religious life is in the everyday. It is what we build through our efforts when we commit to the regular, when we commit to building patterns of Jewish practice.

While your Rabbis and the community will have put a huge amount of time and attention into the High Holy Days to try to create the most positive encounters possible with prayer, with ritual, with liturgy, we know that what really makes a difference is the community we build for the other 50 weeks of the year.

The task is to create communities of prayer and care and learning and welcome all year around – built into the everyday, into the muscle memory of our communities - as it is in this one. And the primary task of Movement is to support this work around the country, wherever there are Progressive Jews seeking to build Jewish life, to help ensure that the everyday is made sacred.

There is a midrash that I really love, that the same cloud and fire that accompanied the moment of revelation at Sinai was also the cloud and fire that accompanied the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness – it was the cloud and fire that showed them the way. The cloud and fire is with us all the time in our journeys – if only we have the ability and willingness to look for it. The way to encounter Jewish life as individuals is not to wait for a moment of revelation to knock us over. Jewish life does not happen to us, it happens through us, through the effort we put in, and our commitment to the regular.

We are living at a time of great disruption and disorientation: in our lives as Jews, and also generally in a society that is going through significant technological, political and social change.

How do we respond?

Tadir kodem.

One of the things we can do that will ground us, that can hold us in this period of change and pain, is to privilege the regular; to commit to community, to the rhythms of our Jewish lives. To work to ensure that sanctity is part of our everyday.

So, may this Sukkot, this z’man simchateinu, this time of joy, be one of great joy. As we have read this morning: ‘U’smachtem lifnei Adonai eloheichem’ – may we rejoice before the Eternal our God for these seven days.

But let’s make sure that it is not only seven days

Let’s remember the obscure Jewish legal principle “Tadir v’she’Eino Tadir, Tadir Kodem” and its message about the importance of the everyday.

And let us commit to bring that Jewish life and that joy into the rest of the year ahead, into the everyday work of creating Jewish life, and of creating real community.

So, I wish you all Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach.

And I definitely mean to do it in that order.