I'll call Down Thunder And Speak The Same (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Estimated Prophet"))

One of the most fascinating things about watching our eldest daughter go through the process of looking for work has been watching her determine what values are most important. She needs to take into account numerous variables. I must admit, we have derived a bit of pride watching her struggle since some of the struggles are a result of the values she was raised with and have become important to her. There are numerous places she could find work; however she wants to be in a city with an active Jewish community.  However even that is not enough. Her definition of an “active Jewish community” is really a thriving modern orthodox community with lots of well educated, observant young professionals that take their Judaism as seriously as they take their jobs and chosen professions. This means that she needs to live within walking distance of a shul (synagogue), and that she needs to be able to leave work early on Friday evenings in the winter. She needs to constantly calculate and strike a balance between the type of job, the salary, and the geography all I the name of her desire to live in the type of community that she deems important. Perhaps no other text shaped the value and contributed to our instilling in our daughter the value of Jewish community as Parshah Yitro.

            In this week’s Parsha, Yitro, we read two distinct narratives. In the first half of the Parsha, Moshe brings B’nai Yisroel to Midian. While there, Moshe spends a little time with his wife, his two sons and his father-in-law Yitro. Yitro acknowledges that G-d has been protective of B’nai Yisroel and that the Lord is greater than all other gods. The next day, Yitro sees Moshe sitting from morning to night mediating all problems that arise between individuals within the community. Yitro sees that his son-in-law is overextended and the current method of governing is neither good for him or Amchah. Being both a Priest of Midian as well as his father-in-law, Yitro offers advice as a father as well as a community leader. The second part of the Parshah, from chapter 19 through 20, tells of B’nai Yisroel’s revelation at Sinai.  The Parshah concludes with God’s declaration of the Aseret Dibrot, the Ten Commandments. The second part of the Parshah is very well known, incredibly unclear, and lends itself to numerous interpretations, commentaries and Midrashim.  However, the two stories seem so disparate; it seems odd that both appear together in the same Parshah.  So, what is the connection between Yitro’s advice and Revelation at Sinai?

First we must understand Yitro’s advice. Yitro suggests to Moshe “You be a representative of God, and you convey the matters to God…you shall make known to them the path in which they should go and deeds they should do. You shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, men of truth, men who despise money. You shall appoint them as leaders of thousands…they shall judge the people at all times, and they shall bring every major matter to you, and every minor matter they shall judge, and it will be eased for you, and they shall bear with you. If you do this thing and God shall command you, then you will be able to endure, and this entire people, as well, should arrive at its destination in peace.” (Ex. 18:19-23) Yitro explains to Moshe that a community must have a shared vision. To some degree, people need to know how to seek G-d on their own, and how to behave within a community. Others need to know G-d’s ways in order to inform those who need advice and adjudication. Everyone must have access to G-d and G-d’s teaching. Only then will Moshe’s load be lightened enough to bear. Only then will Amchah have a stake in the relationship with G-d. Only then will Moshe and B’nai Yisroel arrive at its destination, in peace. Only then will Moshe and B’nai Yisroel become willing participants in their covenant with G-d. Only then can this community uphold their role as a “priest to the nations”. 

After Moshe heeded his father in-law’s advice, we read the second half of the Parshah, the Revelation at Sinai. Throughout this narrative, the focus is upon the people, and Moshe’s ascending and descending the mountain. G-d’s instructs the Amchah, “the people” to prepare for Revelation. Three times God tells Moshe to inform B’nai Yisroel of everything that transpired between them. Moshe connects “the people” to G-d. Three days, B’nai Yisroel prepared for their “destination”. The “entire people” was in the camp, and they shuddered. Then Moshe brought the people from the camp toward God. (Ex 19:16-17). When presented with God’s covenant, “the entire people responded together and said, ‘everything that God has spoken we will do!’”(Ex 19:8) The narrative continually emphasizes that Revelation was not solely between God and Moshe. If it were, then Moshe’s role as teacher, prophet and adjudicator of law would be overwhelming. No, Bnai Yisroel must be involved in the process. B’nai Yisroel must experience some aspect of Revelation. B’nai Yisroel must be active participants in Revelation. They were. They willingly and unanimously responded.  B’nai Yisroel’s unanimous response obligates them as responsible participants. Also their participation and unanimous response indicates that they share a common vision and purpose.

As our daughter continues her search for work and finds the community of her choice she will soon realize the vibrant community of her choice will have as much to do with the leader of that community including the rabbi or rabbis as it does the community – Amchah.  A vibrant Jewish community should be built upon God, Torah, Amchah, Gemilut Chasadim, and Kedusha, holiness to our lives.  The Rabbi of such a vibrant community will teach others how to access God within the laws and traditions of our people.  The Rabbi will rarely if ever act alone; otherwise that Rabbi will be a community of one. A vibrant community means that members of the community will seek knowledge, apply that new found knowledge to behavior. The Rabbi of such a community will merely facilitate such seeking and knowledge. Ultimately these members of the community will respond: “Naaseh v’Nishmah – We will do and we will learn”. Amchah must have a common vision and a stake in the vision. Amchah must share this vision with Moshe Rabeinu. Amchah must care enough to pass its vision, its revelation, to the next generation. We must celebrate the community’s success. We must bare responsibility for the community’s shortcomings. We must care enough to improve the community. When the Amchah “responds together” then Amchah “the entire people, will endure and arrive at our destination in peace”. 

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Most Of The Time They're Sitting And Crying At Home (Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir - "Truckin')

One of my most favorite moments as a parent occurs when art imitates life. Every once in a while when we are watching a movie with our children, they will notice a characteristic displayed by one of the movie characters and tell us who that is in our family. So when we watch Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder and Jack Albertson, our children invariably sheepishly blush when Veruca Salt makes her appearance.  We all know Veruca; she is the epitome of the spoiled brat. Whenever she wants something, she hellishly whines, “But daddy, I want it now!”  Of course her father cannot stomach the incessant whining and inevitably gives in. Our kids all sheepishly laugh and ask if that is what they sound like when they whine.  Rabbi Levi, in the Midrash Tanchuma also talks about a spoiled brat: “A child is riding on his father’s shoulders. When the child sees something he wants, he asks for it. His father gets it for him. This happens again and again. They encounter a person approaching from the opposite direction, and the child asks the stranger, ‘Have you seen my father?’ The father responds incredulously, “You ride on my shoulders and everything you want I get you, yet you ask, ‘Have you seen my father?’ The father then takes the child down from his shoulders and a dog comes and bites the child.”

This week’s Parshah, Beshalach, is also known as Shabbat Shira (Shabbat of Song). Bnai Yisroel leaves Egypt. Pharaoh, realizing what he has done, gives chase with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. Trapped by the Sea, Bnai Yisroel looks to Moshe for an answer. Moshe prays and God tells Moshe to take Israel and start walking through the Yam Suf.  So as they begin walking into the Yam Suf; it splits and Bnai Yisroel arrives safely on the other side. Meanwhile, the Egyptian army is trapped in the water as the sea closes upon them.  B’nai Yisroel sings throughout this Parshah. Upon successfully completing their crossing of the Yam Suf, the headline song begins (Ex. 15:1): Oz Yashir Moshe u’Vnai Yisroel et Ha Shira Ha’zot L’adonai  va’Yomru Leimor Then Moses and the Children of Israel chose to sing this song to God and they said the following. In this song, B’nai Yisroel praises God as protector of his people. After the song, Miriam, Moshe’s sister, tells the women “Shiru L’adonai Ki Ga’oh Ga’Ah Sus v’Rochvo Ramah Va’Yam Sing to God for he is exalted above the arrogant, having hurled horse with its rider into the sea. Ex.15:21 When tradition referred to this Shabbat as Shabbat Shirah, clearly this is what was meant.

However immediately following these songs of praise, B’nai Yisroel begins another kind of singing. Instead of songs of joy and praise, known as singing, there are songs of  discontent and complaint, known as whining. No sooner does B’nai Yisroel cross the Yam Suf and sing Oz Yashir Moshe, then they complain about the lack of good water. Moshe puts a tree into the water and it becomes sweet (15:25-26). They whine about the lack of food. God provides the manna from Heaven (16:6-8,16-36). They complain about the lack of meat. God provides them with quail (16:13). They complained about the lack of water upon their arrival in Rephidim. Moshe strikes a rock as God instructs, and provides water for the people. They wanted it now. So God gave it “now”.

B’nai Yisroel lacks faith. They are still slaves. They live passively. They ceased struggling for freedom They performed their tasks and returned to their slaves’ quarters and ate their slave food that the master provided. There is no sense of responsibility for the future. There is no sense that improvement is possible. The slave looked to the master to take care of everything. Upon leaving Egypt and crossing the Yam Suf, B’nai Yisroel looks to God to take care of everything. They have no sense of taking take care of themselves. So they sang or whined, “But Daddy we want the water and meat and we want it now!” God gave them another miracle.

Like the impudent boy who asked the stranger if he had seen his father, while all the while sitting upon his father’s shoulders; B’nai Yisroel demonstrates the same impudence. Hayeish Adonai B’kirbeinu Im Ayin? “Is God among us or not?” The father put the boy upon the ground. God put B’nai Yisroel upon the ground. Just like the dog bit the boy, Amalek attacks. B’nai Yisroel.  B’nai Yisroel stopped whining. They finally do for themselves.  “Moshe said to Joshua, ‘Choose people for us and go do battle with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand’. Joshua did as Moshe said to him, to do battle with Amalek” (Ex.17:9-10). B’nai Yisroel fought, God gave them strength. This is the first time in the Parshah where we read that B’nai Yisroel acted first. God helped them when they helped themselves.

So what do we learn from B’nai Yisroel’s behavior at the beginning of the Parshah and the end of the Parshah. We learn that in order to have faith in God, we must have faith in ourselves. Before we seek God’s help, we must help ourselves. The spoiled brat is the child who won’t do for his/herself. The spoiled brat expects others to do for him. Instead of trusting in and doing for itself first, B’nai Yisroel relied upon God to do for them. Thank God, we are no longer slaves in Egypt, yet we remain slaves. We are slaves to our fears, we are slaves to our anxieties, and we are slaves to our own passivity. It is always easier to be passive, do nothing, be uninvolved, and not improve the world around us. The first step in freedom is conquering our own passivity, and doing for ourselves. Only when we take that first step will we feel the support and strength that God offers us. Then we can conquer Amalek. Then we conquer our own fears. Then improvement is possible for both the individual and the community.  Most importantly, we eventually stop whining.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Actions Speak Louder Than Words, But I'm A Man With Great Experience (Otis Redding - "Hard To Handle")

Earlier this week, I started my morning like I always do and I turned on my favorite morning news show. The talking heads were discussing the General Colin Powell’s appearance on Meet the Press and his criticism of the state of the Republican Party. Our son came downstairs as I am watching and asks who they were talking about and who that African American person is. I explained that Colin Powell had been a General, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. Our son asked if he was a friend to Israel. I told our son the following story about Colin Powell. “The South Bronx of the 1950’s was a thriving community that was predominantly home to Orthodox Jews. There was a baby store on the corner of Westchester Ave. and Fox, called Sickser’s. While the language of the store was primarily Yiddish, all languages were spoken since so many different people purchased baby items from Sickser. One spring day, when business was unusually heavy, Mr. Sickser went outside and stopped the first young man he saw and offered him a job. The young teen-age boy smiled and took the job. He proved to be an excellent worker, willing to learn, diligent and honest. Despite his Jamaican background, he picked up enough Yiddish that he could converse with those Jewish customers whose English was not fluent. While attending CCNY (City College of New York), the young man kept his job with Sickser as it offered him stability. The young man graduated from CCNY with a degree in Geology and Engineering. He did several tours of duty during the Viet Nam War. Along with General Schwarzkopf, he was the unquestionable authority during the Persian Gulf War. He became a Five Star General, and Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Colin Powell is now the Secretary of State. In 1993, upon meeting then Prime Minister, Yitzchak Shamir, General Powell said to him “Men Kent Reden Yiddish” (We can speak Yiddish). Shamir was stunned. Powell never forgot his early days in the Bronx. More important, Powell never forgot the lesson: The object in life is to do good. Work within the system, apply oneself to obligations and everything is possible.”

  In this week’s Parsha, Bo, we read all about actions and deeds. God’s actions are embodied by the final 3 plagues. The tenth and last one being the destruction of Egypt’s first born. Pharaoh’s actions are embodied in his calling to Moshe and Aharon, in his apology (Ex. 10:16), in revoking the apology, and finally in sending B’nai Yisroel out. B’nai Yisroel’s actions are embodied in the 16 separate, yet seemingly redundant actions concerning the Pesach holiday as explained in Ex.11:4-13:16. From the Paschal Sacrifice to “remembering this day”, there is a sense that Moshe tells B’nai Yisroel of God’s plan before he hears it from God. There is also the sense that we, as the readers, must read the instructions two or three times. First we read the instructions as given to Moshe. Second, we read the instructions as given to B’nai Yisroel. Third, God reiterates all this to Moshe and B’nai Yisroel three days into their journey. Perhaps this sense of redundancy is best illustrated in chapter 12.  VaYeilchu VaYa’Asu Bnei Yisroel Ka’Asher Tzivah  Adoshem et Moshe V’Aharon, Kein Asu -B’nai Yisroel went and did as God commanded Moshe and Aharon, so did they do (12:28).

Fundamental to Judaism is the notion that we must do Judaism. Ultimately we are judged by actions. We are a people of Mitzvot, Chukim, u’Mishpatim (commandments, statutes and judgments). These Laws and Statutes govern our behavior.  On Yom Kippur, we stand before God and our fellow human beings and seek forgiveness for our actions, and for our behavior. We are a religion built upon actions and deeds, not creeds and dogmas.The Sefer HaChinuch, the 14^th century book of Mitzvah education explains the redundancy from the Jewish perspective of judgment based upon action and deed. “A person is influenced in accordance with his actions. His heart and all his thoughts are always drawn after the deeds in which he is occupied, whether he is good or bad.” Even a person who is thoroughly wicked in his/her heart, and every thought is evil, if his/her spirit is aroused to do Torah and mitzvot, even for the wrong reasons, eventually he will veer towards good. The heart follows the deed. Likewise the person who is thoroughly righteous, and honest, but constantly engages in questionable behavior or a questionable occupation, at some point his/her heart will turn from righteousness. “For this reason the sages said: God wished to make the Jewish people meritorious; therefore he gave them a multitude of Mitzvot.”

            Upon our actions, we are evaluated. Upon our deeds, we are judged. In Parshah Bo we read how our ancestors behaved with merit. They observed God’s instruction, and finally, they left Egypt. Every day we have the opportunity to do good.  Fortunately for us, we neither have the hardship of slavery, nor the torturous workouts to prepare us for all of life’s possibilities. To be mentshlekite we need only learn and apply what we learned to doing good.  So on that early morning discussion with our son, I reminded him that his job is to learn and to do at least one good thing for another person.
          

Peace,

Rav Yitz

And the Politicians Throwing Stones (John Barlow & Bob Weir - Throwing Stones)

A famous Italian Renaissance writer once wrote the power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When leaders, leaders of business, leaders of congregations, and leaders of nations fall out of touch with Amchah, with the people, those leaders become vulnerable to losing their grip on power. When leaders start to actually think that they are bigger than the group, then the leader will eventually lose control of the group. Every leader, from Presidents and Prime Ministers to Priests and Rabbis, leaders must always remain aware of the very tricky tightrope upon which careers are balanced. Leader must remember for whom they work, what they represent, and to whom they are answerable. When leaders fail to remember these things, then leaders become arrogant and out of touch. Like all leaders both historical and fictional, this arrogance or hubris generally leads to their downfall. We saw it with King Saul, Macbeth, and we see it in the boardroom of AIG and some in Toronto think that we see it in the Toronto Mayor’s office.

In this week’s Parsha, Va’eira, we read of the importance of leadership while avoiding arrogance. We read of leaders remaining in touch with Amchah (the people), even when Amchah doesn’t listen and fails to cooperate. We read of the terrible results when leadership becomes arrogant, out of touch, and without a sense of limits. We learn that seven times Moshe and Aharon went before Pharaoh and asked that B’nai Yisroel be freed in order to serve God in the wilderness. Seven times Pharaoh’s heart hardens and he refuses. The Parsha begins with G-d telling Moshe of the covenant, and that although he revealed himself to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov; he did so with a different name (Ex. 6:3). Therefore, we can surmise that Moshe had a very different type of revelation and relationship with G-d than our forefathers.

This different relationship manifests itself in the conversation that transpires in Ex.6:10-13. “Then the Lord spoke to Moshe saying: Go and tell Pharaoh King of Egypt to let B’nai Yisroel out of his land. But Moshe spoke before the Lord saying: Look, B’nai Yisroel have not heeded me; how then will Pharaoh heed me, seeing I am of uncircumcised lips? So the Lord spoke to Moshe and Aharon and commanded them to B’nai Yisroel and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.” God never spoke this way to any of the Avot (Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov). Nor did they speak to God like Moshe. While there are many ways to understand God’s response to a dejected Moshe, certainly one way is within the context of leadership. God essentially tells Moshe to get back out there with his brother and do what needs to be done. God also tells Moshe, that both he and Aharon must first go to their constituency even before confronting Pharaoh. Why go to B’nai Yisroel? They don’t listen and they don’t pay attention. Besides, the authority that Moshe and Aharon must confront is Pharaoh, not B’nai Yisroel. Moshe and Aharon must remain in touch with the people, even if that means increased frustration and diminished efficiency in achieving the ultimate goal. Moshe and Aharon cannot lose touch with the people or the people lose touch with the covenant and even with God. 

God implicitly tells Moshe that humility is required for leadership. Rambam re-iterates this in a specific ruling: “It is forbidden for a person to lord it over the community in a domineering manner but he must exercise his authority with humility and reverence; it is likewise forbidden to treat the people with disrespect even if they are ignorant… Though they may be ordinary common folk, they are the children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov…. He [the leader] should rather bear patiently the cumbrance of the community and their burden…Look at Moshe…God gave them a charge to Israel which our tradition takes to mean that  Moshe and Aharon accepted the yoke of leadership of the people on the understanding that they will curse and stone them.”

This first step in humble leadership is acknowledgment of limitations. Hence, we read Ani Adonai, “I am the Lord”, seven times in the Parsha. Moshe and Aharon should never forget that. While it may be humbling for the leader to admit that there is still a greater being, it is even more humbling for any leader to admit that he/she must also be answerable to Amchah. Moshe and Aharon learn this lesson. Pharaoh does not. For many leaders it is often the most difficult lesson to remember. Leadership must answer to both God and to Amchah.

Peace,

Rav Yitz