Takes Time, You Pick A Place To Go Just keep Truckin' On (Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia et. al. - "Truckin'")

Last week, Ottawa experienced a terrorist attack aimed at Canada’s democratic institutions.  I didn’t know about it until our daughter, who is working in Seattle, texted me the news.  I turned on a U.S. news outlet that was covering the story.  Different news shows, with different talking heads, were interviewing eyewitnesses, FBI anti-terrorist authorities, as well as Federal and Provincial law enforcement. When I came home from work, our children asked if I had heard what occurred in Ottawa that day. “I did”, I replied. Then our son looked up at me and said, “Well I guess that means that there is nowhere safe from terrorist attacks.” I asked him what he meant. “Well, Israel has terrorist attacks, the United States has terrorist attacks like 9/11.” When I said that there must be some country that has not had a terrorist attack, he quickly answered, “Maybe but I would never want to live there. I have lived in America, mommy talks about living in Israel, and we live in Canada and I never heard about a terrorist attack in Canada until this week.”  I thought about what Prime Minister Harper said about democracy  and combating fear, I thought about what Mayor Rudy Giuliani said soon after the 9/11 attacks about New York being open for business and living in an open democratic society.  Just like my son quickly came to the realization that there is no such thing as an open democratic society invulnerable to a terrorist attack, now another country, Canada has to quickly come to the same realization and begin a different kind of national journey. Thankfully, Prime Minister Harper has already begun the journey as he has been an outspoken supporter of fighting terrorism, whether it be ISIS or Hamas. He has not only used words but has used deed as well by providing military and intelligence support to the United States in the war on terrorism.  With this recent attack upon a solider in Quebec and then the attack in Ottawa, the world seems to look a little different than it did a few weeks before. When my children look at the world from their “Canadian lens”, they see a similar world as when they look through their “American lens”. There are bad people, and bad ideas out there that want to hurt people innocent people living decent lives in nice places. For my children to arrive at that realization is a process and journey that will require faith.

                This week's Parsha is Lech Lecha. In it, God commands Abram to leave his father, his homeland and everything he has ever known and go to a place where God will show him later. Abram does. He heads down towards Egypt because of a famine. Eventually, Abram leaves Egypt with money, flocks, servants, and wealth. Lot, Abram's nephew, and Abram decide to part ways since each their respective flocks not only become intermingled but their hired hands fight among each other. Abram then fights against several kings in an attempt to protect Lot. Then his wife Sarai, who is barren, tells Abram to make Hagar (the maidservant) the surrogate mother. Abram listens and Hagar has a son named Ishmael. She runs away and then returns. God tells Abram a prophecy. Abram will become the father of a great nation, and that nation will become enslaved for several centuries and then will return to the land that God promised Abram. Then God instructs Abram to circumcise himself, his son Ishmael and all the males of his household.

All these seemingly unrelated events are linked together by the explanation offered by the Talmudic Sages. Beginning with Abraham receiving the command Lech Lecha, to go, from his father’s home, his place of birth and his country to a new land, God was testing Abraham’s worthiness to receive God’s Brit, God’s covenant. (Mishnah Avot 5:4) Rambam, the great 12^th century Spanish physician, philosopher, commentator and Halachist, explains that these tests were not for God’s benefit. After all, God know what the result of the test will be. Rather, Rambam explains that the test is for the benefit of the person being tested. The Parsha begins with a seemingly superfluous word, Lecha for you. Ordinarily a command should be Lech – Go. However God says “Lech Lecha” – Go for you/Go for yourself.  Meaning Avraham’s going and the ensuing tests that Avraham will face is for Avraham’s sake. The test are designed to prove to Avraham that he is worthy of this unique relationship with God. It’s one thing when a parent, a teacher, or a mentor believes in us. However if we don’t believe in ourselves, then it doesn’t matter how much confidence other may have, we still may feel unworthy or unable to succeed.

            The same holds true for communities and countries. Like the United States democratic ideals, values and institution were tested on 9/11, Canada now faces a similar test. Will Canada cower to the terrorists? Like other democracies that experienced terrorist attacks, Canadians inherently understand that the Democracy will only cower to terrorist if it gives into fear.  Should there be more security? Certainly. Should Canada become a closed society where individual rights are trampled in the name of security? It seems that Canadian politicians and the Canadian electorate, need to embark upon a journey for the good of the country, a journey that the United States began on 9/11, and determine the delicate balance between security and reduced risk while maintaining the sanctity of individual rights and freedoms. Like I explained to my son, Canada, is still a safe place to live, and a good place to live.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

If You Get Confused Listen To The Music Play ( Robert Hunter, Bill Kreutzman, Jerry Garcia - "Franklin's Tower")

With the Jewish Holidays behind us, we have returned to the mundane. Kids are now in school every day, my wife and I go to work every day and we all run errands every day. Most important is that I actually get to read the news and see the news every day. During the three weeks of Jewish Holidays, I always feel that I am unaware of what is happening in the world. Sure I am able to find out the sports scores, and if there was some huge news event, I would hear about it. As news/ political junkie, these three weeks are really a test in keeping up with what is occurring in the world.  In my home country, the news is spun in a certain way and as a result people talk past each other and nobody seems to listen whether it is about containing Ebola, or dealing with ISIS. As I watch the mayoral race in Toronto unfold, I see excerpts of mayoral debates and see that the candidates talk past each other rather than discuss issues. In Israel, sure Israelis talk to each other but there is no discussions between Israel and it Palestinian counterpart. In fact, Hamas claims that they are reconstructing some of their damaged tunnel.  All the talking past each other or at each other breeds confusion. Confusion seems to breed fear and once fear sets in, well that seems to breed some type of paralysis.

This Shabbat we read from Parsha Noach. This Shabbat we read from Parshat Noach. Comprised of two distinct narratives; both deal with the theology of chaos and confused boundaries. First we read the story of Noach, God’s disenchantment with creation and mankind’s behavior, the instruction to build the Teva (the Ark), the Flood as punishment for mankind’s unethical behavior, the covenant made between God and Noach and the resulting offering to God, and then an odd story about Noach’s drunkenness and one’s sons inappropriate behavior. The second distinct narrative is also about chaos and confused boundaries. This time mankind confuses boundaries and trying to build a tower up to the heavens. The result is that God scatters mankind across the earth by making mankind speak numerous languages and making communication difficult.

 While both narratives can conceivably stand alone; both narratives are related. As manifested in the previous in the story of Creation, God is a god of creation and order. Therefore, in order for God to destroy, order must be removed or chaos must become firmly entrenched.  Meivi et HaMabul Mayim AL HaAretz L’Shacheit Kol Basar Asher Bo Ruach Chayim Mitachat HaShamayim Kol Asher Ba’Aretz Yigvah – I will bring the flood of waters upon the earth  to destroy all flesh, in which is the breath of life from under heaven, and everything that is on earth shall die. Clearly from the text there must be other kinds of floods besides water, otherwise we do not need to be told that this particular flood is one that involves water. The message is that God will punish creation by instituting chaos for a period of time. Later in Chapter 11 as mankind begins building a tower up to heaven God becomes disappointed again. Vayomer Adoshem  Hain Am Echad V’Safah Achat L’Chulam V’zeh Hachilam La’Asot V’aAtah Lo Yibatzeir Mei’hem Kol Asher Yazmu La’Asot – Behold the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be withheld from them which they have schemed to do. Hava Neirdah V’Navlah Sham Sfatam Sher lo Yishmu Ish  Sfat Rei’eihu – Come let us go down and there confound their language, that they may not understand on another’s speech. Instead of the flood of water, God created the flood of language and confusion the flood of a cacophony. From now on there will be a different type of confusion, a confusion of communication between people. No longer be a confusion between the boundary of God and Mankind.

Thousands of years late we still struggle with the results of this different type of confusion. However that is not to say that this confusion in communication cannot be overcome. The only way to overcome the confusion and cacophony of language is one simple act -listening. As an action, “listening” is an act that we all struggle with. Individuals struggle with it, politicians struggle with it, the press struggles with it and nations struggle with. I know that I struggle with listening.  Perhaps the difficulty and the struggle to listen effectively means that we have to put ourselves and our stuff aside even before we hear what the other person has to say. However if we can manage effectively, confusion would diminish and our responses might become more efficient and effective, both for individuals, communities and countries.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

If My Words Did Glow With The Gold Of Sunshine (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ripple")

In between Festivals, copious amounts of food, eating in a Sukkah, and smelling the beautiful fragrance of the Etrog, another season has been upon us. In our home, when presented with the opportunity, we have been celebrating Major League Baseball’s Postseason. For my wife, a native San Franciscan, this has been, so far, a joyous period of time corresponding nicely to the joy associated with Sukkot, Shemini Atseret, and Simchat Torah. For me, our eldest daughter and our son this has been a bitter sweet time as we are happy for Mommy but the season seems empty without our beloved New York Yankees and especially Derek Jeter. So besides watching baseball, we have taken to watching the very classy commercials about Derek Jeter, in particular the Gatorade commercial, as well as numerous articles about him. One article particularly poignant article discussed the most meaningful number and statistic of Derek Jeter’s career. Yes he was 6 all time in the number of hits, 3465 is the total number of hits, and he won 5 world series to name a few of the numbers that he compiled over a 20 year career. However the most meaningful statistic is “0”. Zero was the number of times that he was thrown out of game, zero was the number of times that he showed up an umpire, zero was the number of times he said something controversial, the number of times that he publicly humiliated someone, and the number of times that he lost control of what comes out of his mouth.

This Shabbat, the first Shabbat of a new Torah cycle, we begin with Breishit, and the story of Creation, the story of Adam and Eve, the story of being thrown out of the Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden); the story of fratricide as Cain murders his brother Abel. However it is in the very first Chapter, in the very first few verses that we are introduced to God. For these very few verses, we learn about God not as God interacts with humanity, but rather how God interacts with God’s self. Or if we were to assume the Midrash, then we could understand how God interacts with the rest of the spiritual world and the Angels.  In these first few verses, in this first chapter, God creates. However the activity of “Creating” embodies several sub activities that, when put together becomes part of the process of Creation. God sees that that there is something missing, God makes a statement, God divides something, God evaluates (judges), and then God goes to the next step.  Vayomer Elokim Yehi Or VaYehi Or- God Said: “Let there be light,” and there was light. VaYar Elokim et Ha’Or Ki Tov Vayvdeil Elokim Bein Ha’Or U’Vein HaChoshech – God saw that the light was good, and God separated between the light and the darkness.  VaYikrah Elokim La’Or Yom v’LaChoshech Karah Laila – God called the light : “Day” and the darkness He called: “Night (Gen.1: 3-5). Within the God’s creative process, God says, God sees (in order to judge/evaluate), God separates and God calls (or names).  Two out of the four steps involve some aspect of communication and specifically speech.  On the sixth day when God created Adam and breathe the Ruach HaKodesh, the Divine Spirit, into him, what was Adam empowered to do? In the Second Chapter, Adam has been given the authority to give names to God’s creation. Adam calls a cow “cow”, and calls a tree “tree”.  The divine spirit that God breathed into Adam is speech.  The most mundane activity, talking, is perhaps one of the holiest acts that we could possible engage in.

Most of us take speech for granted. We waste words. We waste time and words by public demonstrations of emotions. We waste words speaking ill about someone else or trying to get a rise out someone else. He happily listen to or watch someone say something controversial. In reality, we are demeaning the Ruach HaKodesh, the most divine aspect within our souls, by not using our power of speech for sacred purposes, for learning, for prayer, for offering praise and support. Yet in the course of 20 years, our children’s’ autumn hero, Derek Jeter, never said a word that demeaned himself. He achieved “0”. Zero is a circle, a circle is perfection. During the course of a 20 year career he was perfect in being able to control himself and never say anything that would warrant being tossed from a game, never embarrass himself or humiliate another.  Yes we will watch the rest of the baseball playoffs, I just wonder how many players, in the heat of the moment will be able to exert enough self-control to achieve zero.

Peace,

Rav Yitz