She Went Down To A Tailor's Shop And Dressed In Man's Array ( "Jack A-Roe" - Traditional Folk Song)

Earlier this week, there was a particularly disturbing news story about three teenage British girls (15,15,16) who packed their respective suitcases, went to the airport, boarded a flight to Turkey, and from there planned to make their way across the border into Syria and join ISIS. As the story broke, the parents of these teenagers were interviewed shaking their heads, shocked that their daughters had become radicalized. Their sibling were interviewed and they begged from their sisters to return to England knowing that once they enter Syria and join ISIS they will never be able to leave. Each news story showed the three girls wearing the traditional garb of religious Muslim women including a hijab (traditional scarf head covering). If and when they arrive in Syria and join ISIS; they will add a niqab (face covering) and burka (a full body cloak).  At first we all thought that hijab was an expression an Islamic woman’s extreme religious fervor. By the time the news story finished and we saw the niqab and the burka, we realized that the hijab was actually an expression of moderate religious fervor compared to the other two articles of clothing. Soon after the story broke, we were in a mall and my son and I were walking in front of two woman wearing the entire uniform: head covering, face covering and full body cloak. We were wearing our kippot.  We heard the two woman speaking Arabic. Maybe it’s the times in which we live, maybe it’s my own ignorance, maybe it’s a bias that has developed over the past 15 to 20 years, maybe it’s the images that I see in digital media or print media regarding Islamic fundamentalism, terrorist attacks, and the every increasingly loud call for Jihad; but I held my son’s hand just a little tighter, walked just a little quicker and was just a little bit uncomfortable. I felt this way simple because of the clothing that these woman were wearing.

This Shabbat, we read from Parshah Tetzaveh, and in it we learn about the uniform of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. Just like last week’s Parshah was a series of instructions on the way in which a physical space becomes beautified and holy, Parshah Tetzaveh offers a series of instructions on the way in which a certain individual’s physical appearance is beautified, and glorious. From head to toe, we are told that each item of the Kohen Gadol’s priestly uniform is made of fine linen, valuable stones, gold, cotton silk turquoise wool to name just a few of the ingredients. Certainly we could understand the Parshah from a superficial perspective but to do so would be to misunderstand a deeper and perhaps more powerful message. We live in a society where “clothes make the man”. Make no mistake, clothing also make the woman. Clothing defines who and what we are, and sometimes it defines our beliefs and even the depth and fervor of that belief. However Parshah Tetzaveh is teaches us something radically different. Instead of clothing making us look sharper, slimmer, better proportioned, what if clothes could express our intelligence, our emotional health, our sense of decency, the holiness that exists within our soul and the degree to which that holiness is expressed. What would such clothes look like? Such clothes would have to express the degree to which we have permitted God into our lives. Such clothes would have to express the holy magnificence of God’s presence within our lives.

            The Torah is very clear as to the reason for such highly decorative, highly ornate clothing. V’Kidashti et Ohel Mo’Ed v’Et Ha’Mizbeach V’Et Aharon v’Et Banav Akadesh L’Chahen Li – I shall sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the Altar; and Aaron and his sons shall I sanctify to minister to Me (Ex. 29:44). God’s presence will make the Tent of the Meeting holy. In other words, God’s presence will make a particular space holy.  Aaron and his son’s, serving on behalf of the people must achieve a higher degree of holiness compared to the rest of the people since Aaron and his sons work on behalf of the people directly dealing with God. This higher level of holiness must exist both inside and outside. Any inconsistency renders his the Kohen Gadol impure. If the clothes become physically dirty, then he is momentarily impure. If his heart wanders, if his mind is elsewhere, if he has not completely given of himself to the process and the service to God on our behalf, then he is momentarily impure as well.

            If this was seventy five years ago we would be uncomfortable if we saw young men in brown shirts, tall leather boots and a swastika. If this was twenty years ago we would be uncomfortable if we saw a group of teenagers  with shaved heads, tattoos, and symbols of Aryan Nation on their jackets. Nowadays if we see men and woman, dressed in clothing that is not only the clothing of religious fervor but is clothing that has been co –opted by Muslim extremists that want to bring harm to the world. While clothing always expressed socio-economic status, religious belief, political affiliation and gang affiliation; now the combination has become much more toxic and dangerous to those vulnerable young people being actively recruited in the by a perverse and evil ideology.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Full Of Hope, Full Of Grace Is The Human Face - (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Throwing Stones")

One of the joys of parenthood as well as the inconveniences of parenting occurs when I have to help my children with homework or a school project. It’s a joyous exercise because, hopefully, I will see our children intellectually stimulated and engaged. Watching our children think and arrive at the answer or a possible answer; might very well be one of the top activities I get to witness. However the inconvenience lies in the fact that sometimes they are intellectually lazy, they aren’t interested in learning but only desire the answer. Very few things leave me more frustrated than my children exhibiting intellectual laziness. The other day I had a difficult but joyous moment with our ten year old son.  Earlier in the week, we all watched the news out of the Middle East; the growing evil known as ISIS and the recent be-headings of more than 20 Egyptian Christians on the shores of Libya. We all watched; we were all repulsed; and we all wondered when this evil will be vanquished.  Later that night I was helping our son with a book report. He needed me to help him find pictures that focused upon the Ukrainian and Polish partisans that fought against the Nazis. Needless to say we found some pictures of partisans taken by partisans and we found many pictures of Partisans taken by Nazis. Needless to say the pictures taken by Nazis always featured the Partisan corpses, either hanging on a gallows or, piled in an open grave. Some showed partisans in Nazi custody.  Only pictures taken by partisans or the press featured partisans alive and free. As our son continued to scan the pictures looking for something appropriated for his book report, he began to well up and he found it more and more difficult to look.  Finally he said that he couldn’t look anymore and asked why there was and continues to be so much evil. “The world is such an ugly place.” Then he hugged me.  For a moment I had no words. For what seemed like an interminable amount of time, I couldn’t think of what to say, I couldn’t find words of comfort; words that my son needed to hear.

This week’s Parshah is Terumah. Terumah means “a portion”. In the context of this week’s Parsha, the portion in question is the portion of wealth that B’nai Yisroel would dedicate to the construction of the Aron, the ark that would hold the Luchot Habrit (the stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written), the lamp, the table, and the material for the Ohel Moed (the tent of the meeting). All of which comprised the Mishkan or the Tabernacle. If you are in construction, interior design, or architecture, the details in Parsha Terumah are fascinating; and if you’re not then all those details might seem a bit dry. Whether a fan or not, whether an architect or not, there are certain objects, the construction of which is nothing less than miraculous and perhaps more allegorical than literal in meaning. However what is not allegorical but rather spiritually re-assuring given the myriad of laws that we have read from Yitro and Mishpatim is the goodness and kindness in the human soul.

There are two moment in the Parsha that stand in stark contrast to assumptions about human nature from Parsha Mishpatim. In the previous Parsha, when we read about the prohibition of accepting bribes, perverting justice, selling servants to third parties rather than returning to them to their original owner;  we understand that there is an assumption that human nature is not so wonderful. In fact one could argue that we are supposed to rise above human nature, rise above our animal like inclination, Yetzer HaRah (the evil inclination), and be better. So when we read that God wants to live among Bnai Yisroel: V’Asu Li Mikdash  V’Shachanti B’Tocham; a Godly aspect would only do so if the dwelling, if the people’s behavior merited God’s presence.  Certainly the physical qualities of the structure would be impressive but more important is the fact that Shechinah would dwell among Bnai Yisroel as long as they did not succumb to human nature. Not succumbing to human nature became evident immediately. Before the construction, before the blueprints, Bnai Yisroel already operated above human nature. They contributed materials Kol Ish Asher Yidvenu Libo – ‘every man whose heart motivates him’ (Ex.25:1). Contributions were based upon the most divine aspect of their souls. Every aspect of the process focused upon that part of the human soul that was beyond human nature. That divine aspect merited God’s presence in the camp. That divine aspect galvanized a community, and figured out how to serve God in a way that appealed to the best of humanity.

I finally figured out the words that might bring comfort to our son as he could only see darkness, evil, and awful way in which people have been treating each other for centuries. Like the Aron would be a beautiful gold arc carrying the Ten Commandments, like people contributed selflessly rather than selfishly; I was reminded that the world has a lot of beauty. I told our son that despite what he had seen on the news and the pictures he saw while putting together his book report; the world had lots of beauty. Maybe we have to look a bit harder to find the beauty rather than ugliness, but it is there and when we find it we appreciate that much more. I reminded him that he should always work hard and search for the beauty in spite of the all the ugly he will encounter.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

So I Give You My Eyes, And All Of Their Lies (John Barlow & Bob Weir -"Black Throated Wind")

The other night, as our family sat down for dinner, we engaged in our unwritten routine. Everyone sat in the seats that they had assigned themselves, their Makom Kavuah. My Wife served dinner to the children first and then she served us. I turned on the weeknight NBC newscast. As our children ate, they all noticed something was slightly askew. The food tasted like mommy’s cooking. Everyone looked the same. No one seemed to be acting differently, yet for a moment our children couldn’t quite figure out what was different. Then our daughter look up at the TV as we were listening to the newscast and asked about the person who usually reports the news. She had noticed, quite correctly, that the normal anchorman, Brian Williams, was not reporting the news. There was a different anchorman. “Is he sick?” they asked. “Is he on vacation?” they wondered aloud. I told them that he removed himself from being the anchorman because he and had come under pressure at the network for embellishing the truth. While some say he lied, which seems to suggest something pre-meditated, at the very least he stretched the truth and embellished his experience from 10-12 years ago while reporting during the Iraq War and during Hurricane Katrina. They asked what the connection was between his embellishing and removing himself as Anchorman.  We had a fascinating discussion about assumptions that we make about people who transmit information to us. It was a teachable moment about trust, and questioning sources of information. Interestingly enough it also turned into a teachable moment of Torah.

This week’s Parsha is Mishpatim. Moshe is still at Har Sinai. However the revelation that occurred with the giving of the Aseret Dibrot (Ten Commandments) is long gone. Instead, God has now started giving Moshe numerous laws that affect the day to day issues raised by human interaction. There is no shofar blowing, there is no anticipation of meeting God at the mountain. Rather there is only God telling Moshe how to decide various legal matters including the damages to be paid if my ox gores your ox; two men are fighting near a pregnant woman and she gets hurt,   and how to treat to a Jewish servant, observing festivals, the issues of liability for those who are asked to safeguard another’s property as well as manslaughter, to name just a few of the fifty three commandments (according to the Sefer HaChinuch).  Moshe tells these laws to Bnai Yisroel and they respond with the words Naaseh v’Nishmah – we will do and learn.  The Parsha concludes with glowing fire upon the Mountain that Moshe ascends once again.

In the midst of the more than fifty Mitzvot and within the midst civil law appears a commandment that seems more like a warning than a commandment.  Midvar Sheker Tirchak V’Naki V”Tzadik Al Taharog–Distance yourself from a false word; (Ex. 23:7).Usually a commandment uses language such as “do” or “don’t”. In fact the commandments that immediately appear before and after uses the commandment language of “do” or “don’t”. This is the only commandment that tells us to Tirchak – distance ourselves and as a result creates inherent subjectivity. One person’s distancing from falsehood might not necessarily be another person’s distancing from falsehood. So why the relativism as compared to the absolutism of the all these other commandments? Perhaps the ability to discern falsehood carries with it a degree of subjectivity. Perhaps the Torah and later the sages understand that falsehoods are relative, relative to severity, relative to intent and even relative to harm. In Breishit Rabbah, the Talmudic Sages commentary upon the Torah, we learn: “When the Holy One Blessed be He was about to create mankind, the ministering angels divided into two parties. Mercy said: ‘Create him!’ Truth said: ‘Do not create him since he is all falsehood’ “.  However the same Talmudic Sages teach in the Masechet Chullin (the Talmudic Tractate that deals with all the laws of Kosher ritual slaughter) HitRacheik Min HaKiOr U’Min HaDomah Lo V’Min HaDomah L’Doma – Keep far (distance yourself) from ugly dealings and that which smells of them, or even remotely resembles them (Chullin 44b). One statement acknowledges that a world only built upon absolute truth might very well be a harsh world that is not particularly forgiving. The other statement, like the Torah’s warning, reminds us that if we spend too much time near falsehood, then the world might become corrupt and no one would trust systems and institutions. We need to have enough judgment as to determine when we are too close to falsehood that it leads to mistrust.

Brian Williams’ absence from the NBC anchor desk exemplifies the failures to distance oneself from falsehood. If unchecked, the failure to create distance ultimately causes mistrust.  For most institutions, including the press, success or failure is directly related to whether the public perceives trustworthiness. For years, Walter Cronkite, the legendary CBS anchorman was considered to be the most trusted man in America. If he has embellished or exaggerated the truth, then the perception of mistrust will hamper his ability to connect to the public and the public would not believe what was being reported.  As our children watched the news, and then ask their mother and me to clarify certain statements, or offer background, context or even judgment they are now aware of the correlation between the transmitter of information and the information itself.

Peace.

Rav Yitz