And The Seeds That Were Silent All Burst Into Bloom And Decay (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Eyes Of The World")

Well it happened again.  Over the past 7-10 days there have been two terrorist attacks. One occurred in Brussels, approximately 35 people were killed and nearly 300 were wounded. This past Sunday, Easter Sunday, there was a terrorist attack in Pakistan where Christians were targeted, 72 were killed and approximately 340 were injured.  Each of the terrorist was a Muslim fundamentalists linked to ISIS. As I watched the news, and I watched my children watch news, I thought about the victims. Normally, I think about the terrorists, the environment in which they operated their religious fanaticism. This time, however, my thoughts gravitated toward the victims. No, I did not know any of them. Rather, the most obvious thought came to light. Each of these victims was someone’s child. Children were killed, millenials were killed, baby- boomers were killed. No matter their age, each of those killed had parent.  I watched my children and I tried to imagine how the authorities told the parents that their child was killed in a terrorist attack, and I tried to imagine the parent’s response to such horrific news.

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Parah. The weekly Torah reading is Parsha Shemini. However, at the very end of the Torah reading, an excerpt from the first 21 verses from Parsha Chukat that discusses the laws of the Red Heifer, are read. Parsha Shemini consists of three chapters. The first of the three chapters discusses the Aaron’s final preparations and offerings that makes prior to his taking over the responsibilities of the Priestly service, offerings and opening of the Mishkan. He makes a Chatat, a Sin Offering, he makes an offering on behalf of the people, he blesses them, and everyone sees the offering is accepted by God. The second of the three chapters tells the narrative of Aaron’s two eldest sons deciding to make their own illicit offerings after the ceremony concludes. Their offerings are not only spurned but Aaron’s two sons are consumed by the fire of the offering. Moshe has to tell Aaron, his brother, the tragic news,  Aaron listens, Aaron mourns in his own way, and then Moshe warns Aaron and his two youngest sons to be sober when making the offerings and to be in an appropriate state of mind. The third of the three chapters discusses the laws of Kashrut and specifically those animals that are permissible to eat and those that are prohibited to eat.  The Parsha concludes with Hashem reminding the people that Kashrut is an expression of holiness and just like God is holy; B’nai Yisroel’s behavior must express its holiness and the holiness of its relationship with Hashem.

Aaron’s two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, “each took his fire pan, they put fire in them and placed incense upon it and they brought it before Hashem an alien fire that He had not commanded them. A fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem.  (Lev. 10:1-2). Moshe must now bring the news of the sons’ death to Aaron. Aaron’s response is amazingly dignified, profound and linguistically simple: VaYidom Aharon – And Aaron was silent.  Ramban, the great 12^th century commentator explains that until Moshe approached Aaron and offered an incredibly humane explanation as to what transpired, Aaron had been weeping. Moshe told Aaron Bikrovai Ekadeish – I will be sanctified by those who are nearest me.  Upon hearing Moshe’s explanation and consolation Aaron’s weeping ceased and he “silence” was an expression of his accepting Moshe’s consolation. Other commentators suggest that Aaron’ had been weeping because he mistakenly thought that his son’s were killed as a result of Aaron’s involvement with the Eigel Zahav – The Golden Calf. Moshe’s explanation convinced Aaron that he had been completely absolved of his involvement with the Golden Calf. As the Kohen Gadol who understood the nature of Korbonot, of offerings; intellectually, Aaron understood that nothing spiritually impure could ever be in close proximity to Hashem. The fact that Moshe suggested that his sons were in such close proximity to Hashem gave Aaron great comfort. Aaron’s silence should not be construed as a lack of sadness or loss. Rather Aaron’s silence demonstrated a profound belief in God despite suffering a tragic loss, and the strength of acceptance.

I can’t imagine hearing such tragic news and greeting it with silence. I can’t imagine that I would be capable to demonstrate my unwavering belief in God with silence; yet our tradition teaches us that when we hear tragic news we say Baruch Dayan Emet –Blessed is the God of Truth. The response doesn’t mean that we are neither weeping nor wailing on the inside. The response doesn’t mean that we are insensitive to the loss of those most treasured by us. Rather, we understand that sometimes the death of a loved one, certainly, God Forbid, the death of a child, seems so random and so out of order and utterly unfathomable; there are no words. Instead there is only the truth of silence. For all those parents who received the tragic news that their child was killed in Brussel and in Pakistan, there only response is the silence in the re-affirmation of life.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Don't Waste Your Breath To Save Your Face When You Have Done Your Best (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Built to Last")

           This week we watched as another terrorist attack rocked Europe, this time in Brussels. As our home had been preparing for Purim; I couldn’t help but acknowledge the commonly held view of the Talmudic Sages that there is Haman in every generation and there is Amalek in every generation. Part of our Purim preparations involve my wife organizing and making the Mishloach Manot, our kids loading the Mishloach Manot into cute boxes, and my delivering the Mishloach Manot. Amid the preparations, and our kitchen covered in Hamentashan dough, I was able to watch the various Presidential candidates speak at the AIPAC conference. In case the Jews who attended the conference, and those throughout the United States and Canada were unsure if Purim was actually scheduled for this week or not, several of the candidates were good enough to remind us. As I listened to the speeches and re-read their speeches, I can appreciate the reasons why many support Donald Trump. His rhetoric sounds very tough and very strong. We know that there are many who genuinely gravitated to people who appear strong, whose words are strong, who exude strength, and speak in a language that offers no apologies, takes no prisoners,  makes no excuses and “tells it like it is”. As a business man, Donald Trump’s political rhetoric is remarkably similar to his business negotiations. For the Donald, every deal is about demonstrating power absolute terms. This means that after he finishes negotiating, there is nothing left of the other side. For Trump, a negotiation is really about destroying the other side. This “Art of the Deal” was a very different negotiating style than the one I learned from my grandfather. For my grandfather, a negotiation was very rarely a demonstration in power. He knew he had plenty, rather it was to demonstrate the ability to withhold the use of power. For my grandfather, a negotiation was never about vanquishing the other side, instead he always made sure “leave something on the table” in order for the counterpart to “save face”. My grandfather made sure never to humiliate his counterpart because, as he explained to me, “you never knew when and if you might need a favor from him or if have the opportunity to do more business.” Many years ago, I once wrote my grandfather’s name as a write-in vote for a Presidential election. It’s pretty safe to say, I would never vote for Trump.

             This week we read from Parsha Tzav. In it we learn that the Kohanim are responsible for their own offerings as well as making offering on behalf of the people. God instructs Moshe to teach the Kohanim their responsibilities in slaughtering the offerings, cleaning up, what must be burnt, and what the Kohen may consume. After God completes the set of instructions specifically for the Kohanim, God then instructs Moshe as to B’nai Yisroel’s responsibilities as well. Finally God instructs Moshe to make the required preparations for the Kohen to assume his position among the people. This includes the bringing of sin offerings, achieving a certain spiritual mindset as well as learning how to make all the offerings.

            As the instructions are issued concerning each offering, there is a general patter. V’Zot Torat [name of offering] Hakreiv –And this is the law of the meal offering (the peace offering, the feast offering etc.) However the Sin Offering breaks with the Parsha’s formula.  Zot Torat Ha’Chatat Bimkom Asher Tishacheit Ha’Olah Tishacheit HaChatat Lifnei Kodesh Kodashim Hu – This is the law of the sin offering; in the place where the elevation offering is slaughtered shall the sin offering be slaughtered, before God, it is most Holy (Lev. 6:18). Why is this the only offering that designates a specific place that is exactly the same as another offering? If this offering to God is so important why wouldn’t the offering take place separate in its own time and in its own location? Precisely because it is so important, and this offering requires such sensitivity, we are extremely concerned. One makes the Sin Offering after an unintentional sin is committed. If someone points out a mistake that we make, our first response might be defensive, to make excuses. This is normal if we experience shame and embarrassment. However when we are not embarrassed, when we are not humiliated then it is much easier to admit to the sin, or the mistake and apologize in a humble manner. If the Sin Offering occurred in its own location, then everyone else would know that those people had sinned and were now making offering as a form of apology. People would talk and the individual bringing the offering would perhaps be too embarrassed to work on his/her relationship to God. This is tragic. So in order to preserve the individual’s dignity, the Torah provides anonymity. Someone looking on would never know if the individual making the offering is there with a sin offering or an elevation offering. Torah creates an environment to allow the individual be forthright, honest and still save face within the community.

            As we continue to listen to Trump’s rhetoric, as we continue to be told that “he loves Israel” and that he is great negotiator; I wonder how his rhetoric will play in  a part of the world that respects power as the well as the threat of power. I wonder how his rhetoric will play in a part of the world where tribes go to war when they feel as if they are humiliated and have lost face. I wonder if he can speak with the subtle nuance that is spoken between Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, a language that allows Israel to actually get along with several of her neighbors.

           

Peace,

Rav Yitz

And You Don't Seem To Hear Me When I Call (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "So Many Roads")

Amid the newsworthy coverage of Prime Minister Trudeau’s visit to the White House, amid the bluster and noise that is Donald Trump’s campaign for the Republican nomination, amid the relaxed joy of spring training and the anticipation of another baseball season, my children came home from school last week talking about another terrorist stabbing in Israel. These random attacks have been occurring for months but for some reason this particular attack was very different. The story made the news cycle for a minimal amount of time. No one from our circle of friends in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Toronto, or Israel, knew the young man., He wasn’t Jewish. Yet when our children came home to talk about the incident, for some reason, the tragedy called out to all of us in a slightly different manner than what we have grown accustomed to. Maybe we have all grown accustomed to Israelis, and Jews, suffering at the hands of these terrorists in Israel. Certainly when a terrorist attack occurs outside of Israel and all different types of people are killed (most recently Paris and California), the news coverage is very thorough and the story occupies a large part of the news cycle. Taylor Force was graduate of West Point, a veteran of several tours of duty in Afghanistan, a Vanderbilt University MBA student who was studying Israel’s entrepreneurial environment that led it to be call “Start Up Nation”. However last week Taylor Force was murdered at the hands of a Hamas terrorist in Jaffa. Those of us exposed to the western press, heard about the story but it received minimal coverage in the mainstream media. It seems that the mainstream media didn’t quite hear enough in order to cover the story or maybe the story itself didn’t call out to the “right” people so that it would receive appropriate coverage. Yes the State Department made a statement, albeit a typically diplomatic statement condemning the violence on both sides of the conflict. Vanderbilt University issued a statement as did the Hillel at Vanderbilt’s campus. Interestingly enough many Jewish educators, and Rabbis took to Twitter and Facebook to offer condolences to Taylor’s family and condemn this heinous act. Even our children heard the calling of another senseless act of terror.  

This Shabbat we begin the third book of the Torah with the Parsha of the same name, VaYikra otherwise known as Leviticus. Unlike Breishit and parts of Shmot which were narratives or other parts of Shmot with were a series of legislative acts, teaching us law after law; VaYikra is something very different. We are all able to relate to narrative and to stories. We can even read the law that governed biblical Jewish society and admire the laws’ humanity, admire the ethical lessons the law tried to teach or even admire the people that the law tried to protect. However when we begin Parshat VaYikra, we all have a problem connecting to the concept of Korbonot, the term used to describe animal sacrifices. We all have difficulty connecting to the various types of Korbonot; the animals permitted for an offering, and the technical aspects of the offering. Do we really need to know how to check of the animal, and to slaughter the animal? Do we need to read about sprinkling the blood of the animal; roasting the animal, and finally eating the animal? Parsha VaYikra and in fact the entire book of Leviticus truly challenges those of us living in modernity. If for no other reason, we are challenged because we don’t have a Mishkan, we don’t have a Holy Temple and we don’t make animal sacrifices. We all understand the concept of proximity within a relationship. A KoRBon from the Hebrew root KeReV, means to draw near, to approach. A Korbon was our ancestors’ way of drawing closer to God. However even before God teaches Moshe all the mitzvot concerning Korbonot, God does something very unique, something that God had never done before to Moshe as a way of drawing him closer.

The first word of the Parsha and the book already creates an environment of “concern for proximity”. VaYikrah El Moshe, VaYidaber Adoshem Eilav M’Ohel Moed Leimor – He called out to Moshe and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of the meeting saying. (Lev. 1:1). God called, God spoke and God said; three very similar verbs yet slightly different. One calls out to a person when trying to get his/her attention. Rashi, the great 11^th century French commentator, offers several explanations. First this “calling” is Lashon Chiba – a language of endearment. God was calling out to Moshe in a loving gentle manner, and only to Moshe, no one else since no one else heard God’s call. Once called and Moshe approaches, God “speaks” to him. Speaking to someone assumes a partnership or a dialogue. This partnership might not be 50/50, and the dialogue might not be an equally two sided dialogue but it assumes a response. However, “telling” someone to do something neither assumes partnership nor dialogue but rather the transmission of information or instruction without questions. For the first time, God Vayikra el Moshe. God called out to Moshe as a means of singling him out for a vital task: to instruct the Kohanim and the people the appropriate way for them to draw near to God – Korbon. As important as God’s calling out to Moshe, was the fact that Moshe was able to hear God’s call. Moshe was that sensitive, and in tune with his relationship to God.

Sometimes we are not able to hear so well. Sometimes we don’t hear God’s calling out to us. Sometimes God calls out to us for good and sometimes we are called to bear witness. Our silence is a manifestation of fact that we failed to hear a “calling”. When the press misses the story, and focuses upon the bluster of an individual; it fails to hear the calling of its purpose – to bear witness to injustice and evil. Interestingly enough, the world, or at least those connected to the world, connected to digital media, those who pay attention and listen and are able to cut through the noise and really hear the “calling” heard a university mourning, heard a family mourning, heard Army friends mourning, heard classmates mourning. When Prime Minister Netanyahu called Taylor’s family and offered his condolences, an entire country, a country that was not even Taylor’s mourned for him as well. Thankfully our children were able to hear and bear witness as well. VaYitrzror Bitzror HaChayim et Nishmato - May Taylor’s soul be bound up in the bond of life.

Peace,

Rav Yitz