If You Get Confused, Listen To The Music Play ( Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia,& Bill Kreutzman - "Franklins Tower"

Our eldest daughter has been quite busy these past few months and for the next week, until election- day she has explained that she is so busy that 18 hour days are quickly becoming normal. She explained that she no longer works in her office but now with days before the Presidential Election, she works in something called “The Boiler Room”, and a “War Room”.  When we speak, and she can barely afford 2 – 3 minutes of precious time, during which I ask her about the polling in Pennsylvania, and how Philadelphia and it suburbs look. She is responsible for voter registration and turnout for parts of Philadelphia and it suburbs. I have started to sense that she has grown tired of her family calling, nervous and anxious for her, and how the result will impact upon how well she is perceived to have done her job. Has voter registration increased? Has more people voted? Was voter turnout high? Were the precincts she was responsible for, voting resoundingly Democratic or Republican. Amid all the chaos that is her job, amid the chaos of her boss’s emails, she has reminded me of an August 25^th Bloomberg Market report “Citigroup claims that a “Trump victory in November could cause a global recession,” and at the very least lots of political and economic uncertainty with trade partners and countries with whom the U.S. has treaties and cooperative relationships. Whenever my conversations get a little too long and she becomes a little impatient, our daughter reminds me that she is trying to prevent the chaos and that I really need to hang up and let her get back to her work.

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 Parsha, 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.

The flood of chaos and the struggle to handle chaos is part of our human condition. The first narrative, the Noach narrative, teaches that chaos is now part of creation and in a sense a type of punishment. The second narrative, the Tower of Bavel, teaches us that chaos is part of the everyday human life. It is part of our task as human beings as we struggle to elevate ourselves from the animal aspect of our existence to the spiritual aspect of our existence that we create order from chaos. To do so is a Godly endeavor. To do so allows us to transcend the physical world. Who would have thought that a presidential election, no matter how un-likeable each candidate might be, could be distilled into chaos and order? I just hope that no matter what happens, our daughter can continue to maintain order in world amid the chaos that she will be experiencing over the next several days.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Lost Now On The Country Miles In His Cadillac (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Cassidy")

Our teen-age daughters spent the last days of the Jewish Holidays, Shemini Atseret and Simchat Torah, with their camp friends in the New York metropolitan area. Everyone had a great time. However the journey down towards New York almost ended in one of them missing out on their re-union. The plan was simple enough. Last Saturday night, while listening to the Chicago Cubs defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers on the radio, I drove our daughters down to my parents in Rochester, NY. My parents, who were driving to New York to spend Simchat Torah with their other granddaughter, were to provide a ride to the New York Metropolitan area. We had arranged for the daughter heading to Teaneck to be dropped off at a Teaneck area hotel just off the highway. From there, my parents would drive into New York City, and drop our other daughter off at my sister’s apartment. From there, she would take a cab with her aunt or her grandmother to the East Side, where she would meet her friends and get a ride to New Rochelle. The Teaneck bound daughter should arrive by 2:30 the latest, and the New Rochelle bound daughter should arrive at the Upper East Side by 3:30 the latest. We arrived on Saturday night, happy that the Cubs were going to the World Series. I asked my father if he needed directions to the Teaneck hotel. He said he didn’t as he had already downloaded the directions and even confidently stated that he knew to get into the local lane in order to exit off of I 80 East.  I spent the night, woke up the next morning and returned to Toronto. My parents and daughters left Rochester and began the drive to New Jersey. By 11:30am I had arrived in Toronto. Their drive was just fine. By noon, they were about 45 minutes from Teaneck. Then the adventure began. They were lost in Teaneck. My father missed the exit. He tried to double back. He became more lost. He kept stopping and asking for directions and he proceeded to get more lost, more anxious and more upset.

This morning we begin the Torah from the very beginning in Parsha Breishit. We are all familiar with the narrative of this Parsha. The first chapter focuses upon the narrative of creation from God’s perspective. The second chapter focuses upon the narrative of creation from a humankind perspective. The third chapter focuses upon Adam and Chava’s disobedience of God, their obedience to the serpent their partaking of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and the resulting consequences. The Fourth chapter focuses upon the family’s growth, sibling rivalry as well as fratricide. The fifth chapter focuses upon ten generations of the family’s genealogy beginning with Adam and Chava and concluding with Noach and his sons. In the sixth chapter, God expresses disappointment with mankind’s behavior and God expresses disappointment in his creation.

There is a moment after Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge, and they realized that they had failed to follow directions. VaTipakachna Einei Shneihem VaYeidu Ki Eirumim Heim – then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized that they were naked. By eating from the Tree of Knowledge, their eyes opened.  They had become enlightened. They had become “aware” of their existence in context. They were not like other aspects of creation.  Despite this enlightenment and this awareness what do they do? VaYitChabei Ha’Adam V’Ishto Mipnei Adoshem Elokim B’Toch Eitz Hagan – and the man and his wife hid from Hashem God among the trees of the garden.  They tried to lose themselves amid the trees. So when God asks Ayeka – Where are you? God knows where they are. The problem is that they do not know where they are. They don’t answer the question.  Et Kolecha Shamati BaGan VaIra Ki Eirom Anochi VaEichavei – I heard the sound of You in the garden and I was afraid because I am naked, so I hid. This answers the question of why did you hide? But the answer to “where are you” is simple. It is an answer that more spiritually mature and aware people will offer. The answer to the question “where are you?” is “here”. Such an answer suggests that the person is not so lost. Or the answer the question “where are you?” is “I don’ know”.  If Adam is enlightened because he ate from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam’s response is disturbing. He is not as enlightened as his descendent Avraham who will respond “Hineini -Here I am”. Nor is he enlightened to know that he is lost. To be lost suggests at least knowing the destination but not knowing how to get there. Adam can’t answer the question because he doesn’t know where he is going nor does he know from where he comes. He only knows that he is naked and without purpose.

Eventually, I managed to get my father to the highway heading towards the George Washington Bridge. They were stuck in traffic for a while, but eventually managed to drop off our daughter at the rendezvous point and she arrived at her final destination in time. Yes, they had been lost, but they always had in mind the final destination. Yes they had been lost but they always knew that the direction they needed to go, eventually they would find the right path. Needless to say, everyone arrived where they were supposed to be and everyone had a wonderful end to the Chagim.  I guess next time I will make sure to buy my father a GPS so that way when I ask him

“Ayeka – where are you?”, he will know.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Don't Give It Up You Got An Empty Cup Only Love Can Fill (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Comes A Time")

Among the more interesting experiences that my family and I have enjoyed while living in Toronto, has been experiencing U.S. Presidential campaigns from outside the U.S. First, living outside the U.S. during this time allows for a bit of an escape as opposed to the national obsessing that has been occurring south of the border.  Second, by living outside the U.S, we have wider perspective as part of our “calculus” for voting is now influenced from the perspective of how the rest of the world views the candidate. Third, by being outside of the political storm we can see things a little clearer than those who live in the storm. We have watched the debates. We have spoken frequently to our eldest daughter who has been living in the storm that is a Presidential campaign for nearly 18 months. As we watch the campaign from across the border, there have been numerous times where we have shaken our heads in disgust as this campaign has seemed to be a race to the gutter as Donald Trump has demeaned the process in terms of his language, his behavior, and his lashing out at numerous constituencies including fellow Republicans. However what has been particularly revealing is the insight he has given us into his character. As the campaign has evolved, as incendiary statements have been made, as he didn’t engage in any preparation for the first debate, as tapes were discovered in which he discussed groping women, as he missed an opportunity to apologize and prepare for the second debate, and has polls indicate diminished support for him, Trump began to do something unprecedented. As the futility of campaigning rose, he began planting the seeds of a “rigged election”, that the “fix” was in, and if he anyone but Trump wins, then the new president-elect out to be considered illegitimate. That idea, an idea that he had been sharing at numerous “Trump Rally’s”, now became explicit this week during the third debate. Trump’s stunning closing comment now attempts to spread his sense of futility of his campaign to the futility of the entire voting/electing process.

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot, the Intermediate Sabbath of Sukkot holiday, one of the Five Scrolls is traditionally read.  On this particular Shabbat, we read from Sefer Kohelet, the scroll of Ecclesiastes. According to the tradition, Shlomo HaMelech, King Solomon, towards the end of his life, wrote this Megillah, this scroll. Tradition has this perspective because the language is not one of optimism but rather realism. This is a person who as “seen it all” – Ein Kol Chadash Tachat HaShemesh – There is nothing new under the sun! There is a certain harsh realism and a certain sense of harsh optimism.  V’Saneiti et HaChayim Ki Ra Alai HaMa’aseh SH’Na’aseh Tachat HaShemesh Ki HaKol Chavel – So I hated life, for I was depressed by all that goes on under the sun, because everyone is futile. The author provides us with a no holds barred sense of comfort. He does not coddle us. He does not baby us. He doesn’t offer any artificially sweetened philosophy, or anything will dull our pain, diminish our disappointment, or ease the fear of death. Rather the author shoves our faces in “reality”, telling us that our labor seems futile, and if it is futile what is the point of it?

Kohelet, the Preacher, explains that life does indeed seem futile. He shares his frustration that he has toiled and had to give to those who haven’t toiled. He shares his frustration that his work, his business seems futile because when the day ends, he is still worrying about his business at night. Kohelet seems to have no internal peace, no ability to appreciate the moment, nor does he seem to have a mechanism that allows him to find a sense of peace amid his perceived futility. So, Kohelet, the Preacher, begins to search, and begins to experiment with the various lifestyles, hoping that he will be able to find internal peace, that he will be able to develop an ability to appreciate the moment.  Certainly has we read the twelve chapters of a man striving for wisdom; we gain insight into his character. Kohelet shares with us what he has learned. V’Ra’iti Ki Ein Tov Mei’Asher Yismach Ha’Adam B’Maasav Ki Hu Chelko – I observed that there is nothing better for man than to be happy in what he is doing; Tov M’Lo Chaf Nachat Mimlo Hafnayim Amal UrUt Ruach -  Better is one handful of pleasantness than two fistfuls of labor and vexation of the spirit; Al T’Vaheil Al Picha V’Libecha Al Yimaheir- Be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God,  Ohev Kesef Lo Yisbah Kesef – a lover of money will never be satisfied with money;  Tov Lishmoah Ga’Arat Chacham M’Ish Shomeah Shir K’silim – It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man than for one to listen to the song of fools; and finally Sof Davar Ha’Kol Nishma et Ha’Elohim Y’Rah et Mitzvotav Shmor Ki Zeh  Kol Ha’Adam –The sum of the matter, when all has been considered; Fear God and keep his commandments for that is man’s whole duty.

If there was any one individual who might have thought a system was rigged; it was Kohelet.  His sensed of futility is indeed the modern day version of claiming that the system is rigged. Yet Kohelet is a man of great character, he is honest and comes to a powerful realization. The futility is the struggle to acquire, acquire money, fame and power.  Peace is realized by learning to appreciate the blessing that God had provided. The ability to appreciate is a function of wisdom. Wisdom is function of being able to listen to those have experience. Finally, Kohelet, the Preacher, explains that ultimately, the ability to appreciate the moment, the ability to find peace comes from observing God’s commandments because the commandments are based upon finding holiness, in each moment.   Donald Trump could learn a valuable lesson from Kohelet, and instead of thinking the system is rigged against him, maybe he should be a little more introspective like Kohelet. Maybe, then Trump will realize that his shortcoming are about him rather than everyone around him. Then again, maybe not, Trump doesn’t have character nor the intestinal fortitude that Kohelet does to enter upon such a journey.

Peace,

Rav Yitz