Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Mama Tried To Raise Me Better But Her Pleading I Denied; That Leaves Only Me To Blame 'Cause Mama Tried (Merle Haggard - "Mama Tried")



Since last weekend, we have been riveted with the ongoing catastrophic flooding that has occurred in Houston and vicinity because of Hurricane Harvey. We have seen shocking and heart wrenching pictures of rescues, of lost loved ones, of people who have lost their homes, lost everything except what was on their back and what they carried. We have watched neighbors form a human chain to rescue a pregnant woman rush her to the hospital in order to give birth.  Amid the property loss, damage and death, we have watched people reaching out to care for those in need. Keeping in mind what happened in the preceding weeks in Charlottesville, my faith in humanity and the United States was re-affirmed by a simple picture of an African American policeman rescuing two white children in his arms and carrying them to safety.
This Shabbat, we read Parsha Ki Teitzeh. Moshe teaches us the laws concerning war, creating an environment for soldiers to behave as honorably as possible. We learn that everyone, whether “loved” or “hated” has rights under the law as well as entitlements. We learn that every one of us is responsible for the other. If we see something that has been lost by our neighbor then we pick it up and return it. Moshe re-iterates that human relationships can either be holy, between a husband and wife, and between parents and children or unholy by crossing the boundaries of those relationships. Moshe reminds the people that children will not be punished for the sins of their parents, nor will parents be punished as a result of their children. In such a situation there would be no need to add punishment since the parents of the child or the children of the parent would be punished enough just having been touch by the situation. Essentially this morning’s Parsha is all about human relationships designed to maintain individual holiness as well as communal holiness.
So it is troubling that we are confronted with one of the most controversial commandments of the Torah. Ki Yiheyeh L’Ish Bein Sorer U’Moreh Einenu Shomeiah B’kol Aviv U’vkol Imo, If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son, who does not hearken to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother V’Yisru Oto v’Lo Yishmah Aleihem and they discipline him, but he does not hearken to them, then his father and mother shall grasp him and take him out to the elders of his city and the gate of his place. They shall say to the elders of the city, B’Neinu zeh Sorer U MorehThis son of ours is wayward and rebellious, he does not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.” All the men of his city shall pelt him with stones and he shall die;  U’viarta HaRah Mikirbecha  and you shall remove the evil from your midst (Deut. 21:18-21). The literal meaning of the verses suggests that in the extreme case of an evil child who is beyond help, and clings to evil the way the rest of the community clings to holiness, such a child must be eliminated.
We should all recognize the fact that Moshe’s presentation of the “Rebellious Child” is theoretical. The Talmud makes the point that “there never was nor will there ever be” a child to be put to death based upon this law. Rashi, the 11th century Northern French commentator, explains that the harshness of the punishment is not for crimes already perpetrated rather it is to prevent this amoral, evil person to grow up and wreak greater havoc upon society. Rather than allowing him to die as an older person with his victims’ blood on his hands, Moshe teaches us to eliminate this person before there are more victims. Theoretically Rashi is merely stating what so many of us already take for granted in terms of our place within society.  The greater good is the highest virtue. How else can we understand Houston city officials choosing to empty some of the reservoirs that are at capacity and its structural integrity threatened. Emptying the reservoirs will contribute to the flooding; however it will be less damaging than if the dams and reservoirs break.
The Jewish calendar indicates that it is approximately ten days in the final month of the Jewish Year, the month of Elul. When Elul concludes, a new year will commence. As we approach Rosh Hashanah and a new year; we begin evaluating ourselves, we can take a lesson from this theoretical case. The death of such rebellious person is a result of not mending one’s ways, of not engaging in Teshuva. Such a person’s soul is already dead, or at least that is what the Torah is symbolically telling us. So let us have the strength and courage to make sure that we never allow ourselves to slip that far and in doing so, the rebellious child that resides within in us can grow and evolve into a mentsche.
Peace,
Rav Yitz

Thursday, August 24, 2017

And The Politicians Throwing Stones; So The Kids, They Dance, They Shake Their Bones (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Throwing Stones"



          Last weekend, while our son was reading Torah and chanting Haftarah in a shul in Efrat, while Neo Nazis had already marched and the world was waiting for the President to denounce the Neo Nazis, and while Israel waited three days  for Prime Minister Netanyahu to denounce the Neo Nazis; a story of corruption has been plaguing Prime Minister Netanyahu.  In fact four cases of corruption have been raised including the acceptance of gifts, illegal purchases of submarines and negotiating with an Israeli newspaper to insure positive coverage. Being here in Israel, there is weariness when it comes to Netanyahu. Nowhere was this more evident than last Shabbat lunch.  Two friends of ours, one political liberal from Tel Aviv and one political conservative from Efrat were arguing politics as all Israelis do. However as much as they disagreed about solving the Palestinian –Israeli conflict, both agreed that Netanyahu was not part of the solution. Why? The perception is that Netanyahu is only concerned about Netanyahu and remaining in power.
                This week, we read from Parsha Shoftim. Moshe has completed his lecture on the values of monotheism and covenant. Now he begins telling B'nai Yisroel all the nitty gritty details of living a Jewish life within this community. What a downer! B’nai Yisroel is inspired and ready to enter into Eretz Canaan and begin living the life in the land that God had promised their ancestors. They are now ready to begin fulfilling the dream that allowed them to survive centuries of slavery. So what does Moshe Rabeinu do? He brings them crashing back to reality. Now they will listen and understand laws concerning war, punishments for idolatry, choosing a king, jurisprudence, priestly entitlements and unsolved murders. Moshe gives B’nai Yisroel a healthy dose of reality by supplying all the details required to uphold the Covenant.
            Implicit in Moshe’s lecture, implicit in a society, any society for that matter, is the role of justice. Justice provides a check and balance to corruption. However the concept itself let alone the reality of it can also become corrupt and perverse. Hence it is not enough for Moshe to tell us Shoftim v’Shotrim Titen Lecha  Sh’Arecha Asher Adoshem Elokecha Notein Lecha Lishvatecha  V’Shaftu et Ha’Am Mishpat TzedekJudges and officers shall you appoint in all your cities- which Hashem, Your God, gives you -  for your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. Moshe must explain what “righteous judgment” means, its foundation for a civilized society, its difficulty to maintain, and the brutal honesty required. Lo Tateh Mishpat – You shall not pervert judgment, Lo Takir Panim – you shall not recognize a person’s presence, V’Lo Tikach Shochad Ki HaShochad Ye’Averi Einei Chachamim Visaleif Divrei Tzadikkimand you shall not accept a bribe, for the bribe will blind the eyes of the wise and make just words crooked (Deut 16:18-19).
            Justice, as we have learned, is supposed to be blind. Whether poor or wealthy, whether blue collar crime or white collar crime, justice is supposed be oblivious to our tendency to automatically side with the downtrodden or the wealthy and privileged person. Why? Because corruption is blind as well. The poor can be corrupt and so can the wealthy. Corruption knows no barriers to color, religion, gender or nationality. The only barrier to corruption is our own individual constitution and desire to Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof – Righteousness Righteousness shall you follow (Deut. 16:20). For Bnai Yisroel and for the Jewish people, our sense of Justice comes from Torah, these laws and the fact that justice must remain utterly pure without a blemish. Later on in the Parsha we are taught that a king, the one person who must wield justice, must write two Sifrei Torah. One he carries one he keep pristine and locked away only to be used to check against the “everyday Torah”.
            No, the corruption charges that Netanyahu faces don’t appear to be going away. Yes, the corruption charges have diminished the effectiveness by which Netanyahu governs. Yes it’s frustrating to listen to our son the Bar Mitzvah, shake his head and wonder aloud about moral leadership, and the importance of service when a leadership is more worried about self promotion,  enriching his own wallet, and working outside the democratic process. However even more troubling, as we have seen Israel, and spent time with close friends who have made Aliyah, is to hear our son’s concern and disillusionment when he says that he didn’t think that a country built upon Torah would have leaders that were corrupt, just like leaders in other countries. All I can tell him is that whether a society is built upon Torah or not; power can corrupt.
                                                                                      
Peace,
Rav Yitz

Saturday, August 19, 2017

And If You Go, No One May Follow, That Path Is For Your Steps Alone (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ripple")

          It has been quite the emotional week. We arrived in Israel. Our son became Bar Mitzvah as he was called to the Torah and read from the Torah standing before the Kotel in Jerusalem. We will be in Efrat for Shabbat as he read Parsha Re'eh as well as chants the Haftarah as well. Besides the joy and pride we all felt for our son, as is typical of everything Jewish, our simcha was mixed with a bit of heart-ache. This also the week of my grandfather's 3rd yartzeit. I never realized until I began writing my speech for my son, that his Hebrew birthday and my grandfather's yartzeit according to the Jewish calendar are both Parsha Re'eh and are a few days apart. 
          This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. "See I present before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut.11:26). V'haklalah Im Lo Tishm'u el Mitzvot Adonai Eloheichem V'sartem Min Ha'Derech Asher Anochi M'taveh Etchem ha'yom La'lechet Acharei Elohim Acheirim Asher Lo Y'Datem-"And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did know." (Deut. 11:28) Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to it covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds B'nai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns B'nai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds B'nai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, caring for the less fortunate and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Below are my words to my youngest child and only son at the time of becoming  Bar Mitzvah on Thursday morning of Parsha Re'eh.



          "So I wanted to offer you an eitzah that is based on your Parsha, that comes from the Sfas Emet, the Gerrer Rebbe  from about 1870-1905. It was said that when the Sfas Emet died, a great light in that part of the world was extinguished. So for me, when I want to get in touch with my inner jewish hippy, my inner Hasid, I gravitate towards the Sfat Emet.  The Torah tells us: Ki Im El HaMakom Asher Yivchar Adoshem Eloheichem miKol Shivteichem LaSum et Shmo Sham L’Shichno Tidreshu Uvata SHamaRather, only at the place that Hashem, your God, will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name shall you seek out his Presence,his dwelling, and come there. Certainly this is reminiscent of the Kadosh Baruch Hu, at the time of the Akeida, telling Avraham that he will show him where to go with his son Yitzchak. Its reminiscent of Avrham as much younger man, leaving his home and going to a place that God would show him., Certainly we could understand Moshe’s words as  reminding B’nai Yisroel of the sanctity and the importance of Israel, and the centrality of Israel to Torah and Jewish identity. 
           The Torah uses words like seek.  Torah tells us that God will choose a place.  The Sfas Emet reminds us that that HaShem’s choice is not revealed until B’nai Yisroel “seeks”.  Because we are commanded to seek Shechino, his dwelling, we are tasked to seek holiness. Holiness is in Time and Space. Holiness is in your Neshama, Holiness is in your choices and in the way you live your life. That is the constant choice you will make HaYom. Today – and after you make such a choice today; that will lead you to another choice tomorrow. Each and every day requires you to make a choice to seek holiness, to seek Shechino, to seek the goodness that resides in you.  My son, you are a seeker, you seek knowledge, you seek light, you seek goodness,  and you seek to bring goodness to the parts of the world you touch: whether it is your affectionate nature, your inquisitive mind, your  winsome smile and personality;  or the fact that you are the kid that sees a child sitting alone, looking upset, and you check on that child, or include that child in whatever it is you and your friends are doing. You’re the kid that instinctively looks out for those younger, weaker and more vulnerable.  Continue to be a seeker, always be a seeker, seek to improve yourself, seek knowledge, seek goodness, seek  holiness, and as you have come to understand, seek the best possible you that you can be.  When you seek, you will clearly see the choices laid before you and you will always choose wisely.  Today - and and all the "Todays" that will follow."

Peace,
Rav Yitz