With Its Words Of A Life That Could Almost Be True (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Black Throated Wind")

Our nineteen-year-old daughter was confronted with a conflict while working as a camp counselor. Camp is scheduled to end two days before she needs to be at her university dormitory in New York City. She needed a week at home in Toronto before heading down to University. So she arranged with the camp to that she would leave four or five days prior to the official conclusion of camp. She and the camp agreed and signed a contract.  When I went to visit her, my wife and our two other children last week, she and I spoke about her early departure. She explained that she felt conflicted because originally she wanted to leave a week before the official conclusion of camp and the camp ‘s original position was that leaving early was unnecessary. Both sides compromised on four days.  As we spoke and she shared with me her frustration, I suggested that she speak to her boss, request an earlier departure date and simultaneously offer to forego being paid the last week. I thought my suggestion was completely reasonable. She gave me a look of shock and incredulity. Then she stated, “I have a contract, I gave my word”.

This Shabbat, we read from the final two Parshiot in Sefer Bemidbar (Book of Numbers): Matot and Masei.  This double Parsha begins with the laws of Nedarim (Vows), and then Bnai Yisroel fights against the Midianites. Moshe rebukes his officers for their collective failure to deal with the Midianite woman since they were the cause of Bnai Yisroel’s plague in the first place. Bnai Yisroel then begins the process of dividing the spoils of this battle. Two tribes, Reuben and Gad request to settle in the land east of the Jordan River and not the land promised by Hashem. Moshe expresses his anger over the request and the two tribes amend their request. Moshe adds a condition and an agreement is reached. The Torah recounts the various stops that Bnai Yisroel made on their journey to Eretz Canaan, the boundaries of Eretz Canaan are clarified, the new leadership is introduced and the cities of refuge of explained and established. Finally, Sefer Bemidbar concludes with a reminder of the laws for tribal inheritance. With all those loose ends neatly sewn up; Bnai Yisroel now sits on the eastern bank of the Jordan River waiting to enter Eretz Canaan. As we conclude the reading, we say Chazak Chazak v’ NitChazeik – From strength to strength we shall go forward in strength.

The beginning of the Parsha, with its focus upon Nedarim v’Shvuot Vows and Oaths, we are being reminded of two vital concepts. First, we are reminded of the Aseret Dibrot, of the Ten Commandments and specifically invoking God’s name in vain.  Ish Ki Yidor Neder L’adoshem When a man takes a vow to Hashem (Num. 30:3). Part of the process by which one makes a vow is to invoke God name. Therefore, a failure to keep the vow or the oath means that one has used God’s name in vain. The repercussions of which are extremely serious.  Second, we learned in Sefer Breishit (Book of Genesis) that speech is holy. Speech is part of the God’s creative process; Vayomer Elokim, Yehi Or, VaYahi Or- And God said: Let there be Light, and there was light. In a sense, speech is perhaps one of the only actions available to us that allow us to emulate God. When we make a vow or an oath, we are acting similar to God. A Neder is a pledge to prohibit oneself from something that that the Torah permits. Or a Neder can be obligating oneself to something that the Torah considers to be optional. Obligating one’s self to contribute to a specific charity would be an example of "obligating that which is optional". Refraining from apples would be an example of prohibiting something that is originally acceptable. In either case, the individual is truly acting like God. The individual is creating Halacha and making his vow and or oath becomes tantamount to Torah. Clearly, this cannot be taken lightly. After all, the severity of the language is a function of the fact that one makes this vow, pledge or oath to God and not to oneself or to another.  Fundamental to our vows with God is a trust in the relationship, trust that it exists, trust that it is desired by both and trust that is must be treated as sacred.

Indeed, my daughter made gave her word regarding her early departure from camp. Yes, she complained. Yes, she shared her anxiety as she wondered how everything would get done before her leaving for university. Yes, she was certainly shocked when I suggested that she calmly and reasonably offer to give up a week of pay in order to leave earlier than the time that had been agreed upon. All that time, as I listened to her, and made suggestions, I thought I was listening to my little girl. After she incredulously told me that she gave me her word and signed a contract’ my little girl reminded me that her mother and I spent the last nineteen years raising her to be a woman that kept her word.  I guess she is our little girl isn’t so little anymore. Indeed, she is a woman of her word.  

Peace,

Rav Yitz  

Can't You See That You're Killing Each Other's Soul (Jerry Garcia - Great Cream Puff War)

Earlier in the week, I went to the hospital to do Vidui, the final confession for an elderly man whose death seemed imminent. When I arrived, his family was there including children and grandchildren. After I did the Vidui, the children and the grandchildren needed to talk. They asked me about a funeral, whom to call, and what to do. The daughter in law, holding her youngest child on her lap asked me whether or not I thought it was appropriate to bring children to the funeral and to the cemetery. Unequivocally, I said that it was absolutely appropriate to bring the children and it is important for them to be with their family during this difficult time. I explained that children need to learn how to make sense of certain life cycle events. It should not be left up to their imagination, nor should they be alone. They should be with their family, free to ask questions and express their feelings. Also, they need to learn how to deal with this kind of loss since it is something they will contend with throughout their respective lives, and being with their parents and family for the first time is the safest way to learn how to deal with this type of loss.  I explained to this young mother, that the most important gift she and her husband can provide for their children is the emotional strength to handle loss and not be afraid.  The emotions of loss: grief, sadness, sorrow, despair are part of the process of dealing with these life cycle issues in a matter of fact type of way. I asked the young mother if she wanted her children to grow up being whole and complete people. She responded that she did. I explained that to be whole and complete means that her children do not grow up being paralyzed by life and death, nor becoming so emotionally distraught that they don’t know how to live life after experiencing such a severe loss. I suggested that might be the biggest gift parents can give their children, the tools to find Peace, a Brit Shalom, Covenant of Peace.

This Shabbat we read from Parsha Pinchas. The first few Psukim of the Parsha are a direct continuation of the previous Shabbat Parsha Balak. There is no elapse of time in the narrative. Balak concludes with a plague upon Bnai Yisroel for its worship of Moabite/Midianite god, Baal Peor. Aaron’s son Pinchas zealously acts by killing Zimri from the tribe of Shimon and Cozbi the Midianite woman. God tells Moshe to reward Pinchas for his behavior by giving him the Brit Shalom, the Covenant of Peace. This covenant is only for Pinchas and his descendants. Keeping in mind that B’nai Yisroel has now concluded it 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and are poised upon the eastern bank of the Jordan River; a new census is taken. Just like we needed to know how many left Egypt, we now need to know how many will enter into Eretz Canaan. After the census is taken Moshe must judge a legal case concerning the laws of inheritance when a man has only daughters. This brief narrative is about the “Daughters of Tzelophchad”. Following this narrative, God commands Moshe to teach the new generation the laws for time-bound offerings including the Shabbat offering, the Rosh Chodesh offering, the offerings for the Shelosh Regalim (Three Pilgrimage Festivals, etc).

Isn't it odd, or perhaps even disturbing, that Pinchas' zealousness, his subsequent spear throwing and impaling his targets is rewarded with a Brit Shalom - a Covenant of Peace and Brit Kehunat Olam - a covenant of an everlasting Priesthood? (Num. 25:12). Through our modernist lens, I imagine that most people consider or at least can understand why some may consider Pinchas act to be nothing more than fanaticism or vigilantism. The Neziv (Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Berlin Poland 1817-1893; the Rosh Yeshiva of the Volozhin Yeshiva) assumes that intrinsic to an act of vigilantism or fanaticism is a person whose soul and entire being is in turmoil and not in a state of peace.  The Neziv explains that the Brit Shalom is a guarantee of peace from an inner enemy, from whatever lurked within Pinchas that caused him to kill another human being without due process. "The Holy One, Blessed He, blessed him [Pinchas] with the attribute of peace, that he should not be quick-tempered or angry. Since it was only natural that such a deed as Pinchas' should leave in his heart intense emotional unrest afterward, the Divine blessing was designed to cope with this situation and promised peace and tranquility of the soul." We can now begin to make some sense of Brit Shalom, Covenant of Peace. Once Pinchas committed his first act of zealous defense of God's glory, perhaps it becomes easier and easier to commit a second, third or forty-eighth act in the name of God's glory. At some point, from the Neziv's perspective, the zealot's soul becomes damaged, the zealot's emotions are incapable of feelings, and the zealot's eyes become unseeing except through the lens of their zealousness, ideology, and the slavish adherence to defending its purity. The zealot, by definition, is an extremist. Jewish Law frowns upon extremism (see the laws of the Nazarite).  Precisely because the zealot does not know peace when he/she commits such an act, the only “gift” God could give Pinchas was that the tumult and turmoil within Pinchas’  soul should cease and his soul should become Shaleim whole, complete and at peace.

From this perspective, that Brit Shalom was not so much a reward of external gain as it was a reward for internal “normalcy”, the Brit Shalom and the Brit Kehunat L’Olam seem much more appropriate. Isn’t that what we wish for our children? We know that during the course of their lives there will be moments of tumult. We know that they will experience tension between their belief system and the realities of daily life. We know that they will be exposed to extreme emotions of joy, of sadness, of anguish and of anger. Pinchas received a Brit Shalom in order to manage the tumult within his soul. When parents and grandparents see their children and grandchildren's soul in spiritual and emotional tumult;  certainly they wish for nothing but Peace for their suffering children and grandchildren. Indeed, when children and grandchildren experience extreme and intense emotions that are an inevitable part of life; we pray that they will be able to return to a state of peace and contentment with themselves and their lives.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

But The Darkness Never Goes From Some Men's Eyes (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Throwing Stones")

Why did he have to do that? Why did Trump invoke Israel and antisemitism when siting four Democratic Congresswoman of color as, Socialist, haters of America and finally telling them to “go back where they came from” if they hate America so much? I am not a fan of three of the four congresswomen. I don’t like Ocasio-Cortez; I don’t Tlaib, and I don’t like Omar. I don’t like their policies regarding Israel, I don’t appreciate their comments regarding Jews and Israel. I also know that I would never have voted for them. They are 4 votes in the Democratic Caucus and if they were smart and so politically astute, they would focus more on keeping quiet,  trusting Nancy Pelosi, and focus on getting rid of Trump, rather making provocative statements on Twitter in order to get more followers.  However, of all people to use  Israel and Anti-semitism as a standard when trying to find a convenient political target to replace Hilary Clinton and “Lock her up”.  Trump was the guy who managed to find moral relativism in Charlottesville. Trump and his anti-immigration, pro-conspiracy international kabal inspired a gunman to kill Jews in Pittsburgh, and inspire another crackpot to manufacture pipe bombs and send them to at least two Jewish liberal billionaires who support left-wing liberal causes.  Trump is the guy that racists love. Trump is the guy that Neo-Nazi and white supremacists love. Trump is the guy that is praised by David Duke. So why did the guy that white supremacists and neo-Nazis love so much, why did he need to cite ‘anti-semitism’ and ‘love for Israel’ as part of his “America, love it or leave it” racial scree? Make no mistake, I can’t tell you how many observant Jews have said, “you know the President is right, they (the four freshman Democratic congresswomen of color) are anti-semitic and anti-Israel.”  I wince as I remind them of Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, and Poway because I understand that Trump has managed to weaponized Israel and Anti- Semitism among Jews, thereby making the Jewish community even more disunified.

                 This Shabbat we read from Parsha Balak. Balak was a Moabite King. After watching what B’nai Yisroel had done to the Ammonites, Balak was distressed. He realized that fighting B’nai Yisroel with a regular army was doomed to fail because he realized that God had blessed them. Being a clever king, Balak surmised that the only way to fight B'nai Yisroel was to fight them on a spiritual level. Since God blessed Bnai Yisroel, Balak wanted to find someone to curse them. There lived a prophet, a “Prophet Consultant,” a “hired gun” if you will, named Bilaam. King Balak hired Bilaam to curse B’nai Yisroel. Bilaam is visited by God and told not to curse B’nai Yisroel. Bilaam ignores the visitation. On his donkey heading towards B’nai Yisroel’s camp, and preparing his curses, the donkey stops. Although Bilaam could not see the angel standing in the middle of the road with a sword drawn, the donkey did. As a result, the donkey refused to continue forward. Finally, Bilaam realizes that there is a divine force in the middle of the road and must confront it. Bilaam listens and heads toward the camp. Looking down upon the encampment, Bilaam blesses B’nai Yisroel with words that we say upon entering into any synagogue, words that we teach our children at the youngest of ages. Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov Mishkenotecha Yisroel – How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel – Kinchalim Nitayu K’ganot Alei Nahar K’Ahalim Natah Adoshem Ka’Arazim Alei Mayim – stretching out like brooks like gardens by the river, like aloes planted by Hashem, like cedars by the water (Num 24:5-6). Try as he might, Bilaam is unable to curse Bnai Yisroel, rather he blesses them.

The Jewish people always have one or two questions when assessing people and governments. “Is it good for the Jews? Is it good for Israel?” Obviously, depending on the definition of “good”, the answer will vary. Also depending on which version of Israel matters, democracy or Jewish,  the answer may vary. Even how one understands “Jew” will cause the answer to the question, “is it good for the Jews” to vary. Certainly, Bilaam must be good for the Jews. Yes, he may have started off as wanting to curse the Jews, but that was because Balak hired him to do it. In the end, he not only offered a blessing, but we invoke that blessing every morning. Mah Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov – How Goodly are your tents O Israel. Those words of praise must be good for the Jews and good for Israel, right? Bilaam can’t be such a bad guy. No, the real bad guy must be Balak, the king of Moab, he is the guy that wants to curse Israel.  In the Talmud, Tractate Taanit 20a, R’ Samuel Bar Nachmani, suggests that the blessing isn’t really such a blessing. Bilaam invoked the mighty Cedar by the river when he blessed the Jews. Cedars do not grow in well-watered areas, its stock does not drive up new shoots and it has few roots. A wind from the South will uproot the Cedar and lay it flat on its face. Soon after this episode of Bilaam blessing B’nai Yisroel, he will devise the plan for Balak’s attempt to destroy B’nai Yisroel. It is Bilaam who brings the daughters of Moab in order to entice the men of B’nai Yisroel so that they begin acting like Moabites and the other idol-worshipping nations and dividing a nation.  So maybe Bilaam is not such a friend to the Jews after all.

                How bad is Trump for the Jews and Israel? He is awful. I don’t want Israel to be political fodder for the Republicans or Democrats. Support for Israel is in America’s best interests. When Israel gets weaponized by one political party against another, it is bad for Israel and it’s bad for the Jews. That’s how a right-wing, anti-immigration anti semite walked into a synagogue in Pittsburgh and started shooting. That is how and anti-semite, who believes that there is an international conspiracy taking over the world, walked into a synagogue in Poway and began shooting. Yes, it’s bad for the Jews because Trump and his weaponization of Israel and Jews create additional rifts within a Jewish community that will always be divided because of observance. It’s bad for Israel because it creates increased alienation between it and the less observant diaspora Jews. This phenomenon is played it in terms of generations and observance and contributes to the concern why Israel receives tepid support if any from the young, non-observant Jews. So regarding four woman of color, one of whom represents a district that historically was a Jewish neighborhood in Minneapolis, they are four women with four votes in Congress. They can have a twitter following of millions and millions but, only the people in their district can vote for them. So if the people in their district don’t vote for them, they are no longer in congress. If they decide to run for the Senate, even with all their millions of twitter followers, only those in corresponding states could vote for those women if they decide to run for Senate.  However, the President can affect foreign policy. The President can create an atmosphere that legitimizes racism, that looks at all brown skin people trying to immigrate to the United States as “illegal”, can appoint Supreme Court Justices, can sell the virtues of American and pervert is Democratic ideals in order to enrich himself. And that is bad for the Jews. Anything or anyone that threatens liberal democracy is ultimately bad for the Jews. History teaches us that we don’t do well in totalitarian governments. We didn’t do well in Communist Imperial Russia nor did we do well in Fascist Nazi Germany.  So maybe being loved and praised by Trump isn’t such a good thing especially when all the racists and white supremacist agree with him.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

You Can Trade Your Soul For An Electric Guitar (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Heaven Help The Fool")

Since last Sunday was particularly quiet, I took a drive and spent the day with my parents. I played some golf with my father, sat by the pool with my mother. When we talk, the subject matter is generally the same thing. My parents spend a lot of time talking to me about our four children: how they have matured, the kind of people they are, their plans, and then, like all Jewish grandparents; they “kvell” (take great joy praising how wonderful their grandchildren are). The next subject is their health. I listen as they share with me their aches and pains and their upcoming doctors' appointments. Often times we discuss Judaism and their Torah classes, and the myriad of questions they may have. Frequently, we discuss the news including politics, Supreme Court decisions and Israel. However, when the news is overly depressing, my parents will discuss sports. After everything that has been going on in Washington DC this past week, my parents and I discussed sports. It was a particularly uninspired week that even my mother joined in our discussion on sports. Thankfully, at this time of year, any discussion centered on sports usually focuses on baseball, free agents, and the trade deadline. We prognosticate as to what our favorite team will do in order to put themselves in the best possible position to win the World Series. During our discussions, my parents and I are always amazed at how a change of environment can truly affect a player’s outlook and performance. Whether it is the organization, the stadium, the fans, the fact that the player has a chance to play in the postseason, or just knowing that they are now playing for a team that wants them; we are always amazed how much better that player performs.

This Shabbat is we read Parsha Balak. In the Parsha, we read an interesting narrative that is filled with suspense, humor, intrigue, an apparent “midseason trade” and even a happy ending. It is interesting to note that throughout the Parsha, the focus is upon the outside world as it relates to the B’nai Yisroel. That is to say, Balak, the king of Moab and the tribe of Midian are the subjects of the Parsha. B’nai Yisroel hovers as the main reason for why the narrative is pertinent; however for once, Bnai Yisroel is not doing something wrong, they are not recipients of God’s anger. Instead, they placidly and temporarily settled on the plains of Moab waiting to enter into Eretz Canaan. Not until the end of the Parsha and only after the narrative of Balak and Bilaam concluded, does the Torah return to a narrative style with Bnai Yisroel as the subject of poor behavior and God’s anger. 

            Bilaam, a soothsayer is hired by Balak to curse Bnai Yisroel. By cursing Bnai Yisroel, Balak believed that this was the only way to defeat Bnai Yisroel since they had successfully waged war on all the indigenous tribes thus far. The donkey that Bilaam rides upon on his way to cursing Bnai Yisroel refuses to respond to Bilaam, Bilaam grows angrier and angrier. The donkey is able to see an Angel of God in the road and Bilaam the soothsayer cannot. So a humorous conversation between Donkey and Soothsayer occurs (this is the funny part). Bilaam eventually realizes that he is unable to curse B’nai Yisroel. Finally, when he is looking from the hills down upon B’nai Yisroel and sees a peaceful, God-fearing community he utters praise instead of curses.   Imagine Balak’s anger and frustration? He hires Bilaam to curse B’nai Yisroel; instead, he blesses B’nai Yisroel! Vayomer Balak El Bilaam Meh Asita Li Lakov Oyvai L’Kachticha V’Hinei

Beirachta Vareich – Balak said to Bilaam, “What have you done to me! To curse my enemy have I brought you – but behold, you have even blessed!” (Num. 23:11) Balak’s frustration is something we can all understand. He believed that Bilaam, a powerful soothsayer/prophet was capable of communing with God and deriving the appropriate sign in order to curse Bnai Yisroel. Bilaam’s response is quite revealing: Halo Eit Asher Yasim HaShem B’Fi Oto Eshmor L’Daber! Is it not so that whatever Hashem puts in my mouth, that I must take heed to speak! Essentially Bilaam explains that he can only say what God would have said. If Balak could have traded Bilaam for another soothsayer, he probably would have.

As awful a person as Balak is, and as mercenary a person Bilaam is, we can learn a lot from the exchange of both men.  Balak hired the soothsayer to do a job for which Bilaam was renowned for doing. Bilaam did not live up to his reputation.  Had Balak issued a curse himself, even if it failed, at least he would have felt empowered.  For Bilaam, at least for that moment, he turned inwards, listened to his soul, listened to the donkey, listened to God and his entire attitude changed. At least for the moment, this mercenary soothsayer offered only blessings to the Jewish people. The fact of the matter is that we need to turn inwards, towards our soul. There, in our own soul, we will find holiness. The funny thing about the trade deadline, sometimes it is the trades that don’t get made turn out to be the best.  Rather than trading for another player –looking outwards; teams decide to stick with the personnel that they have and commit to playing better, commit to exerting greater effort, working harder. They look inward and renew a sense of commitment and purpose. 

                Peace,                   

Rav Yitz 

Where The Angels Fear To Tread, Till You Are Torn Apart (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Foolish Heart")

Our house is very quiet. My wife and three teenage children are at summer camp. Our eldest daughter continues to reside in Boston, working on a Presidential campaign. As my wife and kids were packing and shopping, packing some more, then finally loading the car and leaving; I became more and more anxious and remained so until they arrived safely at camp. The days of packing and shopping were followed by dinner, packing and cleaning up their respective bedrooms. The nights were filled with my daughters requesting use of the car in order to go out with friends.  The requests for the car began around 930/10pm and continue until 11 pm. The request wasn’t so extraordinary; they wanted to borrow the car in order to “go see friends”. The funny thing about this car borrowing business, my wife tends to be much more amenable about it than me. Our daughters would go out and my wife goes to sleep, however, I stay awake. I wait to hear when they arrive at their destination and I text them to make sure that they are preparing to return home. Not only do I stay awake, but I am truly fearful. So when my teenage daughters would ask me about using the car at ridiculously late hours, just days prior to their scheduled departure for camp; I always hesitated. I shared my fear and anxiety with them. As the departure date grew nearer, I also became concerned that something would happen to the car and then my wife wouldn’t have a car. With each request for the car, there was the standard amount of fear and anxiety roiling through my stomach, increasing tension between my concerns and fears and my daughters’ wants and sense of freedom. I considered it a small blessing if they acquiesced to my anxiety and fear and allowed me to drive. Needless to say, I was thoroughly exhausted leading up to their departure

This week we read from Parsha Chukkat. This Shabbat we read from Parsha Chukkat. Chukkat begins by telling us the Law for the Red Heifer. The Priest who prepares the mixture of water and the Red Heifers burnt ashes will render the entire nation spiritually pure; but the mixture will render him impure. A brief narrative concerning the death of Miriam, the lack of water and B’nai Yisroel’s resulting anxiety and lack of faith leads to the issuance of another test of faith in the Wilderness. Moshe and Aaron don’t know what to do; so God tells them to speak water will spring forth. Instead of following instructions, Moshe succumbed to his anger and hit the rock with his staff. Indeed water came out, the people drank, but Moshe and Aharon were punished. Aharon died and Moshe learned that he would not be able to enter into Eretz Canaan. As B’nai Yisroel resumes its wandering, they are attacked by Amalek. As a result, B’nai Yisroel is forced to go around the heart of Amalek territory. The people complain to Moshe again. They try to seek permission from the Sihon, the King of the Amorites, to pass through Amorite territory. Sihon denies permission and B’nai Yisroel attacks and eventually defeats the Amorites. Og King of Bashan tries to prevent B’nai Yisroel from marching through his land, B’nai Yisroel, with the help of Hashem, defeat King Og and his army.  The Parsha concludes with B’nai Yisroel settling on the Plains of Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan poised to enter into Canaan.

                Towards the end of the Parsha, Moshe and B’nai Yisroel, now consisting mostly of a population that never experienced slavery first hand, fought and battled against several of the indigenous tribes.  By this point, Mosh’s sister had passed away as well as his brother Aharon. Really, the only people that the Torah records as adult slaves in Egypt, who left Egypt, who crossed the Reed Sea, who stood at Sinai, who had been attacked by the Amalekites, who, like Moshe dealt with the negative report from 10 of the 12 spies were the two spies who offered a positive report: Joshua and Caleb.  Moshe is indeed the elder. After defeating the Sihon king of the Amorites Moshe and B’nai Yisroel turn north. Vayifnu V’Yaalu Derech HaBashan And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan Vayeitze Og Melech HaBashan Likratam Hu V’ Chol Amo Lamilchama Edrei And Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people to the battle at Edrei. Vayomer HaShem El Moshe, Al Tirah Oto  - And God said to Moses “Fear him not”. (Num. 21:33-34). Clearly, if God is telling Moshe to refrain from feeling scared, then obviously God is aware that Moshe is fearful.  Until this moment, at no point have we been told that Moshe is scared or that God instructs him “Not to be scared”. Yes, Moshe has been frustrated, aggravated, angry with his people and even concerned that he won’t be able to do the job. He wasn’t scared of Pharoah when Pharoah grew angry, he wasn’t scared of God when God grew angry. Why now?  Moshe had already been told that he would not be permitted to bring B’nai Yisroel into Canaan. Moshe knows that soon, his mission will conclude. He has just buried his sister and his brother. He must feel incredibly mortal. Sensing his own mortality, he is more anxious and fearful of the risks and challenges that he and his people face. However, Moshe's fear  "of him" might not necessarily be directed at Og of Bashan.  We could understand “Oto” as “it”, fearful of "it"; as in the remainder of the process, the process of entry in Canaan. We could understand the “it”, as the remaining time Moshe has to complete his part of the mission or whatever else that may cause an elderly person anxiety about and fear for his children, grandchildren, and descendants.

                 Now that my wife and kids are in camp, and everyone is where they are supposed to be; at least as far, as I know, I sleep great. I don’t worry about my kids taking the car so late at night. I don’t worry about their running out to visit their friends. They are at camp with their friends.  However, I still find things to worry about, be anxious about, and sometimes fear for my children. Late last there was an earthquake in Southern California and there have been hundreds of aftershocks since then, and one aftershock even registered a 7.1 on the Richter scale. Any guesses regarding where our son has been (along with his unit from camp) this past week? That’s right. He has spent the week in L.A. I spoke to him before he boarded the plane and specifically told him to let me know when he arrives. I’m still waiting anxiously to hear from him even though I know that he and his group are perfectly safe. I guess being a parent means living with a certain amount of fear and anxiety.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Mother American Night, Here Comes The Light (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Black Throated Wind")

Both Canada and the United States celebrated this week. On Monday, Canada celebrated The Articles Confederation and its 152^nd birthday. On Thursday, the United States celebrated the ratification of the Declaration of Independence and its 243^rd birthday. Both the days were marked by people enjoying beautiful summer weather, barbeque, baseball, and fireworks. Both countries are a testament to the sanctity of democracy, a free press, and safeguards to prevent tyranny.  Regarding democracy, Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice of the United States commented: “The freedom to criticize Judges and other public officials is necessary for a vibrant democracy.” In parliamentary governments such as England and Canada, we are able to routinely watch the Prime Minister walk into Parliament and be routinely criticized.  In the United States, political satire and the press that assumes the mantle of criticism. The criticism, is of course, a means by which the executive branch is held accountable, apologizes if necessary, and improves.

This week we read from Parsha Korach. This week's Parsha is Korach. Korach was a relative of Moshe's. They both came from the tribe of Levi. Korach questioned Moshe's authority. He did not do this during a private meeting between individuals. Rather, Korach gathered 250 supporters, and then publicly challenged Moshe. Moshe tried to keep peace within the community but to no avail. A divine test is administered, and Korach and his supporters fail. The earth swallows them up. However, God is angry and a plague falls upon the people. They are communally punished for Korach's actions, their passive support, and their failure to bond together against Korach. Yet the people are still not convinced that Moshe and Aharon should remain in charge, only that Korach was unworthy. So a second divine test is administered this time with 12 rods stuck in the ground and almond branches resulting in Aaron’s staff, thus symbolizing that God has chosen Aharon to be the Kohen Gadol.  The Parsha concludes with God speaking to Aharon and re-iterating his obligations in terms of the Mishkan, the Altar, and the Tent of the Meeting.

Clearly, the most poignant moment in the narrative is the confrontation between Korach, Datan and Aviram, and all their followers with Moshe and Aaron. After witnessing Miriam becoming a leper for speaking against Moshe (Parsha B’Halotcha), after witnessing God’s anger and Moshe’s defense of the people in Parsha B’Halotcha and Shlach Lecha, the rebellion is very troubling. Moshe is shocked by it. He is hurt by it. The fact that he didn’t want the job in the first place, the fact that he went to bat for his flock time after time, leaves Moshe questioning his purpose.  Vayishmah Moshe Vayipol Al Panav – Moshe heard [the complaints] and fell on his face (Num 16:4).  Why did Moshe fall on his face? The Medieval commentators offer a variety of explanations.  Chizkuni, the 13th-century French commentator explains “Moshe fell to the ground in humiliation [at Korach accusation]. Rashi, the 11th-century French commentator explains that “Moshe fell in despair, he felt powerless to appeal to God for the fourth time. He defended the people after the Golden Calf, when they complained for no good reason, and when they heeded the spies. There is an enormous difference between falling due to humiliation or public embarrassment and falling down upon the ground due to despair and the knowledge that one his helpless to fix a bad situation. Soon after he falls to the ground, he figures out, along with God’s help, how to solve the problem and consolidate his authority. Just as important, the people learn the lesson about following the emptiness of cynical self-centered leadership.

However, in the context of Canada Day, Independence Day and the celebration of the success of liberal democracy, Parsha Korach teaches us something about leadership. Perhaps it is a lesson or an indication that democracy is vibrant and successful. Not only is a democracy’s vibrancy based upon the peoples’ ability to criticize the various branches of government, but the target of criticism, when necessary must be able to apologize. When leaders fail to apologize or avoid apologizing, they may think that doing so diminishes their power or that they are not answerable to governed. Let those leaders take a less from Moshe Rabeinu.  Not only did he apologize in a heartfelt manner that was full of remorse and integrity, but he consolidated his power and demonstrated greater humanity and approachability. Both qualities are necessary for successful leadership.