Carve Your Name In Ice And Wind (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Foolish Heart")

        In the world of Marketing, “Brand” is everything. An iPhone is not just a cell phone. Kleenex is not only a facial tissue. January 6 isn’t just a date nor is 9/11. All of these items, these dates take on a deeper meaning than just the thing. They have a “Brand”. People also have “Brands”. Athletes are much more than athletes, they have a brand, and Air Jordan is perhaps the biggest brand. Indeed athletes understand the importance of their name. Their brand is ultimately dependent upon their name, and their statistics. Politicians, while running for office do everything they can to establish a brand. The worst politicians, the crassest dangerous politicians, are those that focus on their brand instead of the good of their respective political party and the people. Trump has a “brand”, Marjorie Taylor Green has a “brand”. For many that brand embodies nihilism, fascism, and authoritarianism. Recently a new politician arrived from the state of New York, specifically from Long Island. His name is purportedly George Santos. I use the term “purportedly” because Geroge Santos claimed to have graduated from college, claimed to have lost several employees in a mass shooting of a gay club in Florida, claimed that his mom was killed in 9/11, claimed to have worked for Citibank and Goldman Sacks,  and although raised Catholic, he claimed that his maternal grandparents were Jewish and Holocaust survivors. However, none of those claims are true. The politician that calls himself George Santos lied about everything. Even the Long Island Republican Party, the political party that supported his candidacy has renounced him and called for his resignation.  So if you lie about everything in your life, if you lie about who you are, yes you might have a name but it means nothing. Republican leadership in Long Island, which includes Georg Santos’ district understands that the Santos brand is toxic. Republican congressional leadership, in its crass and pathetic desire for power, keeps the Santos brand close by because it needs the vote. That is not only sad, and pathetic, but it diminishes democracy. Ultimately democracies require trust. George Santos has already broken that trust. 

          This week we begin the second book of the Torah; the Book of Exodus – Sefer Shmot, literally translated into “The Book of Names”. This second book begins with the Parsha Shmot –Names. The first few verses essentially recount the ending of the Book of Genesis. Shmot re-iterates the names of Jacobs’ sons and the fact that Jacob and his sons came to Egypt. We are reminded that Jacob had already died. We are reminded that the next generation, Jacob’s sons (including Yosef) passed away. A new king assumes the mantle of power and does not know of Yosef’s great deeds. Instead, the new Pharaoh believed that this foreign population was tantamount to a fifth column. Therefore this tribe must be enslaved in order to prevent their uniting with Egypt’s external enemies. We read about the birth and growth of Moses, and his flight to Midian. We read about his becoming a husband, a shepherd, and a father. We learn of his epiphany with the Burning Bush and God’s instructions plan to redeem B’nai Israel from slavery and Moshe’s role in the redemptive process.

          Considering, that this is a completely new Sefer, a new Book of the Torah and that the dominant theme of this new book is redemption from slavery and the national revelation at Mt. Sinai, why should begin with something as mundane as the re-iteration of the names of Jacobs’ sons: V’Eilah Shmot  B’nai Yisroel Ha’Baim Mitzrayaima Eit Yaakov Ish U’Veito Ba’u- And these are the name of the Children of Israel who were coming to Egypt with Jacob, each man, and his household came, Reuven Shimon, Levi, Yehuda; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan Naphtali; Gad and Asher. We don’t normally begin a new book with a conjunction, especially the conjunction “And”.  Instead of beginning the Parsha and the Book of Shmot with Eilah (These), the Parsha begins with V’Eilah (And these). Also, we know, based upon the conclusion of Sefer Breishit that the sons, along with Jacob, arrived in Egypt decades before (Gen. 46:8-30). Why do these opening verses repeat the concluding verses of the previous book? RaMBaN, (the great 12th-century Spanish doctor, commentator, and Halachist), and R’ Bachya (late 13th and early 14th-century Torah commentator), explain that the conjunction which begins the Parsha purposefully connects this new book to the previous book.  “B’nai Yisroel”, the term now used for the extended tribe owe their existence and their future existence to V’Eilah –“and these”…. these sons of Jacob, these sons who were “with Jacob” in his descent into Egypt. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh (19th Cent. Germany) explains that these twelve sons and their resulting twelve tribal families were intimately attached to Jacob, and this was the secret of Israel’s strength and survival in Egypt. Although each son had his own family, he remained connected and united with Jacob. Implicit to these opening verses we understand that the secret to B’nai Israel’s survival in Egypt as slaves: past, present, and future were connected through values and covenant of the name of Jacobs's twelve sons, Jacob, and his father and grandfather, Isaac and Abraham. The strength of those connections, the strength of being connected to the past with an eye towards a hopeful and positive future kept B’nai Israel spiritually free despite physical hardship and bondage.

          A name isn’t just a name. The names of Yaakov’s sons were so much more than names. They were the names of 12 tribes. Each tribe embodied a brand, an essence of some kind. Levi would come to embody the tribe of the priesthood. Levi would be the tribe that came to be known as always in service to God. So doesn’t it make sense that Moshe, the greatest of God’s servants came from the Tribe of Levi? So what does it say about a political party that won’t disavow a person who lied about everything that contributes to who he is? Yes, there is a name, but we don’t know who he really is. What we do know is the presence of such a person diminishes a Party that believes in nothing but power. The presence of such a person diminishes our trust in democratic institutions.  

Peace
Rav Yitz    

But I Would Slave To Learn the Way To Sink Your Ship Of Fools ( Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ship of Fools")

For the past couple of weeks, I have watched my wife, like many Jewish women who clean for Pesach, who make a Seder (or two) act as if they are not only slaves in Egypt but slaves in their respective homes. Because of the COVID 19 pandemic, we haven’t had the luxury of a cleaning lady help us. This has only added to the amount of aggravation and the extra work for all of us. As time slowly ticked away towards the First Night of Pesach, my wife would look up from what she was cutting, mixing, cooking or cleaning and wonder aloud, “How will this ever get done?” In other moments of anxiety, she would exclaim, “I am so far behind my schedule!”. Yet my wife managed to get everything done.  Granted, if we were really enslaved in Egypt, like so many Jewish Women,  I think she would have been too exhausted to leave! Indeed, the first two days of Pesach focus upon our bondage in Egypt, our preparations for Yetzitat Mitzrayim, and eventual freedom as symbolized by the Sedarim. However, Pesach is an eight festival. Certainly, it makes the beginning of the festival should focus upon our national experience of slavery and the immediate moments that led to our ancestors’ freedom. Once B’nai Yisroel left Egypt and began making their way toward The Reed Sea (The Yam Suf), they were free. They were free to travel, free to worship, and free to serve God. Yet, the process of becoming a free people was still in its nascent stages.  

Now we have entered into the intermediate days of Pesach, commonly referred to as Chol Moed. On this Shabbat, Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach, our focus begins to shift from the Yetziat Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt, to B’nai Yisroel’s return to the land that God promised to our Patriarchs. The language has subtly shifted from leaving slavery and entering into freedom. The language has shifted from completing our exile and returning to our covenantal home. We see this in our reading of Shir HaSHirim the Song of Songs. While the text is clearly about the Springtime love of a young man and woman; ChaZaL, our Sages of Blessed Memory, explains that Shir HaSHirim is a Metaphor for this mutually very new and loving relationship between God and B’nai Yisroel. This is a love that has been renewed and this is a love in which both return to each other. Likewise, the Haftorah, from the Prophet Ezekiel (37:1-14), also focus upon B’nai Yisroel’s return from the Babylonian exile to its covenantal land. 

Ezekiel does not focus on the intensely loving relationship between God and the B’nai Yisroel. However, he does focus on slavery as another form of exile and redemption from exile as the ultimate form of liberation from slavery. Ezekiel lived before and after the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash HaRishon, the First Holy Temple. It is here in this Haftorah, that Ezekiel shares with the people his prophecy of the “Dried Bones” that are in the land. Ko Amar Adoshem Elokim L’Atzamot HaEilah  Hinei Ani Mavi Vachem Ruach Vichyitem – Thus says the Eternal God to those bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live (Ez.37:5). From a literal perspective, Ezekiel is prophesying that God will bring these bones, the thousands of Jews that perished in the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple, back to life. These bones will experience the ultimate return from exile; they will return from death to life. However, Judaism doesn’t generally subscribe to re-incarnation or physical life after physical death. Rather Ezekiel’s prophecy invokes a very powerful symbol. Slavery, in its ultimate and most devastating form, is spiritual slavery. Spiritual slavery is a function of being exiled from God, exiled from that fundamentally loving relationship based upon a covenant. When we are exiled from God, when we are spiritually afar from God, we are spiritually lifeless. We are only bones. We are not human. To be human means to be close to God for we are created B’Tzelem Elokim – in the image of God.  

We all experience spiritual slavery yet our own personal redemption; our moving closer to God’s presence is a direct function of God breathing Ruach HaKodesh – his Holy Spirit into our Neshama. This occurs through the Study of Torah. This occurs through prayer. This occurs by engaging in Gemilut Chasadim, by giving Tzedakah, and by Bikur Cholim – visiting the sick. In today’s troubling times, perhaps this means connecting through the numerous platforms available such as WhatsApp, or Zoom to name a few.   By making the Jewish community a more learned, and a more caring community we become less enslaved by greed, selfishness, and arrogance. 

Peace, 

Rav Yitz

I Would Slave To Learn The Way To Sink Your Ship Of Fools (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - Ship Of Fools")

As a father of four, I spend a lot of time worrying. I worry about our four kids. I worry about my wife. I worry when they are very busy with work and school. I worry when they feel stress. I worry when I sense that they are not taking care of themselves. For our eldest daughter who works on a presidential campaign, this is one the busiest times of the presidential campaign cycle. She loves this time of year and she thrives during this time of year. Admittedly, as her dad,  I worry about her. I worry that she will forget to take care of herself. During a recent conversation, she reassured me that she was looking after herself and that she even decided to suspend her Facebook account, cut back on her use of social media and diminish the number of people she follows on Twitter, mostly comedians. She explained that the world of Social Media had grown incredibly toxic and she believed that by cutting back; she could reduce her stress and anxiety.  I decided to look into this relationship between social media and anxiety, depression and mental health. My daughter was onto something.  A recent study published in the Journal of Depression last year demonstrated a link between the high usage of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, to name a few,  and depression.  Of the participants in the study who checked their social media accounts 30 times per week an hour per day; 25% faced a higher risk (2.7 times more risk) for depression. There is greater exposure to cyberbullying, and all the toxicity and hate that is in social media. Also, because people only post the best thing and the most “perfect” moments, others suffer from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Such people are left feeling that they have nothing worthwhile to post, their lives are not as great as those whom they follow.  A recent study at York University found that young women who were asked to interact with a post of someone whom they perceived as more attractive felt worse about themselves afterward. The 120 undergraduate women were either asked to find on Facebook and Instagram a peer who they felt was more attractive, or a family member who they did not feel was more attractive, and leave a comment. They reported that they felt worse about their own appearances only in the first condition, with peers, but not family. It would appear based upon scientific studies and our daughter’s social media experiences, too much Social Media can enslave.

            This week, we begin the Book of Shmot, the Book of Exodus. The first few verses essentially recount the ending of the Book of Genesis. Shmot re-iterates the fact that Yaakov and his sons came to Egypt, Yaakov dies, and the next generation, Yaakov’s sons (including Yosef) pass away. A new king assumes the mantle of power and does not know of Yosef’s great deeds. Instead, the new Pharaoh believed that this foreign population was tantamount to a fifth column. Therefore this tribe must be enslaved in order to prevent their uniting with Egypt’s external enemies. Vayavidu Mitzrayim et B’nai Yisroel B’Farech – The Egyptians enslaved B’nai Yisroel with crushing harshness. Vai’Mareru et Chayeihem Ba’Avodah Kasha B'Chomer Uvilveinim Uvechol Avodah Ba’Sadeh Eit Kol Avodatam Asher Avdu Bahem B’Farech – They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar, and with bricks, and with every labor of the field, all their labors that they performed with them were with crushing harshness (Ex. 1:13-14). These two verses strike me as problematic. Why does the first verse tell us that enslavement was with “crushing harshness” when the second verse goes into great detail as to what constitutes crushing hardness and then concludes with “the labor that they performed with them with crushing harshness? Either the verse seems redundant, or superfluous. Perhaps the best solution would be to eliminate the word b’Farech in the first verse and keep it in the second verse. So it would read: the Egyptians enslaved B’nai Yisroel. They embittered their lives….  How do we understand the use of the extra B’Farech?

            The second use of B’Farech is defined for us by the verse. Hard work, embittering lives, every labor of the field constitutes crushing harshness. The issue is the use of B’Farech in the previous verse. Perhaps the crushing harshness is not to be taken literally. In Hebrew B’Farech means “in a crushing manner” the slavery ground them into the ground. Farech can be divided into two words Peh and Rech. Peh means mouth and Rech means soft. Figuratively “soft speech” means persuasively or persuading via the “soft sell” as opposed to threats. With this in mind, we can understand that there were to steps to slavery. First, convince B’nai Yisroel that they were part of Egypt. Explain to B’nai Yisroel how much they are needed by Egypt. Incorporate them into the Egyptian workforce. Make it easy to be Egyptian. Encourage assimilation. Once B’nai Yisroel willingly gave up their “separateness”, once they gave up their identity, one piece at a time, they relinquished their freedom one piece at a time. The first verse could, therefore, be understood as Egyptians crushing slavery as the dominant culture and society overwhelming or crushing the minority culture. Once assimilation occurred, once B’nai Yisroel had assumed the bondage of the popular culture; putting them into chains and crushing them with backbreaking work became inevitable.

            To a degree, Social Media has enslaved us.  We are exposed to all the unfiltered thoughts and bilge that a person desires to share. We are exposed to everyone’s attempt to cast themselves in the best possible light, we think that we are the only ones with problems and imperfections. The second we receive a notification, we have programmed ourselves to look and see about what are we being notified, and if we don’t check our notification right away: we will miss out and then feel left out (FOMO). Ironic isn’t it? The one notification for which we ought to be attentive, answer or follow is God, and that is the one relationship that requires no technology, no plugging in, no screen and no cell tower. When I checked in our daughter and asked her how her diminished social media use was going; she explained that besides less stress, she has more time, more focus, less aggravation and a greater sense of calm. Now, I need to convince my three other kids and my wife to liberate themselves from too much social media.

Peace.

Rav Yitz

Come The Rocking Stroke Of Midnight, the Whole Place Is Gonna Fly (Bob Weir - "One More Saturday Night")

 It is New Year's Eve.  With my wife and children enjoying Southern California, I am here in a rather contemplative mood.  Soon I will call my wife and children and in the course of a second, I will be in a place where it will be the next year, 2014 but they will still be in the year 2013. Of course three hours later, while I am sleeping, it will become 2014 in Southern California as well. This passage of time is very precise. We watch a ball in New York City drop during the final 10 seconds of 2013 and when the Ball lands it is the first seconds of 2014, "Happy New Year". There is no such thing as “about” the New Year. It is an exact idea. One second its 2013 and the next second we have started something new.  In reality, except for our awareness of this one second, nothing changed. We don’t necessarily feel as if we have started something new and different.  My children, wife and I, because of the three hour time difference are acutely aware of this.

This week Parsha is Bo. God will bring the final plagues upon Egypt, finally convincing Pharaoh to let Bnai Yisroel leave Egypt.  Before the final plague, God will explain to Moshe and Moshe will explain to Bnai Yisroel the details and the importance of the acknowledging this historical moment by celebrating the Pesach offering. God explains that a lamb is to be chosen, slaughter, and consumed along with unleavened bread. Bnai Yisroel is commanded to put blood upon the doorposts of their homes so that they will not suffer from the final plague. God explains that this moment is to be transmitted to each generation by telling each successive generation what happened at this moment.  Then as Moshe predicted, final plague begins. the Egyptian first born are killed and the Parsha concludes with the children of Israel being commanded to wear Tefillin as sign that God outstretched arm bringing Bnai Yisroel out of Egyptian bondage.

Unlike the precise moment when the New Year changes from one year to the next; redemption from Egyptian bondage was not so precise. Certainly from God’s perspective, the moment of when freedom would arrive was as precise as the U.S. Naval Observatory Master Clock.  Yet Moshe Rabeinu doesn’t offer a precise moment when Bnai Yisroel leaves slavery and enters freedom. VaYomer Moshe And Moshe said, Ko Amar Adoshem KaChatzot HaLailah Ani Yotzei B’Toch Mitzrayim So said Hashem, ‘At about midnight I shall go out in the midst of Egypt' (Ex. 11:4) Why does Moshe Rabeinu tell Pharaoh and Egypt, “about midnight”. Wouldn’t it have been more awesome and impressive if he gave a precise time when the entire Egyptian world and Jewish world would have changed? Rashi explains that Moshe purposefully gives a vague time as opposed to an exact time because if Pharaohs astrologers miscalculate the time the Moshe said then it would be wrong. So even thought first born Egyptians would still be dying, the Magicians would claim Moshe a fraud since it wasn’t “exactly” midnight. Whatever faith they might have developed with the onslaught of the previous plagues would be lost.

However there is another reason why Moshe is less than precise with Pharaoh. By telling Pharaoh that this last plague was “about midnight”; Moshe was signaling something else to Pharaoh. Some things are beyond us. Yes we can be precise about many things, including countdowns and the passage of time – down to the second.  Faith is not so precise. The human transitions from one phase to the next is not so clean and not so neat. While it may happen at a precise moment, the reality of the change or the reality of transition is not exactly the same time as the “Happy New Year” moment.  Pharaoh was entitled to know that around midnight a horrible plague would happen. It takes faith to prepare for “about” as opposed to an exact time. Yet faith teaches us that we need to be able to be ready for “about” as well as exact.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Go To Sleep You Child, Dream Of Never Ending Always (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "What's Become of the Baby")

The final preparations for Pesach are underway. My wife pretends to be a Jewish slave woman in Egypt as she slaves away in the kitchen. I pretend to be a slave as well by doing whatever she tells me to do, pick up what needs to be picked up and shlep upstairs and downstairs whatever needs to be schlepped. Our kids help but they don’t exactly act as if they are as enslaved as me and my wife. My nieces and nephew along with their parents and one grandmother will be joining us for Pesach. Everyone is eager with anticipation. All the kids will show us everything they made and prepared for Pesach. As we begin the Seder and we are somewhere after the Four Questions but still in the midst of telling the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim(Exodus from Egypt), the great cloud of Irony will settle over us. Several of these children, these same children who will have been talking about Pesach, preparing for Pesach, and helping out their parents for Pesach, will pass out at the table or sit on the sofa and just fall asleep. Of course we will continue with the Seder and, one after another will just sort of fade off. All that will be left will be the adults.

In the Haggadah we read, B’chol Dor V’Dor Chayev Adam Lirot Et Atsmo K’Ilu Hoo Yatzah M’Mitzrayim-“In every generation on is obliged to see himself as though he himself had actually gone forth from Egypt. Implied in the Haggadah is the notion that “the Telling” of the Pesach story will be much more meaningful if we put ourselves there. As much as we complain about the Pesach preparations, the cleaning, the cooking, the washing, and the shopping; we prepare ourselves. In a sense we began the process of putting ourselves back in Egypt at the time of the Exodus over the past few weeks. This being the first day of the Pesach Festival, it is a Yom Tov. It is also Shabbat. The Torah reading is taken from Parshat Bo in which Moshe Rabeinu spells out the Pesach Festival, the preparations required, including the ridding of chametz, wiping the blood upon the doorposts, and the eating of Matzah. Moshe also explains to them that their children will ask questions about all of this V’Hayah Ki Yomru Aleichem Bneichem Ma Ha’Avodah Ha’Zot Lachem. and that they better have a thoughtful answer. V’Amartem Zevach Pesach Hu L’Adoshem Asher Pasach Al Batei Bnei Yisroel M’Mitzrayim BNagpo Et Mitzrayim v’Et Bateinu Hitzil - And you shall say: “ It is a Pesach Feast –Offering to Hashem, Who passed over the houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but he saved our households”

Because this is the first day of Pesach, a Yom Tov as well as Shabbat it is fair to ask about the relationship between Pesach and Shabbat? While Shabbat may come 52 weeks a year and Pesach comes once a year, both are a celebration of freedom from slavery and freedom for a purpose. Both are mandated in the Torah, Shabbat being mentioned both in Exodus and Deuteronomy with the telling of the Ten Commandments as well as Parshah Ki Tissah, Breishit, Pinchas and several others. Pesach is mentioned in Bo, Bashallach, the book of Leviticus, as well as Deuteronomy. On Pesach we liberate ourselves physically from Pharaoh with the purpose of entering into a covenant relationship with God. Unlike physical liberation however, emotional and spiritual liberation is much more subtle and in some ways more difficult. Hence we have Shabbat. Shabbat offers a tool to liberate us emotionally and spiritually. No, Shabbat is not an escape from reality. We should recognize that the other six days we work, but on one day we are free from those responsibilities and, ideally, those anxieties. They will still be there after Shabbat. Pesach, and the telling of the Exodus, provides a very explicit and strong message regarding this notion of freedom. It is a message that is easily transmitted. It is transmitted in the preparation, it is transmitted in the food. It is transmitted at the Seder. The message is explicit it defines our national experience. This was and is an experience that all Jews share. Shabbat offers another means of sharing a similar experience. However the freedom that Shabbat offers is less nationalistic, and more spiritual. Shabbat probably needs to be experienced more than once in order to appreciate the subtle message and beauty. Not so with Pesach.

So we should imagine that we are back in Egypt at the time of the Exodus. Like Moshe experiences his own personal revelation at Sinai, so too did B’nai Yisroel experience its own personal revelation with each plague, and with each wonder. However the more Bnai Yisroel was invested, the more it had to do in terms of preparing for the plague (Makat Bechorot), the more activity their children saw them engage in like wiping blood upon the doorpost, then Bnai Yisroel would have more awe in Hashem, greater appreciation in Hashem as well as being aware of a revelation experience. Under such circumstances, falling asleep at the table would indeed be ironic.

Peace and Chag Kasher v’ Sameach

Rav Yitz