So Let Us Not Talk Falsely Now, The Hour Is Getting Late (Bob Dylan - "All Along the Watchtower")

Friends of ours who normally go to the Catskills for Passover have suddenly changed their plans. The measles outbreak in Williamsburg section of Brooklyn forced them to change their minds. While many of the Williamsburg residents and Rabbis hold that vaccinations are legal according to Halacha (Jewish Law), there is a small group that has been exposed (no pun intended) to the “alternative facts”, “mis- information”, and questionable data concerning vaccinations. Several New York newspapers raised a fascinating question. This is not a community that has a plethora of access to mass media, or to social media. How did the anti- vaccination campaign over the past few years gain credence in this particular community?  The answer was so obvious that it was profound. People talk, people share ideas, people share information and people share what they hear whether it is true or not. The result is that a disease that was once considered eradicated has returned as a result of people talking, listening and spreading misinformation about vaccinations.

This Shabbat we read from Parsha Metzorah. The discussion and laws for Tamei/ Tahor (Purity & Impurity) as it affects human beings is continued from last week’s Parsha, Tazria. We continue to learn intricate details concerning how an individual becomes ritually purified, his/her reentrance into the camp, and the prominent role of the Kohen Gadol in ascribing a spiritual treatment for a physical expression of a spiritual problem. Besides discussing the laws of the Metzorah, the laws of one who suffers from this skin ailment, the Parsha also confronts the issues of the Metzorah spreading to a house and the method by which that impurity is removed from the house. The second half of the Parsha concentrates on the laws of Taharah Mishpachah, the laws of family purity.

             When Tzaraat is discovered on an individual, he or she would go to the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, and undergo and examination. However if the Tzaarat spreads beyond the individual and pollutes the home: U’Vah Asher Lo HaBayit V’Higid LaKohen Leimor- “K’Negah NiReH Li BaBayit” – And he that owns the house shall come and tell the priest saying: It seems to me there is as it were a plague in the house. (Lev. 14:35) Even if the individual sees the Tzaarat, sees the impurity, knows that it is Tzaarat, the individual cannot and must not say that “It is plague in the house,” but rather K’Negah literally “It is like a plague”. Rashi explains that “even if the individual is knowledgable and has no doubt as to the nature of the plague, only the Kohen Gadol has the authority and expertise to utter a definitive judgment. Any statement from anyone else ought not be considered definitive. Rashi’s comment appears to be focused upon the issue of “Purity and Impurity”, and reminding us that the authority to decide and declare Purity and Impurity rests solely upon the High Priest. Rashi, is also reminding us that even if it "seems like" an impurity it must be treated as such. However the authority  to officially diagnose and treate resides with the Kohen, everyone else must have enought humility to possess self doubt.  The MaHaRaL of Prague (Rabbi Yehuda Loew of Prague 1525-1609) takes the lesson a step further. “Since it is but the priest who establishes the Nega (the plague and its legal implications); anyone else would not be speaking the truth.”

Here in this simple statement “K’Negah” –It seems to be a plague” , we address the health issue. We recognize the potential damage the Lashon HaRah has done, “K’Negah” – it seems like a plague; then the Kohen treats the plague and the patient. We quarantine the individual/individuals in order to prevent the spread of something that looks like a plague. Knowing that Pesach is soon approaching, and the Holiday means greater socializing and greater exposure; it looks like more people could be at risk. So the Mayor has taken it upon himself to issue a State of Emergency Order instructing everyone to have proof of vaccination. In the meantime, our friends have made alternative plans at home in Toronto; and we all learn the lesson of the power that words and language can have upon the health and welfare of an entire community.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Fatal Flowers of Darkness Bloom From Seeds Of Light ( Hunter & Garcia "Blues for Allah")

Among the small inconveniences that I endure as a New York/ New Jersey guy is that I have to read the New York newspapers including the Times and the Post on line. While there is nothing like holding the newspaper in your hand and folding it just so, I have learned to make to do. Last week on January 20^th in the op. ed. section an editorial appeared entitled: Lechery Immodesty and the Talmud by Rabbi Dov Linzer. The editorial, citing Talmudic opinion about women and the public domain, was Rabbi Linzer’s opinion on the events that occurred in Beit Shemesh a few weeks ago. Then, a young girl walking to school with her mother, dressed in modest typically orthodox looking clothing was spat upon by fundamentalist Chareidi Jews who felt that this 8 year old girl wasn’t dressed modestly enough. Rabbi Linzer points out that this fundamentalist perspective of Jewish Women, the public domain and how to deal with it if at all was based upon the same Dark Age mentality that grips the fundamentalist Muslim world. That is to say, from this fundamentalist perspective, women have no place and no role in the public domain.

This week's Parsha is Bo. The ten plagues culminate with locusts, darkness and finally the killing of the first born. On the night of the last plague, God instructs Moshe to tell B'nai Yisroel to slaughter a lamb for each family. The blood should be painted onto the door- post. The sacrificed lamb must be completely eaten that night with no leftovers. The command continues with God instructing Moshe to reiterate this story to the children of each family. The Parsha concludes with the command to sanctify the first born, remember this night, remember what God did for B'nai Yisroel, and how B'nai Yisroel eventually returned to the land.

Parts of the Parsha are read on Pesach. Those parts dealing with the Paschal sacrifice, as well as the Mitzvah of "Telling" the child about the impending redemption, are read. However there is one phrase that is particularly interesting and revealing. The second to last plague is Choshech, darkness. Vayomer Adonai el Moshe N'Teih Yadchah al Hashamayim - And God said to Moshe "Stretch forth your hand toward the heavens, Va'Yehi Choshech al Eretz Mitzrayim- "And there will be a darkness upon the land of Egypt , Vayameish Choshech - and the darkness will be felt (Ex. 10:21). What does it mean that the darkness will be felt? What will it feel like? Will it be hot or cold, wet or dry? Maybe it will thick like some type of fog. Maybe it will be the horrible emptiness as if one is falling through an abyss with nothing all around. Whatever kind of darkness it is, it can be felt. It is noticeable and therefore extraordinarily different than the standard night -time or even an eclipse. Bnai Yisroel still had light in their dwellings while the plague occurred. Pharaoh could not stand it anymore and told Moshe to take everyone including the children and leave. It must have been some darkness.

After reading following the story in Beit Shemesh, the response by the non chareidi orthodox world, the secular Israelis and Rabbi Linzer editorial, I finally realized what the plague of darkness must have felt like. It is a plague that continues to permeate in the fundamentalist Chareidi world where a culture of exclusion permeates society, where women not only raise children but support husbands who spend their days in the kollel studying instead of working and help raise children. For such women, one should never be seen and certainly their male counterparts don’t want to hear from them. Instead they are invisible and without hope. Imagine being a young women a society where going to school is filled with the fear of being spat upon because some narrow minded ignorant man views an 8 year old girl as a sexual being that needs to be covered even more than she is?. Imagine young person separated from the world of ideas. Imagine being a young person without any care for the future. This must be what slavery is like: an existence void of hopes, void of prospects for a future, and void ideas and thought. To be a slave means being stuck with no healthy form of recourse. Those Jewish fundamentalist that follow the soulless and ugly version of Judaism are living in Darkness. It is a darkness that is incredibly tangible. That kind of darkness weighs heavily upon the soul. That kind of darkness kills a soul. It is the kind of Darkness that permits a man to spit upon a child because he thinks she is dressed immodestly. This young girl and her mother and those like them represent B'nai Yisroel who had light in their homes during that plague. The Young girl and her mother, like B'nai Yisroel, embody the warmth and the light that should always be the best of Judaism.

On this Shabbat, may we all peer into the dark corners of our souls. Those corners darkened by ignorance, closed mindedness and fear. May we see its coldness, its emptiness, its narrowness, its fundamentalism void of faith and hope. Then we should shudder from such darkness. After peering into that darkness may we look around and appreciate and celebrate the opportunity for the light we can allow in our lives. We have been blessed with a wonderful opportunity to bring in the light of Shabbat, the warmth of family, and a life filled with hope, faith, education and wisdom.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Red and White, Blue Suede Shoes I'm Uncle Sam, How Do You Do? (Robert Hunter / Jerry Garcia - U.S. Blues)

It truly has been a cultural awakening for my son as Canadians celebrated Canada Day and America celebrated Independence Day. Last Sunday we spent a couple of hours at our neighbor’s pool. Our neighbor had some guests over as well whom we met for the first time. As we were talking they realized that we were American. As my son came out of the water, one of the women began asking him questions. Soon the questions left the general polite questions of “What is your name? “How old are you?’ “What is your favorite subject?” and veered into six year old boy’s impression of Canada, the United States and some of the differences. One woman asked my son “Do you like living in Canada?” My son responded yes. Then she asked him if he saw any differences between America and Canada. Our six year old pointed out that in “America we celebrate Independence Day with watching baseball and fireworks. Canada celebrates Canada Day with fireworks and Hockey news. Canada is nice but I like baseball better.” Of course, I agreed. Nothing beats celebrating the 4^th of July than going to a baseball game during the day and fireworks at night. While the calendar suggest that summer is just a couple of weeks old, the season for the “Boys of Summer” heads towards the halfway mark of the season. For baseball fans this means that the trade deadline is approaching. Teams have the opportunity to upgrade talent or discard expensive and or unproductive players. In a sense the fan can either have a renewed sense of hope or despair will not begin to replace the hope that existed way back in the spring. There is something fascinating in watching players switch teams in the middle of a season. There is something fascinating about an older player traded from a bad team to a playoff contender. Frequently, a player that is coveted and available in a trade, while having performed at a high level with the former team, joins the new team and is a complete bust. Sometimes the exact opposite is the case. A player performing at a low level is traded and begins playing wonderfully with the new team. A change of environment seems to have an enormous effect upon these professionals.

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 Bnai Yisroel. That is to say, Balak, the king of Moav and the tribe of Midian are the subjects of the Parsha. Bnai 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 Moav 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 Bnai Yisroel. Finally when he is looking from the hills down upon Bnai 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, and instead he blesses Bnai 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. Clearly With his plans stymied, Balak leaves Bilaam in great frustration. 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. Remember, Balak is afraid. He knows of Bnai Yisroel’s reputation. He doesn’t stand a chance in a conventional confrontation. If Balak had been educated and was knowledgeable in the arts of “curse issuing”, then Balak’s frustration would have been directed at God and himself.

How often do we blame others for our shortcoming and our ignorance? How often do we feel uncomfortable in shul, sitting in prayer, neither understanding neither what we are saying nor why we are saying it? How often do we read the Parsha and not realize how these words and its message connect to our soul? How often do wait to be inspired by the words of a Rabbi or the notes sung by the Shaliach Tzibbur? The fact of the matter is that we need to turn inwards, towards our soul. There in our own soul we will find holiness. There in our own soul will we derive the impetus to ask questions, to learn, and to make Judaism more meaningful. 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 the sense of commitment and purpose.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

"You ain't gonna learn what you don't want to know" - (Black Throated Wind) John Barlow/Bob Weir

I just finished reading the New York Times Op-Ed section. I know... I know.... here in Toronto in the Jewish community the New York time is not exactly well regarded because of the perceived anti Israel bias..., and its liberal bias. I can't help it...I spent too many years in the New York/New Jersey area and I have always read the Op-Ed. This morning's piece was incredibly fascinating. David Brooks who will never be mistaken for the "Liberal" bias of the Times, wrote a fascinating article about Adult Education, and specifically his experience in Adult Jewish Education with a Jewish Educator. Apparently, in a place like Washinton DC, a place where relativistic morality pervades all aspects of life, this particular educator has offered a breath of fresh air as well as inspiration vis a vis Torah Study. Brook's point was that adult education can be a powerful method of building community.

I have to laugh. Not because Brook's point is ridiculous. Hardly. Brooks is spot on. I laugh because he sounds like he just discovered something new or that he just created some type of Chidush (new conclusion/interpretation). This adult learning community is as old as the Yeshivot of of Pre-war Europe, and as ancient as the Talmudic Academies. Learning had been a community endeavor. Within the walls of the Yeshivot, and the Talmudic academy, students would learn in Chavrusa - study partners. The Rebbe would give a Shiur - a lesson based upon what had been covered in the Chavrusa portion. Everyone would be learning together for the sake of the community not for the sake of individual accomplishment. Further to that end, community of Europe and even in some communities here in North America, including Toronto con sider it an honor to support a community of people who learn. This is known as the Kollel in which people learn and the community supports the learning even if some cannot actually participate in the daily learning. The result is that the entire community is focused on and engaged in learning for adults.
There is a moment in this week's Torah Portion, Shmot, after Moshe Rabeinu is born and is now being raised in the Pharaoh's palace as an Egyptian. Vayigdal Moshe VaYeitze... Moshe grew up and went out (Ex. 2:11). One could argue that this really was the turning point in the the 120 year life of Moshe. He grew and he went out from the palace. He went out and looked at the world outside of the palace. He grew up and he went out to absorb what the world had to offer. Of course when he did go out, Moshe saw the task master striking the Hebrew slave and after checking to make sure no one was watching, Moshe killed the task master who had been beating the helpless slave.
The point is that Moshe was not satisfied with what he had learned in the Palace. Even after he had grown, he remained intellectually curious. he was not willing to live in a gilded cage with his own set of assumptions, his own biases, and his own perspective of the world. Instead Yeitzeh -he went out to see the world, experience it, be challenged by it, learn from it, and draw a new set of conclusions if need be.
In a sense this is the first step towards adult education and adult learning. The adult has to be open enough and receptive enough and willing to engage in the learning, and the texts. The adult has to be willing to question his/her sets of assumptions, his/her pre-conceived understanding of the text as well as bias towards that text; and almost suspend all that baggage just long enough to Yeitzeh to go out from the comfortable confines of the self and learn. Underlying Brooks' piece is something quite substantial. As non-orthodox shuls across North America struggle to re-invent themselves, to attract young people who are either too busy, too dis-interested, or too suspicous; perhaps focusing on and creating adult learning communities should be the foundation upon which non-orthodox shuls re-invent themselves.
-Rav Yitz