Watch What You're Doing With Your Time ( Jerry Garcia - "Great Cream Puff War)

Just exactly how precious is time? It’s kind of ironic, we don’t normally think about how precious time is until it appears that we are running out of it. If you don’t agree, just check out the interview given after Monday night’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game. The University of North Carolina senior was asked how he felt after he made a ridiculous double clutch three point shot that tied the game at 74 and was the culmination of a furious North Carolina comeback. Time was so precious, the Villanova coach called time out in order to stop time. The Carolina senior went back to his bench and told his teammates that “we have 4.7 seconds to play defense, and then we go to overtime.” The Carolina player reasonably concluded that with momentum on their side, he believe that if rewarded with extra time (overtime) North Carolina would win. However these were the last 4.7 seconds. Unlike any other 4.7 seconds of the 2400 total seconds of regulation time (40 minutes) these last 4.7 were precious. The ball was inbounded and the Villanova player, with a relatively clear look at the basket, let go of the ball with 2 tenths of a second left. The ball soared the air. The clock read 0.0 and, in essence, time stopped. However the ball still soared magnificently through the air; its trajectory straight and true. It turned out that 4.7 precious seconds was plenty of time to win and lose a national championship.  

This week’s Torah portion is Parsha Tazria. Parsha Tazria concentrates upon how impurity, spiritual impurity is passed between people. Most of the Parsha focuses upon Leprosy as it was considered to be a very physically contagious disease. Parsha Tazria puts the diagnosis, the treatment and the convalescence in spiritual terms rather than physical terms. We learn that the while this Tumah, this spiritual impurity is present, the stricken individual cannot reside within the camp. After all God dwells in the camp and we cannot tolerate any impurity near God. Only the passage of time will cure the impurity. The beginning of the Parsha discusses the impurities involved with childbirth. While childbirth involves the loss of blood thus rendering the new mother “impure”; there is no greater sense of mortality that the blessing of a newborn baby. I became a father on four different occasions and each time I held each of our newborn babies, I became more aware of my mortality, and by definition the limits of time.

 Besides the weekly Torah Portion, this Shabbat is known as Shabbat HaChodesh, corresponding to the fact that this Shabbat marks the beginning of Nisan, the month that Torah counts as the first month of the year. Shabbat HaChodesh is commemorated by our reading the first twenty verses of the 12^th chapter of Exodus (from Parsha Bo) as well as a special Haftarah. God commands both Moshe and Aharon to speak to B’nai Yisroel and offer several important instructions. Firstly, HaChodesh HaZeh, this month, the month of Nisan will be first month of the Year. Secondly, on the tenth month each household will select its lamb or kid for the Korban Pesach, four days later, the lamb/kid will be slaughtered and eaten in its entirety while the final plague will be visited upon Egypt. Thirdly, that moment will be commemorated in the future as the festival of Pesach. Leavened products will be nullified and not consumed, the first day and the seventh day will be holy (like a Shabbat). Fourthly Matzah will be eaten on those sacred days. As these instructions are being presented the Torah reminds us VaYomer Hashem el Moshe v’El Aharon b’Eretz Mitzrayim Leimor – Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying…. (Ex. 12:1) What is the significance of the Torah telling us that God spoke to Moshe and Aharon in Egypt? At this point, where else would they be? Neither they nor Bnai Yisroel has left Egypt and slavery.  HaChodesh Hazeh, Lachem Rosh Chodesh Rishon Hu Lachem L’Chodshei HaShana – This month shall be for you the beginning of the months, it shall be for you the first of the months of the year (Ex 12:2). Why does Lachem – to you appear twice in that verse? Bnai Yisroel are still slaves. Granted the end of their slavery is drawing to a rapid conclusion, but they are still slaves. Time belongs to the Egyptians not to slaves. However as the time of freedom approaches, time will belong to those who are Chadash those who are new and free. With that freedom and comes the responsibility of time. So the first things Bnai Yisroel learns is the time is precious, it is something that needs to be filled with action and deed. Time needs to be sanctified and time needs to be commemorated in order to create a sense of sacred time and mundane ordinary time.

Time serves as an expression of mortality as well as an expression of freedom. As we prepare for Pesach; we understand that there never seem to be enough time in to complete all that is required. As we celebrate our freedom we understand that there is a very real danger to being irresponsible with our time as well as becoming enslaved by time and by our schedules.  It seems that like God, we have the capacity to make time sacred or mundane. However, we do so by filling time with sacred activities and not wasting it.  We know that time wasted is indeed time lost, even if it's 4.7 seconds.

Peace

Rav Yitz  

Let The Words Be Yours, I'm Done With Mine (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Cassidy)

The other day, our fourteen year old daughter got the best of me. After pushing my buttons over and over again, I made the number one parent mistake. I responded. I should have walked away but I responded. Knowing that I possessed a much stronger vocabulary that could inflict more hurt than what she was saying to me; I should have just walked away. However in the heat of the moment, I wanted to show her that I was the parent.  So I said something that was pretty hurtful to her. In a look that expressed shock; her jaw dropped, tears welled up and she ran upstairs to her room.  Belatedly I went outside to get some air and collect my thoughts. I thought about what had just transpired. I thought how I should have behaved differently, behaved in a manner that would have de-escalated the tension as opposed to escalated the tension. Then I thought about what I could do to rectify the current situation of our fourteen year old daughter angry and upset in her room.  Personally, I don’t like apologizing to my children. However in this particular case, it was absolutely the right thing to do. I went upstairs, I sat at the foot of her bed and apologized. I explained that I should have known better. I apologized for failing to act more like an adult and her parent. My apology was contrite and heartfelt. She cried a little and apologized to me. We talked some more, hugged and then I said good night to her. I realized that had I not apologized first, she would never have apologized to me and we would never have discussed the issue that was at the heart of the matter. 

This Shabbat, we resume the weekly Torah Readings with Parsha Shemini. Divided into three chapters, Parsha Shemini begins the narrative aspects of the book of Leviticus. Until now, we have read God’s speaking to Moshe about all the various Korbonot (offerings) and Moshe speaking to Bnai Yisroel and the Kohanim about all the Korbonot (offerings). Now, Aaron, the Kohen Gadol, begins his preparations for and then engages in the actual slaughtering of the Ram as part of his own Sin Offering. First the Kohen Gadol must be without blemish, without sin, and ritually pure before he begins serving as the conduit between the individual/community and  God. When the Kohen is ritually impure and attempts to approach God inappropriately we learn the results, as does Aaron (Lev. 10:1-2). Finally, we learn how the individual/the community can aspire to be holy without Kohen Gadol’s involvement. We learn this by the Torah’s enumeration of all the animals that are prohibited for consumption.

The Parsha begins with the word VaYehi: It was on the eighth day; Moses summoned Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel (Lev. 9:1). In the Talmudic tractate of Megillah (10b) we are taught that the word VaYehi often serves as foreshadow for troubling events. The Midrash teaches that this parsha occurred on the first of Nissan, an incredibly happy time since it serves as an indicator of Zman Cheiruteinu – the Time of our Freedom and the Pesach holiday. However this is a bittersweet moment. The sweetness is the fact that the community is gathering together for the dedication of the Mishkan. The bitterness lay in the fact that a Mishkan is even necessary. Prior to the sin of the Eigel Zahav (Golden Calf), there was no need for a place for Bnai Yisroel to gather and engage in communal and individual Tshuva. Following the sin of the Eigel Zahav, we as individuals and as a community required a central gathering place to atone for our sins, and engage in Tshuvah.  Next we read Vayomer El Aharon Kach Lecha Eigel ben Bakar L’Chatat – [Moshe] said to Aaron: Take for yourself a young bull for a sin offering…(Lev. 9:3).What sin offering? What did Aaron do wrong that a Sin offering was required? Precisely because of Aaron’s involvement in the Golden Calf debacle, he needs to atone. So Aaron must bring a Chatat offering, a sin offering. Aaron must admit his sin, atone for it, and seek a spiritual return to God (Tshuvah) prior to serving on the behalf of the people. Even more powerful than Aaron’s fulfilling this obligation is the fact that Aaron’s two remaining sons, the Elders, and the entire assembly will bear witness to Aaron’s humbling of himself. Not only will Aaron know that he is worthy to serve on behalf of the people, but the people will know as well.

            Our sages hold Aaron in very high esteem. While the Rabbinic Sages are troubled with the way he handled himself during the incident of the Golden Calf; it is here in Parsha Shemini, when Aaron publicly humbles himself, we understand Aaron’s meritorious conduct.  Aaron’s behavior provides a powerful lesson for any individual in a position of authority or leadership. Our ability to engage in heartfelt Tshuva does not diminish our authority but rather enhances it.

Peace,

Rav Yitz