Think This Through With Me, Let Me Know Your Mind; What I Want To Know Is, Are You Kind? (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia "Uncle John's Band")

Our teen-age daughters, 17 and 15 will be going to the New York metropolitan area in order to spend the last days Shemini Atseret and Simchat Torah with their “camp friends”. For the past couple of weeks we have been searching for a way to get her to New Jersey: plane, train, bus, a car ride with friends who are heading to New York. We couldn’t find anything then satisfied our concern for time, cost, or safety. We managed to find a cheap flight from Buffalo to New York’s LaGuardia airport. They just had to find a way to get picked up at LaGuardia in order to get to their respective destinations: Teaneck, NJ and Cedarhurst Long Island. For the past few years, my parents would drive down to New York City and visit with my sister and her family, however this year my parents won’t be heading down until after Sukkot. In the past, I have relished the idea of our kids on a six hour car ride with my father and listening to the lectures that I had to listen to. I relished the idea of our kids on a six hour car ride with my father and listening to sage words of wisdom about life, relationships, and the future. Because the 17 year old is thinking about university, I was especially hopeful that Grandpa (my father) would offer advice and perspective to deal with the anxiety and the process of choosing and applying to universities. Needless to say, I think our daughters were relieved that they are flying to New York rather than driving six hours and listening to a lecture from Grandpa. For me, it is a lost opportunity for a grandfather to offer wisdom and advice to his grandchildren. Now, as I become more conscious of these diminished opportunities; I realize that it falls on me to transmit his wisdom and advice.

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot. It is the Shabbat that falls during the 7 day Festival of Sukkot. As a result we do not read the regular Torah Reading. Instead, we read of the narrative when Moshe re- ascended the mountain a second time in order to receive the second set of Tablets. As part of the Festival, we recite Hallel which is a series of psalms praising God and state our joy in being part of the Brit, part of the covenant with God. Also, because it is a festival, we read one of Five Megillot taken from the Ketuvim – the Book of Writings. On Shabbat Chol Ha Moed Sukkot, we read Kohelet, the Book of Ecclesiastes.  Jewish tradition ascribes the twelve chapter scroll to Shlomo HaMelech – King Solomon.  This wisdom literature is written from the perspective of an elderly man who has seen it all, and experienced it all. – Ein Kol Chadash Tachat HaShemesh – There is nothing new under the sun! Kohelet – The Preacher speaks with brutal and harsh honesty.. In what is perhaps the most famous few verses, the Preacher tells us that life is full of ups and downs, good times and difficult times. L’Kol Zman V’Eit L’Chol Chafetz Tachat HaShamayim – Everything has its season, and there is a time for everything under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die…..That may not sound so inspiring.  Yet our job is to live our lives according to a set of rules. The result may be good or it may be bad, but God will be the judge of that. All we can do is play according to the rules as we make our way through life and contend with the obstacles presented.

          I hope there will be other opportunities for our children to spend significant time with their grandparents receiving their wisdom. In the meantime I have to make time with my kids passing this Kohelet wisdom to them. After all it’s a seasonal thing: Sukkot, autumn, change of seasons, leaves changing colors. I will take them for a drive, we will talk, we will see the leaves changing, we will discuss univerisities. Words, advice and hopefully wisdom will come out of my mouth and I will realize that I sound like my father, who amazingly enough sounded a lot like his father. I hope I do as good a job transmitting these words, thoughts, and wisdom to them as my father and grandfather did. Like Kohelet concluded by reminding the younger generation that after all is said and done, Sof Davar HaKol Nishmah et HaElohim Yrah v’Et Mitzvotav SHmor ki Zeh Kol HaAdam- Fear God and keep his Commandments, for that is man’s whole duty, Ki et Kol Maaseh Ha’Elohim Yavoh V'Mishpat – For God will judge every deed…; I am reminded of my father’s advice and need that I need to transmit to them: that if they follow their grandfather’s advice, they will be able to handle life’s obstacles and remain positive and happy.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Lost Now On The Country Miles In His Cadillac (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Cassidy")

Our teen-age daughters spent the last days of the Jewish Holidays, Shemini Atseret and Simchat Torah, with their camp friends in the New York metropolitan area. Everyone had a great time. However the journey down towards New York almost ended in one of them missing out on their re-union. The plan was simple enough. Last Saturday night, while listening to the Chicago Cubs defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers on the radio, I drove our daughters down to my parents in Rochester, NY. My parents, who were driving to New York to spend Simchat Torah with their other granddaughter, were to provide a ride to the New York Metropolitan area. We had arranged for the daughter heading to Teaneck to be dropped off at a Teaneck area hotel just off the highway. From there, my parents would drive into New York City, and drop our other daughter off at my sister’s apartment. From there, she would take a cab with her aunt or her grandmother to the East Side, where she would meet her friends and get a ride to New Rochelle. The Teaneck bound daughter should arrive by 2:30 the latest, and the New Rochelle bound daughter should arrive at the Upper East Side by 3:30 the latest. We arrived on Saturday night, happy that the Cubs were going to the World Series. I asked my father if he needed directions to the Teaneck hotel. He said he didn’t as he had already downloaded the directions and even confidently stated that he knew to get into the local lane in order to exit off of I 80 East.  I spent the night, woke up the next morning and returned to Toronto. My parents and daughters left Rochester and began the drive to New Jersey. By 11:30am I had arrived in Toronto. Their drive was just fine. By noon, they were about 45 minutes from Teaneck. Then the adventure began. They were lost in Teaneck. My father missed the exit. He tried to double back. He became more lost. He kept stopping and asking for directions and he proceeded to get more lost, more anxious and more upset.

This morning we begin the Torah from the very beginning in Parsha Breishit. We are all familiar with the narrative of this Parsha. The first chapter focuses upon the narrative of creation from God’s perspective. The second chapter focuses upon the narrative of creation from a humankind perspective. The third chapter focuses upon Adam and Chava’s disobedience of God, their obedience to the serpent their partaking of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and the resulting consequences. The Fourth chapter focuses upon the family’s growth, sibling rivalry as well as fratricide. The fifth chapter focuses upon ten generations of the family’s genealogy beginning with Adam and Chava and concluding with Noach and his sons. In the sixth chapter, God expresses disappointment with mankind’s behavior and God expresses disappointment in his creation.

There is a moment after Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge, and they realized that they had failed to follow directions. VaTipakachna Einei Shneihem VaYeidu Ki Eirumim Heim – then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized that they were naked. By eating from the Tree of Knowledge, their eyes opened.  They had become enlightened. They had become “aware” of their existence in context. They were not like other aspects of creation.  Despite this enlightenment and this awareness what do they do? VaYitChabei Ha’Adam V’Ishto Mipnei Adoshem Elokim B’Toch Eitz Hagan – and the man and his wife hid from Hashem God among the trees of the garden.  They tried to lose themselves amid the trees. So when God asks Ayeka – Where are you? God knows where they are. The problem is that they do not know where they are. They don’t answer the question.  Et Kolecha Shamati BaGan VaIra Ki Eirom Anochi VaEichavei – I heard the sound of You in the garden and I was afraid because I am naked, so I hid. This answers the question of why did you hide? But the answer to “where are you” is simple. It is an answer that more spiritually mature and aware people will offer. The answer to the question “where are you?” is “here”. Such an answer suggests that the person is not so lost. Or the answer the question “where are you?” is “I don’ know”.  If Adam is enlightened because he ate from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam’s response is disturbing. He is not as enlightened as his descendent Avraham who will respond “Hineini -Here I am”. Nor is he enlightened to know that he is lost. To be lost suggests at least knowing the destination but not knowing how to get there. Adam can’t answer the question because he doesn’t know where he is going nor does he know from where he comes. He only knows that he is naked and without purpose.

Eventually, I managed to get my father to the highway heading towards the George Washington Bridge. They were stuck in traffic for a while, but eventually managed to drop off our daughter at the rendezvous point and she arrived at her final destination in time. Yes, they had been lost, but they always had in mind the final destination. Yes they had been lost but they always knew that the direction they needed to go, eventually they would find the right path. Needless to say, everyone arrived where they were supposed to be and everyone had a wonderful end to the Chagim.  I guess next time I will make sure to buy my father a GPS so that way when I ask him

“Ayeka – where are you?”, he will know.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

You Who Choose To Lead Must Follow (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ripple")

Now that the Yamim Noraim and the Chagim are nearly complete we can begin the slow re-entry into the humdrum of routine and the “real world”. Yes, there remains the conclusion of Sukkot, Shemini Atseret and then Simchat Torah, but by the time Shabbat begins the routine of Shabbat liturgy returns and with it the Weekly Parsha. There won’t be any liturgical additions, no additional torah portions to read, or special haftarot to chant.  With the return of a regular and ordinary Shabbat comes the return of the regular work week, and its regular rhythms of the mundane and the ordinary. I admit by the end of Sukkot, I am Holiday-ed out. I yearn for the routine of a regular work week, I long for my children to have a full week of school, and I excitedly rejoin those who keep up with current events. For me the most difficult thing about the Holidays is that they are designed to keep your focus out of the mundane secular world. I actually like to know what is happening in world. I like to know about mankind’s successes and failures. I like to know when mankind has follows the Yetzer HaTov, the good inclination; and the Yetzer Harah, the evil inclination. For example I need to catch up on what happened regarding Syria and chemical weapons. The last time I heard about Syria, some were criticizing the President because he had failed to lead, he consulted Congress and the American people. Vladimir Putin didn’t consult with anyone. For many, Vladimir Putin exhibited strong leadership skills and the President did not.  Weak American leadership and strong Russian leadership in the international arena is an idea scares many in the west. It scares some Americans, it scares some Canadians, and it scares supporters of Israel. It certainly scares me.

This morning we begin the Torah from the very beginning in Parsha Breishit. We are all familiar with the narrative of this Parsha. The first chapter focuses upon the narrative of creation from God’s perspective. The second chapter focuses upon the narrative of creation from a humankind perspective. The third chapter focuses upon Adam and Chava’s disobedience of God, their obedience to the serpent their partaking of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and the resulting consequences. The Fourth chapter focuses upon the family’s growth, sibling rivalry as well as fratricide. The fifth chapter focuses upon ten generations of the family’s genealogy beginning with Adam and Chava and concluding with Noach and his sons. In the sixth chapter, God expresses disappointment with mankind’s behavior and God expresses disappointment in his creation. Emcha Et Ha’Adam Asher Barati  Mei’al Pnai Ha’Adamah – I will blot out mankind whom I have created from the face of the ground (Gen. 6:7).

Torah portrays an omnipotent God, and omnipresent God, and omniscient God, throughout each of the chapters that constitute Parsha Breishit. Yet during the creation process in the first chapter there is a moment where power and leadership hang in the balance.  Vayomer Elohim Na’Aseh Adam B’Tzalmeinu Kidmuteinu V’Yirdu Vidgat HaYam U’ve’Of HaShamayim U’Vabeheimah U’vechol Ha’Aretz Uve’Chol HaRemes HaRomeis Al Ha’Adamah – And God said, Let us make Man in our image, after Our likeness. They shall rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and the over the animal, the whole earth, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth (Gen. 1:26).  The Midrash explains that the creation of mankind might give the appearance of diminishing both God’s power and the Ministering Angel’s power. Instead of being right in his desire to create mankind, God still consulted with the ministering angels. As a result, God and the Heavenly Court could all take responsibility for the positive or negative results of that action.

The lesson in leadership is clear.  No matter the title, or the actual power a leader may have, the issue is always about making sure that there are those willing to follow. A leader with no followers is a person who walks alone. Therefore the trick is to be sure to allow others to take ownership of the mission. No one wants ownership if they are already alienated. The Ministering Angels had every reason to feel alienated with the creation of mankind. Essentially Adam v’Chava were ministering angels here. There were even given the same mission as Ministering Angels. By consulting with the Ministering Angels, they were no longer alienated. After Adam v’Chava disobeyed and ate from the tree of knowledge, and Adam v’ Chava became equally physical as well as spiritual beings; there was even less of a threat. The point is that these Angels were consulted, they were not dismissed. They were factored into the creation process not alienated from it. 

Peace,

Rav Yitz