Then Give Hope To The Hopeless, The Helpless And The Homeless (Robert Hunter & Phil Lesh - "Wave To The Wind")

           Earlier this week, President Biden gave the State of The Union Address before a joint session of Congress, and all those who had tuned in. The President struck a note of hope.  He spoke of the growing frustration that people have when dealing with airlines, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies,  and all the current sources of aggravation and inconvenience that everyday people experience.  Acknowledging that there are still many economically and politically alienated people, his goal remains to do as much as possible to create opportunities that mitigate the sense of alienation. He reminded Americans and the world that aspiring to the best version of America was still possible.  Several moments after the President’s State of the Union Address, the minority party’s response was offered by Sarah Huckabee, the former White House Director of Communications during the Trump Administration and the current Governor of Arkansas. She spoke of a Left Wing Cabal and registered the complaints that her former boss articulated seven years ago. She looked towards the past and spoke in a code that only the most passionate believers of her message would understand. President Biden spoke of the present and of the future in a language and using examples that everyone could understand and relate to. 

           In this week’s Parsha Yitro, there are two distinct narratives. The first narrative focuses on Moshe and his father-in-law Yitro.  Moshe leads B’nai Yisroel to Midian. While there, Moshe spends a little time with his wife, his two sons, and his father-in-law, Yitro. Yitro acknowledges that G-d has protected B’nai Yisroel and that the Lord is greater than all other gods. The next day, Yitro witnesses Moshe sit from morning to night mediating and adjudicating conflicts among B’nai Yisroel. Yitro understands that his son-in-law is overextended and the current method of governing is neither good for him nor for Amchah (the nation). Being both a Priest of Midian as well as his father-in-law, Yitro offers advice as both a father and a community leader. The second distinct narrative occurs, from chapters 19 through 20,  and focuses upon B'nai Yisroel’s revelation at Sinai.  The Parshah concludes with God’s declaration of the Aseret Dibrot, the Ten Commandments. The second part of the Parshah is very well known, incredibly unclear, and lends itself to numerous interpretations, commentaries, and Midrashim.  However, the two stories seem so disparate and could easily stand alone.  Why do these two separate narratives appear together in the same Parsha and how are they connected? 

           Yitro suggests to Moshe “You be a representative of God, and you convey the matters to God…you shall make known to them the path in which they should go and the deeds they should do. You shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, men of truth, men who despise money. You shall appoint them as leaders of thousands…they shall judge the people at all times, and they shall bring every major matter to you, and every minor matter they shall judge, and it will be eased for you, and they shall bear with you. If you do this thing and God shall command you, then you will be able to endure, and this entire people, as well, should arrive at its destination in peace.” (Ex. 18:19-23)  Yitro explains that a community must have a shared vision. To some degree, people need to know how to seek G-d on their own, and how to behave within a community. Others need to know God's ways in order to adjudicate and mediate conflicts or transmit information. Everyone must have access to G-d and G-d’s teaching. Only then will Moshe’s leadership responsibilities be light enough to bear. Only then will Amchah have a stake in the relationship with G-d. Only then will Moshe and B’nai Yisroel become willing participants in their covenant with G-d. Only then can this community uphold its role as a “priest to the nations”. Then and only then will Moshe and B’nai Yisroel arrive at its destination in peace.  However, Yitro’s suggestion is a top-down approach. Moshe sits atop.   After Moshe heeded his father-in-law’s advice, the preparation for the Revelation at Sinai occurs. While Moshe ascends and descends the mountain, the narrative focuses on B’nai Yisroel’s preparation, and its standing, waiting, and listening.  God instructs  Amchah to prepare for Revelation. The “entire people'' were in the camp, and they shuddered. Then Moshe brought the people from the camp toward God. (Ex 19:16-17). When presented with God’s covenant, “the entire people responded together and said, ‘everything that God has spoken we will do!’”(Ex 19:8) The narrative continually emphasizes that Revelation was not solely between God and Moshe.  B'nai Yisroel must be involved in the process. B’nai Yisroel must experience some aspect of Revelation. B’nai Yisroel must be active participants in Revelation. They were. They willingly and unanimously responded.  B’nai Yisroel’s unanimous response indicated that they were responsible and willing participants in the covenant. Their participation and the unanimous response indicated that they shared a common vision and purpose.

Moshe and B’nai Yisroel had a shared vision. Moshe experienced numerous revelations as an individual. However, at Sinia, he shared that revelation with B’nai Israel. As the leader, the disseminator of Law, and the one responsible for transmitting that law to the people, Moshe is responsible for not only transmitting law but doing everything he can to make sure that B’nai Israel has a shared and common vision, a sense of citizenship and common experience. By doing so, he improves the chances that this new society will be able to survive in the future. President Biden’s speech reflected that same idea. Speak in a language and from a common shared experience. That sense of shared common experience binds us as a people and offers the best chance of solving the problems of the future. 

Peace,
Rav Yitz

It's Even Worse Than It Appears (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Touch of Grey")

           Earlier this week in Israel, a planned 5000-person demonstration against the new radical, right win, ultranationalist, ultraorthodox government that received 30,000 more votes than the other coalition,  became in reality, a demonstration of more than 80000 people. Friends of ours who live in and around Tel Aviv attended. The demonstration was not about issues of domestic policy or a peace plan. No, this demonstration was about the fundamental nature of Israel’s government. This was a demonstration about a country remaining a democracy that guarantees rights to all citizens no matter gender, sexual orientation, or denomination of Judaism.   Tom Friedman wrote a very difficult and troubling OpEd piece in the January 18th,  New York Times that challenges Jews,  those who describe themselves as friends of Israel, and what U.S. policy should be toward any country that has dangerously veered away from Liberal Democratic values and turned towards the authoritarian world like Turkey and Hungary. For the sake of Israel’s democracy, Friedman suggests that  The President, the most powerful spokesperson for Democracy, needs to convince Netanyahu that an authoritarian illiberal Jewish country is bad for the Jews and not in the West’s interest. 

          This Shabbat we read Parsha Va’Eira. In this Parshah, God reassured Moshe after Pharaoh mocked and dismissed both him and Aharon. God explains the plan to Moshe that Pharaoh’s heart will be hardened after each plague but eventually, Pharaoh will capitulate. God explains the various stages of redemption. The plagues begin. We are supposed to understand that each of these first seven plagues is more severe than the previous plague: Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild Beasts, Animal plague, Boils, and Hail. Moshe requests that Pharaoh allows B’nai Yisroel to worship God for three days, Pharaoh sometimes acquiesces sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he asks Moshe to pray on his behalf and sometimes he doesn’t. One thing is clear, whenever Pharaoh gets his way (a plague ceases), something that would clearly indicate the power of God, Pharaoh acts almost like a child. He returns to his arrogant self-centered nature. Finally at the very end of the Parsha, after the plague of Hail has devastated the land and killed anything that was outside, Pharaoh expresses the evolution of his belief system.

          Two men, Moshe and Pharaoh experience a type of revelation. Each man’s revelation is shaped by who they are, their life experiences, and their outlook on the world. Each leader will experience something very different than what fits their current theological system. Moshe is told by God, “Ani Adoshem VaEira el Avraham El Yitzchak v’ El Yaakov B’Eil Shaddai U’Shmi Adoshem Lo Nodati LaHem – I am Hashem, I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but with My Name Hashem, I did not make Myself known to them (Ex. 6:2) For Moshe, his revelation assumes questions.  Why did you, Hashem, reveal yourself one way to Abraham Isaac, and Jacob, and another way to me?  God will reveal himself to Moshe through “Signs and Wonders”.  V’Yadu Mitzrayim Ki Ani Adoshem, BinToti et Yadi Al Mitzrayim V’Hotzeiti et Bnai Yisroel MiTocham – And Egypt Shall know that I am Hashem, when I stretch out My hand over Egypt; and I shall take the Children of Israel out from among them (Ex. 7:5). With each ensuing plague, Pharaoh and Egypt will experience God. For Pharaoh, the embodiment of a system that did not permit questions, the revelation was much more absolute and stark. That revelation would manifest itself in a series of plagues.

          Pharaoh’s world is harsh, he felt threatened by a minority culture and he believed that Egypt was threatened by that same minority culture. As a result, the blood, the frogs, the lice, swarms of wild beasts, livestock disease, boil, hail, locusts, and the death of the firstborn were perceived as plagues and God was perceived as a harsh judge with little mercy. Moshe had experienced kindness. His mother hid him in the basket, and Pharoah’s daughter drew him out of the basket and raised him as her own. After he demonstrated kindness to the slaves by attempting to protect them, he leaves Egypt and demonstrates kindness to Yitro’s daughters. Yitro takes in this stranger as his own son, and eventually, Moses marries Yitro’s daughter Zipporah.  Zipporah demonstrates kindness to Moshe when she perceives that his life is endangered because he didn’t circumcise their son in a timely fashion (Ex. 4:24-26). Because Moshe experienced kindness throughout his life and he demonstrated kindness to others; it only makes sense that God is not so much a harsh judge as God is merciful and kind.   Netanyahu managed to import the newest American products: a MAGA attitude for his 30,000-person majority, a mistrust of the judicial system, and the authoritarianism that has become popular in certain parts of the world. The cost will be devastating. By continuing down the path of authoritarianism and renouncing the civil rights of many of his citizens, Netanyahu brings his own plague upon Israel. 

Peace,
Rav Yitz

And I Told Her My Story; I Told Her What Was Going On (Grateful Dead - "Caution: Do Not Stop On Tracks)

           Despite the rising tide of antisemitism, despite the cesspool of anti-semitic tropes that one finds on Twitter, despite all the anti-semitic conspiracy theories found in the extreme parts of the Alt-Right universe and the anti-Israel rhetoric of the extreme Left political universe, I found tremendous comfort in the middle. Two weeks ago, the State of Pennsylvania elected a “Left of Center” Jewish Governor. Josh Shapiro was recently elected Governor by receiving the greatest amount of votes for a Governor in state history.  He ran against a candidate who espoused White Christian Nationalism, supported the January 6th Capitol Riot, and believed that a woman has no right to an abortion under any circumstance. Josh Shapiro grew up attending Jewish Days School and attending shul with his father. He and his wife send their children to Day School and celebrate Shabbat and the Jewish Holidays. When Josh campaigned, he told a story that people were familiar with. He told a story. He told an aspirational story of a nation founded upon the principles of religious freedom. He told the aspirational story of a nation struggling to guarantee and protect the rights and freedoms of all its citizens. He reminded the voters that the future of their community and state is premised upon expanding rights, freedoms, and liberties. Josh’s story reminded everyone of the past and spoke of a future that was both inspirational and aspirational.

          This Shabbat we read from Parsha Chayei Sarah, “the Life of Sarah”. It is a rather odd name for a Parsha that discusses’ Sarah’s death, and Avraham’s funeral preparations including a eulogy, crying, and the purchase of land for burial. The focus then shifts from Sarah’s death and Avraham’s caring for her to Avraham’s son Yitzchak and getting on with his life. Avraham instructs his servant to find a wife for Yitzchak from among his ancestors. The servant head back to Avraham’s homeland, he asks God for a sign so that he knows which girl is the right one for his master’s son. He finds the girl and convinces her to return with him, the girl leaves home and heads back with the servant to meet her new husband and her father–in–law. They get married. Avraham takes a wife and lives quietly in retirement. The Parsha concludes with Avraham’s death and the death of his eldest son Ishmael.

          Structurally, the Parsha is rather peculiar. Between the narrative of Sarah’s death and funeral and the narrative of Avraham and Ishmael’s deaths exists a narrative affirming life.  A father arranges to find a wife for his son. A young woman, Rivkah,  leaves home and marries Avraham’s son Yitzchak, a man who had a near-death experience when his father tried to offer him as a sacrifice and who is dealing with the death of his mother.  This life-affirming narrative is told in three different ways. The first narrative occurs when Avraham tells his servant what to do: Return to the ancestral homeland, find a girl from the tribe, and bring her back so that Yitzchak can marry her. The second narrative is Avraham’s plan coming to fruition. The servant returns to Avraham’s homeland, he prays to God for a sign that he should pick the right girl, he meets the girl and then meets the family. The third narrative is the servant recounting the narrative beginning with Avraham’s presenting the servant with this sacred task. Why does the Torah present this narrative in three different ways and from three different perspectives: Avraham’s plan, Avraham’s servant (Eliezer) fulfilling the mission, and Eliezer explaining all these events to Rebecca’s family? Why all the details? The Torah could have told of Avraham’s plan and even included the events that allowed Eliezer to fulfill the plan. Certainly, we don’t need to read Eliezer’s recounting of events to Rebecca’s family. The Torah could have said: “And Eliezer told her family all that happened.” Maybe we read the narratives’ reiteration gets us to look at it in more than just a cursory manner. The more we look at it, and hear about it, the more we begin to realize just how miraculous the whole story is. Maybe the narrative’s reiteration reminds us that the focus should be on life-affirming events rather than death-affirming events.  Maybe the subliminal message and the reason for the narrative’s reiteration is the sanctity of the narrative. Yitzchak was dealing with lots of death, as was Avraham. Generally, death marks the end of a narrative. For Yitzchak and Rebecca, both of whom were about to begin a new stage of life together, they needed to have a new narrative, their narrative. For the narrative to be effective it had to include the past and an origin, it needs to embody a point to a possible future, it needs to embody fundamental values, and it needs to have a way of being transmitted.

          The ability to create a narrative and share it is an incredibly important part of life. A narrative connects the past, present, and future. A narrative provides attributes meaning by adeptly connecting seemingly disparate events. Whether it was a servant’s narrative that spoke of miracles and God’s presence, or a gubernatorial candidate’s narrative on the broad themes of liberty and freedom as expressed in casting a ballot; narratives connect people allowing them to create community, purpose, and meaning.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

Search For Where The Rivers Ends Or Where The River Starts (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia- "Foolish Heart")

          There is a tradition that the Yeshivot in Israel begin their programs at the beginning of Elul. The Sages and the Mystics considered Elul a time of spiritual preparation for the Yamim Noraim, and after a year of drifting away from God, Elul provides the perfect opportunity to spiritually begin the process of returning to God. Well, with Elul beginning this Shabbat, this will be our son’s last Shabbat with us. He departs for Yeshiva this Monday.  Ironically, it is also his Bar Mitzvah Parsha.  Five years ago, when he became a Bar Mitzvah he took the first steps towards adulthood when he became Mechayeiv - obligated to fulfill the mitzvot. Now he takes another huge step towards adulthood by moving away from home, living on his own, and learning for the sake of learning instead of learning for a grade or transcript. This is also the last Shabbat that my wife and I have Shabbat with children living in our house. From now on, when we are blessed to have our children home with us for Shabbat, they will only be visiting us. Indeed this Shabbat is very emotional as our family prepares to enter a new phase of development.

           This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. "See I present before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut.11:26). V'haklalah Im Lo Tishm'u el Mitzvot Adonai Eloheichem V'sartem Min Ha'Derech Asher Anochi M'taveh Etchem Ha'yom La'lechet Acharei Elohim Acheirim Asher Lo Y'Datem-"And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did know." (Deut. 11:28) Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to its covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds B'nai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns B'nai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds B'nai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoid non-kosher foods, not live in wayward cities, forgive loans after seven years, care for the less fortunate, and celebrate the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

          Moshe reminds B'nai Israel Ki Im El HaMakom Asher Yivchar Adoshem Eloheichem miKol Shivteichem LaSum et Shmo Sham L’Shichno Tidreshu Uvata SHama – Rather, only at the place that Hashem, your God, will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name shall you seek out his Presence, his dwelling, and come there. Certainly, this is reminiscent of God, at the time of the Akeida, telling Avraham that he will show him where to go with his son Yitzchak. Its reminiscent of Avraham as a much younger man, leaving his home and going to a place that God would show him., Certainly we could understand Moshe’s words as a  reminder for B’nai Yisroel that “sanctity”. Holiness, Kedusha is central to  Israel, Torah, and Jewish identity. The Sfas Emet (The Gerrer Rebbe from about 1870-1905) reminds us that God’s choice is not revealed until B’nai Yisroel “seeks”.  We only find answers when we seek, when we look, and when we investigate. Because we are commanded to seek Shechino, his divine aspects that dwell among us, we are tasked to seek holiness. Holiness is in Time and Space. Holiness is in our  Neshama, Holiness is in our choices, and in our words, our deeds, and the way we live our lives. That is the constant choice we are commanded to make HaYom Today –  a choice that we make each and every day and each and every moment. 

           While raising our children in North America, we consciously chose to raise them in vibrant Jewish communities and with day school education through high school. In doing so, we wanted them to learn how to experience God dwelling among us in each community we have lived. We also made sure that they would have the opportunity to experience God while they dwelled in Eretz Yisroel. Yes, it's different, powerfully meaningful, and provided our three older daughters with a firm foundation for the life choices that confronted them while in University and in life after University. It is my sincere hope that our youngest child, our son, will have a similar experience of making his upcoming ten months in Israel, ten months of HaYom- ten months of full and meaningful days;  full of experiencing God in his learning and daily life in Israel.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

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

           Of all professional sports, Baseball offers the most amount of games in the regular season: 162 games. The regular season usually begins at the end of March (this year it began in the first week of April due to a strike) and concludes at the end of September. After 6 months of 162 games, the Postseason begins.  So, whichever teams are good enough or lucky enough to play in the world series, those teams will have played baseball for 7 months. However, at this time of year, around the middle of the season, a baseball team must assess where it is on and the  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 itself both in the short term and the long term. By the middle of July, two weeks before a trade deadline, a team needs to assess its performance and decide whether it can find help from outside the organization. Halfway through the season and a team needs to determine whether they have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. If a team does not feel that there is a chance, then they may decide to trade their best players in order to get younger less expensive players in return. Of course, the message to the fanbase is that the team has “given up on the season”. A team that believes it has a very reasonable chance of getting into the playoffs or even challenging for a World Series Championship, may decide to there is a particular position that could be upgraded and that could be a difference maker. Sometimes a very good team has experienced injuries and the return of those injured players will be enough to stand pat with the current personnel. What is always amazing to me, and it happens every year, there is always a player on a poor or mediocre team who is experiencing a disappointing season and not performing up to expectations. Management is disappointed, the fans are disappointed and sometimes the player himself is disappointed. Then the player is traded to a team that is contending for a playoff spot. The management of the contending team believes that the disappointing player can make a difference.  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 he is wanted, the player has an incredibly productive second half of the season and by the end of the season, he has lived up to or exceeded new team’s expectations. 

          This Shabbat 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 on 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 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 curse Bnai Yisroel refuses to respond to Bilaam, and 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 as 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 nor Balak’s expectations.  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 teams. 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, injured players return from injury, the organization expresses confidence in the players and the coaches, and the players commit to playing better, commit to exerting greater effort, and working harder. They look inward and renew a sense of commitment and purpose. 

   Peace,               
    Rav Yitz 

Whatever Happened To His Precious Self Control (Gerrit Graham & Bob Weir - "Victim Or The Crime")

           One of the most damaging results of the ongoing pandemic has been the increase of has been the increase in substance abuse and addiction. Whether alcohol, opioids, or another substance; the increased tension, and anxiety have led to an increased demand for mental health services.  Dr. Carl Erik Fisher author of The Urge: Our History of Addiction wrote a recent Op-Ed piece in the Jan 15th New York Times entitled "It's Misleading to Call Addiction a Disease". He explains that as a recovering addict, who is also a medical doctor, he has always struggled with the idea that addiction is a disease. His point is that the “addiction as a disease” paradigm oversimplifies the role of medicine and science. This paradigm assumes that a pill or a procedure will eradicate the disease. Besides, oversimplification, the “addiction as a disease” paradigm also eliminates the importance of empowering the patient to recover. A disease, if genetic, creates a degree of fatalism, and a disease that is entirely environmental and socio-economic eliminates the importance of hope. Rather, Fisher explains that when he wakes up every morning, his addiction reminds him that he, like everyone else, has a human struggle. His addiction reminds him that he, like everyone, must struggle with self-control and his addiction is just another example of human suffering and struggling with self-control.  

        This week's Parsha is Yitro. Named after Moshe's father-in-law, who happens to be a Midianite priest, the Parsha begins with Moshe leading B'nai Yisroel toward the wilderness of Midyan where he meets up with his father-in-law, his wife, and his two sons. Yitro suggests that Moshe should create a bureaucracy whereby others administer the small everyday rulings required of a judge. Difficult legal issues would be administered by Moshe. Moshe is then commanded by God to bring B'nai Yisroel to Har Sinai. For three days they will purify themselves, clean their clothes, not have marital relations, and purify their souls for a revelation. With the mountain smoking and thunder billowing from the heavens, God begins to speak. B'nai Yisroel is absolutely petrified and fearing death, they beg Moshe to go up the mountain as their Shaliach (appointed messenger). Moshe ascends the mountain and receives the Aseret HaDibrot (the Ten Commandments), then descends. Upon his descent, he tells B'nai Yisroel the Aseret HaDibrot. The Parsha concludes with B'nai Yisroel readily accepting the Ten Commandments, Moshe re-assures the people not to fear the thunder and the flames, God attests to the fact that B'nai Yisroel has accepted these commandments and then commands Moshe to build an altar of earth.

        The Ten Commandments are bound by several themes. The first five commandments are God-oriented. The second five commandments are people-oriented. The Aseret HaDibrot is punishable by death. Through our modern perspective, we may not agree but we can understand the concept of capital punishment in terms of murder, testifying falsely, (in which false testimony leads to death), or even kidnapping. However, how do we explain capital punishment as a punishment for not honoring your parents, keeping the Shabbat, or committing Avodah Zarah (Idolatry)? Certainly violating Shabbat or violating the first five commandments that are all God-  does not necessarily hurt someone else. Even not honoring one's parents might not warrant capital punishment in today's day and age. So how do we understand that each commandment is punishable by death? We know that if we do not take care of our bodies, there is a chance our bodies will be hurt. If we don't eat right, get enough sleep, and exercise then our resistance is low and there is a chance we will get sick. If we don't fasten our seatbelts then there is a chance that we won't be able to walk away from an accident. If we drink too much and too often or if we smoke, we know that we are doing damage to our bodies. There are things that we do to help our spiritual existence as well. Failure to take care of our souls is also detrimental to our existence. Failure to take care of our soul leads to emptiness, purposelessness, and a misguided existence. The first five commandments are about the welfare of our souls.  The first five commandments give our existence a higher more spiritual purpose. The first five commandments fill our lives with meaning even when overwhelmed with the onslaught of the humdrum of everyday life. The first five commandments give us a sense of where we fit in the universe. The first five commandments are for each individual's soul and the soul's relationship to God.

        The Aseret HaDibrot is much more than the Ten Commandments. The Aseret HaDibrot provides a blueprint for a life that is part of a community  (the second five commandments) and accounts for our own sense of self-worth and purpose (the first five commandments). The Aseret HaDibrot teaches us and commands us to transcend time and space by adding meaning and holiness to our lives. The Aseret HaDibrot teaches us that our spiritual well-being is just as important as our physical well-being. When our soul is complete, filled with a sense of purpose, filled with love, and filled with the acknowledgment that there is God, we are able to transcend the physical. As Dr. Fisher explains, addiction is just another type of human struggle that occurs on a daily basis. That struggle is as much a struggle of the soul as it is a struggle of the body. The Aseret Dibrot, gives our soul a higher purpose, choosing to connect to the holy and the sacred rather than the mundane, the ordinary, or the destructive.

Peace,
Rav Yitz.

Promises Made In The Dark Dissolve By Light Of Day (Robert Hunter & Bob Weir - "Easy Answers")

           With the new year set to begin on Shabbat, there is a wonderful opportunity to look back on the year that was, and hold out hope for the year that will be.  Looking back at the year that was, the tragic loss of life, and the continued spread of Covid, some might question his/her faith in God. In looking forward to the new year, some might put his/her faith in God, in mankind, in both, or in none. Some may question faith. For others, their faith remains firm and unbending.  With two University age daughters home (one on winter break and one online heading into final exams) and our 12th-grade son who cannot wait to go to university, there is a lot of discussion regarding “authority”, “faith”, and there is a lot of questioning “authority” and “faith”. During one discussion with our children, I was reminded of an event that took place several years ago.  A congregant came into my office crying. “Rabbi, Rabbi, I have horrible news and I don’t know what to do!” My thoughts immediately went to the worst-case scenarios: her husband had been stricken with a terminal illness or that she discovered that one of her children was addicted to drugs, or she was deciding to get out of her marriage. Of course, all of my “worst-case scenario” thoughts were particularly troubling because this family was a pillar in the community. They were an extremely generous family, generous with their money and their time. They were in Shul all the time. Each of their two children was a mentsche, smart, Jewishly aware, and observant. I could not imagine what possible could be the crisis that this distraught woman brought into my office. “What is it?” I asked. With a heavy sigh, and eyes welling up in tears she explained that her son, who was a sophomore in college (2nd-year university students for Canadians), called her the other night and he told her that he no longer believed in God. I breathed a sigh of relief and said, “For a minute there some horrible tragedy had occurred in your family. So, Nu? What’s the problem? What’s the crisis?” She could not understand why I was smiling. Her son’s declarative statement expressing disbelief in God, apparently made her feel inadequate as a parent and challenged the foundation of her own belief system. I explained that for an intellectually honest and curious college student to think and express such thoughts is not only healthy and normal but also vital to the process of developing and strengthening faith. Most 19-year-old young men feel neither mortal nor limited. Everything is possible,  and they feel all-powerful as if they can “handle anything”. Under such circumstances and with such an attitude, who needs God? Instead of a belief in God, there is a profound belief in oneself.

           This Shabbat is Parsha V’Eira. In this Parshah, God reassures Moshe after Pharaoh and mocked and dismissed both him and Aharon. God explains the plan to Moshe, that Pharoah’s heart will be hardened after each plague but eventually Pharaoh will capitulate. God explains the various stages of redemption. The plagues begin. We are supposed to understand that each of these first seven plagues is more severe than the previous plague: Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild Beasts, Animal plague, Boils, Hail. Moshe requests that Pharaoh allows B’nai Yisroel to worship God for three days, Pharaoh sometimes acquiesces sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he asks Moshe to pray on his behalf and sometimes he doesn’t. One thing is clear, that whenever Pharaoh gets his way (a plague ceases), something that would clearly indicate the power of God, Pharaoh acts almost like a child. He reverts right back to his nature.

          Hail, the seventh plague, devastates the land. Hail destroyed any living being, person or animal that was outside during the plague. Witnessing the devastation and destruction of land and life; Pharaoh’s belief system appears to have evolved. Rather than dismissing the plague, rather than demonstrating a self-centered attitude in which Pharaoh is all powerful, Pharaoh seems to have acquired a degree of humility.  Vayishlach Paroh Va’Yikrah L’Moshe U’le’Aharon Vayomer Aleihem Chatati HaPa’am Adonay  HaTzaddik v’Ani V’Ami Harsha’im – Pharaoh sent and summoned Moshe and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; Hashem is the Righteous One, and I and my people are the wicked ones (Ex. 9:27). Pharaoh asks Moshe to pray on his behalf to end the plague. He seems to be genuine in his belief. By acknowledging sin, by explicitly calling God the Righteous One, Pharaoh not only acknowledges the fact that God exists but admits that Pharaoh is not a God. Unfortunately, as soon as the plague ends, Pharaoh sins again and refuses to let B’nai Yisroel leave. However, now Pharaoh is choosing to ignore that which he has come to legitimately accept. The Parsha concludes with Pharaoh committing the sin of ignoring God based upon his own willful stubbornness not ignoring based upon the failure of recognition.

           Pharaoh, like the 19-year-old college student, obviously believes he is the center of the world. Time and History begin and end with him. Pharaoh, like the 19-year-old, believes he is immortal and without limitations. At times, it is our process as well. We constantly question and wonder about God. Like Pharaoh, ultimately our belief in God cannot be solely confined to experiencing miracle after miracle. Rather our belief, our complete and devoted faith in God will evolve from the small things in life. Unlike Pharaoh, hopefully that 19-year-old son of my former congregant learned what so many learn as they mature. Hopefully, he has a sense of mortality, hopefully he understands that he is not all powerful, hopefully he has come to learn to rely on on others. Hopefully, he understands that he is not the center of the universe, nor has much control over the universe.  Hopefully, as he developed his own faith, he was able to sense God in the presence of his life and his family’s life.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Yitz

Some Folks Would Be Happy Just To Have One Dream Come True (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia- "Mission In The Rain")

          Every year at this time my son and I get to bond while we assemble our Sukkah. As he has grown older, his help evolved from sitting and talking, to tightening bolts on the bottom, to carrying supplies, to tightening bolts above, to helping put up the skach (the sukkah’s roof), and now he as a point where he offers suggestions to improve and expedite the entire operation.  While we were putting the Sukkah together he shared with me something he learned in school. He explained that one of the commandments associated with Sukkot is to be happy. As a brooding, 17-year-old 12th grader who cannot leave high school quick enough,  our son thought that commanding joy and happiness or any emotion for that matter,  violate the idea of “free will”. He suggested that perhaps we can engage in behavior that causes joy and such as those associated with Sukkot: eating in the Sukkah and waving the Lulav and Etrog. He then asked a very poignant question. “Abba how can you be commanded to ‘be happy’ if you are in mourning?” I asked him what he meant. He explained that there must be so many aveilim - mourners since Covid, how can the Aveilim be happy?” I stopped what I was doing and told him that I wonder the same thing. It is hard to be happy when you have suffered a loss. How do we do resolve the tension between how we feel due to a loss and the feeling associated with Chag Sukkot?

          Among the most spiritually difficult texts is Sefer Kohelet the Book of Ecclesiastes. We read it in its entirety once a year on Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot, the Intermediate Sabbath of Sukkot. According to the tradition, Shlomo HaMelech, King Solomon, towards the end of his life, wrote this Megillah, this scroll. Tradition has this perspective because the language is not one of optimism but rather realism. This is a person who has “seen it all” – Ein Kol Chadash Tachat HaShemesh – There is nothing new under the sun! And yet there is a certain harsh realism and a certain sense of harsh optimism. The author provides us with a cold, clinical sense of comfort. He does not coddle us. He does not baby us. Rather the author shoves our faces in this “reality” and gives us a perspective on how to deal with a world that is not as wonderful a place as we might have thought of in our youth, or even a few weeks ago. The question that so many of our sages have asked, is why is such a text, a text that does not offer such explicit hope, a text that does not offer explicit comfort, and is universally recognized as a “downer” of a text, why is such a text read on the holiday that is commonly regarded as Zman Simchateinu – the time of our joy?

        In Eretz Yisroel, the Autumn Harvest is complete. We unabashedly celebrate our joy on a physical level because of a successful harvest. We also unabashedly celebrate our joy for having been judged favorably by God, (Rosh HaShanah), having been the recipients of God’s mercy (Yom Kippur). On Sukkot, we are commanded to Samachta b’Chagecha – celebrate in your holiday. Yet, this text seems to diminish our celebration. While the nature of the Sukkot holiday is to celebrate our unrestrained joy in receiving God’s blessing, we also know that very often it is human nature to forget God and celebrate our achievements and ourselves. Kohelet reminds us that, like the fragile nature of the Sukkah itself, not everything is as much in our control as we think. V’Zerach HaShemesh U’Vah HaShemesh – the sun rises and the sun sets- no matter what we do, no matter how much control we may perceive that we have, at the end of the day, we are ultimately powerless. God is the ultimate cause of all things. The sun rises and sets because of God, not mankind. Kohelet helps us maintain our perspective. Kohelet reminds us that we are not the center of the world. Kohelet reminds us that for all the physical pleasures we seek, for all the material comforts we work hard to afford, such things are fleeting.

        So how can such a text offer us comfort? Well if we have the perspective of Kohelet, then we can understand how an elderly person, who has seen everything: man’s goodness, man’s evil, the joy of life, and the futility of life, offers us comfort.  Kohelet reminds us that there is only the Here and Now. The harvest and Thanksgiving that is associated with Sukkot reminds us that there is only the Here and Now.  The next cycle of planting, pruning, and harvesting is not in our control so why bother. Rather we celebrate that we arrived at Now. Yes, we may be scarred. Yes, we might have suffered horrible losses, perhaps devastating types of losses. Be we are here, sitting in the sukkah, shaking a lulav and etrog, and that might be worth celebrating. Being in the Now just might be reason enough to be happy.

          As we finished putting up our Sukkah, I finally figured out an answer for our son. Maybe the lesson of Sukkot and the commandment to be happy, “VeSamachata v’Chagecha”, is to remind ourselves to be happy with what we have, and not focus upon what we don’t have.  Indeed,  so many people have died from Covid, and yes, there are so many people who have mourned this past year and continue to mourn. Perhaps these Aveilim and anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one is supposed to find joy and comfort in the blessings of wonderful memories, and the laughter that results when sharing stories about our loved ones.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

And It Speaks Of A Life That Passes Like Dew (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Black Throated Wind")

           My wife is from California, and she has family in Los Angeles and San Francisco. So I read about environmental issues faced by the West with a bit of personal interest. At the end of August, there was a troubling article in the New York Times about the drying up of the Colorado River. The Colorado River supplies approximately 40 million people with water. My wife is from California. Lake Meade, the largest man-made reservoir, and the Hoover Dam are part of the infrastructure dating back from 1930 that regulates the supply of water for California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. The reservoir has not been completely filled since 1983. California has been experiencing a drought for the past several years. While California has done yeoman’s work to conserve water, drought has taken its toll. It is dry, it is parched. Several years of above-normal rainfall would be required to alleviate the drought.  Such torrential rains have occurred exactly three times over the past 135 years.   California’s current fires have burned a total acreage the size of New Jersey or the size of Israel. Eventually, the fires will be brought under control, but the drought conditions will continue. The dire need for precipitation will remain.

          This Shabbat, we read Parshat Ha’Azinu. Parshat Ha’Azinu was the “song” or the “Poem” that God had commanded Moshe to compose in the previous Parsha VaYeilech.  The content of this “song” is not very cheerful. Moshe invokes the heavens and the earth to witness these words that he gives to B’nai Yisroel. Moshe reminds B’nai Yisroel of their covenant with God. Moshe reminds B’nai Yisroel of their spiritual shortcomings and the ensuing punishment. He reminded B'nai Yisroel that despite all of these shortcomings, despite the idolatry, despite wavering from the covenant, we can still engage in T’shuvah, we can still return to God and know that God will welcome us back.

          In the poem, during the introduction, Moshe not only invokes Heaven to listen to these words as a testament to the prophecy offered to his people, but Moshe also hopes Ya’Arof KaMatar Likchi Tizal Katal Imrati Kisirim Alei Desheh Uch’revivim Aley Eisev – May my teaching drop like the rain, may my utterance flow like the dew; like storm winds upon vegetation and like raindrops upon blades of grass (Deut. 32:2). The word “teachings” in this verse comes from the verb LaKaCh or Take. The idea, of course, is a two-way street. Moshe’s words, his wisdom his teachings are offered to B'nai Yisroel. Moshe offers his teachings as a source of spiritual nourishment. His words, like water, are a life-sustaining force. The other half of the equation, of course, is B’nai Yisroel. B’nai Yisroel must drink in the teaching,  they must "take in" the words of wisdom, the nourishment, and the water that Moshe continues to provide up until his death, and make it part of their lives. When rain falls and it is not absorbed it pools together it forms a puddle. However, when water is absorbed, it nourishes, it maintains life it sustains vegetation, and it sustains our physical existence. Moshe’s words, in fact, all the words of the book of Deuteronomy are Moshe’s words. Moshe makes his final plea to B’nai Yisroel to listen to the wise words of an old and dying man. Moshe makes a final plea to B'nai Yisroel to “take” his words to heart, to drink them in, and incorporate them into life. For the Rabbis, a draught was not only a physical condition due to lack of water. A draught was a spiritual condition caused by a lack of Torah. After all, Torah is alluded to as “Mayim Chayim” living waters. Rain is categorized as Mayim Chaim. Mayim Chayim sustains physical life as well as spiritual life. Torah sustains our spiritual life.

          Moshe makes his last plea prior to his death. Like the land can be subjected to drought; so it is with the Jewish People. Without our “water supply”, without our heavenly rains, and gentle dew, we can suffer through spiritual drought, our souls dry up and we became empty. Torah, like the rain, comes from the heavens. From Moshe’s perspective, it is a limitless supply of spiritual Mayim Chayim, Living Waters. We need only study it, learn it, incorporate it into our lives and we will have a limitless supply of spiritual water, water that nourishes our soul, allowing it to grow in holiness.

Peace,  
Rav Yitz

The Shape It Takes Could Be Yours To Choose; What You May Win And What You May Lose (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Till The Morning Comes")

          It seems that there we are living in two different worlds. One world appears more “normal” to me. In this world, the Canada/U.S. border is at least partially completely open. Canadians are still waiting for the U.S. to permit them to drive across the border. Fully vaccinated Americans are allowed to drive across the border subject to covid test results prior to crossing the border. In this "more" normal or "almost normal" world, the Toronto Blue Jays are finally home and I can go to the ballpark, and people dutifully get vaccinated.   In this "almost normal world" or "more normal" world, Ontario is now over 70% fully vaccinated and Canada is now over 60% fully vaccinated, masks are worn in public places and will be worn in schools. In this "almost normal" or "more normal" world, decisions seem to be made thoughtfully, cautiously, with the concern for the public good, and welfare to be the most important criteria.  In the other world, the world on the other side of the border, where my parents live, my wife’s family lives, my sister and her family live, where one daughter lives and works and where two daughters are supposed to attend university,  that world seems to be embroiled in an identity crisis. One part of that world, thankfully the places where my wife’s family, my family, and our daughters live, are similar to the "almost normal" or "more normal" world. Many are vaccinated,  and while there were a few weeks where masks were not required in public places; now public masking indoors is necessary because of the strength of the Delta Variant. Owners of restaurants have determined that they will only permit vaccinated people onto their premises. Attending concerts requires proof of vaccination. Public safety and welfare decisions are made thoughtfully and cautiously based on science, data, and current conditions based on a concern for the welfare of the whole of society and special concern for the most vulnerable.  In this second world, the Delta Variant runs wild,  and hospitals are filled with younger and sicker people. If these states were a combined country,  they would be ground zero for this “Fourth Wave” of the Pandemic. Ironically, one Governor wants the state legislature to revoke its current ban on mask-wearing. Other Governors have dug in their heels and have signed controversial executive orders prohibiting school boards from determining for themselves as to whether to mandate masks. These governors, specifically in Florida and Texas (places with the most outbreaks) use the rhetoric of “personal choice” and “freedom”.  In such places, decisions seem to be made based upon “politics”, rumors, non-scientific data, cowardice, selfishness, and a failure to understand the nature of leadership. 

          This week’s Parsha is Shoftim. Moshe has completed his lecture on the values of monotheism and covenant. Now he begins telling B'nai Yisroel all the nitty-gritty details of living a Jewish life within this community. What a downer! B’nai Yisroel is inspired and ready to enter into Eretz Canaan and begin living the life in the land that God had promised their ancestors. They are now ready to begin fulfilling the dream that allowed them to survive centuries of slavery. So what does Moshe Rabeinu do? He brings them crashing back to reality. Now they will listen and understand laws concerning war, punishments for idolatry, choosing a king, jurisprudence, priestly entitlements, and unsolved murders. Moshe gives B’nai Yisroel a healthy dose of reality by supplying all the details required to uphold the Covenant.

        One of these laws is rather curious yet serves as a reminder of how important it is to maintain a balance between dreams and reality, between the idealism of our youth and the cynicism of age. V’Hayah Ch’shivto Al Kisei Mamlachto V’Chatav Lo Et Mishnei HaTorah Hazot – And it shall be when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself two copies of this Torah in a book… V’Haitah Imo V’Kara Vo Kol Yemei Chayav Lema’an Yilmad L’yirah et Adonai Elohav – It shall be with him and he shall read from it all the days of his life, so that he will learn to fear the Lord his God, Lishmor et Kol Divrei HaTorah Ha’Zot V’Et HaChukim Ha’Eilah La’Asotam – to observe all the words of this Torah and these decrees, to perform them so that his heart does not become haughty over his brethren and not turn from the commandment right or left so that he will prolong years over his kingdom, he and his sons amid Israel (Deut. 18:18-20). The king must write and maintain two Torah scrolls. The “personal” Torah must be carried with him wherever he goes: meetings, wars, benefit dinners, etc. The Torah must always remain physically near his heart. However, the second Sefer Torah sits in the treasure room as a pristine copy, as a benchmark. This “benchmark” Torah remains enclosed, protected, and untouched. The king may consult it, but this pristine copy never leaves the sanctuary. How brilliant! The “personal” Torah that is carried around eventually becomes worn, the letters fade, and the parchment may even tear. This would most likely occur unbeknownst to the king. Yearly, the king must lay his “personal” Torah besides the “benchmark” Torah. There, in the inner chamber, the two Torahs are checked against each other. Then if there are any discrepancies in the “Personal” Torah, the king must make the necessary corrections. The king’s “personal” Torah must reflect the purest and highest standards. Through daily wear and tear, through the compromises necessary to manage a kingdom, the king must regularly check to make sure that he has not gradually drifted away from the “Pristine” or “Benchmark” Torah.

        This is the ultimate form of personal “Checks and Balances”!  The king needs to periodically check his “personal Torah” against the “Benchmark Torah”.  We also must check our “Personal Torah” against the “Benchmark Torah”. Certainly, the process may be uncomfortable, and yes, there is the danger of becoming so self-absorbed that we become paralyzed. The process occurs on a regular enough basis that we don’t become too paralyzed that we can’t function. However, what is so empowering is that this “personal Torah” is not confined to the King.  In this regard, we are all kings, we are all royalty. We are all better off making sure that our “personal Torah”, the one we carry with us wherever we go matches up with Torah, the Torah that we learn from, the Torah that we read upon Shabbat and Holidays.  In watching these two different worlds, I wonder about the types of leaders of these two worlds. I wonder about the people in these “two worlds”.  I wonder about the Torah, the behavioral code that leaders in these “two words” carry with them and remain answerable.  

Peace
Rav Yitz

I Hope You Will Believe What I Say Is True (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "They Love Each Other")

           It was an especially bittersweet week this week. It was my grandfather’s yahrzeit this week and it is our son’s Bar Mitzvah Parsha. Being the only one in the house,  I found myself gazing just a little bit longer at some of the pictures of my son and my grandfather. One picture, in particular, kept catching my eye, and I found myself gazing at it just a bit longer. The picture was taken during my sister’s wedding. It is a picture of my grandfather and his legacy: his son, grandson, and a great-grandson. The three adults, my grandfather, father, and I are standing shoulders straight across, but my son is situated between his grandfather and great-grandfather. There we are, four generations: a great grandfather, a grandfather, a father, and a young son, all in tuxedos, and all smiling. All at very different points in life.

          This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to its covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds Bnai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns Bnai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds Bnai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, care for the less fortunate, and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

          Moshe’s dire warning concerning false prophets and listening to family members that follow false prophets is quite peculiar. First, the false prophet and dreamer comes from B'nai Yisroel. Second,  Moshe presents the warning in an “if” then statement. Ki Yakum B’Kirbecha Navi O Chalom  - If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or dreamer, and he will produce a sign or a wonder… (Deut. 13:2). The “then” part of the statement is straightforward and simple. “Lo Tishma” - Don’t listen, even if the prophecy or the sign and wonder comes true and apparently supporting the false prophet and dreamer. Moshe tells us to ignore the sign and the wonder, then  Moshe continues by telling us that the false prophet is really God testing us, testing our loyalty and the integrity of our relationship with God.  Moshe tells us what to do with the false prophet and the dreamer but there doesn’t appear to be any punishment for following the false prophet. Why are no punishments presented? Why would we ignore the “miracle”, the sign and the wonder? The false prophet and dreamer must be telling us something that we want to hear rather than what we need to hear. The false prophet must be telling us something that is easily demonstrable and provable yet fails to appeal to the “holiness’ of our relationship with God. Rather, the false prophet and dreamer appeals to our "human nature", our natural instincts. God, Torah, and the covenant always appeal to our godly and spiritual instincts. Moshe reminds us to help the stranger, help the poor, don’t behave like the dominant culture, not to “press” a borrower if they have difficulty repaying, and ignore those in authority if they convince you to do what you know is wrong, even if it makes us feel better. Moshe reminds the B’nai Yisroel that the punishment for disloyalty, for following the false prophet and the dreamer, is to end up like the rest of the nations that used to inhabit Canaan. The punishment for B’nai Yisroel’s failure is to lose the land.  

Seven years and four months after the picture was taken, the great grandfather passed away. A year after his death, the young son stood before the Kotel next to the father, received an Aliya, read from Parsha Re’Eh, and became a Bar Mitzvah. The grandfather,  long retired, had been too sick to travel so he and his wife watched as we streamed everything from Jerusalem.  It is now four years since the young son’s Bar Mitzvah and he will be entering grade 12,  and his grandfather, who turns 80 in a few months, is in good health. The father tears up when looking at a picture of a moment when four generations stood together, worrying about the health of the elder generation, worrying about the decisions and life choices facing the younger generation.  As I look at the picture, I am keenly aware of the wisdom I received from my elders and I do everything I can to transmit their wisdom, their truth, their wariness of moral relativism, and their suspicion of anyone who claims to have all the easy answers to complex problems and issues. There, in that picture, are three generations, who received the elder’s moral code, lives by it, and tries to remain true to it. For that is truly the greatest gift he left us.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

 

Tell Me A Lie And I Will Swear, I Will Swear It's True (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Lazy Lightning")

           In a few days, it will be June 6th, D-Day. Seventy-Six years ago, English, Canadian, and American soldiers crossed the English Channel, landed on the beaches of Normandie, and saved the world from the tyranny, fascism, and the heinous authoritarianism of the Third Reich. Nearly a year before D-Day,  OSS agent (The U.S. Intelligence Agency that eventually became the CIA) Walter Langer created a   psychological profile that explained Hitler's grip on power and on public opinion as follows: “His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one, and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.”   A “Big Lie”  justifies the corrupt megalomaniac's power and his believers’ actions. Whether it is a corrupt anti-democratic dictator from China, Russia, Belarus, or Iran or to dictators of nearly any authoritarian regime of the previous centuries, when people want to retain power or are threatened with losing power, they will resort to their own big lie.

          This Shabbat we read from Parsha Shlach Lecha. Parsha Shlach Lecha includes the troubling narrative of the 12 spies and the ensuing report of Eretz Canaan made to Moshe and B’nai Yisroel. However, following the negative report from ten of the twelve spies, God and Moshe realize that this generation is not yet ready to enter the land. This was the reason why B’nai Yisroel would now have to wait nearly 4 decades prior to entering Eretz Canaan. Yet towards the end of the Parsha, Torah makes it very clear, that despite this generation’s lack of faith, returning to the land is inevitable and a covenant that will be fulfilled. Ki Tavo’u El Eretz Moshvoteichem Asher Ani Notein Lachem –God spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: When you will come to the Land of your dwelling places that I give you…. (Num. 15:2). Meting out punishment did not remove hope, it did not remove inevitability, nor did it mitigate the covenant that God had made with Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, or Moshe Rabeinu at Sinai. This punishment only delayed the inevitable until another generation was worthy enough to inherit the covenant.

Those ancient leaders of B’nai Yisroel, those ancient Princes of twelve tribes were appointed by Moshe. Ten of them were concerned about themselves, their dwindling authority. These ten had little concern for a covenant. In their report to Moshe, these ten first objectively praised the land (Num. 13:27-29). However objective reporting immediately gave way to the subjectivity of opinion (Num. 13:31). After departing from Moshe and Aaron, the spies ignore any objectivity and only offer their “expert” opinion. VaYotziu Dibat Ha’Aretz Asher Taru Otah El B’nai Yisroel Leimor -And they spread an evil report of the land which had been explored to the Children of Israel. The negative report claimed that the land at up its inhabitants, giants or Nephilim occupied the land and as the spies claim Vanhi v’Eineinu Ka’Chagavim V’Chein Hayinu B’Eineihem - and we were in our sight as grasshoppers and so we were in theirs (Numb. 13:32-33) The report played upon the fears of the people. They felt small, exposed, hopeless and they could not imagine entering the land.  Once again, national anxiety and hysteria cause B’nei Yisroel to yearn for Egypt.  Lo Matnu B’Eretz Mitzrayim - Would that we had died in the land of Egypt. (14:3) But this yearning for Egypt was different. This hysteria was not because they were experiencing hunger and thirst, it was based upon the subjective opinion of those then who seemed to have an air of authority about them. So the hysteria and desire to return to Egypt culminated in the following words. VaYomru Ish El Achiv Nitnah Rosh VNashuva Mitzraima -So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egyp” (14:4). In the Talmudic Tractate Sanhedrin 107a, the Sages ask who would have been the leader to bring them back to Egypt? Their answer is incredibly revealing and proved prophetic, an idol. An Idol would have brought them back to Egypt. On the one hand, the sin of the spies was due to a lack of faith in God. On the other hand, the sin of the spies is a warning to all those who listen to “the evil reports” who believe the evil reports, who get swept up in the hysteria and sacrifice their Ruach HaKodesh their divine spirit in exchange for idolatry. 

          No, the idol need not be a statue. Any cult of personality is idolatrous. The sin of the spies was twofold. First were the spies. Their sin was to tell the Big Lie and let the Big Lie fester playing upon the fears of the people. The second sin of the spies was the people’s willingness to give up on Moshe, to want another leader. A leader that would tell them what they wanted to hear, a leader that would placate them, a leader that would have been idolized. In a sense, the people were not only willing to replace Moshe but they were willing to replace God. The Big Lie, the evil report offered by the ten spies, teaches us that, ultimately, the choice to listen to and accept a “big lie” is up to the listener. If the listener’s faith in social institutions, authority, society, is already diminished then that listener is vulnerable and the prime target of a big lie. For B’nai Yisroel, it will take 40 years to rid itself of the stink of the Big Lie. For the nations that have had to deal with their own “Big Lie”, years are required, before it dissipates.  For Caleb, for Joshua, and ultimately for the generation that was born in the wilderness, the Generation that didn’t know slavery, they were immune to this “Big Lie”.

 Peace,
Rav Yitz

Paint By Numbers Morning Sky, Looks So Phony (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Touch of Grey")

           Frequently, numbers are more than just numbers. Frequently, numbers become a shorthand for a narrative. For the past year, we have grown increasingly aware of the asking “about the numbers”.  Regarding the Pandemic, we are concerned about numbers that tell us the rate of spread,  the total number of Ontarians that received one vaccine, the total number of Ontarians that are completely vaccinated.  Lately, we are focused upon the number of new cases that will indicate an end to the current lockdown in Ontario. Numbers of course are not confined to the Pandemic. The number 6,000,000 is shorthand for the Holocaust. Unfortunately, there are those who look at numbers in order to justify their own bias or moral relativism. The current rocket attacks and violence in Gaza and Israel are a case in point.  For those who see numbers as the narrative,  at the time of writing this stood at a death toll of 62. 15 children have died. 1 Israeli child, 15 Palestinian Gazan children. Hamas has fired over 1000 rockets over the last several days. When looking at the numbers, those living in Gaza have experienced more loss of life and more injury than those living in Israel. No, numbers don’t lie. However, numbers also don’t offer a complete explanation. So when the chief prosecutor for the ICC (International Criminal Court),  Ms. Fatou Bensouda tweets: “I note with great concern the escalation of violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as in and around Gaza, and the possible commission of crimes under the [ICC’s guiding] Rome Statute,” then numbers have lost their original objective empirical value and instead have become a subjective tool for moral relativism. The manipulation of numbers does not undo the criminal nature of what Hamas has perpetrated with its numerous rocket launches. In fact, the only number that should matter to the ICC is the number “1”.If even one rocket launched by Hamas that targeted a civilian location,  a crime occurred and Hamas ought to be prosecuted for perpetrating crimes of humanity upon both Jew and Arab. Any country that experienced just one such launching would be well within its right to defend its population and dismantle or destroy the possibility of any future launching.  

          This week, we begin reading the 4th of the 5 books of the Torah, Sefer Bemidbar, the Book of Numbers. This week’s Parsha is the same name Bemidbar. The Book of Numbers is aptly named; the book begins with counting, the counting of people, a census. God commands Moshe to take a census, MiBen Esrim Shana V’Mala Kol Yotzei Tzava B’Yisroel – of all males over the age of twenty, everyone who goes out in the Legion of Israel (1:3). Once the number of fighting age males has been established by tribe, each tribe is placed in a specific formation around the Ark. This will be the formation in which B’nai Yisroel travels from the foot of Sinai to Eretz Canaan. Finally, in the Tribe of Levi, the Priests are counted. However because Levi’s only responsibility is the Ark and the Mishkan; they will not be able to hold land in Eretz Canaan, nor do they fight. Rather they are now counted and assigned specific functions in terms of maintaining the Mishkan.   

           God ordered a census of people. However, for whom is the counting?  Certainly, God is God and already knows the number of souls that comprise B’nai Yisroel as well as those able to fight. When God wants Moshe and Israel, or anyone for that matter, to do something for himself the language indicates it.   In the Book of Genesis,  God commanded Avraham to Lech Lecha – Go for yourself.  Later in the Book of Numbers God will command Moshe to  Shelach Lecha send for yourself.  Here in Parsha Bemidbar, the first parsha in the Book of Numbers, God commands Moshe to Se’u et Rosh Kol Adat Bnai Yisroel - count the heads. Since Lecha- for you does not appear; it would seem that the counting is not for B’nai Yisroel nor Moshe, but rather for God. So, why does God need or want a counting? We have already been told that B’nai Yisroel is Am Segula – a treasured nation.  A "treasured nation", by definition, must possess some type of intrinsic value. Each individual has value and from that, each individual has a purpose. Parshah Bemidbar demonstrates that there is an intrinsic value in the individual.  Halachically, we know this because the legal principle of Pikuach Nefesh, Saving a Soul exists. This principle appears in the Babylonian Talmud Tractate Shabbat, “the saving of life supersedes the Sabbath (Shabbat 132a). There is a Midrash in Tractate Sanhedrin which expresses the individual’s importance to God, and therefore God’s desire to count us. “If a human being stamped several coins with the same die, they would all resemble one another. But the King of kings stamps all human beings from the mold of the first person; and yet not one of them is identical to the other one. Therefore every individual has merit and is obliged to say “for my sake the world was created”. (San4:5).

          Indeed, numbers are important. Numbers are necessary to have a society remain organized. Governments routinely take a census of their population in order to understand demographics and political representation. It would seem that it is very easy to lose oneself and an individual’s narrative amid all these numbers and statistics. Indeed, numbers can serve as a shorthand for understanding a narrative. Unfortunately,  numbers can be manipulated to justify moral relativism and cloud the differences between good and evil. Each individual has a narrative, a code that allows survival.  The same holds true for societies and nations, The numbers that are coming from Israel and Gaza speak of pain and suffering, fear, and terror. It is our sincere hope that the pain, suffering, death, fear, and terror ceases.  Perhaps those that want to investigate the criminality of recent events in Gaza and Israel should be reminded that the numbers don’t speak of the criminality;  narrative and context do. 

Peace,
Rav Yitz

Inspiration, Move Me Brightly, Light The Song With Sense And Color, Hold Away Despair (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - Terrapin Station)

         This week, we celebrated Purim. Certainly, Purim looked and felt a lot different this year than last year. Yes, there was a glaring difference between last year’s Purim celebration and this year’s Purim celebration. Last year’s celebration essentially became super spreader events in orthodox communities in and around the New York suburb of Westchester. This year’s celebration was low-key, with no guests, with one eye towards Shabbat preparations. It is still winter; however, I felt the ever so slightest transition to Spring. Daylight lasts just a little bit longer. The sun sets just a little later. When at its apex, the sun burns just a little warmer and shines a  little brighter.  Yes, I am sure we will get some more snow, and there will be more days below freezing; but the fact that there is more daylight, more sunlight reminds us that we are slowly emerging from the darkness of winter. 

           This Shabbat we read from Parshah Tetzaveh. The focus of the Parshah is upon Aharon, Moshe’s brother, Aharon’s sons, their position as the Kohen Gadol, (High Priest), their “work uniform” and their preparations. Just like last week’s Parshah, Terumah was chock full of specifics and details concerning the construction of the Mishkan, Tetzavah’s primary focus is upon the specifics and the details concerning the  Bigdei Kohanim - The Kohen Gadol’s Priestly uniform. From material to design, this aspect of the Parshah is a tailor's/fashion designer’s dream. Once the details for the uniform have been taught, the Parshah changes its focus to the Kohen’s required preparations. These preparations were vital in order to make sure that the Kohen was spiritually pure enough to make offerings on the behalf of the people. God will only rest his presence among the people once the construction is complete, the clothes are made, and the Kohanim have been purified.  

          This is the only Parsha since between the beginning of the Book of Exodus until the end of the Torah that does not mention Moshe by name. Rather, he is referred to as Atah – You. Moshe’s only responsibility focuses upon the purity of the olive oil used to light the Menorah (7 branch candelabra), and making wise personnel choices. Moshe personally designates the Kohanim and he selects wise and talented people to make the sacred priestly vestments and build the Tabernacle. V’Atah T’tzaveh et Bnai Yisroel VYikchu Eilecha Shemen Zayit Zach Katit La’Maor L’Ha’Alot Neir Tamid – Now you shall command the Children of Yisroel that they shall take for you pure, pressed olive oil for illumination to kindle the lamp continually (Ex. 27:20). Rashi explains that “continually” does not mean 24/7. Instead “continually” means that the Menorah (was kindled every evening, even on Shabbat. The Menorah burned from evening until morning. Ramban, citing Sifre ( a rabbinic text of Midrash Halacha), disagrees with Rashi and completely contradicts him. Rambam explains that “continually” does indeed refer to the westernmost lamp of the Menorah that burned 24/7. Figuratively speaking,  light frequently symbolizes wisdom and enlightenment. We also know that light is symbolic of God’s presence. Olive oil provides the fuel for Menorah, a light that was to burn constantly in the Mishkan and later in the Holy Temple, the Eternal Light. Like the Menorah is a vessel requiring pure  Olive Oil in order for a flame to burn, the same is true for the Kohen Gadol who serves as a vessel to transmit sacrificial offerings from the people to God. As a vessel, he must be pure both on the outside (the Bigdei Kahuna -Holy Vestments), and on the inside, his soul. These Holy Vestments are only for the Kohen. However the Menorah, the "continual" light is a light for B’nai Israel. The light of the Menorah embodies B’nai Yisroel’s pursuit of holiness, spirituality, and knowledge. 

          The pursuit of wisdom, enlightenment, and the attainment of holiness is not limited to Moshe and Aharon but is aspirational for all Bnai Yisroel. The pursuit of this light and warmth is not limited to moments of  Torah study, and the fulfillment of the Commandments. Sometimes this pursuit of wisdom and holiness occurs at the most mundane moments when we become aware of the slighted transition of a season, the cycle of a moon, or the first noticeable chirpings of a bird in the morning. Indeed, we look for the light.  Sometimes the light finds us. We look for clarity. Sometimes we need only open our eyes. Our striving is neither confined by time or space, We are able to carry that light with us where ever we go.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Rav Yitz

If I Had The World To Give, I'd Give It To You, Long As You Live (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia- "If I Had The World To Give")

           Our eldest daughter works for a Political Action Committee. One of the most important aspects of a Political Action Committee (PAC) is to raise funds in order to help finance state/federal campaigns, to help pass key pieces of legislation, or to promote a political agenda.  One can imagine that in the course of fundraising, certain moral or ethical dilemmas can arise.  Maybe the donor’s beliefs about other issues were totally at odds with the candidate’s positions. Maybe the donor expects a quid pro quo, something in return for the donation.  Maybe the donor’s money derives from ill-gotten gains. Our daughter explained that acceptance of these questionable sorts of donations could damage the integrity, the legal standing, and even the cause that the PAC supports.  She explained that she has no problem refusing donations if it means compromising the PAC’s integrity. She then explained that before she accepts a donation,  research and investigation of the donor occurs. If there is a problem, she returns the money to the donor.

          This Shabbat, we read from Parsha Terumah. In it, Moshe re-ascends the mountain in order to receive the laws, and the blueprint, if you will, for the construction of the Mishkan. The Mishkan will become the portable tabernacle that will eventually permit B’nai Yisroel to gather, to make offerings to God, and to provide a physical dwelling for God. If you are an architect, or if you are an interior decorator, this Parsha goes into tremendous detail about Mishkan’s construction and decoration. Before all the details are presented for construction and decoration, God commands Moshe to tell B’nai Yisroel that the funding for this vital public works project will come from each individual V’Yikchu Li Terumah Mei’eit Kol Ish Asher Yidvenu Libo Tikechu et Terumati – They shall take for me a portion, from every man whose heart motivates him, you shall take my portion (Ex. 25:2). The holiest spot within the community, the most sacred area is based upon each and every individual apportioning a percentage of their assets to the construction of, decoration of, and maintenance of the Mishkan. How incredibly equitable! Everyone is involved and everyone has a stake in the outcome.

          There were no “dues” per se. Rather, each individual had to look within him/herself and be brutally honest. Each individual would give as they saw fit. This was a sacred moment between the individual and God. The object was not to give due to social pressure but rather for the holiest of reasons. However, such a process requires tremendous honesty. Such a process requires us to be sure that our outside matches our inside. Such a process forces the individual to “mean what you say and say what you mean”. Such a process forces the individual to  “talk the talk” and  “walk the walk”. This message is implicit in the design of the Aron, the Ark. V’Asu Aron Atzei Shitim – they shall make an Ark of acacia wood (Ex.25:10).  V’Tzipitah Oto Zahav Tahor Mibayit U’Michutz T’Tzapenu V’Asita Alav Zeir Zahav Saviv – You shall cover it with pure gold, from within and from without shall you cover it, and you shall make on it a gold crown all around (Ex. 25:11).  It makes sense that the outside of the Ark is covered with gold since that will be viewed by the people. However, what is the reason for lining the arc with pure gold from the inside? Rabeinu Chananel, the 11th century North African Talmudist, comments that this arrangement symbolized the Talmudic dictum that a Torah scholar must be consistent; his inner character must match his public demeanor, his actions must conform to his professed beliefs. However, there is no reason to limit such sentiment to Torah scholars. Kol Ish Asher Yidvenuy Libo Tikechu et Terumati – every man whose heart motivates him you shall take my portion. Every man should be motivated to be consistent. Every person’s actions should conform to his/her professed beliefs, and his or her beliefs should be expressed by behavior.

            Every day, we face the struggle to keep the pure gold of our integrity and character the same as the pure gold in our behaviour and connections to our family, friends, and community. The object is to never tarnish that which lies within nor that which lies without. Certainly, we learn the blueprints to Mishkan. Perhaps more importantly, we learn that Shachanti B’Tocham, -a place for God to dwell among his people, depends upon each member of the community seizing upon the opportunity to express holiness, whether Mitzvot l’Ben Adam L’Chavero (Mitzvot that pertains between people) or Mitzvot L’Hashem (Mitzvot that pertain to God.  If we neglect those opportunities, we tarnish the most precious aspect: our soul’s aspiration toward purity and holiness. When I asked our daughter why she is so rigorous in checking the donors and demands that her staff must be so rigorous in checking the donors; she smiled and reminded me that her father is a Rabbi, that she grew up in an observant home and more than anything she learned that personal integrity is based upon behaviour both in the home and outside the home. She reminded me that we don’t behave in a manner or associate with those who tarnish our integrity, our code, and our “brand”. 

Peace

Rav Yitz

Close The Gap Of The Dark Years In Between (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Cassidy")

     One of my lasting childhood memories recurs every four years. I remember watching Presidential Inaugurations with my parents. The experience was an all-day civics lesson with my father reminding me of the miracle that we witness with the peaceful transfer of power. He and my mother would remind me and my sister that history has consistently demonstrated the extremely rare and miraculous nature of the peaceful transfer of power.  They explained this miracle as simultaneously "fragile" and "powerful", like a flame being passed from candle to candle bringing light to the darkness.  

    This week's Parsha is Bo.  The ten plagues culminate with locusts, darkness, and finally the killing of the firstborn. 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 doorpost. 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 firstborn, 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 darkness upon the land of Egypt, Vayameish Choshech - and the darkness will depart. (Ex. 10:21). What does it mean that the darkness will depart? If darkness departs doesn’t that mean light arrives? Typical darkness is merely the absence of light. According to Sforno, the great Italian Rennaissance commentator, typical darkness is an atmosphere prepared to receive light. After all, the moon reflects light into the night, and the stars shine a light as well. Sforno explains that the word VaYameish comes from the three-letter root Mem Vav Shin - to feel or touch. The plague of darkness conjures up the image of a person trying to feel their way in the darkness, lost and unable to see immediately in front as if they have their hands outstretched and feeling their way around.  This plague is perhaps the most perfectly designed plague, and, ironically, it can only affect the Egyptians precisely because they were free. This type of darkness could not affect the Hebrew slaves. Prior to the darkness, the free Egyptians could come and go as they pleased, they were not confined.  They had freedom of movement. Obviously, slaves do not enjoy the freedom of movement. Like prisoners, slaves are captive and bound by very physical limits. The slave lives in darkness and has learned how to “see” within the darkness, not so the master who is unconstrained by physical limits.  As a result of being unable to “see” in this type of darkness, the “master” cannot move for fear that the next step will constitute a “last step”, into an abyss. In a sense, the free person has become paralyzed.  

    The plague of darkness didn’t spread to the homes of the Hebrew slaves, darkness was confined to Egypt and to the Egyptians. B’nai Yisroel had light, they had a covenant with God. Moshe would remind them of that covenant and remind them to teach their children of that covenant and engage in rituals to remind them of and continue to participate in that covenant. Yes, I have grown older, our family gathers together every four years and watches the same miracle that I watched with my parents, and our children receive the same civics lesson that I received. I realized that the lessons we learn as children and transmit to our children, the rituals that we engage in as children, and the same rituals we teach to and do with our children bring light to a darkened world. If those values are integrated and deeply internalized, that light still combats darkness. 

Tonight I Would Be Thankful Lord, For Any Dreams At All (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Mission In The Rain")

           One of the most important days of the year growing up in my Western Upstate New York home was Thanksgiving. As a child, and later a college student, my family, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin would always gather at my parents’ home. My mother would make a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, corn muffins, coleslaw.  We would watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade, take a walk or play catch with my father, and if the weather was unusually warm (more than 10 degrees) we would go play nine holes of golf. When we finally sat down to dinner, my mother insisted that we go around the table sharing the one thing that we were most thankful for in the past year. Even while living in Toronto, our children always insist on driving to their grandparents for Thanksgiving. Whether we are there for only the day or for the long weekend, our children are always thankful for sharing that time with their grandparents.  This year will be a very different Thanksgiving. Yes, we will have the same food. However, only two of our children will be with us. My parents will remain in upstate New York. My mother-in-law will remain in California. There will be no Macy’s thanksgiving day parade.  One daughter will be in Israel, and one daughter will be with a college roommate sharing Thanksgiving dinner in New Jersey (she will arrive home on Sunday).  The pandemic has forced us to adjust our Thanksgiving expectations. So in response, we will take some time prior to eating our traditional Thanksgiving feast; we will gather on Zoom, and yes, my mother will insist that we do around sharing the one thing for which we are thankful in 2020, in this year of a pandemic, in this year of so much pain and suffering for so many.

          This week we read from Parsha VaYeitze. This week we read from Parshat VaYeitze. The focus of the narrative is upon Yaakov. Yaakov will grow up before our very eyes. He will leave home. Find a girl, get married. Actually, he will have several wives. He will get a job. He will have children, he will continue to work for his father in law and take on all the trappings of raising a family and living a middle-class life. Eventually, he will grow restless enough and realize that it is time to return home to his parents, and home to his covenantal land. 

          While we learn about Yaakov, we will also learn something about his wives: Rachel and Leah, his children, and many of the family dynamics. Yaakov is ready to become a father. Sadly his beloved Rachel is unable to conceive. However, Leah is able to conceive and gives Yaakov children even if Yaakov does not love her as he loves Rachel. VaYar Hashem Ki Snuah Leah Va’Yiftach et Rachma, V’Rachel  Akara - and Hashem saw that Leah was unloved, so he opened her womb, but Rachel remained barren. (29:31) For the next three Psukim (29:32-34), we read that Leah conceives and gives birth to sons. Leah names each son in succession and offers a reason for their name. She named the first Reuven because Hashem Ra’u- saw that she was unloved compared to Rachel. She names the second Shimon because Hashem Shama - heard that she was unloved. She named the third Levi because after three sons Yaakov will become YiLVeh - attached to her. After three sons, clearly, nothing had changed. She continued to feel unloved compared to her sister, and her husband wasn’t any more attached to her because she had given birth to these three sons. However in the fourth verse, 29:34, she conceives and gives birth to a fourth son. This time something is very different. VaTahar Od Va Teiled Ben VaTomer  Ha’PaAm Odeh et Hashem Al Kein Kra’ah Shmo Yehuda V Ta’amod Miledet - Again she conceived, and bore a son, and declared, ‘This time let me gratefully praise Hashem’ therefore she called his name Yehuda (Judah) then she stopped giving birth (29:35) Yehudah received his name because Leah understood gratitude. There was no ulterior motive, no agenda. Instead, a woman gave birth and was able to appreciate the blessing she just received: a happy healthy baby. Rashi explains that Leah understood that each of the wives was supposed to bear three sons. When Leah conceived and gave birth to a fourth son, she realized that she had received more than her share. Because she received more than her fair share she could appreciate her blessing and feel gratitude. The Talmudic Sages (ChaZaL) explains that this was the first time that anyone had demonstrated any type of gratitude towards God (Brachot 7b). Certainly, God had provided blessings and miracles prior to Leah’s giving birth a fourth time. Yet, only now she is capable of gratitude?  For Leah, according to the commentaries, gratitude is a result of a sense that one has received something beyond a fair share, beyond one’s “portion”.  This attitude contradicts the Sages who teach in Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot 4:1) that a rich person is someone who is happy with their portion. Underlying the Sages' understanding of being “rich” and of being “happy” is the idea that the person has gratitude for his/her portion. 

          Leah was blessed to have not one but four sons in those four Psukim. However, she didn’t feel blessed, she didn’t feel “rich”, or “happy” until she was able to express her gratitude by naming the fourth son Yehuda. The irony wasn’t lost on her sister, Rachel. She would have been thankful to give birth to one son, let alone four. Leah needed to give birth four times before she could get past her pain, and appreciate what she did have. Indeed, there has been discomfort, and pain during this past year. Our picture of Thanksgiving, of a multigenerational family gathering together to share a meal and giving thanks, had to be altered. This year, the thankfulness is distilled into the simplest level of gratitude. We are all thankful for health, for being able to share even this moment, even if it’s remote, with our loved ones. Sometimes having gratitude for even the smallest stuff gives us a bit of perspective in terms of what is most important.

Peace,

Rav Yitz 

Learn To Speak, Speak With Wisdom Like A Child (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Foolish Heart")

          For the past six weeks,, our twenty-year-old daughter has endured physiotherapy for her July ACL knee surgery. To her credit, she has been incredibly dedicated throughout her knee rehabilitation. So several times a week, I drive her. I bring her there, take a walk, pick her up, and drive her back home. We get to talk a lot about the surgery, the actual rehab, the exercises, her experience, frustration with the healing process, and a host of other things, including Covid 19, when she will head to Maryland for university and politics. After we return home, we take a short walk and practice what she was doing in physio. I show her a technique for a certain motion with her knee or her hip and she watches and listens. Then she follows my instruction and asks, “How did you know to do that? You aren’t a physiotherapist.” No, I am no physiotherapist,  but I have had enough leg injuries and gone through enough physio, that I learned through experience. So, I smiled and explained to my daughter, that I have learned a few things based upon my own experiences.

          This week we read from Parsha Ki Tavo. The Parsha begins with Moshe explaining the laws that are specific to B'nai Yisroel’s entry into the Land.  He reminds them of the laws of first fruits, and tithing.  Moshe reminds them that there is a powerful link between God, B'nai Yisroel, and the Land. Each needs the other.  Moshe then describes the ritual specific to this generation that will symbolize their acceptance of the Torah and the covenant.  As they cross the Jordan River, they would inscribe two stones with Kol Divrei HaTorah HaZot BaEir Heiteiv – You shall inscribe on the stones all the words of this Torah well clarified.” Then the stones would be covered with plaster in order to protect the inscriptions. Moshe then reminds B'nai Yisroel that they are now an Am Yisroel– a Nation and no longer B’nai Yisroel – Children of Yisroel.  With that change of status comes responsibility, and Moshe lists the blessings and the curses that will result depending upon Am Yisroel’s behavior.  Moshe concludes his passionate plea to fulfill the covenant by giving Am Yisroel a brief history lesson. He reminds them that they left Egypt and saw all the signs and wonders (they didn’t, rather their parents and grandparents experience the Exodus and witnessed the plagues). Moshe reminds them that he let them for Forty years, and they didn’t eat bread nor drink wine, rather they experienced the miracle of the Manna. He reminds them of battles they fought and won and finally he reminded them they were ready to begin their new lives in the land. 

          Moshe also reminds them that if they listen, they will be blessed. If they fail to listen and fail to live up the covenant, then they will be cursed and sent into exile. V’Haya Im Shamoah Tishmah B’Kol Adoshem Elokecha - It shall be that if you hearken (surely listen/obey) the voice of Hashem, your God, - Lishmor et Kol Mitzvotav Asher Anochi Mtzavcha Hayom - to observe, to perform all His commandments that I command you this day, Untancha Adoshem Elokecha Elyon Al Kol Goyei Ha’Aretz - then Hashem, your God, will make you supreme over all the nations of the earth. (Deut. 28:1)  Rashi explains that the force of this emphatic doubling of the verb ShaMA-listen. “If you take it upon yourselves, it will become easy for you, since it is only the beginning that is hard.” Rashi, and the Talmud Sages before him,  offers a psychological truth about observance and about anything new for that matter. At first, the action may prove daunting and perhaps even overwhelming. However, as the action is repeated, it becomes easier and easier and almost second nature. Rambam (Maimonides) commented that “the more man is drawn after the paths of wisdom and justice, the more he longs for them and desires them (Code, Teshuva 6:4) However it is not enough to listen, but rather one must listen emphatically, that is, internalize what has been listened to and then used.

Whether it is observing Mitzvot or just listening to "Dear Old Dad", our daughter learned this most valuable lesson. She can whine, and mope, but if she just listens to me, her life will actually be OK,  Of course, like B’nai Yisroel, it is all predicated on listening, observing, and then consciously acknowledging that it actually works.  Sometimes,  learning from another person's experience can be an incredibly useful means of education, and managing life. Well, good luck with that!

Peace,

Rav Yitz