And If You Go, No One May Follow, That Path Is For Your Steps Alone (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ripple")

          It has been quite the emotional week. We arrived in Israel. Our son became Bar Mitzvah as he was called to the Torah and read from the Torah standing before the Kotel in Jerusalem. We will be in Efrat for Shabbat as he read Parsha Re'eh as well as chants the Haftarah as well. Besides the joy and pride we all felt for our son, as is typical of everything Jewish, our simcha was mixed with a bit of heart-ache. This also the week of my grandfather's 3rd yartzeit. I never realized until I began writing my speech for my son, that his Hebrew birthday and my grandfather's yartzeit according to the Jewish calendar are both Parsha Re'eh and are a few days apart. 
          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 it 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, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, caring for the less fortunate and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Below are my words to my youngest child and only son at the time of becoming  Bar Mitzvah on Thursday morning of Parsha Re'eh.

          "So I wanted to offer you an eitzah that is based on your Parsha, that comes from the Sfas Emet, the Gerrer Rebbe  from about 1870-1905. It was said that when the Sfas Emet died, a great light in that part of the world was extinguished. So for me, when I want to get in touch with my inner jewish hippy, my inner Hasid, I gravitate towards the Sfat Emet.  The Torah tells us: 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 the Kadosh Baruch Hu, at the time of the Akeida, telling Avraham that he will show him where to go with his son Yitzchak. Its reminiscent of Avrham as much younger man, leaving his home and going to a place that God would show him., Certainly we could understand Moshe’s words as  reminding B’nai Yisroel of the sanctity and the importance of Israel, and the centrality of Israel to Torah and Jewish identity. 

           The Torah uses words like seek.  Torah tells us that God will choose a place.  The Sfas Emet reminds us that that HaShem’s choice is not revealed until B’nai Yisroel “seeks”.  Because we are commanded to seek Shechino, his dwelling, we are tasked to seek holiness. Holiness is in Time and Space. Holiness is in your Neshama, Holiness is in your choices and in the way you live your life. That is the constant choice you will make HaYom. Today – and after you make such a choice today; that will lead you to another choice tomorrow. Each and every day requires you to make a choice to seek holiness, to seek Shechino, to seek the goodness that resides in you.  My son, you are a seeker, you seek knowledge, you seek light, you seek goodness,  and you seek to bring goodness to the parts of the world you touch: whether it is your affectionate nature, your inquisitive mind, your  winsome smile and personality;  or the fact that you are the kid that sees a child sitting alone, looking upset, and you check on that child, or include that child in whatever it is you and your friends are doing. You’re the kid that instinctively looks out for those younger, weaker and more vulnerable.  Continue to be a seeker, always be a seeker, seek to improve yourself, seek knowledge, seek goodness, seek  holiness, and as you have come to understand, seek the best possible you that you can be.  When you seek, you will clearly see the choices laid before you and you will always choose wisely.  Today - and and all the "Todays" that will follow."

Peace,

Rav Yitz

If You Get Confused Listen To The Music Play ( Robert Hunter, Bill Kreutzman, & Jerry Garcia - "Franklin's Tower")

Our son will be having his Bar Mitzvah towards the end of the summer. For months, he has been practicing his Torah Portion, and his Haftarah.  Sometimes when we listen to him practice, I can tell that he doesn’t want to be practicing at that moment, and that he doesn’t care. Other times I can hear him practice and, yes my opinion is totally biased, he chants and sings and it sounds like he was standing at Sinai receiving these sacred words from God and Moshe Rabeinu. Not only are these words ancient and sacred, but the music associate with chanting Torah and the music associated with Chanting the Haftarah (Prophets) is also nearly as ancient and evokes a sense of sanctity. More than just reading the words, singing and chanting the words according to the trope helps punctuate the words, at expression to the words and enhances and perhaps beautifies the experiences for the listener.

This week's Parsha is Naso. It covers a variety of topics. First we read that once again, God commands Moshe to count. This time Moshe takes a census of the families in the tribe of Levi. Each family has a very specific role concerning the maintenance of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle). After the census, we are reminded that anyone in contact with a corpse is considered impure and must be removed from the camp for a period of time. We are also told that besides capital punishment, certain crimes towards members of the community are punishable by fines. We read about Sotah, the bitter waters a woman accused of adultery must drink. If she survives the ordeal, then she is innocent. We read about the vow of the Nazir which endures for a period of thirty days. As the day the tabernacle was finally completed, and the final instructions for maintaining spiritual purity within the camp is taught; the Mishkan is finally ready to be used. Its use begins with each leader of each of the twelve tribes bringing gifts for the purpose of dedicating the Mishkan. When the twelfth elder brings his offering, Moshe enters the Mishkan, and it is finally open for business.

Towards the beginning of the Parsha, we read about each Levitical family, their population and their responsibility regarding the maintenance of the Mishkan. We are reminded that unlike eligibility for the army was between the ages of 20-50 years of age; eligibility for Leviim and Mishkan/Temple service was between the ages of 30-50 years old.  Miben Shloshim Shana V’Mala V’Ad Ben Chamishim Shana Kol HaBah La’Avod  Avodat Avoda V’Avodat Masa B”Ohel Moed – From thirty years of age and up, until fifty years of age, everyone who comes to perform the work of service and the work of burden into the Tent of Meeting  -Ohel Moed (4:47). The first part of the verse is perfectly clear; it speaks of the age required to serve. However the second part verse is unclear. What does L’Avod Avoda (perform the work of Service) mean? What does Avodat Masa (the work of burden) mean? Why doesn’t the Torah just say the tasks associated with the Service and the Burden? What exactly is the Service and Burden in this context? Avodah is the generic name of the prescribed “Services” to a particular Priestly family. The Masa service, or the Burden service refers to the Priestly family’s designated part of the Mishkan that they are responsible to carry (the Burden) when Bnai Yisroel takes up its journey. According to Talmud in Arachin 11a and later in Rashi’s commentary, the Avod, the work of the Service or the “work” of the Burden refers to musical accompaniment designed to enhance the Avoda and to facilitate the Masa, the Burden. Musical accompaniment was an example of Hadur Mitzvah, the beautification of the Mitzvah or in another words, the musical accompaniment enhanced the mood of the bringing Korbonot. Music was played while the Leviim had to carry the designated parts of the Mishkan served to facilitate the process. It would be analogous to the African Slaves in the American Ante-Bellum South singing work songs as they toiled for their Master on the plantation.

While it is a small detail, the text acknowledges two important ideas regarding human nature. First the text acknowledges the understanding that music serves to enhance the primary function of the work, and therefore attempt to eliminate the drudgery of the repetitive nature of the work. Second, music or the acknowledgment of and the creation of music is a human endeavor. By applying this human endeavor to the behavior attached to the workings of the Mishkan and the later the Temple, demonstrates the role that humans play in bringing Holiness to physical realm. It isn’t enough for the Mishkan to serve as God’s dwelling place here on earth. There needs to be a distinctive human element. Bringing offering is for God and the person. But music in this case was strictly for the Leviim. Therefore a distinctively human activity contributed to the holiness of the Mishkan.  The same holds true in our home.  When I am busy doing household chores and I hear our son practicing his bar mitzvah, when I hear him chanting the ancient music of the Torah and Haftarah, I smile inside. I work a little quicker so I can take a moment to just watch and listen.

Peace,

Rav Yitz.

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

I am always amazed at the difference between sons and daughters. Besides the obvious differences, I am even more amazed at the social relationships that pre-adolescent and adolescent boys have with each other and the social relationships that pre-adolescent and adolescent girls have with each other. Boys are much more physically oriented. The conflicts are more physically oriented and even the way hurt feelings are dealt with and ultimately resolved are more physically oriented. When I ask my son about school; rarely do I receive an answer that is academically oriented. More often than not I hear about the latest confrontation, the latest wrestling match, or who beat whom in a fight. Honestly, sometimes I think my son is like a Jewish Don King, always promoting a fight, booking a fight or selling tickets to the fight.  When I ask my daughter about school, I usually hear about the latest insults or rumors spread about some classmate, how the classmate was upset, how the rumors weren’t true but the person who started the rumor had it in for the other girl. Frankly, after about five minutes of this my eyes begin to dim, my mind begins to wander off into current events, news stories, who is pitching for the Yankees tonight, or if the Rangers will make it out of the first round of the NHL playoffs. Just before I completely emotionally and intellectually depart from my daughters monologue, I politely interrupt and ask her if this is Lashon HaRah –Speaking ill of another. I quickly add that if it is, I do not want to hear about it and my daughter should refrain from telling me about it. Recently one of my daughters was in the throes of some serious gossiping stopped cold and began expressing empathy for the girl about whom the rumor of the week spread. She asked if there was anything she could do. “Ahhhh” I thought to myself, “a teachable and parental moment”.  I told her the famous story from the Talmud.

One man spread a rumor about another. He later felt regret, and went to the rabbi to ask how to make amends. “Go to the store and buy a bag of seeds,” said the rabbi, “then go to a big open field and scatter the seeds into the wind. Do so and report back to me in a week.” The man did as he was told, and came back the next week to find out what to do next. “Now,” said the rabbi, “go back to the field and pick up all the seeds.” “But,” protested the man, “those seeds have scattered far and wide!"I’ll never find them all. Many have even already taken root!” “Exactly,” explained the rabbi. “Now you understand. When we speak badly about another person, the effect is far and wide. And it is damage that can never be fully undone.” Gossip, Lashon HaRah, kills. It kills the subject, the listener as well as the speaker.

This week’s parshah is the combined parshiot of Tazria and Metzora. In keeping with the Levitical theme of Kedushah, holiness, these parshiot teach us the Kedushah diminishes when touched by death, either physical or spiritual. When blood is lost, especially during childbirth, the woman has been touched by death and must become spiritually touched by life. She must enter into Mayim Chayim, living waters, the Mikveh. When a person has gossiped, or found evil in a name, Motzi Shem Rah, that person has touched death. Leprosy is merely a physical manifestation of that spiritual death.For the Talmudic Sages, the name of the Parsha, Metzorah serves as an acronym for Motzi shem Rah. Hence, they were able to connect laws of purity and impurity to something that we could all relate to.

The idea that speech carries this kind of power was a revolutionary concept in biblical times. For modern societies, this is still a revolutionary concept. How many of us grew up with the adage that “Sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me!” Judaism teaches just the opposite. Mankind has the power to create; mankind has the power to destroy. We create books, we can destroy books, we create human life, we can extinguish human life, we can build esteem through our words and we can slander and defame with our words. Names can hurt; names can destroy.

There are many ways to build a community. If we are Spartans, we built our community upon the ideals of service to the army/state, and conquest of foreign lands. If we are Athenians we built our community upon the ideals of art and philosophy. If we are the Soviets we built it upon the ideals of the totalitarian of the state. If we are Americans we build our community upon the ideals of capitalism, and if we are Canadians we build our community upon the ideals of capitalism with a large social safety net. Only the Jewish community, the ideal Jewish community as espoused in the book of Leviticus is built upon the ideals of holiness. Here in Parsha Tazria/Metzora, we learn holiness is directly related to how we treat others as well as how we treat God. The community becomes holy; that is, God remains dwelling among us when we treat those created in God’s image as holy. We don’t spread rumors and speak ill of others let alone to do so to elevate one’s own ego or personal agenda. It creates divisiveness in a community. It breeds mistrust and spawns contempt. Lashon HaRah is an affront to God because it damages the divine spark that God placed within all of us.

Every day we are confronted by Lashon Harah. We hear it on the news. We are confronted by it when we are “hanging out” with our friends. We even engage in it. Most likely we have been subjects of it as well. Think how holy, how warm and how safe would this or any community be if Lashon HaRah did not exist? No one would have anything to be concerned about. Everyone would know and certainly appreciate that they would be judged favorably. Everyone would enjoy the benefit of the doubt as opposed to the assumptions that follow rumors. Sadly, for some of us it would mean not talking as much since for some of us Lashon HaRah is what we do.  So is such a community an ideal that only exists in the perfect world? Probably, but it his human nature to strive towards perfection. Lashon Harah can be achieved; it just requires a steadfast commitment and resolute awareness that we do indeed possess great power. We have the power to hurt others. We have the power to hurt others with our words. We also have the power to trust, to grant the benefit of the doubt and when we are hurt we confront those who hurt us as opposed to involving a third party.

Needless to say when I remind my daughters of that story or better yet, when they realize how easy it is to contribute to Lashon HaRah, they stop in their tracks. I can return to the conversation and listen as they tell me about what they learned in school rather than the rumors that floated around the school.

Peace

Rav Yitz