Some Come To Laugh Their Past Away Some Come To Make It Just One More Day (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Franklin's Tower")

          This week, a 98-year-old man passed away. However, he did not pass away due to the Corona Virus. He went to sleep and didn’t wake up the next morning. I remember this man from my childhood. I remember him on television. I remember listening to comedy records with my dad, as this man and his co-writer and partner performed incredibly funny and poignant comedic sketches. Years later, I listened to those same comedic sketches with my daughters and son and again laughed hysterically. There were even moments when three generations: my father, my children, and listened and laughed together. Carl Reiner passed away earlier this week. He and his long time partner Mel Brooks created numerous skits including The 2000 Year Old Man and the 2013 Year Old Man. Before that, Carl Reiner brought laughter to millions when he co-wrote the Show of Shows and the Dick Van Dyke Show.  Later, my children recognized him from the Ocean’s Eleven Movies.  Regarding laughter, Reiner said, “Everybody wants to laugh, you know that. They need to laugh. People need to laugh.” Carl Reiner understood that laughter is indeed fundamental to a quality of life.
          This week we read from Parsha Chukkat. This week we read from Parsha Chukkat. This Shabbat we read from Parsha Chukkat. Chukkat begins by telling us the Law for the Red Heifer. The Priest who prepares the mixture of water and the Red Heifer's burnt ashes will render the entire nation spiritually pure; but the mixture will render him impure. Miriam passes away and there is a shortage of water.  To alleviate the water shortage, Moshe and Aharon are commanded to speak to the rock causing water to flow. However, Moshe struck the rock. While water still flowed, Moshe and Aharon would be punished for their transgression and would not be worthy enough to enter into Eretz Canaan. The Parsha records the death of Aharon, and his son’s assuming their late father’s position within the nation.  As B’nai Yisroel resumes its wandering, they are attacked by Amalek. B’nai Yisroel is forced to go around the heart of Amalek territory. The people complain to Moshe again. They try to seek permission from the Sihon, the King of the Amorites, to pass through Amorite territory. Sihon denies his permission and B’nai Yisroel attacks and eventually defeats the Amorites. Og King of Bashan tries to prevent B’nai Yisroel from marching through his land, B’nai Yisroel, with the help of Hashem, defeat King Og and his army.  The Parsha concludes with B’nai Yisroel settling on the Plains of Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan poised to enter into Canaan.
          Following the Law of the Red Heifer, The Parsha contains several distinct narratives. One focuses upon a lack of water, two focus upon the death of Moshe’s siblings. Several narratives focus upon B’nai Yisroel’s complaints about the lack of food ad water.  Between the Statute of the Red Heifer and these seemingly disparate narratives, a very subtle transition of nearly thirty-eight years occurred. VaYavo’u  B’nai Yisroel Kol HaEidah Midbar Tzin BaChodesh HaRishon VaYeishev Ha’Am B’Kadesh - And the Children of Israel, the entire assembly, arrived a the Wilderness of Zin in the first months and the people settled in Kadesh. (Num. 20:1) Rashi, the great, 11th-century French commentator comments on the phrase Kol HaEidah- Eida HaShlamah Shekvar Meitu Midbar V’Eilu Parshu LaChayim- The whole assembly, for those who were to die in the wilderness had already died, and these (who composed the current assembly) were set apart for life. Citing the Midrash Tanchuma, Rashi noticed that the phrase B’nai Yisroel Kol Ha’Eidah seems syntactically incorrect. On more than twenty occasions, including last week’s Parsha Korach, the more common phrase is Kol Adat B’nei Yisroel The entire assembly of the Children of Israel. Now this group is described as The Children of Israel, the entire assembly. While they are still the descendants of Israel (of Yaakov) this Eidah, this assembly must be composed of something different than those that were first described as  Eidah. This Eidah, this assembly is composed of those born in the wilderness. The old assembly must have died out and the 40-year punishment and wandering must be coming to its conclusion.  As we read about this new Eidah, this new assembly of B’nai Yisroel, thirty-eight years later, we read about an Eidah and assembly that seem remarkably similar to their parents and grandparents.  The first assembly (those who left Egypt) taught this new assembly to worry about the apparent lack of water. The first assembly taught this new assembly to worry about the lack of food. The first assembly worried about and dealt with Amalek. This new assembly also deals with Amalek.
          Every “new assembly” should have the opportunity to learn from the “older assembly”. Sadly, and unfortunately for this new assembly, they were “came of age’ with the death of Miriam and Aaron, the sources of their water and the sources of the sanctity of the Kehuna died with them. Upon the death of Miriam and Aaron, this “new assembly” never had to worry about water nor the Rodef Shalom of Aaron. The “older assembly” always has the distinct opportunity to mentor the younger, and teach them the “how” to do. For all of Carl Reiners’ gift of as a comedian, writer, and director, perhaps his greatest gift was as a mentor to the numerous comedians and writers that, like Carl Reiner, understood the importance and the sanctity of laughter. Perhaps the most important gift of Carl Reiner was his ability to make multiple generations share laughter together as I once did with my grandfather and father and now as I am blessed to do with my children and my parents.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

Wildflower Seed On The Sand And Stone; May The Four Winds Blow You Safely Home (Robert Hunter, Bill Kreutzman,& Jerry Garcia - "Franklin's Tower")

Well, it’s Thanksgiving in the United States. Families return home in an attempt to share a few days together, a sumptuous Holiday meal together, and of course family dysfunction together. Obviously, in order for the children to return home for what winds up being dysfunctional family reunions, they must first leave home. So, in our home, we are going through the long difficult process of preparing for our 17-year-old to leave home. As the very common process continues to unfold in our home; I had one of those Sit-Com father moments this week. You know the moment. The wise-cracking, know it all, teenage daughter looks at her father as if he is the most dim-witted, short-sighted, fool on the planet. There I was, in the kitchen, eating my dinner, minding my own business. Our seventeen year old daughter, who firmly believes that neither her mother nor I could possibly understand what she goes through because after all, we were never seventeen, never seniors in high school, never had burning desire to leave home with mixed with the trepidation of leaving home, and never thought that our own parents were as clueless and out of touch as our daughter thinks we are. So after our daughter expressed her aggravation with her mother; I committed the sin of looking up and smiling because she sounded like a typical 17-year-old, with typical 17-year-old anxiety about the questions concerning her gap year and her four years at college/university. Boy did she let me have it! She looked incredulously, sneered and told me that I was annoying and she “couldn’t wait to get out of this house.” I suppose if I was the saintly good father, I would have let it pass or made a comment about how much we will miss her when she does finally leave. However, I am not such a saintly father. So I looked up from my dinner, I smiled and said that “I can’t wait either!”. Needless to say, my comment, which I thought was particularly poignant and thoughtful, didn’t go over very well with daughter or mother. Yet, as part of our daughter’s continued spiritual, emotional and intellectual development, it is important that she leaves home. It is important that the values that we instilled in her, become her values, the code with which we raised her becomes her code, and the rules that we instituted to govern her life becomes the rules by which she governs her own life.

This week we read from Parshat VaYeitzeh- a Parsha that is replete with the Holiday Themes of Thanksgiving and “Home for the Holidays”. The focus of the narrative is upon Yaakov. He has left his mother, Rivkah, and his father Yitzchak, for the first time. In fleeing his brother Esav, Yaakov now embarks on a new phase of his life. Yaakov will meet his future wives, his cousins Leah and Rachel. He will work for his father in- law, Lavan, and he will have children. The narrative focuses on Yaakov life from young adulthood to becoming a responsible father, earning a living and all the trials, tribulation, and tensions of career and family. As Yaakov makes his way in life, hopefully, he will learn more about himself. With each event, with each adventure, Yaakov has an opportunity to become better connected, better connected to himself, and better connected to a covenant that his father bequeathed to him.

Yaakov needs to have his own experiences, and live his own life before he is capable of truly offering thanks and being thankful. After Yaakov dreams of the ladder, he has a revelatory experience. V’hinei Adonai Nitzav Alav, Vayomer: Ani Adonai Elohei Avraham Avicha v’Elohei Yitzchak – and behold Hashem stood above it and said: I am Hashem the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Yitzchak (Gen.28:13). However, God does not introduce himself as “your God” but rather the God of his Avraham and Yitzchak. God appreciates the fact that any sense of a relationship that exists between Yaakov and God is merely a function of Yaakov’s father and grandfather. Although he received a blessing upon fleeing from his home, Yaakov has not experienced his own narrative. He doesn’t share a common narrative with his father or grandfather. Yaakov does not yet have his own connection to God and the covenant. Rather he must develop his connection. Va’yidar Yaakov Neder Leimor: Im Yiheyeh Elohim Imadi, v’Shamrani b’Derech Hazeh Asher Anochi Holeich, v’Natan Li Lechem Le’Echol v’Beged Lilbosh, V’Shavti B’shalom El Beit Avi, V’hayah HaShem Li Leilohim – And Yaakov vowed a vow saying: if the God will stand with me, and guard me on this way that I go, and give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and returns me in peace to my father’s home, then Hashem will be my God. (Gen 28:20-21).  Yaakov has now laid out the conditions by which Yaakov and God will have their own unique connection, based upon a common narrative that he shares with his father and grandfather. Like his grandfather Avraham who left home (Parsha Lech Lecha) and  developed his own relationship with God, and like his father Yitzchak who had the ties to home severed (see the Akedah/Binding of Isaac); Yaakov innately understands that he needs to leave home and he needs to have the tools and strength to be able to return home. Only after experiencing exile and returning home does Yaakov share enough common experiences with his father and grandfather that he would feel connected to the Covenant and to his family.

Part of the Thanksgiving experience is the idea that Americans return “home” for Thanksgiving. As we sit down to our family’s Thanksgiving meal, we all understand that future Thanksgivings will be different. It was different for my parents when I left home, only to return, first as a single man, then as a married man, then as a father. It will be different for me and my wife. Yes, our eldest has been returning home for Thanksgiving for ten years, but now, our next child will also be returning home for all future Thanksgivings. So yes, “I can’t wait either” for her to leave, not because I won’t miss her, not because she is an annoying teenager, but because I know that she needs to have her own covenant. I know that she needs to take ownership of the values, code, and rules which we tried to instill.  Maybe when she returns home next year she won’t think I’m such a dim-witted clueless father.

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.

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

Our eldest daughter has been quite busy these past few months and for the next week, until election- day she has explained that she is so busy that 18 hour days are quickly becoming normal. She explained that she no longer works in her office but now with days before the Presidential Election, she works in something called “The Boiler Room”, and a “War Room”.  When we speak, and she can barely afford 2 – 3 minutes of precious time, during which I ask her about the polling in Pennsylvania, and how Philadelphia and it suburbs look. She is responsible for voter registration and turnout for parts of Philadelphia and it suburbs. I have started to sense that she has grown tired of her family calling, nervous and anxious for her, and how the result will impact upon how well she is perceived to have done her job. Has voter registration increased? Has more people voted? Was voter turnout high? Were the precincts she was responsible for, voting resoundingly Democratic or Republican. Amid all the chaos that is her job, amid the chaos of her boss’s emails, she has reminded me of an August 25^th Bloomberg Market report “Citigroup claims that a “Trump victory in November could cause a global recession,” and at the very least lots of political and economic uncertainty with trade partners and countries with whom the U.S. has treaties and cooperative relationships. Whenever my conversations get a little too long and she becomes a little impatient, our daughter reminds me that she is trying to prevent the chaos and that I really need to hang up and let her get back to her work.

This Shabbat we read from Parshat Noach. Comprised of two distinct narratives; both deal with the theology of chaos and confused boundaries. First we read the story of  Noach, God’s disenchantment with creation and mankind’s behavior, the instruction to build the Teva (the Ark), the Flood as punishment for mankind’s unethical behavior, the covenant made between God and Noach and the resulting offering to God, and then an odd story about Noach’s drunkenness and one’s sons inappropriate behavior. The second distinct narrative is also about chaos and confused boundaries. This time mankind confuses boundaries and trying to build a tower up to the heavens. The result is that God scatters mankind across the earth by making mankind speak numerous languages and making communication difficult.

While both narratives can conceivably stand alone; both narratives are related. As manifested in the previous Parsha, God is a god of creation and order. Therefore, in order for God to destroy, order must be removed or chaos must become firmly entrenched.  Meivi et HaMabul Mayim AL HaAretz L’Shacheit Kol Basar Asher Bo Ruach Chayim Mitachat HaShamayim Kol Asher Ba’Aretz Yigvah – I will bring the flood of waters upon the earth  to destroy all flesh, in which is the breath of life from under heaven, and everything that is on earth shall die. Clearly from the text there must be other kinds of floods besides water, otherwise we do not need to be told that this particular flood is one that involves water. The message is that God will punish creation by instituting chaos for a period of time. Later in Chapter 11 as mankind begins building a tower up to heaven God becomes disappointed again. Vayomer Adoshem  Hain Am Echad V’Safah Achat L’Chulam V’zeh Hachilam La’Asot V’aAtah Lo Yibatzeir Mei’hem Kol Asher Yazmu La’Asot – Behold the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be withheld from them which they have schemed to do. Hava Neirdah V’Navlah Sham Sfatam Sher lo Yishmu Ish Sfat Rei’eihu – Come let us go down and there confound their language, that they may not understand on another’s speech. Instead of the flood of water, God created the flood of language and confusion the flood of a cacophony.

The flood of chaos and the struggle to handle chaos is part of our human condition. The first narrative, the Noach narrative, teaches that chaos is now part of creation and in a sense a type of punishment. The second narrative, the Tower of Bavel, teaches us that chaos is part of the everyday human life. It is part of our task as human beings as we struggle to elevate ourselves from the animal aspect of our existence to the spiritual aspect of our existence that we create order from chaos. To do so is a Godly endeavor. To do so allows us to transcend the physical world. Who would have thought that a presidential election, no matter how un-likeable each candidate might be, could be distilled into chaos and order? I just hope that no matter what happens, our daughter can continue to maintain order in world amid the chaos that she will be experiencing over the next several days.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

It Can Ring Like Fire When You Lose Your Way (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Franklin's Tower")

The end of the school year culminates in commencement activities.  When I was a kid, the only graduation ceremonies that mattered were High School, College/University. If a person attended graduate school, depending upon the timing, graduation might not even have mattered since that person had started working.   Now the world is a bit different now. My sister called me, her voice a little weepy, and told me that her daughter graduated from Kindergarten and she was brought to tears. We attended our daughter’s graduation from 8^th grade. Yes, school now have graduation exercises for students completing 8^th grade. I don’t really consider completing 8^th grade to be a major accomplishment a particularly high academic benchmark. Admittedly, I even tried to downplay it as our daughter was going through the preparations for her commencement activities.  That being said, accomplishments should be recognized, and, as my wife pointed out, sometimes the accomplishment is not the flash of brilliance from a standardized test, or a final exam. Sometimes accomplishment should be measured in being able to navigate the everyday grind and the consistency demanded in order to succeed.

This week we read the third parsha from The Book of Numbers, Parsha Be’Halotcha. In the previous two parshiot: Bemidbar and Naso, B’nai Yisroel takes a census and prepares for its upcoming journey from Sinai to Eretz Canaan. This week, the final preparations are ordered and executed and the departure from Sinai begins. Aaron, Moshe’s brother and the Kohen Gadol, lights the lamp for the Mishkan, the entire Levite tribe is purified, offerings made and their service for maintenance of the Mishkan begins. Final instructions for observing Pesach under these new conditions, (they were not leaving Egypt anymore nor had they arrived in the land) were offered, including the case of coming into contact with the deceased and becoming spiritually impure. The narrative tells us the manner in which B’nai Yisroel traveled: sheltered by a cloud during the day, and protected by a pillar of fire at night. Then the complaining begins. They complain about the Mannah. They complain about the food. They complain about Moshe’s leadership. Moshe’s sister complains about his wife.

The first few verses, from which the Parsha gets its name Be’Halotcha seem rather disconnected from the rest of the narrative. Rather, these first few verses seem more connected to the previous parsha that discussed the various responsibilities of each Levi family and gifts brought by the twelve tribal princes. Left out of last week’s parsha is the specific role of Aaron and his family.  So Aaron is given the job to light the Menorah, the Neir Tamid, the eternal light, every day.  Visually, it appears that Aaron turns on the lights of the Mishkan, the mobile worship station that was central to B’nai Yisroel’s social organization and theological understanding. Imagine the boss arriving so early that he/she turns on the lights every morning. According to the Talmud in Menachot 88, Aaron didn’t just light the Menorah, he had to clean the seven lamps out every morning prior to lighting the lamps. He would have to lean it over to clean it and the stand the Menorah back up prior to lighting. Every morning, cleaning the lamp and lighting the lamp was the first activity.  So it is interesting to note the word that the Torah uses to describe this process. Normally, the Hebrew word for “kindling a light” or “lighting a lamp” is LeHadlik.  On Shabbat, and on Holidays, when candles are lit the blessing uses the word Le’Hadlik Neir – kindling the lights. So why does the Torah use Be’Halotcha – literally “when you raise the lamps”? The Or HaChaim, the 18^th century Moroccan commentator, explains that the process of removing the lamps, cleaning them out, re-assembling the lamps upon the main stem, putting the lamp back to an upright position and finally lighting it is tantamount to building a new Menorah every day.  Six branches three on either side of the main trunk bent toward the middle flame were lit everyday reminding Aaron and all who entered into the Mishkan that there was one source of spiritual light. Perhaps that entire process, the awareness which occurred on an everyday basis, was much more than must striking a match and lighting a wick. Instead Aaron became aware that everything he did on a daily basis was really about elevating his soul.

Yes, our daughter graduated from 8^th grade this week. No we don’t think that “graduating” from 8^th grade is a particularly high academic benchmark. Sometimes she wasn’t exactly keen to wake up and go to school, and sometimes the educational process was not altogether so intellectually inspiring. However, there were moments, more often than not, where we saw our daughter’s intellect light up and she was looked forward to learning and studying. There were moments that we witnessed the ripening of an intellect being prepared for the rigors of high school and eventually, university. Perhaps most importantly, we watched our daughter become aware that every day presents an opportunity to learn, to become intellectually stimulated and engaged.  On Friday nights, sitting at the Shabbat table, when we have time to hear excitement about what she learned during the past week, we understand that over the course of a year, something more than just a kindling an intellectual light occurred. Instead we appreciate that the process has elevated her. Hopefully she appreciates the fact that she can elevate her mind everyday like lamps in the Menorah.

Peace,

Rav Yitz