I Got No Satisfaction, That's Why I Sing The Blues (Bob Weir - "One More Saturday Night")

I was introduced to a new four lettered word about three months ago. Frankly, I thought I had heard them all. The new four lettered word that I learned was “Diet”. Well, I had heard of the word before; but it was in terms of religious ritual, Kashrut. I had heard the word in the context of New Years’ resolutions, and other people’s health issues.  I had even heard it whispered about me as something I should think about. Even my doctor had used the word with me, suggesting that my indigestion and bad back were exacerbated by my weight and “maybe if you lose a few pounds those issues would go away.” Yes I had heard of the word “Diet”, but I didn’t begin listening to what it meant and what it didn’t’ mean until I decided to begin a Diet. So for the past three months I have been on a low fat, no carb diet in which I try to restrict my caloric intake to below 2000 calories. I am allowed 7 oz. of protein, and an assortment of vegetables and only those fruits that are low in sugar such as apple, strawberries, cantaloupe and strawberries. Yes, I have lost weight. Yes there are foods that I missed. At various points during these past few months, I have missed pasta, I have missed a hamburger. Even this week, my son and I went to a baseball game (the New York Yankees were in Toronto playing the Blue Jays), and I stared at my son as he enjoyed his hot dog. What I wouldn’t have done for a “dog and a beer”! Yet as each day and as each week goes by, I don’t feel as if I am starving, I don’t feel hungry, and I don’t feel dissatisfied. Actually, it’s quite the opposite, I have even found some clothes that I forgot that I owned!

            This week’s Parsha is Eikev. Here in his second discourse, Moshe explains to the new generation how the second set of tablets that contain the Aseret Dibrot (Ten Commandments) came into being. He explains how God forgave their parents of their idolatrous behavior in regards to the Eigel Zahav (Golden Calf), and all B’nai Yisroel must do essentially refrain from Idolatry, serve God, worship God, and the nation will be rewarded with water, grass and quality lives. Moshe also reminds B’nai Yisroel that they have nothing to fear when they enter into Canaan and conquer the land even though they maybe outnumbered, because God has already demonstrated that he will protect his people. He did so during the Yetziat Mitzrayim (Exodus from Egypt), and as long as B’nai Yisroel keeps its side of the B’rit (covenant), God will continue to protect his people. V’Haya Im Tishma’u El Mitzvotai Asher Anochi M’tzaveh Etchem Hayom L’Ahavah Et Adonai Eloheichem Ul’Avdo B’Chol Levavchem Uv’chol Nafshachem. V’Natati M’tar Artzechem B’Ito Yoreh Umalkosh V’Asaftah D’Ganecha V'Tiroshcha v’Yitzharecha – It will be that if you hearken to My commandments that I command you today to love Hashem your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I shall provide rain for your Land in its proper time, the early and the late rains, that you may gather in your grain, your wine and your oil.  V’Natati Esev B’Sadcha Livhemtecha V’Achalta V’Savata – I shall provide grass in your field for your cattle and you will eat and be satisfied (Deut 11:15). Among the rewards is grass for our cattle and we will eat and be satisfied.    

In this second paragraph of the Shema, we are told that there is a reward for our obeying God’s commandments and there will be retribution for disobeying God’s commandments. Among the rewards is a phrase that, at first glance, does not seem like such a reward. The simple meaning of the verse suggests that we will eat the grass and or the cattle, but whatever we eat, we will be satisfied –v’Savatah. Satisfied implies that we will not be wanting for anything. Satisfied means fulfilled content. How can the grass that God will make plentiful satisfy us? Have we ever been too busy to eat? Have we ever been in a place or a situation that cause our adrenaline to pump that we didn’t even feel hunger pangs? Most probably yes, we have all been in situations or places where we were too busy, to wound up, too excited to eat. Yet, we were clearly in a place, both physical and spiritual where we were satisfied.  Rashi, the great 11^th century French commentator, explains the verse as follows: “When you are very prosperous, you must be very careful not to rebel against God, because man rejects God only when he is sated.” Our relationship to God is synonymous with our own health. We need to pay attention to this very vital and simple relationship in order for us to appreciate the layers of complexity that life ultimately presence. When we are in poor health, when we violate this very simple and vital relationship, the rest of life seems insurmountable and overwhelming. When we are very comfortable, when we are perhaps too comfortable, when we are full, when we are bored, when we take things for granted; that is the time to worry about our relationship with HaShem.

            So it turns out that “Diet” is not such a dirty four lettered word after all.  Instead the word “Diet” requires those who engage in a “Diet” to understand a much a word three times longer: “Satisfaction”. Like our physical health, when we have our spiritual health, we are able to appreciate the layers of complexity and the beauty of life. When our health, physical or spiritual, is poor, then we are too overwhelmed to see any of life’s beauty. However, when we understand that often times, we can derive satisfaction from less quantity, we began to find the beauty in the world around us, the goodness and the fulfilling nature of the food we eat, and the holiness of the life we are capable of leading.

Peace

Rav Yitz

I Looked Up Into Heaven, Lord I Saw A Mighty Sign (Bob Weir- One More Saturday Night)

Perhaps the most intellectually demanding and spiritually defining moment of a people is a communal or national revelation. According to the dictionary, a revelation is disclosure of the unknown or unrealized. Normally we associate revelation as a theological process; but there are personal revelations about life choices, relationships. For those us less spiritually developed, we might think of a revelation as a type of sign that should inspire us to make certain decisions. As individuals, we all have an “Aha moment”, a moment of clarity when the unrevealed is fully disclosed and we can proceed accordingly. But to have a national revelation; is intellectually and spiritually demanding.  Yet, that is precisely what happened on Sunday night. On Sunday evening, with over 114 million Americans and over 9 million Canadians watching Super Bowl XLIX, those approximately 123 million people and millions of others around the world who happened to be watching the final 30 seconds all had a revelation. An answer, a truth was disclosed. All these millions of people saw the answer on their televisions and computers. Even my 12 year old daughter who had no idea who was playing in the Super Bowl when the game began and now was cheering on the Seattle Seahawks experienced this revelation. Even my 14 year old daughter who, with 30 seconds left, wondered what is the big deal, since there is another inning to play; even she experienced the revelation that all these millions of people were sharing. Even more amazing, only two people failed to experience this revelation. Only two people failed to see the sign, or understand what needed to be done. Only two people! Sadly it was the Offensive Coordinator and Head Coach of Seattle that failed to experience the revelation that the rest of us millions of people shared.

This week's Parsha is Yitro. Named after Moshe father in-law, who happens to be a Midianite priest, the Parsha begins with Moshe leading B'nai Yisroel toward the wilderness of Midian 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. There 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 and altar of earth.

While the Torah tells us that B’nai Yisroel had fear, awe, and even trepidation; none are so blinded or paralyzed that they fail to experience the revelation. VaYehi V’Yom HaShlishi B’HeYot HaBoker VaYehi Kolot UvRakim V’Anan Kaveid Al HaHar V’ Kol Shofar Chazak Meod, VaYecherad Kol Ha’Am Asher BaMachaneh – On the third day when it was morning, there was thunder and lightning and a heavy cloud upon the mountain, and the sound of the shofar was very powerful, and the entire people was in the camp shuddered (Ex.19:16). Moses brings them towards God, they stand at the bottom, the mountain is smoking and smoldering like a furnace and even the mountain shudders (Ex.19:17-18). The people remain there watching this supernatural and awesome sight.  God calls out to Moses and he ascends, leaving the nation at the foot of the mountain, then he descends. The people stay there. Perhaps their scared, perhaps they are in awe, perhaps they are paralyzed in disbelief, or maybe they are experiencing some type of spiritual ecstasy.  We don’t know except that they are experiencing something. It is even fair to say that the people are experiencing something slightly different from one another since they are individuals with different perceptions. . “The substance of this faith is that a person should determine in his mind that his is the truth, and nothing else of any sort is possible instead” (Sefer HaChinuch Yitro 25).  Exodus Chapter 20 begins: VaYidaber Elokim et Kol Hadvarim Ha’Eilah Leimor – God spoke all these statements saying: Anochi Adoshem Elokecha Asher Hotzeitecha M’Eretz Mitzrayim Mibeit Avadim – I am Hashem, your God, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery. In that statement, in that brief moment a national revelation occurred. Everyone standing at the foot of that mountain had been slaves in Egypt and now were free. God’s introduction and reminder of who God is and that God brought them out of Egypt is the basis for revelation and faith. For a single moment, God’s reminder that God brought them all out of Egypt makes them worthy of a national revelation. After that moment, things became too powerful and Moshe heard the remainder of the commandments and then taught it to B’nai Yisroel. However foundation had been laid, the seed planted, the revelation disclosed.

When hundreds of millions of people watched those final seconds of the Super Bowl, they all had a shared common experience. Whether they cheered for New England, or Seattle; whether they had money on the game or not; whether they knew anything about football or not; whether they played football or not; whether they cared or not; if they had the common experience of witnessing the final 65 seconds, then they all shared that moment of disclosure and clarity along with my two daughters. All those people, because they had a shared common experience had the truth – run the ball 18 inches!  Perhaps Seattle’s head coach and offensive coordinator did not share in the common experience that we had all witnessed. Therefore they were had the moment of clarity that comes with revelation; a moment of clarity that everyone else shared.

Peace,

Rav Les

Come The Rocking Stroke Of Midnight, the Whole Place Is Gonna Fly (Bob Weir - "One More Saturday Night")

 It is New Year's Eve.  With my wife and children enjoying Southern California, I am here in a rather contemplative mood.  Soon I will call my wife and children and in the course of a second, I will be in a place where it will be the next year, 2014 but they will still be in the year 2013. Of course three hours later, while I am sleeping, it will become 2014 in Southern California as well. This passage of time is very precise. We watch a ball in New York City drop during the final 10 seconds of 2013 and when the Ball lands it is the first seconds of 2014, "Happy New Year". There is no such thing as “about” the New Year. It is an exact idea. One second its 2013 and the next second we have started something new.  In reality, except for our awareness of this one second, nothing changed. We don’t necessarily feel as if we have started something new and different.  My children, wife and I, because of the three hour time difference are acutely aware of this.

This week Parsha is Bo. God will bring the final plagues upon Egypt, finally convincing Pharaoh to let Bnai Yisroel leave Egypt.  Before the final plague, God will explain to Moshe and Moshe will explain to Bnai Yisroel the details and the importance of the acknowledging this historical moment by celebrating the Pesach offering. God explains that a lamb is to be chosen, slaughter, and consumed along with unleavened bread. Bnai Yisroel is commanded to put blood upon the doorposts of their homes so that they will not suffer from the final plague. God explains that this moment is to be transmitted to each generation by telling each successive generation what happened at this moment.  Then as Moshe predicted, final plague begins. the Egyptian first born are killed and the Parsha concludes with the children of Israel being commanded to wear Tefillin as sign that God outstretched arm bringing Bnai Yisroel out of Egyptian bondage.

Unlike the precise moment when the New Year changes from one year to the next; redemption from Egyptian bondage was not so precise. Certainly from God’s perspective, the moment of when freedom would arrive was as precise as the U.S. Naval Observatory Master Clock.  Yet Moshe Rabeinu doesn’t offer a precise moment when Bnai Yisroel leaves slavery and enters freedom. VaYomer Moshe And Moshe said, Ko Amar Adoshem KaChatzot HaLailah Ani Yotzei B’Toch Mitzrayim So said Hashem, ‘At about midnight I shall go out in the midst of Egypt' (Ex. 11:4) Why does Moshe Rabeinu tell Pharaoh and Egypt, “about midnight”. Wouldn’t it have been more awesome and impressive if he gave a precise time when the entire Egyptian world and Jewish world would have changed? Rashi explains that Moshe purposefully gives a vague time as opposed to an exact time because if Pharaohs astrologers miscalculate the time the Moshe said then it would be wrong. So even thought first born Egyptians would still be dying, the Magicians would claim Moshe a fraud since it wasn’t “exactly” midnight. Whatever faith they might have developed with the onslaught of the previous plagues would be lost.

However there is another reason why Moshe is less than precise with Pharaoh. By telling Pharaoh that this last plague was “about midnight”; Moshe was signaling something else to Pharaoh. Some things are beyond us. Yes we can be precise about many things, including countdowns and the passage of time – down to the second.  Faith is not so precise. The human transitions from one phase to the next is not so clean and not so neat. While it may happen at a precise moment, the reality of the change or the reality of transition is not exactly the same time as the “Happy New Year” moment.  Pharaoh was entitled to know that around midnight a horrible plague would happen. It takes faith to prepare for “about” as opposed to an exact time. Yet faith teaches us that we need to be able to be ready for “about” as well as exact.

Peace,

Rav Yitz