It's Got No Signs Or Dividing Lines And Very Few Rules To Guide (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "New Speedway Boogie")

          Well, it was the first full week of regular, mundane activity. There were no Jewish Holidays, there was no cleaning up from Jewish Holidays, and there were no days off because of Jewish Holidays. Life returned to routine ebb and flow of school, work, errands, and paying bills. Our dinner conversation reflected this return to the mundane. There was no discussion about menus, sukkah building, grocery lists, and more grocery lists; instead, discussion focused upon everything that we had missed in the world while dealing with three weeks of holidays. Apparently, the world has been in a bit of turmoil and chaos. Forming a coalition government in Israel, Brexit, Impeachment, California forest fires, Kurds, Syria, Turkey, and Putin. As this broad-ranging discussion wound its way from issue to issue; the phone rang. It was my mother asking how everyone was doing now that we had returned to our regular routines and schedules. Our son happily reported life was back to being quiet and boring. Then he added how much he loves living in Toronto because life, in general, was “quiet and boring”.
          This Shabbat we read from Parsha 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 covenant made between God and Noah and the offering to God. Then there is a brief narrative about Noach’s drunkenness and one son’s inappropriate behavior. The second distinct narrative is also about chaos and confused boundaries. This time, mankind confuses boundaries and attempts 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 hinder communication.
          When describing the world, when describing the net result of God’s creation ten generations after Adam and Chava, two words are utilized. V’Tishacheit Ha’Aretz Lifnei Ha’Elokim, VaTimalei Ha’Aretz Chamas - Now the earth had become corrupt before God; and the earth had become filled with robbery, VaYar Elokim et Ha’Aretz, v’Hinei Nishchata Ki Hishchit Kol Basar et Darko Al Ha’Aretz- And God saw the earth and behold it was corrupted for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. The two words Sha’ChaT - corrupt and ChaMaS- robbery are not necessarily the words we envision when describing a miserable uninhabitable, dystopian place. Certainly, the Torah could have said that the world was "uninhabitable" or "an empty void" as it said in the Breishit. ShaChat literally means wanton harm to self and to others, twisted, pervert, ruin. Ten generations after God had created by separating light & dark, day & night, heaven & earth, land & water, fish & fowl, six workdays & one day of rest (Shabat); all that order had become twisted and was wantonly destroyed. Apparently, mankind wantonly hurt mankind's’ self and mankind’s environment. The second term ChaMaS means to do violence, to extort. Both words allude to the notion of chaos, wanton destruction. There is no rhyme nor reason and therefore one is unable to plan and exist within chaos. Extortion also alludes to chaos. A person has to “re-purchase” what they already own but had been stolen ie. kidnapping. Rashi explains that these terms suggest that corruption means immorality and idolatry, and “violence/extortion” suggests robbery. In other words, there were no boundaries, no separations nor distinctions. Recalling that HaVDiL, separation was the key to God’s creation, then chaos, no order, no boundaries are the means by which we destroy.
          Both the story of the Flood and the Tower of Bavel suggest the tension of humanity. God’s world is one of order. Mankind struggles between the godly instinct of order and ungodly instinct of chaos and wanton violence. Given all the news, whether it is the raging wildfires (controlling chaos) or Syria and the Turkish border (perpetrating chaos); stable societies and communities fear chaos. Families and especially children try to avoid chaos. Perhaps the human condition is to figure out how to create order amid chaos. So as our children spoke to their grandmother, they extolled the virtues of life in Toronto “that it was quiet and boring”. As they said these words to my mother, I heard her say the same words she has said to me my whole life. “I love to hear that my children and grandchildren’s lives are quiet and boring.”
Peace, 
Rav Yitz

Looks As Though Tomorrow I'll Do Pretty Much The Same (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Mission In The Rain")

Given all the turmoil going on in the world. Iran’s bombing of a Saudi oil field, Israel elections and inability to create a governing coalition, phone calls with Ukraine, pulling out of Syria and leaving the Kurds unprotected, an Impeachment investigation, Brexit, and elections here in Canada, let’s just say that I have some anxiety about the future in the “macro” sense of the word. I have a concern about the future over which I have no control. In our home, we are also experiencing some anxiety about the future or at least the next four or five years. With a daughter in Grade 12 (12^th grade if you speak American), Shabbat and Holiday meals with friends and family always include a question directed at her. “So, grade 12, that’s terrific, what are your plans for next year?” With that simple, innocent, innocuous question are daughter understands that she actually needs to think about this next stage of her life. I remind her that we call this idea, “The Future”.   She understands that she needs to make some self-assessments and ask herself some questions: What are her academic interests, does she want to take a Gap year in Israel? If so, which program and will that program offer credit that is accepted by a university? Does she want to attend university in Ontario or the Northeast United States? If she wants to go to university in the U.S., then she needs to sign up for standardized tests and study for these tests. There are a lot of decisions and it is incredibly overwhelming and without a plan, it is paralyzing.  The good news for our daughter is that her parents went through it, her older sisters went through it and even her aunts and uncles all went through it. Her friends at school and her friends from camp are also going through it. So she is not alone. When her mother and I have tried to discuss “The Future, and her Plan”, she smiles at us and, blessed with a biting wit and great sense of humor, she says in her most dead-panned delivery, “I plan to take next year off preparing for my gap year.” I smile and ask how she intends to finance her year of gap year preparation? We all laugh but we realize that we need to get our daughter to be more excited about the future rather than anxious and dreading it.

This Shabbat, we read from Parshat Ha’Azinu. The Parsha is poetry, a song that God had commanded Moshe to compose in the previous Parsha, VaYeleich. Composing this song was the final deed that God commanded Moshe. The song is the final prophecy that God told Moshe in the previous Parsha, VaYeilech.  As a song, it does not contain the most pleasant of lyrics, and it is not particularly uplifting or inspiration. The song does not offer such an optimistic future.  Rather, Moshe invokes Heaven and Earth to offer testimony to God’s prophecy and future punishment against his people.  Throughout Sefer Devarim, Deuteronomy, Moshe has taught the law and inspired B’nai Yisroel to choose fidelity to God and God’s Torah.  Choosing to follow would result in a reward. Choosing not to follow would result in a punishment. Now, during the final moments of Moshe Rabeinu’s life, the song suggests neither choice nor the results of that choice. Instead, we are told that we will choose badly and that we will be punished.  There is nothing explicit within the song that suggests or even offers a means by which we can do Teshuva (repent) and ultimately return to God. While intellectually, Moshe has taught that concept to B’nai Yisroel; here in the song that possibility is not explicit.

Only when he completes writing the song,  Moshe then transmits his words to B’nai Yisroel. His words offer a sense of hope, a sense of inspiration. He reminds B’nai Yisroel that even when they have grown distant from God, even though the resulting punishment will be brutal; there is still a measure of hope, hope for the next generation.  Simu Levavchem L’Chol Hadvarim Asher Anochi Mei’id Bachem Hayom, Asher T’Tzavoom et Bnaichem Lishmor La’Asot et Kol Divrei HaTorah Ha’Zot -  Apply your hearts to all the words that I Testify against you today, with which you are to instruct your children, to be careful to perform all the words of this Torah.  Ki Lo Davar Reik Hu Mikem Ki Hu Chayeichem Uvadavar HaZeh Ta’Arichu Yamim – for it is not an empty thing for you, for it is your life, and through this matter shall you prolong your days on the Land to which you cross the Jordan to possess it. In Moshe’s final moments, he reminds us that the key to our survival is to teach Torah to our children. Yes, according to the song, we will grow distant from God, yes we will engage in idolatry. Yes, we will be punishment. However, there will always be hope for the next generation if they are educated in such a manner that when it comes time for them to make a choice; they choose wisely, they choose God’s Torah.  Moshe reminds his people that the Torah is not empty. Rashi reminds us that if we find Torah to be empty and unsatisfying then the fault lies with us, Mikem.

Rashi seems to be empowering us. If the fault lies with us, then we have it within our power to do something about it. Parsha HaAzinu is always read at this time of year, a time when the Jewish people have stood before God to be judged for past behavior as well as received the message that the future is NOT set in concrete. Our behavior, our deeds can affect our future. I can see why some may find that to be an overbearing weight. At the same time, I find such empowerment to offer a bit of hope in dealing with the future. Sensing our daughter’s avoidance of dealing with the future by joking about a “gap year to prepare for a gap year”, we tried to think of something within our control that might help alter her outlook, something that would allow her to see herself in the future. Since our daughter was planning on spending the final days of the Sukkot Festival in New Jersey, we decided that I would pick her up and on our way home we would stop at a few University Campuses. Hopefully, just walking around, getting a tour, and speaking to with the admissions department, at least she will have a sense that the future is not as daunting as perhaps she envisions.  

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Ship Of Fools On A Cruel Sea; Ship Of Fools Sail Away From Me (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ship of Fools")

It's not every day you get to watch the world change before your eyes. Yet, late last week and onto this week, the world has watched as seventy years of an organizing principal has started to unravel.  Since the conclusion of WWII, it has been assumed that a closely knit Western Europe would serve as a preventative from any one European nation from becoming too overly nationalistic, overly aggressive, and overly domineering. Also a closely knit Western Europe would serve as a counterbalance to Stalin and the Soviet Union’s Iron Curtain.  As a result NATO, the European Common Market and eventually the European Union came into being. Well NATO still exists; however after BREXIT, the European economic alliance has been severely diminished because of Great Britain’s desire to leave the economic union.  It has been fascinating to watch the immediate fall out. Pound Sterling has lost more than 10% of its value.  The British Prime Minister has announce his resignation; the Labor has lost a  “no confidence” vote, British business  whose market is the Continent is in a state of paralysis, and non British who were able to move freely to Britain with only a European passport, sit in “immigration” limbo. Scotland and Ireland want to remain part of the EU and now will plan a referendum about remaining part of Great Britain. When the week began, there was enough “buyer’s remorse” that more than three million signatures signed a petition calling for a revote.

This Shabbat we read from Parsha Shlach Lecha. The Parsha is highlighted by the narrative of Moshe’s sending twelve spies into Eretz Canaan and then to report back to him. The spies scout out the land, they return with a negative report. The people challenge Moshe’s leadership. God gets angry and wants to destroy the people. Moshe defends the people and God decides upon a less severe punishment.  Following the narrative God instructs Moshe regarding the Mitzvot of the Libations Offering, taking Challah, public atonement for unintentional idol worship, an individual’s idol worship of an unintentional and intentional nature. There is the brief narrative of a man gathering sticks on Shabbos and the ensuing punishment. The Parsha concludes with God giving Moshe the Mitzvah of Tzitzit.

The punishment that results from the narrative of the Twelve Spies is particularly troubling. The spies return and offer a report not only to Moshe and Aaron but to the entire assembly.  The people are scared and a wave of national hysteria sweeps over the community. They beg to be returned to Egypt. God’s anger is not so laser focused. God’s anger is aimed at everyone except for Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who issued a positive report. The other ten spies and the entire community are threatened with extinction.  Essentially this punishment would have meant that there would not have been a viable community to inherit God’s covenant. Moshe convinces God to rethink the punishment and now God issues a formal decree. The generation of adults that left Egypt would be prohibited from entering into Eretz Canaan; meaning there would be forty years of wandering until that generation died out. Upon hearing the decree, VaYashkimu VaBoker VaYaalu El Rosh HaHar Leimor Hinnenu V’ALinu El HaMakom Ahser Amar HaShem Ki Chatanu – They awoke early in the morning and ascended toward the mountain top saying: “We are ready and we shall ascent to the place of which Hashem has spoken, for we have sinned.” Moshe tells them to stand down, that it is too late and the punishment has been meted out.  VaYapilu LaAlot El Rosh HaHar Va’ Aron Brit Hashem U’Moshe Lo Mashu MiKerev HaMachaneh – But they defiantly ascended to the mountaintop, while the Ark of Hashem’s covenant and Moshe did not move from the midst of the camp. The Amalekite and the Canaanite who dwelled on that mountain descended; they struck them and pounded them until Hormah (Num. 14:40-45). They had already voted. They had already violated the sanctity of their relationship to God by expressing a desire to return to Egypt. They can’t take back their words. This is a group of people that will always express spiritual weakness and will not be able to make it in Eretz Canaan. They express their own “buyer's remorse” and decided to begin journeying towards Eretz Canaan. However without the Ark of the Covenant and without Moshe, the people cannot and will not survive.  The organizing principal is the Ark of the Covenant, and Moshe's leadership and the peoples Emunah, their faith.  Even with their expression of buyer’s remorse God understand that the people are not equipped for the relationship and the covenant.

It will be months if not a few years before we see all the ramifications for Great Britain’s historic vote. However, one thing is clear. The world has just become a little more unstable. The world has just become a little more dangerous. The rise of nationalism, the fear of immigrants, the rise of demagogues not only bodes ill for the future but it serves as a reminder of Europe’s very troubled past  before its enlightened attempt to create a more unified Europe where no one European nation became too large that the entire world was threatened.

Peace

Rav Yitz