Shut Your Eyes And Listen To The Colors Of Your Mind (Robert Hunter & Bob Weir- "Easy Answers")

          Now that our son has become a Bar Mitzvah and obligated to put tefillin on every morning; his mom has taken it upon herself to remind him to do it. Needless to say, this has become a point of contention. I appreciate the fact that he doesn’t want to be hocked, nagged or constantly reminded. I have even spoken to his mom about the negative repercussions of her nagging him. Since school had not yet started, he said that he has been too tired to wake up for minyan.  I told him that I totally understood and that as long as he put on his tefillin and prayed the morning service, I didn’t really care if he went to minyan. The night before our Labour Day golf date, I suggested that he go to sleep just a bit earlier so he wouldn’t be so tired.  Of course he complained, and moaned at how unfair it seemed. Knowing that it was going to be a father son day; he eventually listened. I woke him, he complained, we went to morning minyan and then we went to play nine holes of golf.  It was a beautiful sunny day, with a comfortable breeze. We walked, we talked, and we even hit some good shots. Our son sank a few putts of more than 8 feet; and I had one birdie and four pars.  Yes, a well struck golf shot was cause for a wonderful feeling. However it was the walking and talking with my son that was incredibly meaningful. So as we hit golf shots, we walked, and we talked about mommy nagging him about putting on Tefillin.  I asked him what he thought he could do to get her to nag less about putting on tefillin. “Maybe I should put it on before she has a chance to nag?”  “Maybe I should go to bed a little earlier if I know that I have to wake up for minyan like I did last night.” I told him that I thought that both were good answers. As I stood over a 10 foot putt for birdie; our son made a stunning comment.  “You know, I am glad that I listened to you last night, and maybe if I listen to you, she will nag me less about putting on Tefillin, thank you.”  I couldn’t believe my ears, I was shocked, and needless to say, I blew the birdie putt. After I made my par putt; without gloating and in a straight face I told him what I have told each of his three older sisters. “If you listen to what I tell you, if you follow my directions and advice, your problems will be small and your life will easy.” I smiled and didn’t say another word. Inside, I was thinking: "finally, my youngest child will surely listen because now he understands that his life is better when he listens to his father!"

          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 before him, is offering 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, the commandments, or just listening to dear old dad, our son learned this most valuable lesson. He can whine, and mope, but if he just listens to me; his 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.  Hopefully he learned his lesson this time and I won’t have to spend the rest of his teenage years watching him re-learn this lesson. Well, good luck with that!

Peace,

Rav Yitz

And Seasons Will End In Tumbled Rhyme (Bob Weir & Eric Anderson- "Weather Report Suite Part I")

My parents came to visit us for the first days Chag HaSukkot, the Sukkot Festival.  As is typical of my father, when there is something important on television; he walked in, said hello, and made a beeline for the sofa asking his grandchildren to show him how to turn on the television and operate the remote control. After a brief moment when he needed to figure out which channel corresponded to NBC, he found what he was so eagerly looking for. What could possibly be so important that he would sit riveted upon the sofa, watching nonstop until either it ended or the holiday began? What could possibly have been so important that he would not allow anyone to change the station except during a commercial to see the update of the Yankee game? What could possibly be more important? Golf. No not just a typical run of the mill PGA golf tournament or even one of the four Majors. No, this was the Ryder Cup, the United States vs. Europe. On Sunday, in a match play format, the two teams play head to head, man to man.  What started as a commanding lead going into the final day of the tournament slowly deteriorated until the Americans just couldn’t make a putt and the European made one of the great comebacks of all time and retained the cup. While my father watched, my wife cooked, my mother showed her granddaughters what she bought and then tried remodeling our house, and I put up the Sukkah, their grandson sat with grandpa and watched. Then in a moment of absolute chutzpah one of our daughters sat down with her grandfather and unequivocally stated that “this whole golf thing is boring, and I am changing the channel!” I heard those words and warned her to smile at grandpa and say “just kidding”. It was too late. Knowing my father as well as I do, I told our daughter “now you’ve done it.”  My father proceeded to explain to his granddaughter , in very Zen terms how Golf is like life.  I smiled to myself and went back to working on the Sukkah, since I heard this one a thousand times.  My daughter looked and me and I smiled back and told her to listen. She may learn something. Soon her sister joined and now my father was lecturing his grandchildren on his famous “Golf as a paradigm for life” lecture; a lecture he gave me at a similar age.

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot. It is the Shabbat that falls during the 7 day Festival of Sukkot. As a result we do not read the regular Torah Reading. Instead, we read of the narrative when Moshe re- ascended the mountain a second time in order to receive the second set of Tablets. As part of the Festival, we recite Hallel which is a series of psalms praising God and state our joy in being part of the Brit, part of the covenant with God. Also, because it is a festival, we read one of Five Megillot taken from the Ketuvim – the Book of Writings. On Shabbat Chol Ha Moed Sukkot, we read Kohelet, the Book of Ecclesiastes.  Jewish tradition ascribes the twelve chapter scroll to Shlomo HaMelech – King Solomon.  This wisdom literature is written from the perspective of an elderly man who has seen it all, and experienced it all. – Ein Kol Chadash Tachat HaShemesh – There is nothing new under the sun! Kohelet – The Preacher speaks with brutal and harsh honesty.. In what is perhaps the most famous few verses, the Preacher tells us that life is full of ups and downs, good times and difficult times. L’Kol Zman V’Eit L’Chol Chafetz Tachat HaShamayim – Everything has its season, and there is a time for everything under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die…..That may not sound so inspiring.  Yet our job is to live our lives according to a set of rules. The result may be good or it may be bad, but God will be the judge of that. All we can do is play according to the rules as we make our where through life and contend with the obstacle, the rough, the sand traps, the water hazards and perhaps even the unfair lies that our ball winds up in after we make a good swing, struck the ball well. But we play the next shot no matter how difficult and if it means we take a penalty, so be it. Then we play the shot that God gives us to the best of our ability.

          As my father lectured, combining Kohelet with Golf, I saw his grandchildren sitting with him. They were listening, they were thinking and I am sure they were trying  to make sense of what their grandfather was talking about. I looked over at my dad, he gave me a wink “How am I doing son?” I don’t think that there were too many more things in the world that gave my father pleasure than that moment. Like Kohelet concluded by reminding the younger generation  that after all is said and done, Sof Davar HaKol Nishmah et HaElohim Yrah  v’Et Mitzvotav SHmor ki Zeh Kol HaAdam- Fear God and keep his Commandments, for that is man’s whole duty, Ki  et Kol Maaseh Ha’Elohim Yavoh V'Mishpat – For God will judge every deed…; my father looked at his grandchildren and reminded them that a good life, means shooting par, that is, breaking even. With that, my children sat with their grandfather for a few minutes watching the Rider Cup.

Peace,

Rav Yitz