And You Don't Seem To Hear Me When I Call (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "So Many Roads")

Amid the newsworthy coverage of Prime Minister Trudeau’s visit to the White House, amid the bluster and noise that is Donald Trump’s campaign for the Republican nomination, amid the relaxed joy of spring training and the anticipation of another baseball season, my children came home from school last week talking about another terrorist stabbing in Israel. These random attacks have been occurring for months but for some reason this particular attack was very different. The story made the news cycle for a minimal amount of time. No one from our circle of friends in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Toronto, or Israel, knew the young man., He wasn’t Jewish. Yet when our children came home to talk about the incident, for some reason, the tragedy called out to all of us in a slightly different manner than what we have grown accustomed to. Maybe we have all grown accustomed to Israelis, and Jews, suffering at the hands of these terrorists in Israel. Certainly when a terrorist attack occurs outside of Israel and all different types of people are killed (most recently Paris and California), the news coverage is very thorough and the story occupies a large part of the news cycle. Taylor Force was graduate of West Point, a veteran of several tours of duty in Afghanistan, a Vanderbilt University MBA student who was studying Israel’s entrepreneurial environment that led it to be call “Start Up Nation”. However last week Taylor Force was murdered at the hands of a Hamas terrorist in Jaffa. Those of us exposed to the western press, heard about the story but it received minimal coverage in the mainstream media. It seems that the mainstream media didn’t quite hear enough in order to cover the story or maybe the story itself didn’t call out to the “right” people so that it would receive appropriate coverage. Yes the State Department made a statement, albeit a typically diplomatic statement condemning the violence on both sides of the conflict. Vanderbilt University issued a statement as did the Hillel at Vanderbilt’s campus. Interestingly enough many Jewish educators, and Rabbis took to Twitter and Facebook to offer condolences to Taylor’s family and condemn this heinous act. Even our children heard the calling of another senseless act of terror.  

This Shabbat we begin the third book of the Torah with the Parsha of the same name, VaYikra otherwise known as Leviticus. Unlike Breishit and parts of Shmot which were narratives or other parts of Shmot with were a series of legislative acts, teaching us law after law; VaYikra is something very different. We are all able to relate to narrative and to stories. We can even read the law that governed biblical Jewish society and admire the laws’ humanity, admire the ethical lessons the law tried to teach or even admire the people that the law tried to protect. However when we begin Parshat VaYikra, we all have a problem connecting to the concept of Korbonot, the term used to describe animal sacrifices. We all have difficulty connecting to the various types of Korbonot; the animals permitted for an offering, and the technical aspects of the offering. Do we really need to know how to check of the animal, and to slaughter the animal? Do we need to read about sprinkling the blood of the animal; roasting the animal, and finally eating the animal? Parsha VaYikra and in fact the entire book of Leviticus truly challenges those of us living in modernity. If for no other reason, we are challenged because we don’t have a Mishkan, we don’t have a Holy Temple and we don’t make animal sacrifices. We all understand the concept of proximity within a relationship. A KoRBon from the Hebrew root KeReV, means to draw near, to approach. A Korbon was our ancestors’ way of drawing closer to God. However even before God teaches Moshe all the mitzvot concerning Korbonot, God does something very unique, something that God had never done before to Moshe as a way of drawing him closer.

The first word of the Parsha and the book already creates an environment of “concern for proximity”. VaYikrah El Moshe, VaYidaber Adoshem Eilav M’Ohel Moed Leimor – He called out to Moshe and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of the meeting saying. (Lev. 1:1). God called, God spoke and God said; three very similar verbs yet slightly different. One calls out to a person when trying to get his/her attention. Rashi, the great 11^th century French commentator, offers several explanations. First this “calling” is Lashon Chiba – a language of endearment. God was calling out to Moshe in a loving gentle manner, and only to Moshe, no one else since no one else heard God’s call. Once called and Moshe approaches, God “speaks” to him. Speaking to someone assumes a partnership or a dialogue. This partnership might not be 50/50, and the dialogue might not be an equally two sided dialogue but it assumes a response. However, “telling” someone to do something neither assumes partnership nor dialogue but rather the transmission of information or instruction without questions. For the first time, God Vayikra el Moshe. God called out to Moshe as a means of singling him out for a vital task: to instruct the Kohanim and the people the appropriate way for them to draw near to God – Korbon. As important as God’s calling out to Moshe, was the fact that Moshe was able to hear God’s call. Moshe was that sensitive, and in tune with his relationship to God.

Sometimes we are not able to hear so well. Sometimes we don’t hear God’s calling out to us. Sometimes God calls out to us for good and sometimes we are called to bear witness. Our silence is a manifestation of fact that we failed to hear a “calling”. When the press misses the story, and focuses upon the bluster of an individual; it fails to hear the calling of its purpose – to bear witness to injustice and evil. Interestingly enough, the world, or at least those connected to the world, connected to digital media, those who pay attention and listen and are able to cut through the noise and really hear the “calling” heard a university mourning, heard a family mourning, heard Army friends mourning, heard classmates mourning. When Prime Minister Netanyahu called Taylor’s family and offered his condolences, an entire country, a country that was not even Taylor’s mourned for him as well. Thankfully our children were able to hear and bear witness as well. VaYitrzror Bitzror HaChayim et Nishmato - May Taylor’s soul be bound up in the bond of life.

Peace,

Rav Yitz  

Get Tired Of Travelling You Want To Settle Down (Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir,& Phil Lesh - "Truckin'"

          Our eldest daughter has been incredibly busy working for Hilary Clinton in the state of Iowa. Since last Pesach she has lived in Des Moines, Iowa.  Knowing that she has a few days to recuperate, her younger siblings are full of questions. Where does she go next? And after that? What happens when the primaries are over? Does she ever return one place and live in it like we do? Does she move to New York, Washington D.C. How long does she keep living in places for short periods of time? What does she do when there campaigning is finished and the election is held? As I listened to the questions and tried to answer them clearly and succinctly I became aware of what was underlying all these questions. From our younger children’s perspective, their oldest sister’s pace of life seemed incredibly busy leading up to a primary or election, then there would be a moment of down time and then she would have to ramp it back up for the next primary. Underlying all their questions was their picture of a normal life. From their perspective adults go to work and return home from work. There may be errands to run, late night meetings but essentially there was a sense of routine and mundane activity. Not every day can be16 hour days, being followed by a reporter, explaining the candidate’s “ground game” or being interviewed by the national news on the night of a primary, or giving a speech for a candidate. Our younger children wanted to know when their big sister will begin to lead a “normal life” with “normal work hours”.

Last week we read about the revelation at Sinai, with the thunder, the lightening, and a big booming voice. Last week we read the Aseret Dibrot, the Ten Commandments. Last week we were inspired by the words “I am the lord your god, you should have no other gods before me” “you shall keep the Sabbath holy”, respect your parents, and so on and so on. Of course these commandments are the bedrock of Judeo- Christian morality and society. However when the thunder and lightning are finished, and the big booming voice stops booming, B’nai Yisroel has Ten Commandments. However they still had a problem. They told Moshe to return to the mountain but they never acknowledged their acceptance of the Ten Commandments.  We can almost imagine Bnai Yisroel so awestruck that they couldn’t muster an answer.  After all, seeing a mountain on fire, the thunder, the lightning and a big booming voice, does not exactly lend itself to people nodding their head in understanding and approval.  The moment was so awesome, so inspiring, that it utterly paralyzed Bnai Yisroel.  Even the commandments themselves were so awe inspiring that Bnai Yisroel has no way to deal with the day to day issues of everyday life.

            However, B’nai Yisroel, like the rest of us, could not and cannot live life in a state of revelation, spiritual awe and euphoria unable to function in the everyday world. As human beings, our ability to stay that awe-inspired, can only last a brief moment before we understand that we live here on earth and not in the spiritual realm. Now B’nai Yisroel must learn how to behave like a nation of priests here, in this world, on an everyday basis. This week’s Parshah, Mishpatim, begins: V’Eilah Hamishpatim, And these are the judgments or laws that you [Moshe], shall put before them. God then lists a plethora of rules and regulations by which everyday life must be lived.  The list enumerates how to solve problems that occur between community members: the treatment strangers and slaves and how to be a mentsche.  Except for attorneys, this list of laws and statutes might seem incredibly uninspiring, dry, and non-spiritual.

 Even in the dry, seemingly uninspired promulgation of these everyday laws, we learn a very valuable lesson. Parsha Mishpatim, with its plethora of laws, judgements, and statutes provide us with the tools for everyday life. This generation of former slaves need to learn how to take mundane activities and add meaning and holiness to it. Torah gives us the tools. We learn that revelation doesn’t happen too often. Grand, powerful, awe inspiring events don’t happen every day. If such moments did occur every day then those moments would cease being so grand, so powerful and so awe-inspiring. Or we would become so overwhelmed that when those moments ended we wouldn’t be able to return to a normal mundane life. We are capable of experiencing revelation everyday; it just won’t be the “Ten Commandments” type of revelation. B’nai Yisroel’s response of Na’Aseh V’Nishmah We will do and we will learn to Moshe’s presentation of these laws suggests that we are capable of inspiring ourselves, and able to experience revelation even in the mundane aspects of life. We do this learning and struggling to combine the sacred and the profane and the holy and the mundane. For now, our eldest daughter loves what she does and is able to handle the pace of life on a political campaign. As she makes her way from state to state, as the campaign draws to a close, hopefully she figures out how to return to a more balanced life and able to bring the revelation she experiences on the road to a more settled life. But for now, as a young politically passionate woman, she still has a candidate to get elected at least once if not twice; then maybe she will be ready for the more mundane aspects of life.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Look Into Any Eyes You Find By You; You Can See Clear To Another Day (Robert Hunter & Phil Lesh - "Box of Rain")

We wouldn’t necessarily know it from the weather, but if anyone has been to the malls they are certainly aware that it is “the most wonderful time of the year”. It is the time of year that the Jews go to Florida, and on one day during this week; eat Chinese food and perhaps go to the movies.  Since we are not going to Florida, our family will have the Chinese food. Our family has one other tradition. On December 24^th, we light a fire and watch It’s a Wonderful Life. One of the themes of It’s a Wonderful Life is that an individual’s life touches many other lives. Sometimes we explicitly affect others’ lives, sometimes we implicitly affect other lives. Perhaps we may never know the extent to which we affect and influence others' lives. However, as George Bailey watches people from his town give a few dollars to help him out of a difficult financial bind, he becomes acutely aware that everything he did, every decision he made, every trial and tribulation, every joyous moment and every difficult moment were necessary parts of his life. All of which allowed him to arrive at this final moment; a moment in which he was able to experience the holiness of an act of Loving Kindness.

 This week’s Parshah, Vayechi is the conclusion of the book of Breishit (Genesis). Because this is the last Parshah of the Sefer B’reishit, we read of the passing of the mantle of power from one generation to the next. Yaakov is 147 years old and it is time for him to bless his children and his grandchildren. To each of his twelve sons, he offers a blessing. To Yosef’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, he not only offers a blessing but he reserves the blessing of the first born to the younger brother, Ephraim.  This is fitting. Yaakov also received the blessing reserved for the first born. He also leaves Yosef with one last mission. Yaakov tells Yosef of the covenant that God made with Avraham, Yitzchak and himself. He also made Yosef swear an oath that he would bring him out of Egypt and bury him with his father and grandfather. Yosef accepts this oath. He and his brothers leave Egypt and bury their father. Because the famine remains pervasive throughout the land, they return to Egypt. Now the brothers fear Yosef’s wrath. Although he has not expressed any anger towards them, the brothers believe now that their father is dead; Yosef’s anger will not be contained. First they sent servants to Yosef in order to plead on their behalf. Then the brothers plead to Yosef and prostrate themselves before Yosef. Yosef’s response indicates his maturity, his spiritual contentment and his peace with himself and his environment. Vayomer Aleihem Yosef Al Tirau Ki Hatachat Elohim Ani -“But Joseph said to them, ‘Fear not, for am I instead of God? V’Atem Chashavtem Alai Ra’ah Elohim Chashava L’Tovah L’Ma’An Asah KaYom HaZeh LHaChayot Am Rav - Although you intended me harm, God intended it for good: in order to accomplish, it is as clear as this day, that a vast people be kept alive.  V’Atah Al Tirau Anochi Achalkeil Etchem V’et Tapchem Vayinachem Otam Vayidaber al Libam -So now fear not, I will sustain you and your young ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke to their heart.” (Gen: 19-21) Yosef bears no animosity towards his brothers. The tears he shed in last week’s parsha, VaYigash, were genuine. The joy of re-uniting with his family without rancor and bitterness overwhelmed any negative or bitter feelings. Yosef understands and accepts his place. Yosef understands that he had to experience all the tsuris and all the simcha of his life in order to arrive at that point in time and in that manner. Yosef arrived at that moment without bitterness. He chose not to have bitterness. Rather, his faith and sense of self provided enough strength for him to make peace, achieve contentment, and appreciate the path that his life had taken.

It took George Bailey to sink to his lowest point, wishing he “had never been born” in order to understand that by living life, by working hard, by trying to make a difference, he ultimately did. Like most of us, we don’t always get to see how our deeds and actions make a difference to those lives we touch. Like George Bailey, Yosef understood all this. He too had to go through all kinds of difficulty, namely an estrangement from his family for more than twenty years, in order for him to learn the lesson that that everything has to happen in order for us to arrive at this point in time. Both George Bailey and Yosef teach us to try hard, to do our best, never lose faith and don’t allow negative feelings to overwhelm us to the point of becoming embittered souls. Ultimately we need to learn and eventually accept that everything unfolds the way it does in order for us to be here at this moment in time.

Peace,

Rav Yitz