Search For Where The Rivers Ends Or Where The River Starts (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia- "Foolish Heart")

          There is a tradition that the Yeshivot in Israel begin their programs at the beginning of Elul. The Sages and the Mystics considered Elul a time of spiritual preparation for the Yamim Noraim, and after a year of drifting away from God, Elul provides the perfect opportunity to spiritually begin the process of returning to God. Well, with Elul beginning this Shabbat, this will be our son’s last Shabbat with us. He departs for Yeshiva this Monday.  Ironically, it is also his Bar Mitzvah Parsha.  Five years ago, when he became a Bar Mitzvah he took the first steps towards adulthood when he became Mechayeiv - obligated to fulfill the mitzvot. Now he takes another huge step towards adulthood by moving away from home, living on his own, and learning for the sake of learning instead of learning for a grade or transcript. This is also the last Shabbat that my wife and I have Shabbat with children living in our house. From now on, when we are blessed to have our children home with us for Shabbat, they will only be visiting us. Indeed this Shabbat is very emotional as our family prepares to enter a new phase of development.

           This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. "See I present before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut.11:26). V'haklalah Im Lo Tishm'u el Mitzvot Adonai Eloheichem V'sartem Min Ha'Derech Asher Anochi M'taveh Etchem Ha'yom La'lechet Acharei Elohim Acheirim Asher Lo Y'Datem-"And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did know." (Deut. 11:28) Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to its covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds B'nai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns B'nai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds B'nai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoid non-kosher foods, not live in wayward cities, forgive loans after seven years, care for the less fortunate, and celebrate the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

          Moshe reminds B'nai Israel Ki Im El HaMakom Asher Yivchar Adoshem Eloheichem miKol Shivteichem LaSum et Shmo Sham L’Shichno Tidreshu Uvata SHama – Rather, only at the place that Hashem, your God, will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name shall you seek out his Presence, his dwelling, and come there. Certainly, this is reminiscent of God, at the time of the Akeida, telling Avraham that he will show him where to go with his son Yitzchak. Its reminiscent of Avraham as a much younger man, leaving his home and going to a place that God would show him., Certainly we could understand Moshe’s words as a  reminder for B’nai Yisroel that “sanctity”. Holiness, Kedusha is central to  Israel, Torah, and Jewish identity. The Sfas Emet (The Gerrer Rebbe from about 1870-1905) reminds us that God’s choice is not revealed until B’nai Yisroel “seeks”.  We only find answers when we seek, when we look, and when we investigate. Because we are commanded to seek Shechino, his divine aspects that dwell among us, we are tasked to seek holiness. Holiness is in Time and Space. Holiness is in our  Neshama, Holiness is in our choices, and in our words, our deeds, and the way we live our lives. That is the constant choice we are commanded to make HaYom Today –  a choice that we make each and every day and each and every moment. 

           While raising our children in North America, we consciously chose to raise them in vibrant Jewish communities and with day school education through high school. In doing so, we wanted them to learn how to experience God dwelling among us in each community we have lived. We also made sure that they would have the opportunity to experience God while they dwelled in Eretz Yisroel. Yes, it's different, powerfully meaningful, and provided our three older daughters with a firm foundation for the life choices that confronted them while in University and in life after University. It is my sincere hope that our youngest child, our son, will have a similar experience of making his upcoming ten months in Israel, ten months of HaYom- ten months of full and meaningful days;  full of experiencing God in his learning and daily life in Israel.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

I Hope You Will Believe What I Say Is True (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "They Love Each Other")

           It was an especially bittersweet week this week. It was my grandfather’s yahrzeit this week and it is our son’s Bar Mitzvah Parsha. Being the only one in the house,  I found myself gazing just a little bit longer at some of the pictures of my son and my grandfather. One picture, in particular, kept catching my eye, and I found myself gazing at it just a bit longer. The picture was taken during my sister’s wedding. It is a picture of my grandfather and his legacy: his son, grandson, and a great-grandson. The three adults, my grandfather, father, and I are standing shoulders straight across, but my son is situated between his grandfather and great-grandfather. There we are, four generations: a great grandfather, a grandfather, a father, and a young son, all in tuxedos, and all smiling. All at very different points in life.

          This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to its covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds Bnai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns Bnai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds Bnai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, care for the less fortunate, and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

          Moshe’s dire warning concerning false prophets and listening to family members that follow false prophets is quite peculiar. First, the false prophet and dreamer comes from B'nai Yisroel. Second,  Moshe presents the warning in an “if” then statement. Ki Yakum B’Kirbecha Navi O Chalom  - If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or dreamer, and he will produce a sign or a wonder… (Deut. 13:2). The “then” part of the statement is straightforward and simple. “Lo Tishma” - Don’t listen, even if the prophecy or the sign and wonder comes true and apparently supporting the false prophet and dreamer. Moshe tells us to ignore the sign and the wonder, then  Moshe continues by telling us that the false prophet is really God testing us, testing our loyalty and the integrity of our relationship with God.  Moshe tells us what to do with the false prophet and the dreamer but there doesn’t appear to be any punishment for following the false prophet. Why are no punishments presented? Why would we ignore the “miracle”, the sign and the wonder? The false prophet and dreamer must be telling us something that we want to hear rather than what we need to hear. The false prophet must be telling us something that is easily demonstrable and provable yet fails to appeal to the “holiness’ of our relationship with God. Rather, the false prophet and dreamer appeals to our "human nature", our natural instincts. God, Torah, and the covenant always appeal to our godly and spiritual instincts. Moshe reminds us to help the stranger, help the poor, don’t behave like the dominant culture, not to “press” a borrower if they have difficulty repaying, and ignore those in authority if they convince you to do what you know is wrong, even if it makes us feel better. Moshe reminds the B’nai Yisroel that the punishment for disloyalty, for following the false prophet and the dreamer, is to end up like the rest of the nations that used to inhabit Canaan. The punishment for B’nai Yisroel’s failure is to lose the land.  

Seven years and four months after the picture was taken, the great grandfather passed away. A year after his death, the young son stood before the Kotel next to the father, received an Aliya, read from Parsha Re’Eh, and became a Bar Mitzvah. The grandfather,  long retired, had been too sick to travel so he and his wife watched as we streamed everything from Jerusalem.  It is now four years since the young son’s Bar Mitzvah and he will be entering grade 12,  and his grandfather, who turns 80 in a few months, is in good health. The father tears up when looking at a picture of a moment when four generations stood together, worrying about the health of the elder generation, worrying about the decisions and life choices facing the younger generation.  As I look at the picture, I am keenly aware of the wisdom I received from my elders and I do everything I can to transmit their wisdom, their truth, their wariness of moral relativism, and their suspicion of anyone who claims to have all the easy answers to complex problems and issues. There, in that picture, are three generations, who received the elder’s moral code, lives by it, and tries to remain true to it. For that is truly the greatest gift he left us.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

 

Lord, Try To Read Between The Lines; I Had A Feeling I Was Falling, Falling, Falling Lord, I turned Round To See (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia -"Bertha")

           It has been quite an emotional week. This week is my grandfather’s 6th yahrzeit. Six years later, there is rarely a day that I don’t think about him. Three years ago, this week was our son’s bar mitzvah which we celebrated in Israel. Also, three years ago, on the day our son read Torah at the Kotel, Nazis marched in Charlottesville, Virginia. This week, my Rebbe passed away after a long illness. Unable to travel to the States, I had to watch as the service was streamed. Our family attended a Zoom memorial service for a great uncle, my late grandfather’s brother in law (his children and I were very close). We also celebrated with our friends who celebrated their son’s wedding in Israel. We also celebrated our son’s 16th birthday this week. Amid the emotional whipsaw of these moments of joy and sorrow, I have cherished quiet moments of watching the ball game with my son, or a movie with my daughters.

          This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. "See I present before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut.11:26). V'haklalah Im Lo Tishm'u el Mitzvot Adonai Eloheichem V'sartem Min Ha'Derech Asher Anochi M'taveh Etchem Ha'yom La'lechet Acharei Elohim Acheirim Asher Lo Y'Datem-"And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did know." (Deut. 11:28) Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to it covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds B'nai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns B'nai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds B'nai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, caring for the less fortunate, and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

          The Torah tells us: Ki Im El HaMakom Asher Yivchar Adoshem Eloheichem miKol Shivteichem LaSum et Shmo Sham L’Shichno Tidreshu Uvata SHama – Rather, only at the place that Hashem, your God, will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name shall you seek out his Presence, his dwelling, and come there. Certainly, this is reminiscent of the Kadosh Baruch Hu, at the time of the Akeida, telling Avraham that he will show him where to go with his son Yitzchak. Its reminiscent of Avraham as much younger man, leaving his home and going to a place that God would show him., Certainly we could understand Moshe’s words as a  reminder for B’nai Yisroel that “sanctity”. Holiness, Kedusha is central to  Israel, Torah, and Jewish identity. The Sfas Emet (The Gerrer Rebbe from about 1870-1905) reminds us that HaShem’s choice is not revealed until B’nai Yisroel “seeks”.  We only find answers when we seek, when we look, when we investigate. Because we are commanded to seek Shechino, his divine aspects that dwell among us, we are tasked to seek holiness. Holiness is in Time and Space. Holiness is in our  Neshama, Holiness is in our choices, and in our words, our deeds and the way we live our lives. That is the constant choice we are commanded to make HaYom Today –  a choice that we make each and every day and each and every moment.  

          Indeed, the week has been full of all kinds of emotional swings. Yet it dawned on me that precisely during those moments of joy, sorrow, anguish, and gratitude; “seeking” God is most possible. When we are spiritually sedentary, when we are spiritually lazy, we probably lack the spiritual insight of “sight”  of being able to sense or see God. Yet, when we experience the full range of human experience and emotion, we begin to ask questions. Some ask “why”, although I rarely suggest we ask that question. Rather we ought to ask “How”. How do I make this moment, this moment of anguish, or joy, meaningful? How do I make this moment of sorrow or joy holy? When we ask those questions, and we adapt rituals that express meaning in those moments, we embody the words of the Sfat Emet and seek God. In doing so, we make the week full of anguish, and joy, meaningful and sacred.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

What Truth Is Proof Against All Lies ( Gerrit Graham & Bob Weir - Victim Or The Crime)

          It was an especially bittersweet week this week. It was my grandfather’s yartzeit this week. It is also our son’s Bar Mitzvah Parsha. I found myself gazing just a little bit longer at my grandfather's pictures in our house. One picture, in particular, kept catching my I and I found myself gazing at it just a bit longer. The picture was taken during my sister’s wedding. It is a picture of my grandfather and his legacy: his son, grandson, and great-grandson. The three adults, my grandfather, father and I are standing shoulders straight across, but my son is situated between his grandfather and great-grandfather. The picture embodies the dual loyalty that we were all raised with, a dual loyalty that was never at odds with each other, a dual loyalty that was never contradicted each other, the sanctity of the American Dream and the sanctity of transmitting the values of Torah and Judaism to the next generation. My grandfather a member of what Tom Brokaw referred to as “The Greatest Generation”, grew up at a time when Jewish loyalty was always questioned. My grandfather was drafted and quietly served his country during the War. He dutifully paid his taxes claiming that it was a privilege to help support democracy. He also believed that paying taxes indicated if one “had a good year or a bad year”. Yet, as American as he was, his soul was distinctly Jewish. His love for America, his love for democracy, his powerful belief in the “American Dream”, his faith that tomorrow will be better than today were all informed by his Judaism, and Jewish Values. Never did he think or behave as if these dual loyalties conflicted with each other. If anyone ever questioned his “dual loyalty”: his love of country and his loyalty to Judaism, then he regarded that person with suspicion and disdain. 

          This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to its covenant with God and one in which they don't. He reminds Bnai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns Bnai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds Bnai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, caring for the less fortunate and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

          Moshe’s dire warning concerning false prophets and listening to family members that follow false prophets is quite peculiar. First, the false prophet and dreamer come from among B’nai Yisroel. Second, Moshe presents the warning in an “if” then statement. Ki Yakum B’Kirbecha Navi O Chalom - If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or dreamer, and he will produce a sign or a wonder… (Deut. 13:2). The “then” part of the statement is straightforward and simple. “Lo TIshma” - Don’t listen, even if the prophecy or the sign and wonder comes true and apparently supporting the false prophet and dreamer. Moshe tells us to ignore the sign and the wonder, then Moshe continues by telling us that the false prophet is really God testing us, testing our loyalty and the integrity of our relationship with God. Moshe tells us what to do with the false prophet and the dreamer but there doesn’t appear to be any punishment for following the false prophet. Why are no punishments presented? Why would we ignore the “miracle” the sign and wonder? The false prophet and dreamer must be telling us something that we want to hear rather than what we need to hear. The false prophet must be telling us something that is easily demonstrable and provable yet, fails to appeal to the “holiness’ of our relationship with God. Rather, the false prophet and dreamer appeals to our ‘human nature’, our natural instincts. God, Torah, and the covenant always appeal to our godly and spiritual instincts. Moshe reminds us to help the stranger, help the poor, don’t behave like the dominant culture, not to “press” a borrower if they have difficulty repaying, and ignoring those in authority if they to convince you to do what you know is wrong, even if it makes us feel better. Moshe reminds the B’nai Yisroel that the punishment for disloyalty, for following the false prophet and the dreamer, is to end up like the rest of the nations that used to inhabit Canaan. The punishment for B’nai Yisroel’s failure is to lose the land. 

 
          My grandfather was a salesman. Maybe he intuitively knew when someone was trying to “sell” him. As a result, he knew when to ignore and he knew not to listen. He knew to be suspicious when someone expressed moral relativism. He knew to be suspicious when someone claimed easy answers to complex problems, He knew to be suspicious when someone told him not to trust his moral code and his value system. He knew never to trust a corrupt person and he was always wary of those who were only concerned with obtaining and retaining power. His loyalty was to his family, his moral code, and a deep and abiding sense of right and wrong as well as being intellectually honest enough to see the grey and complexity in life. So as we commemorated my grandfather’s Yartzeit and recalled our son’s Bar Mitzvah, we are reminded that the lessons that my grandfather imparted to me, I am obligated to impart to our son.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

That A Man Can Be As Poor As Me (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Black Peter"

          Our sixteen-year-old daughter has been in Israel for the past 5 weeks. She is scheduled to return early next week. Because of cell phones and WhatsApp, we have communicated with her quite frequently, she has spoken to us, video phoned us, and texted us. She has sent us pictures of nearly everywhere she has traveled throughout Israel. She has been to Israel on numerous occasions so she is rarely surprised by what she sees. She spent last Shabbat in Jerusalem. When we spoke to her, she commented that she is always overwhelmed by the poverty she sees, the number of beggars, and certainly the numerous women begging, pleading, and asking for money in order get their food for Shabbat. Our daughter is astute enough to notice the shopping bags full of change that the women outside the Kotel (Western Wall) have while they continue to ask for more. She appreciates the irony that when she gave a few shekels to a woman, the woman incredulously returned the shekels to our daughter. However, our daughter explained that she felt a tinge dismay; that something seemed so wrong. Here she was at the Judaism’s most holy site, and economic poverty surrounded this source of spiritual light and holiness. It seemed, to her, counterintuitive and she wondered how these two images co-existed.

This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. "See I present before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut.11:26). V'haklalah Im Lo Tishm'u el Mitzvot Adonai Eloheichem V'sartem Min Ha'Derech Asher Anochi M'taveh Etchem Ha'yom La'lechet Acharei Elohim Acheirim Asher Lo Y'Datem-"And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did know." (Deut. 11:28) Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to its covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds Bnai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns Bnai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds Bnai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, caring for the less fortunate and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

During the course of his warning Bnai Yisroel of the dangers of not following the Torah and exhorting them to observe the Torah, Moshe makes a simple if not stunning admission regarding the reality of our physical existence. Ki Lo Yechdal Evyon Mikerev Ha'Aretz -For destitute people will not cease to exist within the Land, therefore I command you saying, 'You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor, and to your destitute in your land" (Deut 15:11). The Torah may be many things, but spiritually unrealistic is not one of them. Judaism recognizes human reality and weakness as well as the importance of empathy. Focusing upon the word “brother”, Rashi (the great 11^th Century French commentator) explains that if someone fails to empathize with his brother’s poverty; there may come a point when he joins his brother in poverty. For Rashi, there is little that separates the impoverished brother and the well-off brother, and as a result, the well-off brother must be able to see himself in the impoverished brother.

We know there will always be those less fortunate.  Whether "less fortunate" is a physical, emotional, spiritual, economic, or intellectual not everyone is as fortunate as the next person. We learn that tzuris is part of life and it transcends gender, age, and color and nationality. Moshe recognizes that in our zeal to make the world better, in our zeal to do Tikkun Olam (fix the world) we may grow dismayed and even beaten down because there is so much suffering.  Moshe reminds us that we are not obligated to do the impossible and eliminate the condition of poverty. Instead, our job is to contribute to the solution, by extending oneself to one who is less fortunate. Our sixteen year old understood the message.  The Kotel and what it symbolizes is an ideal, a utopia perhaps. The poverty that seemingly surrounds the Kotel manifest in all those beggars reminds the rest of us that we need to continually strive towards that ideal, towards that utopia. Rather than be overwhelmed our daughter realized that these two disparate images were empowered her to engage in acts of Chesed (Kindness) and Tzedaka (Charity) throughout her life.

Peace

Rav Yitz

And If You Go, No One May Follow, That Path Is For Your Steps Alone (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ripple")

          It has been quite the emotional week. We arrived in Israel. Our son became Bar Mitzvah as he was called to the Torah and read from the Torah standing before the Kotel in Jerusalem. We will be in Efrat for Shabbat as he read Parsha Re'eh as well as chants the Haftarah as well. Besides the joy and pride we all felt for our son, as is typical of everything Jewish, our simcha was mixed with a bit of heart-ache. This also the week of my grandfather's 3rd yartzeit. I never realized until I began writing my speech for my son, that his Hebrew birthday and my grandfather's yartzeit according to the Jewish calendar are both Parsha Re'eh and are a few days apart. 
          This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. "See I present before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut.11:26). V'haklalah Im Lo Tishm'u el Mitzvot Adonai Eloheichem V'sartem Min Ha'Derech Asher Anochi M'taveh Etchem ha'yom La'lechet Acharei Elohim Acheirim Asher Lo Y'Datem-"And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did know." (Deut. 11:28) Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to it covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds B'nai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns B'nai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds B'nai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, caring for the less fortunate and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Below are my words to my youngest child and only son at the time of becoming  Bar Mitzvah on Thursday morning of Parsha Re'eh.

          "So I wanted to offer you an eitzah that is based on your Parsha, that comes from the Sfas Emet, the Gerrer Rebbe  from about 1870-1905. It was said that when the Sfas Emet died, a great light in that part of the world was extinguished. So for me, when I want to get in touch with my inner jewish hippy, my inner Hasid, I gravitate towards the Sfat Emet.  The Torah tells us: Ki Im El HaMakom Asher Yivchar Adoshem Eloheichem miKol Shivteichem LaSum et Shmo Sham L’Shichno Tidreshu Uvata SHama – Rather, only at the place that Hashem, your God, will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name shall you seek out his Presence,his dwelling, and come there. Certainly this is reminiscent of the Kadosh Baruch Hu, at the time of the Akeida, telling Avraham that he will show him where to go with his son Yitzchak. Its reminiscent of Avrham as much younger man, leaving his home and going to a place that God would show him., Certainly we could understand Moshe’s words as  reminding B’nai Yisroel of the sanctity and the importance of Israel, and the centrality of Israel to Torah and Jewish identity. 

           The Torah uses words like seek.  Torah tells us that God will choose a place.  The Sfas Emet reminds us that that HaShem’s choice is not revealed until B’nai Yisroel “seeks”.  Because we are commanded to seek Shechino, his dwelling, we are tasked to seek holiness. Holiness is in Time and Space. Holiness is in your Neshama, Holiness is in your choices and in the way you live your life. That is the constant choice you will make HaYom. Today – and after you make such a choice today; that will lead you to another choice tomorrow. Each and every day requires you to make a choice to seek holiness, to seek Shechino, to seek the goodness that resides in you.  My son, you are a seeker, you seek knowledge, you seek light, you seek goodness,  and you seek to bring goodness to the parts of the world you touch: whether it is your affectionate nature, your inquisitive mind, your  winsome smile and personality;  or the fact that you are the kid that sees a child sitting alone, looking upset, and you check on that child, or include that child in whatever it is you and your friends are doing. You’re the kid that instinctively looks out for those younger, weaker and more vulnerable.  Continue to be a seeker, always be a seeker, seek to improve yourself, seek knowledge, seek goodness, seek  holiness, and as you have come to understand, seek the best possible you that you can be.  When you seek, you will clearly see the choices laid before you and you will always choose wisely.  Today - and and all the "Todays" that will follow."

Peace,

Rav Yitz

The Wheel Is Turning And You Can't Slow Down (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "The Wheel")

This week we celebrated our son’s 11^th birthday, we also commemorated my father in law’s Yartzeit and my Grandfather’s Yartzeit. As our son’s birthday approached, he asked why so many people whom he knew seemed to have died this month.  I reminded him that he was born this month, so it wasn't so sad of a month; and then I added that this was what life means. There is Joy and Sorrow and Life and Death – balance. Sometimes both occur within the same year, the same month, the same week, and even the same day. The Hebrew Month of Av draws to a close and the new month of Elul begins on Shabbat. As the month of Av departs, I couldn’t help but notice just how a unique Hebrew month it is. What made Av so unique? Well it is considered to be the saddest month of the calendar since it was on the 9^th of Av, the Jewish People commemorated the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Also the Jewish People assign a number of other national tragedies to the month of Av. For the first nine days, national mourning manifested itself in our refraining from Weddings, eating meat (except on Shabbat), shaving, haircuts and attending live entertainment. However a week later, the happiest day of the year occurs. Known as Tu’B’Av or the 15^th of Av, it celebrated the wine harvest, the sages explained that this was the first day in B’nai Yisroel’s 40 years of wandering that no one died. Everyone who was alive on this day on the 40^th year of wandering was guaranteed entry into Eretz Canaan. Single girls are matched up with single boys for marriages. This truly marks the Jewish Wedding season. The Month of Av, sometimes can seem like a typical Sunday for a Rabbi where there is both a Funeral and a Wedding on the same day. Av is the one month that embodies the complete cycle of life: Joy and Sorrow; life and death.            

This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. "See I present before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut.11:26). V'haklalah Im Lo tishm'u el Mitzvot Adonai Eloheichem V'sartem Min Ha'Derech Asher Anochi M'taveh Etchem ha'yom La'lechet Acharei Elohim Acheirim Asher Lo Y'Datem-"And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did know." (Deut. 11:28) Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to it covenant with God and one in which they don't. Moshe then reminds B'nai Yisroel what the previous generation learned in the Book of Leviticus.  Ritual behavior and ethical behavior go hand in hand. Both are required in order to live a life of Torah and to follow God's commandments. Moshe then explains that even if one grows discouraged in helping the poor, the Jew is still obligated to help. Moshe offers sage advice. Ki Lo Yechdal Evyon Mikerev Ha'Aretz -For destitute people will not cease to exist within the Land, therefore I command you saying, 'You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor, and to your destitute in your land"

(Deut. 15:11).

            The Torah may be many things, but spiritually unrealistic is not one of them. Judaism recognizes the reality. There will always be those less fortunate.  Whether "less fortune" is a physical, emotional, spiritual, economic, or intellectual not everyone is as fortunate as the next person. We learn that tzuris is part of life and it transcends gender, age, and color and nationality. Judaism and in particular Moshe recognizes that in our zeal to make the world better, in our zeal to do Tikkun Olam (fix the world) we may grow dismayed and even beaten down because there is so much suffering. There are so many in pain, so many are in fact destitute. Perhaps that is why the verse begins commanding us to help those who are closest to us and then working outward.  We begin by helping our brother, then those in our community who are in need, then we begin helping the nation. If the order were reversed we would become absolutely overwhelmed that we would become paralyzed. However by starting with the most immediate, and if everyone were concerned with the most immediate their brother/sister and their community, then helping those throughout the land is not so overwhelming. Even the Haftarah that normally coincides with this third Shabbat after Tisha B’Av, and the third of seven Haftarot which precede Rosh HaShanah, reminds of consolation. Our consolation, the consolation that we began receiving two Shabbatot before until the Shabbat prior to Rosh HaShanah is hope. No matter how awful things are, no matter how many destitute are among us; there is hope. If one is helped, that is one less destitute person. Our consolation is that we can always do something. No it may not be enough. But we can always do something. We can always give Tzedakah, we can always educate others and ourselves, we can always learn more than the day before. We can always offer compassion and solace. And we must always care.

            Peace,

                Rav Yitz