When All We Ever Wanted Was To Learn And Love And Grow (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Days Between")

Last weekend and this weekend millions of and millions of Americans suffering from the exhaustion that is the drama of FBI Investigations, Senate confirmation hearings, Trump-care, alleged collusion with the Russians; found solace and will seek solace from a bunch of university age young men playing basketball. Indeed, for a college basketball fan, these final two weekends in March are a great time of year. Last Thursday sixty-four teams began the tournament and by the end of this weekend, four teams will play for a national championship. It is truly some of the most competitive dramatic and exciting basketball. More importantly it is a wonderful escape from the constant and overwhelming flow of political news out of Trump administration. In order to win the national championship a team must win six games in a row. In order to win these final six games of the season, each individual must put aside his ego, his own individual needs and accept his responsibility and his obligation to the team. Each individual must fulfill his role even more effectively and efficiently than during the games leading up these final six games. Each individual must decide that the common goal of the team is the most important goal.  Everything that can be done to fulfill this goal even if it means diminished personal satisfaction and glory must occur otherwise there is no hope of a championship.

            This week we combine the final two Parshiot, Vayakahel-Pekudie, and complete the Book of Exodus. Following the sin of the Golden Calf and Teshuvah (repentance), B’nai Yisroel begins executing God’s instructions for the Mishkan, the Ark, and the Tent of the Meeting. You will recall that when God gave these instructions to Moshe, God started from the middle of the Mishkan – the Aron and worked out to the walls of the Tent of the Meeting.  When B’nai Yisroel begins the building process, it begins with walls of the Tent, then concludes with the altar and finally the Ark. 

After the destructive behavior of worshipping the Golden Calf, B’nai Yisroel comes together, and shares a common constructive experience bound by a common goal. Their goal is to complete the construction of the Mishkan. The common experience is their contributions of raw materials. V’Yavo’u  Kol Ish Asher Nasahu Libo V’chol Asher Nadvah Rucho- Every man whose heart inspired him came; and everyone whose spirit motivated him brought the portion of God for the work of the Tent of the Meeting, for all its labor and for the sacred clothing (Ex.35:21). By participating in this constructive process, everyone had an opportunity to repent for the sin of the Golden Calf and for their lack of faith. If viewed as a process, B’nai Yisroel began on the outside of its relationship with God, struggling to connect to God by means of idolatrous behavior.  After repentance, and with the completion of each aspect of the Mishkan and the Ohel Moed; B’nai Yisroel began moving towards the Holy of Holies. They started with the walls of the Tent of the Meeting, and finished with the ark. They started where they were capable and as they continued to spiritually and grow and develop they were able to move to the next aspect until finally concluding with the Aron.

For the vast majority, we approach God in a similar way. As we become inspired, we come to Judaism. As we become motivated, we dedicate a greater portion to God, both in terms of Tzedakah and time. It is very rare when our motivation or dedication comes as a result of a “bolt of lightening” or some existential metaphysical sign or wonder. No, our motivation and dedication is a result of our recognition that there is something missing in our lives. We miss meaning and purposefulness in our lives. We miss contentment in our lives. We miss peace in our lives. Certainly we can be happy without meaning. Certainly we can be happy without contentment. Certainly we can be happy without peace. Why? Happiness is rather fleeting and quite often it is the result of some external factor. Meaning, contentment and peace are ultimately internally influenced and far less fleeting.  Our movement towards God, our movement towards greater observance, is a series of steps. We don’t begin as a Tzaddik observing all mitzvot.  Rather, one mitzvah leads to another, learning leads to more learning which eventually leads to doing.

We learn several vital lessons from these Parshiot. First, we learn that Judaism requires two parties, God and B’nai Yisroel. Both must exist together in a balanced relationship. When God and Torah become so far out of reach, B’nai Yisroel will become alienated and turn to idolatry, such as the Golden Calf, crass materialism, money or some other “God”. When B’nai Yisroel fails to elevate itself in Kedushah, in holiness, then we fail in our dual mission: make our lives more meaningful and spiritual; “be a light among the nations”. However when we enter into a highly participatory and shared communal experience, such as building the Mishkan, or any project or program that we build, we must sacrifice some of our personal needs for the well being of the community. Second, we learn that when the community shares a commons sense of purpose, something wonderful happens. We achieve that balance between God and ourselves. The result, of course, is that God will dwell among us. God’s dwelling among us makes our community a little warmer, a little kinder, and more significant. Third, we also learn that the actual process of building requires hard work. B’nai Yisroel, like any team shared in the difficulty of the task. Greater participation makes the experience that much more meaningful and more rewarding. What is the reward? The reward is a community that shares simchas and tsuris, victories as well as defeats. The reward is that no individual member of the community should ever feel alienated and alone. The reward is a community that strives for growth and improvement. This brings more meaning to the life of the individual, the family, and the community.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Watch What You're Doing With Your Time ( Jerry Garcia - "Great Cream Puff War)

Just exactly how precious is time? It’s kind of ironic, we don’t normally think about how precious time is until it appears that we are running out of it. If you don’t agree, just check out the interview given after Monday night’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game. The University of North Carolina senior was asked how he felt after he made a ridiculous double clutch three point shot that tied the game at 74 and was the culmination of a furious North Carolina comeback. Time was so precious, the Villanova coach called time out in order to stop time. The Carolina senior went back to his bench and told his teammates that “we have 4.7 seconds to play defense, and then we go to overtime.” The Carolina player reasonably concluded that with momentum on their side, he believe that if rewarded with extra time (overtime) North Carolina would win. However these were the last 4.7 seconds. Unlike any other 4.7 seconds of the 2400 total seconds of regulation time (40 minutes) these last 4.7 were precious. The ball was inbounded and the Villanova player, with a relatively clear look at the basket, let go of the ball with 2 tenths of a second left. The ball soared the air. The clock read 0.0 and, in essence, time stopped. However the ball still soared magnificently through the air; its trajectory straight and true. It turned out that 4.7 precious seconds was plenty of time to win and lose a national championship.  

This week’s Torah portion is Parsha Tazria. Parsha Tazria concentrates upon how impurity, spiritual impurity is passed between people. Most of the Parsha focuses upon Leprosy as it was considered to be a very physically contagious disease. Parsha Tazria puts the diagnosis, the treatment and the convalescence in spiritual terms rather than physical terms. We learn that the while this Tumah, this spiritual impurity is present, the stricken individual cannot reside within the camp. After all God dwells in the camp and we cannot tolerate any impurity near God. Only the passage of time will cure the impurity. The beginning of the Parsha discusses the impurities involved with childbirth. While childbirth involves the loss of blood thus rendering the new mother “impure”; there is no greater sense of mortality that the blessing of a newborn baby. I became a father on four different occasions and each time I held each of our newborn babies, I became more aware of my mortality, and by definition the limits of time.

 Besides the weekly Torah Portion, this Shabbat is known as Shabbat HaChodesh, corresponding to the fact that this Shabbat marks the beginning of Nisan, the month that Torah counts as the first month of the year. Shabbat HaChodesh is commemorated by our reading the first twenty verses of the 12^th chapter of Exodus (from Parsha Bo) as well as a special Haftarah. God commands both Moshe and Aharon to speak to B’nai Yisroel and offer several important instructions. Firstly, HaChodesh HaZeh, this month, the month of Nisan will be first month of the Year. Secondly, on the tenth month each household will select its lamb or kid for the Korban Pesach, four days later, the lamb/kid will be slaughtered and eaten in its entirety while the final plague will be visited upon Egypt. Thirdly, that moment will be commemorated in the future as the festival of Pesach. Leavened products will be nullified and not consumed, the first day and the seventh day will be holy (like a Shabbat). Fourthly Matzah will be eaten on those sacred days. As these instructions are being presented the Torah reminds us VaYomer Hashem el Moshe v’El Aharon b’Eretz Mitzrayim Leimor – Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying…. (Ex. 12:1) What is the significance of the Torah telling us that God spoke to Moshe and Aharon in Egypt? At this point, where else would they be? Neither they nor Bnai Yisroel has left Egypt and slavery.  HaChodesh Hazeh, Lachem Rosh Chodesh Rishon Hu Lachem L’Chodshei HaShana – This month shall be for you the beginning of the months, it shall be for you the first of the months of the year (Ex 12:2). Why does Lachem – to you appear twice in that verse? Bnai Yisroel are still slaves. Granted the end of their slavery is drawing to a rapid conclusion, but they are still slaves. Time belongs to the Egyptians not to slaves. However as the time of freedom approaches, time will belong to those who are Chadash those who are new and free. With that freedom and comes the responsibility of time. So the first things Bnai Yisroel learns is the time is precious, it is something that needs to be filled with action and deed. Time needs to be sanctified and time needs to be commemorated in order to create a sense of sacred time and mundane ordinary time.

Time serves as an expression of mortality as well as an expression of freedom. As we prepare for Pesach; we understand that there never seem to be enough time in to complete all that is required. As we celebrate our freedom we understand that there is a very real danger to being irresponsible with our time as well as becoming enslaved by time and by our schedules.  It seems that like God, we have the capacity to make time sacred or mundane. However, we do so by filling time with sacred activities and not wasting it.  We know that time wasted is indeed time lost, even if it's 4.7 seconds.

Peace

Rav Yitz  

I'll Get A New Start, Live The Life I Should ( Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia "Wharf Rat")

This is the time of year known as March Madness, a cultural phenomenon based upon participating in and watching the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball tournament. Over the course of three weekends 68 university teams, their students, their boosters, and their respective alumni all begin the tournament with dreams of a national championship. For people who like watching basketball, it is a glorious time of year, a sacred time of year. It is a time of year that has sacred locations: the arenas in which these games are played culminating in Dallas where the Final Four and the Championship game will be played in a couple of weeks. It is a time of year marked by sacred time: from the opening tip of the first game to the final buzzer of the last game. In our home, our kids have learned about United States geography (learning the location of numerous universities) as well as team colors and mascots (guiding principles in determining our daughter’s tournament bracket picks). During the course of these basketball games there are usually several human interest stories at play which contribute to the drama of the game. Sometimes these human interest stories lead to incredibly touching moments that take on an aura of holiness and sanctity which transcend the game itself. One such moment occurred at the end of Creighton University vs. Baylor University basketball game. With Baylor leading by approximately 30 points and only a couple of minutes to play; Doug McDermott was taken out of the game. Dougie McDermott (aka Dougie McBuckets) is the best player in Creighton’s history, is one of a handful of university basketball players in the history of the game to finish his college career with more than 3000 points, and it so happens that his father is the Creighton head coach. So when his dad took Dougie out of the game, he wanted his son to receive the recognition due to one of the “best ever”. Sure the standing ovation was nice, even touching but not sacred. When Dougie walked off the court to the standing ovation, he walked over to his father with his head held high and tears in his eyes. Then father and son hugged the kind of hug that every father and son wish for themselves.  For all those who saw it, this was a special hug, this was a significant hug, and this was a hug that evoked sanctity and holiness. After the game, the son was asked about walking off the court and hugging his father, the head coach. The son offered a poignant response, alluding to the idea that this was the last time that he would ever walk off a basketball court with his father waiting for him on the sidelines. Clearly, both father and son were aware that this hug was going to occur at some point during March Madness. Despite this awareness; when the moment finally arrived, the hug was neither diminished in warmth, in emotion nor in its sanctity. Like anything that achieves holiness, even in the most physical of moments, such as a hug between a father and son at the conclusion of college basketball career, that sacred moment has the power to remind us of our own mortality, our own fragility and our desire for sanctity.

This week’s Torah portion is Parsha Tazria. Parsha Tazria concentrates upon how impurity, spiritual impurity is passed between people. The majority of the Parsha focuses upon Leprosy as it was considered to be a very physically contagious disease. Parsha Tazria puts the diagnosis, the treatment and the convalescence in spiritual terms rather than physical terms. We learn that the while this Tumah, this spiritual impurity is present, the stricken individual cannot reside within the camp. After all God dwells in the camp and we cannot tolerate any impurity near God.

However, prior to its discussion of Leprosy, Parsha Tazria outlines the somewhat troubling laws concerning impurity in childbirth. Fundamentally, the notion of impurity relates to coming into contact with that which is dead. In Parsha Shemini, Torah outlined impurities that come from dead animals. In this Parsha we are reminded that a Mother is touched by death during the miracle of childbirth.  Isha Ki Tazria V’Yalda Zachar V’Tamah Shivat Yamim Kimei Nitdat Dotah Titmah – When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male, she shall be contaminated for a seven day period as during the days of her separation infirmity shall she be contaminated. (Lev. 12:2). Imagine becoming spiritually impure after being blessed by the miracle of childbirth. Yet, this new mother lost blood; she lost some aspect her life force during the birth process. As a result, while simultaneously being touched by a new life, she is also touched by her own mortality.

Perhaps there is no more an intense moment than when a new mother, physically exhausted and spent, holds the newborn. The Rabbis of the Talmud teach that surviving childbirth is an equivalent to a near death experience and saying Birkat HaGomeil is therefore required.(Praised are You, Lord Our God, King of the universe who graciously bestows favor upon the undeserving, even as He has bestowed favor upon me.) Inherent to surviving a near death experience is the notion that the individual as come precipitously close to death. Even in miracle of life, we are reminded of its fragility.  Even in death, we are reminded that we are forever striving towards elevated levels of holiness. In the most physical moments, and certainly childbirth is quite a physical endeavor, we are reminded that it is our spiritual task to elevate that physical moment into a spiritually holy moment as well. As we bless our children on this Shabbat, may we be reminded that in every moment, we have the opportunity to strive towards spiritual purity, and spiritual holiness.

Peace

Rav Yitz