Promises Made In The Dark Dissolve By Light Of Day (Robert Hunter & Bob Weir - "Easy Answers")

           With the new year set to begin on Shabbat, there is a wonderful opportunity to look back on the year that was, and hold out hope for the year that will be.  Looking back at the year that was, the tragic loss of life, and the continued spread of Covid, some might question his/her faith in God. In looking forward to the new year, some might put his/her faith in God, in mankind, in both, or in none. Some may question faith. For others, their faith remains firm and unbending.  With two University age daughters home (one on winter break and one online heading into final exams) and our 12th-grade son who cannot wait to go to university, there is a lot of discussion regarding “authority”, “faith”, and there is a lot of questioning “authority” and “faith”. During one discussion with our children, I was reminded of an event that took place several years ago.  A congregant came into my office crying. “Rabbi, Rabbi, I have horrible news and I don’t know what to do!” My thoughts immediately went to the worst-case scenarios: her husband had been stricken with a terminal illness or that she discovered that one of her children was addicted to drugs, or she was deciding to get out of her marriage. Of course, all of my “worst-case scenario” thoughts were particularly troubling because this family was a pillar in the community. They were an extremely generous family, generous with their money and their time. They were in Shul all the time. Each of their two children was a mentsche, smart, Jewishly aware, and observant. I could not imagine what possible could be the crisis that this distraught woman brought into my office. “What is it?” I asked. With a heavy sigh, and eyes welling up in tears she explained that her son, who was a sophomore in college (2nd-year university students for Canadians), called her the other night and he told her that he no longer believed in God. I breathed a sigh of relief and said, “For a minute there some horrible tragedy had occurred in your family. So, Nu? What’s the problem? What’s the crisis?” She could not understand why I was smiling. Her son’s declarative statement expressing disbelief in God, apparently made her feel inadequate as a parent and challenged the foundation of her own belief system. I explained that for an intellectually honest and curious college student to think and express such thoughts is not only healthy and normal but also vital to the process of developing and strengthening faith. Most 19-year-old young men feel neither mortal nor limited. Everything is possible,  and they feel all-powerful as if they can “handle anything”. Under such circumstances and with such an attitude, who needs God? Instead of a belief in God, there is a profound belief in oneself.

           This Shabbat is Parsha V’Eira. In this Parshah, God reassures Moshe after Pharaoh and mocked and dismissed both him and Aharon. God explains the plan to Moshe, that Pharoah’s heart will be hardened after each plague but eventually Pharaoh will capitulate. God explains the various stages of redemption. The plagues begin. We are supposed to understand that each of these first seven plagues is more severe than the previous plague: Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild Beasts, Animal plague, Boils, Hail. Moshe requests that Pharaoh allows B’nai Yisroel to worship God for three days, Pharaoh sometimes acquiesces sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he asks Moshe to pray on his behalf and sometimes he doesn’t. One thing is clear, that whenever Pharaoh gets his way (a plague ceases), something that would clearly indicate the power of God, Pharaoh acts almost like a child. He reverts right back to his nature.

          Hail, the seventh plague, devastates the land. Hail destroyed any living being, person or animal that was outside during the plague. Witnessing the devastation and destruction of land and life; Pharaoh’s belief system appears to have evolved. Rather than dismissing the plague, rather than demonstrating a self-centered attitude in which Pharaoh is all powerful, Pharaoh seems to have acquired a degree of humility.  Vayishlach Paroh Va’Yikrah L’Moshe U’le’Aharon Vayomer Aleihem Chatati HaPa’am Adonay  HaTzaddik v’Ani V’Ami Harsha’im – Pharaoh sent and summoned Moshe and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; Hashem is the Righteous One, and I and my people are the wicked ones (Ex. 9:27). Pharaoh asks Moshe to pray on his behalf to end the plague. He seems to be genuine in his belief. By acknowledging sin, by explicitly calling God the Righteous One, Pharaoh not only acknowledges the fact that God exists but admits that Pharaoh is not a God. Unfortunately, as soon as the plague ends, Pharaoh sins again and refuses to let B’nai Yisroel leave. However, now Pharaoh is choosing to ignore that which he has come to legitimately accept. The Parsha concludes with Pharaoh committing the sin of ignoring God based upon his own willful stubbornness not ignoring based upon the failure of recognition.

           Pharaoh, like the 19-year-old college student, obviously believes he is the center of the world. Time and History begin and end with him. Pharaoh, like the 19-year-old, believes he is immortal and without limitations. At times, it is our process as well. We constantly question and wonder about God. Like Pharaoh, ultimately our belief in God cannot be solely confined to experiencing miracle after miracle. Rather our belief, our complete and devoted faith in God will evolve from the small things in life. Unlike Pharaoh, hopefully that 19-year-old son of my former congregant learned what so many learn as they mature. Hopefully, he has a sense of mortality, hopefully he understands that he is not all powerful, hopefully he has come to learn to rely on on others. Hopefully, he understands that he is not the center of the universe, nor has much control over the universe.  Hopefully, as he developed his own faith, he was able to sense God in the presence of his life and his family’s life.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Yitz

Am I Living Truth Or Rank Deceiver (Gerrit Graham & Bob Weir - "Victim Or The Crime")

Every so often, someone in our home becomes keenly aware of the cultural differences between growing up in Toronto and growing up in New Jersey or California. Most of the time these cultural differences are cute little idiosyncrasies. Once in a while they are enormous cultural clashes that leave us feeling as if we are caught between the proverbial “rock and a hard place”.  Such a cultural clash occurred as our 17 year old took her standardized tests that are required by most U.S. universities and colleges. Such standardized tests are not required by any school that we are aware of in Ontario. These standardized tests have been a part of the U.S. educational fabric since the 1920’s. Indeed, they are a rite of passage. Not some rite of passage based upon symbolic ritual, but a rite of passage that, from the person going through it, can make or break dreams of acceptance into a desired college or university. Growing up with the standardized test as part of the High School experience, high school offer programs to help students prepare and guidance counselors offer students coping mechanisms to help them deal with the stress, and students, if they can afford it, take a course and learn how to take the test. However, as I reminded our daughter, just as my parents reminded me, that standardized tests are not a measure of the content of one’s character nor are these tests an indication of whether the person is a kind, decent, mentsche.   

This week’s Torah portion is VaYigash.  The confrontation between Yosef and his brothers is about to occur. The Parshah begins with Yehudah approaching his brother Yosef, whom he does not recognize, and pleads for Benjamin’s freedom.  Yosef reveals his identity and the brothers hug and kiss each other. They cry and they forgive each other. Yosef asks about his father’s welfare. The brother’s return to their father, Yaakov, and tell him that Yosef is alive. The brothers add that everyone, the entire clan, should go down to Egypt. So this clan, including: Jacob, the brothers, their wives and children, heads down to Egypt. Yaakov meets Pharaoh. Yosef’s family is given a parcel of land outside of Egypt in a place called Goshen, where they can tend to their flocks. Yaakov is re-united with his beloved Yosef in the land of Goshen.

For the ChaZaL, the Sages of Blessed Memory, the Sages of the Talmud, the confrontation between Yosef, the second most powerful man in Egypt, and Yehudah, the leader of the Yaakov’s sons; the confrontation is much more than just two brothers meeting up after a couple of decades. For ChaZaL, the word VaYiGaSh refers to Yehudah girding himself for war. Remember, Yehudah does not yet know the identity of the man standing before him. For all Yehudah knows, this man, who looks Egyptian, dresses Egyptian, and speaks Egyptian embodies the most powerful empire and the most dominant culture in the world. However, according to the Or HaChayim that is not the plain meaning of the word. The Or HaChayim explains that if Yehudah was “girding himself for war” then he would not have spoken so respectfully and politely to Yosef: Bi Adoni “if it pleases my lord”. Nor would Yehudah be concerned with antagonizing Yosef’s anger. Instead,  Yehudah’s approaches Egypt’s second in command not girded for war but confidently approaches bypassing guards and advisors and manages to speak quietly and privately into the minister’s ear. Make no mistake, when Yehudah tells the minister that he is just like Pharaoh, when he speaks truth to power, Yehudah does it in a whisper, privately, without causing embarrassment to second most powerful man in the Egyptian empire. Yehudah’s approach to Joseph was based upon several factors. First, he felt a deep sense of responsibility for his brother Benjamin. Second, he felt a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to his father. Third, he felt a deep sense of respect of the power and authority of the man standing before him and what that man represented.  As a result, Yehudah had to project the perfect blend of strength and humility. He had to speak politely yet forcefully. Most of all he had to make sure that that he wouldn’t embarrass the second most powerful man in the Egyptian empire. Only after this confrontation was Yosef able to reveal himself, and his character to the brothers. Only then could he reveal the fact that he had no desire for retribution, no animosity but rather only joy, relief and concern.

Character is revealed in a myriad of ways, but a standardized test is not one of them.  Rather character might be revealed by speaking forcefully without demeaning or embarrassing the other. Character might be revealed by showing forgiveness. Indeed, the tension and the confrontation between Yehuda and Yosef, perceived by the Sages to foreshadow the mystical tension between Israel and Egypt, quickly dissipated once Yosef revealed his identity. Only by revealing his identity and making himself vulnerable; was Joseph able to show the content of his character, the contentment in his soul rather than a desire for retribution. As I picked up our daughter from that very difficult day, I explained to her that just by sitting for the exam; college admissions people learned more about her as a person than some score. Buoyed by the experience and knowing that she could get through it; she already wanted to know the next opportunity to write the test just in case her scores were not satisfactory enough.

Peace,

Rav Yitz 

Open and Beckoning to the Spring (Weather Report Suite Part II: Let it Grow - Barlow/Weir)

How excited am I?! Despite the fact that it feels more like winter than spring I am excited, and I am hopeful. No, I don’t care about the Hockey playoffs. No, I don’t care that the interminable NBA season is almost finished and the playoffs will begin in a few weeks. I am excited because new beginnings are a time of hope and anticipation. Yes, spring training is over and Major League Baseball is days if not hours away. The “boys of summer” are bringing with them the anticipation of another year and the hope of a World Series.

We all have various ways of accounting for time. There are numerous calendars that help us account for days, months, and years. In the secular calendar, the New Year occurs on January 1st. Every company and organization has a financial year, the year in which it closes its financial books. Every student has the beginning of the school year and the end of the school year marked by final exams. Baseball fans have Opening Day and the World Series also known as the "Fall Classic". Judaism has several ways to count a “year”. We are all familiar with the Jewish Calendar and that Rosh HaShanah constitutes the first of the year. The date for Rosh HaShanah is the 1^st of Tishrei. However the Torah teaches us that Rosh Hashana is B’Chodesh HaSHvii B’Echad L’Chodesh Yiheyeh Lachem Shabaton Zicharon Truah Mikrah Kodesh – In the seventh month on the first of the month there shall be rest day for you, a remembrance with shofar blasts, a holy convocation (Lev. 23:24). So the Torah explicitly teaches us that the first day of the first month of the calendar year is not The First Month. Instead Rosh HaShanah occurs in the seventh month.

This Shabbat we will read from Parsha Tazria. However this Shabbat receives a special designation due to the Calendar’s cycle. There are four special Shabbatot leading up to Pesach. This Shabbat, known as Shabbat HaChodesh is the last of these four special Shabbatot. The name of this Shabbat, Shabbat HaChodesh, is reflected in the Maftir Aliyah, the final Aliyah prior to the reading of the Haftarah and the Haftarah itself. This Maftir Aliyah has absolutely nothing to do with the weekly Parsha. However, this Aliyah has everything to do with Pesach. In case you haven’t noticed we are a couple of weeks away from celebrating Pesach. Supermarkets in Toronto are full of Pesach products. (Actually they were stocking the supermarkets with Pesach products even before Purim). Pesach preparations have begun as reflected in the grocery bill. Shopping for, cleaning for and preparing for Pesach becomes our focus. As a result, the second Sefer Torah contains a special Torah reading indicating the imminent approach of Rosh Chodesh Nisan the month of Nisan (Ex. 12:1-20). The Haftorah reflects the Prophet Ezekiel’s explanation of the role of the Prince as he dedicates New Moon offerings on behalf of B’nai Yisroel (Ez. 45:16-46:18).

While there are a variety of “New Years” celebrated in the Jewish Calendar; it is the Maftir Aliyah read on Shabbat HaChodesh that teaches us that Nisan is the first month of the year. HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem Rosh Chadashim Rishon Hu Lachem L’Chodshei HaShanah- 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). This month refers to Nisan. This was the month in which the Yetziat Mitzrayim took place. This was the month in which we took the first steps towards freedom via redemption from Egyptian bondage. This was the first month in which B’nai Yisroel stood together and received their first communal commandment. In the next eighteen verses, God commands Moshe and Aharon to instruct and teach Bnai Yisroel all of the rituals regarding Pesach: the Pesach offering, an unblemished lamb, the blood placed upon the doorposts, the offering completely roasted and completely eaten. The offering must be eaten with shoes upon one’s feet ready to leave Egypt. Then the commandments for Pesach follow including: the first day is a like a Shabbat, Chometz may not be owned, Matzo must be eaten on the evening of the 14^th of Nisan. Just like the original command took place on the first of Nisan, we commemorate that moment by reading the narrative on the Shabbat in which we announce the new month, the first month of the year, the month of Nisan.

Of all the commandments to issue, the commandment to observe Nisan as the first month is rather at odds with our own expectations. One would have assumed that Rosh Hashana, New Year's, would occur on the first day of the first month. Yet, we must remember that these people, our ancestors, B’nai Yisroel, were slaves. A slave’s life does not belong to the slave. A slave has no sacred space. A slave has no sacred time. Sacred time and space belongs the Master, to the Slave Owner. The first step towards attaining freedom is the ability to acknowledge that the individual and the community possess sacred time. Ultimately that is a concept that comes from within. Certainly in modernity, the notion of sacred time comes from within one's soul. However our ancestors had been slaves for several centuries. Since they were so use to receiving orders and commands, perhaps they were incapable of recognizing and accepting sacred times as coming from within one’s self. For them, this commandment must come from God. For our ancestors the first step away from bondage and towards freedom must be a command from God rather than an intrinsically understood motivation. How many of us in modernity need to be reminded that we are not slaves. We are capable of creating sacred time. Sacred Time begins now, in the month of Nisan, in our New Year. As we prepare, once again, to understand what freedom means our continue striving towards the holiest aspects within our own souls, and towards God. May we be inspired by our freedom to to continue striving in holiness in all aspects of our lives.

Peace,

Rav Yitz