Shefa Insights - Cutting to the Root

2009-09-25T12:16:00.000+03:00

Ha’azinu – the Haftara

Hosea 14:2 – 1; Micah 7:18 – 20; Joel 2:15-27

Reading date: 26^th September 2009 – 8^th Tishrei 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

"Blow a shofar in Zion,
Solemnize a fast,
Proclaim an assembly!
Gather the people,
Bid the congregation purify themselves.
Bring together the old,
Gather the babes
And the sucklings at the breast. Joel 2:15, 16

I can think of no better way to start the process of Teshuva, than by beginning to be grateful.

On Shabbat Shuvah we read the final haftara of the weekly Shabbat cycle. Like the past few months, the haftara is chosen for its connection to the calendar (this week is the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), and not the weekly Torah reading of Ha’azinu. The passage from Joel begins, "Blow a shofar in Zion, Sanctify a fast..." After the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, we will begin a new cycle of Torah readings once again with Parashat Bereishit, and will return to studying the Torah portion.

Every Shabbat can be referred to by the name of the Parasha, (Shabbat Bereishit) or in some weeks, when a special additional portion is read, the Shabbat has a special name taken from this additional 'maftir' (Shabbat Zachor). Sometimes, when a holiday falls on Shabbat and interrupts the regular weekly readings, Shabbat gets its name from the holiday (Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach). So, I think it is fitting, that this week, our last column on the haftarot, this Shabbat takes its name (Shabbat Shuvah), not from the Torah portion, but from the haftara: ‘Shuvah Yisrael’, Return O Israel.

The haftara is also unusual in that it is taken from more than one book; selections from Hosea, and Micah or Joel form the haftara (depending on whether the Torah portion Vayelech or Ha'azinu falls on Shabbat Shuvah and whether Ashkenazi or Sephardic custom is being followed). (Note also that the passage from Hosea is included in the regular Shabbat haftara read on Parashat VaYetze.)

History

Hosea is the first prophet included in the second section of the Jewish Bible (Tanach), after the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. He lived around 700 BCE and was a contemporary of Amos. After the death of Solomon, the United Kingdom had split into two. The northern tribes were called Israel (or Ephraim after the tribe of their first king Jeroboam) and the southern kingdom was called Judah. Although this was a time of material prosperity, it was also a time of moral laxity and growing paganism.

This is the only haftara that includes a passage from the prophet Joel. Joel speaks of the Day of Judgment, and describes a plague of locusts. The Sages believed Joel was a contemporary of Amos and Hosea, but scholars are unsure of the book's composition. Joel is a short (4 chapter) book, and includes the famous verse: "Your elders shall dream dreams, and your youth shall see visions" (3:1 or 2:28 in some translations). The passage from Joel seems like a description of Rosh Hashanah: "Blow the shofar...Gather the people..."

Commentary

This week's Torah portion Ha'azinu, the last regular Shabbat reading, is a one chapter poem anticipating the Israelites forsaking YHVH. (The Torah's final two chapters are read on Simchat Torah, and then we begin the cycle anew with Shabbat Bereishit.) Moses describes the history of YHVH's relationship with Israel: YHVH is faithful, and the Israelites, in return, worship other gods and do not show gratitude. YHVH's anger will then flare up, and visit famine upon them. The passage from the prophet Joel balances the Torah. Joel too describes a famine caused by a plague of locusts, but YHVH will be roused by the nation's return, and He will again honor the covenant with the Israelites, showering them (literally) with rain, so their crops (of grain, wine, and oil) will be abundant.

Joel says: "And you shall eat your fill and praise the name of Adonai your God Who dealt so wondrously with you...I am Adonai your God, there is no other" (Joel 2:26, 27). This is a paraphrase of Deut. 8:10, "You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless Adonai your God..." In both places, the idea is that the earth's bounty is a gift from God, and that abundance should be a sign of YHVH's blessings. Perhaps because of the family meals around the holidays, I am conscious of feeling overly full. But the Torah worries that instead of being grateful and loyal, precisely the opposite will happen: "When you have eaten your fill, have built fine houses to live in... beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget Adonai your God who freed you from the land of Egypt..." (Deut 8:12, 14).

How curious. The more we have to be thankful for, the less we seem to be grateful. In Judaism, saying blessings is our way of expressing gratitude. Indeed, the verse quoted above is the 'proof text' for Birkat HaMazon, the Grace after Meals. The rabbis said that one should offer 100 blessings a day! That might seem like a lot, but think of all the people (seen and unseen) that we should be grateful to each day: the bus driver, the grocer, the farmer, the truck driver, the city workers.

It's easy to complain. Nothing is perfect. But how many blessings we have each day! Let us thank those around us, family, friends, and even strangers. In this season of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I can think of no better way to start the process of Teshuva, than by beginning to be grateful.

Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova

Parashat Ki Tavo - the Haftara

2009-09-25T12:13:00.000+03:00

Ki Tavo – the Haftara

Isaiah 60:1-22

Reading date: 5^th September 2009 – 16^th Elul 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

"Arise, shine, for your light has dawned,
The Presence of Adonai has shone upon you!
Behold! Darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick clouds, the people,
But upon you Adonai will shine,

And God's Presence be seen over you.
And nations shall walk by your light,

Kings, by your shining radiance." Isaiah 60:1-3

The people of Israel in partnership with the Divine source of Light, can usher in the light of redemption.

We continue with the sixth and penultimate Sabbath of Consolation (our series of seven special haftarot: ‘shiva d'nechemta’. These seven readings are linked to the calendar, bridging the commemoration of the destruction of the Temple and the exile from Israel. Like for previous weeks, Alkabetz borrowed phrases from this week's haftara in his Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi: "Kumi ori ... Arise, shine, for your light has dawned..." (60:1).

History

Isaiah, son of Amotz is the most popular of the prophets for the haftara: fourteen of the weekly portions (in the Ashkenazi calendar) are from Isaiah. Isaiah lived in the southern kingdom of Judah in the latter half of the 8th century B.C.E. While Isaiah hoped that the northern kingdom of Israel would be restored (regrettably, the ten northern tribes vanished permanently), his prophecy was also a warning that to the leaders and population of Judah. 'You could be next if you don't change your behavior.' Indeed, a hundred years later, Judah was conquered, but this time, a remnant did survive, and returned to Israel and re-established a new nation.

Commentary

Reading the Haftara for this week's Parashat Ki Tavo, the imagery of light jumps out at us. Light is a symbol of the Divine (Adonai is my light Ps. 27:1), and Isaiah promises, "No longer shall you need the sun, for light by day, nor the shining of the moon for radiance by night; for Adonai shall be your light everlasting, your God shall be your glory..." (Is. 60:19). Light was YHVH's first creation, and light is also a symbol of revelation. The light of our haftara is the third point of Rosenzweig's triangle (in his Star of Redemption): a symbol of redemption.

Creation

There is the physical light of creation (sun, moon, and stars). Technically, I know that actually, the moon is not a 'source' of light, and is really only reflecting the sun's light. In the ancient world, the moon was used for the calendar, and its light was quite important. As the 'Wise' of Chelm point out, 'The moon is more important than the sun, for after all, the sun shines during the day when it's light, but the moon shines at night when it is dark! (There is actually a real 'Chelm' but I am referring to a mythical town of foolish people).

Revelation

The occurrences at Sinai are described with fire and lightning, and the Torah itself is likened to light: Torah Or.

Redemption

The final light of redemption will outshine the other sources of light. This brings us right back to a midrash on the light of creation, since if we read the text carefully, we will notice that in fact the 'light' created on the first day precedes the creation of the sun, moon and stars, (on day four), the only natural sources of light in the ancient world. The Rabbis resolve this difficulty by suggesting that the original light of the first three days was not any light that we have today, but a primordial light (today we might suggest the light of the Big Bang)! This light, was 'hidden away' for the righteous, and will be revealed at the end of days.

Now most of the time, we can tell the past tense from the present tense. But without context, "I read the newspaper" could be present tense- (the answer to "What do you do in the morning?") or the past ("What did you do yesterday?"). In Hebrew the verb to read is clear, since ‘kara’ means read (pronounced rehd) vs. ‘korei’ (meaning read pronounced reehd). But some verbs in Hebrew are similarly ambiguous. The verb ‘lavo’, to come is both ‘ba’ for the masculine singular present (He comes) ‘hu ba’, and 3rd person masc. past, (He came). Verse one of our haftara begins, "Arise, shine, for your light has come/came" ‘ki va oreich’. The verse continues with a parallel: YHVH's glory shone ‘zarach’ past tense. So translators are probably right to keep the first verb also in the past tense, as in biblical poetry, these parallels are usually symmetrical. But the very next verse continues that YHVH's light will shine ‘yizrach’. So now, I'm legitimately confused. Shone, shining, will shine? Which is it? This is not only a question of translations. The issue is when is our redemption? Isaiah is describing the restoration of Zion and YHVH's redemption. But which comes first? Do we wait to be redeemed, and then we will be restored to Zion, or is it the other way around. After all, the original opposition of some Orthodox to the early Zionist movement (and sad to say, of some extremist groups still today - many of whom actually live in Israel without supporting the State) was this very question.
Clearly our 'light shining' is connected to our redemption. But I think an answer can be found in one more use of the word light in the phrase, ‘Or goyim’. I, Adonai, in My grace, have summoned you, And I have grasped you by the hand. I created you, and appointed you a covenant people, a light of nations— Opening eyes deprived of light, Rescuing prisoners from confinement, From the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Is. 42:6,7). The people of Israel themselves are also a source of light when we act in partnership with the Divine source of Light. Then surely will all enjoy the light of redemption.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Nitzavim - Vayelech - the Haftara

2009-09-11T08:21:00.000+03:00

Nitzavim – Vayelech – the Haftara

Isaiah 55:6 – 56:8

Reading date 12^th September 2009 - 23^rd Elul 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

"YHVH thought: Surely they are My people, Children who will not play false. So YHVH was their deliverer. In all their troubles, YHVH was troubled, and the angel of YHVH's presence delivered them.
In YHVH's love and pity, YHVH Himself redeemed them, Raised them, and exalted them
all the days of old." Isaiah 63:8,9

As we enter this season of repentance, YHVH will take one step towards us for every step we take to return.

We have finally reached the seventh and last Shabbat of Consolation. Much of the imagery and poetry has been used by Isaiah before: the metaphor of marriage, being clothed in splendor, and Zion's feeling of being forsaken is replaced with gratitude for YHVH's deliverance. This is the climactic conclusion to the seven weeks that we have travelled from Tisha B'av to the High Holy Day season.This Shabbat is also the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah (beginning this year on Friday night, Sept. 22).

History

Commentary

Someone once noted that in their edition of the Chumash, there were some words printed without vowels, and wanted to know the significance of these unvocalized words. What they were noticing was the phenomenon of k'ri [read] and k'tiv [written]. Different chumashim display this either as a footnote, as marginalia, or, as in the case of the Conservative movement's Etz Hayim edition, right in the text itself. Around the 10th century, a group of scholars arose who established the correct text of the Bible. They are called the Masorites, from the Hebrew word, Masorah, which means to transmit, and denotes 'tradition.' (Indeed, the Hebrew version of Fiddler on the Roof has Tevye singing, "Masoret, masoret..." The Masorites were also responsible for the vowels (which they invented) and the musical notes (trope) that were added to the original biblical text.
In their careful work of establishing the correct text, these sages noted that sometimes an accepted reading was theologically difficult, or incorrect (comparing differing reliable manuscripts due to a scribal error), or in some cases not 'proper' for public reading, and therefore provided a substitute word. By the tenth century, the biblical text's sanctity was accepted, and altering the text was not possible, so the solution was to still write the text the accepted way, but a marginal notation indicated how the text was to be read. Indeed, a Torah reader who did not follow the k'ri would be removed from his position. Those who claim that the Torah has 'codes' in its letter sequences might reconsider their position since the Bible has about fifteen hundred of such variants.
Which brings us to this week's haftarah, and a very interesting example of k'ri and k'tiv [written]. The Hebrew word for 'no' is lo, spelled lamed-aleph. The word, his, is a homophone: lo, but spelled differently, lamed-vuv. The words sound the same, but look different. According to the Masoretic text as written (k'tiv), and supported by the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation, verse 9 reads: "God was their Deliverer in all their troubles; no [lo- with an aleph] angel or messenger was with God, but God's own Presence delivered them." This theology is familiar from the Pesach Haggadah's insistence (notwithstanding the explicit reference to an angel for the actual Exodus, cf. Num. 20:16), that God alone, not an angel or a messenger, delivered Israel. Rashi, too, agrees with this reading.
But the more interesting reading follows the musical cantillation marks (which also indicate phrasing) and breaks the sentence differently, according to the Masoretic k'ri which translates the lo as His (God's): "In all their troubles, God was troubled, and the angel of God's presence delivered them." This reading is not supported by the ancient texts, or even by the conclusion of the verse that says, "God, Godself redeemed them," yet this midrashic understanding has been popular, and all ten contemporary translations I checked follow this rabbinic theology. Ibn Ezra, who is normally noted for his 'pshat' approach (even more than Rashi) agrees with this latter reading, that when Israel was afflicted, God suffers. (Christianity has made the idea of God's suffering along with humanity, or indeed, on behalf of humanity a central pillar).

The Rabbis used this verse as the prooftext for a midrash on the burning bush. Starting with the verse from Song of Songs (5:2) 'My dove, my twin.' Rabbi Yannai said: 'As with twins, when the head of one aches, the other also feels it, too, so [aware of how radical was this theology the Rabbis add: if one dare attribute such words to God]-- the Holy One said, 'I am with him in trouble' (Ps. 91:15). And again, 'In all their afflictions, God is afflicted.' " (Isa. 63:9) The Holy One said to Moses: "Do you not sense that I live in distress whenever Israel finds themselves in distress? Just look at the place out of which I speak to you-- out of a thornbush. I am--if one may ascribe such a statement to God--a partner in their pain. Ex. Rabbah 2:5.

God is not aloof, and as we enter this season of repentance, God too, wants us to return. This shortens our path since for every step we take in God's direction, God, too, takes a step closer to us. "Turn back to me—says the LORD of Hosts—and I will turn back to you" (Zechariah 1:3).

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Ki Tetze - the Haftara

2009-08-29T00:26:00.000+03:00

Ki Tetze – the Haftara

Isaiah 54:1-10

Reading date: 29^th August 2009 – 9^th Elul 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

"This is like the days of Noah to Me--
I promised then never again to cover the earth with the waters of Noah.
So now I promise never again to be angry with you or rebuke you.
Though the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,
My love shall never depart from you, and My covenant of peace shall not be removed-- says the One who loves you, the Eternal." Isaiah 54:9-10

God feels close when we nurture our relationship through prayer and mitzvot.

We continue with the fifth Sabbath of Consolation (a series of seven special haftarot: ‘shiva d'nechemta’. These seven readings are linked to the calendar, bridging the commemoration of the destruction of the Temple and the exile from Israel. Like last week, there are phrases in this haftara that Alkabetz borrowed in his Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi: ‘Lo teivoshi...’ You shall not be put to shame (54:4), and ‘Yamin u'smol..’ You shall spread out to the right and the left (54:3). This week's haftara combined with the haftara of Re'eh from two weeks ago make up the haftara of Parashat Noah. The prophet recalls the covenant YHVH made with Noah (vs. 9) and like that promise, YHVH promises never again to be angry with Israel.

History

Commentary

The prophets often compared YHVH's relationship with Israel to the relationship of a husband and wife (see Hosea's haftara in Parashat Bamidbar). This week, too, Isaiah says, "For Your husband is your Maker, the One called YHVH of the hosts of heaven...The Eternal calls you "wife" again... (vs.5,6). The image of YHVH, as husband who will take back his divorced wife, symbolizes how Israel in exile will be returned to in triumph to Zion.

Rabbi Plaut points out that today, the metaphor of divorce is problematic because divorce laws in Torah are not egalitarian. Only the husband divorces this wife. (Even today, especially in Israel, the issue of ‘agunot’ -- women are 'anchored' to their recalcitrant husbands is difficult). However, even though it is troubling, in ancient Israel it made sense, as YHVH and the people of Israel were certainly not considered equal partners in the relationship. On the other hand, I am not sure that the metaphor is any more challenging than the child-parent metaphor, ‘Avinu Malkeinu’ - our Parent, our Ruler that will be prominent in the High Holy Day liturgy that is fast approaching. Unlike the parent-child relationship, the key word that describes the marriage relationship (even in non-egalitarian or traditional marriages) is the word 'covenant.'

In fact, in Hebrew the wedding ceremony is called ‘brit nisu'im’. This Hebrew term may not be that familiar; the word 'brit' is probably more familiar to us from the ceremony of ‘brit milah’ - covenant of circumcision. The Hebrew word ‘brit’ can refer to two very important life cycle moments: birth and marriage. This may be a Midrashic stretch, but I think the word 'brit' could also be appropriately used to refer to the "bar/bat mitzvah."

I find it interesting that all three life cycle events: birth, bar/bat mitzvah (via this 'midrash'), and marriage are therefore linguistically or conceptually connected to this notion of 'covenant.' But how do the three life cycle events differ? Well, of course no one asks the infant their opinion. Parents make a unilateral decision to enter the child into the community. At a bar/bat mitzvah, the child has more of a say-- indeed the whole significance of the day is to acknowledge the child's transition from a minor into an adult member of the community. The adolescent accepts the "yoke of the commandments" (in traditional terms: ‘ol hamitzvot’ but this lacks certain mutuality. It is only the ‘brit’ that is in the context of marriage that refers to a mature, mutual covenant.
Plaut concludes with one more point: even if the husband/wife metaphor is generally inappropriate for modern readers, "in one major aspect it is as applicable today as it was in Isaiah's time. Love and trust need constant nurturing in human marriage, and faithlessness will destroy it." YHVH, too, feels close when we nurture our relationship through prayer and mitzvot, and as we enter the season of ‘teshuva’, Isaiah's message is as true today as it was in his time.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Softim - the Haftara

2009-08-21T13:00:00.001+03:00

Shoftim – the Haftara

Isaiah 51:12-52:12

Reading date: 22^nd August 2009 – 2^nd Elul 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

"Awake, awake, O Zion
Clothe yourself in splendor;
Put on your robes of majesty,
Jerusalem, holy city" Isaiah 52:1

Whether we live in Israel or not, we must consider our relationship to Zion in our lives.

We continue with the fourth Sabbath of Consolation (a series of seven special haftarot: ‘shiva d'nechemta’. These seven readings are linked to the calendar, bridging the commemoration of the destruction of the Temple and the exile from Israel, with the upcoming season of the High Holy Days. YHVH promises the restoration of Zion, but at the same time, calls on the people of Israel to turn back to God. This is the essence of ‘teshuva’, repentance.

History

Isaiah, son of Amotz is the most popular of the prophets for the Haftara: fourteen of the weekly portions (in the Ashkenazi calendar) are from Isaiah. Isaiah lived in the southern kingdom of Judah in the latter half of the 8th century B.C.E. While Isaiah hoped that the northern kingdom of Israel would be restored (regrettably, the ten northern tribes vanished permanently), his prophecy was also a warning that to the leaders and population of Judah. 'You could be next if you don't change your behavior.' Indeed, a hundred years later, Judah was conquered, but this time, a remnant did survive, and returned to Israel and re-established a new nation.

Commentary

Hearing the Haftara read in Hebrew, careful listeners might recognize some of the verses from the popular Shabbat hymn sung on Friday night: Lecha Dodi. The poet Shlomo Alkabetz used these images to liken the Shabbat bride to the city of Jerusalem: ‘Hitoreri, hitoreri, ... Uri, uri... livshi bigdei tifarteich... Hitna'ari mei'afar kumi...’ - Rouse, rouse yourself, ... Awake, awake, .... Put on your robes of majesty, ...Arise, shake off the dust. Like the metaphor of the Shabbat bride, Isaiah portrays Jerusalem as a young woman shaking off her dust and being clothed in splendor and majesty.

Isaiah describes the restoration of Israel as the return to Zion and the return to Jerusalem. Zion is just one of the many names used to refer to Jerusalem. According to the Rabbis, there are seventy names for Jerusalem. The term Zion in its original and most limited sense referred to the Jebusite fortress situated on it and captured by David. David renamed the hill ‘Ir David’ (City of David), an area now being excavated for David's palace. Zion also referred to the Temple and the Temple grounds, and in the Maccabean period, the Temple Mount was called ‘Har Zion’.

Later, the word Zion by way of synecdoche (the technical term for referring to a whole by a part) came to refer to the whole city of Jerusalem, and even all of Israel. Zion and Jerusalem are often used in biblical poetry: For out of ‘Zion’ shall go forth Torah, and the word of Adonai from Jerusalem. Even Israel's national anthem, ‘Hatikvah’, refers to the Jewish homeland as the 'land of Zion and Jerusalem.' The movement to return to Israel is not 'Israelism' but 'Zionism.' And in our prayers, the term Israel usually refers to the people of Israel, not the country or land, and Zion is used to refer to the geographical location. The Jewish heart's compass points to Zion. (Today, Har Zion is a popular name for synagogues.) Finally, Zion is not only a term for Jerusalem and the land of Israel. YHVH says to Zion: "You are My people" (51:16). The Children of Israel are also 'Zion'.

Today, what does it mean to be a 'Zionist'? When Israel is attacked, people around the world rally to protect it, but in relative peaceful times, people in North America are by and large, rather comfortable with their lives outside of Israel.

Cynthia Ozick relates how growing up she played a street game where each player names the city she has "come from." So her playmate Peggy O'Brien chose Dublin, and Maria Viggiano, Naples. How, Ozick asks, does an eight year old in the borough of Bronx choose 'Jerusalem' as her inheritance?

The other verse in this week's haftara readers might recognize is one that has been turned into a song (and a popular Israeli folkdance) found in verse 7: ‘Mah navu al he'harim...’ As we consider our own inheritance in the Zion, consider and meditate on the words of Isaiah. Do not forget, even those not living in Israel, your relationship and responsibility to the Land.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Re'eh - the Haftara

2009-08-14T06:58:00.001+03:00

Parashat Re'eh - the Haftara

Isaiah 54:11-55:5

Reading date: 15^thAugust 2009 – 25^th Av 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

"Ho, all who are thirsty, Come for water,
Even if you have no money:
Come, buy food and eat:
Buy food without money,
Wine and milk without cost." Isaiah 55:1

Life requires a balance of physical sustenance, emotional nourishment and spiritual joy.

We continue with the third Sabbath of Consolation (a series of seven special haftarot: ‘shiva d'nechemta’. These seven readings are linked to the calendar, bridging the commemoration of the destruction of the Temple and the exile from Israel, with the upcoming season of the High Holy Days. YHVH promises the restoration of Zion, but at the same time, calls on the people of Israel to turn back to YHVH. This is the essence of ‘teshuva’, repentance.

History

Commentary

Our series of Haftarot of consolation continue with the message of YHVH's restoration. The first verses of the haftara describe YHVH showering the people of Israel with material riches: gems and precious stones. YHVH is the source of power and He promises safety from oppression. The haftara then continues with an additional theme: in addition to this promised material prosperity and physical security, YHVH invites the people of Israel to be in a mutual, covenantal relationship.

YHVH's declaration "Come for water" (Isa. 55:1) is universally understood by commentators to be a metaphor for Torah or divine instruction. In a famous Midrash, the Rabbis compare the Torah to water, using our verse from the haftara as its 'proof text'.

The words of Torah are likened to water, as it is written,

O all who thirst, come for water, Is. 55:1

Just as water goes from one end of the earth to the other, so does Torah go from one end of the earth to the other;
Just as water is a life source, so is Torah a source of life;
Just as water is free to all, so is Torah a free commodity;
Just as water comes from heaven, so too is the Torah's origin in heaven;
Just as water makes many sounds, so is the Torah heard in many voices;
Just as water quenches one's thirst, so does Torah satisfy the soul...

Like our verse, the Midrash in fact continues to compare the Torah to milk and wine: The words of Torah are likened to milk. Just as milk is pure and clean, so the Torah is pure and clean. The words of Torah are likened to wine. Just as wine cheers the spirit, so Torah cheers the spirit, as it is written, "Wine that cheers the hearts..." (Ps. 104:14). (Shir HaShirim Rabbah I:19)

These three liquids, water, milk and wine are all important symbols in Torah. Water is life's most basic requirement. Rain is the ultimate source of fresh water, and in the Torah water (rain) are gifts from YHVH. No human involvement is required. Milk is also a basic requirement for infants, but afterwards is more of a luxury than a necessity. Life-sustaining mothers' milk comes from women, but like rain, no conscious human action is required to produce it. The nourishment of Torah and the bounty of the land of Israel are described as "milk and honey." Finally- wine, a symbol of joy that sanctifies Shabbat, festivals, and life cycle events is produced by humans [in partnership with YHVH]. YHVH produces the grapes, but human effort is required to transform the juice into wine.

Rabbi Joanne Yocheved Heiligman in The Women's Haftarah Commentary (ed. Rabbi Elyse Goldstein) suggests that the three fluids water, milk, and wine represent physical sustenance, emotional nourishment, and spiritual joy respectively. A shortage of clean drinking water severely impacts on the quality of life. Individuals who lack loving human relationships develop poorly. All three components are necessary for a healthy, balanced life.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Ekev - the Haftara

2009-08-05T23:24:00.001+03:00

Ekev – the Haftara
Isaiah 40:1-26
Reading date: 8thAugust 2009 – 18th Av 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
"Zion says, 'Adonai has forsaken me,My Lord has forgotten me.' Can a woman forget her baby,Or disown the child of her womb? Though she might forget,I never could forget you.See, I have engraved youOn the palms of My hands...." Isaiah 49:14-16a

Even with suffering we can still choose to believe that our lives have meaning, and to believe in YHVH.

We continue with the second Sabbath of Consolation (a series of seven special haftarot: ‘shiva d'nechemta’. Although these seven readings are linked to the calendar, bridging the commemoration of the destruction of the Temple and the exile from Israel, this week's reading also has a connection to the Torah reading of Parashat Ekev. "See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands," YHVH says (Isa. 49:16). This parallels the reading from Deuteronomy (that is read as the second paragraph of the Shema) where YHVH asks that we impress the words upon our hearts and hands (Deut. 11:18).

History
Isaiah, son of Amotz is the most popular of the prophets for the Haftarah: fourteen of the weekly portions (in the Ashkenazi calendar) are from Isaiah. Isaiah lived in the southern kingdom of Judah in the latter half of the 8th century B.C.E. While Isaiah hoped that the northern kingdom of Israel would be restored (regrettably, the ten northern tribes vanished permanently), his prophecy was also a warning that to the leaders and population of Judah. 'You could be next if you don't change your behavior.' Indeed, a hundred years later, Judah was conquered, but this time, a remnant did survive, and returned to Israel and re-established a new nation.

Commentary
When something good happens to us, we rarely ask, "Why us?! What did we do to deserve this good fortune?!" But when something bad happens, we're quick to complain, "Why doesn't YHVH do something? Why doesn't YHVH answer our prayers?" This was the feeling of the exiles. Isaiah is describing the despair of the exiles who ask, "Has YHVH forgotten us?" In the haftara, YHVH reassures the people of Israel that He will never forget Zion.

I once heard a rabbi say that YHVH always answers our prayers- but sometimes the answer is no. On one level I understand this has some truth to it- as the Rolling Stones sing, "we can't always get what we want." It's also true that sometimes what we think we want is often not the best thing for us. As the Chinese proverb says, 'be careful what you wish for.' Just like our children, we often have very limited perspectives and make poor choices. As parents, we often say no, and for good reason. Eating chocolate ice cream right before supper might seem like a good idea, but when our children ask for it, we say no. Why should YHVH be any different?
But on another level, YHVH answering 'no' is a big problem. Unless we're prepared to say that our unanswered prayers were not sincere enough, or we were not deserving, YHVH is not off the hook. In the same week of a coal mine tragedy, where family and friends were praying for their loved ones' rescue, a woman reported winning the lottery: "YHVH has answered my prayers." Well, that must have been some mighty praying, if her prayers to win the lottery were answered, while the coal miners sadly lost their lives. Was YHVH too busy arranging for the winning ticket to organize the rescue efforts? We have to really wonder about YHVH's priorities, or come to the conclusion that either YHVH can't help, or worse, YHVH won't help or (the worst heresy)-that there is no God at all. The truth is, there are many reasons why YHVH does not appear to always answer our prayers the way we would like Him to. One of the questions we need to ask ourselves is, is it His will and timing and is it the best for us.

As Israel has been continually fighting wars for more than 60 years, we wish that YHVH could just wave a magic wand and make Israel secure. Some believe that reciting prayers or affixing kosher mezuzahs will be an effective defensive strategy. But as the God character (played by Morgan Freeman) says in the film Bruce Almighty, 'I don't work that way.' So what good is YHVH and what good is prayer?

These questions challenge the very foundations of religious faith and there are no easy answers. But what is interesting is that individual survivors of the Holocaust walked out of the same camps either absolutely convinced that there was no God, or more steadfast than ever in their belief in the Creator. In other words, the existence of suffering does not by itself seem to determine whether one believes or not. Indeed, Vickor Frankl, himself a survivor went on to discover the meaning of his life which he articulates in his classic volume, Man's Search for Meaning. Even suffering, according to Frankl, can have meaning. He writes, "In spite of all the enforced physical and mental primitiveness of the life in a concentration camp, it was possible for spiritual life to deepen.... They were able to retreat from their terrible surroundings to a life of inner riches and spiritual freedom."

Even with suffering, we can still choose to believe that our lives have meaning, and to believe in YHVH.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Va'etchanan - the Haftara

2009-07-30T09:09:00.001+03:00

Va’etchanan – the Haftara
Isaiah 40:1-26
Reading date: 1st August 2009 – 11th Av 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara text
"The nations are but a drop in a bucket,Reckoned as dust on a balance;The very coastlands God lifts like motes.Lebanon is not fuel enough,Nor its beast enough for sacrifice.All nations are as naught in God's sight;God accounts them as less than nothing." Isaiah 40:15-17

On Tisha B’Av we reflect on Israel's exile at the hands of the Romans and pray that we will have the strength to withstand the current attack!

This week with the recent events in Israel and the world, it seems fitting that we commemorate Tisha B'Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Tisha b'Av marks the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish people from the land of Israel. The first Shabbat after Tisha B'Av we read Parashat Va'etchanan, but the Shabbat is more commonly referred to as ‘Shabbat Nachamu’, this name taken from the opening words of the haftara from (Second) Isaiah: ‘Nachamu, nachamu’- Comfort, comfort My people. This is the first (of seven) haftarot of consolation that follow the past three weeks of haftarot of admonition.

The portion Va'etchanan contains both the Shema and a recapitulation of the Ten Commandments that differs in both slight and more significant ways from the text in Exodus.

History
Second Isaiah lived a century later than Isaiah, after the exile (586 BCE). The prophet addresses the exiles of Judah now in Babylon and brought words of comfort. Because of his message of consolation that Israel's sins are forgiven, we assume that these prophecies were delivered after Cyrus the Mede conquered Babylon and permitted the Judeans to return to Jerusalem (538 BCE).

Commentary
I don't like to use this weekly commentary as a soapbox for political commentary around current events, including the actions of Barak Obama and the American legislature, put me in a position that I can't ignore the recent events in Israel. I am tired of Israel being attacked, both physically and in the media. "Pro-Israeli" websites present what seems to me to be a more balanced perspective; the rest of the world sees Israel as the aggressor, Israel as the source of violence and Israel as the reason for instability in the region. With every civilian casualty and Israeli air strike, the world goes on a media feeding frenzy to attack Israel's position.

It is tragic when civilians are killed by Israeli missiles, and it certainly does not advance the cause of peace. But it is never pointed out that these unfortunate (and I'll admit- all too often) incidents are, to use the military euphemism, "collateral damage". Too bad that the media also doesn't point out that Hamas shields itself behind UN posts and schools and other civilian positions, believing that Israel will not dare retaliate precisely to avoid civilian casualties. Israel doesn't target civilians, unlike Hamas who deliberately fire missiles onto Israeli schools and hospitals. Hamas’ hundreds of kassam rockets and mortars raining down on Israel (and Israeli casualties) don't make the front page. It seems Hamas has permission to attack.

As long as the conflict is about Palestinian sovereignty and land borders, I believe that eventually a peace settlement could be reached. But when Hamas raises the conflict to a new level I become anxious and question the safety of Gilad Shalit. We have to stop pretending that Iran's message that "Israel must be wiped off the map" and Al Qaeda's call to all Muslims to attack the western world is just empty rhetoric. Israel and the US are seen as the enemies of Islam, and the conflict is real. Good meaning Muslims must challenge these messages of hate and intolerance and work for a moderate Islam that can function in modern society.
So on Tisha B’Av we reflect on Israel's destruction at the hands of the Romans and pray that we will have the strength to withstand current attacks. This week's haftara words of comfort are therefore timelier than ever:
"Ascend a lofty mountain,O herald of joy to Zion;Raise your voice with power,O herald of joy to Jerusalem--Raise it, have no fear;Announce to the cities of Judah:Behold your God!" Isa. 40: 9

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Devarim - the Haftara

2009-07-23T06:52:00.003+03:00

Devarim – the Haftara
Isaiah 1:1-27
Reading date: 25th July 2009 – 4th Av 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara text
“Hear the word of Adonai, you chieftains of Sodom; Give your ear to YHVH’s instruction, you folk of Gomorrah.” Isaiah 1:10

Worst of all are those who pretend to be righteous.

This week we begin the book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim. This portion always falls on the Shabbat before Tisha b'Av and has the special name: ‘Shabbat Hazon’, taken from the opening words of the book of Isaiah and the first words of the haftara: ‘Hazon Yishayahu’- The vision of Isaiah. This is the first (of seven) haftarot of consolation. This first haftara is from the opening prophecy of Isaiah; the remaining six are from what modern scholars call the 'Second Isaiah.'

The verse in the haftara "Alas, ‘eichah’ she has become a harlot, the faithful city that was filled with justice..." (1:21) echoes the opening of the book of Lamentations (‘Eichah’ in Hebrew).

History
Isaiah, son of Amotz is the most popular of the prophets for the haftara: fourteen of the weekly portions (in the Ashkenazi calendar) are from Isaiah. Isaiah lived in the southern kingdom of Judah in the latter half of the 8th century B.C.E. While Isaiah hoped that the northern kingdom of Israel would be restored (regrettably, the ten northern tribes vanished permanently), his prophecy was also a warning that to the leaders and population of Judah. 'You could be next if you don't change your behavior.' Indeed, a hundred years later, Judah was conquered, but this time, a remnant did survive, and returned to Israel and re-established a new nation.

Commentary
Listen up! Listening is a key idea in Torah. After the opening verse that identifies Isaiah and his contemporaries (the kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah), Isaiah declares: "Hear O heavens, and give ear O earth..." This first word, ‘shim'u’ foreshadows the ‘Shema’ that appears in next week's Torah portion, Va'etchanan. Isaiah is deliberately using this language; Moses begins his final discourse, "Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter!" (Deut. 32:1).

But then, Isaiah turns to his listeners, calling them Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah qualifies the comparison: unlike Sodom and Gomorrah that were totally destroyed, YHVH will save a remnant of Zion. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Syrian-African rift, (probably an earthquake accompanied by the release of sulfur and bitumen and volatile gases from the earth's crust ignited by lightning) was a cataclysmic event. Everything was obliterated and in the Torah the memory of this event has come to be a model of YHVH's destruction for wicked behavior.

Even today, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are synonymous with 'iniquity and wickedness,' but what was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? Some believe that the sin of the cities was homosexuality, as the residents wanted to have sex with the [male] angels, and the verb 'sodomize' even became a legal term to refer to homosexual acts.

Other traditional interpretations suggest that the sin of Sodom was their greediness and lack of compassion. The Talmud tells the story of a young girl who gives a poor man some bread. Outraged at this act of kindness, the residents smear her with honey and hang her from the city wall until she is stung to death by bees. Pirkei Avot compares four types of people. One says, "what is mine is mine, and what is yours is mine." This is understandably wicked. The one who says "what is yours is yours and what is mine is yours" is righteous. You might think, "what is mine is mine and what's yours is yours" is the average person; but surprisingly this is called, the 'character of Sodom.' To mind one's own business and not care for others is not the highest ethical behavior.

There is even a story of the guest house in Sodom where guests had to fit the bed. Tall guests would have their feet chopped off; short guests would be put on the 'rack' to be stretched. This story demonstrates that the problem was that while they observed the letter of the law, they did it in a way that violated the very essence of what the laws were trying to instill.
How easy it is to quote out of context. "I take no delight in the blood of bulls ..." or "I hate your new moons, your festival days..." Is YHVH (or at least Isaiah) against ritual? Isaiah's language is pretty strong. "Bring me no more futile offerings; incense is an abomination to Me." An abomination? According to Exodus, incense is holy (Ex. 30: 37). But these examples are how Isaiah is choosing to illustrate the Israelites’ behavior that he has compared to Sodom and Gomorrah.

There are those who are clearly wicked and those who are clearly righteous. But worst of all are those who pretend to be righteous, who observe the ritual minutiae without acting ethically. These are the Sodomites today. Only with justice and repentance will Zion be redeemed.

Shabbat Shalom

Matot Masei - The Haftara

2009-07-17T14:08:00.001+03:00

Matot – Masei – the Haftara
Jeremiah 2:4-28, 3:4
Reading date: 18th July 2009 – 26th Tammuz 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

“Though you wash yourself with lye and use more and more soap, the stain of your guilt remains before Me, says YHVH Adonai.”Jeremiah 2:22

Our covenant with the Fountain of Living waters can be reestablished.

We continue this week with the second installment of the three special Haftarot of Admonition. These correspond to the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha b'Av. We pick up from where we left off last week. The haftara is taken from Jeremiah 2:4-28. Then Ashkenazim conclude with a single verse, 3:4; Sephardim read verses 4:1-2 instead. These additional verses are so the passage ends on a positive optimistic note.

Our final encounter with Jeremiah in this yearly cycle of reading contains much we have seen before: the image of YHVH, the Fount of living waters forsaken, (see Bechukotai), Israel as prostitute (see Shlach), the plaintive cry of 'Eich' (Jer. 2:23) foreshadowing the opening 'Eichah' of Lamentations.

This week we read the combined portions of Matot - Masei, concluding the book of Numbers.

History
Jeremiah lived during the reign of King Josiah (635 BCE) who restored the Temple cult and instituted religious reforms after finding an ancient scroll believed to be the book of Deuteronomy. Some scholars identify Jeremiah as the author of the book of Deuteronomy. The Kingdom of Judah was caught in the crossfire between the superpowers of Egypt to the south and the Babylonians in the North. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BCE. Egypt marched through the land of Israel to attack Babylonia, and en route battled with the Israelites at Megiddo, killing Josiah. The Egyptians however were defeated by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BCE, and Jerusalem came under Nebuchadnezzar's rule. In 586 BCE Jerusalem was razed and the Temple destroyed. The religious and political elite were exiled to Babylonia, but a remnant of the Jewish population fled to Egypt and took Jeremiah with them.

Commentary
"Out, damned spot." (Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act I:V). Blood stains certainly have a way of indelibly marking one's guilt. No matter how hard Lady Macbeth scrubs, she can't get her hands clean. Jeremiah uses a similar washing metaphor: "Though you wash yourself with lye, and use more and more soap, the stain of your guilt remains before Me, says Your Lord Adonai" (Jer. 2:22).

The Hebrew ‘neter’ is translated here as lye; the English natron and nitrate are from the same root. Lye or soda is a chemical base that was used as a cleansing agent in biblical times. Lye (like baking soda) mixed with vinegar (mentioned in Proverbs 25:20) would bubble energetically. Today lye refers to sodium or potassium nitrate; in the Bible, it probably referred to sodium carbonate, called in Arabic ‘natrun’, which can be found as a deposit underneath layers of common salt. A number of plants containing soda and potash that grow in Israel were dissolved in oil and used to make a liquid soap.

A second word, ‘borit’, (rendered here as 'soap') refers to possibly one of several plants called ‘soap plants’ such as the soapwort (Saponaria) that have cleansing properties and were used locally in early times. Sabonin is the lather-producing substance found in some plants and is poisonous if taken internally. The biblical terms are used to describe both the physical cleaning of clothes and hands (Job 9:30) as well as metaphorical cleanliness (Job 22:30).
If we've committed an act that pollutes us, we can't feel clean no matter how long we spend in the shower. Jeremiah understands that until we change our behavior, our washing with soap is in vain. At the conclusion of the book of Leviticus, the haftara from Jeremiah also referred to abandoning YHVH, ‘Mikveh Yisrael’, as forsaking the Fountain of Living Waters. But our relationship with YHVH can be restored if we stop chasing after false gods and return to the one true YHVH. First we need repentance, forgiveness and restoration before our covenant with the Fountain of Living waters will be reestablished. And if we return, and remove our abominations from YHVH's presence, Jeremiah promises this blessing that, "Nations shall bless themselves by you and praise themselves by you" (4:2).

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Pinchas - the Haftara

2009-07-10T10:01:00.002+03:00

Pinchas - the Haftara
Jeremiah 1:1 – 2:3
Reading date: 11th July 2009 – 19th Tammuz 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
“The word of Adonai came to me: What do you see, Jeremiah? I replied: I see a branch of an almond tree. Adonai said to me: You have seen right, for I am watchful to bring My word to pass.”Jeremiah 1:11-12

How is our rejection of YHVH with the Golden Calf connected to the loss of the Temple?

Normally, the haftara for parashat Pinchas is taken from the book of Kings and describes Elijah, like the eponymous character of the weekly portion of Pinchas as a 'zealot'. The passage from Kings includes the famous description of furious wind and earthquake and fire, but YHVH was not in these forces. Afterwards, there was a 'still small voice' a phrase that expresses experiencing the Divine Presence.

However, when Parashat Pinchas falls after the 17th of Tammuz, (as it does this year), instead of the regularly assigned haftara, the first of three special haftarot of admonition is read. These haftarot commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples and deal with the punishment that will be meted out to the Jewish people. According to tradition, the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Babylonians (First Temple) and the Romans (Second Temple) on the 17th of Tammuz. The three haftarot are then followed by seven haftarot of consolation.

History
Jeremiah lived during the reign of King Josiah (635 BCE) who restored the Temple order and instituted religious reforms after finding an ancient scroll believed to be the book of Deuteronomy. Some scholars identify Jeremiah as the author of the book of Deuteronomy. The Kingdom of Judah was caught in the crossfire between the superpowers of Egypt to the south and the Babylonians in the North. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BCE. Egypt marched through the land of Israel to attack Babylonia, and en route battled with the Israelites at Megiddo, killing Josiah. The Egyptians however were defeated by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BCE, and Jerusalem came under Nebuchadnezzar's rule. In 586 BCE Jerusalem was razed and the Temple destroyed. The religious and political elite were exiled to Babylonia, but a remnant of the Jewish population fled to Egypt and took Jeremiah with them.

Commentary
The prophets often used metaphors and allegories of common objects and the natural world around them that was familiar to their listeners. Thos who do not live in Israel or speak Hebrew miss a lot of the rich meaning in the allusions of biblical language.

In Jeremiah's opening prophecy, God shows him an almond branch, and we are told that this signifies that YHVH is 'watchful' to bring the events to fruition. Of course, reading the English, we miss the pun: the Hebrew word for almond, ‘shaked’ (rhymes with "head") means 'to be watchful ‘shoked’. Later Jeremiah continues to use this verb. YHVH says, "And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over ‘shakadati’ them to uproot and to break down, to demolish and destroy and harm, so now will I watch over ‘eshkod’ them to build and to plant" (Jer. 31:28). The almond becomes a symbol of YHVH's watchfulness. But we still don't get it. Why an almond branch? Why should the almond in fact be a symbol of 'being watchful' or 'being reliable'?

Many of us are familiar with the connection to almonds from the Tu B'Shvat song “Hashkadiyah porachat”, mistranslated as "The almond tree's in blossom..." as ‘shkediyah’ is actually an almond orchard, not an almond tree. But we know from that song and Tu B'shevat, that the almond tree is a symbol of springtime in Israel and associated with Tu B'shevat because it dramatically bursts into pink and white blossoms (as early as February or even January!) before its leaves appear. Both wild (bitter) and domestic varieties of almonds grow in Israel. (The wild variety can be eaten with the rind when young, but in its later stages requires roasting to destroy poisonous alkaloids.)

Because the almond is the first tree to bloom, and passes rapidly through several beautiful and dramatic stages of growth, it becomes a symbol of YHVH's watchfulness. Aaron’s staff was also made of almond wood (Numbers 17). Like the tree, this rod miraculously bloomed overnight and bore almonds to validate Aaron’s claim to the priesthood! The commentators ask why Aaron’s rod was made from almond wood. Rashi answers: ‘Because it is the first tree to blossom.’ This indicates that YHVH would quickly punish those who attempt to challenge the authority of the priests. According to the Mekhilta, this rod was one of the items created the first week of Creation before Shabbat. The kings of Judah continued to use this staff until the destruction of the Temple when it disappeared. It is said that Elijah will give this same almond rod to the Messiah (Numbers Rabbah 18:23). The almond branch is therefore a symbol of royal/priestly authority. Jeremiah's vision of an almond branch connects YHVH's watchfulness with the symbolism of sovereignty.

But why was this passage from Jeremiah chosen for the first of the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the Ninth of Av (Tisha b'Av). What is the connection between almonds and the 17th of Tammuz? Well, it turns out, that the almond nut in fact ripens in late summer, around the time of Tisha b’Av! The Talmud further connects the almond ripening to the destruction of the Temple: ‘Just as 21 days elapse from the time the almond sends forth its blossom until the fruit ripens, so 21 days passed from the time the city was breached until the Temple was destroyed,’ (Jerusalem Talmud, Ta’anit 4:8). So the 21 days of the almond's ripening correspond to the three week period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av. But that doesn't make sense. We already determined that the almond flowering is the first of the season, in early spring! The late summer fruit and the Talmud’s assertion that the almond produces its fruit [only] 21 days after its flowers appear (Bekhorot 8a) is confusing. This discrepancy can be resolved by examining how the almond grows more closely. It turns out that there are two ripening periods of the almond. The almond can be eaten fresh; the green fruit are eaten whole and are considered a Passover delicacy by many Oriental Jews. It is only the hard 'nut' which we are more familiar with that ripens six months later. The 'fresh' almond in fact appears 21 days after its flowers.

The 17th of Tammuz this week marks the beginning of the period of mourning for the destruction of the Temple(s). But the Rabbis attribute a number of catastrophes to that date. According to tradition, one of the gravest sins of the Israelites in the wilderness--the Golden Calf--occurred on the 17th of Tammuz. How is the ‘Egel HaZahav’ (the Golden Calf) connected to the 17th of Tammuz? The Israelites turned to the Golden Calf because they felt lost and abandoned by YHVH. YHVH was abandoned by the people. Centuries later, these feelings were rekindled with the destruction of the Temple and the loss of Jewish sovereignty.

This Shabbat, ponder the issue of sovereignty today, and the idea of YHVH's watchfulness being restored miraculously 'overnight'-- while munching on some almonds.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Balak - the Haftara

2009-07-03T18:13:00.002+03:00

Balak - the Haftara
Micah 5:6-6:8
Reading date: 4th July 2009 – 12th Tammuz 5769

This weeks highlighted text
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does Jehovah require of you but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?”Micah 6:8

Love mercy and walk humbly with YHVH

This week’s haftara portion is so similar in content to the Torah portion that will analyze the two together as a whole. It makes mention of the incident of Balak the king of Moab hiring the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Jewish people -- the main topic of this week's Torah reading.
The prophet Micah prophesies about what will occur after the war of Gog and Magog, the war which precedes the coming of the Messiah and the Final Redemption.

"And the remnant of Ya’akov shall be in the midst of many peoples -- like dew sent by YHVH, like torrents of rain upon vegetation that does not hope for any man and does not wait for the sons of men." The prophet describes how YHVH will remove the idols and sorcerers and how He will destroy the Childre of Israel's enemies.

The prophet Micah then goes on to rebuke the people for not observing YHVH's commandments, calling as witness the "mountains and hills" -- a reference to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs -- and reminding them of the great things YHVH had done for them. He took them out of Egypt and replaced the curses that Balaam son of Beor wanted to utter against them with blessings.

The Jewish people respond by saying that they do not know how to serve YHVH and ask for guidance. The prophet reminds them of the Torah, and that all they need to do is contained within it: "He has told you, O man, what is good, and what YHVH demands of you: but to do justice, love kindness, and walk discreetly with YHVH."

Micah's opening prophecy presents an idyllic time when Israel's needs will be met without the need to rely on others. Israel itself will be considered both blessed and feared by those around it because God will be the source of their strength. (5:6-8) That which follows in Micah's message seems strange: "In that day, declares the Lord, I will destroy the horses in your midst and wreck your chariots. I will destroy the cities of your land and demolish all of your fortresses. I will destroy the sorcery you practice, and you shall have no more soothsayers. I will destroy your idols and the sacred pillars in your midst; and no more shall you bow down to the works of your hands. I will tear down the sacred posts in your midst and destroy your cities." (9-14) These verses appear, at first glance, to be a punishment, but actually their intention is exactly the opposite. The essence of their message is that in idyllic times, there will be no need to depend on anybody or anything other than YHVH. Weapons will be unnecessary, as will fortified cities. Security will be insured and as a consequence, human beings will shed the insecurity which leads them to dependence on false things. This interpretation, which appears to be the correct one, is not without its difficulties. In particular, commentators seem to have had trouble seeing how a number of these promises were really blessing and developed creative interpretations to fit the difficult promises into this particular interpretation. Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra (13th century Spain felt compelled to explain how removing the wall from a walled city (10) was a blessing since it endangered the inhabitants of the city. He explained that YHVH would bring peace in order that the city dwellers would be able to enjoy fresh air instead of the stuffiness caused by the city walls. Similarly, other commentators found difficulty in the last promise – that "[YHVH would] destroy your cities" since, in part, this seems redundant and it also seems the most difficult to understand as a blessing. Already, Targum Yonatan, the Aramaic translation of the Prophets (7th century), attempted to rectify these difficulties by translating this phrase: "I will destroy your enemies" after finding a reference where the word "eer" means enemy. Ultimately, YHVH's promises in Micah's prophecy remain a profound reminder that the world should be a better place where insecurity will be replaced by Divine guidance, where human weakness will be replaced by divinely inspired assurance and where belief in YHVH will hopefully lead to building the kind of world that would make Him proud.

One might assume that this haftara was chosen because it recalls Balaam, but it's the last verse of the haftara that provides the more interesting connections between the parasha and the haftara.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Chukat - the Haftara

2009-06-25T20:24:00.001+03:00

Chukat - the Haftara
Judges 11:1-33
Reading date: 27th June 2009 – 5th Tammuz 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

“Japheth swore an oath to YHVH: 'If You deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from the Ammonites shall be YHVH's, and I shall offer it as a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30-31)

Humility before YHVH must be the starting point.

For the last few weeks, we have been out of sync with the Diaspora but with this week's combined portion of Chukat-Balak, we are all now 'back on the same page,' so to speak. When these portions are combined, the haftara of Balak, a prophecy from Micah is read. We read the Haftara for Chukat this year- the story of Japheth “Yiftach”.

The introductory image of dew makes me feel like this would be a fitting haftara for Moses' final poem recorded in the portion Haazinu, which begins: May my discourse come down as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, Like showers on young growth, Like droplets on the grass (Deut. 32:2). But Micah's prophecy connects to our portion as well. Besides the explicit reference to Bilaam (or Balaam) and Balak, king of Moab (Micah 6:5), the haftarah ends with the answer to the question of 'what is good' ‘mah tov’, echoing Bilaam's famous speech: ‘mah tovu’. (which begins the morning prayer service).

Micah lived around the time of the prophet Isaiah (8th century BCE) in a small town of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed, and now the Assyrians threatened the southern kingdom of Judah. The prophets believed that social injustice was at the root cause of this political/ military calamity, and that ethical living could reverse the fortunes of the Israelites.

The earliest source for there being 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah is brought in the name of R. Simlai (Makkot 23b). There, the number seems to be derived from 365 negative commandments (don't do this...) corresponding to the days of the year, and 248 positive commandments (do this...) corresponding to the number of body parts (as counted by the rabbis). Rav Hamnuna explains that the number is derived from the gematria of the word Torah which is 611 (400+200+6+5) plus the first two (of the ten) commandments that were given directly by YHVH to the Israelites.

The whole concept is somewhat controversial, and although many Midrashim refer to this number, it is an 'aggadic' (ie. midrashic) device as opposed to a legal, halachic category (such as the 39 categories of work on Shabbat- see below). A number of different lists of the 613 mitzvot exist (Rambam, Ramban, etc.) which suggests that there actually are more than 613. Additionally, although we still refer to ‘Taryag mitzvot’ (in Hebrew gematria the number 613 is written as 'tuf-reish-yod-gimel'), today, many of the mitzvot are no longer in force since the Temple has been destroyed and sacrifices are no longer made. In addition, no one person could ever fulfill all the mitzvot, as some can only be performed by exclusive and incompatible categories, such as the Cohen Gadol or the king, priests or lay Israelites, men or women, etc.
On the other hand, even a fragment of the 613 balloons out to an enormous number of smaller rules and more specific prohibitions. So, for example, the one mitzvah of 'not working on Shabbat' is clarified in the Mishnah to refer to 39 types of 'work' (melachah) which are then further subdivided into a myriad of further restrictions. The Gaon of Vilna expresses this point of view:

“The mitzvot are thus multitudinous beyond enumeration, to the point that one
who has a discerning eye and an understanding heart can conduct every detail of
his behavior and affairs, both great and small, according to the Torah and the
mitzvot. One is then able to fulfill the mitzvot at every time and every moment
beyond enumeration. The 613 mitzvot mentioned are only roots, but they spread
forth into many branches. Which of them are roots and which of them are branches
is actually a matter that is concealed from us. However, there is no need to
know this because every mitzvah and every utterance of the Torah includes the
entire Torah and all the mitzvot, their principles, their details and their fine
points.”

At the same time, there exists an opposite trend in rabbinic thought, to try and reduce the number of rules. Instead of memorizing a page of physics' formulas, if you know the basic principles going into the exam, you can generate the whole page. Similarly, if we could reduce the 613, or thousands of rules into a few principles, wouldn't that be great?! And so in the passage of Makkot (24b), R. Simlai continues: King David reduced the number to 11 (Psalm 15), Isaiah condensed the number to six (Is. 33:15-17) and Micah, in probably one of the most famous and quotes verses from the prophets, compressed the number to three: "It has been told you O mortal, what is good, and what Adonai requires of you-- only this: to do justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." (6:8). (The passage continues, reducing the Torah to two and even one (Habakuk 2:4).

There is a tension between these two directions represented by the Vilna Gaon (every detail is a mitzvah) on the one hand, and R. Simlai's reduction of Torah to a single principle on the other. Many orthodox prefer the former approach while early reformers were attracted to the latter view. They agreed with the prophets' criticism of external observance accompanied by unethical behavior, and the emphasis on social justice over ritual. Micah's threefold summary emphasizes justice, loving-kindness and inward piety.

The usual translation of our haftara’s final verse reflects biblical poetry: 'It has been told you O mortal what is good' parallels the second phrase, 'and what Adonai requires of you.' But the subject of the first phrase is not clear. The verse could also be translated: Mortals have told you what is good, BUT what does Adonai require of you. The modern thinker Rosenzweig sees the first two (as yet, unaccomplished) goals of justice and goodness as 'works in progress.' We can't work for justice or be committed to acts of loving-kindness without walking humbly before YHVH.

In our society we may be constantly bombarded with messages of "what is good", but humility before YHVH must be the starting point.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Korach - the Haftara

2009-06-18T20:04:00.001+03:00

Korach - the Haftara
1 Samuel 11:14-12:22
Reading date: 20th June 2009 – 14th Sivan 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
"Hineni [Here I am]! Testify against me, in the presence of Adonai and in the present of God's anointed one [Saul]: Whose ox have I taken, or whose as have I taken? Whom have I defrauded or whom have I robbed? From whom have I taken a bribe to look the other way? I will return it to you."I Samuel 12:3

Our answer to YHVH's call should be: 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.'

In many of the parashiyot that we have seen so far, the connections between Torah and haftara portions have been obvious. This week, the connections are much subtler. Our story from the book of Samuel, (Samuel's opposition to appointing a king over Israel) at first glance is quite dissimilar to the narrative of Korach's rebellion. True, the issues of leadership are a common motif. Korach challenges Moses' leadership and Samuel considers the Israelites' desire for a king to be challenging YHVH's leadership. By choosing a [mortal] king, he worries that they are betraying the Almighty. He warns them that they, together with their king, must continue to obey Him and follow in His ways.

There exists a clear linguistic link between the two selections. Samuel defends his honor and denies any wrongdoing of taking bribes: "whose ass have I taken" which echoes Moses' rebuttal to the rebels Datan and Aviram, "I have not taken the ass of any one of them..." (Num. 16:15).
The books of Samuel and Kings were originally all one continuous narrative, but because of their length, they were later divided into four volumes: I & II Samuel, and I & II Kings. The books of Samuel are part of the Early Prophets. Unlike the books of the Torah, the names of these books are taken from the [first] central character. The book of Samuel centers around three central characters: Samuel, Saul and David.

Samuel is a Nazerite from birth (like Samson, but we don't hear any stories of him having superhuman strength!). Samuel functioned as the last of the judges and the first of the prophets. Samuel (c. 1070 BCE) anoints Saul as the first king of Israel.

The book of Samuel describes the transition of the Israelites from a loose confederacy of tribes into a united monarchy. The book of Samuel concludes with the end of David's reign (961 BCE). Jewish tradition is ambivalent about the idea of a king; the books of Samuel and Kings reflect both pro- and anti-monarchy sentiments.

Possibly, the Rabbis choice of this haftara was to compare Samuel to Moses. Like Moses, Samuel is a major character of the Bible, and both these central figures function as in the dual roles of judge and prophet. Both are called 'ish ha-elohim' (Deut. 33:1; I Sam. 9:7). They are mentioned together in Psalms: Moses and Aaron among YHVH's priests, Samuel, among those who call on YHVH's name... (Ps. 99:6a). Moses appears in four of the five books of the Torah, like Samuel, who appears in the (now four) volumes of Samuel and Kings.

Adding Samuel to the Korach narrative, allows us to compare the leadership styles of three central characters: Moses, Korach, and Samuel. Korach is the self-appointed leader. He is described as challenging Moses and ultimately YHVH's authority. Clearly, Korach had too much ego. He thought he knew what the problem was and how to solve it, even if no one asked him. Like Korach, sometimes we are guilty of having too much ego.

Moses, on the other hand, almost refused to listen to YHVH's call. Moses is the reluctant leader. When Moses encounters God at the burning bush, he comes up with several excuses as to why he shouldn't be chosen. I am reminded of the shamash (beadle, or caretaker) who is moved during the penitential prayers of the High Holy Days, and says, 'Oh God, I am a gornisht, a nothing." At which point, the president of the shul elbows the rabbi, and in a sarcastic tone, asks, "'Look who's also a 'nothing'?!" Like the shamash, we are sometimes too humble. The danger of being too modest is that we don't have the courage to challenge injustice. Instead we believe that we are too weak to effect change, saying, 'Who are we to change...'

So how do we find a healthy balance between Moses and Korach? I think Samuel represents the middle ground. Unlike Korach he has no vested political interests; he does not support the monarchy, because he himself wants to be king. Although like Moses, Samuel prays on behalf of the Israelites, he is also prepared to chastise them. He threatens them with rain (rain during the wheat harvest would have destroyed the wheat crop). But most of all, the lesson he teaches us, is how to respond to YHVH's call.

Instead of the reluctance shown by Moses, when YHVH first calls, Samuel's answer (like Abraham), is Hineni, I am here/ [ready]. Samuel then continues, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening' (I Sam. 3:10). We should not be like Korach, who assumes that he has the authority of YHVH, nor like Moses, who believes that he is unworthy. We should be always open to listening so we will hear YHVH's voice. Then, our answer should be 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.''

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Shelach Lecha - the Haftara

2009-06-11T22:48:00.001+03:00

Shelach Lecha - the Haftara
Joshua 2:1-24
Reading date: 13th June 2009 – 14th Sivan 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara text

"Now, since I have shown loyalty to you, swear to me by Adonai that you in turn will show loyalty to my family. Provide me with a reliable sign..."Joshua 2: 12

The signs to enter YHVH's Promised Land and see His Presence may be found in surprising places!

In this week's parasha, Shelach Lecha, we read of the disastrous episode of the spies sent to scout out the land of Israel. It is this lack of faith and gratitude that sentences the Israelites to wander in the desert for 38 [more] years. In a parallel account, (hence its choice by the Rabbis for this week) the haftara provides closure: Joshua similarly sends two spies, and this time the mission is successful.

Besides the obvious connection to the book of Numbers' spy story, the haftara has a number of parallels to other narratives in Torah. The crimson thread connects this narrative also to the birth of Perez and Zerach (Gen. 38), the sons of Tamar. Like Rahab, Tamar was a Canaanite woman who used sexual seduction to secure safety for her herself and her family. The crimson thread that identifies Rahab's house and protects her and her family is reminiscent of the blood on the doorposts that protected the Israelites in Egypt. (Parenthetically, the 'crimson thread' that identified the harlot's house is said to be the original 'red light' district.) Finally, Rahab's bravery lying to the king about the spies' whereabouts calls to mind the midwives who similarly risk their lives when confronted by Pharaoh. Interestingly, Rahab actually explicitly refers to the Exodus narrative as one of the things she knows about the Israelites' God.

The book of Joshua is the first book of the section of Prophets, and continues chronologically from the death of Moses. Joshua succeeds Moses and is the military leader who invades and conquers Canaan. Joshua lived around 1200 BCE (the beginning of the Iron Age).
Rahab is a fascinating character. The Hebrew root of her name: (resh, het, bet) means 'wide' or 'spacious'. The word frequently appears with the former meaning when dimensions such as 50 cubits wide are listed (Noah's Ark, and the Ark of the Covenant). The latter meaning is given as the etymology of the city Rehovot. After several disputes over wells between the herdsmen of Gerar and the herdsmen of Isaac, they dug another well that they didn't fight over, and they named the place Rehovot, for "now at last Adonai has granted us ample space to increase in the land." (Gen. 26:22). The Bible uses the phrase, rehov ha'ir, which probably refers to the centre, open area of the city (like the Roman forum). In Modern Hebrew, the word rehov means street. Appropriately enough, Rahab 'worked the street.'

Rahab is identified as a 'zonah - prostitute' which lends an almost comic quality to the story. One tradition recorded in the Babylonian Talmud goes even further, and describes her as the Marilyn Monroe of the Bible- just saying her name can make men go crazy (Megillah 15b). Generally, however, the Rabbis try to recast Rahab; (following Rashi) that ‘zonah’ refers to being an innkeeper, like 'birkat hamazon'- the grace after meals. Some midrashim go even further and make Rahab into a righteous convert like Ruth, since she says, "Adonai your God is God in heaven above and here on earth" (Josh. 2:12).

This is surprising, because in the Bible, prostitution is often paired with idolatry, which is described as literally, whoring after other gods. The remedy for such idolatrous prostitution is found at the conclusion of our parasha, where, instead of 'looking' after false gods, we are commanded to look at the tzitzit (blue threads): "You shall look at it and recall all the commandments of Adonai and observe them so that you do not follow your heart and eyes whoring after them" (Num. 15:39). The word to 'follow' is ‘taturu’, the same verb used to describe the 'spying' of the scouts: ‘latur et ha'aretz’ (it even sounds like the English: tour!). Rashi comments: the eyes and heart are the bodies' spies.

The lesson of the spies' mission gone horribly wrong is that they focused on the wrong things. Rabbi Lawrence Kushner (liberally adapting the midrash of Shmot Rabbah 24:1) describes the experience of two Israelites, Reuven and Shimon at the greatest miracle, the splitting of the sea:
"What is this muck?"Shimon scowled, "There's mud all over the place!""This is just like the slime pits of Egypt!" replied Reuven."What's the difference?" complained Shimon. "Mud here, mud there; it's all the same."... For Reuven and Shimon the miracle never happened.

In addition to this theme of prostitution / spying, the motif of looking at a particular colored thread also connects the Torah and haftara portions. In the haftara too, the spies are told to look for a red cord. The red string is a sign, 'ot' which serves as an ironic reminder that the Israelites disregarded the 'ot' the very signs that the Almighty had performed: "How long will this people spurn Me, and how long will they have no faith in Me despite all the signs ‘otot’ that I have performed in their midst? (Num. 14:22). In the Rahab narrative, the red thread becomes a sign of loyalty, the very opposite of prostitution.

It seems that even earth-shattering miracles are no guarantee that our lives will be filled with the Almighty’s presence. Perhaps we have to look for Hiss signs in more subtle ways. Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute is an unlikely hero. Yet it was Rahab who had the faith in the Almighty that the Israelites themselves hadn't demonstrated, and helped them keep their eyes open.
To enter the Promised Land, we have to be prepared to see the Almighty’s Presence, and the signs may be found in surprising places!

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Beha'alotcha - the Haftara

2009-06-03T19:33:00.002+03:00

Beha’alotcha - the Haftara
Zechariah 2:14-4:7
Reading date: 6th June 2009 – 14th Sivan 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
"He said to me: What do you see? I said: I see a lamp stand all of gold with a bowl on its top; there are seven lamps on it, and on its top there are seven pipes for the lamps. By it are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl, and the other on its left.” Zechariah 4:2-3

The menorah is a symbol of the Jewish people's faith that has endured.

This is the only passage from the book of Zechariah chosen for the Haftarot. Zechariah's vision of the menorah connects the haftara to the Torah's description of the golden menorah. This passage was also chosen by the Rabbis to be read on the Shabbat of Chanukah as well. The Rabbis deliberately play down the Maccabees military victory by choosing Zechariah's vision: "Not by might, not by power, but by My spirit."

The prophet describes our restoration to the land, here described uniquely as ‘admat kodesh’, 'Holy Land.' The term “Holy Land”, is a Christian title for the Land of Israel but Israelis usually call it, ‘Ha'aretz’ (The Land). Zechariah's vision of peace (inviting each other to the "shade of grapevines and fig trees"), not only includes YHVH dwelling in our midst, but many nations recognizing YHVH and becoming one of His people.

In 586 BCE, the first Temple of Solomon was destroyed and the Jews had been exiled to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar. After his defeat at the hands of Cyrus (539 BCE) Cyrus allowed the exiled Jews to return. Although they encountered adverse economic and political conditions, construction was completed in four years. Zechariah lived during the reign of Cyrus's successor, Darius I. The 'Jewish province' of Babylonia (Yehud) was led by the governor Zerubavel (a descendant from the House of David) and the High Priest Joshua.

We know little about Zechariah's personal life, except for the name of his father Berachiah, and grandfather, Ido. The book is difficult, with a clear distinction between chapter 8 and 9, leading some scholars to suggest that it is the work of two individuals.

The Temple, Jerusalem, and the land of Israel were central to the ancient Israelites. The original exiles believed that they had been exiled from YHVH's presence. While the captors taunted the Israelites: "Sing us a song of Zion," their response was, "How can we sing Adonai's song on foreign soil?" Although later, the Rabbis indeed imagine that YHVH too was exiled along with the Jewish people, the original idea is that the Almighty was rooted to the land.

Zechariah's vision (and reassuring message to Zerubavel the appointed governor), not only promises that Adonai will restore the Jewish people back to the land, but that the Almighty will reside among them. The Hebrew (shachanti betocheich) echoes the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and Ex. 25:8. If we are not in the land, we are disconnected from YHVH. (Contrast this with the fact that although our connection to the land has remained central, much (most?) of the ‘Nation of Israel’ has developed on foreign soil: the Exodus, Sinai, and the development of the Talmud.)
Although Solomon builds the First Temple, the permanent replacement for the portable Mishkan, the Almighty’s love affair with Solomon is short-lived. Ultimately Solomon disappoints: he builds shrines to the gods of the two most hated enemies of Israel, the Moabites and the Ammonites (I Kings 11:7). The fragile united kingdom of Solomon's monarchy falls apart, and the long list of kings of Israel and kings of Judah are not favored by YHVH. How many kings (besides Saul, David and Solomon) can the average person name? Who knows Asa, Jehoshaphat, Ahaziah, Yoram? Instead of political authority, the central biblical figures in this era are the prophets. Contrast the little known kings with our familiarity with Elijah, Isaiah, Amos. YHVH's authority rests with those who speak with His voice. Kings, Temples, even the land do not guarantee fulfilling His destiny. The Bible focuses its attention from secular leaders and political power to a new kind of religious voice.

In the words of archaeologist, Avner Goren,
"God relates to us on two levels: the level of faith and belief, and the level of nationality and being a people. As a nation, you need land. But as a religion, you do not. ... Moses is the most central figure of the religion, even though he never sets foot on the land. David and Solomon are the greatest leaders of the nation, but they are moral degenerates and disappointments to the Almighty. The lesson of the second half of the Bible is that physical land, political power, even the Temple, are not the ends for YHVH's people. Following His Torah is the goal."
Israel Mattuck would agree: "In the ancient world a 'nation' comprised a religion, political unity and often common descent. For the Prophets, religion had the central place in the Hebrew nation. All their thought about Israel has to be understood in the light of their belief that it was a people of religion."

Although we mourn the destruction of the Temple, and our people's exile to Babylon, it was there, with the prophets, that the tribal and cultic practices of a small band of Israelites were transformed into the universal and ethical beliefs of the Jewish religion, and what we would call Judaism was born. Zechariah's final image is the menorah flanked by two olive trees (now Israel's official emblem). Like the eternal flame, it is a symbol of the Jewish people's faith that has endured.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Naso - the Hafatar

2009-05-28T14:48:00.001+03:00

Parashat Naso - the Haftara
Judges 13:2-25
Reading date: 30th May 2009 – 7th Sivan 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
"Take care not to drink wine or beer, or eat anything unclean, for you shall soon be pregnant, and give birth to a boy. His hair is never to be cut, because from the womb he is YHVH's Nazerite; he will begin to liberate Israel from the hand of the Philistines." Judges 13:4-5

The person who chooses their own destiny has true strength.

Probably one of the most famous figures from the book of Judges is Samson, the hero of the haftara read this week. The haftara tells of his birth and the instructions for him to be a Nazerite from birth. This is the connection to the Torah portion that details the prohibition against drinking intoxicants (as well as grape products including raisins) and not cutting one's hair. (It is not cutting his hair that gives him his super-human strength.)

The Samson narratives read like the Hercules' myth. Samson is the strong (but not particularly bright) tragic hero. The haftara only describes the announcement of his birth (with parallels to other earlier patriarchs). Later in the story, Samson falls in love with Delilah. The names have significance: Samson's Hebrew name ‘Shimshon’ is derived from the word for ‘shemesh’, sun, while the word 'lailah' (night) would have been heard by the biblical listener for his nemesis Delilah. The origins of Delilah are not clear; some suggest that the name comes from ‘dal’ (weak or poor); others relate the word to an Arabic term for prostitute. Notwithstanding baby books explanations that the name means 'delicate, amorous' the name Delilah has become synonymous with a treacherous and cunning woman. To further reinforce the idea of Delilah's power to undo Samson, she is from the valley of Sorek, which refers to a choice grapevine. Delilah is a woman of wine!

Here we have the beginnings of the conflict between Israel and the Philistines. This powerful enemy lived on the coast of Israel. The ancient Israelites (unlike today who mainly populate the coastal regions of the country, except for Jerusalem and a few isolated urban areas) lived mostly in the foothills. The Israelite struggle with the Philistines continued until David vanquished Goliath, the most famous Philistine.

The name Philistine was adopted by the Romans to refer to that strip of land in the Middle East, the origin of the English word: Palestine. The Philistines were a highly advanced urban society: they had iron which gave them weapons and chariots. Compared to them, the Israelites, coming from the desert, were country boys. The name Philistine became synonymous with 'enemy' and German students used the term to refer to non-academics. Ironically, its usage entered the English language to mean any person with no culture or sophistication.

The Torah describes individuals who take a 'vow' to be a Nazir, but the obvious connection to the Haftara (nazir-Samson) also highlights an important difference: Samson does not choose to be a Nazerite. In fact, Samson is the only Nazerite from birth. The Torah's Nazerite is an individual who chooses deliberately to serve YHVH (for a limited period of time).

Today there are those contemplating placing their destiny alongside the Nation of Israel. While people are being prepared for this step, and there is a lot of preparation to be done, they could be known as converts. Once they have completed the learning process and have become fully familiarized with what it means to be a part of the Nation, they are no longer referred to as converts but are a fully fledged member of the Nation. They are 100% Israelite.
I once attended a synagogue where the rabbi, wanting to impress upon the bar mitzvah boy the significance of the day, said that on this day the boy was 'choosing' Judaism. In his remarks, he said that he was a 'Jew by choice.' I remember thinking, 'Wow, I never knew that the Rabbi had converted to Judaism?!' Of course he hadn't. His point was that in today's society, we are all 'Jews by choice.' We all have the choice (unlike our ancestors) to actively live an observant lifestyle or not.

For the most part, today this ability to choose has been a disadvantage. Most people, particularly Jews take their birthright for granted. How many of us would 'choose' to be Jewish, if we weren't born that way? Our parasha (for the second time) records a census: stand up and be counted. Too many Jews today do not choose to be counted. We don't have to choose to be Nazerites, but we should demonstrate that we have chosen Torah.

Yes, Samson had powerful muscles from his birthright, but it is the person who chooses their own destiny that has true strength.

Shabbat Shalom

Hag Shavuot

2009-05-28T14:45:00.001+03:00

Hag HaShavuot

Reading date: 29th May 2009 – 6th Sivan 5769

The Festival of Shavuot or "Weeks," is one of the Shalosh Regalim (Exodus 23:14); one of the three main pilgrimage festivals. It comes at the end of the seven-times-seven (a "week of weeks") cycle of the Omer, which begins on the second day of Pesach.

The Festival of Shavuot is something of an oddity. Not only is it not assigned to a specific date, but there is no real explanation given in Torah as to the meaning of the day, nor how it is to be observed ritually. In Biblical times, the period of counting seven weeks marked the transition from the very first grain crop (barley) of early spring (at Pesach) to the beginning of the summer grain (wheat) harvest (at Shavuot). Thus names for Shavuot given in the Torah are Chag Ha-Katzir - the Festival of the Harvest - and Chag Ha-Bikkurim - the Festival of the First Fruits (Cf. Exodus 23:14-19; Leviticus 23:9-22). The day is identified as a holy occasion, to be observed as a Sabbath, and specific sacrificial offerings are to be brought to the Temple. But beyond that, there is no special ritual prescribed (like Matza on Pesach or Lulav and Etrog on Sukkot).
These agricultural roots (so to speak) of Shavuot probably sufficed for the agrarian society of ancient Israel while they lived in the Promised Land. But they didn't really allow for a meaningful holiday for Jews once they were outside the Land of Israel, where farming was on a different cycle and there was no Temple to which one could bring the seasonal offerings. In exile, Jews were left with a commanded festival with no apparent meaning. But tradition abhors a vacuum. So what inherent meaning could be found for Shavuot?

The meaning of Shavuot became apparent after considering the relationship of Shavuot with Pesach and Sukkot. All are Biblically commanded festivals. All have an agricultural connection, assigned to a specific harvest season. But Pesach and Sukkot both have historical associations as well. Pesach commemorates the Exodus and the liberation from Egyptian bondage. Sukkot, and the dwelling in the Sukkah, recall the Israelite's experience while wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. So, the sages assumed, Shavuot must fit into this paradigm as well. But how? Well, 50 days after leaving Egypt, and before they set out to wander in the desert, the Israelites found themselves camped out at the base of Mt. Sinai, awaiting the revelation of God's teachings. And so, in this historical sequence, Shavuot naturally became associated with an extraordinary and significant event: the revelation of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai. While Shavuot had no 'historical' event associated with it in the Torah, and the event of Revelation had no holiday to mark it, it was, as Tevye would say, 'a perfect match.' Conveniently, since Revelation and Shavuot both do not have an actual date in the Torah (Shavuot is only 50 days from after Passover, with some creative counting, the Rabbis were able to determine that Revelation coincides with Shavuot. See Arthur Waskow's Seasons of our Joy for a full detailed explanation.) The Rabbis had a vested interest in this transformation as well. They saw themselves as the legitimate heirs to the Temple and priestly leadership. Instead of sacrifices, Torah learning must be at the centre. How could there not be a holiday to acknowledge the giving of the Torah?
The sages came to refer to Shavuot as Z'man Matan Toratenu- The Time of the Giving of our Torah. As the anniversary of revelation, Shavuot evolved into a celebration of Torah. In the synagogue, the account of the revelation at Sinai and the Ten Commandments are read as part of the service. Among Ashkenazi Jews, a custom also developed associating the Megilat Ruth- the Book of Ruth with Shavuot. There are a number of links that make this an appropriate text. Particularly, the setting of the story is at the harvest time, and Ruth's joining to the Nation is seen as analogous to the Israelite's acceptance of the covenant at Sinai. In addition, King David, who tradition teaches was born and died on Shavuot, is identified in the book as being descended from Ruth.

Another popular custom, which originated with the Jewish mystics in Tsfat in the sixteenth century, is the practice of staying up all through the night of Shavuot studying Torah. This practice, called a Tikkun Leil Shavuot is based on a Midrash that explains that the Israelites slept late on the morning of the revelation at Sinai, and thus almost missed the giving of Torah. By staying up all night, we atone for this lapse of our ancestors, and demonstrate our appreciation of revelation and our eagerness to recommit ourselves again and again to Torah.

Rituals and Customs
There is a custom on Shavuot to eat dairy foods, such as cheese blintzes (or nowadays, cheesecake). This custom is of uncertain origin; perhaps it is an ancient echo of the agricultural seasons when in the early summer the calves and kids would be old enough to wean, so there would be plenty of milk for the farmers. Another explanation suggests that Torah is like milk and honey (see Song of Songs 4:11).

There is a beautiful Sephardic custom of erecting a chuppa (bridal canopy) over the lectern on which Torah is read on Shavuot and honoring recently married couples. The custom extends from the notion that Shavuot is like a wedding between YHVH (the groom) and Israel (the bride), with Torah serving as the Ketubah- (marriage contract). Special Shavuot ketubot are also written and read.

It has often been asked why Shavuot is known as "the season of the giving of our Torah," when perhaps it's more important for us to recall that not only did YHVH give Torah to Israel, but that we freely accepted and committed ourselves to it. Shavuot, then, becomes not only Z'man Matan Toratenu - the time of the giving of our Torah, but also Z'man Kabbalat Toratenu - the time of the accepting of our Torah. The giving of Torah is an historical event that happened just once. But the acceptance of Torah by individuals is a continual process that happens every day, anytime a person makes a decision based on Torah values, wholeheartedly recites a prayer, or makes a conscious effort to better the world. Each and every experience of our lives provides us with a new context to learn and understand Torah and put it into action in our lives. This is progressive revelation. We were given Torah just once, thus allowing for this yearly anniversary of Shavuot. But we "accept" Torah continually, allowing us to live a renewed life every day.

D’var Torah: 'The Nature of Shavuot'
Tonight's celebration of Tikkun Leyl Shavuot begins the Torah's harvest festival of Hag Hakatzir also known as Hag Habikurim, the festival of first fruits. Shavuot, like all three pilgrimage festivals, began as an agricultural holiday. Passover celebrated the barley harvest of spring, Shavuot--the wheat and first fruits of early summer, and Sukkot--the final harvest of autumn. But Shavuot is something of an oddity because it lacks the historical component of Sukkot and Passover. According to the Torah, the harvest booths also commemorate the wandering of our ancestors in the wilderness, and the ceremonial food of matza reminds us of our slavery and our redemption from Egypt.

There is no explanation given in the Torah as to the meaning or historical significance of Shavuot, nor how it is to be observed ritually. That is why there is nothing we really have to 'do' on Shavuot. There is nothing we 'have to' eat, like the ritual food of matza. Yes, eating dairy foods is customary, but it is a tradition more like latkes or hamantashen. It is not a prescribed ritual like shaking the lulav. The Torah simply commands us to count fifty days from Passover (the exact start day is unclear) and offer a special sacrifice of two loaves of bread.
Shavuot is not assigned a specific date in the Torah. The sages reasoned that surely Shavuot must fit into the same paradigm as the other two biblical festivals of Sukkot and Pesach, and also must have a historical component. The Rabbis further saw themselves as the legitimate heirs to the Temple and priestly leadership. Instead of sacrifices, Torah learning must be at the centre. How could there not be a holiday to acknowledge the giving of the Torah?

Now remarkably, the giving of the Torah (or more precisely- the giving of the Ten Commandments) has no holiday associated with it! (The Rabbis conveniently blur the distinction between the Giving of the Ten Commandments with the Giving of the Two Stone Tablets with the Giving of the Torah- although all three are separate events.) Depending on when you start counting, Shavuot can fall on different days (luckily the actual start date according to the Torah is somewhat ambiguous). To make this work, Shavuot was determined to fall on the sixth day of the third month, (Sivan) by counting fifty days from the second day of Passover. And using some creative reckoning, the Rabbis were able to calculate that the theophany of Sinai coincided with the sixth day of the third month, transforming Shavuot from a holiday wholly rooted in the world of nature into the commemoration of a 'historical' event and the most abstract and cerebral of our holidays: 'Zman matan Torateinu, the holiday of Giving the Torah.' Since three months after leaving Egypt, and before they set out to wander in the desert, the Israelites found themselves camped out at the base of Mt. Sinai, awaiting the revelation of YHVH's teachings, the Rabbis were able to determine that Revelation coincides with Shavuot. While Shavuot had no 'historical' event associated with it in the Torah, and the event of Revelation had no holiday to mark it, and both do not have actual dates in the Torah, it was, as Tevye would say, 'a perfect match.'

Shavuot becomes the 'historical' holiday of Revelation and its transformation from holiday of nature to holiday of Torah was complete, and not a moment too soon. The agricultural roots (so to speak) of Shavuot probably sufficed for the agrarian society of ancient Israel while they lived in the Promised Land; they didn't really allow for a meaningful holiday for Jews once they were outside the Land of Israel, where farming was on a different cycle and there was no Temple to which one could bring the seasonal offerings. In exile, the agricultural holiday of Shavuot would have withered on the vine. (Parenthetically, in Israel, some kibbutzim tried to revive the natural, harvest theme of the holiday.) Like much of Judaism and modern, urban life, Shavuot became severed from its natural roots. Together with losing our connection to the land of Israel, we have become disconnected from the natural world.

Judaism has a deep respect for nature, and sees nature as YHVH's handiwork. And tradition commands us to respect and guard the environment and natural resources. But we do not worship nature. According to the Torah, YHVH is the creator of the natural world (and this is but one reason we should take good care of it). At the same time, the Torah reflects a discomfort with nature that may have originally been to distance itself from older pagan religious traditions. It is not nature itself that is somehow unwelcome in our belief, but the sacralization of nature that is often found in pantheism (that all of nature and the universe itself are worthy of religious reverence). While we might see YHVH in nature, YHVH is not nature. The Torah makes a clear distinction between YHVH and nature that is often blurred by many of us who see the Divine in the wonder of nature. Nature is for many of us an opening to sense the awe and majesty of creation. Usually the more we learn about the natural world around us, the more we are deeply moved by its beauty, complexity, variety and order. Notwithstanding Judaism's ambivalence, we still feel that nature connects us to the Divine, like at the Grand Canyon, or when contemplating the night sky. But do we learn religious lessons from nature?

If I can paraphrase Rabbi Heschel's description of Shabbat, when we turn from the world of Creation to the Creation of the world, should we return to Shavuot's origins as an agricultural holiday, and turn from the Nature of Revelation to the Revelation of Nature? The Revelation of Nature is often called Natural Theology, and refers to what we can learn about YHVH from the natural world, without recourse to revealed texts. Surely creation reveals YHVH as much as the Bible. Isn't nature a kind of book that YHVH has written? The most famous and often quoted example of Natural Theology describes YHVH as a kind of cosmic watchmaker. The early nineteenth century theologian Rev. William Paley wrote that someone crossing a heath and finding a brass watch with all its finely machined cogs and gears would conclude that the complexity of its design points to the existence of a watchmaker (Natural Theology, 1802). Paley saw the intricate design of life as proof of the Creator and proponents of Creationism, now re-christened 'Intelligent Design' still try to use this argument. Two thousand years earlier the rabbis used a similar analogy: if we see a palace, we assume the existence of an architect.
Today, however, instead of instilling religious wonder, the appreciation of nature's intricacies has become the domain of science. And even though at some point in the career of every scientist there comes a moment of wonder on the encounter with yet another seeming miracle of life, such awe is not a welcome part of science. Natural theology has largely been discredited. Fifty years after Paley, Charles Darwin guessed otherwise and explained that evolution worked by descent with modification through random variation and natural selection. Richard Dawkins' rebuttal, titled 'The Blind Watchmaker' argues that there is in fact no need for a designer. Work in the fields of emergent complexity, chaos theory and evolutionary biology are determining more and more how life has created 'something from nothing.' Of course, proving that there is no need to believe in YHVH doesn't prove that there is no YHVH. But it certainly makes you think. If the world is not a product of 'directed' design as neo-Darwinists argue, and YHVH is not the designer, is there no plan? Are we accidents of history? Does the universe have no meaning? As Elisha ben Avuya, the Talmud's most famous apostate decided, 'There is no Judge, and there is no justice.' I understand that I don't have to believe that YHVH created the world, but I have to believe in YHVH if there is to be morality.

Better to rely on Torah than our study of the natural world, warned a 19th century orthodox rabbi: Even though in truth it were better for us to strive to know YHVH through the wonders of nature, in any event, were the weakness of our understanding not enough, whoever depended solely on this route, is in danger of stumbling, and falling into the trap of denying the belief in a Creation at all, and other true beliefs; ... [for] "the words of the Living YHVH are more trustworthy than the testimony of earth and heaven."

Although the study of Torah can deepen our appreciation of the natural world, meditating on the natural world may not always bring us to a deeper understanding of Torah or of the Creator. On Shabbat we remember two themes: zikaron lema'aseh breishit, Creation and zecher liy'tzi'at mitzrayim, the Exodus and the Revelation at Sinai. Like Shabbat, Shavuot needs these two poles. Religion without nature often places humanity apart from nature (or at the centre of creation). Nature without religion has no moral compass. This is why the Nature of Shavuot is not enough. We also need the revelation of Torah. This is the message of Shavuot. That there are answers to the questions: What is the right way to live? Does my life have meaning? How can I have a relationship with the Divine?

Nature and religion need each other. Our challenge is to bridge nature and religion not with Natural Theology, but with what Ian Barbour has called a theology of nature. We must ask how a scientific view of nature is related to the divine as understood from the religious experience of a historical community. Like Barbour, we must try to navigate a middle ground that finds a spiritual message within a scientific approach. Our new worldview must be evolutionary, historical, and emergent. How does this affect our theology? YHVH is no longer directing history. Quantum indeterminacy and undirected mutations means that YHVH is the source not only of order but also of novelty. Creation is no longer a one time event by divine order, but a process. Creation is still unfolding and the universe is unfinished. This must mean that we too have a part in its completion. This idea is symbolized on Shavuot, by bringing lechem bikkurim, new wheat made into bread. The Midrash states that YHVH created wheat instead of bread, to show that people are partners with YHVH in creation. Our task is to repair the world. What began exclusively as a holiday of nature has been turned into the very essence of living Torah: the giving of the Torah and the repair of the world.

Parashat Bamidbar - the Haftara

2009-05-23T08:31:00.001+03:00

Bamidbar - the Haftara
Hosea 2:1-22
Reading date: 23rd May 2009 – 29th Iyyar 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
The Israelites should make camp in division, each person under his banner. (Num. 1:52)

To receive Torah, we have to be true to ourselves.

We begin a new book this Shabbat: the fourth book of Numbers, or Bamidbar. The book of Numbers is a hodge-podge of narrative, legislation, and genealogy, lacking the sweeping grandeur of Genesis, the theology of Exodus, or the literary consistency of Deuteronomy. The Hebrew title means 'in the wilderness' and tells the story of the Israelites' wandering in the desert. The English name, 'Numbers' (and Greek name 'Arithmoi') reflect the statistical material which opens the book. The first two chapters include a census counting the Israelites with the names of the heads of each tribe and their numbers. The parasha continues with a description of the Levites' roles and responsibilities, and instructions for dismantling and carrying the Mishkan, called here the Ark of the Covenant (Aron Ha'eidut) instead of the usual term used, 'ohel moed' (Num. 1:1).

The five books of the Torah are approximately similar lengths, so we tend to think that they cover the same time spans as well. But consider the 'internal clock' of the five books. Not counting the 'seven days' of Creation, Genesis covers 2309 years, Exodus 140 years. The whole book of Leviticus takes place in only 8 DAYS! (Numbers spans 39 years, and Deuteronomy 5 weeks.) So even though the events described at Sinai were read months ago, as we open the book of Bamidbar, we are only 8 days since the close of the book of Exodus.

In the parasha, where are we, exactly, in terms of time? Our weekly portion begins, "On the first day of the second month of the second year following the exodus from Egypt." In other words, the book of Numbers begins 13 months after the actual exodus. That means that the first anniversary of the exodus has already passed, and it is a bit surprising that the book begins a month after the first Pesach without any acknowledgement of that special anniversary of the Israelites' liberation. We have to turn ahead to chapter nine in Parashat Beha'alotecha, where we read: "Adonai spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai on the first new moon of the second year ..." with instructions on how to celebrate their first real Passover in freedom. (This serves as the proof text for Rashi's view: ain mukdam um'uchar batorah; the Torah need not be read chronologically). Even the book of Numbers is uneven. Although the book spans 38 years, the first five parashiyot occur within the space of a few months, then 38 years are skipped over and the events of the last few months and weeks of the fortieth year are described.

But the book of Numbers is not pre-occupied with time; rather it is concerned with space. Along with the census, the book begins with a description on the arrangement of the Israelite camp. And the geographical space of Bamidbar sets the tone for the whole book. Perhaps as much as the slavery in Egypt, the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness formed their character. Just like literary pathetic fallacy (where the weather reflects the mood of the character), it seems that the Israelites were wandering through both a spiritual and geographic wilderness. When we talk about the 'desert' (as in the Sinai desert, or the Negev desert), we should not have an image of the Sahara's sand dunes; the landscapes of Israel's desert wilderness (midbar) are barren and rocky as well as sandy. Wandering in the desert (or wilderness) is a common literary/religious metaphor.

The newly freed slaves had just left Egypt, the most sophisticated ancient civilization, yet it was in the wilderness that they receive the Torah. Even though Egypt was the intellectual and cultural centre of the time, it was not the source for the Israelite's moral code. The Torah is given to the Israelites in the wilderness at Sinai, not from even from the holy city of Jerusalem and the Temple mount. The Rabbis see much significance in the fact that the Torah was received in the wilderness. Because the Torah is open and accessible to all, as it is said (Isa. 55:1), "let everyone who is thirsty come for water" (i.e. Torah). I find this image of Torah as water in the arid wilderness striking.

This connection between the wilderness and the Torah connects to the upcoming holiday of Shavuot. Normally, the regular weekly Torah readings do not coincide with the festivals; that is, we are not reading the book of Exodus during Passover, or the book of Numbers during Sukkot. (On the actual holiday itself, in fact, we interrupt the regular scheduled Shabbat portions with special holiday readings). And the regular reading around the time of each festival may shift from year to year. So it is remarkable that this week's portion of 'Bemidbar' is always read on the Shabbat before Shavuot. The Rabbis learn an additional lesson from this: "One should be as open as a wilderness to receive the Torah" (Nedarim 55a).

As this portion of Bemidbar is linked through the calendar to the giving of the Torah, the RIM (Rabbi Isaac Meir Rothenberg) sees one more lesson in the phrase, 'each person under his banner' (1:52). Each person must be in their proper place to receive the Torah. We don't have to try to be someone else. Rabbi Zusya of Hanipol taught: In the world to come, I will not be asked, ‘Why were you not Moshe Rabbenu?’ I will be asked, ‘Why were you not Zusya?’
To receive Torah, we have to be true to ourselves.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Behar - Bechukotai - the Haftara

2009-05-14T19:53:00.001+03:00

Behar / Bechukotai - the Haftara
Jeremiah 16:19-17:14
Reading date: 16th May 2009 – 22nd Iyyar 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
"O Hope of Israel (Mikveh Yisrael)!O Adonai, All who forsake You shall be put to shame,Those in the land who turn from You shall be doomed,For they have forsaken AdonaiThe Fount of living waters."Jeremiah 17:13

YHVH is both Israel's hope and the source for Divine purification.

Our third double portion in Leviticus, Behar-Bechukotai finally brings the book of Leviticus to a close, and we bid a fond adieu to the rules for the priests and the details of the sacrifices. Ashkenazim and Sephardim read slightly different verses from Jeremiah 32 when the portion Behar is read separately (6-27 and 6-22 respectively). But when the portions are combined, both communities read the haftara normally assigned for Bechukotai, Jeremiah 16:19-17:14.
This passage is a collection of various bits and pieces, as if Jeremiah's scribe Baruch collected some of his notes into one document. Leviticus ends with a series of curses tochecha and blessings, and Jeremiah also describes curses and blessings: "cursed be the person who trusts in people" and its corollary ("blessed are those who trust in the Eternal") 'Baruch hagever asher yivtach ba'adonai' (familiar from the Grace after Meals). The Haftara reinforces the Torah's emphasis on the importance of obedience to the Almighty and the covenant.

Jeremiah lived during the reign of King Josiah who restored the Temple order and instituted religious reforms after finding an ancient scroll believed to be the book of Deuteronomy. Some scholars identify Jeremiah as the author of the book of Deuteronomy. The Kingdom of Judah was caught in the crossfire between the superpowers of Egypt to the south and the Babylonians in the North. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BCE. Egypt marched through the land of Israel to attack Babylonia, and en route battled with the Israelites at Megiddo, killing Josiah. The Egyptians however were defeated by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BCE, and Jerusalem came under Nebuchadnezzar's rule. In 586 BCE Jerusalem was razed and the Temple destroyed. The religious and political elite were exiled to Babylonia, but a remnant of the Jewish population fled to Egypt and took Jeremiah with them.
Looking at the Hebrew text of this weeks haftara I see it 17:13 contains the Scripture where we find Jeremiah calling YHVH, "Mikve Yisrael, The Hope of Israel." A mikva is a ritual bath; the root (k.v.h) refers to a pool of water, and is found in Genesis, when YHVH says, "yekavu hamayim, let the waters be gathered" (2:9). Here in Jeremiah, the word mikva (or mikve) is understood to mean 'hope' just like the word for Israel's national anthem from the same root, Hatikvah. (Mikve Israel was also the name of the first modern Jewish agricultural settlement (established in Holon, south of Tel Aviv and) founded by Charles Netter in June 15, 1870. Mikve Israel was the name of one of the oldest Jewish congregations (Philadelphia, 18th century) and is also a popular name for (usually Sephardic) synagogues.

If Mikva can mean both a pool of water, and hope, what is the connection between the two? In Israel, having a storehouse of collected rainwater would certainly mean one has hope. All through Israel one can find ancient cisterns that the Israelites carved out of rock. A pit without water would be a symbol of hopelessness, and Jeremiah would know- like Joseph, he was thrown into a muddy pit (Jer. 38: 6). It makes sense to call YHVH, Israel's hope (the way the verse is usually translated) but the verse continues, "Adonai, the Fount of Living Waters, M'kor Mayim Hayim." YHVH is also being compared to a pool of water. Jeremiah has used this water imagery for YHVH before, contrasting YHVH with the water of the Nile and the Euphrates.
For My people have forsaken Me, the Fount of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, which cannot even hold water... What then is the good of your going to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Nile? And what is the good of your going to Assyria, to drink the waters of the Euphrates? Jer. 2:13, 18

Jeremiah's use of the imagery of YHVH as mikva, used for ritual purification is the perfect ending for the book of Leviticus that focused on ritual purity. But what does it mean to say, YHVH is our 'mikvah'!? YHVH is both Israel's hope and the source for Divine purification.
At the end the last Mishnah for the tractate on Yom Kippur (Babylonian Talmud, Yomah 8:9), (a day that revolves around holiness and purity) Rabbi Akiva playing with these two meanings of mikva (ritual bath and hope) teaches: "Happy are you, Israel!Who is it before whom you purify? And who is it that purifies you?Your Parent which is in heaven, as it is said: "And I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean." (Ezek. 36:25). And it further says: "Adonai, the Hope of Israel." Just as the mikva renders clean the unclean, so does the Holy Blessed One, render Israel clean."

Akiva asks two questions: Who is it ... you purify? And who ... purifies you? It is not clear who is doing the purifying. The two questions suggest that there are two aspects to purification; something we do and something YHVH does. We can clean our bodies by going to the mikva, but only YHVH can clean our souls. According to the text Reishit Chochmah, the mikva contains something essential of YHVH, and just as we immerse our bodies in the water, at the same time our souls must 'cleave' to YHVH. The Shiloh (Isaiah Horowitz) suggests that purification of the body only makes one tahor (pure), while separating oneself from transgressions makes one both tahor and kadosh.

With its emphasis on purity, it is easy to overlook Leviticus' central message: to live a life that is holy. Recalling this image of ever-present water, Jeremiah describes the person who trusts in Adonai, "They shall be like a tree planted near water, sinking its roots by a stream, never noticing when the heat comes, its leaves green, careless of times of drought, never failing to bear fruit" (17:8).

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Emor - the haftara

2009-05-08T17:03:00.002+03:00

Emor - the Haftara
Ezekiel 44:15-31
Reading date: 9th May 2009 – 15th Iyyar 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
"Now the levitical priests descended from Zadok, who maintained the service of My Sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from Me- they shall approach Me to Minister to Me; they shall stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood-- declares the Lord Adonai." Ezekiel 44:15

Judaism is an evolving, historical conversation between humanity and the Divine.
This week's parasha Emor begins with the laws concerning the priesthood and the restrictions and limitations that govern a priest's behavior. The parasha also contains a list of the biblical holy days. The parasha concludes with a brief, enigmatic story about a blasphemer, and the famous 'eye for an eye' law (lex talionis) law is repeated (see also Ex. 21:23 and Deut. 19:21).
Normally Ezekiel uses vivid imagery and metaphors (the famous passage: the valley of the dry bones, for example, is read on Passover) and he often describes complex mystical visions of chariots and cherubs. Here however, while Ezekiel envisions a time when the Temple will be restored, the haftara sounds more like Torah (with an almost mundane description of their activities and clothing, and rules about their conduct) than the typical prophetic passage.

The prophet Ezekiel lived during the destruction of the First Temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (586 BCE) and was exiled to Babylonia. In the first half of the book of Ezekiel, the prophet warns of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem; in the latter half, he preaches a message of consolation and restoration. While Ezekiel still had hope that the Northern Kingdom would be restored and then united, in fact, this prophecy did not come to pass. The Northern Kingdom conquered by the Assyrians over a hundred years earlier (722 BCE), have disappeared from history, notwithstanding the fairly discredited attempts to identify various ethnic groups with the missing 'Ten Lost Tribes.'

The bulk of the book of Leviticus is about sacrificial offerings (korbanot) and the priesthood. And those of us who need to write about Leviticus always struggle with the topic. Do we turn it into a metaphor or treat it as "ambivalent historic memory- a 'we used to find meaning' kind of thing?" Or do we find some other topic that is mentioned parenthetically? For example, this week I could talk about the role of hair in society (the priest needed to keep his hair trimmed and tidy, or the Cohen's clothing (a linen-wool blend forbidden to lay people, called 'sha'atnez').

But if I don't want to avoid the issue, the real question that Ezekiel's description of the rebuilt Temple prompts is, do we want the Third Temple rebuilt, and should we? Many of the prophets who lived after the destruction of King Solomon's Temple believed that the Temple would be rebuilt, and their words were consolation to the exiles. The return to Zion and the rebuilding of the Temple were often mentioned together, and while the former has come true in our lifetime, the latter has not. There are serious political and pragmatic difficulties with building the Third Temple on the site of the present Al Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock!

But not everyone thinks this is just poetry. Undeterred by the physical and historical realities, today there exist (Jewish and Christian) zealous messianic groups (such as the Temple Mount Faithful in Jerusalem) that are actively preparing for the day (coming soon, we hope) when the Temple will be restored, and the Temple service, as described by the Torah and Ezekiel will be reinstituted. They are busy building the artifacts for the Temple so we'll be ready, and even though they are basing their efforts on the Torah's descriptions, there are technical terms whose meaning scholars do not understand, materials we do not have, and measurements that we are not sure of. (The fact that Ezekiel's regulations contradicts with the Torah's version is problematic, but a separate issue).

And in case you think praying for the sacrifices is only for extremists, even your not so radical, average, moderate, modern Jew prays for the restoration of the Temple every day.
According to the Rabbis, after the destruction of the Temple, prayer (avodah shebalev- the service of the heart) replaces the sacrifices. But the question is: does it permanently replace it (a la Maimonides) or is it a temporary substitute while we nostalgically remember the incense and the blood on the altar. Many rabbis use the 'gradual approach': the Israelites were accustomed to pagan practice and weren't yet sophisticated enough to understand abstract prayer so YHVH instituted korbanot as a 'concession'. Some use this same argument, for example, to suggest that the laws of Kashrut are really to wean us from meat, a kind of proto-vegetarianism. Others disagree: if YHVH had wanted us to pray- He would have commanded prayer. After all, there exist plenty of mitzvot that are hard to understand or difficult to perform. There is a secret spiritual component to the sacrifices that is now lost to us in the post-sacrificial reality (Ramban). Only because the Temple was destroyed do we pray today without the sacrifices. I think even Maimonides would have to admit, that if the Temple hadn't been destroyed, Judaism would still offer burnt offerings like the Samaritans (a group that split off from Judaism in the 4th century BCE.

Leviticus is about sacrifices, but what we believe about the sacrifices and the Temple cuts to the core of faith. Since YHVH doesn't change, and His Word doesn't change, some would like their walk to not change either. But history marches on, and hopefully our understanding matures. Either the earlier version of is perfect and shouldn't change, or it is an evolving, historical conversation between humanity and the Almighty.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Acharei / Kedoshim - the Haftara

2009-04-29T08:54:00.001+03:00

Acharei Mot / Kedoshim - the Haftara
Amos 9:7-15
Reading date: 2nd May 2009 – 8th Iyyar 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara text
"The time is coming, says YHVH....when the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall overflow. I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel: They shall rebuild the desolate cities, and dwell in them; they shall plant vineyards, and drink their wine; make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their soil, never again to be uprooted from the soil that I have given them, says YHVH, your God." Amos 9:13-15

Planting is connecting something at its root.

Again this week we have a double portion, combining the parashiyot of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. (When the portions are read separately, there are different traditions for which haftara is read. Some communities recite this week's haftara from Amos, others read portions from Ezekiel 22, and Ezekiel 20).

Amos' pronouncement provides an interesting counterpoint to the Torah portion. Kedoshim concludes with how Israel has been set apart from all the nations (Lev. 20:26) yet the haftara begins with Amos reminding Israel that YHVH is God of all humanity, and YHVH cares equally about the Ethiopians. YHVH also redeemed other nations. At the same time, Amos reinforces the message of Kedoshim "You shall faithfully observe all My laws...lest the land to which I bring you to settle in spew you out" (Lev. 20:22) that YHVH will judge all people. Right living seems to be a condition for dwelling in YHVH's Promised Land. The haftara concludes on a positive note with a vision of a brighter future.

Amos is the first of the 'literary' prophets. He lived and prophesied around 784-748 B.C.E. during the reign of King Jeroboam. Like Moses, Amos was a 'reluctant' prophet. That is, he described himself as a sheep breeder and tended sycamore figs and was called by YHVH to proclaim a message warning of Israel's destruction. He prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel against the immoral practices that he saw. His message was the classic prophetic message: that rituals and religious piety do not have YHVH's approval when there is inequity between people and social injustice.

Both the Torah and haftara portions include the motif of planting. Our combined Torah portion includes many famous verses, including "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18) and my favorite, "You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind" (Lev. 19:14). But among the miscellaneous collection of laws (everything from sexual morality to sacrifices) is a verse that describes the Israelites' connection to the land: When you come into the land and you plant every food-bearing tree... (Lev. 19:23). This imagery connects to the haftara's description of our return to Israel, planting vineyards and gardens.

Planting is connecting something at its root. Herzl understood that the precarious condition of Jews throughout history was because the Jewish people had been uprooted from their land. Many early Zionists believed that the health of the Jewish people depended on its reconnection with nature. The early Zionist thinker and writer, A.D. Gordon wrote: “We come to our Homeland in order to be planted in our natural soil from which we have been uprooted, to strike our roots deep into its life-giving substances, and to stretch out our branches in the sustaining and creating air and sunlight of the Homeland. Other peoples can manage to live in any fashion, in the homelands from which they have never been uprooted, but we must first learn to know the soil and ready it for our transplantation. We must study the climate in which we are to grow and produce. We, who have been torn away from nature, who have lost the savor of natural living - if we desire life, we must establish a new relationship with nature; we must open a new account with it.”

The early Zionists took A.D. Gordon's words to heart. Their slogan was: to build and be built. By literally building and planting, these chalutzim (pioneers) were involved in re-building the Jewish nation and Jewish life. Many of them were disconnected from traditional Jewish practice, and many were even secular and hostile to religion, yet many of them sensed a quasi-religious quality to their efforts. They were helping a new Jewish people to take root; transplanting an alienated folk in the soil of their own national life. Certainly the early religious Zionists believed that there was a mystical connection between the land and the people of Israel. This is why HaRav Kook, Israel's first Chief Rabbi, considered even the secular Zionists as partners in helping to bring the geula (redemption).

Since these days do not yet have a fixed liturgy or traditional ritual for planting, it is especially fitting to hear this week's haftara from Amos. The early Zionists were initially opposed by some religious groups who believed that we should wait for YHVH to restore the Jews to their land (and a small minority of extremists still holds this position). But Amos tells us that we must [first] rebuild the cities and the gardens of Israel, and then YHVH will 'plant Israel upon their soil. We plant our 'roots' in Israel, and we hope for the day when Amos' vision will come true, when Israel will "never again to be uprooted from the soil that I have given them."

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Tazria - Metzora - the Haftara

2009-04-25T09:21:00.002+03:00

Tazria / Metzora - the Haftara
2Kings 7:3-20
Reading date: 25th April 2009 – 1st Iyyar 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
Then [the four lepers] said to one another, "We are not doing right. This is a day of good news, and we are keeping silent! If we wait until the light of morning, we shall incur guilt. Come let us go and inform the king's palace."
II Kings 7:9

Turning and thinking about others and speaking out can bring redemption.

The combined portions of Tazria-Metzora this week are probably the least favorite Torah portion of the year for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah: skin inflammations (zits), menstruation and night time emissions. But, fortunately, the haftara for both portions, connected by the issue of 'leprosy', tell interesting stories from the cycle of legends that revolve around the prophet Elisha. The portion for Tazria tells the story of Elisha miraculously curing Naaman of leprosy (2 Kings 4:42-5:19). When the portions are combined, as they are this year, we read the haftarah for Metzora (2 Kings 7:30).

The common, older translation of tzara'at and metzora as 'leprosy' and 'leper' is misleading. The description of the biblical disease does not correspond to true leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease). Scholars are not sure what medical condition would produce the white skin described in the Bible. Fox avoids the issue in his (normally excellent) translation by simply transliterating tzara'at instead of translating it, and awkwardly renders the latter metzora as 'one-with-tzara'at').

King Ben-Hadad of Aram, allied with the southern kingdom of Judah was waging a war against Israel. There was a famine in the land, and food was scarce. Food prices were out of control (a small quantity of carob pods- normally easily available and hardly a sought after food, sold for five shekels) and even cannibalism was reported. Samaria, the capital of Israel is under siege; but then inexplicably, the Aramean siege ends abruptly, and the Arameans are discovered to have deserted their army camp- leaving their animals, food, and gold behind. Elisha's prediction that food would be so plentiful, prices would drop to near normal levels comes true.
The haftara begins at verse 3 (after the prologue of Elisha’s prediction) with four lepers /outcasts' outside the gate of the city during Aram's siege of Samaria. Because they are 'outside the gates' and will starve to death if they stay there, they decide to take their chances with defecting to the Aramean camp. Initially, on discovering it deserted, they plunder it, eating and drinking and burying the gold and silver. But the lepers realize that what they are doing is not right, and they return to the city and inform the king. Their report is validated, and the city is saved.

There is one aspect to our story that is noteworthy. The many characters of our story: from king, courtier, soldiers, gatekeeper, are all nameless. Just as a name identifies an individual's character, the anonymity in our story highlights the characters' identity and role. Each character plays an archetype. Adele Reinhartz in her wonderful volume, "Why Ask My Name?" suggests that:Focus on role designations, in turn, allows us to construct identity in the locus between the role designation and the character's narrative portrayal. In doing so, we compare the stereotypical behaviors associated with the role in biblical narrative and the particular ways in which the unnamed character fulfills or does not fulfill the role, or we look at the degree to which he or she stretches its limits or calls its very contours into question.

The text wants us to focus on the identity of the four individuals as lepers. The bearers of good news, the four nameless 'lepers' were outcasts. Like our world today, individuals 'on the edge' of society are not valued. Yet it was these lowest four on the social ladder who were the instruments of their nation's salvation. It was precisely their location 'outside the gates' that enabled them to set into motion a chain of events that saved the city. But how did they do it? At first, they only worried about themselves. Then, they had a change of heart. As social outcasts they could have easily justified the looting to themselves as they felt abandoned by society. But they don't. They speak out instead.

Rabbi Rochelle Robins (in The Women's Haftara Commentary ed. Rabbi Elyse Goldstein) suggests that if the four 'lepers' are suffering from 'speaking out,' it is interesting then, that it is again by 'speaking out' that releases these individuals from their fate. Robins of course is basing this on the rabbinic play on words that see metzora as a contraction for motzi shem ra, speaking slander or gossip. Leprosy, turning one's skin white is interpreted by the Rabbis as Divine punishment for 'blackening' someone's reputation with words.

[The idea that we are punished for misdeeds is certainly often true on many levels; our actions, good and bad, have consequences. The problem is that the reverse is not necessarily true. If we smoke, we may get cancer; but not everyone who gets cancer, smoked. The notion that if we suffer, we must therefore have sinned, is extremely problematic. In the Bible, everything is from YHVH, so suffering is generally seen as punishment but I think that all though it is His purpose, we do not always understand.]

Robins points out that at times, 'speaking out' may have negative social consequences. But there are also times when we must have the courage to speak the truth and not be silent. It is this act of teshuva, this turning and thinking about others, and speaking out can bring redemption.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Sh'mini - the Haftara

2009-04-25T09:03:00.001+03:00

Parashat Sh’mini - the Haftara
2 Samuel 6:1 – 7:17
Reading date: 18th April 2009 – 24th Nisan 5769

Our highlighted Haftara Text
"But when they came to the threshing floor of Nachon, Uzzah reached out for the Ark of God and grasped it, for the oxen had stumbled. Adonai was incensed at Uzzah. And God struck him down on the spot for his indiscretion, and he died there beside the Ark of God." II Samuel 6: 6, 7

Belief can only have worth when it values human life.

The bulk of this week's relatively short parasha focuses on the rules of purity and sanctification. Chapter eleven lists those animals that are permitted to be eaten, forming the basis of the dietary rules of Kashrut.

In this parasha is the short account of the death of Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu, when they offered 'alien' fire on the altar. The parallel to our Haftara is clear: Uzzah is also struck down by YHVH for touching the Ark. Curiously, the Ark was taken from the house of Avinadav, a combination of the names Avihu and Nadav. The installation of the Ark in Jerusalem also echoes the dedication of the Mishkan in Leviticus.

King David is trying to establish his authority and unify the tribes of Israel (in the north) and Judah (in the south). Besides political and national unity, David seeks to centralize religious life by moving the Ark to Jerusalem, David's new capital. Our haftara from the book of Second Samuel documents the transition of the Ark from a portable sanctuary to a fixed address. The move of YHVH's worship from a portable tent to a permanent house/shrine also marks a shift in the life of the people of Israel-- moving from the life of nomads to the fixed life of a nation/state of farmers.

Reading this story, I can't help but think of the excavations that we see taking place in the City of David, (outside what we call today the 'Old City’). According to Eilat Mazar, we may have found the foundations to David's palace.

The death of Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu, is a tragedy. The story appears for the first time briefly in our parasha, and is referred to again several times (Lev. 16:1; Num. 3:4; Num. 26:61; I Chron. 24:2). It seems like Nadav and Avihu can't be mentioned without the reminder, 'who offered alien fire and died.' This cryptic narrative is problematic. Why did they die? Although some Rabbis tried to find some indication of wrongdoing on their part (either hubris, intoxication, or a disregard for protocol), although some argue that such an approach is akin to 'blaming the victim'. Others considered them blameless and righteous. When we compare the parallel story found in our haftara, the implication that they were innocent is supported: the Ark is being joyfully transported to Jerusalem, and when the oxen stumble, Uzzah reaches out to support the Ark from falling. Suddenly, tragedy strikes: Uzzah dies. Clearly here, Uzzah is blameless. Even if this was 'an indiscretion', his was an inadvertent act, without any of the possible motives attributed to Aaron's sons.

Both stories demonstrate that objects of holiness are dangerous, like high voltage wires. The message seems to be: don't fool around with religion! Earlier in Parashat Toldot we talked about the need to perform religious acts properly. There is no excuse for sloppiness, so it is disappointing to see so many committed enough to put up a mezuzah, but end up putting it up the wrong way, without the proper scroll, or without the proper blessing. But imagine if we were killed for putting on tefillin the wrong way!? That seems a little extreme.

The early Chasidic masters also promoted an approach that it the thought that counts, and there are many Chasidic stories of simple Jews who reached a higher level of holiness than those who performed the mitzvot with all the minutiae, because they had the right kavannah (intent). Since we are just concluding the holiday of Passover, let me share a famous story of Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev, after a particularly satisfying Seder is told in a dream that the Seder of Chaim the porter was loftier than his. After searching out this simple, unlearned Jew, Levi Yitzhak tries to find out what Chaim did that was so special?

"Rabbi, I'll tell you the truth. I heard that we are not allowed to drink vodka for eight days. So this morning I drank enough to last me for eight days. So of course I was sleepy, and I went to bed. When it was night-time my wife wakes me up and starts nagging me. She starts saying 'Chaim,' she says, 'why don't you make a Seder like all the other Jews?’

"So I said to her, what do you want from me? I'm an ignoramus, and my father before me was an ignoramus. All I know is this--that our fathers were in exile and YHVH took us out from the land of the gypsies and made us free. And now we're all in exile again, but YHVH will bring us out again, for sure!' Then I saw that on the table there were matza and wine and eggs, so I ate the matza and the eggs, and I drank up the wine. And then I was so exhausted that I had to go back to sleep."
So many of us get so involved in the minutiae of Passover, we are too exhausted to really focus on the main thing. Tradition in general has this danger. The Midrash (Tanhuma Beshalach 21) in fact has the Israelites complain that YHVH's rituals are just too dangerous, because of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu and Uzzah. The Midrash's rebuttal is that the both the Ark and the incense which appear to cause death in our two stories, are also sources of blessing and protection. I think this Midrash has a great truth. Traditional ritual can either be a source of meaning or life-threatening. The Rabbis reject the poisonous oleander and identify the 'thickly leaved boughs' for the lulav and etrog used on Sukkot as the sweet smelling myrtle. "Dracheha darchei noam, the Torah's ways are ways of pleasantness", they argue; the Torah is a source of life.

Every week we read of suicide bombers and worshippers killed in mosques. Religion today is too often used to justify or cause death; religion can only have worth when it values human life. We often don't consider our religion to be a 'life or death' issue, but this week's portion makes us ask: 'Are the religious ideas and rituals that we are engaged with life affirming?' Because if they aren't, they might be as dangerous as touching a high tension electric wire.

Shabbat Shalom

Chol HaMoed Peasch - The Haftara

2009-04-09T12:46:00.003+03:00

Chol haMoed Pesach - the Haftara
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Reading date: 11th April 2009 – 17th Nisan 5769

I would like, for your interest, to include a little about the history and traditions of Pesach.

Passover Introduction
The History of Pesach
Pesach, the springtime holiday of Passover always begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. Like all Holy days, Passover begins the evening before, so the first seder is held on the evening of April 8. The basic theme of the day is the exodus from slavery in Egypt; the various rituals and texts associated with Pesach help us to establish and understand this crucial narrative of communal memory. The basic story is found in the book of Exodus, chapters 1-15. Chapters 12-15 contain details of the observance of the holiday itself.
The name Pesach comes from a Hebrew word meaning "to pass through" or "to pass over". It refers to the story of how YHVH "passed over" the houses of the Hebrews during the plague of the Death of the First Born. "Pesach" is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. Pesach is also sometimes called the Chag Ha-Aviv "Holiday of the Springtime," or Zman Cherutenu "the Season of our Freedom."
On the first night of Pesach (first two nights for many traditional Jews outside Israel), there is a special meal filled with ritual to teach us the significance of the holiday. This meal is called a Seder, from a Hebrew word meaning "order." There is a set of texts that are to be discussed in a specific order. The Seder also includes rituals of eating matza and bitter herbs, singing holiday songs and asking questions. The texts, prayers and instructions for the evening are found in a volume called the Haggada, which means 'telling.' The point of the evening is not to read the Haggada, but to use it as a springboard to 'jump off the page.'

Prohibited Foods
The most well-known observances of Pesach are the holding of the Seder meal on the first night (or nights) and the prohibitions against the eating of Hametz - leavened foods. Leavened foods include anything made from five basic grains: wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats. This includes anything made from these products, including beer and grain alcohols. The only acceptable way to eat these grain products is in the form of Matza, or unleavened bread, which is baked very quickly so that the dough does not rise. This helps us remember the speed with which the Israelites left Egypt. The Bible says that they did not have time for their bread to rise. Other kinds of foods can be made from ground-up matza, including cakes and confections, but these are prepared especially for Pesach.
Jews of Ashkenazi (European) descent often also refrain from eating a category of food called kitniyot. These are products made from seeds and beans, including rice, corn, and legumes. The concern is that the prohibited foods may be confused with these items in processed form. Many Sephardic Jews will eat kitniyot, but customs vary widely.
Biblically, Pesach lasts for seven days, but, since Rabbinic times, many communities observe eight days. The prohibition against eating leavened foods lasts until sundown after the final day of the holiday.

Our highlighted Haftara text
"Then God said to me: Mortal, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They say: Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost; we are cut off [from life]! Therefore prophesy to them and say: Thus says the Elohim: I am going to open your graves, My people; I will lift you out of your graves and bring you [home] to the land of Israel."Ezekiel 37: 11, 12

Nothing is wasted in nature or in love.

The Shabbat that falls in the middle of Pesach interrupts the weekly cycle of Torah readings, and like first and second day, the holiday readings describe the celebration of Passover and the sacrificial offerings. Ezekiel's haftara begins comparing Jerusalem during the festivals when they are filled with flocks to Israel's ruined cities that will be filled with people. The Haftara is probably one of the most famous passages from the prophets: Ezekiel's image of the 'dry bones.' The idea that Israel would be restored was a message of consolation and comfort to the exiles of Babylonia. Different communities read slightly different verses: some read from Ez. 36:37, 38; 37:14; others read 37:1-17).

The prophet Ezekiel lived during the destruction of the First Temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (586 BCE) and was exiled to Babylonia. In the first half of the book of Ezekiel, the prophet warns of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem; in the latter half, he preaches a message of consolation and restoration. While Ezekiel still had hope that the Northern Kingdom would be restored and then united, in fact, this prophecy did not come to pass. The Northern Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians over a hundred years earlier (722 BCE), and has disappeared from history.

The holiday of Passover marks the 'birth' of the Children of Israel. The exodus narrative is filled with birth imagery: the midwives in Exodus, the narrow birth canal of the Red Sea, and the 'breaking of the waters.' Spring is also about birth; the natural world around us is filled with signs of life. In ancient religion, rebirth, fertility and resurrection are themes associated with springtime. With the holiday of Passover, Israel's hot, dry summer season begins. The rainy season that began at Sukkot is now over. Dew, the only source of daily moisture for plants becomes associated with this rebirth. Starting on Passover, we replace the blessing "who makes the rain fall" with "who makes the dew fall" in our daily liturgy. The prayer for dew is inserted in the 'Gevurot,' the second paragraph of the Amidah, the prayer that speaks about reviving the dead.

Where does this idea of resurrection come from? The Torah certainly does not mention resurrection explicitly, or even any belief in an afterlife. In Genesis, Adam is told, "Dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19b). But the Torah does not have the final word. Slowly, the idea that death may not be the final stop evolves. By the time of Ezekiel, his prophecy of the dry bones becomes interpreted as a depiction of resurrection: dry bones reassembling, sinews and flesh appearing. His graphic description reads like science fiction, and I can just imagine how this could be realistically portrayed today with computer digital animation. Wow, what a special effect! Over the centuries, Ezekiel's message has been understood by many quite literally. Traditional Judaism, to the extent that it has any official 'dogma' considers belief in the resurrection of the dead as a key tenet. Maimonides lists it in his thirteen articles of faith, and it appears in the liturgy in the closing hymn of Yigdal: Meitim yehayeh eil...

But this may not have been Ezekiel's intent. He was addressing the exiles in Babylonia. The Temple had been destroyed. Their lives in Israel were over. Was this to be the end of the Jewish people (like it was the end of the Israelite northern kingdom which has vanished)? Ezekiel reassures them that their lives still have meaning. They can live with hope that although they are 'like dead', Israel will be revived. Today we have seen with our own eyes Ezekiel's vision on the national level come true. Six million Jews were murdered in the Shoah (Holocaust) and yet the State of Israel was re-established. Our bones have come to life.

Ezekiel can be read allegorically--as national/political renewal; we don't have to believe in a literal physical resurrection if we don't want to. The liberals say, resurrection is often understood metaphorically, and 'who gives life to the dead' is changed to 'who gives life to all' (mehayeh hakol instead of mehayeh meitim), although newer liturgies are retaining the traditional language.

Passover's message is that just as the earth continually is renewed, our lives too have the potential for redemption. Our festival of liberation teaches us that as life goes on, nothing is wasted in nature or in love.

Happy Passover and Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Tsav - The Haftara

2009-04-02T13:01:00.000+03:00

Parashat Tsav – the Haftara
Malachi 3:4 – 3:24
Reading date: 4th April 2009 – 10th Nisan 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
"I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Eternal" Malachi 3: 23

Passover orients us towards that great day of redemption for all the world.

The second portion in the book of Leviticus continues last week's descriptions of the sacrifices with instructions for the kohen- a 'priestly manual' on how to perform the sacrificial service. Our parasha of Tzav, as it often does, falls this year with the Shabbat before Pesach, and once again, a special Haftara from Malachi replaces the regular assigned reading from Jeremiah. To connect to the parasha, the haftara indeed begins with: "Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Adonai as they were in days of old, as in years long past." (3:4). However, the passage from Malachi connects more to the upcoming festival of Passover than it does to the Levitical passage.

The name of this Shabbat, 'Shabbat HaGadol' (the Great Sabbath) may get its name from the concluding verse: "I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the ‘great’ and terrible day of the Eternal" (3:23); this penultimate verse is re-read after verse 24 to avoid ending on a negative note. Others suggest the name comes from the fact that this was the one Shabbat that the Rabbi spoke at length (usually on laws concerning Passover); sermons are a relatively recent innovation.

Malachi, which simply means 'My messenger,' is more of a title, than an actual personal name. The anonymous individual we call Malachi was the last of the prophets, and lived in the middle of the 5th century B.C.E. before the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah. (Some sources in fact identify him as Ezra.) At that time, Judea was still a province of Persia. While it seems that he lived at a time when the Temple had been rebuilt (515 B.C.E.) religious performance was perfunctory. Malachi calls for a religious revival.

The Moadim or holydays can be thought of as the DNA of Torah. Irving ('Yitz') Greenberg writes in the introduction to his volume on the Holydays: The Jewish Way, "Grasp [the holy days] in your hand and you hold the heart of the faith in your hand. The holy days are the quintessential Hebraic religious expression..." Every holyday has a central theme, and while we might reflect on religious freedom at Chanukah, or our commitment to study on Shavuot, most holydays celebrate an event that happened only once, a long time ago. But not Passover. The festival of Passover is really three holydays in one. (And here I am not referring to the ancient farmer and shepherd festivals that were combined into the historical exodus from Egypt). But rather, I mean, that the Passover celebration of the exodus is simultaneously a holyday that remembers the past, is recreated in the present, and is a model for the future.

The exodus from Egypt may have been a one time event, but it permeates Hebraic life. It would be hard to exaggerate its importance: we are commanded to remember the exodus daily; the exodus is recited daily in our prayers, and is included in the Friday night Kiddush. Tzitzit, (the fringes on our tallit) serve as a reminder that YHVH took us out of Egypt. The first line of the Ten Commandments identifies YHVH as the God who took us out of Egypt.

But Passover does not only celebrate the exodus from Egypt as an event that occurred in the past. The whole point of the Seder and the ritual foods and the storytelling on Passover night is to reenact the story. Some communities go so far as to dress up: taking a staff and walking around the table. Perhaps we should pack our knapsacks or our suitcases and have them ready, next to our Seder tables. (What should we pack could be an interesting discussion for the Seder itself). Have you ever been to the theatre where the performance so moved you that you were 'breathless?' The purpose of this night of 'dinner theatre' is not only to think about the past, but to actually go through the experience yourself. The Haggada is explicit: In every generation a person must see themselves as if they themselves had left Egypt. What does this mean? Most of the time we understand 'Mitzrayim' literally narrow places, metaphorically; even without going to Egypt, then, the Seder is an opportunity to consider how we are enslaved in the present.
But that's not all. Passover is not only about the past and the present. It is also a model for future redemption. Yitz continues: "The central paradigm of Torah is redemption." And there is no holiday that is more focused on redemption than Passover. Passover seems to say, "If it happened once, it can happen again." Before the exodus from Egypt, the world ran on the principle, 'same old, same old.' There was no escaping fate. Unlike other animals, humans do not live only with the past and in the present. Human beings can anticipate future redemption and work to bring it closer. Humans are future-oriented, and Yitz calls the exodus "an orienting event." Just like we use a compass to orient ourselves if we get lost, humanity must check with the exodus from time to time, to make sure we are on the right path.

What was the most significant event in human history: the invention of the printing press, the Industrial Revolution, the Internet? Yitz argues that it would be the exodus. Not only is it the primary event (that is, if it hadn't happened, none of the other events would have happened), but its message of redemption continues to reverberate as the single most powerful declaration of hope in human history. Passover celebrates the ultimate (and one hopes imminent) day when Elijah the prophet will herald the ultimate liberation from oppression.

Which brings us to our haftara. Because we associate Elijah the prophet with the Seder, the mention of Elijah in the haftara is often thought to be the connection between Malachi and this Shabbat that precedes Passover, but the tradition of Elijah's cup and Elijah at the Seder are a later tradition. Malachi describes the ultimate liberation of Israel from oppression. Malachi's main message is to return back to YHVH, to do teshuva. Then that 'Great Day' will come, the great day that Passover orients us towards, the day of redemption for the entire world.

Happy Passover and Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Vayikra - the Haftara

2009-03-26T21:15:00.001+02:00

Parashat Vayikra – the Haftara
Isaiah 43:21 – 44:23
Reading date: 28th March 2009 – 3rd Nisan 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
But you have not worshipped Me, O Jacob,That you should not be weary of Me, O Israel.You have not brought Me your sheep for burnt offerings,Nor honored Me with your sacrifices.I have not burdened you with grain offerings,Nor wearied you about frankincense.You have not brought Me fragrant reed with money,Nor sated Me with the fat of your sacrifices.... Isaiah 43: 22-24

Can we infuse our worship today with the passion and drama of the sacrifices?

We begin the third book of the Torah with Leviticus, or Vayikra. This book deals largely with the details of the Levitical order: sacrifices and laws of impurity. It is often noted that these texts are challenging for the modern reader. Some conservatives comment that: "Leviticus is a difficult book for a modern person to read with reverence and appreciation. Its main subject matter -- animal offerings and ritual impurity seems remote from contemporary concerns." (Etz Hayyim, USCJ). Because our focus this year is on the prophets, many who lived after the destruction of the first Temple (586 BCE), we can already begin to see a new relationship to sacrifice and worship. Furthermore, the haftara portions themselves were chosen by the Rabbis, who lived after the destruction of the second Temple (70 CE), and although they may have imagined (or even hoped for) the restoration of the Temple and the sacrifices, were dealing with a new reality: the worship of YHVH without the sacrificial order. The haftara taken from Isaiah reminds the Israelites of their past transgressions, but ends with the promise that YHVH will remember them and redeem them.

Scholars identify this 'deutero-Isaiah' (from chapters 40 on) as a different author from the Isaiah ben Amotz identified in Isaiah 1:1. The 'Second Isaiah' preached in Babylonia in the sixth century BCE and brought a message of consolation to Israelites who had been captured and exiled. Here, Isaiah reminds the Israelites that YHVH still remembers them and will redeem them. The exiles in Babylonia were allowed to return under Cyrus (around 538 BCE) but many remained in Babylonia.

Following the last several weeks of architectural detail and the construction of the portable sanctuary of the Mishkan, we now turn to the service of the priests. When the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, the sacrificial order ended and was replaced with prayer. Today, prayer is mostly seen as a higher form of worship, (although the restoration of sacrifices is still included in the Orthodox liturgy. There is a small extremist group in Jerusalem who are actively working on rebuilding the Third Temple, although many understand the Third Temple largely in messianic (read mythic) terms). There are some opinions that suggest that when the Messiah comes, the sacrificial system will not be reinstituted (see below). Still, we must ask what the purpose of the sacrifices was. The Torah rejects the pagan notion of sacrifices 'feeding' a god even though vestiges of idiomatic expressions such as 'My food' and 'My table' can be found. And even in the ancient world, sacrifices may have served many different purposes: communion, gift, bargain, homage, purification and others.

While YHVH doesn't need sacrifices, people do: Yalkut Me'am Lo'az suggests five different reasons for sacrifices:
1. to arouse repentance 2. to support the priests 3. to serve as a 'redemption' for sinning 4. to 'shock' the viewer by witnessing the slaughter/burning 5. to examine their life/actions to prevent the worship of these animals as idols.

Many are put off by the description of burnt offerings and the laws of purity, so how are we to deal with Leviticus today? Uncomfortable with the notion of animal sacrifices, some either treat the opening chapters of Leviticus as 'historical memory': 'This is what we used to believe" or try to read the whole text as a metaphor for what 'sacrifices' we need to make in our lives. Earlier commentators, too, were uncomfortable with the Torah's emphasis on animal sacrifices, and some re-interpret the entire book of Leviticus allegorically.

Liberals tend to agree with the many rabbis (including Maimonides) who understood the sacrificial system as merely a stop gap measure to wean the Israelites from idolatry (learned in Egypt) and of the need for physical forms of worship. "It is impossible to go suddenly from one extreme to the other; the nature of people will not allow them suddenly to discontinue everything to which they have been accustomed." (As a physician, Maimonides understood that it is difficult to go 'cold turkey.' One has to make gradual changes.) Abravanel even suggests that sacrifices were only instituted as a response to the Israelites' sin of the Golden Calf. Ramban (Nachmanides) strongly disagrees with such attempts that render the korbanot (sacrifices) the realm of a temporary exigency born out of a regrettable situation. The implication that korbanot do not belong to the realm of the ideal is rejected by those who still pray for the restoration of the Temple and the sacrificial service.

Certainly the prophets can be cited (and were used by the early Reformers, in fact) to argue that YHVH doesn't want sacrifices altogether (I Sam. 15:22; Hosea 6:6, Amos 5:21, Isaiah 1:11, Jer. 7:20 and others). However, none of these texts was chosen by the Rabbis for the Haftara. In fact, Isaiah reports YHVH's complaint that the Israelites have not brought sacrifices or offered incense. Instead, they fashioned idols out of metal and wood in vain. Do they not see the folly of their actions? They take some wood to build a fire to warm themselves and to bake bread, while simultaneously making an idol out of the same wood, and worshipping it.

Even with all our technology and sophistication, it seems that we still require tangible symbols and concrete rituals. People want their relationship with YHVH to have a physical component; something that they can see and touch. Hence there has been a return to traditional prayer garments (tallit and kippah) that originally were either too abstract and too intellectual. But today's worship remains relatively reserved and detached compared to what the Temple sacrificial service must have felt like. Like Isaiah's listeners, we too no longer have access to the Temple's service, and must bring the offerings of our hearts. If YHVH doesn't need our sacrifices, our Torah portion regarding sacrifices is about what we really want, while the haftara from Isaiah details what YHVH truly wants: our sincere return to YHVH's service. But can we infuse our worship today with the passion and drama that our ancestors felt bringing their bleating (and bleeding) animals to the golden altar?

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Vayahel - Pekudei - the Haftara

2009-03-18T17:04:00.002+02:00

Parashat Vaya’hel - Pekudei – the Haftara
1Kings 7:51 – 8:21
Reading date: 21st March 2009 – 25th Adar 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“The priest shall take some of the blood of the purification offering and apply it to the doorposts of the Temple, to the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and to the doorposts of the gate of the inner court....On the fourteenth day of the first month you shall have the Passover sacrifice; and during the festival of seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten.”Ezekiel 45:19, 21

Is there a way in the Diaspora to reconnect to natural time and to the land of Israel?

The final two parashiyot of Exodus describe the completion of the Mishkan (which not surprisingly repeats in large measure the instructions found in Terumah and Tetzaveh). The regular Haftara from the first book of Kings and describes the construction of Solomon's Temple.
Ezekiel was exiled to Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem (597 BCE), and Ezekiel preached to the exiles in Babylon that YHVH would return Israel to its land, and restore the Temple and its service (that was destroyed in 586 BCE). Ezekiel used vivid imagery and metaphors (the famous passage: the valley of the dry bones, for example, is read on Passover) and often describes complex mystical visions of chariots and cherubs.

The weekly (double) portion of VaYakhel-Pekudei and the regularly assigned haftara (from the book of Kings) is about the creation of sacred space. This week, however, the maftir (additional reading) from the book of Exodus is about sacred time. The juxtaposition of the reading about sacred space and the calendar invite us to think about the tension between these two. Heschel's insights about Jewish attitudes about sacred time from his volume, The Sabbath, are often quoted and I include a portion below.

Heschel convincingly argues that Judaism emphasizes the sanctification of time over the sanctification of space. But in Heschel's portrayal of Shabbat as a day of 'truce' between humans/technology and nature/world of creation, we often overlook that the concept of Shabbat and the seven day week is itself an arbitrary measure of time. The year is a natural solar cycle, the month is a natural lunar cycle. But there is no 'week' in nature. It is an artificial construct, and today, Jews are more connected (if they are connected to Jewish time at all) to the weekly cycle of Shabbat than they are to the monthly cycle of the moon. Most of us know what day of the week it is, but most of the time we don't know what phase of the moon we are in. The Gregorian calendar, of course is no help at all, as it has lost its connection to the moon altogether, even though the very word 'month' comes from 'moon'. The connection is more apparent in Hebrew: the Mishnaic word for month yerach is the same as yarei'ach (moon). The root of the more common word chodesh (month) is chadash (meaning new), since every new moon inaugurates a new month.Unlike Shabbat, the biblical festivals were originally rooted in agricultural and natural cycles of harvest, but their focus has shifted to remembering and celebrating historical events. Pesach is no longer the Festival of Spring, it becomes a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt. Shabbat is almost abstract time. As Heschel writes:
While the festivals celebrate events that happened in time, the date of the month assigned for each festival in the calendar is determined by the life in nature ... In contrast, the Sabbath is entirely independent of the month and unrelated to the moon. Its date is not determined by any event in nature, such as the new moon, but by the act of creation. Thus the essence of the Sabbath is completely detached from the world of space.The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time.

Thus, we find ourselves with two contradictory claims concerning the character of the Sabbath. On the one hand is the claim that the Sabbath is a time of peace and harmony between humans and nature. On the other hand, "The physical world became divested of any inherent sanctity," because the Sabbath's strictly calculated rhythm liberated sacred time from the natural cycle of the lunation. Therefore the endless seven-day rhythm of the Sabbath, ostensibly established by divine decree but only marked in the world by human counting, hardly seems like a moment of peace between "man and nature" or "complete harmony between man and nature." While it may be a time of "peace" due to practices that restrain human activity, the rhythm is not natural and has nothing to do with the needs of nature.

Although the Shabbat Kiddush contains reminders of both the Exodus from Egypt (zecher leyitziat mitzrayim) and Creation (zikaron lema'aseh breishit), and Shabbat practice may encourage us to live in peace with nature, it is intrinsically not natural. In contrast, the new moon, this new month of Nisan is connected to the lunar cycle. Israel is an incredible country; the recently excavated Ir David may have uncovered King David's palace. Imagine-- we are walking in the footsteps of King David! But most tourists only visit important Biblical historical and archaeological sites and don't see how the Bible is also full of references to Israel's natural world. As most are disconnected from both nature in general and Israel's natural world in particular, this means we have lost an appreciation of the imagery, symbolism and the reality of our biblical ancestors that can only be recaptured by being in the land of Israel. If you tour with Shefa Israel we will give you “a better appreciation of how our ancestors were connected to the 'land' of Israel."

"This month/moon will be for you the head of months." Is there a way in the diaspora to reconnect to natural time and to the land of Israel?

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Ki Tisa - the Haftara

2009-03-12T08:45:00.001+02:00

Parashat Ki Tisa – the Haftara
Ezekiel 36:16 – 36:38
Reading date: 14th March 2009 – 18th Adar 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“I will sprinkle cleansing waters upon you, and you shall be cleansed of all your impurities; and I will cleanse you of all your idols.” Ezekiel 36: 25

We can undo our failings by using the same strengths for good.
Parashat Ki Tisa interrupts the description of the Mishkan's construction with the episode of the Golden (or Molten) Calf and the breaking of the first tablets. Although this year a special Haftara is read (see below), the regular Haftara is taken from the first book of Kings (18:1-39; Sephardim begin on verse 20). In both texts, the Israelites betray YHVH, and the leader (Moses/Elijah) must intercede to restore true worship and mend the breached covenant between YHVH and the community.

Again this week, the special additional reading describing the ritual of the Red Heifer (Numbers 19:1-22) gives this Shabbat its special name: ‘Shabbat Parah’. The special Haftara from Ezekiel (36:16-38; Sephardim conclude with verse 36), like the Maftir (concluding) portion deal with the theme of purification. Shabbat Parah reminded the community of Israel that the Pesach sacrifice should be performed in a state of ritual purity.

Elijah, the most famous of the early prophets, lived during the reign of northern Israel's King Ahab (9th century B.C.E). Ahab's wife from Tyre, Jezebel, supported Baal worship and Elijah battled this foreign influence. According to II Kings (2:11), Elijah did not die, but was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire. Jewish folklore depicts Elijah as a beggar or a poor wanderer, appearing (and disappearing) mysteriously and helping the poor.

At Havdalah, the ceremony marking the conclusion of Shabbat we sing, 'Eliyahu Hanavi, Eliyahu hatishbi...' According to tradition, Elijah will come to resolve Talmudic disputes (at the Passover Seder- to tell us whether to drink the fifth 'Elijah's Cup' or not), and will herald the Messianic Age. He is thought to be present at every ‘brit’, since each newborn may be the one to help bring the Messiah.

The regular Haftara for Ki Tisa is the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel. Their worship of Baal parallels the Israelites' worship of the Golden Calf. But this year, the special Shabbat of the Red Heifer – ‘Shabbat Parah’, (literally the Shabbat of the Cow) falls on the week we read ‘Egel Hazahav’ (The Golden Calf) and instead of the passage from the book of II Kings, we read from the prophet Ezekiel.

The ‘Parah Adumah’ (Red Heifer) and ‘Egel Hazahav’! Two cows on one Shabbat! How are these two cows connected? It seems that the cows are complete opposites. The Golden Calf is about idolatry; the Red Heifer is about purification. The Golden Calf represents completely abandoning YHVH (immediately after hearing the Ten Commandments and being freed from Egypt and witnessing the destruction of the Egyptians at the Sea of Reeds). The Red Heifer, by contrast, represents full obedience to YHVH, since this mitzvah is identified as a 'chok' that is, those laws that can't be explained rationally or logically. Performance of the mitzvah of the Red Heifer shows complete submission and allegiance to YHVH.

Maimonides suggests that most of the ‘chukkim’, the reasons of which are unknown to us, serve as a fence against idolatry (Guide 3:49). So does the Red Heifer come to correct the sin of the Golden Calf? The use of the red heifer in the mysterious ceremony of purification atoning for the sin of idolatry is supported by the Haftara. The special Haftara from Ezekiel describes sprinkling water (like in the ceremony of the ashes of the Red Heifer) to "cleanse you of all your idols." The Midrash, in fact, makes the connection explicit: A maid's child once dirtied the royal palace. Said the king: "Let his mother come and clean up her child's filth." By the same token, YHVH says: "Let the Heifer atone for the deed of the Calf" (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 8). It is precisely because the two incidents are opposites that one can 'fix' the other.

How can one event 'atone' for another? Can one event 'undo' another? In our Parasha, cow undoes cow. In Jewish tradition, the ‘get’ (Jewish divorce document) annuls the ‘Ketubah’ (marriage contract). ‘Teshuvah’ (repentance) undoes ‘chet’ (sin). This is a sound principle familiar from child rearing. Better than a punishment- the consequence should repair the wrongdoing. When such a 'punishment' fits the crime, the 'sentence' for littering, for example, should be cleaning up the litter in the area.

There are two approaches to atonement. One is the 'jail' model: we regret our actions, and we pay our debt to society. Then we emerge from jail a 'new person,' often blotting out the memory of our incarceration. We try and distance ourselves from our inclinations to do wrong. But the second model uses the 'judo' approach, where the strength or speed of the opponent is used to our advantage! The bigger they are, the harder they fall! The Rabbis find it curious that the Israelites were indiscriminate; they contributed as eagerly to build the Golden Calf as they did to build the Mishkan. To sin, they gave their gold; to build the sanctuary, they gave their gold. In other words, their generosity could be channeled for holiness just as it had been used for turning away from YHVH.

Similarly, the example of the ‘Parah Adumah’ (Red Heifer) suggests that we can undo our failings by using the very same strengths for good. This would be like a dishonest stockbroker who does ‘teshuvah’ by using his talents to raise money to support charities instead of for illicit financial dealings. Like the ‘Parah Adumah’, let us channel our inclination and/or 'talents' for misdeeds for a higher purpose.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Tetzaveh - the Hafatra

2009-03-05T18:42:00.001+02:00

Parashat Tetzaveh – the Haftara
1Samuel 15:2 – 15:34
Reading date: 7th March 2009 – 11th Adar 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
Thus said the Lord of Hosts: 'I am exacting the penalty for what Amalek did to Israel, for the assault he made upon them on the road on their way up from Egypt. I Samuel 15:2

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That's why it's called the 'present.'
Parashat Tetzaveh continues with the description of the furnishings of the Tabernacle (Mishkan): the olive oil for the eternal lamp, the garments for Aaron, the High Priest, and the consecration ceremony for the priests. The portion concludes with a description of the incense altar. The regularly scheduled Haftara, taken from Ezekiel, (40: 10-27), describes the Temple and the details of its consecration.

Instead of Ezekiel, the Haftara for this specially named Shabbat Zachor is taken from the book of Samuel (15:1-34). (Ashkenazim begin on verse 2.) This haftara does not connect to the weekly Torah reading, but to the calendar instead. This is the Shabbat before Purim, and a special Maftir (concluding) portion read from a second scroll describes the Amalekite's attack on the Israelites (Deut. 25:17-19). The Haftara describes Saul's battle with Agag, king of the Amalekites, retaliation for their cowardly attack on the Israelites (also related in Exodus 17:8ff). Both Maftir and Haftara connect to Purim because the villain of the Purim story, Haman, is descended from Agag. The command to 'blot out the memory of Amalek' is in fact the origin of the custom of 'drowning out Haman's name' with graggers (noisemakers). Just as Haman is seen as a descendant of Agag, so too is Mordechai's lineage traced back to the line of Saul's father (son of Kish).

Saul, the first king of Israel, appointed by the prophet Samuel engages in battle with the Amalekites. YHVH commands Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, but he spares the king and the best sheep and oxen. When confronted by Samuel, Saul tries to rationalize his actions, but because he has not obeyed YHVH, YHVH rejects Saul as king.

Shabbat Zachor: The Shabbat of Memory. The Jewish people have a prodigious memory. The Psalmist vows to remember Jerusalem, "If I forget you O Jerusalem..." and we promise to keep alive the memories of those who perished in the Holocaust. Jews sustain the memory of loved ones through the traditions of Yizkor (literally: he will remember) and Yahrzeit. The Torah is always telling us to remember that we were slaves in Egypt. But what should we remember? Is it healthy to always have such a good memory?

A few months ago, we learned about the curious mitzvah of ‘Shikh'khah’ (the forgotten sheaf) that we cannot do with ‘kavannah’ (intent). Indeed, we can only fulfill it when we forget to perform it! Here, we encounter a similar scenario: a command to wipe out the memory of Amalek. Here we are being commanded to forget! But the Torah begins the command with the word: Remember! How is that possible?

Memory is generally a good thing, and any of us with aging parents (and even ourselves- where did I put those keys?) can identify with the hardships of impaired memory. We are made of our memories. When a loved one has serious memory loss, we worry that they will even lose their sense of 'self.' In the movie Fifty First Dates, we meet '10 second Tom.' Like goldfish, imagine being trapped in a world of 10 second durations (Say, I don't remember seeing that castle there before). It's no joke.

On the other hand, memory can be a burden. We cannot remember (re-feel) the actual pain, although we can remember that we experienced it. Holocaust survivors who still wake up in the middle of the night screaming suffer from such memories. After a negative experience, we can become trapped in memory and pain. There is a gift in being able to wake up each day as if it were our first. No baggage. No leftover hurt from the previous day's fight. We need to learn from the past, but not be stuck in it. We say, 'Forgive and forget,' because a person cannot forget until they forgive. But the other way around might be true as well. We can't truly and completely forgive until we're ready or able to forget. If you still remember the incident and the hurt, how can you forgive? Maybe there are times and things we need to forget.

This week's command to remember to forget teaches that we must find a balance between memory and moving forward. Judaism has found a way to celebrate history and has turned memory into an art form. Yes, we remember the tyrannical Haman with parody, drink and masquerade. We retell the story and celebrate our survival with a festive meal, (even a little too much) drinking , and gifts to friends and neighbors and tzedakah to the poor.

What are we to remember? What are we to forget? The tension between memory and forgetting teaches an important lesson. The other day I heard someone say: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That's why it's called the 'present.' "

Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach!

Parashat Terumah - the Haftara

2009-02-26T14:33:00.001+02:00

Parashat Terumah – the Haftara
1Kings 5:26 – (4:29) – 6:13
Reading date: 28th February 2009 – 4th Adar 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
Then the word of the Eternal came to Solomon: Concerning this Temple that you have been building [I tell you this]: If you obey My statutes and carry out My rules of justice and take care to keep all My commandments, I will fulfill my promise, the one I made to your father David, and I will dwell among the people of Israel, and never forsake My people Israel. I Kings 6:11-13

As long as we have Torah, we still have a way back to the Garden.

Our Parasha now turns its attention to the construction of a portable sanctuary, the Mishkan, and the detailed description will take up most of the remainder of the book of Exodus. The Haftara parallels the Torah portion with a description of the construction of Solomon's Temple. In addition to this thematic link,, some of the technical terms used ‘tzela’ are identical. Most significant, is the ending of the Haftara which parallels the beginning of our Torah portion, where YHVH promises to 'dwell' (from the same root as Mishkan) among the people of Israel.
Solomon succeeded his father David (around 970 BCE). Solomon allied himself with Hiram of Tyre, and commissioned an enormous work force to provide the labor to cut the stones and the trees necessary for the construction of the Temple.

Our parasha begins with the famous, if slightly ungrammatical verse: "You shall make [for] Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in them" (Ex. 25:8) (Shouldn't we expect it to say, 'dwell in it' not 'in them'?). Our Haftara uses similar language: "If you follow my laws, I will dwell among the people of Israel." It is as if, notwithstanding its excruciating detailed description of the physical structure, the Torah is already hinting that YHVH doesn't dwell in sanctuaries. YHVH dwells in the hearts and minds of people. Alice Walker expresses a similar sentiment in The Color Purple,
"Have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for Him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God."

But in Parashat Terumah, YHVH can be found in the sanctuary. The Mishkan was a portable sanctuary that served as the locus of YHVH's presence, and the Torah goes into a lot of descriptive detail about how to build the Mishkan: the lavers, the curtains, and the altars. But even with all the architectural detail and precise instructions, (notwithstanding attempts to visualize, or even reconstruct it) much remains unclear. (Too bad the Torah didn't come with illustrations.) There is a model of the Mishkan at Park Timna in the South of Israel made to the largest cubit. It is worthwhile going to see it on your next visit to Israel.

Certainly one of the features that has captured the imagination of artists were two golden 'keruvim' inside the Holy of Holies. The image of ‘keruvim’ was also woven into the fabric of the curtains surrounding the entire structure. What were they and what did they look like? ‘Keruvim’ transliterated became the English 'cherub' and portrayed by Renaissance artists as winged, chubby babies. (This may be based on an Aramaic play on words that interprets ‘Keruv’ to mean ‘ke-ravia’, like a child.) According to Rashi, they had the faces of a boy and a girl; his grandson, the Rashbam thought they were more like birdlike creatures. According to the visions of Ezekiel, they were fantastic creatures with wheels, (!) wings and hands and four faces: eagle, lion, ox and human. Although they may have taken numerous forms, they probably resembled the Near Eastern deities such as the Egyptian sphinx or the winged bulls of Babylonia that guarded temples and palaces. (Even today, outside important buildings we often can find lions). ‘Keruvim’ may have been winged lions with human (child?) faces. The rampant lions (usually identified as Lions of Judah) holding the two tablets that adorn many Arks in synagogues may more likely be symbolic replacements for the cherubim.

Whatever their appearance, the ‘keruvim’ in the Mishkan are guarding the engraved stone tablets. Now just last week we read about prohibited graven images, and now we learn that, surprisingly, inside the Holy of Holies, just above the tablets (where that very prohibition is found) are two very graven gold figures. What are they doing there? But there is one more surprise: there is another (often overlooked) instance where we encounter the image of ‘keruvim’ guarding. Remember back in Genesis, when we were expelled from the Garden of Eden, YHVH stations ‘keruvim’ at the entrance and surprisingly uses the same root (vayashken) of Mishkan (and Shechinah). How are the ‘keruvim’ of the Garden of Eden and the Mishkan connected?

After we were expelled from the Garden how would we find our way back? In Learn Torah With... (ed. Grishaver & Kelman, Torah Aura, 5756), Rabbi Mordecai Finley suggests that the presence of ‘keruvim’ in both texts makes it obvious! The way back to the gate of the Garden of Eden, was right in front of us; wherever you find ‘keruvim’ you find the gate that leads to Eden. But now what? The physical portable sanctuary no longer remains. The Temple has been destroyed. The beautiful work of art filled with crimson and purple wool, gold and acacia wood are gone. Where is the spiced oil and the sweet incense? The golden ‘keruvim’ no longer exist.
But the journey into YHVH's presence, back to the Garden, guarded by the ‘keruvim’ is still available. They were guarding the contents of the Ark, YHVH's word-- the Torah. After all, we even call the Torah ‘etz ha-hayyim’, the Tree of Life! As long as we make space for Torah in our lives, we still have a way back to the Garden and back to YHVH's presence.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Yitro - the Haftara

2009-02-19T21:27:00.000+02:00

Parashat Yitro – the Haftara
Isaiah 6:1 -7-6; 9:5 - 7
Reading date: 14th February 2009 – 20th Shvat 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“And YHVH said, 'Go, say to that people: Hear indeed, but do not understand; See indeed, but do not grasp. Dull that people's mind, Stop its ears, and seal its eyes -- Lest, seeing with its eyes and hearing with its ears it also grasp with its mind, and repent and save itself.”
Isaiah 6:9-10

Is YHVH not speaking, or are we not listening?

Last week's triumphant crossing at the sea now brings the Israelites to the foot of Mt. Sinai. In this week's parasha, the Israelites encounter YHVH and hear the Ten Commandments. The Rabbis selected a portion from Isaiah that has similar language and imagery: wings, holy, smoke. (Ashkenazim read Is. 6:1-7:6; 9:5,6; Sephardim read a shorter selection: Is. 6:1-13). This week's text includes the famous verse: ‘kadosh, kadosh, kadosh’ (holy, holy, holy) that is recited during the sanctification prayer (Kedushah) found in the Amidah.

Like the appearance of YHVH at Sinai, Isaiah also describes a vision of YHVH. Isaiah deliberately evokes the image of Moses by describing himself as a man of impure lips. (As an aside, a few week's ago we encountered the language of 'kvad peh' 'heavy of speech,' and the image of 'uncircumcised lips' and the famous Midrash of the burning coals. Few people realize that this image already appears in this week's haftara text: Then one of the seraphs [angelic beings] flew over to me with a live coal, which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched it to my lips and declared, 'Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt shall depart and your sin be purged away.' (Is. 6:6))

Isaiah lived in the southern kingdom of Judah in the latter half of the 8th century B.C.E. During this turbulent period, the larger, Northern Kingdom (called Israel) hoped to conquer the southern kingdom of Judah. After Isaiah's description of the futile attempts of the Northern Kingdom, the Rabbis append a two verse epilogue of a messianic vision from Isaiah: the throne of King David will be established.

YHVH's revelation at Sinai is the central event of the Torah; YHVH took the Israelites out of Egypt in order to meet them at Sinai. The dramatic imagery of the giving of the Ten Commandments is described with smoke and thunder and lightning: a spectacular sound and light show! The text seems to be saying: 'If you were there, you couldn't miss it!' But the late philosopher Emil Fackenheim has suggested that if an agnostic had been present at Mount Sinai, he would have heard all the thunder and seen all the lightning and wondered what all the fuss was about.

We know that Israel is on the Syrian-African rift and no stranger to seismic activity, so a rational approach would understand this as the description of an earthquake. Earthquakes are occasionally accompanied by combustible gases that escape the earth's crust and ignite. Clearly this event was literally and metaphorically 'earth-shattering.' But then again who pushed the button for the earthquake?

According to Exodus, it was 'all of Israel' who witnessed the thunder and the lightning. In the Haftara, Isaiah also describes a vision of YHVH and even though his lips have been purified, this time his message is not heard. Like Pharaoh's hardened heart, their ears will be stopped up; their eyes dulled. Today, it seems that YHVH no longer speaks like the Torah describes. If we hear YHVH's voice, most of us do not feel the earth move.

The Torah text says that the Israelites did not hear YHVH. They saw the thunder (the Hebrew ‘kolot’ can also mean 'voices'), (Ex. 20:15) and YHVH says, "You yourselves saw that I spoke with you from the very heavens." Saw? Shouldn't the text in both places say, 'hear'? This should strikes us as unusual, since in Hebrew, the central verb is 'Shema' to listen (and to understand). The use of the verb 'ra'ah' (literally, to see) for audible phenomenon suggests to the Rabbis that the Israelites 'saw the sounds' and 'heard the visions.' In other words, the experience of Revelation was so unique and overwhelmingly intense, the normal boundaries of our senses were not observed. Arthur Green writes that seeing YHVH's voice means 'that each one uniquely experienced the divine voice speaking within his or her own soul. To this all the rest of religion -- indeed, perhaps all the rest of life-- is merely commentary.' (The Language of Truth, pg. 106)

The Midrash (which connects the giving of the Torah and Isaiah's 'Holy, Holy, Holy' found in the Haftara) suggests that what was unique about Sinai, was not that YHVH spoke, but that the world was silent:
R. Abbahu said in the name of R. Yohanan: When the Holy One gave the Torah, no bird chirped, no fowl flew, no ox lowed, not one of the ‘ofannim’ [angelic beings] stirred a wing, not one of the seraphim said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy.' The sea did not roar, creatures did not speak -- the whole world was hushed into breathless silence; it was then that the voice went forth: "I am YHVH your God."

Lawrence Kushner has called this: God’s Dolby Noise-Reduction System. Kushner asks us to imagine turning off the sound of the television and watching. And to play with the contrast/brightness till there is no picture. Now- "You see nothing. You hear nothing. But you continue staring at the black soundless glass rectangle. For something is there. Someone is speaking and looking. Only you can't see them. From within a darkened space a message issues." (Honey from the Rock, pg. 33)

What was it that the Israelites saw or heard? What was it about Sinai that was so transformative for those present? If we were there would we have experienced more than thunder and lightning? Perhaps only when we turn off all the noise and distractions around us, can we start hearing. Perhaps when we are ready to acknowledge that our lives have meaning, we will start seeing. The question we must ask ourselves is, is YHVH not speaking, or are we not listening?

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Mishpatim - the Haftara

2009-02-19T21:23:00.000+02:00

Parashat Mishpatim – the Haftara
2Kings 12:1 – 2:17
Reading date: 21st February 2009 – 27th Shvat 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
The word which came to Jeremiah from Adonai after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty [dror] among them -- that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and that no one should keep his fellow Judean enslaved. Everyone, officials and people, who had entered into the covenant agreed to set their male and female slaves free and not keep them enslaved any longer; they complied and let them go. But afterward they turned about and brought back the men and women they had set free, and forced them into slavery again.
Jeremiah 34: 8-11

Whether or not we are slaves is dependent on whether we believe YHVH is One.
Parashat Mishpatim begins with a collection of laws scholars call the 'Book of the Covenant.' The Rabbis identify 53 different mitzvot in this parasha. The first set of rules, or laws, (in Hebrew mishpatim) that immediately follows the giving of the Ten Commandments concerns the treatment of slaves. It is difficult for us today to understand the position of the 'eved,' as the term can refer to slaves, household help, or even an expression of modesty or submission (as in Adonai's servant). The Torah distinguishes between a gentile slave, usually captured in wartime and whose slave status was permanent, and a Hebrew slave, who was temporarily indentured, usually to pay off a debt, and who retained more rights.

Jeremiah lived during the reign of King Josiah who restored the Temple order and instituted religious reforms after finding an ancient scroll believed to be the book of Deuteronomy. Some scholars identify Jeremiah as the author of the book of Deuteronomy. The Kingdom of Judah was caught in the crossfire between the superpowers of Egypt to the south and the Babylonians in the North. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BCE. Egypt marched through the land of Israel to attack Babylonia, and enroute battled with the Israelites at Megiddo, killing Josiah. The Egyptians however were defeated by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BCE, and Jerusalem came under Nebuchadnezzar's rule. In 586 BCE Jerusalem was razed and the Temple destroyed. The religious and political elite were exiled to Babylonia, but a remnant of the Jewish population fled to Egypt and took Jeremiah with them.
It seems a little surprising that after the lofty pronouncements at Mount Sinai, the Torah turns its attention to the mundane and prosaic matter of judicial and civil legislation. Being 'religious' isn't about theological and philosophical contemplation, but the actual application of how we treat one another. Still, of all the laws that the Torah could begin with, it strikes the commentators as odd that the Torah would choose to spell out the obligations to having slaves! It would have been more logical to begin with the establishment of the judicial system and the appointment of judges.

The Ramban suggests that our Parasha parallels the opening of the Decalogue: "I am Adonai your God who took you out of slavery..." (Ex. 20:2) Others suggest that YHVH begins with this law as the Israelites would relate to it- as they themselves knew what it was like to be slaves. But having been slaves can backfire; it is also possible that the Israelites would be cruel slave masters, as a psychological release against their own oppression. (Otherwise everyone who has been oppressed or mistreated would be a kinder, gentler individual- something we know isn't true). But this is, of course, what makes the law so surprising: why wouldn't the Torah prohibit slavery outright?

We all like to think that we are free, but in reality, we are enslaved to many things. The Hebrew root of eved is used in the Torah to mean to 'work' or to 'serve.' In David Moss’ magnificent Haggada for Pesach, he begins with an illuminated papercut page. On the first side, we see a series of illustrations of the Israelites in Egypt: mixing the mud and straw, forming the bricks, and baking them in the oven. Surrounding the papercut in micrography (tiny Hebrew lettering) are several verses with the root eved (describing the slavery of the Israelites). But when you turn the page, the same outlines (remember, this is a papercut!) now illustrate the Israelites getting ready for Passover, grinding the wheat into flour, mixing the dough and baking the matzvah. Now, around this page are again a series of verses with the root eved, but this time with the meaning of 'worship' and serving YHVH. It is a brilliant midrash; in the turn of a page, the Israelites' bondage is transformed into the service of YHVH.

The medieval commentator Alshich would agree with Moss in contrasting human servitude with serving YHVH. He points out that the text says, "If you acquire a Hebrew eved..." but isn't the person an eved only after he has been acquired? Why then is he already referred to as an eved? Alshich answers his own question: that this is a subtle reminder to the owner that the person is already a servant to another master, i.e. to the Master of the World.

The word avadim (slaves) is almost identical to ivrim (Hebrews). The only difference is the tiniest stroke that differentiates the Hebrew letters 'dalet' and 'reish.' In the Shema, the 'dalet' of the word 'echad' is enlarged precisely to avoid confusion of this same difference between 'echad' (one) and 'acher' (other). The question of whether YHVH is one or not seems unrelated to our discussion of slavery. Whether we see ourselves in a relationship with YHVH or not seems irrelevant. But this slightest distinction determines the fundamental and essential quality to our freedom.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Beshalach - the Haftara

2009-02-05T21:14:00.003+02:00

Parashat Beshalach – the Haftara
Judges 4:4 – 5:31
Reading date: 7th February 2009 – 13th Shvat

Our highlighted Haftara text
“Deborah, woman of Lappidoth, was a prophetess; she led Israel at that time. She used to sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would come to her for decisions.”
Judges 4:4

We see women can be role models in a community.
The military victory and Israel's redemption at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds (not the Red Sea) is the climax of the Exodus narrative. It is followed by celebratory rejoicing 'Shirat HaYam', with the women singing and drumming, led by Miriam the prophetess. The Rabbis choose a fitting parallel text: The Song of Deborah. Like Miriam, Deborah is also identified as a woman prophet. Deborah is a judge and enlists the reticent general Barak to wage war with the Canaanite tribes under King Jabin and his commander, Sisera. Deborah sings a triumphant song at the conclusion of the battle.

Both Exodus and Judges include the story in prose and poetry/song (the Hebrew ‘shirah’ can mean both). Ashkenazim read both, making the Haftara the longest portion of the year; Sephardim read only the poem portion - Judges 5:1-31). Both poems are considered the oldest portions of the Torah, and use archaic language; certain poetic imagery and words are difficult to translate. Also, the two songs (the Torah song is written in a distinctive alternating brick-like pattern- likened to the waves of the sea) give this Shabbat a special name: Shabbat Shirah. Many congregations have special musical programs. (It is also a tradition to put out left over Challah bread crumbs for the birds who sing). This Shabbat also always coincides with the week of Tu B'Shevat.

In the twelfth and eleventh centuries BCE, the Israelites saw themselves joined in a loose tribal confederacy with a shared historical memory and a common religious tradition. From the death of Joshua until the prophet Samuel and the appointment of the first king of Israel, Saul, the Israelites lived in a turbulent period of warfare with their neighbors. They struggled with the Canaanites and Philistines and in the frequent external or internal crises, appointed a military/judicial leader called a judge (shofet). This period of the judges is recorded in Shoftim, the second book of the Nevi'im (Prophets). The book describes 13 of these leaders; the last judge, Samson, read the week of Parashat Naso, is probably the most famous.

What is the role of women? The Bible often portrays women as minor characters and in relation to husbands, fathers, or sons. Unlike today, the birth of daughters was not celebrated publicly; the birth of Dinah, for example is missing the etymology of her name that the Torah includes for each of her 12 brothers. Many stories from a patriarchal point of view neglect and ignore the rich experiences of women. For example, Sarah is totally ignored in the Binding of Isaac narrative. Women characters are rarely well developed. Even Miriam, who appears throughout the Torah at pivotal moments in the Israelite's history, and the first person to be identified as a prophet, seems overshadowed by the roles played by her two brothers Aaron and Moses. (Although the Torah identifies Miriam as a prophet, there is no prophecy attributed to her recorded in Scripture; of course the Rabbis fill in the gap).

Three women are prominently featured in our Haftara: Deborah, and two non-Jewish women, Yael, and Sisera's mother. Sisera's mother, (unnamed) is described as sitting by the window. This classic image, a woman's head encased in a window looking outside, is prevalent in the arts and many ancient literary texts. The wicked Jezebel is also portrayed at the window as a woman with beautiful hair with painted face. This may be a figurative representative of goddess worship. There are also sexual/cultic connotations to openings.

While one can feel sympathy for the old woman, fretting over the absence of her son, Deborah's portrayal is harsher. The final verses (often glossed over in translations) graphically and crudely describe Sisera's booty as a 'womb or two for each soldier', reducing women to their sexual body parts. In addition to objectifying women, the woman at the window is being cast as a bystander, passively looking on to the man's world. The woman is 'inside the house'; the Rabbis like to quote Proverbs "Kvod bat hamelech pnimah - The beauty of the King's daughter is within" as the 'proof text' that the role of women should be inside the home. Sisera's mother characterizes the domesticity of women, while the men are represented by iron chariots, both symbols of war, mobility and the freedom of outdoors.

The second woman is the Kenite woman, Yael. Yael straddles her roles as domestic homemaker and political activist. Yael is described as both motherly (covering Sisera with a blanket and giving him milk) but also implicitly sexually, luring him into her tent. Even though there are no explicit sexual references there is an erotic tension to the story. He asks for water; she gives him milk. Milk and water have long been associated with women. (In Egyptian hieroglyphics a jar of water is the symbol of femininity). When Sisera dies, 'he falls between her legs' (again many translations miss the sexual overtones by rendering this instead as: 'he fell at her feet').

Finally, we encounter Deborah, the hero of the story. Unlike Sisera's mother behind the window, or Yael in her tent, Deborah is a woman with great power: judicial, religious, and social authority. Deborah is described judging the people under the palm tree, in the open countryside. It would be unusual, and therefore noteworthy, for a woman to be able to travel freely from place to place. Deborah was a true public leader, yet she describes herself as 'mother.' This maternal role may be more of a description of her relationship with the Israelites than it is of actual motherhood.

The Rabbis were uncomfortable with these powerful and unconventional women and their treatment of Miriam and Deborah ranges from attempts to minimize their stature or to assign them the qualities of arrogance or slander and gossip. But we should recognize Miriam and Deborah as the outstanding leaders that they were, and encourage young men and women to recognize these leaders as role models for their communities.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Bo - the Haftara

2009-01-29T08:58:00.002+02:00

Parashat Bo – the Haftara
Jeremiah 46:13 - 28
Reading date: 31st January 2009 – 6th Shvat 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“But you, have no fear,My servant Jacob, declares YHVH.For I am with youI will make an end of all the nationsAmong which I have banished you.But I will not make an end of you!I will not leave you unpunished,But I will chastise you in measure...”Jeremiah 46: 28

Only if we are prepared to filter the truths of the Bible through the lens of rational thought can we protect ourselves from the dangers of fundamentalism.

Last week's narrative of the ten plagues concludes with the final three (locusts, darkness, and the killing of the first-borns) and then our Parasha describes the celebration of the first Passover (still in Egypt). This week, a prophecy from the prophet Jeremiah has been chosen, and like last week, it is a message against Egypt. Again, YHVH will wreak judgment on Egypt and her gods. Egypt, already defeated at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (here written as Nebuchadrezzar) of Babylonia, would be further conquered. The haftara ends with a message of consolation that Israel should not fear for YHVH is with them.

The haftara begins 'The word which YHVH spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about the coming of King Nebuchadnezzar to attack the land of Egypt (Jer. 46:13). This parallels the beginning of the parasha: Then Adonai said to Moses: Come to Pharaoh...; also note the word 'attack - lehakkot ' is related to ‘makkot’ - the Hebrew word for the plagues. Another linguistic connection is the description of the Babylonian army being as numerous as a swarm of locusts (Jer. 46:23).

Jeremiah lived during the reign of King Josiah who restored the Temple order and instituted religious reforms after finding an ancient scroll believed to be the book of Deuteronomy. Some scholars identify Jeremiah as the author of the book of Deuteronomy. The Kingdom of Judah was caught in the crossfire between the superpowers of Egypt to the south and the Babylonians in the North. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BCE. Egypt marched through the land of Israel to attack Babylonia, and on route battled with the Israelites at Megiddo, killing Josiah. The Egyptians however were defeated by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BCE, and Jerusalem came under Nebuchadnezzar's rule. In 586 BCE Jerusalem was razed and the Temple destroyed. The religious and political elite were exiled to Babylonia, but a remnant of the Jewish population fled to Egypt and took Jeremiah with them.

Jeremiah promises that although the Israelites are in exile, YHVH will deliver them and return them from a land far away. He may be referring to both the exiles in Babylonia and his compatriots who are now in Egypt. This note of YHVH's redemption parallels the weekly reading of the exodus from Egypt and YHVH's fulfillment of the promise to redeem the Israelites. It is very popular to provide scientific accounts for the plagues, because otherwise the Torah seems like a children's fairy tale. But the Torah is not just a story. If the Torah is to have any meaning at all, these historic events must impact on our lives in substantial ways. We hold a Passover Seder because we believe. This belief helps instill in us the knowledge of the importance of knowing the difference between freedom and slavery. But what if a biblical account or commandment were to demand more radical behavior? Would we still do it?

This question separates moderates from extremists. Moderates try to balance religious values and truths with scientific facts and modern values. At its core, religion is a conservative force. It is very difficult for religious traditions to evolve (even though they do - at glacial speed); after all, how can Divine Truth change? Religious leaders and institutions are slow to adapt and admit change, but yes, we have made progress in some areas: most fundamentalists and Creationists admit the earth revolves around the sun, and not the other way around. It wasn't so easy, either, ask Galileo! The problem is that while many religious ideas are ennobling, some are simply wrong, and by its very nature, religion has no internal mechanism to be self-reflective, critical or self-correcting. So we see the importance of remaining adherent to the simplicity of the written Word and to deviate into doctrine or dogma.

Today, extreme examples (stoning a rebellious child, a blasphemer, or someone who desecrates Shabbat) have been tempered by rabbinic interpretation, and increasing scientific knowledge of the natural world explains illness from viruses and bacteria instead of demons or sin. Many either interpret or ignore problematic biblical passages, and after winnowing, generally only the 'good parts' remain. Liberals generally read biblical prophecies metaphorically, and are usually not too bothered by troublesome verses. Their religious wisdom and insights are filtered through the lens of scientific rationalism and the modern world's values.

But other groups, like us tend to have a more literal understanding of Scripture. And this is can be really frightening, because such readings of Scripture are, by definition, indisputable. This is largely where we find ourselves today – facing the reality of the fulfillment of prophecy! Belief in the absoluteness of the Word is beyond rational discourse. It doesn't matter what scientific evidence for evolution is brought to a believing mind.

What we believe informs how we act. Christian Scientists do not allow for medical intervention, not because they don't love their children, but because they believe that only YHVH can heal. But while others believe in the efficacy of prayer (and some studies demonstrate that patients who were prayed for, recovered more quickly), most of us (Christian Scientists excepted) would be concerned if our surgeon in the operating room put down his instruments and started chanting Psalms instead. There is certainly no harm done in reciting Psalms, and it may even be beneficial for the patient hearing them and the person reciting them. But the surgeon should rely on his medical training as well as his faith in the Almighty.

Jeremiah's oracle against Egypt ends, on what seems at first glance, to be a hopeful note. But when we consider it more closely, it contains a profoundly disturbing verse: "I will make an end of all the nations." Fortunately no one that I know of reads this verse to mean that one should strap explosives to one's belt and detonate oneself on a crowded bus. But there are extremists who do. If we are prepared to filter the truths of the Bible through the lens of rational thought will we be able to protect ourselves from these kinds of dangers of religious fundamentalism? I think not.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Vayera - the Haftara

2009-01-22T09:50:00.001+02:00

Parashat Vayera – the Haftara
Ezekiel 28:25 – 29:21
Reading date: 24th January 2009 – 28th Tevet 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh King of Egypt, you are like the great crocodile, crouching in the Nile, thinking, 'The Nile is mine, I made it for myself.' I will put hooks through your jaws and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales. I will pull you up out of your river branches will all the fish of your River branches sticking to your scales. I will throw you out into the wilderness you and all the fish of your River branches. You shall fall on dry ground ungathered and unburied.” Ezekiel 28: 3-5

Only by remembering that we are just the servants in the palace, can we 'know' YHVH.
The extended narrative of the ten plagues that YHVH visits upon the Egyptians now begins. The first plague turns the Nile to blood. The theme of the plagues is "that Egypt will know that I am YHVH" a phrase that recurs ten times for each of the plagues. It is the answer to Pharaoh's retort: "Who is the Lord that I should heed YHVH and let Israel go? I do not know YHVH nor will I let Israel go." (Ex. 5:2). Indeed, this phrase is also repeated four times in our prophetic passage (Ez. 28:26b; 29:9; 29:16; 29:21).

Ezekiel's prophecy is directed against Egypt. Just like YHVH punished the Egyptians in the days of Moses, now too, YHVH will devastate Egypt and restore Israel to its homeland. YHVH reminds Pharaoh that his claim to self sufficiency because he made the Nile is arrogantly proud. Only YHVH is the Author of creation, and Pharaoh is compared to a sea monster (or Egyptian crocodile) that is hauled out of Egypt's irrigation channels and flung into the desert.

The prophet Ezekiel lived during the destruction of the First Temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (586 BCE) and was exiled to Babylonia. In the first half of the book of Ezekiel, the prophet warns of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem; in the latter half, he preaches a message of consolation and restoration. While Ezekiel still had hope that the Northern Kingdom would be restored and then united, in fact, this prophecy did not come to pass. Ezekiel's message against Egypt reflects Israel's disappointment that Egypt did not come to Israel's aid.
Pharaoh is described as boasting, 'The Nile is mine, I have made [it] myself.' The Hebrew word for Nile is ‘ye'or’, derived from the Egyptian word for river. Indeed, the Nile, is "The" River. The Nile was Egypt's lifeline. In addition to being an important seaway for easy transportation, it provided fish for food, papyrus and most importantly, rich, fertile soil with its yearly flooding. The Nile is prominent in the early Exodus narratives: Egypt's source of life is (ironically) the tool for the murder of the Israelites. Moses is rescued from the Nile (and indebted to it), it is therefore Aaron who performs the first plague of blood against it instead of Moses). Many of the plagues are announced at the river's edge. In the prophets, the Nile becomes a symbol for Egypt (Amos 8:8), and the description of YHVH drying up the Nile represents the punishment and downfall of Egypt (Isa. 19:5-7; Zach. 10:11). In our passage, the fish of the Nile represent the nation of Egypt (Rashi).

For the ancient Egyptians, the Nile was a god (Hapi) and was worshipped. Not surprisingly, then, the first plague was on the Nile. Turning the Nile to blood (echoing the Egyptians earlier attempts at genocide) is also to demonstrate the power of YHVH over the Egyptians gods. The Midrash astutely understands that the plague of blood was an attack on the Egyptian pantheon.
Why were the waters first transformed to blood? Said the Holy Blessed One: I shall strike first his god, then his nation! As the saying goes, Strike the god, and the priests will tremble. Shemot Rabbah

The Torah tells us, that to show their own power, the Egyptian magicians did the same thing (Ex. 7:22). Ibn Ezra asks where the Egyptians got the water from to do the trick since even the water in stone and wooden vessels were transformed? The Egyptians were able to find unaffected subterranean water sources by digging around the Nile (v. 24). But the conjurers' trick pales in comparison to YHVH's act. More significantly, it seems that the magicians are powerless to reverse the effect: turning the blood back into water- although that is indeed how some commentators understand the phrase 'and the conjurers did the same' Restoring the blood back into water certainly would have been more impressive!

When Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh the first time (actually at the conclusion of last week's parasha) and ask for the Israelites' freedom, he says: "I do not know this 'God'. In other words, 'I do not need this God.' In the ancient world, rain was seen as a gift from God, and the Israelites were dependent on rain for their harvest. Pharaoh, however, did not need rain. 'The Nile is mine' means the 'Nile takes care of me.' Ezekiel suggestively describes Pharaoh as a great crocodile, (usually ‘tannin’, although here written as ‘tannim’). The crocodile-headed god Sobek, who represented the power of the Pharaohs, created the Nile, and was the god of fertility and rebirth. In the Bible, the ‘tannin’ was also the mighty sea-monster that in ancient creation mythology is destroyed by YHVH.

In Ezekiel, we read of Pharaoh's boast that he created the Nile: 'I have made [it] myself.' Rashi adds: "By my own strength and my own wisdom I have enlarged my kingdom." The Midrash takes this one step further, reading the Hebrew to mean, 'I made myself.' By suggesting that the verse can refer to himself (as well as the Nile) the Midrash hints that he considers himself like the Nile, a god. In ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh, in fact, was worshipped as a god.

I see a dangerous progression here. First we deny YHVH. Then we claim that we run the world (or at least know how the world works). Soon we are ready to make ourselves into YHVH. In Ezekiel, YHVH says, 'I am against you' (Ez. 29:3). The Hebrew ‘alecha’ might also be rendered as 'Behold, I am above you.' That is, know that I am your master and can deal with you as I see fit. The Maggid of Dubnow compares this to a servant in a palace who tries boasting to a visitor that he is the owner of the palace, only to be interrupted by the actual master who chides him to not misrepresent his position. Only by remembering that we are just the servants in the palace, can we 'know' YHVH.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Shemot - the Haftara

2009-01-15T12:25:00.002+02:00

Parashat Shemot – the Haftara
Isaiah 27:6 – 28: 29:23 - 23
Reading date: 17th January 2009 – 21st Tevet 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“Therefore teach them: one command and then another, one line and then another, a little here, a little there! So the prophet must talk to this crowd with slow speech and simple words, and say to them: Here is rest; rest for the weary; repose is here. [Still] they refuse to listen. To them the word of the Eternal will come: one command and then another, one line and then another, a little here, a little there!”Isaiah 28: 10-13

It is easy to come up with reasons so we need to distinguish between legitimate obstacles and lame excuses.

We begin the book of Exodus and the familiar story of the enslavement of the Israelites and the birth of Moses. The Ashkenazi haftara is taken from the prophet Isaiah; the Sephardic rite chooses a passage from Jeremiah (1:1-2:3). Like Moses, many prophets were reluctant to deliver YHVH's message. YHVH's reply to Jeremiah's protest, "I don't know how to speak", (cf. Ex. 4:10) is similar to the reply given to Moses: "Go wherever I send you and speak whatever I command you... I put My words into your mouth" (Jer. 1:7, 9; compare to Ex. 4:12).

We find a number of word echoes between the Isaiah portion and Parashat Shemot: the first word of the haftara echoes the Israelites who 'come' down to Egypt ‘haba'im’, and the description that they 'fill' the world like they filled Egypt. The obscure phrase in verse 7 "Was he beaten as his beater has been" uses the Hebrew word ‘makah’ used to describe the Egyptian who was beating the Israelite.

Isaiah is the most popular of the prophets for the Haftara: fourteen of the weekly portions (in the Ashkenazi calendar) are from Isaiah. Isaiah lived in the southern kingdom of Judah in the latter half of the 8th century B.C.E. The northern kingdom of Israel (also called Ephraim) comprised of the ten tribes (Judah and Benjamin formed the southern kingdom) was conquered by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.E. While Isaiah hoped that the northern kingdom would be restored (regrettably, the ten tribes vanished permanently), his prophecy was also a warning that to the leaders and population of Judah. 'You could be next' if you don't change your behavior. Indeed, a hundred years later, Judah was conquered, but this time, a remnant did survive, and returned to Israel and re-established a new nation.

Unlike Jeremiah, Isaiah was not a reluctant prophet. After the graphic description of the northern kingdom as gluttons and drunkards, Isaiah in a beautifully alliterative passage suggests that we have to be spoken to like little children: ‘tzav l'tzav, tzav l'tzav, kav l'kav, kav l'kav’: one command here one command there, one line here, one line there (28:10). According to the prophet, he must talk to this crowd with 'slow speech and simple words.' This, like the Jeremiah connection, echoes Moses' complaint that he is 'slow of speech and heavy of tongue' (Ex. 4:10). It is not clear what the nature of the handicap was and different commentators disagree on the meaning of this phrase. Although Rashi suggests that Moses stuttered, many commentators had different views. According to Rashbam, Rashi's grandson: I am not fluent in the Egyptian tongue because I ran away from the country and I am now eighty. For is it possible that a prophet whom God had known face to face and received the Torah should stutter, especially as there is no mention of this in Talmudic sources.

Like Rashi, Ibn Ezra considers a physical defect, but instead of a stutter, believes certain sounds were difficult for him to pronounce (a lisp?). This theory is supported by a very often told Midrash that comes to illuminate the nature of his speech impediment. The Midrash describes the infant Moses pulling off Pharaoh’s crown (like babies grab adult glasses today). Fearing that this was not an innocent playful act, but in fact a sign of future events Moses was tested with (and here different versions vary) rubies and gleaming, red-hot coals. Moses went to reach for the sparkling gems, but an angel diverted his hand. Burning his fingers, he instinctively brought them to his mouth, and touched and injured his lips.

Although the Midrashic version of the events describes an injury that might cause some speech impediment, it would not support Rashi's view of Moses stuttering. In addition, when YHVH calls to Moses at the burning bush, Moses raises a number of objections to his being chosen: He is not worthy; the leaders may not accept him; the Israelites might not believe him, and finally, he does not have the required verbal skills. If one had a physical impairment, why wait for the fourth objection? Wouldn't that be the first obstacle raised to answering the Divine Call?

Like Moses, many of the prophets were reluctant to accept YHVH's mantle of prophecy. Because it is easy to come up with reasons we need to distinguish between legitimate obstacles and lame excuses. While Moses' expression of humility is commendable, sometimes we shouldn't be too self-effacing. There are times we all feel inadequate to tackle certain tasks, but we should be careful that we are not being 'too humble' simply to avoid our responsibilities. It is easy to be overwhelmed: by work, by responsibilities at home, raising children, or the condition of the planet with global warming and other environmental disasters. It is tempting to say: I can't do it, or I'm the wrong person for the job. Isaiah's advice: don't be discouraged -- YHVH's word will come step by step, letter by letter and word by word. As YHVH reassures Moses, "I will be with you."

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Vayechi - the Haftara

2009-01-08T12:52:00.002+02:00

Parashat Vayechi – the Haftara
1Kings 2:1 - 12
Reading date: 10th January 2009 – 14th Tevet 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text

“When the time came near for David to die, he gave this instruction to his son Solomon: 'I am going the way of all the earth; you must now be strong; show yourself to be a man.'”I Kings 2:1-2

We cannot finish everything we hope to do in the world --- but others who come after us can complete our efforts.

Our Haftara continues precisely where it left off from Chaye Sarah, where King David lies dying. There, Bat Sheva and the prophet Nathan orchestrated to have Solomon chosen as heir, and this week, David shares his final words of advice to his son Solomon. The parallel of David's death-bed instructions with Jacob's last will and testament to his household connects the Torah and Haftara portions.

Ironically, both parashot ‘Chaye Sarah’ and ‘Vayechi’ with the Hebrew root ch.y.h (meaning life, lived) in their names begin with the notice of the death of its major character. While we think of Genesis as a book of beginnings, it ends with the death of an era. All the patriarchs (including Joseph) die, and the Children of Israel people enter a new phase. The story turns its attention away from the lives of individuals to the lives of the Children of Israel.

This week's Haftara is taken from the book of I Kings which deals with the death of David and the monarchy of his successor, his son Solomon. The life of David is found in the book of II Samuel. After killing Goliath, David quickly rose in rank to become a captain in King Saul's army. After the death of Saul on Mt. Gilboa, David was anointed as King of Judah, and later, become king over all of Israel. According to legend, his strength was superhuman. He was a poet and a musician, and the Rabbis portrayed him as a Torah scholar. Jewish tradition considers David the author of the book of Psalms. His reign was idealized, and he became a symbol of hope for future redemption: the Messiah comes from the 'House of David.'

Let’s take a look at Israel’s modern leaders. Sharon, like many of Israel's leading politicians such as Moshe Dayan and Yitzhak Rabin, began with a military career and was a decorated war hero. But as seasoned politicians, these soldiers-turned-statesmen had to deal with a different political reality. Even Menachem Begin, who began his career as a political 'hawk' eventually was the prime minister who signed Israel's peace treaty with Egypt's Anwar Sadat. King David, similarly, began his career as a military leader. The stories of the Book of II Samuel are less familiar to most of us- but they read like a political thriller with internal intrigue and lots of bloodshed. King David spent his lifetime fighting and conquering Israel's enemies: the Philistines, the Moabites, and others while dealing with internal conflicts. Even his final words are political advice: 'kill off my detractors (and your possible enemies)'.

King David succeeded in uniting the country (briefly- the Northern and Southern kingdoms separated after the death of Solomon), and reigned for 40 years. He lived in challenging times and had a hard life, yet his legacy was not only on the battlefield. King David was a complex personality. He had a deeply spiritual side, and his musical talents calmed Saul. After he conquered Jerusalem and established Jerusalem as the capital, he brought the Ark there and hoped to build YHVH's Temple. A divine edict, however, forbid him from doing so. "You will not build a house for My name," YHVH said to him, "for you are a man of battles and have shed blood" (I Chronicles 28:3). King David fought many battles, but he was not able to complete his work for peace. That work was continued by Solomon. Rabbi Tarfon says, "It is not incumbent for you to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it." There is some comfort in knowing that although we cannot finish everything we hope to do in the world, others who come after us can complete our efforts.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Vayigash - the Haftara

2009-01-01T09:34:00.002+02:00

Parashat Vayigash - the Haftara
Parashat Vayigash – the HaftaraEzekiel 37:15 - 28

Reading date: 3rd January 2009 – 7th Tevet 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text

“They shall live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, the land of your ancestors; they, their children and their children's children shall live there forever, and My servant David shall be their head forever.I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant with them. I will make them safe and increase their numbers, and place My sanctuary in their midst forever.My Presence will be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Ezekiel 37: 25-27

The dynamic tension of different cultures can be a source of great creativity, or painful polarization.

The connection between this week's parasha and the haftara is more subtle than in some weeks. In one of the most emotional scenes in all literature, the Torah portion relates how Joseph is climactically reunited with his brothers. In the passage chosen for the haftara, Ezekiel describes that the tribe of Joseph (Ephraim) which made up the bulk of the Northern Kingdom, would be similarly reunited with the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

The rabbis often see the patriarchal narratives as archetypes: 'Ma'aseh avot, siman labanim’ - The acts of the ancestors foreshadow the experiences of their descendants.' At the same time, the haftara provides an interesting counterpoint to the Torah: as Israel is about to descend and be exiled to Egypt, we already read of YHVH's promise to restore the nation under the united Davidic monarchy.Ezekiel used vivid imagery and metaphors (the famous passage: the valley of the dry bones, for example, is read on Passover) and often describes complex mystical visions of chariots and cherubs.

The prophet Ezekiel lived during the destruction of the First Temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (586 BCE) and was exiled to Babylonia. In the first half of the book of Ezekiel, the prophet warns of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem; in the latter half, he preaches a message of consolation and restoration. While Ezekiel still had hope that the Northern Kingdom would be restored and then united, in fact, this prophecy did not come to pass. The Northern Kingdom conquered by the Assyrians over a hundred years earlier (722 BCE), have disappeared from history, notwithstanding the fairly discredited attempts to identify various ethnic groups with the missing 'Ten Lost Tribes.' Yet we see today the people of Ephraim emerging from the Nations preparing to take their place amongst the Nation of Israel as witnessed in St. Louis MI in August 2008.

The prophets often used dramatic symbolic actions or visual aids to demonstrate their message. Our haftara begins with YHVH instructing Ezekiel to take two sticks: one for Judah (for the Southern Kingdom) and one for Joseph (for the Northern Kingdom). Ezekiel is to write the names on the sticks and the two sticks will become [as] one.Hebrew is a funny language.

Adjectives have to agree in number and gender to the noun they modify. Usually, the number one, of course, only modifies something singular. But occasionally, as in our verse (17), the word for 'one' ‘echad’ to describe the joined sticks takes the unusual plural form: ‘achadim’ because it refers to the two sticks. They are one (in Hebrew, literally ones!?). Rabbi Marsha Pik-Nathan, in The Women's Haftara Commentary, suggests that the idea reflected here is that the sticks will merge into a oneness and yet somehow will retain their individuality and independence. She illustrates this with the modern day ingathering of the Exiles ‘kibbutz galuyot’ since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Jews had lived separated from each other in many different communities around the world, and their languages, customs, food, and music all evolved, taking on the flavor of their adopted homes. When Jews returned to the land of Israel, it became a mosaic of couscous, kugel and malawah (Yemenite fried bread).

Idan Reichal's CD merges Yiddish klezmer, Arabic oriental influences with Ethiopian Amharic. Unity need not mean uniformity.The dynamic tension of these cultures (Ashkenazi and Sephardic, religious and secular) can be a source of great creativity, or painful polarization. So it is comforting to read Ezekiel's vision that YHVH will make a covenant of peace. We associate the rainbow with a covenant of peace because the first covenant YHVH made with Noah was sealed with the rainbow. The bow, normally a symbol of war, is turned on its head, like the Prophet Joel's vision, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks..." (3:10). In this case, YHVH beats the bow of war into a sign of peace.The rainbow has been adopted by various groups as a symbol of peace because it’s many colors represents diversity:Just a rainbow is made of different colors and shades, which are joined into a unified wholeness, so too [must be] the differences between people, societies, groups or nations. Life is based on understanding and measured tolerance, upon harmony and peace- these are the basis for the continued existence of the world, "a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth." (Z. Hillel, quoted in Itturei Torah)If Joseph's embroidered multi-colored coat was indeed a rainbow of stripes (as it is depicted in many illustrations) then the rainbow symbol of covenant connects Joseph and Ezekiel's haftara message of hope and unity.

Not only will Israel and Judah be restored, but they will be united, just like Joseph is reunited with his brothers.In our day, this message of unity is all the more relevant as the community of the Children of Israel is in danger of breaking apart. However, calls for unity must, like the rainbow, acknowledge the multi-hued approach of each of our movements and ethnic and cultural traditions. Then may Ezekiel's vision come to pass, "I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant with them. I will make them safe and increase their numbers, and place My sanctuary in their midst forever. My Presence will be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

Shabbat Shalom.

Reading for Chanuka

2008-12-16T21:27:00.002+02:00

Chanukah
22nd December – 29th December
25th Kislev – 2nd Tevet 5769

The History of Chanukah
Chanukah, the Festival of rededication, is also known as the festival of lights. Chanukah is an eight day festival, and always falls on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, even though its corresponding date in the English calendar varies. This year, 2008, Chanukah begins on Monday, December 22nd in the evening. In the Western world, Chanukah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, principally because of its proximity to Christmas. While many may think of this holiday as the "Jewish Christmas," including elaborate gift-giving and decoration, Chanukah is actually a simple historical commemoration, celebrating the victory of a small band of rebels fighting against the imposing might of the Hellenistic Assyrian army. Commemorating this fight against oppression and assimilation, we kindle lights to remember the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, and to rededicate ourselves to strengthening our own identities today.
Talmudic Beginnings.

The rabbis of the Talmud ask a strange question: ‘Ma hi Chanukah?’ (Shabbat 21b). Loosely translated, this means, "What the heck is Chanukah about anyway?" At this point you may be asking: "you mean the ancient sages of our tradition didn't know the story about the wicked Antiochus. ‘Achashverosh’ in Hebrew - and the flask of oil that lasted eight days and about latkes and dreidels and little chocolate coins?"

Well, except for the latkes and dreidels and little chocolate coins part, the ancient sages did know that story. In fact, they gave it to us. What they were not sure was how to properly celebrate the holiday, or how all the different traditions that had developed fit together.

To explain how the ancient rabbis saw Chanukah, first let's take a step back and look at the historical record, as best we understand it. In 167 B.C.E., a king named Antiochus Epiphanus (interestingly ‘Epiphanus’ means in the Greek ‘as God’) ruled over a chunk of the Middle East that included the land of Israel. He wanted to unify all the peoples under his rule with one culture, the Greek-Roman culture called Hellenism, which had been handed down from the time of Alexander the Great (ca 323 B.C.E.). So Antiochus outlawed the study of Torah and the practice of Judaism, and put Greek gods in Jewish holy places.

Some Jews went along with Antiochus's edicts and assimilated into Hellenism, but other Jews rebelled against these oppressive laws. The most successful rebel was a Hasmonean priest named Mattathias. He and his five sons, including the legendary Judah the Maccabee (Judah the "Hammer") led a successful rebellion to retake Jerusalem and reestablish Jewish sovereignty. Eventually, they even established themselves and their descendants as native Jewish kings. When they took over the Temple and cleaned out all the remnants of the idolatrous Greek worship, they rededicated the Temple and then immediately held a late observance of the eight day festival of Sukkot, the most important festival of Temple times. The next year, to commemorate their victory and the rededication of the Temple, a "late Sukkot" was held again, thereby giving birth to our eight-day celebration of Chanukah - which means "dedication".
The deeds of the Maccabees were recorded and reported to other Jewish communities throughout the Land of Israel and to those communities outside the land that developed during the first exile and who never returned. The oldest sources we have for the story of the Maccabees is the First and Second Books of the Maccabees. The First Book of Maccabees is a simple history, telling the story of the revolt and continuing the story of resistance that continued after the revolt when the Hasmoneans took over the monarchy. The Second Book of Maccabees was composed as a letter, written to the Jewish community of Alexandria, explaining the events that took place and encouraging them to commemorate the Hasmonean victory by observing the new holiday of Chanukah.

While these books tell the important story of the Maccabees, they were not universally embraced by Jews everywhere, and when the time came for the canonization (selection process) of the Hebrew Bible, they were left out. They were, however, preserved by the early Church, who did include the Books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha, the Greek writings that appear in Christian Bibles between the "Old" and "New" Testaments.

So what happened to the story of the oil and the miracle of the lights? Well, that's where the rabbis come in. In the rabbinic sources, we find virtual silence on the topic of Chanukah in the Mishnah. It is only in the Gemara (the later rabbinic material which, along with the Mishnah makes up the Talmud) that we find the new story about the oil and the miracle of the lights. By the time of the development of the Talmud, around 200-500 C.E., the Jews were living under Roman rule in Israel and under Persian rule in Babylon. In these circumstances, celebrating stories about military rebellion might not be viewed in too positive a light by the authorities, and the sages also feared that some Jewish hotheads might stir up trouble and cause all kinds of problems for the Jewish community. So the Talmudic sages put a new spin on the established holiday: YHVH wrought a great miracle for the people, enabling the few to triumph over the many, and YHVH showed the people another miracle in the oil, when a flask of ritually pure oil sufficient for one day lasted for all eight days.

But there is also more. The battle fought by the Maccabees was not only a revolt against religious oppression and colonial domination, but it was a civil war as well, fought between pietistic adherents to a strict traditional observance of Judaism (as practiced in those days) and those who were attracted to the might and worldliness of Hellenism and sought to acculturate. Ironically though, after their victory, the Hasmoneans assumed the Monarchy of Israel - which, in of itself was prohibited for a priestly family, and eventually, after some generations, became advocates of Hellenization and invited the Roman Empire to become protectors of Israel, setting the stage for the eventual Roman conquest. As a priestly family, the Hasmoneans sided with the Sadducees, the priestly advocates of the authority of Temple Sacrifice, against the Pharisees, the forerunners of the rabbis and the form of rabbinic Judaism we continue to practice today. With the destruction of the Second Temple, the fall of the Sadducees, and the ultimate conquest of the Land of Israel by the Romans, the new rabbinic authorities assume the mantle of religious authority. Unhappy with the Hasmoneans and critical of the eventual outcome of the Maccabean revolt, the Rabbis set out to relegate Chanukah and the Maccabees to a mere footnote in Jewish history. Hence the exclusion of Maccabees from Hebrew Scriptures and the shift in the emphasis of Chanukah from the victory of the Maccabees to YHVH's miracle of light. Effectively, the Rabbis sought to write the Maccabees out of Jewish history. Like the exclusion of Moses from the Passover Haggada, the Maccabees were removed from Chanukah, and the spotlight was put on YHVH.

So back to our Talmudic question: ‘Ma hi Chanukah?’ "What is Chanukah?" Well, the answer depends on your perspective. It could be a holiday of religious freedom, inspired by the people's desire to shake off oppressive laws. It could be commemoration of the human capacity for courage and hopefulness, as we remember the Maccabees' brave revolution. It could be an opportunity to reflect on Jewish distinctiveness and the miracle of Jewish survival in societies that offer so many opportunities to just chuck it all and assimilate. It could be a spur to many Jews to reach out to each other across denominational and ideological boundaries, inasmuch as the Maccabean revolt was also a civil war between Hellenized and non-assimilated Jews. It could be, as the Talmud suggests, a time to thank YHVH for the miracles in our lives; a time to think about what is in YHVH's hands and not in human hands. It could be a chance to ask ourselves: what seemingly ordinary things can I experience as miracles today?

Chag Sameach

Parashat Miketz - the Haftara

2008-12-16T21:20:00.002+02:00

Parashat Miketz – the Haftara
Zecharia 2:14- 4:7
Reading date: 27th December 2008 – 30th Kislev 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“Then Solomon woke; it was a dream!” I Kings 3:15
Do we 'wake up' from a dream or do we roll over and go back to sleep?
In our parasha, Joseph is recognized for his divine wisdom and appointed royal vizier to Pharaoh. Similarly, King Solomon is known for his wisdom demonstrated by his solving the case of the true mother with his test of threatening to cut the live baby in two. Both the parasha and the haftara begin with the king (or Pharaoh) awakening ‘vayikatz’ from a dream.

King Solomon, the son of King David reigned from 970 BCE to 928 BCE. Through marriage alliances and international treaties, Israel had extensive and close relations with neighboring countries that brought gold, spices and exotic animals. During his reign, Israel was a dominant political and economic force, with a flourishing agriculture (every person living safely and peaceably 'under their vine and fig tree'), spice trade and mining industry for valuable metals (copper, silver and brass). The prosperity of Solomon's reign, however, was short-lived, and after his death the Northern Kingdom of the Ten Tribes seceded. The books of Song of Songs, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are traditionally ascribed to King Solomon. Although he was considered the 'wisest of men' and many Midrashim talk of the wonders of his powers and his monarchy, he was also an absolute monarch who dealt harshly with his subjects.

Dreams figure prominently in the Joseph narratives. Joseph is known as a dreamer, and last week, he had the dreams of being bowed down to by his brothers (which will come true this week) and interpreted the dreams of his fellow prisoners, the baker and the wine steward. This week, it is Pharaoh himself who has a (two-part) dream of 7 cows and 7 stalks of wheat (emmer- not corn, notwithstanding most children's books and the King James translation). Joseph had the uncanny ability to see the true messages within others' dreams. In the haftara, King Solomon, awoke from his dream where he had asked YHVH for wisdom instead of riches.

What exactly are dreams? Science hasn't yet adequately explained the phenomenon of dreaming, and dreams still fascinate us. Are they messages of the future, or simply the brain doing its housekeeping at night? The advice to 'sleep on it' refers to going to bed in the hope that overnight, we might find a solution to a problem or gain some insight that eludes us during the day and when we're awake. The scientist Kekulé is said to have discovered the arrangement of the benzene molecule, when he saw a chain of carbon atoms rotating in a circle, like a snake chasing its own tail in a dream. Other discoveries (like the sewing machine's needle) have been attributed to dreams, too.

In the ancient world, dreams were thought to be divine communication and were considered to be omens. However, dreams (both then and now) are largely symbolic and therefore require interpretation, called ‘oneiromancy’. The dream, like even the Torah, has little meaning without proper interpretation. (Today, dream interpretation 'dictionaries' are available online, but even in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, there existed 'dream books', that deciphered the images). But these have little value because the true meaning of the symbols in the dream relate to the individual's unique associations. Jung writes in Civilization in Transition, "The art of interpreting dreams cannot be learnt from books" (pg. 327).

It may be that in our 'collective consciousness' as a species, certain archetypes have specific meaning in our dreams, but more likely, it is our own private, personal associations that have significance. In a Midrash from Bereishit Rabbah, a man came to R. Jose ben Halafta, saying: "I was told in a dream to go to Kappadokia, where I should find the money of my deceased father." When the rabbi learned that the man (or anyone in his family) had never been to Kappadokia, he explained the dream as follows: "Count twenty beams in your house, and in the twentieth you will find the treasure, for 'Kappadokia' means [kappa=] "twenty" and [dokia=] "beams".
It is not the literal message of the dream (ie. going to Kappadokia) that is important, but the meaning assigned to it. Again, Jung writes of the danger of dream interpretation: "Every interpretation is an hypothesis, an attempt to read an unknown text. An obscure dream, taken in isolation, can hardly ever be interpreted with any certainty" quoted from "The Practical Use of Dream Analysis" (1934) in The Practice of Psychotherapy, pg. 322.

It was also believed that individuals could not accurately interpret their own dreams. Yet, the importance of understanding dreams was still deep-rooted in the time of the Talmud that 24 dream interpretation 'professionals' worked in Jerusalem. Jewish tradition is divided over the significance of dreams.

According to the Talmud, "The words of dreams neither benefit nor harm" (Gittin 52), and "We see at night in dreams only that of which we were thinking by day" (Berachot 55b). The Talmudic sage Jonathan expresses the Freudian idea: "A person is shown in a dream only what is suggested by one's own thoughts" (Berachot 55b). When R. Meir had a dream to apologize to the head of the academy, R. Simon ben Gamliel, he didn't go, because according to him 'dreams are of no consequence' (Horayot 13b). Other sages still held the view that dreams were a form of prophecy.

Not all dreams come true; there are also false dreams. Even if dreams are full of meaning, how are we to understand them? The point is that true wisdom (like Joseph and Solomon) is not in having dreams, but in waking up and knowing their 'true' interpretation. Joseph demonstrates this by not only 'interpreting' the dream, but suggesting a course of proper and sensible course of action.

Rabbi Aharon of Karlin compares Jacob's dream with Pharaoh's. When Jacob dreamed, it says, "He awoke from his sleep, and said, 'Surely YHVH was in this place.' “(Gen. 28:16). In contrast, when Pharaoh awoke, he went back to sleep, for it says, "He awoke, and he dreamed a second dream...." (Gen. 41:5). We can ask ourselves the same question: do we 'wake up from a dream' or do we roll over and go back to sleep? Dreams are dreams, and what their meaning is may be debatable, but the point is, when we finish dreaming, are we truly awake.

Shabbat Shalom & Chag Chanukah Same'ach.

Parashat Vayeshev - the Haftara

2008-12-16T21:18:00.000+02:00

Parashat Vayeshev – the Haftara
Amos 2:6 – 3:8
Reading date: 20th December 2008 – 23rd Kislev 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“People of Israel, hear this word the Eternal has spoken about you, about the whole crowd that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:You alone have I known of all the families of the earth--therefore I will punish you for all you iniquities. For the day of the Eternal draws near for all the nations:As you have done, so shall it be done to you;Your deeds shall come back to haunt you”. Amos 3:1 - 2

With great power comes great responsibility.
The book of Genesis now begins its final episode: the extended novella of the Joseph narrative. The haftara from the prophet Amos begins with a list of the sins of Israel. The first example, selling the righteous ‘tzaddik’ for silver, echoes the brothers who sell Joseph (called ‘Yosef Hatzaddik’ in rabbinic literature – in rabbinic literature one who is referred to as a ‘tzaddik’ is one without sin) for silver. His second example of a man and son who go to the same woman recalls the story of Judah who sleeps with his son's wife, Tamar.

Amos is the first of the 'literary' prophets. He lived and prophesied around 784-748 B.C.E. during the reign of King Jeroboam. Like Moses, Amos was a 'reluctant' prophet. That is, he described himself as a sheep breeder and tended sycamore figs and was called by YHVH to proclaim a message warning of Israel's destruction. He prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel against the immoral practices that he saw. His message was the classic prophetic message: that rituals and religious piety do not have YHVH's approval when there is inequity between people and social injustice.

Judaism has never valued asceticism, and if one can afford good things, there is no sin in enjoying life. We don't have to suffer. At the same time, we must be careful that our enjoyment does not become the be-all and end-all. Those of us who are blessed with a high standard of living know that we should do more for those in the world without clean water, enough food or decent housing even though we don't always put that knowledge into practice.

Amos, a peasant coming from Judah, is similarly disturbed by the ill treatment of the poor. He is shocked by the lifestyle of the rich and famous in Israel's North Country. His listeners were probably annoyed by his message, thinking, 'Hey, we're comfortable. Don't bother us.' But he wouldn't relent, and in passionate language, he castigates those hypocrites who exploit the poor. We think our situation is different; we don't enjoy our privileged life on the backs of the poor and the disadvantaged. Unless you've read 'No logo' by Naomi Klein and realize that the clothes we wear and the sneakers we buy are being produced by workers (often children) in Bangladesh under inhumane conditions and with no rights. Let us remember the climactic verse from Amos (regrettably not included in our Haftara), "Let justice well up like water, righteousness like a raging stream" (Amos 6:24).

The job of leaders today, they say, is to 'comfort the afflicted' and 'afflict the comfortable.' And as we are in full swing of the season of consumer shopping, it is hard, but maybe more necessary than ever, to hear the message that the goal in life is not more 'stuff.' It is a challenge to teach children to understand the difference between: I need, and I want. (The sentence from your teenager: "I really need the new iPod nano" should be corrected: "I really want the new iPod.")
A few weeks ago in Parashat Lech Lecha we talked about the possible meanings of 'being chosen.' The prophet Amos says something else: Being chosen means being accountable to a higher standard. As the children’s story teaches, "With great power, comes great responsibility." Amos might say, "With great affluence, comes great social responsibility." It's a message suitable for all of us, not just those with super powers.

Don’t we often feel like Scrooge at this time of year? Many have long forsaken the tradition and religious celebration of Christmas; we need to realize that we live in a multicultural society. Rather it is the incessant marketing of mostly unnecessary products that irritates us. As we celebrate Chanukah next week, celebrating the light of our freedom, one of our Chanukah gifts one night should be a donation to any number of charitable causes that increase social justice in the world.

Especially looking back at the untold suffering caused this past year by the natural disasters, war and economic hardship, helping to heal the world would make the Chanukah candles glow just a bit brighter.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Vayishlach - the Haftara

2008-12-16T21:16:00.001+02:00

Parashat Vayishlach – the Haftara
Hosea 11:7 – 12:12
Reading date: 13th December 2008 – 16th Kislev 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
"And Jacob set up a pillar at the site where YHVH had spoken to him, a pillar of stone, and he offered a libation on it and poured oil upon it...
Over her grave Jacob set up a pillar; it is the pillar at Rachel's grave to this day”. (Gen. 35:14, 20)

“Rock of Ages”
Stones seem to be a trade mark for Jacob; they just keep appearing in Jacob’s life. In this week’s Parasha VaYishlach, we learn that Jacob [again] at Beth El, sets up a (matzevah) stone pillar (Gen. 35:14). Last week, when we read of Jacob’s journey from Canaan, Jacob stopped at Luz/Beth El where he built an altar of stones. The term ‘beth el’ (literally, House of YHVH) refers to this specific type of stone pillar, but later became associated with a sacred site at the town of Luz. The shrine on the boundary of Ephraim and Judea was of great importance in the time of Judges and Kings. Jeroboam made it the chief sanctuary to compete with the southern Jerusalem. Consequently, in the prophets, Beth El became a symbol of Israel’s iniquity, and was condemned by Amos and Hosea, notwithstanding its association with the patriarch Jacob.
But Beth El is not the only place that we see Jacob with rocks. Last week, we read how Jacob set up a stone cairn at Gilad after making a pact with Laban. And twenty years earlier in the story, he had put a rock under his head for a pillow where he had his famous angel dream (‘sulam’ here means staircase, not the ladders we imagine today). And when he met Rachel at the well- in a moment of passion (and super strength) he rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. When Rachel died en route Hebron, Jacob buried her, and again we read that he sets up another [stone] pillar. Jacob even uses the term ‘ehvehn’ in his final blessing to Joseph to describe YHVH: “By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob— There, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, The God of your father who helps you, And Shaddai who blesses you. With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that couches below, Blessings of the breast and womb. The blessings of your father Surpass the blessings of my ancestors, To the utmost bounds of the eternal hills” (Gen. 49:24b-26a).

The word for rock is ‘ehvehn’ or ‘sela’. Rocks represent strength, stability and permanence. Another term ‘tzur’ is often used to refer to a large boulder, and hence conveys the sense of a place of shelter. Not surprising then that ‘tzur’ is an epithet for YHVH: ‘Tzur Yisrael’. "HaTzur- The Rock!—YHVH’s deeds are perfect, Yea, all YHVH’s ways are just; A faithful God, never false, True and upright is YHVH" (Deut 32:4). In just a few weeks, we will sing a Chanukah song with that reference to YHVH: ‘Ma’oz Tzur’ (Rock of Ages).

Rocks are also associated with Torah, since the Ten Commandments were written on stones. In one midrash, Rabbi Levi cites a parable of king who protects a city from attacking soldiers with soldiers of his own. So too, YHVH gave us the Torah to guard against our impulse to do evil. Since our impulse to do evil (“I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh (Ezek. 36:26)) is compared to a stone, the laws of Torah are called ‘stones’ (from the stone tablets). ‘Stones’ [of Torah] therefore effectively will guard against ‘stones’ [of evil impulse] like some will say that a remedy is for ‘like’ to cure ‘like.’

The Patriarchs and Matriarchs are seen as more than individuals; they are archetypes. Maybe one thing that made them special was their ability to see the Divine in particular aspects of nature: Abraham saw it in trees; Isaac in water. Jacob found holiness in rocks.
All this thinking about rocks’ potential to symbolize Torah or even YHVH reminds us of a modern day parable or ‘moshal’ of a Jewish school that wanted to create a small portable ‘Aron Kodesh’ (a Torah ark) to house a Torah for a classroom. They bought a standard, no frills white cupboard from a put-it-together-yourself furniture store and decorated it. How blessed this one cupboard was, to become a Holy Ark instead of a plain cupboard. And then we see an image- that the thousands and thousands of plain cupboards in this store's warehouse that were being probably being sold for kitchens and bathrooms and garages all had the potential for holiness, to be an ‘Aron Kodesh’.

Each of us has a special gift to discover holiness in the world; some find it in family, others in ritual, some feel it in nature, others in music. Like the Patriarchs, each of us can choose to uniquely find something holy in our lives that will ultimately lead to fellowship with YHVH.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Vayetze - the Haftata

2008-12-16T21:13:00.000+02:00

Parashat Vayetze – the Haftara
Hosea 12:12 – 14:9
Reading date: 6th December 2008 – 9th Kislev 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
“Jacob fled to the land of Aram,
Israel served for a wife;
and for a wife he kept watch [over sheep]”
Hosea 12:13

“Are we running towards something or running away”?
This week's Torah portion begins "And Jacob left Be'er Sheva and journeyed towards Haran" (Gen 28:10). The Ashkenazi haftara portion begins with an almost exact parallel to our Torah portion: "Then Jacob had to flee to the land of Aram..." (Hosea 12:13). While the Ashkenazim begin the story at verse 13 and continue to chapter 14:10, the Sephardic rite is to read the earlier verses found in Hosea chapter 11:7-12:12. In these prior verses, highlights from Jacob's life are retold recounting Jacob's struggle in the womb, and the later episode of his night-struggle with an 'angel.' There is one additional connection between Hosea's prophecy and this week's parasha pointed out by Ibn Ezra. Hosea prophesied in Beth El, the shrine established by Jeroboam. Beth El is where Jacob stopped for the night and had his dream of a staircase (not ladder) going to heaven. "Shaken, he said, 'How awesome is this place, this is none other than the abode of God and that is the gateway to heaven.' ... And he named that site Beth El" (Gen. 28:17, 19)

Hosea is the first prophet included in the second section of the Bible (Tanakh), after the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. He lived around 700 BCE and was a contemporary of Amos. After the death of Solomon, the united kingdom had split into two. The northern tribes were called Israel (or Ephraim after the tribe of their first king Jeroboam) and the southern kingdom was called Judah. Although this was a time of material prosperity, it was also a time of moral laxity and growing paganism.

It is often overlooked that before the curtain rises on our Parasha, the Torah has already told us that Jacob (Ya’akov) left for Haran: Then Isaac sent Jacob off, and he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban... (Gen. 28:5). The Torah then briefly digresses with a notice of Esau's genealogy and the story's flow is interrupted with the details of Esau's family tree. According to Rashi, our parasha repeats Jacob's departure in order to resume our story with Jacob.

But why does Jacob leave Be'er Sheva? According to both the Torah (chap. 28) and our Haftara verse, Jacob is going to Haran to find a wife, similar to the servant's mission to find a wife for Isaac that we read two weeks ago (Chayei Sarah).

However, there seems to be another reason. If we look back at the conclusion of the previous chapter, we see that the blessing-stealing episode ended badly:
"Esau said to himself, 'Let but the mourning period of my father come, and I will kill my brother Jacob.' When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebecca, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, 'Your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. Now my son, listen to me. Flee at once to Haran, to my brother Laban. Stay with him a while until your brother's fury subsides'..." (Gen. 27: 41b-44)

Here we have a totally different motivation. Here, Jacob is not leaving to find a wife, but to escape his brother's wrath. Possibly, the Torah repeats Jacob's departure because there were two reasons.

Furthermore, many commentators consider the first phrase "And Jacob left Be'er Sheva" extraneous; after all, the important thing is that Jacob went to Haran. We can figure out for ourselves that he obviously also left where he was. Some commentators see Jacob as fulfilling the commandment of "Honor your father and mother"; according to Isaac, Jacob was going to find a wife; according to his mother Rebecca, he was running away from Esau.

The Haftara captures both the fleeing from something and going towards something by choosing the verb 'flee' instead of the Torah's more neutral 'left' (vayetze). This is true in our lives as well. When considering a new job or a new school (or even a new partner) are we making a positive choice, or simply running away from something negative? It is not enough to reject our childish notions of YHVH and Torah principles we have to also be pursuing a mature understanding of Torah. When Jacob left Be'er Sheva, on some level, he left his past behind him. It is fine to leave our past behind us if we are sure that we are moving forward and going somewhere!

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Toldot - the Haftara

2008-12-16T21:10:00.001+02:00

Parashat Toldot – the Haftara
Malachi 1:1 – 2:7
Reading date: 29th November 2008 – 2nd Kislev 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text

“Give honor to My name.
If you do not listen,
if you do not take it to heart,
says the God of heaven's hosts,
I will send a curse upon you,
and turn your blessings to curses.
In fact, I have [already] turned them into curses,
because you do not take it to heart”.
Malachi 2:2

“We should be careful that our actions 'say' what we mean”.

In this week's Haftara, YHVH reminds the Israelites that though Jacob and Esau are brothers, YHVH only loves Jacob. The prophet therefore criticizes the Israelites for their lackluster performance of the Temple sacrificial service. In the Torah portion, the relationship of children to their father is emphasized. The Haftara asks, why do the Israelites not honor YHVH like a parent? In Genesis, hands (disguised by animal skins) offer the father a prepared meal; the prophet says that YHVH will not accept an offering "from your hands." The Hebrew words for spurn (bozei, vayivzeh both from the Hebrew root: b.z.h.) are used to describe how the Israelites spurn YHVH through improper sacrifices (Malachi 1:6,7) just like Esau spurned his birthright (Gen. 25:34). YHVH wants the service of the heart.

Malachi, which simply means 'My messenger,' is more of a title, than an actual personal name. The anonymous individual we call Malachi was the last of the prophets, and lived in the middle of the 5th century B.C.E. before the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah. (Some sources in fact identify him as Ezra.) At that time, Judea was still a province of Persia. While it seems that he lived at a time when the Temple had been rebuilt (515 B.C.E.) religious performance was perfunctory. Malachi calls for a religious revival.

Isaac and Rebecca have twins: Jacob and Esau. Esau and Jacob are the opposite of identical twins. In the ancient world, twins were often depicted as the two complementary halves of a complete personality. This is what we find here: Esau is the active, physical individual, a hunter who loves the outdoors. Jacob, on the other hand is portrayed as a gentle, cerebral soul who stays inside. Both however, are to become the father of a people. Esau was born covered with red hair, (‘adom’ in Hebrew means red; hair is ‘se'ir’). Esau is therefore linked through this wordplay to the two names of the land of Edom, or Seir and is considered to be the father of the Edomites (Gen. 36:1). Like the name Israel, Edom can refer to the individual (Esau) or the people (the Edomites) or the land. The land of Edom, in what is now present day Jordan often appears red (think of the red rock of Petra). The sibling rivalry in the Genesis narrative foreshadows the enmity between the Edomites and the Israelites. The Edomites were displaced by the Nabateans, and in rabbinic times, the term 'Edom' came to represent Rome, and then later Christianity. Jacob and Esau become therefore, the archetypes for the Jew and non-Jew respectively.

The prophet begins his address by reminding Israel of YHVH's preferred relationship to Jacob over Esau, but then berates the Israelites for their cavalier attitude to YHVH's service. He warns them that the blessings YHVH has promised could in fact become curses. Blessings and curses are a theme which appears in the Torah portion since Jacob initially fears that in trying to steal his brother's blessing, he will be cursed instead. And Isaac's blessing to Jacob echoes the blessing that YHVH previously gave to Abraham, that "Cursed by they who curse you, Blessed they who bless you" (Gen. 27:29). YHVH's very blessings, and the special relationship with YHVH enjoyed by the Israelites, are at risk.

The prophets often admonish the Israelites for offering sacrifices while engaging in corrupt behavior. In future columns we will see that YHVH instead delights in kindness, justice and righteousness; YHVH does not even want sacrifices (Jeremiah 7:22-3). But here, we have a slightly different message. In our passage the prophet is not complaining of social injustice or the Israelites' moral failings. He is not even making the [legitimate] point that ritual observance also requires ‘kavannah’, proper intent. All that is for another time. Instead, the point being stressed here is that ritual acts, if they are to be done, need to be performed properly.
The Israelites 'lame' offerings YHVH will not accept, but surprisingly, incense and pure sacrifices offered to YHVH's name "from the setting of the sun to its setting among the nations" are acceptable. Abravanel comments: “You should have learnt from the ways of the nations. Though they have not been vouchsafed the light of the Torah... they magnify and exalt YHVH and perform the most pure sacrifice that they themselves are capable of doing according to their lights”.

This message is all the more exceptional because the Haftara begins by proclaiming that YHVH hates Esau. Yet, sincere religious devotion, (even pagan, it seems) is more acceptable to YHVH than improperly performing the rituals. When it comes to YHVH's blessings, we want the genuine article, not a cheap substitute, yet the Israelites are satisfied with offering blemished and unfit animals. The prophet's complaint is that the Israelites are taking YHVH's beneficence and special relationship for granted.

This is one of the challenges of Torah. To follow Torah is skill-based, and ritual observance often requires a minimum of technical expertise. We all know of individuals performing ritual in a sloppy manner: putting up a mezuzah incorrectly, (or even without the parchment!). They may have sincere intent. But just like the Israelites sent a clear message that they didn't really take their relationship with YHVH seriously in the way they performed the Temple rituals, we communicate how we feel about our faith by the effort and care we put into our actions.
When Jacob resorts to the subterfuge of disguising himself with animal skins, Isaac says: "The voice is the voice of Jacob, yet the hands are the hands of Esau" (Gen. 27:22). One interpretation of this verse is that it refers to hypocrites who say one thing with their mouths but do something else with their hands. Torah has always stressed action over belief: deed, not creed. We have to 'walk our talk.' Since actions speak louder than words, we should be careful that our actions 'say' what we mean.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Chayei Sarah - the Haftara

2008-11-20T18:12:00.001+02:00

Parashat Chayei Sarah – the Haftara
1 Kings 1:1 – 31
Reading date: 22nd November 2008 – 24th Cheshvan 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text
And the King took an oath, saying:"As YHVH lives, who has rescued me from every trouble: The oath I swore to you by YHVH the God of Israel, that your son Solomon should succeed me as king and that he should sit upon my throne in my stead, I will fulfill this very day!"I Kings 1:29-30

“Inner Beauty”
This week the Haftara is taken from the book of I Kings. King David is old and will soon die. The charismatic Adonijah, the heir apparent, declares himself king, but Nathan the prophet and Bat-Sheva, David's favorite wife, persuade the ailing king to name the younger son, Solomon as king. The phrase, ‘zaken, ba bayamim’ echoes the description of Abraham (Gen. 24:1). The Torah portion similarly includes the announcement of the death of Sarah (which provides the name for the Parasha- literally the 'Life of Sarah'), and the death of Abraham. The swearing of David (I Kings 1:29) also parallels the swearing of Abraham's servant (Gen. 24:2).

This week's Haftara is taken from the book of I Kings (from the section called the 'Early Prophets' or Historical prophets as opposed to the later 'literary' prophets like Isaiah and Amos). The book of Kings was divided in two by the early Greek translation (the Septuagint). The book of I Kings deals with the monarchy of David and his son Solomon.

Abraham and David are pivotal characters in the Bible: Abraham is a model of righteousness and David is considered the greatest king of Israel and the archetype for the Messiah. In this parasha, both are old and prepare for death. Abraham performs the final act of pure ‘hesed’, securing a burial plot for his wife Sarah, and arranges for an appropriate wife for his son Isaac. In contrast, we see a feeble monarch, easily manipulated and unable to manage his affairs. Although Nathan instructs Bat Sheva to 'remind' the king of his oath to choose Solomon, there is in fact no record in the text of such a promise. The reader cannot know if this was a ruse, or in fact a crucial promise that was made privately? Their choice of Solomon seems reminiscent of Rebecca’s manipulation of Isaac to bless Jacob instead of Esau. One can well sympathize with Adonijah and his supporters, since the Torah explicitly states that the eldest son cannot be deprived of his inheritance, and passed over for a younger son of a preferred wife (Deut. 21:16) although we see this rule violated in almost every family story with a loved wife and an unloved wife.

King David's reign is held up as the model for the future, and traditional prayers include the restoration of ‘Malchut Beit David’, the reign of the House of David. Although David was a great leader and reigned for a golden period in Israel's history, in his old age, he is incapacitated. Even a beautiful young woman who lies in bed with him is unable to "warm him up" (meant either literally- in terms of body heat, as earlier he was covered in bed clothes and was unable to keep warm, or meant sexually). After he is convinced that Solomon should succeed him and be king (which ensures the safety of his beloved Bat Sheva who surely would have been killed together with Nathan and Solomon had Adonijah ascended to the throne), in the chapter after our Haftara reading, King David gives Solomon his advice for survival. Along with the spiritual message to observe the Torah (so YHVH will keep YHVH's promise), he is advised to kill off or neutralize his political opponents. Solomon has Joab, the soldier who supported his brother killed, and dismisses High Priest Aviatar and banishes him. Adonijah promises to be loyal to Solomon, and initially Solomon relents but later reconsiders and has him executed.

In contrast, when Abraham passes on his legacy to Isaac, we do not hear any speeches. The parasha begins with the lengthy negotiations with Ephron over the burial plot. Then the Torah records in great detail (67 verses in chapter 24) how Isaac's wife Rebecca was chosen by Abraham's servant. And in the final chapter, Abraham is careful to arrange his affairs. Abraham remarries (the little known Keturah) and has six more sons. Although everything that is owned by Abraham is willed to Isaac, and Isaac clearly inherits the mantle of his father, there is little rancor. Abraham diplomatically sends away the sons of his concubines to the land of the east with gifts. In other words, he does what he can to ensure Isaac will live in peace and harmony. When he dies "at a ripe old age, old and contented" even Ishmael and Isaac come together to bury him at the cave of Machpelah. What can we learn from Abraham's actions? He does what he can to defuse conflict among his children. He takes care of the dead, and arranges for the future.

The contrast of Abraham and David's legacy in the two stories of the Torah and Haftara is striking. How different were their deaths. While David dies with unfinished business, one gets a sense that Abraham has done everything he had to do, and planned for the future. What advice would they give us? There is a beautiful tradition to write an 'ethical will.' This usually takes the form of a letter addressed to one's family and friends that includes one's important personal beliefs and values, and contains blessings for the future. Ethical wills that have been preserved are wonderful snapshots of lives from long ago. A famous example of such an ethical will was written by Judah ibn Tibbon in the twelfth century.

One doesn't have to be dying to write such a document. It is a clarifying exercise to articulate what is important in life, what lessons have been learned (thus far) and what advice we would want to pass on to others, instead of worrying about who gets the china or the jewelry. Abraham and David left legacies. What will be our legacy for the future?

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Vayera - the Haftara

2008-11-12T18:06:00.002+02:00

Parashat Vayera – the Haftara
2 Kings 4:1 – 37
Reading date: 15th November 2008 – 17th Cheshvan 5769

Our highlighted Haftara text.
“Elisha went into the house, and there was the dead boy lying on his bed. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to Adonai. Then he stretched himself over the boy, placing his mouth eyes and hands on the boy's mouth, hands and eyes. He crouched over him and the boy's body grew warm. Elisha got up, walked to and fro about the house and again crouched over the boy. The boy then sneezed seven times and opened his eyes”.II Kings 4: 32-35

“Every morning how grateful we should be to awaken to a new day”.

This week's Haftara features the prophet Elisha, a disciple of the better-known prophet Elijah. Elisha, too, was famous for performing miracles, and the Haftara tells of two such miracles. In the first, a jar of oil miraculously fills all the jars of the house- (a tale that might be more appropriate for Chanukah!) The second narrative of a Shunamite woman, however, connects the Haftara to our Torah portion. This Shunamite acts like Abraham in graciously providing hospitality to her guest. Like Sarah, she has no son, and expresses disbelief when she is told the news. The phrase 'k'et hayah' (II Kings 4:16) echoes the language in Genesis (18:14). Her young boy collapses -- the biblical text indicates that he has died- and is miraculously revived. (Scholars suggest it was possibly sunstroke.) The account parallels the near death experience of Isaac, who (according to some Midrashim- see below) actually died, and was resurrected.

This week's Haftara is taken from the book of II Kings (from the section called the 'Early Prophets' or Historical prophets as opposed to the later 'literary' prophets like Isaiah and Amos). The book of Kings was divided in two by the early Greek translation (the Septuagint). The book of I Kings deals with the monarchy of David and his son Solomon, and II Kings continues with the history of Israel after the kingdom was split into two. Elisha prophesied in the Northern Kingdom around 850-800 BCE, during the reign of Jehoram, son of Ahab.

This week's Torah portion concludes with the climactic 'Akedat Yitzhak - the Binding of Isaac' (also read on Rosh Hashanah). Immediately after, Isaac disappears from the narrative. While Abraham and Isaac went up the mountain, the text reads: "And Abraham returned (in the singular) to the men..." (Gen. 22:19). Where was Isaac? Various Midrashim suggest different solutions: he was sent home early (at night) to avoid the evil eye. Rashi quotes the Midrash that he went to study at the academy of ‘Shem’ and ‘Ever’. Even more fanciful is the suggestion (in Midrash Hagadol) that "The Holy Blessed One brought Isaac to the Garden of Eden for three years" (one wonders, perhaps to recuperate from the psychological trauma). According to several Midrashim, Isaac sustained at least an incision that had to be healed.

There is no limit to the creative Midrashic mind, and there exists a surprising tradition that when Abraham's knife touched Isaac's neck, Isaac's soul left him. We need how ever to remain focused on the truth and simplicity of the Torah.

The Rabbis match each of the first three paragraphs of the ‘Amidah’, the central standing prayer, to the three patriarchs. The first paragraph ‘Avot’ is associated with the first of our ancestors, Abraham, and concludes with 'Shield of Abraham.' The third, the ‘Kedushah’, concludes with 'the Holy YHVH' and is connected to Jacob who came upon the 'gateway to heaven' when he lay down and dreamt of the staircase with angels ascending and descending. The second paragraph, ‘Gevurot’, which concludes with 'who revives the dead' would then match the remaining, second patriarch, and the Rabbis suggest that Isaac recited this benediction when he was revived.

Although the 'pshat' or plain meaning of the biblical text is emphatically clear that Abraham did not go through with this near sacrifice (after all, the whole point of the story), one Midrash pushes the limits of rabbinic imagination and turns the story on its head:
When Father Isaac was bound on the altar and reduced to ashes (!) and his sacrificial dust was cast on to Mount Moriah, the Holy Blessed One immediately brought upon him dew and revived him...Forthwith the ministering angels began to recite: 'Blessed are You Adonai, who revives the dead.' [Shibbole Haleket quoted in The Last Trial, by Shalom Spiegel, pg. 33].
The idea that Isaac was actually sacrificed is shocking, and the exegete Ibn Ezra, obviously familiar with this tradition, forcefully disagrees and comments, "But he who asserts that Abraham slew Isaac and abandoned him and that afterwards Isaac came to life again is speaking contrary to Word." But during the Crusades, where entire Jewish communities were slaughtered, they saw themselves martyred as Isaac [almost] was in the Akedah, except this time, without the miracle of being delivered at the last second. Medieval poems that memorialized these tragedies often compared the victims to Isaac on the altar.When Christianity emerged with its central doctrine around crucifixion, resurrection, and the atoning power of Yeshua’s blood however, the Jewish parallel that Isaac too was actually slaughtered, atoned for our sins and was resurrected was almost purged from Jewish sources. While the concept of bodily resurrection was debated by the Sadducees and Pharisees, it was accepted as a tenet in Judaism, and is included in Maimonides' thirteen principles. It can be found in the concluding hymn of 'Yigdal.' Today many Jews still believe in bodily resurrection of the dead. As many people, both Jew and Gentile distance themselves from the idea of resurrection, perhaps we should not distance ourselves from this idea of resurrection so quickly. ‘Modeh Ani’, the first prayer recited in the morning upon awakening (and therefore usually not included in synagogue liturgy) describes YHVH as returning our souls- as if we were dead and have been revived. Each morning we are "born again." Although the ‘born again’ concept is largely a Christian idea, one who returns to faith within Judaism is called a ‘baal teshuvah’ – one who has come to repentance and has returned to Torah and the ways of YHVH. But when we recite the ‘Modeh Ani’ prayer, or the second paragraph of the ‘Amidah’, we should remember how grateful we should be to YHVH that He has awakened us to a new day.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Lechlecha - the haftara

2008-11-07T07:54:00.003+02:00

Parashat Lech Lechah – the Haftara
Isaiah 40:27 – 41:16
Reading date 8th November 2008 – 10th Cheshvan 5769

Our highlighted Haftara Text
“But You, Israel, my servant,Jacob, whom I have chosen,Seed of Abraham My friendYou whom I drew from the ends of the earthAnd called from its far cornersTo whom I said: You are My servantI chose you, I have not rejected you--Fear not, for I am with you,Be not frightened, for I am your God;I strengthen you and I help you,I uphold you with My victorious right hand”.Isaiah 41:8-10

“It is not so much that The Children of Israel are the Chosen people, but that we are the Choosing people”.

Ten generations after Noah, Abram (his name is changed later in the Parasha to Abraham) hears a call from YHVH: Lech Lechah - Go Forth. Abram together with his wife Sarai, are to leave their "home and native land" and go on a physical and spiritual journey. YHVH makes a covenant with Abraham and blesses him. Abraham will become the father of a great nation (with descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky) and the land of Israel will be given to his offspring. In return, Abraham is to follow YHVH's ways (the details are not specified). Our highlighted verse refers to the Children of Israel as 'seed of Abraham.' Like Abraham was brought from the 'ends of the earth,' The Children of Israel in exile should not fear but have trust that YHVH, the Creator of heaven and earth, would redeem them. By reminding them of YHVH's promise to Abraham, Isaiah is reassuring the Israelites that there is hope.

This is the third (and for a while at least, the last) Haftara taken from the book of Isaiah. There are a total of 14 Haftarot taken from Isaiah, more than any other book from the Prophets. Scholars identify this 'deutero-Isaiah' (from chapters 40 on) as a different author from the Isaiah ben Amotz identified in Isaiah 1:1. The 'Second Isaiah' preached in Babylonia in the sixth century BCE and brought a message of consolation to the Nation of Israel who had been captured and exiled.

The verse in the Haftara makes YHVH's election of Israel explicit: "You are my servant, I chose you, I have not rejected you" (Isaiah 41:9b). The Children of Israel, descendants of Abraham, are described as 'chosen,' just like Abraham is called by YHVH. Why did YHVH choose Abraham? A well known Midrash comes to answer that question and describes the world's first 'iconoclast' (literally: a breaker or destroyer of images), smashing the idols in his father's idol shop. (Contrary to popular belief, this story is not in the Torah!) The verse before, however, alludes to the makers of idols, who busy themselves with their crafts, oblivious to the fact that the whole earth trembles before YHVH:"The woodworker encourages the smith; He who flattens with the hammer [encourages] him who pounds the anvil. He says of the riveting, 'It is good!' and he fixes it with nails that it may not topple" (Isa. 41:7). Perhaps this portion was chosen because of its allusion to idol makers.

The rabbinic imagination (Genesis Rabbah 38:18) portrays Abraham as the world's first monotheist to discover YHVH. Upon closer examination, this doesn't seem to be entirely true. After all, we see Adam talking to YHVH, Cain and Abel making sacrifices to YHVH, and after the birth of Adam's (lesser known) third son, Seth, the Torah tells us, "... It was then that people began to invoke YHVH by name" (Gen. 4:26). YHVH chooses Noah, too, and even makes a covenant through him with all humanity.

What made Abraham special? Did YVH choose him, or was it Abraham who (first) chose YHVH? Did Abraham have some intrinsic spiritual quality? The biblical scholar Speiser has proposed that Abraham was a religious 'genius' just like the scientific genius of a Galileo, or a Newton or a literary genius like Shakespeare. Others suggest that true monotheism didn't emerge until Moses (or even the later prophets). But it was not only Abraham who was chosen. Biblical and rabbinic texts make it clear that the Children of Israel were also chosen by YHVH.
The Torah describes the Children of Israel's relationship with YHVH: "Now, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine, but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19:5-6)

Note that being YHVH's treasured possession is conditional: "If we obey YHVH... then we shall be YHVH's treasured people." Why did YHVH choose the Children of Israel? YHVH alone only knows. Some rabbinic texts suggest that the Children of Israel were not even that willing to be YHVH's chosen people. The Midrash (Mechilta Yitro 5) describes YHVH going to other nations with the Torah, and after being rejected, holding Mt. Sinai over the Children of Israel's heads saying, "Will you accept My Torah? (If not, I drop the mountain.)" Only then, with the proverbial 'gun (well in this case- mountain) to their heads' did the Children of Israel all of a sudden think it was a good idea to accept the Torah saying 'Na'aseh v'nishma- we will do and we will hear.'

This Midrash makes it clear that it was YHVH doing the choosing. The Siddur includes several passages such as the traditional blessing before the Torah that still retains this language: ‘asher bakhar banu mi kol ha’amim’, "who has chosen us from among all peoples."
It is understandable that in today's egalitarian and democratic society, the concept of ‘choseness’ is problematic. The Italian humanist commentator Sforno seems to share our modern discomfort, commenting on the Exodus verse above: Although the entire human race is more precious to Me than all other existing creatures, for humanity alone among them represents My intention, as our Sages say, "Precious is humanity who was created in the [divine] image (Pirkei Avot 3:14), still you shall be to Me a treasure beyond all of them.

The Bible certainly supports Sforno's thesis that YHVH cares about all humanity. (YHVH even calls Egypt "My people," and Assyria "My inheritance." Isa.19:25-26). Some of the Children of Israel are embarrassed with this delineation of 'us' and 'them,' of Jew and gentile. It is hard to speak of 'chosess' and avoid chauvinism or feelings of superiority. Historically, in times of persecution, it is understandable that these verses may have been a source of hope and reassurance. However, they may have also been the foundation for religious conceit and false superiority (and subsequent hatred and persecution of the Children of Israel- creating a vicious circle). No wonder they are today viewed with suspicion. In an age of tolerance and equality there seems little room for this doctrine.Chosen doesn't mean 'superior' and the Children of Israel are not like the 'teacher's pet' who get preferential treatment-- quite the contrary. Because YHVH is just, the prophet Amos warns, "Only You have I known of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for your sins" (3:2). The Children of Israel are obligated to a life of unique responsibility to YHVH. We are to be a 'light to the nations.' The Children of Israel are called a Kingdom of Priests because they introduced the world to our concept of YHVH. As Israel Zangwill was the first to phrase it, maybe it is not so much that Jews are the Chosen people, but that we are the Choosing people. Rabbi Meir Simcha Kagan of Dvinsk teaches that Israel is called YHVH's first born. Every child is treasured by a parent, just as every child is unique. However, it is only the first born who defines the adults as parents for the first time. YHVH loves the Children of Israel and all humanity, just as a parent loves [all] their children. On one level, all humanity is one, yet we should also recognize the uniqueness of every individual and the distinctiveness of every group. It is like comparing animals. Some can swim, some can fly, some even have sonar. Is it chauvinistic to say that bats and dolphins are unique to use echolocation? No animal is 'better' than another. Similarly, every people has made a unique contribution to society, and the Children of Israel no less so. Each group has their own culture and should rejoice in their people's accomplishment. The Children of Israel should therefore be proud of their contribution: to remind the world that there is but YHVH, and that we should do good buy being obedient to Him.

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Noah - the Haftara

2008-10-30T10:18:00.003+02:00

Parashat Noah – The Haftara
Isaiah 54:1 – 55:5
Reading date: 1st November 2008 – 3rd Cheshvan 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

"Ho, all who are thirsty, Come for water,Even if you have no money;Come, buy food and eat:Buy food without money,Wine and milk without cost.Why do you spend money for what is not bread,Your earnings for what does not satisfy?Give heed to Me, And you shall eat choice foodAnd enjoy the richest viands.Incline you ear and come to Me;Hearken, and you shall be revived.And I will make with you an everlasting covenant,The enduring loyalty promised to David." Isaiah 55:1-3

This week we read the familiar story of Noah and the flood. The Haftara taken from Isaiah, (54:1-55:5) includes an explicit reference to Noah: "For this to me is like the days of Noah: As I swore that the waters of Noah nevermore would flood the earth, so I swear that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you." The story of Noah illustrates that YHVH cannot stay angry forever. After the flood YHVH promised (in fact, made a covenant) to never again flood the world (I guess recent tsunamis and hurricane disasters excepted). Just like YHVH made a covenant with Noah and his descendants, YHVH would restore Israel to Zion. The word 'brit' (covenant) and the expression 'lo... od' (not again) and the root 'tzedek' also appear in both the Torah and Haftara.

Sections from this week's haftara portion are also read on Shabbat Re'eh and Shabbat Ki Tetze.This week's parasha of Noah could well be titled: ‘Breishit, The Sequel’. In many ways, it is the story of Re-Creation. Last week the Torah opened with the world covered in water, and this week, water destroys the world and YHVH starts over. After the flood, as the water recedes, the earth emerges from the water, with echoes of Creation as described in last week's parasha. Even Noah is like a second 'Adam' as all of humanity can be traced to Noah, and Noah is blessed (with a blessing that is usually more associated with Adam): 'to be fruitful and multiply' (Gen. 9:7). But Noah, while parallel to Adam, takes our relationship with YHVH up one level. Noah is the first person that enters into a covenant with YHVH. YHVH sets the rainbow in the sky as a sign of this covenant (Gen. 9:12-13). (Upon seeing a rainbow, the traditional blessing is: "who remembers the covenant [with Noah] is faithful to it and keeps promises"). Noah is still passive; although he builds the ark, we never hear Noah speak. Further, no expectations nor demands are put on Noah for his part of the covenant. Next week, Abraham, will continue this trend with a mutual (ie. two sided) covenant with YHVH, reflecting an even stronger relationship with YHVH. (This concept of covenant is stressed in the Haftara and the relationship between YHVH and Zion is even described as a (healed) marriage, with the husband (YHVH)Needless to say, the motif of water is pretty central to this week's portion. And the Haftara reading continues with the first five verses of chapter 55, where Isaiah compares water and food to YHVH's spiritual teaching.

The Talmud in fact uses this verse from Isaiah as the 'prooftext': Water means nothing but Torah, as it says: "Ho, everyone that thirsts, come for water (Isaiah 55:1)." Baba Kama 82a. Isaiah may have been familiar with the imagery, used by the earlier prophet Amos: “A time is coming, declares Adonai my God, when I will send a famine upon the land; Not a hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of Adonai”. (8:11)

Water is a common metaphor for Torah, and the midrash in Song of Songs has a long list of qualities of water that are analogous to Torah. Still, we find it surprising that the Rabbis chose to include this image of Torah as water for the week we read of the flood! Most of the examples they give in Shir HaShirim Rabbah favorably compare the Torah to water. However, they allow that, "Just as someone who does not know how to swim is drowned in water, so is Torah - if one doesn't know how to 'swim' one can drown in it" (Shir HaShirim Rabbah I:19).

There is a profound spiritual message in this. Water, like its opposite, fire, can be a source of life and blessing, or a force of destruction and devastation. The point is that water, like the rest of nature, has no moral value and is neither 'good' nor 'bad.' By comparing Torah to water we are cautioned that while Torah can be a source of wisdom and great spirituality, even it can be misused to be harmful. The Rabbis even compare Torah to a 'drug' (making a pun on the Hebrew word ‘sum’: which spelled one way means 'placed' and spelled another means 'drugs.' Used improperly, even the Torah can be poisonous (Taanit 7a). Everything in life has potential for good and for bad.Like water, events don't have intrinsic meaning; they have the meaning we assign them. This is true of personal tragedy, for example. We've all heard of a family or an individual who has suffered a terrible loss. Sometimes they are poisoned by it, and become depressed or bitter, while other times, the same tragedy has propelled them into becoming the greatest mitzvah and doers of good works. One of humanity’s greatest abilities is not to find meaning in random events, but to make meaning from them. Life can be likened to being dealt with a hand of cards. Some people are dealt a royal flush, or a full house, or a simple pair of twos. We don't have a choice of what we're dealt in life, but we can choose how to play with the hand we're given.

Shabbat Shalom.

Parashat Breishit - the Haftara

2008-10-23T14:23:00.003+02:00

Parashat Breishit – The Haftara
Isaiah 42:5 – 32:10
Reading date: 25th October 2008 – 26th Tishrei 5769

THE HAFTARA
Unlike the weekly Torah portion, the Haftara is generally shorter (1-2 chapters long) taken from the Prophets, the second section of the Bible. This section (Nevi'im) includes both the historical books (sometimes referred to as the Early Prophets) Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, as well as the more famous 'literary prophets' Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. There are also twelve 'minor' prophets (minor here does not refer to their importance, but rather the quantity of their preserved writings- usually only a few chapters. The minor prophets were all written on one scroll). Some suggest that the institution of the reading from the prophets comes from the dark ages when the public reading of the Torah was prohibited. Others propose that it was introduced to challenge the Samaritans who claimed that only the Torah was divine, but not the other books. (Surprisingly, the oldest reference is not in Jewish sources, but in the book of Acts, when it is related that Paul spoke to the congregation "after the reading from the Torah and the Prophets").

Our Highlighted Haftara text
“Long enough have I held my peace;I have kept still and held myself back;now, I cry out like a woman in labor;I pant and I gasp”.Isaiah 42:14

“What kind of relationship do we want to have with YHVH in the coming year”?
Each week, in addition to the Torah portion, we will be looking at the Haftara portions, and seeing what connections and insight we can find.

This week we begin the Torah cycle again starting with Gen. 1:1, and the Torah opens with the description of the creation of the cosmos and of humanity. The Haftara taken from Isaiah, (42:5-43:11) begins: "Thus says the Eternal YHVH, the One who created heavens and stretched them out, who made the earth and all that grows in it, who gives breath to its people and spiritual to all who walk on it." The connection is clear. In both passages, YHVH is the Creator of heaven and earth. YHVH is further described as the creator and maker of Israel (43:1). The Haftara also uses images of light and darkness to describe liberation from exile.

Our highlighted verse describes YHVH as a woman in labor. K.I.Parr suggests that the prophet transforms the image of the exaggerated breaths of a birthing mother (think Lamaze) into the forceful breath of YHVH that 'hovers over the water' and that is breathed into humans.
Scholars identify this 'deutero-Isaiah' (from chapters 40 on) as a different author from the Isaiah ben Amotz identified in Isaiah 1:1. The 'Second Isaiah' preached in Babylonia in the sixth century BCE and brought a message of consolation to Israelites who had been captured and exiled.

In the ancient world, since women gave birth, the female element was often associated with creation. (The waters of creation can be imagined as the world's amniotic fluid.) However, in our Parasha YHVH is not described as a birthing mother. The Haftara, describing YHVH's special, covenantal relationship to Israel, pictures YHVH as ready to battle Israel's enemies. But juxtaposed to verse 13, "The Eternal goes out like a warrior..." Isaiah uses a surprising image. YHVH is described as a woman in labor! This use of female imagery is quite distinctive to Isaiah. Women were (and, in some settings, still) excluded from full participation in religious cultic life. Mayer Gruber suggests that this and the typically prophetic description of YHVH as husband and Israel as wife may have contributed to women's feeling of marginalization and their attraction to cults where femaleness existed as a positive and Divine value. He writes, "Perhaps, as a result of this realization, our prophet deliberately made use of both masculine and feminine similes for YHVH."

With the tunes and liturgy of the High Holy Days still reverberating in our ears, YHVH is pictured as father and king: ‘Avinu, Malkeinu’. Various attempts have been made to make this image less male, though I don't find Our Mother, Our Queen a particularly effective solution. Some ‘mahzorim’ (prayerbooks) leave the Hebrew ‘Avinu, Malkeinu’ un-translated and simply written in English letters.

But the High Holy Day liturgy is full of metaphors besides father and king. One of my favorite passages that is sung quite joyously is: ‘Ki Anu Amecha v'ata Malkeinu’.
For we are Your People and You are our God; We are Your children and You are our Father. We are Your servants, and You are our Sovereign.

Even with gender neutral translation, the images remain all pretty hierarchical. The prayer continues with language that would have resonated for the ancient Israelite farmer: For we are your sheep and You are our Shepherd, we are Your vineyard and You are our keeper, we are Your treasure and You are our kin. These images of YHVH as shepherd and vineyard keeper feel closer and warmer, even though we are still passive.

Shabbat Shalom.

Parashat Vezot Habracha

2008-10-12T19:27:00.005+02:00

Parasha: Vezot Habracha – Deuteronomy 33:1 – 34:12
Haftara: Joshua 1:1 - 18
Reading Date: 21th October 2008 – 22th Tishrei 5769

V'zot Ha'bracha is a classic example of a Parasha that almost everyone knows by heart, but almost no one understands. That's because it is read numerous times, but its words are very difficult to translate. This week we try to 'break ice' by undertaking a basic analysis of the Parasha’s structure and theme.
Before we begin our study of what the "brachot" [blessings] are all about, let's begin with the two obvious problems that one encounters when studying their order. First of all, one tribe (Shimon) appears to be missing, i.e. his tribe is not even mentioned within Moses’ blessings. Secondly, the order of these blessings (tribe by tribe) proceeds in what appears to be a rather random sequence.

To better appreciate these two problems, the following table lists the tribes according to their order in V'zot Ha'bracha. To accentuate the apparent lack of sequence in this list, next to each "shevet" [tribe] is noted their respective matriarch and relative position according to birth.

* Note that the tribe of Shimon is missing!

Carefully study this list. Although the tribes are not listed according to age or common matriarch, they do clearly divide between the children of Jacob's wives (Rachel & Leah) and those of the maidservants (Bilhah & Zilpah). Within these two groups, however, there seems to be little logic in the progression.
For example, although it's pretty clear why Reuven is first, as he is the oldest, why does Moses skip to Judah? Likewise, why does Benjamin precede his older brother Joseph, and why do the children of Rachel 'interrupt' Moses’ blessings to the children of Leah?
Finally, why does Zevulun precede Yissachar, why does Gad precede Dan, and why do the children of Bilhah 'interrupt' the children of Zilpah?
Even in Parashat Bamidbar, where we find the tribes listed in various orders as they prepare to organize the camp around the Mishkan, we find no list that is even slightly similar to the order of the blessings in ‘vezot ha'bracha’. In summary, although the list is clearly not altogether random, it doesn't appear to follow any definite order, either. In the following study, we attempt to identify the underlying rationale behind the sequence of Moses’ presentation. To that end, we must first consider the nature and purpose of these blessings.

Vezot Ha'bracha is not the first time in Torah where we find that each tribe receives a blessing. Recall that back in Parshat Vayechi, Jacob blesses each tribe before his death. Unlike Moses, however, Jacob addresses his children in almost exact age order: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Judah, Zevulun & Yissachar [note slight deviation], Dan (first born of Bilhah), Gad (first born of Zilpah), Asher, and Naftali. [The only problem, of course, is that Zevulun precedes his older brother Yissachar (for an explanation, see Seforno Br. 49:13, based on Midrash Tanchuma Vayechi 11.). Although Gad & Asher precede Naftali, they may very well have been born first, depending on how one understands Genesis 30:5-10.]
The reason why Jacob blesses his children in 'age order' is quite simple. Jacob (prior to his death) blesses each son according to his individual potential, as exhibited and manifest throughout each respective son's life. Therefore, whereas these blessings relate to personal destiny, it is only reasonable that they follow (more or less) the order of the sons' births. Moses, by contrast, is not the 'dying father' of twelve sons. He is rather the 'departing leader' of twelve tribes to whom he has given the Torah and who are about to conquer and occupy the Land of Israel. As we would expect, his blessings accurately reflect the setting and circumstances in which they are administered. As we will see, each blessing relates in one form or another to either:
* the forthcoming military conquest of the land, * the nature of the specific "nachala" (territory apportioned to that tribe), or* a leadership function charged upon that tribe.
We will first demonstrate that this is indeed the case, and then we will be able to answer our original questions concerning the order of the tribes' presentation.

THE 'GIST' OF THE BLESSINGS
First, let's quickly review the gist of each blessing. Notice that almost every blessing relates to either the defining characteristic of its tribe's "nachala" or the tribe's role in the imminent conquest of the land.

REUVEN
"Let Reuven live and not die, and let his numbers be counted." (33:6)
Rashi explains that this blessing addresses Moses' concern that Reuven may not receive any "nachala" at all! Considering that Jacob basically cursed Reuven instead of blessing him (on account of his sin with Bilhah), Reuven may have lost his right to a "nachala," just as he forfeited his claim to the "bechora" (birthright). Additionally, the tribe of Reuven had already 'set up camp' OUTSIDE the biblical borders of Eretz Canaan (in Transjordan), another reason to doubt whether Reuven would taken its place as an 'official' tribe of Israel. As Rashi explains, Moses’ blessing counters this fear and reassures Reuven that he will remain 'alive,' an integral part of the "nachala" of the Nation of Israel.Chizkuni, however, offers a 'military' explanation for Reuven's blessing. Since the tribe of Reuven had promised to fight as the "chalutz" [the front line attack force - see Numbers 32:20-32] in the conquest of the Land of Israel, Moses confers upon them a special blessing for protection in battle. He prays on their behalf that their 'number' ["mispar"] - population - should remain the same after battle as it was beforehand. [This approach also appears in the commentary of Rabbenu Yosef Bechor Shor.]

JUDAH
"Hear YHVH the [battle] cry of Judah and help him lead his people. Make his hands strong for him, and help him against his enemies." (33:7)
[See Rashi/Ibn Ezra]Clearly, the blessing to Judah relates to his military leadership, as Moses foresees that the soldiers of the tribe of Judah will be particularly enthusiastic and diligent in the conquest of their portion in the Land (see Joshua 14 Judges 1).

LEVI
"[After a short reference to Aaron, the tribal leader and Cohen Gadol]... They shall teach Your laws to Jacob and Your instructions to Israel; they shall offer KTORET – incense ... and whole- offerings [OLOT] on the MIZBAYACH. YHVH should bless his CHAYIL - forces and favor his undertakings. Help him smite the loins of those who rise against him, and don't allow his enemies to succeed." (33:8-11)
The focal point of Levi's blessing is his responsibility to provide spiritual leadership, to teach YHVH’s laws and officiate in His Temple. Interestingly, however, even this function is presented in 'military' jargon ["chayalo" in 33:11]. [Note also 33:9, an apparent reference to the sons of Levi's preparedness to prosecute and execute those who sinned at Chet Ha'egel – the golden calf (see Rashi 33:9 and Exodus 32:26-29). Indeed, their conduct at that point was of a "military" nature.]
Whereas all other tribes earned a "nachala," a specific, designated portion of land, the tribe of Levi was scattered among the various tribes in order to serve as teachers throughout the country (note Deuteronomy 18:1-2, "Hashem hu nachlatam"!). Understandably, then, their blessing relates to their leadership role, rather than their allocated portion in the land.

BENJAMIN
"Beloved to YHVH, He shall allow His SHCHINA to dwell securely within him. He constantly protects [surrounds] him, as He rests between his shoulders." (33:12)
This blessing focuses on the special quality of Binyamin's "nachala," its designation to house the Bet Ha'Mikdash – Temple - in Jerusalem.

JOSEPH [Ephraim & Menashe]
"God's blessing is given to his land, with the bounty of dew from heaven... with the bounty of the earth in its fullness... His 'horns' are like those of a wild ox, with them he gores other nations... these are the 'tens of thousands' of Ephraim and these are the 'thousands' of Menashe." (see 33:13-17)
The precise translation of this blessing is somewhat elusive, but it clearly speaks of the bountiful nature of the "nachala" apportioned to Joseph. It appears that Joseph will bear the responsibility of forming the backbone of Israel's agrarian economy (as was Joseph’s job in Egypt). The final verse alludes to Joseph’s military competence that will grant him victory over enemy nations. Specifically, Rashi understands the final verse as a reference to the leadership of Joshua - a descendant of Ephraim - who led the Children of Israel in their conquest of Eretz Canaan.

ZEVULUN & YISSACHAR
"Rejoice Zevulun as you go out [to war; compare with Exodus 27:17] and Yissachar in your tents. [Their prosperity will catalyze] a call to other nations to ascend YHVH's mountain where they will offer proper sacrifices, for they draw from the riches of the sea and from the hidden hoards of the sand." (33:18)
The opening sentence may refer to Zevulun's military prowess, but the conclusion of the verse clearly relates to the importance of his "nachala." His territory was situated along the sea [the coast from Caesarea to the Acco/Haifa bay area], thus forming Israel's gateway to foreign trade and, consequently, economic relations with other nations. Moshe anticipates that these business alliances will lead to the recognition on the part of those nations of the God of Israel - the primary long-term goal of the Nation of Israel (see Deuteronomy 4:5-8).
The "nachala" of Yissachar, too, facilitates international trade (and influence), as it lies in the Jezreel valley, at the heart of the VIA MARIS - the ancient trade route connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia. The Rashbam (Genesis 49:14) understands the "tents" of Yissachar as a reference to this tribe's involvement in agriculture, while Rabbi Yosef Bechor Shor (here) associates Yissachar's tents with the cattle industry. All this, too, relates directly to Yissachar's portion: the fertile soil of the Jezreel valley renders it an ideal location for both agriculture and livestock breeding.

GAD
"Blessed be He who enlarges [the "nachala" of] Gad. He is poised like a lion to tear off arm and scalp [i.e. military strength]. He chose for himself the best ['nachala']..." (33:20-21)
[The rest of the verse is very difficult, but most likely refers to his nachala as the chosen spot for Moshe's burial site - see Rashi.]Once again, Moshe's blessing focuses on the unique nature of the given tribe's "nachala", Gads initiative to widen his inheritance in Transjordan, as well as their military capabilities.

DAN
"Dan is like a lion's whelp that leaps from the Bashan." (33:22)
Dan's blessing obviously relates to their military might and the location of their "nachala" - at the western slopes of the Golan Heights [Bashan is the biblical name for the Golan - see Deuteronomy 3:8-10], today the area of Tel Dan and Kiryat Shmona in the Chula valley of the Upper Galilee. Anyone who has been on a tour to the Golan, and visited the old Syrian bunkers that overlooked the Chula valley and the area of Tel Dan and Kiryat Shemona, can easily understand how the phrase "yezanek min ha'Bashan" – to throttle from the Bashan, describes the nachala of Dan.
Even though Deuteronomy 4:43 indicates that the Golan region itself was included in Menashe's nachala, not Dan's, the Targum here explains, our verse means that Dan lived near the Bashan, and the land in his region was watered by the streams flowing down from the Bashan. Note as well that Ibn Ezra (and others) explain Moses' blessing as having nothing to do with Dan's actual portion, rather the tribe's military strength. He interprets "yezanek min habashan" as modifying the lion to whom Dan is compared, rather than the tribe of Dan itself.]
Additionally, Rashi explains the lion metaphor as a reference to Dan's location on the border, standing guard against enemy intrusion. [Very prophetic!]

NAFTALI
"Naftali should be satiated [for his "nachala"] is full of YHVH's blessing, to the west and south (of his brother Dan) he shall/must conquer his land."
Again, Moses' blessing relates to the agricultural potential of this "nachala" and the conquest of that portion. Naftali's nachala is situated in the fertile and beautiful region of the Upper Galilee, to the west and south of Tel Dan (including Tzfat & Mount Meron).

ASHER
"May Asher be the most blessed of sons, may he be the favorite of his brothers and may he dip his foot in oil. Iron and copper are your door-bolts, and your security should last for all your days." (33:24)
These verses require further explanation, but what is clear is that they relate to two unique characteristics of Asher's "nachala": its abundance of olive trees (and hence olive oil) and its location on Israel's northern border. [See Ramban's interpretation, that Asher's portion guards the country's northern border (and thus serves as an "iron lock" securing the country).

SUMMARY
As we review all these blessings, it becomes clear that they all focus on the nature of each "nachala" and the conquest of the land. In fact, almost all the commentators, especially Ibn Ezra, Chizkuni, and Seforno (in addition to Rashi and Ramban), relate to this aspect of the "nachalot" throughout their interpretation of these verses.Hence we conclude that Moses, aware of the military capabilities of each tribe and the anticipated geographic division of the land, blesses each tribe to encourage them to achieve their fullest potential in the forthcoming conquest of Eretz Canaan.Based on this understanding of the basic purpose behind these blessings, we can return to our original question and make some sense out of the seemingly random order of their presentation.

'INHERIT' ORDER
As you have probably guessed by now, since the blessings focus on the "nachalot," it stands to reason that the division of the Land of Israel among the tribes serves as the basis of the sequence of presentation in this parasha. Let's see how it works. Moses begins his blessings with Reuven. He does so not because Reuven is the oldest, but because he is the first tribe to take his "nachala," as recorded in Numbers Ch.32 (see also Deuteronomy 3:16-19).Next, we would expect to find Gad, who joined Reuven in their request to take their "nachala" in Transjordan. However, there is one important, 'overriding' rule in the blessings - that the tribes from Jacob’s wives (Leah & Rachel) take precedence over the tribes from the maidservants (Bilhah & Zilpah).[This principle explains why Gad later precedes Dan, even though Dan is older (and the head of a "machaneh"!). Gad is blessed first because he took his "nachala" first.]This also helps clarify the content of Reuven's blessing. Moses must emphasize that EVEN THOUGH Reuven's "nachala" lies outside the borders of Eretz Canaan, they retain their status as an 'official' tribe as explained earlier.

JUDAH FIRST
Once we skip Gad, Reuven is followed by Judah - the first of the tribes to successfully conquer his portion of land, as detailed both in Sefer Yehoshua (chapters 14->15) and in Sefer Shoftim (1:1-15). This also explains why Yehuda's blessing focuses on his military power.

A 'SOLUTION' FOR SHIMON
Once Moses begins with Judah's portion, the most southern region of Eretz Canaan, he now works his way 'up north,' through Benjamin to Ephraim and Menashe. As we will show, this principle will explain the order of the remaining blessing.
First of all, this explains why Benjamin precedes Joseph, for his nachala is located north of Judah, but south of Ephraim. This also may provide us with a clue as to why there is no blessing for Shimon. Considering that Shimon's "nachala" is later included within the borders of Judah (see Joshua 19:1 & 19:9!), one could conclude that Shimon basically never received their own nachala (a fulfillment of Yaakov's 'blessing' to Shimon in Genesis 48:5-7).
Furthermore, in the aftermath of "chet bnot moav" – the sin of the sons of Moab - their numbers were severely reduced (see Numbers 26:14, compare 1:23!), hence we can conclude that their army may not have played a major role in the conquest of the land as well.[Note Rashi on 33:7 (towards the end), where he quotes a Midrash Tehilim that the blessing to Shimon is actually 'included' within the blessing to Judah: "shma YHVH" contains the first letters of Shimon's name, "shin.mem.ayin." In fact, the same wording is used when Shimon is first named by his mother: "ki SHAMA HASHEM ki snuah anochi" (see Genesis 29:33!).]

Hag Sameach

Shabbat - Hol haMoed Sukkot

2008-10-12T19:13:00.001+02:00

Shabbat Chol haMoed Sukkot
Reading Date: 18th October 2008 – 19th Tishrei 5769

On Shabbat Chol HaMoed (both Sukkot and Pesach) we deviate from the normal Torah reading cycle and read a portion from the Book of Shemot - Exodus. This section (33:12-34:26) contains a variety of different topics, several of which are quintessential principles of our faith. YHVH reveals His Thirteen Attributes of Mercy amidst the backdrop of Moshe's request that YHVH bring His presence closer. In this portion, we also receive the commandment not to cook a goat in its mother's milk, (the verse from which the laws of Kashrut are derived.) One might ask why the Attributes are placed at this point in the Torah and also why we read them during Chol HaMoed of Sukkot and Pesach.

In essence, the text of these Thirteen Attributes is a call to arouse YHVH's compassion for His chosen nation, the Children of Israel. It is these qualities of mercy that prevented YHVH from destroying all of the Children of Israel after the incident of the Golden Calf. Appropriately, they are revealed to Moshe during his second ascent of Mount Sinai so that from that point onward, he would have the key to preventing a national disaster similar to the great sin committed just a short time ago. This cry beseeching YHVH's forgiveness is an important element of the prayer during the Yamim Noraim - High Holy Days.

At this time of judgment and renewal at the onset of the new year, we must remember that we are constantly dependent on YHVH's mercy and His interaction in the world. It is so easy to forget that Chol HaMoed, like the Yamim Tovim serving as its bookends, is also a time permeated with holiness. Without YHVH's mercy, we would not even have the opportunity to engage in our everyday activities. This Chol HaMoed Torah reading and these Thirteen Attributes of Mercy come to remind us that we are constantly at YHVH's disposal and that we must continually strive to improve ourselves so that we may always merit His mercy.

Parashat Ha'azinu

2008-09-30T22:25:00.000+03:00

Parasha: Ha’azinu – Deuteronomy 32:1 - 52
Haftara: 2Samuel 22:1 – 22:51
Reading Date: 11th October 2008 – 12th Tishrei 5769

The greater part of the Torah reading of Haazinu ("Listen In") consists of a 70-line "song"
Calling heaven and earth as witnesses[1], Moses exhorts the people to "Remember the days of old[2] / Consider the years of many generations / Ask your father, and he will recount it to you / Your elders, and they will tell you" how YHVH "found them in a desert land," made them a people, chose them as His own, and bequeathed them a bountiful land.
The Song also warns against the pitfalls of plenty -- "Yeshurun[3] grew fat and kicked / You have grown fat, thick and rotund / He forsook YHVH who made him / And spurned the Rock of his salvation" -- and the terrible calamities that would result, which Moses describes as YHVH "hiding His face [4]." Yet in the end, he promises, YHVH will avenge the blood of His servants and be reconciled with His people and land.
The Parasha concludes with YHVH's instruction to Moses to ascend the summit of Mount Nebo, from which he will behold the Promised Land before dying on the mountain. "For you shall see the land opposite you; but you shall not go there, into the land which I give to the children of Israel."
I will end with the true life account of Tzippora Unger[5]. It is the story of her struggle with her identity as a Jew. I think that there are many within the Roots movement that can identify with her story.

Shabbat Shalom

[1] Deut. 32:5
His people Israel, on the contrary, had acted corruptly towards Him. The subject of “acted corruptly” is the rebellious generation of the people but before this subject there is introduced parenthetically, and in apposition, “not his children, but their spot.” Spot (mum) is used here in a moral sense, as in Prov. 9:7; Job 11:15; Job 31:7, equivalent to stain. The rebellious and ungodly were not children of YHVH, but a stain upon them. If these words had stood after the actual subject, instead of before them, they would have presented no difficulty. This verse is the original of the expression, “children that are corrupters,” in Isa. 1:4. (Keil & Dilitzsch)

[2] Deut.32:7
“Remember the days of old, consider the years of the past generations: ask thy father, that he may make known to thee; thine old men, that they may tell it to thee!” With these words Moses summons the people to reflect upon what YHVH had done to them. The days of old (עֹולָם), and years of generation and generation, i.e., years through which one generation after another had lived, are the times of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, including the pre-Mosaic times, and also the immediate post-Mosaic, when Israel had entered into the possession of Canaan. These times are described by Moses as a far distant past, because he transported himself in spirit to the “latter days” (Deut.31:29), when the nation would have fallen away from YHVH, and would have been forsaken and punished by YHVH in consequence. “Days of eternity” are times which lie an eternity behind the speaker, not necessarily, however, before all time, but simply at a period very far removed from the present, and of which even the fathers and old men could only relate what had been handed down by tradition to them.

[3] YESHURUN – The name given to Israel by YHVH in the time that they are in His perfect will. The name means ‘righteous’ in its simplest form. The Septuagint implies ‘beloved one’ as an explanation.
Yeshurun-The Upright One (Spouse)
In the Re-gathering of the Tribes of Israel, they will be called Yeshurun, meaning “upright or straight”. The nations will acknowledge the greatness of Israel and Ya’akov/Israel will be metamorphosed into Yeshurun.
The wicked ways of Ya’akov will become straight when Messiah returns and they are resurrected and stand upright in His image
and likeness.

Isaiah 44:2 This is what YHVH, who made you, and formed you from the womb, Who will help you says: "Don't
be afraid, Ya’akov my servant; and you, Yeshurun, whom I have chosen.
Deut 33:4-5: Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Ya’akov. He was king in Yeshurun, When
the heads of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together. [Showing Moshe as a type of Messiah at the
regathering of the tribes of Israel]

Song of Songs 6:3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies.
The name, Yeshurun, is the final manifestation of the blessing given by Yitzchak to Ya’akov. This final tikkun olam (the final redemption and transformation of mankind must await the return of Messiah.

Because Ya’akov received the blessing and became known as Israel, that consciousness will take precedence over physical and draw the Light of Messiah into this world. In the resurrection Israel will fulfill its destiny to become Yeshurun, the Upright One, and the Beloved of YHVH.
[4] Darkness. There different types of darkness. There is darkness that is beautiful, darkness that is transparent, darkness that is liberating, darkness that is necessary, darkness that is creative, darkness that is challenging, darkness that is horrifying, darkness that is illuminating and the darkness that is the space for Him to fill.
[5] Growing up in the Sixties and the Seventies as an American Jew was a confusing experience, to say the least. We were the "baby-boomers," the post-war generation who had known no Depression, educated to meet the challenges of the space age, the generation which--it was assumed--would continue the spiral upwards in material success. In this we were completely American.
The Jewish part was the source of the confusion. Yes, we should be completely assimilated into our public schools. But go to Hebrew School afterwards. We were taught to get along with everyone--but don't date non-Jews.
At home, everyone ate chicken soup on Friday night, but the chicken wasn't always from a kosher butcher. And everyone ate pizza out. If you "kept kosher" you just told them to hold the pepperoni.
This nebulous Jewish identity had somehow been enough for our parents' generation. They still remembered a parent or grandparent who had had stronger ties to Judaism, memories of anti-Semitism which had left their mark, a feeling of the "old neighborhood" which they had left for the better part of town and then suburbia. Jewish food was a piece of their heritage, so chicken soup made from non-kosher chicken was still comforting to them if there was enough schmaltz floating at the top.
But mine was the generation that scoffed at schmaltz. For the most part, my peers have rejected the ersatz Jewishness of our parents. Many have rejected their own Jewishness as a result. Others are now in Israel, consoling themselves by practicing secularism among other Jews. And the lucky ones have rediscovered the source of their parents' emotions, the kashrut that had been rendered into mere schmaltz, and have reversed the process.
I count myself among the lucky ones.
The message I received growing up at home was somewhat schizophrenic. I was expected to act like everyone else but to feel Jewish. My home was relatively observant. We kept kosher. We went to Hebrew School. We went to Temple every Friday night and Saturday morning. We were discouraged from bringing non-Jewish friends home. My mother lit candles every Friday night at six oclock--summer and winter.
My father believed in G-d and wanted us to believe in Him too. But if his faith was purer because it lacked intellectual understanding, it was all the poorer in its transmissibility to his children.
I knew that I was different because I was Jewish. My parents never quite made it to the suburbs so by the early sixties we were in a gentile neighborhood by virtue of social immobility. I read a lot and wanted to read about Jewish things. But there were no Jewish books in the local branch of the public library. My first attempt at writing came at the age of nine; I tried to write a Jewish version of the Bobbsey Twins. I only wrote two pages and then I had to quit. A book has to have action; and while I knew that the Jewish Bobbseys would feel differently than the originals, I didn't quite know how they would act differently.
When the sixties reached their peak, I was still in high school. The initial message of the sixties wasn't bad: one should find absolute truths and guide one's life by them. That message lasted about ten minutes. Then it became formulated into generalities like peace, love, and brotherhood. The final equation looked like this: peace = burning down the campus; love = indiscriminate distribution of one's bodily favors; brotherhood = rejection of established morality/religion as a divisive factor.
The social law established in the sixties was: Thou shalt not follow any rules.
The intellectual result of the sixties milieu was not nearly so direct nor easy to see through. On the one hand, intellectuals pursued the goal of finding the absolute truths of social science. On the other hand, one could prove himself only by proving that someone else's absolute truths were false. Academic success required total arrogance and the ability to convince others that the arrogance was justified. Belief in anything higher than ones own intellectual ability was a badge of shame and dishonor. Finding a reason to disagree with anything and everything was the ultimate sign of brilliance.
As I entered college in 1973 I planned on being intellectually successful. But world events collided with my plans, and the feelings that I had never understood took over.
I had (as had everyone) been influenced by the sixties. I knew my parents did not possess absolute truths and therefore I had to find my own way--with all the arrogance, stubbornness, and obnoxiousness of my generation.
Jewish youth had produced its own particular questions. There had been a few heroes presented to us. Meir Kahane with his shout of "Never Again!" led us to recognize that we were part of a people. Elie Wiesel was my personal choice. While his books never advised Jews to act differently, they were based on the assumption that the Jewish experience had made Jews into a people who felt differently, who asked different types of questions, whose natural state was to be somewhat alienated from the general world.
Acting on those feelings, I dropped out of college in my first semester and went to Israel to be a kibbutz volunteer in wartime. Ten thousand American kids went that year, most against the wishes of their parents who thought such Jewish identification to be a bit extreme. And why? Because we knew that our people were in trouble and we chose to be with them. Ahavat Yisrael ("love of a fellow Jew") drove us, although we boned up on Zionist philosophy to claim a rational basis to our actions.
Our parents still identified more strongly with America than with other Jews. Their hopes were pinned on their children achieving success professionally and financially, and they were all uneasy about the prospect that we might just decide to stay in Israel. Jewish peoplehood was not a big deal to them; they felt chicken soup should be enough.
So I spent six months on a communist kibbutz in the Negev as an act of Jewish identification. I had thought that Israel would be the place where I would feel relaxed as a Jew, but instead found that the ideology of the kibbutz was to rid the Jew of any feelings of being different. If there are no gentiles to make you feel alienated then you can feel comfortable acting like a gentile. I didn't act Jewish on the kibbutz; I acted less Jewish than I had in America.
So it was with a secret sense of relief that I went home to my angry parents, and back to school. I felt Jewish--but wished I could feel better about it.
I decided to major in History. Somehow, I felt that by understanding the past I could understand where I stood in the world.
The Holocaust is the obsession of any self-respecting Jewish history buff and I was no exception. But Jewish history in the University curriculum rejects a priori the reality of Judaism. All topics of study are based upon the assumption that the best thing a Jew can do is escape from Torah.
In the pursuit of the Jewish past, I immersed myself in the study of the Haskalah movement, the Enlightenment as pursued by Jews. The irony of it was that the individuals and movements I studied were those that advocated the rejection of Judaism, while I was trying to find it.
There were Torah-observant Jews around. There was a Chabad House; I knew the rabbis and some of my friends went there. But my academic training indoctrinated me to believe that anybody who could keep the laws of a Medieval religion in the twentieth century had to be intellectually deficient or crazy or both. I would have nothing to do with them.
So I devoted myself to the writings of Jews who dealt with modernity: atheists, reformists, humanists, communists, etc. Each admitted that he was a Jew, but felt that Jews had to be something else in the modern world. And of course I studied anti-Semitism. It is paradoxical that I somehow thought I could come to grips with my own identity by wading through the thoughts of intellectuals (some of them Jewish) who had devised new and different ways to revile my great-grandparents.
Most of these courses were offered under the heading: "Judaic Studies." One class in particular shook me to the core. It was a seminar on German-Jewish intellectuals, taught by two very eminent Jewish professors who had themselves escaped Germany in the thirties.
It was toward the end of the semester that we read Freud's Moses and Monotheism. For those who have had the privilege of avoiding this polemic, it theorizes that the Jewish people originated as a low-class rabble led by an incestuous Egyptian prince.
Something snapped in me. Yes, I was a rationalist. Yes, I believed in evolution and the A scroll and the J scroll and all that stuff anthropologists said about the Bible. But this was too much. I knew in the pit of my stomach that my ancestors had not suffered for two thousand years because they had been deluded by an egocentric Egyptian con artist.
"Freud went too far," I said through clenched teeth. The student near me, a German-born son of a Nazi, smiled. We had argued all semester and now he had me. "What's the matter?" he sneered. "What are you? A FUNDAMENTALIST!"
There it was. The dreaded word of the intellectual world. Everyone literally gasped in horror. It meant you believed there might actually be something higher than the human mind, even higher than the mind of a professor. If I was a fundamentalist then I was an academic heretic.
I took a deep breath. I said nothing. I didn't owe him an explanation. This son of a Nazi had, quite possibly, in his German accent, inadvertently taught me a truth. If he was the opposite of a fundamentalist, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to be.
Mine was the generation that hungered for Jewishness, but couldn't believe in G-d. I was taught to pray to Him, but was also taught that the entire Torah had been written by imaginative men who invented miracles and an afterworld to make people behave better. So if the rabbis we grew up with didn't believe that G-d had ever really talked to anybody, why should we believe He existed at all?
Something inside of me began to loosen up. I began to realize that people who kept the mitzvot of the Torah were not necessarily stupid. And just maybe they weren't crazy.
I had come to what was one of the most humbling realizations of my life.
It was two and a half years before I decided to make a firm commitment to Torah Judaism. Somewhere along the way, I began to suspect that when things didn't go right in my life it was because I was doing something wrong. And the more I began to associate with Torah-observant Jews, the more I liked the lifestyle. It had order. It made sense. It was better than anybody else's lifestyle.
So I made a sociological decision to adopt the lifestyle and beliefs of my ancestors. I then decided to go and study at Bais Chana Women's Institute in Minnesota so that I could really fit in.
The first few days were wonderful. The classes were interesting, the company was good, the food was great. Then it hit me. This was not a sociological exercise. After telling myself for years that I was looking for truth, I came face to face with it.
There really was a Creator of the Universe who expected us to behave in a certain way. And I had spent the last 23 years not behaving that way. I couldn't choose to change my lifestyle. I had to change.
I cried.
I was horrified.
I survived.
Because despite the blow to my ego when I realized that I was not my own clever creator, that the entire value of my intellectual training lay in my rejection of it, it was a relief.
I wasn't schizophrenic--my education was. America has raised three generations of Jews to feel like Jews--but to think and act like gentiles. So when popular novelists and filmmakers portray Jews as neurotics, they aren't really distorting the picture; they're telling the embarrassing truth: the secular Jewish identity promotes schizophrenia.
When one Jew gets another to do something Jewish, to do a mitzvah, he's promoting mental health.
And that, Dr. Freud, is a fundamental truth.

Reading for Yom Kippur

2008-09-30T22:20:00.000+03:00

Special reading for Yom Kippur
Leviticus 16,18; Numbers 29:7-11; Isaiah 57:4-58; Micah 7:14-20; The book of Jonah

Following the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, who "came close[1] to YHVH and died," YHVH tells Moses to instruct Aaron
...that he should not enter, at all times, into the holy, inside the Parochet (the "veil" that separated the "Holy of Holies" from the rest of the Sanctuary), before the Kaporet (cover) that is upon the Ark -- lest he die; for in a cloud I appear above the Kaporet...
Only on the holiest day of the year -- Yom Kippur -- and after bringing a series of specially ordained offerings, should the Cohen Gadol ("high priest") purify himself, put on white linen garments[2], and enter the chamber housing the Ark:
He shall take a pan-full of fiery coals from atop the altar that is before YHVH, and the fill of his hands of finely-ground ketoret (incense), and bring them inside the Parochet.
And he shall place the ketoret upon the fire before YHVH; and the cloud of incense shall cover up the Kaporet that is on [the Ark of] the Testament...
The Torah then goes on to detail the service performed by the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur to secure atonement for his people. Among the offerings of the day were two male goats:
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot forYHVH, and one lot for Azazel.
The goat that which the lot determined to be "For YHVH" is brought as an offering and its blood is sprinkled in the Holy of Holies. The one deemed for "Azazel" is "dispatched by the hand of an appointed man into the wilderness; and the goat shall bear upon it all their sins to a barren land."
And he shall make atonement for the holy place, over the defilements of the children of Israel, over their transgressions in all their sins. And so shall he do for the Tent of Meeting, which dwells amongst them in the midst of their defilement...[3]
And this shall be an everlasting statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, the home born or the stranger that sojourns among you.
For on this day He will atone for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before YHVH... once a year.

Well over the fast!

[1] After the death of the two sons of Aaron who came close to G-d and died (Leviticus 16:1)
They approached the supernal light out of their great love of the Holy, and thereby died. Thus they died by "divine kiss" such as experienced by the perfectly righteous; it is only that the righteous die when the divine kiss approaches them, while they died by their approaching it... Although they sensed their own demise, this did not prevent them from drawing near to G-d in attachment, delight, delectability, fellowship, love, kiss and sweetness, to the point that their souls ceased from them.
(Ohr HaChaim)

[2] And he shall bathe his flesh in water, and clothe himself in them (16:4)
On that day, the Cohen Gadol immersed (in a mikveh) five times, and washed his hands and feet from the kiyyor ("basin") that stood before the Sanctuary ten times: each time he changed his clothes, he was required to immerse once, and wash twice (once before removing the first set of clothes, and again after dressing in the second set).
For there were five sets of services performed by him on that day: 1) The regular morning services, performed in the "golden garments" (worn by the Cohen Gadol throughout the year). 2) The special services of the day (reciting the confession over the Yom Kippur offerings, casting the lots, entering the Holy of Holies to offer the ketoret and to sprinkle the blood of the Yom Kippur offerings)--performed in the linen garments. 3) The two rams brought as "ascending offerings" and the day's musaf offerings--in the golden garments. 4) returning to the Holy of Holies to remove the pan of burning incense--in linen garments. 5) the regular afternoon services--in the golden garments.
(Talmud, tractate Yoma)

[3] Following the Torah's account of the revelation at Mount Sinai and Moses' ascent to the top of the mountain to receive the Torah from YHVH, come 16 chapters -- comprising the Torah sections of Terumah, Tetzaveh, Ki-Tisa, Vayak'hel and Pekudei - -in which are related:
a) YHVH's instructions regarding the building of the Sanctuary (Exodus 25-31, covering the sections of Terumah, Tetzaveh, and the first part of Ki-Tisa);
b) The sin of the Golden Calf and the granting of the Second Tablets (Exodus 32-34, all in Ki-Tisa);
c) The people's donation of the materials for the Sanctuary (Exodus 35) and the Sanctuary's construction, erection and sanctification (Exodus 36-40; these comprise the sections of Vayak'hel and Pekudei).
In keeping with the rule that "There is no earlier and later in Torah" (i.e., the Torah does not necessarily relate events in the order in which they occurred), the biblical commentaries differ as to the chronology of these events. All told, there are no fewer than three different versions of the time-frame of the Mishkan's making vis-a-vis the making of the Golden Calf.
The following timeline, spanning a period of almost ten months, is agreed to by all:
1) On Sivan 6 (or 7, according to Rabbi Yossi), YHVH revealed Himself to all of Israel and proclaimed the Ten Commandments; on the following day, Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Torah from YHVH.
2) Forty days later, on Tammuz 16, the people made the Golden Calf, and rose early the next morning to worship it. On Tammuz 17 Moses descended from the mountain carrying the Tablets of the Testimony; upon seeing the people dancing around their idol, he smashes the Tablets at the foot of the mountain.
3) On Tammuz 19, Moses ascended Mount Sinai for a second 40 days to plead for forgiveness on Israel's behalf. At the end of this period, YHVH tells him to carve two new tablets, upon which He will inscribe the Ten Commandments, to replace the broken tablets.
4) On the 1st of Elul, Moses ascended the mountain with the tablets he carved for a third forty days, which concluded on the 10th of Tishei (Yom Kippur). On that day, Moses received the Second Tablet from YHVH and YHVH expressed His full forgiveness of Israel's sin.
5) The construction of the Mishkan's components and vessels was completed 2 1/2 months later, on the 25th of Kislev (the first day of Chanukah). But the Mishkan was not set up until more than three months after that, on the 1st of Nissan (preceded by a week of "initiation," Adar 23-29).
The above is derived by the Talmud from the Torah's account. The point of contention between the commentaries concerns YHVH's instructions regarding the Mishkan and the people's donation of its materials.
Nachmanides is of the opinion that these occurred in the order in which they appear in the Torah. Thus, YHVH's instructions to Moses regarding the Sanctuary (recounted in Terumah and Tetzaveh) came immediately after the revelation at Sinai, during Moses' first 40 days on the mountain. Their implementation, however, was delayed by Israel's sin and the need for Moses to obtain YHVH's forgiveness and a second pair of Tablets, so that the donation of the materials described in the beginning of Vayak'hel (Exodus 35) occurred on Tishrei 11, the day after Yom Kippur, followed by the Mishkan's construction and erection as per above.
Rashi (who follows the Midrash Tanchuma), notes the many Scriptural and Talmudic indications that the Sanctuary was in response to, and an atonement for, the sin of the Golden Calf. Accordingly, Rashi is of the opinion that the divine instructions contained in the sections of Terumah and Tetzaveh were communicated to Moses on Yom Kippur, following Israel's repentance, YHVH's (full) forgiveness, and Moses' receiving of the Second Tablets.
A third opinion is that of the Zohar, which states that both YHVH's instructions and Israel's donation of the materials occurred before the sin of the Golden Calf. (Thus, explains the Zohar, the people had to "unload the golden earrings which were in their ears" to provide gold for their idol, since their gold had already been donated for the making of the Mishkan.) According to this, the making of the Sanctuary was not a result of Israel's sin and their repentance thereof, but a mitzvah that was commanded, and begun to be implemented, before the incident of the Golden calf.
The Tzaddik, the Baal Teshuvah and the Sinner
Schneerson points out that these three versions describe three different states of the people commanded and empowered to make an abode for YHVH.
According to the Zohar, the commandment to make a Mishkan was directed to a nation of tzaddikim, perfectly righteous individuals untainted by sin or wrongdoing (in accordance with the Talmudic statement that, at Sinai, the people of Israel were born anew, and thus as pure of guilt or an iniquitous past as a newborn infant.) The dedication of the materials of the Mishkan was likewise by tzaddikim. This implies that the making of a physical home for YHVH was possible only because the materials for its construction were dedicated (and thus sanctified) by a people still not tainted by that corruptive use of their gold, and that only such materials could have been fashioned into a home for YHVH.
According to Rashi, the commandment to make a Mishkan was directed to baalei teshuvah ("returnees" or "penitents") -- individuals who had fallen prey to the corruptions of the material, but had rebounded from their downfall to forge a new, invigorated bond with YHVH. Indeed, the implication is that had the people of Israel not sinned by making and worshipping a calf of gold, there would not have existed the necessity -- nor the opportunity -- for a physical structure to house the Divine presence in the Israelite camp.
The common denominator between these two approaches is that the sin of the Golden Calf did not actually interject (as it does in the text) between the commandment to build the Mishkan and the donation of its materials by the people: according to the Zohar both occurred before Israel's worship of the Golden Calf, and according to Rashi both came afterwards. In other words, both approaches share the notion that the commandment to build the Mishkan would not have "survived" Israel's sin. Indeed, such was the case with the very covenant forged between YHVH and Israel: the Tablets were broken, and a new set had to be hewn and inscribed following the reconciliation of YHVH and Israel. Indeed, there were several marked differences -- for the better and for the worse -- between the two sets of Tablets.
In this lies the uniqueness of Nachmanides' approach, which insists on a "straight" reading of the text and an interpretation of the events that places YHVH's instructions for the making of the Mishkan before the sin of the Golden Calf, and the beginning of their implementation began after the sin and Israel's repentance. According to Nachmanides, the command and empowerment to build a home for YHVH remained in force even as the people worshipped an idol of gold. Unlike the Torah itself (!), the command to build the Mishkan was not revoked, and no "second edition" was necessary. This means that the ability to make a Sanctuary for YHVH rests also with a nation of resha'im, sinners and transgressors of the divine will!
In other words, Schneerson says, the different interpretations of the Torah's account put forth by the Zohar, Rashi and Nachmanides revolve around the following question: Who can make a "dwelling for YHVH in the physical world"? The perfect tzaddik? The unique personality of the baal teshuvah? Or even the iniquitous rashah?
There is an approach that says that only a tzaddik can take lowly objects such as gold, wood or animal hides and transform them into an abode for the divine presence. True, the spiritual tzaddik has no real connection with these materials: the glitter of gold means nothing to him, nor is he moved by the comforts of fine linen or the beauty of artistically woven tapestries. But precisely this is what qualifies him as a builder of a Mishkan. Because he is aloof from the enticements of the material, he can uncover the spiritual potential within the "lowly realm" without being ensnared by its lowliness. This is the approach of the Zohar, which sees the building of the Mishkan as having been possible only with materials donated by the perfectly righteous.
A second approach argues that only the baal teshuvah, who has fallen prey to the corruptions of materiality, can truly exploit its divine potential. Only the baal teshuvah knows the material world "from within," having himself been very much a part of it; only the baal teshuvah is a living example of the transformation of lowly into lofty, as one who has exploited the momentum of his fall to attain even greater heights of connection to YHVH. Thus, goes this line of thinking, if Israel had not fallen to the nadir of material corruption by worshipping an idol of gold, the making of a home of gold for YHVH would not have been possible. This is the concept behind Rashi's interpretation, which dates the divine commandment to build the Mishkan on the 10th of Tishrei, following Israel's return to YHVH and the renewed covenant it produced.
A third approach rejects the entire concept that making a "dwelling for YHVH in the physical world" requires any particular state or spiritual condition. Is this not the very purpose of YHVH's creation of the world? Is this not the essence of man's mission in life? Man never loses this capacity, for it is integral to his very being. This aspect of the Torah is never revoked or "broken": in whatever situation a person finds himself, even that of a still-unrepentant sinner, he can make his material existence a home for "He who dwells amongst them in the midst of their impurities" (Leviticus 16:16). This is the conception behind Nachmanides' reading of the chapters of the latter half of Exodus, by which the commandment to build the Mishkan remains in force throughout the ups and downs of Israel's relationship with YHVH, even as the rest of the Torah is shattered to pieces.

All True
"These and these are the words of the living YHVH" says the Talmud of differing interpretation of Torah by its sages. YHVH's dwelling on earth can, and must be, all three: a home for YHVH built by the pristinely righteous, an abode build by the transformative power of teshuvah, and a divine inhabitation of every human effort to serve Him, no matter how lowly its origin.
Indeed, Schneerson points out, the Ark in the original Mishkan contained the first, broken Tablets as well as the second set. Thus it housed: a) the First Tablets, granted to a nation of tzaddikim; b) these, however, were broken, representing the depths of iniquity to which Israel had descended in the interim; c) the Second Tablets, embodying the power of teshuvah.
Thus the divine command to make for YHVH a dwelling out of the materials of physical life is addressed to the tzaddik, to the baal teshuvah and to the rashah.
To the tzaddik it says: You are never too holy, too spiritual, too pure, to engage in the task of making Me at home in the lowliest elements of My creation. Indeed, because of your holiness, spirituality and purity, there is a dimension of My home on earth that only you can create for Me.
To the baal teshuvah it says: When you agonize your your iniquitous or merely negative past (as you should), remember this: it is that very past that makes you the builder of a most central component of My home on earth. You, and only you, can achieve a true transformation of materiality into G-dliness.
And to the rashah it says: No matter how distant your daily behavior is from My program for life, no matter how it conflicts with My will, when you do a single Mitzvah -- a single deed that I have commanded -- that part of your physical life shall become an home for My presence.

Parashat Vayelech

2008-09-30T22:17:00.000+03:00

Parasha: Vayelech – Deuteronomy 31:1 – 31:30
Haftara: Isaiah 55:6 – 56:8
Reading Date: 4th October 2008 – 5th Tishrei 5769

The section of Vayelech (and the next two parashot of Haazinu and VeZot HaBrachah) describes the events and words spoken on the last day[1] of Moses' life:
And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them: "I am a hundred and twenty years old this day, I can no longer go out and come in; and YHVH has said to me: You shall not cross this Jordan...
Moses entrusts the leadership of Israel to Joshua. He puts the Torah into writing[2], and commands them the mitzvah of Hak'hel ('gathering"): every seven years, on the Sukkot festival following the shemittah year, "Gather the people together, men, and women, and the babies, and your stranger that is within your gates"; the king shall then read from the Torah to them, "that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear YHVH, and observe to do all the words of this Torah."
Moses again warns of the hiding of the divine face[3] which shall occur when the people abandon the Torah; indeed, YHVH Himself predicts that this will be the case. "This song" must therefore serve as an everlasting testimony to ensure Israel's eventual return and rapprochement with YHVH.

Shabbat Shalom

[1] Said Moses to YHVH: "Master of the Universe! If it is because of Joshua that I must die, let me become his disciple."
Said YHVH to him: "If that is your wish, you may do so."
So Moses arose early in the morning to Joshua's door, and Joshua was sitting and teaching. And Moses bent his frame and covered his mouth, and Joshua did not see him... And all of Israel came to Moses' door, but found him at Joshua's door, and Joshua was sitting and Moses was standing. And the people said to Joshua: "Joshua! What has happened to you, that Moses our master is standing and you are sitting?" As soon as Joshua lifted his eyes and saw this, he immediately tore his garments and cried and wept: "Master! Master! Father, my father and lord!"
Said the people to him: "Moses our teacher! Teach us Torah."
Said he to them: "I have not license."
Said they to him: "We shall not leave you!"
Then a voice came forth from heaven and said to them: "Learn from Joshua!" and they accepted it.
Joshua sat at their head, Moses to his right and the sons of Aaron to his left; he sat and taught, and Moses did not understand his teaching.
After they stood up, the people of Israel said to Moses: "Moses our teacher, explain the teaching to us."
Said he to them: "I know it not." And Moses was stumbling and failing.
At that moment, he said to YHVH: "Master of the Universe! Until now, I asked for life. Now, my soul is placed in Your hand."
(Midrash Tanchuma)

[2] So that this song may be a witness for Me... And this song shall testify as a witness for them (31:19)
Thus the prediction that the people of Israel will abandon the Torah and will be punished for their sins, serves as a "witness" both for the people and for YHVH. For the people, that they have been forewarned of the consequences of their deeds. And for YHVH, that He should not be too harsh on them, since He Himself foresaw it all and said, "For I know their inclination, and what they do, even now, before I have brought them into the land of which I promised..."
(Malbim)

And Moses commanded the Levites... Take this book of the Torah, and place it to the side of the ark of the covenant of YHVH, that it may be there for a witness unto you (31:25-26)
Our sages debated in [the talmudic tractate] Bava Batra concerning this Torah scroll. There are those who say that a shelf extended from the outside of the Ark, and on it the Torah scroll was placed. And there are those who say that it was placed to the side of the Two Tablets [inscribed with the Ten Commandments] within the Ark.
(Rashi)

[3] And I, hide shall I hide my face from them (31:18)
There are times when YHVH hides His face. But then there are times when YHVH hides His face and we don't even realize that His face is hidden; we dwell in darkness, and think it is light. This is a double galut, a concealment within a concealment.
(The Chassidic Masters)

Reading for Rosh Hashana

2008-09-30T22:10:00.000+03:00

Special reading for Rosh Hashanah
Genesis 21-22; Numbers 29:1-6; 1Samuel 1:1-2; Jeremiah 31:2-20
Reading for First Day of Rosh Hashanah

The Birth of Isaac
Exactly a year after the three angels visited Abraham and Sarah and delivered YHVH's promise that a son shall be born to them (as related in Genesis 18),
YHVH remembered[1] Sarah as He had said, and YHVH did to Sarah as He had spoken.
Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which YHVH had spoken to him.
The boy is named Yitzchak ("will laugh"), because, as Sarah declared, "YHVH has made laughter[2] for me, so that all that hear will laugh with me."
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old[3], as YHVH had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born to him.
The Torah then tells of a great feast that Abraham made "on the day that Isaac was weaned."

The Banishment of Hagar and Ishmael
Abraham already had a son, Ishmael, born 14 years earlier to Hagar, the Egyptian maid whom Sarah urged him to marry in her barren years. As had been predicted, Ishmael grows to become "a wild man, his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him." Sarah, fearing Ishmael's negative influence upon her son, urges Abraham to "Banish this maidservant and her son: for the son of this maidservant shall not be heir with my son, with Isaac."
Abraham is reluctant to do so until YHVH intervenes, telling him: "In all that Sarah says to you, hearken to her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called."
Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Be'er-Sheva.
Their water, however, runs out quickly in the desert heat, and soon Ishmael is faint with heat and thirst; Hagar
cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went off...the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Let me not see the death of the child." And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
And YHVH heard the voice of the lad[4]; and the angel of YHVH called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for YHVH has heard the voice of the lad where he is..."
And YHVH opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
And YHVH was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

The Covenant with Avimelech
Avimelech the king of the Philistines, who had earlier driven Abraham from his country, now comes seeking a covenant of peace with the Hebrew. "YHVH is with you in all that you do," says the king, "let us swear to each other that neither of us will show hostility to the other or the other's offspring."
Abraham agrees, and gives Avimelech seven sheep as a testimony to the resolution of a past controversy between them over a well that Abraham had dug. The place is thus named Be'er Sheva ("Well of the Oath" and "Well of the Seven").
Abraham establishes an eshel (wayside inn) at Be'er Sheva, where he "called the name of YHVH, YHVH of the World."

Reading for Second Day of Rosh Hashanah

The Binding of Isaac
And it came to pass after these things, that YHVH did test[5] Abraham. And He said to him: "Abraham!"
And he said: "Here I am!"
And He said: "Please, take your son, your only son, the one whom you love, Isaac; and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and broke up the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which YHVH had told him.
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men: "Stay here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and the knife; and they went both of them together.
And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, "My father!" and he said, "Here I am, my son."
And he said: "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
And Abraham said: "YHVH will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering, my son." And they went both of them together.
And they came to the place which YHVH had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound[6] Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
And an angel of YHVH called to him out of heaven, and said: "Abraham! Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am!"
And he said: "Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do anything to him: for now I know that you do fear YHVH, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked; and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in place of his son.
And Abraham called the name of that place[7] Adonai-Yireh ("YHVH will be revealed"); as it is said to this day: "On the mount YHVH will appear."
The reading concludes with report of a granddaughter born to Abraham's brother, Nachor, named Rebecca (destined to become Isaac's wife).

Shana Tova!

[1] YHVH remembered Sarah (Genesis 21:1)
"Remembrance" is one of the three primary themes of Rosh Hashanah (the other two being "Kingship" and "Shofarot"). For it is the day on which "the remembrance of all of existence comes before You." In the words of the U'nesaneh Tokef prayer:
"On this day... You will remember all that was forgotten. You will open the Book of Memory--it will read itself, and everyone's signature is in it... and all mankind will pass before You like sheep. Like a shepherd inspecting his flock, making his sheep pass under his staff, so shall You run by, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living; You will apportion the fixed needs of all Your creatures, and inscribe their verdict.
"On Rosh Hashanah it will be inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it will be sealed: How many shall pass on, and how many shall be born; who will live and who will die; who will die at his predestined time and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword, who by beast, who by famine, who by thirst, who by storm, who by plague, who by strangulation, and who by stoning; who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried; who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer; who will be impoverished and who will be enriched; who will be degraded and who will be exalted..."

[2] And Sarah said: YHVH has made laughter for me, so that all that hear will laugh (yitz'chak) with me (21:6)
The concept of Rosh Hashanah as the day of YHVH's "coronation" as king of the universe explains a most puzzling paradox in the nature of the day. On the one hand, Rosh Hashanah is when we stand before the Supreme King and tremulously accept the "yoke of His sovereignty." On the other hand, it is a festival (yom tov), celebrated amidst much feasting and rejoicing--a day on which we are enjoined to "Eat sumptuous foods and drink sweet beverages, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared, for the day is holy to YHVH; do not be distressed, for the joy of YHVH is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
But such is the nature of a coronation: it is an event that combines trepidation and joy, awe and celebration. For true kingship, as opposed to mere rulership, derives from the willful submission of a people to their sovereign. So the coronation of a king includes a display of reverence and awe on the part of the people, conveying their submission to the king; as well as the joy that affirms that their submission is willful and desirous.
(From the Chassidic Masters)

[3] Isaac and Ishmael were engaged in a controversy. Said Ishmael to Isaac: "I am more beloved to YHVH than you, since I was circumcised at the age of thirteen, but you were circumcised as a baby and could not refuse." Isaac retorted: "All that you gave up to YHVH was three drops of blood. But lo, I am now thirty-seven years old, yet if YHVH desired of me that I be slaughtered, I would not refuse. Said the Holy One, blessed be He: "This is the moment!"
(Midrash Rabbah)
Jewishness is not a matter of historical conscious, outlook, ethics, or even behavior; it is a state of being. This is the deeper significance of the debate between Ishmael and Isaac. When we are circumcised on the eighth day of life, we are completely unaware of the significance of what has occurred. But this "non-experience" is precisely what circumcision means. With circumcision we say: I define my relationship with YHVH not by what I think, feel or do, but by the fact of part in the Nation of Israel--a fact which equally applies to an infant of eight days and a sage of eighty years.
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe)

[4] And YHVH heard the voice of the lad (21:17)
This teaches us that a person's prayer for himself is preferable to others praying for him, and is sooner to be accepted. (For though the verse speaks of Hagar's weeping, it tells us that it was Ishmael's cry which YHVH heard).
(Midrash Rabbah; Rashi)

[5] And it came to pass after these things, that YHVH did test Abraham (22:1)
Said Rabbi Jonathan: A potter does not examine defective vessels, because he cannot give them a single blow without breaking them. What then does he examine? Only the sound vessels, for he will not break them even with many blows. Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, tests not the wicked but the righteous.
(Midrash Rabbah)

[6] And he bound Isaac his son (22:9)
Can one bind a man thirty-seven years old without his consent?
But when Abraham made to sacrifice his son Isaac, Isaac said to him: Father, I am a young man and am afraid that my body may tremble through fear of the knife and I will grieve you, whereby the slaughter may be rendered unfit and this will not count as a real sacrifice; therefore bind me very firmly."
(Midrash Rabbah)

[7] And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-Yireh (22:14)
Shem (the son of Noah) called it Salem, as it is written "And Melchizedek king of Salem" (Genesis 14: 18). Said the Holy One, blessed be He: If I call it Yireh as did Abraham, then Shem, a righteous man, will resent it; while if I call it Salem as did Shem, Abraham, the righteous man, will resent it. Hence I will call it Jerusalem, including both names, Yireh Salem.
(Midrash Rabbah)

Shefa Insights - Cutting to the Root

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

I can think of no better way to start the process of Teshuva, than by beginning to be grateful.

History

Commentary

Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova

Parashat Ki Tavo - the Haftara

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

The people of Israel in partnership with the Divine source of Light, can usher in the light of redemption.

History

Commentary

Creation

Revelation

Redemption

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Nitzavim - Vayelech - the Haftara

Isaiah 55:6 – 56:8

Reading date 12th September 2009 - 23rd Elul 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

As we enter this season of repentance, YHVH will take one step towards us for every step we take to return.

History

Commentary

Parashat Ki Tetze - the Haftara

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

God feels close when we nurture our relationship through prayer and mitzvot.

History

Commentary

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Softim - the Haftara

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

Whether we live in Israel or not, we must consider our relationship to Zion in our lives.

History

Commentary

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Re'eh - the Haftara

Our Highlighted Haftara Text

Life requires a balance of physical sustenance, emotional nourishment and spiritual joy.

History

Commentary

Shabbat Shalom

Parashat Ekev - the Haftara

Parashat Va'etchanan - the Haftara

Parashat Devarim - the Haftara

Matot Masei - The Haftara

Parashat Pinchas - the Haftara

Parashat Balak - the Haftara

Parashat Chukat - the Haftara

Parashat Korach - the Haftara

Parashat Shelach Lecha - the Haftara

Parashat Beha'alotcha - the Haftara

Parashat Naso - the Hafatar

Hag Shavuot

Parashat Bamidbar - the Haftara

Parashat Behar - Bechukotai - the Haftara

Parashat Emor - the haftara

Parashat Acharei / Kedoshim - the Haftara

Parashat Tazria - Metzora - the Haftara

Parashat Sh'mini - the Haftara

Chol HaMoed Peasch - The Haftara

Parashat Tsav - The Haftara

Parashat Vayikra - the Haftara

Parashat Vayahel - Pekudei - the Haftara

Parashat Ki Tisa - the Haftara

Parashat Tetzaveh - the Hafatra

Parashat Terumah - the Haftara

Parashat Yitro - the Haftara

Parashat Mishpatim - the Haftara

Parashat Beshalach - the Haftara

Parashat Bo - the Haftara

Parashat Vayera - the Haftara

Parashat Shemot - the Haftara

Parashat Vayechi - the Haftara

Parashat Vayigash - the Haftara

Reading for Chanuka

Parashat Miketz - the Haftara

Parashat Vayeshev - the Haftara

Parashat Vayishlach - the Haftara

Parashat Vayetze - the Haftata

Parashat Toldot - the Haftara

Parashat Chayei Sarah - the Haftara

Reading date 12^th September 2009 - 23^rd Elul 5769