Parashat Eikev

In our parasha Moshe reminds the Israelites that they are partners in a brit, a covenant with G-d that grants rights and privileges, but also bestows considerable obligations among the covenantees. What are these obligations?
Moshe asks the tough question:
“And now, Jewish People, just what is  Ad-noy your G-d asking of you?….” (Deut. 10:12)

That is an essential Jewish question, one that we would all do well to ask ourselves each and every day. Just what should we be doing? And is it ever enough?

Moshe immediately gives us an answer:

“Merely to fear Ad-noy your G-d, and to follow all his ways, and to love him, and serve Ad-noy your G-d wholeheartedly and with total spiritual commitment.” (Deut. 10:12)

Yirat Hashem, an awesome respect for G-d, an utter amazement and trepidation that informs our being, and colors every action. We explored this idea briefly previously, and concluded that a fear-only based relationship, without a love component, was detrimental.  Here Moshe is reminding us that yirah is essential, as the building block to a relationship, the first step in a sequential process leading to an active love of G-d.

By the way, in Hebrew, the word for physical fear that the Torah did not use here is pachad. The Torah is not telling us that the goal is to be physically afraid of G-d, of the cliche of lightning striking us down, or the giant hand coming from the heavens to knock us senseless, although this base fear needs to be acknowledged. Yirah is the epitome of reverent respect, an awesome awareness of the chasm separating our puny human intellect and divine truth.

Our tradition explains that Yirat Shamayim, an awesome respect for Heaven, is the only tool that we must obtain on our own. The Talmud, in masechet Megillah (25a) quotes Rabbi Chanina: “Everything is in the hands of Shamayim (Heaven) except Yirat Shamayim.” The Talmud then quotes our opening verse, …” Just what is G-d asking of you?  Merely to fear Ad-noy your G-d….”

Seems pretty easy….

The Talmud asks, ” Does the Torah think this is such a small matter?“, and then answers, “Yes, for Moshe, this was a small matter! Like someone who is asked for a large item, and he has it, it seems small. But to one who does not have it it seems large indeed.”

Because of the massive challenge of obtaining spiritual sensitivity and refinement of practice we often choose to abdicate our responsibility in the arena of developing yirat shamayim. In our busy modern lives we are often unavailable spiritually, and lose our perspective of the awesome power of our Creator.

The Israelites had the same challenges. In our parasha Moshe had the following to say to the generation about to enter the land: Remember the entire path along which Ad-noy your G-d has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order that you live in want, to test you, so that you may know what is in your heart, whether you will keep His commandments or not. (Deut. 8:2)

Realizing that we are constantly being challenged is a key factor in developing yirat shamayim.

Moshe continues: He had you live in want; He let you go hungry, and then fed you manna which you did not know and your fathers did not know…..(Deut. 8:3)

Both the ease and the difficulty we find in living our lives is from above, a daily test. Yes, even our success is a test. When our needs are provided, we have the tendency to give ourselves the credit. and downplay the role of  G-d in our lives.
 …in order to teach you that man can not live on bread alone, rather, man can live on anything that comes from the mouth of G-d. (Deut. 8:3)

Rav Hirsch writes that bread is a symbol of man’s control of technology, in partnership with G-d.  The Creator gives us the seeds, water and light to produce sheaves, but humans provide the process to turn wheat into bread. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our efforts alone are responsible for our achievements.
He points out that the Hebrew word for bread, lechem, is also the root of the word milchama, meaning battle or war.  If we see our successful efforts at earning our daily bread as purely our own means than we will be in a losing battle with our spiritual selves. Our existence is not predicated on the natural and human resources represented by bread, only on the care of G-d to sustain us.

The parsha closes with the second paragraph of the Shema, detailing the concept of reward and punishment. And it will be, if you really listen to My commandments that I command you this day to love the Lord, your G-d, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,. I will give the rain of your land at its time, the early rain and the latter rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine, and your oil.  I will give the rain of your land at its time, the early rain and the latter rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine, and your oil. Beware, lest your heart be misled, and you turn away and worship strange gods and prostrate yourselves before them. And the wrath of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will close off the heavens, and there will be no rain, and the ground will not give its produce, and you will perish quickly from upon the good land that the Lord gives you. (Deut. 11:13-17)

…. Mah Ad-noy Elokekha sho’ail may’imach……Just what does G-d want from us?
To engage, to nurture the relationship. Anything less on our part will result in distancing us from G-d, and prolonging our spiritual and physical exile.

We are living in an age of unprecedented affluence. Yes, there are those that are struggling, but for the most part the Jewish people are free from the pangs of hunger.
Yet, we still live in exile, an exile spanning the rise and fall of  the great empires of the world, without having achieved the ultimate goal of our covenantal relationship, world peace, and the Jewish people living in their ancestral homeland with the Shechina, the physical manifestation of  G-d in the world, resting between the k’ruvim (the cherubs) in the inner sanctum of the Temple in Jerusalem, the holiest place on earth. Do we know what we are missing?

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Greg

Parashat Va’etchanan

There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It’s easy.
There’s nothing you can make that can’t be made.
No one you can save that can’t be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you
in time - It’s easy.
- The Liverpooler Rebbes

The revelation at Sinai was the defining moment in the transformation of the Jewish people from a nation of slaves to a spiritual community, united by their covenant with their creator. The experience was so intensely awesome and breathtaking that the Israelites couldn’t handle it. They asked Moshe to serve as their go between:
They said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear, but let G-d not speak with us lest we die.” (Ex. 20:16)

Afterwards, still reeling from the experience, the people had an opportunity to hear all the specifics: And he (Moshe) took the Book of the Covenant and read it within earshot of the people, and they said, “All that G-d spoke, Naaseh v’nishma, we will do and we will listen.” (Ex. 24:7)

Naaseh v’nishma, we will jump right in, and learn the details later….

The Talmud in Masechet Shabbat (88a) praises this response:

R. Eleazar said: When the Israelites gave precedence to ‘we will do’ over ‘we will listen,’ a Heavenly Voice went forth and exclaimed to them, Who revealed to My children this secret, which is employed by the Ministering Angels ? As it is written: Bless G-d, his angels, those mighty in strength, that fulfill his word, that listen to the voice of his word. First they do and then they listen? (Psalms 103:20)

Moshe returns to the mountain to get the rest of the Torah:
And G-d said to Moses, “Come up to Me to the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets, the Torah and  HaMitzvah, the commandment, which I have written to teach them.” (Ex. 24:12)

The tablets and the Torah seem self explanatory, but what is HaMitzvah, The Commandment?

Unfortunately, the Israelites could not wait long enough to find out. Before Moshe could return from the mountain they built the Golden Calf, and stumbled their way from one unfortunate event to the next. The inspiration was short lived, indeed, and they seemed to live in constant fear of G-d. What happened to naaseh v’nishma? Evidently they were not angels after all, merely human.

In this week’s parasha, always read on the shabbat after Tisha B’Av, Moshe is addressing the next generation, who had come of age during the 40 years of desert wanderings, and were to inherit the land denied their parents after the infamous episode of the scouts. That episode was the event that set the stage for all the calamities to befall the Jewish people in the future on that fated calendar day of the 9th of Av.

Moshe is recounting the history of the revelation at Sinai, which many remembered from their childhood and adolescence. He recounts that moment of initial inspiration: Moshe called all the Jewish People and said,  ‘Shema Yisrael, listen carefully Israel, to the statutes and laws that I am relating in your presence today, for you are to study them, and be careful to fulfill them.” (Deut. 5:1)

Moshe is telling the people that they need to listen, to comprehend before they take action.  Moshe reviews the ‘Ten Commandments” spoken by G-d at Sinai. He then recalls the response of the previous generation 40 years earlier, after they begged Moshe to intercede for them:

You approach, and hear all that the Lord, our God, will say, and you speak to us all that the Lord, our God, will speak to you, V’shama’inu Vi’asinu, and we will listen and we will do. (Deut 5:24)

But wait…we will listen and we will do….. The order here is reversed! Why is Moshe presenting a revisionist history?

Moshe retells G-d’s response to the original declaration, Naaseh v’nishma, we will do and we will listen, reported in Exodus 24:7 : “…. I have heard the sound of this people’s words, that they spoke to you, everything they said is excellent!” (Deut. 5:25)

G-d does not say, ” I heard their words”, but rather, I heard  et kol devarim, the sound, the intent of their words.
The sentiment and the passion were there, but their procedure was out of order. Moshe takes the liberty of correcting their error, V’shama’inu Vi’asinu, and we will listen and we will do.

Moshe continues reporting G-d’s response to him forty years earlier:
Would that their hearts be like this, to fear Me and to keep all My commandments for all time, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever! Go say to them, ‘Return to your tents.’ But as for you, stand here with Me, and I will tell you the entirety of HaMitzvah, the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances which you will teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess. (Deut 5:26-28)

HaMitzvah, THE COMMANDMENT, is back on the table…

And now, in chapter 6, we will find out just what that means. This is HaMitzvah, the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances that the Lord, your God, commanded to teach you, to perform in the land into which you are about to pass, to possess it. And you shall, therefore, listen, O Israel, and be sure to do, so that it will be good for you, and so that you may increase exceedingly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, spoke to you, a land flowing with milk and honey. (Deut. 6:1-3)

Now that we have our priorities straight we can proceed:
Shema Yisrael, Ad-noy El-haynu Ad-Noy Echad!
Listen, Israel! Ad-noy our G-d, Ad-noy is the One (Deut. 6:4)

First, Listen…
Then, Do…

V’ahavta et Ad-noy El-hecha, b’chol l’vavcha, uv’chol nafshecha, u’vchol mi’odecha.
You are to love Ad-noy your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources” (Deut. 6:5)

Loving G-d…. that was the element that was missing from the previous generation!
By placing the procedure for acquiring the Torah in the correct order we will be able to relate to G-d out of love, instead of solely by fear.
Perhaps this teaching of Moshe in our parasha, perhaps the Shema itself, is a tikkun, a repair, of the missteps of the generation that left Egypt. They did not know that naaseh v’nishma must eventually lead to n’shma v’naaseh, and instead lived their days in constant fear of G-d.
This is the essence of the first paragraph of our twice daily recitation of the Shema. All you need is love…a purely human emotion, angels need not apply.
By carefully listening to the words of the Torah, by studying the teachings of Moshe and the sages we can come to take action, and strive to fulfill all the mitzvot motivated by love and understanding, not merely by fear.

Wishing you a lovely shabbat,
Rabbi Greg

Thanks to my friend and teacher R’ Menachem Leibtag for his insights on the meaning of  HaMitzvah.

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known.
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.
It’s easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
All you need is love (all together now)
All you need is love (everybody)
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

Parashat Devarim

Our hero had led his people for a generation. Early in his career he buoyed their spirits when they were drowning in a sea of doubt. He gave them steadfast encouragement, and inspired them to fearlessly fight on, and brought them from the brink of disaster to the pinnacle of achievement. Suddenly, at the apex of their ascent, he received a message from above, that he would not accompany his people in their pursuit to recover the mantle of greatness. Their hero would die in the desert. He gathered his troops, and made an impassioned speech that would go down in history as one of the most inspirational moments of all time. He began,

“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth….”

On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig, legendary first baseman and captain of the New York Yankees, after receiving his death sentence of ALS, a debilitating neurological disease, addressed his people and expressed his unwavering appreciation for the good fortune of his life, family, associates, and fans. His words were echoed on the silver screen by Gary Cooper in “Pride of the Yankees.”

Instead of an angry defiant backlash against G-d,  Gehrig took the opportunity to inspire us to see the good that is present in our lives, even when clouded by our day to day challenges.

In Parashat Devarim (Deuteronomy), Moshe, after receiving a message from above that he would not accompany his people on their pending conquest of the Promised Land, stood before the Israelites and began to deliver one of the most poignant goodbye speeches in the history of civilization.

On that side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses commenced [and] explained this Torah, saying,”The Lord our G-d spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. Turn and journey, and come to the mountain of the Amorites and to all its neighboring places, in the plain, on the mountain, and in the lowland, and in the south and by the seashore, the land of the Canaanites, and the Lebanon, until the great river, the Euphrates River. See, I have set the land before you; come and possess the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them and their descendants after them.” (Deut. 1:6-8)

But Moshe was not content to list his personal achievements, or stroke the egos of his flock. Rather, in the ultimate  act of love, he takes the opportunity to point out their shortcomings, and inspire them to surpass their own expectations.

Our sages teach that at first his words of rebuke were subtle, and couched in geographical and chronological references. As he proceeded he strengthened his approach, hinting at some major impediments to the ultimate destiny of the Jewish people:
Eicha esa l’vadi tarchakhem u’masa’akhem v’rivkhem. How can I bear your trouble, your burden, and your strife all by myself?( Deut. 1:12)
It is no coincidence that the word ‘Eicha‘ is the very same Hebrew word that begins and names the Book of Lamentations we chant in our sorrow, on Tisha B’Av, the ninth of the month Av, which occurs each year in the week following Parashat Devarim.

Moshe gets even more specific, until he openly mentions the single most catastrophic incident to befall the Israelites in the wilderness:

And all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us so that they will search out the land for us and bring us back word by which route we shall go up, and to which cities we shall come.” (Deut. 1:22)
We first learned about this incident in Parashat Shelach.The incident of the scouts is brought up again here, and we are all urged to consider it well. Our inability to appreciate the gifts of G-d, no matter how small, will prevent us from receiving our spiritual and physical inheritance. Moshe continues:
And the matter pleased me; so I took twelve men from you, one man for each tribe.. And they turned and went up to the mountain, and they came to the valley of Eshkol and spied it out.
And they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us, brought us back word, and said, “The land the Lord, our G-d, is giving us is good.”
But you did not want to go up, and you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, your God.
You murmured in your tents and said, ‘”Because the Lord hates us, He took us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to exterminate us.” (Deut 1:23-27)

Here is the story as it unfolded back in Parashat Shelach, in the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar):

They spread an [evil] report about the land which they had scouted, telling the children of Israel, “The land we passed through to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of stature.  There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descended from the giants. In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes.
The entire community raised their voices and shouted, and the people wept on that night. All the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the entire congregation said, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this desert.  Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword; our wives and children will be as spoils. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?” They said to each other, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt!” (Num. 13:32-14:4).

The Torah tells us of G-d’s response, that the entire generation would wander in the desert for 40 years, and only the next generation would be able to enter the Promised Land.

The Talmud ( Taanit 29a and Sotah 35a) tells us that it was the eve of the Tishah b’Av. G-d said “they cried for no reason. I will fix the day to be a day of crying for generations.”

Tisha b’Av would be the day that both Temples were destroyed, and prove to be a most unfortunate date on the calendar through the centuries:Moses related all these words to the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. (Num. 14:39)

In this week’s parsha of Devarim, Moshe now  implores his people not to repeat the mistakes of the previous generation, to be open to recognizing the inherent good in all that G-d bestows.

Lou Gehrig’s speech inspired his team to go on without their fearless leader, and they won the 1939 World Series.

Moshe did not live to see his people win the conquest of the Land of Israel. Ultimately, the failure to appreciate G-d’s gifts resulted in a break down in the moral and spiritual fabric of the nation, and Israel went into an exile that continues to this day, two thousand years later.

Gehrig concluded his address, “When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body — it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that’s the finest I know. So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”
May our prayers this Tisha b’Av, expressing our sorrow at a life without  the  Holy Temple in Jerusalem, without prophecy, without the physical presence of G-d dwelling between the cherubs, penetrate the depths of centuries of anguish and exile.  May our mourning arise not out of self pity, but as part of a process inspiring us to return to our true spiritual lives, with gratitude for all of G-d’s gifts, no matter how small. We too have an awful lot to live for.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Greg

Full text of Lou Gehrig’s speech here

What is ALS?
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ( also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy.

We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot.
~Abraham Lincoln

Parshiot Mattot/Masai

It is a well know Jewish concept that we are created b’tzalem elokim, in the image of G-d. One of the traits we share is that of speech.  The Torah starts with G-d’s ten spoken sayings that bring creation itself, and G-d is revealed to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai with the Asseret HaDibrot, the ten sayings (famously mistranslated as the ten commandments). Although there are many mystical levels to understanding exactly what constitutes divine speech, we reference this idea every day in our liturgy:
Baruch Sh’emar  V’Haya HaOlam, Blessed is (G-d) who spoke and the world came into being.
It is speech, not thought, that we use to come close to our creator, and our speech fuels our songs of praise, composed using the sacred language with which the world was created.

Because of the sacred aspects of speech, our tradition teaches us to develop a special sensitivity to our words. We have already learned back in Parashat Beha’alotcha that lashon hara, evil speech, could be used to significantly harm ourselves and others.

In this week’s first parasha, Mattot (we read Parasha Masai this week as well) we are introduced to an incredible concept, the power of our speech to create torah law.

אִישׁ כִּי יִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַי־הֹוָ־ה אוֹ הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה לֶאְסֹר אִסָּר עַל נַפְשׁוֹ לֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ כְּכָל הַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיו יַעֲשֶׂה:
If a man makes a vow to the Lord or makes an oath to prohibit himself, he shall not violate his word; according to whatever came out of his mouth, he shall do. (Numbers 30:3).

Our sages teach that there are two kinds of declarations that effect law. The first, called a neder, is a pronouncement about something and it’s relationship to the pronouncer. If I say that cake is forbidden to me , than cake becomes like pork, or a mixture of milk and meat, and eating it would be a violation of Torah law. Although this can be an effective form of self discipline it is all too often uttered in the heat of the emotionally charged moment, and we may regret creating this fabric of law. An accomplished Torah scholar, or an ordinary beit din ( an impromptu Jewish court consisting of three observant Jews) can reverse an erstwhile neder by the process of hatarat nedarim, annulment of vows.

Not so with the second type of oath we learn about in the parasha, called a shevuah. This is a pronouncement on an action we vow to undertake or abstain from, and is not reversible. The covenantal promises made to us from G-d are as binding as the shevuot we take upon ourselves. Many commentators believe that a shevua is only binding when we use G-d’s name in the formula of the oath.

Since this is a potential source of some serious spiritual stumbling, it is no surprise that we are urged not to make oaths like this.

The Torah says:
When you make a vow to the Lord, your G-d, you shall not delay in paying it, for the Lord, your G-d, will demand it of you, and it will be [counted as] a sin for you. But if you shall refrain from making vows, you will have no sin. Observe and do what is emitted from your lips just as you have pledged to the Lord, your G-d, as a donation, which you have spoken with your mouth. (Deut. 23:22-24)

The Talmud, in the beginning of Mesechet Chullin (2a), teaches:  Better you should not vow, than  vow and not pay.  And it has been taught: Better than both is he who does not vow at all;  this is the opinion of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehudah says, Better than both is he who vows and pays.

It is no surprise, due to the emotional aspect of these oaths and vows that we begin Yom Kippur by collectively annulling any vows we may make during the coming year with the Kol Nidre prayer. (Any broken vows during the previous year must be atoned for on Yom Kippur).

The flip side, of course, is that when we use our words sincerely, for the right reason, we are  capable of transforming the world. If only we could utter our prayers to our creator with the same intention, the same kavana, that would obligate ourselves in the case of a vow or oath!

May all our prayers be answered, for good.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Greg

A few days ago I had the pleasure of participating in a Simchat Hachnasat Sefer Torah- a community celebration welcoming a newly completed Sefer Torah, a beautiful Torah scroll.  A crowd of people gathered round as the sofer (scribe) finished filling in the last few letters, and I was honored with the filling in of the letter “yud“, the first letter of my Hebrew name, Yosef.

The letter  “yud” is part of G-d’s name, is the symbol for the number 10 (and all that number’s considerable mystical implications), and is reminiscent of the word “yid”, a Jew. Every letter in the Torah is sacred, and one damaged or incomplete letter will “pasul” (invalidate) the entire scroll!

Last week’s reading, Parashat Balak concluded with a disturbing story of  errant sexuality and weak morals.

As a result of the idolatrous and licentious behavior of the Israelite men with the Moabite women, and the public display of lewdness by an Israelite leader and a Midianite princess in front of the Ohel Moed (the Tent of Meeting) G-d sends a plague upon the Israelites. Pinchas, the son of Elazar the high priest, rises up and kills the offending couple, and the plague stops.

In this week’s sidra, Parasha Pinchas,  G-d tells Moshe that Pinchas is a hero:

Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal. (Num. 25:11)

At first glance, this is a disturbing statement. If G-d found the deviant couple’s behavior so abhorrent, why couldn’t G-d kill them along with the 24,000 people that lose their lives in the plague?

The name Pinchas, spelled “pay,yud, nun,chet.mem“  is written in a torah scroll with a small “yud“, much smaller than other “yuds” used all over.

It is if the “yid“, our inherent Jewishness is diminished by this violent act. So why is he being praised?

And his reward is great:

” Therefore proclaim it: Lo! I give him my covenant of shalom (peace). And to him and his descendants after him will be this covenant of eternal  kehuna (priesthood), because he brought to bear the rights of his G-d and effected atonement for the children of  Israel” (Num. 25:12).

Pinchas is rewarded with the priesthood!

Is vigilantism the kind of response to evil that the Torah is teaching us?

If we look closely at the word “shalom” as written in the Torah scroll we find that the third letter, a “vav“, is defective!

The top part of the letter is severed from the rest, leaving a “yud” floating above a line. Obviously this peace is defective as well, and the “yud“, representing the “yid“, the Jewish spark in all of us, is recoiling from this violent act.

The Talmud in Sanhedrin teaches that one does not have the right to be a zealot, and this was a one time exception!

We should be upset by this story, the Torah does not condone vigilantism.

If we disregard the broken vav we get the word shalem (whole or complete). This is a hint towards our true goal: a  consummate peace, uncompromised, pure. A peace that comes about only through violence is not a lasting peace, not a complete peace.

Ultimately, we will have to lead by our actions and not by our weapons.

May we, through our efforts of striving to live our lives according the mitzvoth of the Torah, be able to mend the broken vav, and bring about our ultimate redemption. Only then can we truly know a complete peace,  a shalom shalem.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Greg

Parashat Balak contains some fascinating narrative about the nature of the Jewish people, and some uncensored insight into the duality of human existence.

In the parasha we learn of the desires of Balak, the King of  Moav, to eliminate Moshe and the Israelites. Balak is terrified by reports of the chosen people’s military victories over neighboring monarchies and, although not directly threatened by Israel, decides to take action .  Since Moshe, the celebrated Israelite leader, spent his formative years under the tutelage of  his father in law Jethro ,the high priest of Midian, perhaps the Midianite elders would have insights into his weaknesses as well.

Rashi  (Num. 22:4) explains that the Midianites told Balak that Moshe has “no power except for his mouth”. Recall that the Torah says that G-d speaks to Moshe “Mouth to Mouth” (Num. 12:8). Yet, instead of assembling an army to destroy Moshe and the Israelites, Balak sends for the evil prophet Bilaam. Quoting the midrash Rashi writes, “We, too, will confront them with a man whose power is in his mouth”.

Bilaam is hired to use his mouth to curse the Israelites.

The parasha details how the mouth of Bilaam fails, and repeatedly offers blessings instead of curses. The power of the mouth is highlighted by the famous story of Bilaam’s donkey speaking, having a prophetic encounter beyond the ability of her owner.

In the end a frustrated Bilaam advises that Israel’s downfall would be through their eyes instead.

The Talmud explains the process, starting with lusting after articles of clothing, until physical lust takes over with an infamous episode of idol worship and debauchery.

The results are catastrophic, leading to the death of 24,000 Israelites via a divine plague.

Similarities with the episode of the golden calf abound.

Although the number of casualties (3000) is less, the conditions are almost identical. In Parashat Ki Tisa the Torah says “They arose early the next morning, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings. They sat down to eat and drink, and got up l’tzachaik.” (Ex. 32:6) Although commonly translated as playfulness and laughter, Rashi informs us that this means licentious behavior.

Here too, in our parasha, the illicit activities are preceded by eating and idolatry. “They (the Moabite women) invited the people to their idolatrous sacrifices, and the people ate and prostrated themselves before their gods (Baal Peor).”(Num. 25:2)

Rav Kook describes the worship of  Baal Peor as the epitome of idolatry. Unlike the shiny and polished Golden Calf,  Peor was worshipped in a disgusting ritual described in the Talmud (Sandedrin 64a).

After the Calf, the Torah tells us the people had exposed themselves spiritually, by their idolatry. Moshe issues the challenge, “….Mi Ad-nai elee, whoever is for G-d, come with me!….” (Ex. 32:26). All the Levites gathered round, and delivered justice.

In our parsasha the episode culminates with an Israelite having relations with a Midianite woman at the entrance to the Mishkan, in full view of all the Israelites, a physical exposure. Once again, the tribe of Levi stands up, as Pinchas takes action to stop the public desecration of the holiest spot on earth.

Once again, those who would deny the will of G-d tried to silence G-d’s witnesses, but in the end it is only the Jewish people themselves responsible for their downfall .

Even today, assimilation and intermarriage are able to achieve what no foe could ever do. We are our own worst enemy.

These days idolatry has shifted to the worship of money and power, and it is painfully obvious how this kind of worship leads to further erosion of the moral fabric of our society.

How many headlines over the past few years were filled with the rich and famous falling from grace due to the inability to control their basest urges!

Judaism teaches that humans are both physical and spiritual beings, and that our physical desires can be channeled, through the Torah’s teachings, into tools to help us reach our full potential.

Our mouths can create great beauty, and pray for divine assistance in the challenges of our earthly existence, or create damage and destruction worse than we can imagine.

Our eyes can keep us inspired by observing the presence of  G-d in the world, or lead us into a world void of holiness and spirituality.

The choice is ours.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Greg

Parashat Chukat

The birth of the nation of Israel was a sequence of miraculous events, and one of the most striking was the mass prophetic experience, culminating in the revelation at Sinai. The precursor to that ultimately defining moment was the spontaneous expression of the awesome power of G-d, as expressed in the Shir HaYam, the Song of the Sea that begins, “Oz yashir Moshe u’vinai Yisrael..,  then Moshe and the children of Israel began to sing….” (Ex. 14:30).

It was a moment of unparalleled national prophecy, in the form of a song, the nations creative response to their deliverance.

This creative environment, brimming with life, was in fact short lived, and after being overwhelmed by Sinai, conditions eventually deteriorated.

This week’s parasha signifies the end of an era, and the sunset of the Mosaic triumvirate.

The Torah transports us from the beginning of the second year in the wilderness thirty eight years hence, and we are now in the fortieth year of the desert wanderings.

We have no record of any stories during this period, just the twenty locations the Bnai Yisrael encamped during that time (Rashi on Num. 33:10).

According to the classic medieval commenter Ibn Ezra, the interim period was dark, without prophecy or divine contact, save for the miraculous nature of their shelter and sustenance.

Most commentators agree that the details of the parah adumah, the red heifer, which would purify one exposed to the spiritual residue of death, took place in the first year or two after leaving Egypt. This makes sense, as the decree that the generation of the Exodus would live out their lives in the desert, and death would be a fact of life in the wilderness.

Over the next thirty eight years the adults who left Egypt gradually died out, and now the Israelites, consisting of the next generation, were at the edge of civilization, ready to begin their conquest of the land.

Moshe’s sister Miriam and brother Aaron die, and Moshe himself is informed that he will not live to see the promised land.

“Then G-d said to Moses and Aaron, “Since you did not have faith in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly to the Land which I have given them.” (Num. 20:12)

In order to merit admission into the Holy Land, the people would need new leadership, and a more mature relationship with G-d and each other.

We know that Joshua would be the one to assume the role as leader of the congregation, and lead them into the land. How do we know the people themselves have demonstrated their worthiness for deliverance?

The stain on the collective psyche of the Israelites, after their parents were led through the split sea, and spontaneously erupted in prophetic songs of praise, only to be dancing around a golden calf a few weeks later, must have been substantial. The ensuing period was void of joyous outpourings, and triumphant melody was replaced with  the dissonance of complaints and lamentations.

Aaron the high priest was loved by all and his passing a terrific loss:

“….the entire house of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty days.” (Num. 20:29)

The death of Aaron was transformative for the nation, because next the Torah records them reaching out to G-d for help in a military confrontation:

The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the south, heard that Israel had come by the route of the spies, and he waged war against Israel and took from them a captive. Israel made a vow to G-d, and said, “If You deliver this people into my hand, I shall consecrate their cities.” G-d heard Israel’s voice and delivered the Canaanite. He destroyed them and consecrated their cities, and he called the place Chormah. (Num. 21:2-3)

The nation temporarily relapses and express their frustration by falling back on a familiar refrain: The people spoke against G-d and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in this desert, for there is no bread and no water, and we are disgusted with this rotten food.” (Num. 21:5)

They are quickly punished with an attack by a bevy of poisonous snakes, but this time the people are remorseful, and take the first step in repentance:

The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against G-d, and against you. Prayto  G-d that He remove the snakes from us.” (Num.21:7)

Moshe is told by G-d to make a sculpture of a snake, and the people could be healed by using artwork to reflect on their current state.

This would be the last recorded complaint by the Israelites.

A few verses later the Torah tells us of a book called

“The Wars of G-d” and an entry that makes a connection between Sufa (The Sea of Reeds that split miraculously 40 years earlier) and the streams of Arnon, which border the land of Israel.

Rabbi S.R Hirsch notes that the mention of this book in the Torah proves that there was literary activity among the Israelites.

The people are given the gift of water, and there is a striking similarity to the miraculous splitting of the Sea of Reeds just after Egypt; The entire nation, after remaining tacit an entire generation, once again erupts into spontaneous song: Oz Yashir YISRAEL…

Then Israel sang this song: “‘Ascend, O well,’ sing to it!

A well dug by princes, carved out by nobles of the people, through the lawgiver with their staffs, and from the desert, a gift.

From the gift, to the streams, and from the streams to the heights.

From the heights to the valley in the field of Moab, at the top of the peak, that overlooks the wastelands.” (Num. 21:17-20)

But this enthusiastic performance did not require the conducting skills of Moshe, for the nation had developed their spiritual skills to create on their own.

After the next documented military victory (they were on a roll!) we hear the Torah mention the words of hamoshlim, the poets! The creative spirit is back, and in full swing. The Torah quotes the poets saying:

…“Come to Cheshbon, may it be built and established as the city of Sichon…”(Num. 21:27).

The Talmud  (Bava Batra 78B) teaches that the word hamoshlim, the poets, can also mean “the rulers”, those who have dominion over their urges.

Chesbon means an accounting.  Those who are in control of their urges can make a chesbon, calculate the result of their actions ahead of time, and make informed decisions.

Art is the result of people engaging, taking the time to calculate, to reflect on their experiences, and have domain over sound, shape, color and thought.

Through the artistic outpouring of image, word and verse, the nation is revitalized and can joyously express their sense of life.

As to the role of emotions in art and the subconscious mechanism that serves as the integrating factor both in artistic creation and in man’s response to art, they involve a psychological phenomenon which we call a sense of life. A sense of life is a pre-conceptual equivalent of metaphysics, an emotional, subconsciously integrated appraisal of man and of existence.    Ayn Rand: “The Psycho-Epistemology of Art,” The Romantic Manifesto

There will be challenges ahead, but a nation that can stop, reflect , make an accounting, a cheshbon, and grow, will not be held back from achieving their spiritual and material potential.

Here’s to all of us achieving all of ours, creatively.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Greg

Parashat Korach

You’re as cold as ice
You’re willing to sacrifice our love
You never take advice
Someday you’ll pay the price, I know

I’ve seen it before
It happens all the time
Closing the door
You leave the world behind

You’re digging for gold
Yet throwing away
A fortune in feelings
But someday you’ll pay….
Lou Gramm, Mick Jones (Foreigner)

This week’s parasha is named after one of the most oft-vilified characters in Tanach.

Korach, conventional wisdom tells us, wanted to usurp the authority of Moshe and Aaron, command the kahuna (priesthood), avenge the forty year sentence of wandering in the desert as a result of the episode with the scouts in Parashat Shelach, and organize a revolt by the Israelites. Knowing exactly what Korach wanted, or his precise motivation for challenging Moshe is difficult to ascertain, because he never really goes on record. We do not find a direct quote from Korach anywhere in the entire parasha, but perhaps he is included here:

“Korach the son of Yitzar, the son of Levi, took, along with Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eliav, and On, the son of Pelet, sons of Reuven. They confronted Moses together with two hundred and fifty men from the children of Israel, chieftains of the congregation, representatives of the assembly, men of repute. They assembled against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do raise yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?“  (Num. 16:1-3)

But, perhaps not..why would Korach say that?

After all, Korach was a Levite, in the special legion of the sons of Kahat (the second of the three sons of Levi), who had been honored with the role of care and transport the holy ark!  So, what did Korach really want?

And furthermore, what (in verse 1.) did he take?

As you can see, we have our work cut out for us. Rashi, who usually has a simple pshat, a plain explanation, goes right to the Midrash (Tanchuma) for an explanation.  The Midrash is not so impressed by Korach, and describes a power struggle precipitated by the appointment of his cousin Elitzafon as leader of the Levites, even though Elitzafon was the son of the youngest of four brothers.  (Moshe was a son of the oldest of four brothers…). According to the Mishna this breach of protocol
was the motivating factor in the activities of Korach to organize against Moshe.
The Midrash then reports a series of confrontational conversations where Korach is portrayed as an insolent, belligerent  and conniving rabble rouser. As so often happens, the Midrash paints a picture in black and white, while the text itself is in many shades of grey.  The other rebels, according to many commentators, has their own reasons as well.

Datan and Aviram had a history of bad character.  Rashi teaches us that they were feuding with Moshe back in Egypt.  “He (Moshe) went out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarreling, and he said to the wicked one, “Why are you going to strike your friend? And he retorted, “Who made you a man, a prince, and a judge over us? Do you plan to slay me as you have slain the Egyptian?…“  (Ex. 2:13-14)

Rashi also explains that they were the ones who hoarded the manna (Ex. 16:19-20), in defiance of G-d’s instruction.

So, it comes as no surprise that they would attach themselves to any opportunity to continue their destructive behavior.

The two hundred and fifty noble leaders of Israel seemingly have no motivation for malicious activity. The Netziv (R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (1816-1893), of Volozhin), writes that they were overcome by their spiritual yearnings, and wanted to come closer than was permitted. Their tragic demise mirrors that of the two sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, whose desire to come close took them out of the realm of  the divinely mandated behavior necessary for this world. Like the incense they offered in vain, religious passion has the power to enrich or destroy life.

But Korach  knew better. Korach seemingly had it all- a good job, wealth ( the talmud in Pesachim 119a tells us that he had found treasure that Joseph had hidden away in Egypt), and influence.   It is no surprise that he was silent when Moshe tried to engage in dialogue with him ( Bam. 16:7) He had no response, because there was nothing to say. The name Korach in Hebrew means “ice”. Korach was frozen in his spiritual development, trapped by jealousy that prevented him from achieving his potential. He had experienced the same revelation as the other Israelites, and knew that Moshe’s authority was mandated by G-d. But, unlike Moshe, who continually gave of himself, Korach was unable to give. He could only receive. He was a taker. Perhaps that’s why the Torah said that ” Korach took“, without explanation. It wasn’t anything in particular, rather his nature. He could not warm up to the idea of mankind’s unique ability  to act in the image of G-d, by giving of ourselves.

We all have the ability to be a catalyst for change. Get involved, volunteer. Give what ever you can- money, time, blood, thanks.
Just give, and the taking will be so much more fulfilling.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Greg

Parashat Shelach

The end of this week’s parasha is an enigmatic story about the mekoshesh, the wood gatherer, who is executed for gathering sticks on the Shabbat. On the surface this seems incredibly harsh, inflexible, and autocratic.
Got sticks? You’re a dead man….
Of course, there is much more here than first meets the eye, so let’s dig a bit deeper together.
First, a little background.
Last week’s reading, Parashat Beha’alotcha, recorded some misgivings by the Israelites, complaining and asking to go back to slavery. Like modern day prisoners freed after decades behind bars, wanting to go back to the confined familiarity rather than adjust to a life of free choice, the Israelites, in a moment of weakness, have some second thoughts.
This led to the incident of the m’raglim (scouts) in the beginning of this week’s sidra, Parasha Shelach.

The m’raglim bring back a report recommending that the people NOT try to enter the promised land, “ …. a land that devours its inhabitants..” (Num. 13:32). A breakdown in faith led to the inability to see the big picture, and the Israelites tumble from their exalted spiritual heights. The slave comes out of Egypt, but Egypt will not come out of the slave.  It is decreed that the current generation would wander for forty years, and only their children, who did not know servitude to a human master, would take possession of the promised land.
“Your children, they shall be wanderers in the desert for forty years, and they will bear [the burden of] your dissoluteness, until the last of your corpses are in the desert. According to the number of days which you scouted the land; forty days, a day for a year, a day for a year you will bear the burden of your iniquity forty years, and you will know My displeasure.” (Num. 14:33-34).
But what of the covenant? What was the obligation of those exiled in the desert?
In the next chapter the Torah elucidates: “And if one day you should fall into the error that you no longer need to observe all these commandments that G-d has given Moshe; All that G-d has commanded you from the day that G-d gave His commandments, and onward to your descendants; Then it shall be if, by the eyes of the community, an act of inadvertence has been committed, the entire community shall prepare one bull each….” (Num. 15:22-24).
Our sages derive from the verses that the deviation was avodah zara, idol worship.
Denying the existence of G-d in the world by ignoring the covenant is a form of idolatry! (Talmud, Horayot 8a). Rabbi S. R. Hirsch explains that the prohibition of idolatry is the fundamental principle of all the Torah’s commandments, and the whole Torah stands or falls by the fulfillment of this prohibition.
Obviously, the deal still stands…
But, inadvertent deviations would require an offering.
And intentional violations?
“But as for the person who does this with an uplifted hand………he has blasphemed G-d by so doing, and that soul shall be uprooted from the midst of its people.” (Num. 15:30)
Immediately afterwards the Torah tells us:  “While the Israelites were in the wilderness they discovered a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day”(Num. 15:32).
All the Israelites who heard G-d speak at Sinai, who said “naaseh  v’nishma” (We will do and we will listen) knew that their covenantal responsibility for observing the Sabbath precluded the actions they witnessed (The Talmud discusses specifically what the violation was - harvesting the wood, bundling it, carrying, etc.).
Denying the Shabbat was an act of avodah zara, denying the authority of G-d, a transgression punishable by death!  “And G-d said to Moshe, The man shall be executed; let the entire community stone him with stones outside the camp.” (Num. 15:35). Ouch!
Yet we do not rely on a literal reading of the verses of the Torah to define our observance of the revealed law.
Our tradition teaches that capital punishment was rarely meted out, and only after a series of conditions were met. (The Talmud in Sanhedrin 41a tells us that 40 years before the destruction of the second temple the Sanhedrin lost the authority to decide capital cases, so in practice Jewish law does not enforce the death penalty….).

In order to have committed a capital offense the violator needed to know the significance of his actions. His actions must take place in public, with two witnesses. He needed to be warned by the two witnesses, and commit the offense in front of the witnesses immediately after being warned. The Torah tells us that the execution would take place “outside of the camp”, so as to provide more time for new facts to be discovered that would prevent the execution from taking place at all.
The Torah is not teaching us to be a band of roaming zealots, looking for violators to “rub out”. To the contrary, Judaism despises capital punishment.
But this case in our Parasha is still baffling. Why did he have to die?
The case of the mekoshesh seems to be a classic case of “Suicide by Cop”. This is the conclusion reached by the midrash quoted by Tosefot in  the Talmud( tractate Bava Batra 119a). Lest the generation condemned to wander in the desert think that Shabbat observance was irrelevant, the mekoshesh deliberately committed a capital offense, demanding his execution to prove the sanctity of Shabbat in the presence of the Shechina. According to this midrash he died “L’shem Shamayim“, for the sake of heaven.

Today we live in exile, and the presence of G-d is blurred and unfocused. The  consequence of a life without the sanctity of Shabbat is an even greater chasm between the profane and the sacred.
“More than the Jews have kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jews.” - Ahad Ha’am
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Greg

This week’s d’var torah is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Mayer Steinmetz, Meir ben Menachem Dov, z’l, who knew better than anyone that nothing comes without effort.

Parashat Beha’alot’cha

This week’s Sidra is a whirlwind of ideas and activities.
It starts with the illuminating instructions to Aaron  concerning the lighting of the menorah. The Ramban writes that this  section of the Torah is a hint for Hanuka, which continues to light up the world during the darkest times of the exile.
We learned back in parashat Terumah  (Ex. 25:40) that the menorah was intricately formed from one solid block of gold with an elusive method that, according to the tradition, was beyond the abilities of Moshe.
Moshe is then commanded to create two musical instruments, two chatzatzrot (trumpets), in the same fashion, drawn and hammered out of a single block of silver. The only other time we learn about this method of manufacture is for the two k’ruvim (cherubs) that define the resting place of the Shechina, the physical manifestation of G-d on Earth, on top of the holy aron (ark). Spiritual ground zero….

Is there a connection between the unique construction of these three kailim (holy vessels), the expansion outward from a dense core?
The Hebrew term for this process is m’ksha, which also means “with difficulty”.

The trumpets were to be blown when Bnai Yisrael were to break camp, and were used to lead them into battle.
Each sound needed to be produced separately, and with an intense physical effort. The trumpets were not blown on a whim, but rather at the display of a sign from G-d.
The Menorah was lighted once each day, requiring another type of effort, that of commitment to a regular routine.

These two vessels are reminiscent of the revelation itself, as we learned in parashat Yitro:
“All the people saw the sounds, the flames, the sound of the shofar, and the mountain emitting smoke. The people saw [all this] and they trembled, and stood far off.” (Ex. 20:15)

And the people responded, “Na’aseh v’Nishma“, we will do, and we will listen.
But this initial inspiration cannot be sustained without effort, and the flames will die out if not well attended, and the k’ruvim, the cherubs facing inward towards the Shechina itself, will turn their faces away.

In the middle of our parasha we have a most unusual occurrence, two verses surrounded by two backward letter “nuns“,  as they appear written in the Torah.

“Whenever the Ark departed Moshe would say: “Rise, Ad-noy, and may your enemies disperse, and those who hate You flee before You. When it rested, he would say: “Come to rest, Ad-noy, among the myriads and thousands of Israel.” (Num. 10:35-36)
The letter nun is also the symbol for the number 50. The revelation took place “on the fiftieth day“.

Perhaps the two inverted nuns are reminding us that even in the midst of  the height of our exalted status as a nation, being led by the clouds of glory, we cannot lose sight of the effort required to maintain the inspiration, the hard work involved in fulfilling our promise in accepting the covenant, “Naaseh v’Nishma“, pronounced with two nuns. The tide quickly turns, and the next sections of the Torah show us what happens when we cannot maintain our level of inspiration, with disastrous consequences.
Yes, it is m’ksha, it is quite difficult.
But, by combining the music of  mankind, the creative effort as symbolized by the trumpets, with the light of  Torah, spilling out from the Menorah, we can restore the  wayward nuns to their upright position, and  merit the return of the Shechina to her home, between the k’ruvim.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Greg

When a person of a higher soul suffers a loss of faith in the power of his own identity, then he will walk about gloomy, he will be desolate, and the lustre of the whole world will be diminished for him.

But on turning back in a higher penitence, and regaining the glory of his faith in his higher powers, which stir in him always, his spirit will revive and be brightened, and all the worlds that reflect his disposition will be filled with splendor and light.

Rav Kook

Orot Hakodesh Vol I, pg. 175