WAITING AND HOPING

Sermon for 1st morning of Rosh Hashanah 5783

September 26, 2022

As I explained in my Erev Rosh Hashanah sermon last night, I have decided to use the four added paragraphs in the High Holiday kedushah as my “chomer lidrosh” – that is to say, as the texts I’ll try to sermonize about – for my four High Holiday sermons.  These are the four paragraphs that we find in the High Holiday machzor that are added to the third blessing of the Amidah.  These are among the first major liturgical changes that distinguish our Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayers from the prayers we recite the rest of the year. And historians of Judaism tell us that these were among the earliest such additions to our standard liturgy.

Three of these paragraphs begin with the word “Uvechen” meaning “Therefore”.  And the last of the four added paragraphs begins with the word “Vetimlokh” meaning “and You shall rule”.   

In this morning’s Amidah we can find this material on pages 143-146.  Let’s open our machzorim to p. 143 to refresh our memories.

That Hebrew section on the bottom of p. 143 is what I focused on last night --- especially the references to “Kawl haberu’im” --- all created beings forming “agudah achat” --- one collective fellowship -- so that God’s awesome presence might be felt “al kol mah shebarata” (over all that God has created.).

I suggested last night that that is a similar sentiment to what we find in the finale of Beethoven’s 9th symphony where the chorus sings about offering a kiss to all the world because all humanity are brothers and sisters.  And that we are all under the providence of one heavenly parent – or as we might say in the language of Judaism – we are all under the loving care of  --- Avinu Shebashamayim --- Hakadosh Barukh Hu.

Today, I’d like to focus on the second of the “Uvechen”/”And therefore” additions to the liturgy.  On page 144 we read [PRESENT TENSE] as follows: (and like last night, I’m going to translate this line by line literally rather than relying on the somewhat interpretive translation in our Machzor): 

וּבְכֵן תֵּן כָּבוֹד ה' לְעַמֶּֽךָ

And, therefore, grant honor, Adonai, to your people.

 תְּהִלָּה לִירֵאֶֽיךָ

Praise to those who stand in awe of You.

 וְתִקְוָה טוֹבָה לְדוֹרְשֶֽׁיךָ

And good hope to those who seek You.

וּפִתְחוֹן פֶּה לַמְיַחֲלִים לָךְ.

And confident speech to those who wait for you.

 שִׂמְחָה לְאַרְצֶֽךָ וְשָׂשׂוֹן לְעִירֶֽךָ

Joy to your Land, and gladness to your City

 וּצְמִיחַת קֶֽרֶן לְדָוִד עַבְדֶּֽךָ

A flourishing of pride to David your servant

וַעֲרִיכַת נֵר לְבֶן־יִשַׁי מְשִׁיחֶֽךָ

And an array of light to the son of Jesse, your anointed one

בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ

Speedily in our days.

 The Reform and Reconstructionist movements long ago backed away from the traditional idea of an individual descendant of King David arising as a Messiah, so it’s no surprise that our machzor (and most Liberal machzors) either remove that language entirely or translate it metaphorically.

For example, our “On Wings of Awe” machzor, instead of translating those messianic expressions

וּצְמִיחַת קֶֽרֶן לְדָוִד עַבְדֶּֽךָ

וַעֲרִיכַת נֵר לְבֶן־יִשַׁי מְשִׁיחֶֽךָ

בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ

Instead of translating those messianic expressions literally ---  our machzor speaks of “Glowing with the lights of a peaceful future realized at long last.”

And the new Reform machzor “Mishkan Hanefesh” offers --  “May the sparks of David, your servant, soon grow bright enough for us to see a beam of light in the darkness, a promise of perfection.”

In any event, whether you personally believe in the coming of an individual GO’EL (Redeemer) or rather in the hope for a general time of GE’ULAH (Redemption) --- it still behooves us to think about what such a world could be like – and what we could do to help bring it about.

The machzor’s prescription is that classic triad of “uteshuvah, utefillah, utzedakah” ---- repentance, prayer and charity.  And our sages teach that it all depends AL HATORAH, V’AL HA-AVODAH, VE’AL GEMILUT CHASADIM “on the Torah, on Service and on Deeds of Lovingkindness.” 

To me, that beam of light in the darkness includes working for interracial healing, addressing climate change, pursuing economic justice, and defeating all forces of oppression  -- among other tasks that face our species.

There is so much to be done, but as Maimonides famously taught ---

Every person must view oneself the entire year as if one is half meritorious and half guilty, and so too the entire world is half meritorious and half guilty. If one has sinned a single sin, behold one has inclined oneself and the entire world towards guilt and caused its destruction. [But] If one performs a single mitzvah, behold one has inclined oneself and the entire world towards merit, causing its deliverance and salvation. This is as it is stated, ‘And the righteous one [is] the foundation of the world’ (Proverbs 10:25), [meaning], this one who has made oneself righteous has inclined the entire world [to merit] and has saved it.[1]

That teaching is from Hilchot Teshuvah/ The Laws of Repentance in Maimonides’ code of Jewish law, Mishneh Torah.

UVECHEN, and therefore:

What is that one good deed that you will do this year to tip the balance of the world?

 ***********************************

 While we’re focusing this morning on the second “Uvechen” passage on p. 144, I’d also like to dwell on the phrase “Ufitchon peh lamyachalim lakh”.  

That’s the last word on the third line, and extending to the fourth line of the Hebrew on page 144  --- “Ufitchon peh lamyachalim lakh”.   

They don’t really translate it in the English that we have in our machzor.

It literally means --- “opening of mouth to those who wait for you.”

What is this “pitchon peh?” – this “opening of the mouth”.  Clearly it’s some sort of idiom.  Generally, I’ve seen it understood as a metaphor for “confident speech” or of “the ability to speak”. 

Trying to put this in some sort of contemporary context, my mind turns towards the question of voting rights, of threats to democracy, of the integrity of the electoral process.  In this secular American context – that’s the most important way in which we have “pitchon peh”  -- the ability to have a voice in society.

We have been in a dangerous place as a country ever since the former president refused to accept his electoral defeat --- and ever since he bullied significant numbers of members of his political party into accepting his lies.  Our future as a democracy continues to hang in the balance.

The continuation of the phrase in the machzor says that this pitchon peh (confident speech) is “lameyachalim lakh” – “for those who wait for, or who place their hope in, You” – that is to say, those who place their hope in God.

We pray that God will grant confident speech, the ability to speak, VOICE, to those whose hope rests in God---  but it’s also up to us to help bring this about. 

For if there is any basic, fundamental article of faith that Judaism can teach us --- it’s the belief that God- -- however we might understand God – that God works through us, and that God is to be found in how we relate to one another.

(And if you don’t believe in God – that’s fine too --- then we should look to our Jewish tradition to give us an agenda for our brief sojourns in this plain of existence. --- And we’re glad you’re all here with us this morning!)

We live in scary, stressful, divisive times. But that phrase in our High Holiday machzor, in that second “Uvechen” passage that associates this Pitchon Peh/ this empowerment of the voice with MEYACHALIM (those who wait or hope).

That verb – LEYACHEL – meaning to wait or to hope – reminds us of the consolations of faith.  As it says in what is probably my favorite Psalm, Psalm 131:

ה' ׀ לֹא־גָבַ֣הּ לִ֭בִּי וְלֹא־רָמ֣וּ עֵינַ֑י וְלֹֽא־הִלַּ֓כְתִּי ׀ בִּגְדֹל֖וֹת וּבְנִפְלָא֣וֹת מִמֶּֽנִּי׃

אִם־לֹ֤א שִׁוִּ֨יתִי ׀ וְדוֹמַ֗מְתִּי נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י כְּ֭גָמֻל עֲלֵ֣י אִמּ֑וֹ כַּגָּמֻ֖ל עָלַ֣י נַפְשִֽׁי׃

יַחֵ֣ל יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל אֶל־ ה'  מֵ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃ 

Adonai, my heart is not proud
nor my look haughty;
I do not aspire to great things
or to what is beyond me;

but I have taught myself to be contented
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child am I in my mind.

יַחֵ֣ל יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל אֶל־ ה'

Place hope, O Israel, in Adonai,
now and forever.

That message, like so many messages in our tradition, is not an excuse for inaction.  But what it is, is a warm embrace ---- Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!  ---
a call to refrain from despair, to stay committed, to stay focused, and to stay confident in our efforts to do good and to be good.

UVECHEN, THEREFORE, we will have the strength to continue.

Shanah tovah u’metukah.

 (P.S. Check out this inspiring setting of Psalm 131 in the last movement of Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalmss.)

© Rabbi David Steinberg (September 2022/ Tishri 5783)

[1] Mishneh Torah, Repentance 3:4 (sefaria.org)

THEREFORE

Sermon for Erev Rosh Hashanah 5783

September 25, 2022

THEREFORE.

I think therefore I am….

It’s raining and I went outside without an umbrella.  Therefore I got wet.

I ate too much at dinner.  Therefore, I had indigestion.

A useful word this “therefore.”  A word that implies some sort of logical connection between what comes before it and what comes after it. A word that implies that the universe ultimately makes sense, even if we don’t quite grasp how, and even if from our own limited perspectives it might at times seem chaotic and random.

THEREFORE.

The Hebrew equivalent of “THEREFORE” is “UVECHEN”.

UVECHEN. 

That’s a word that comes up repeatedly in the High Holiday liturgy.  You may have already noticed it in our service thus far this evening.  But before we get to that, I’d like to point out a key moment in the Bible where we find the word “UVECHEN”.

It’s in the Megillah – the Book of Esther:

Haman (boooo…..) had hatched a plan for the extermination of the Jews of King Achashverosh’s realm.

Mordechai had shared the scary news with his niece Esther who had been chosen as Achashverosh’s Queen --- while secretly hiding her Jewish identity.

And now Uncle Mordechai implores Queen Esther to intercede with King Achashverosh – to enter the royal chamber even though she has not been summoned, thus risking death.  And Esther bravely responds:

וּבְכֵ֞ן אָב֤וֹא אֶל־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־כַדָּ֔ת וְכַאֲשֶׁ֥ר אָבַ֖דְתִּי אָבָֽדְתִּי׃

AND THEREFORE --- UVECHEN ---- I shall go to the king, though it is contrary to the law; and if I am to perish, I shall perish!”[1]

That’s from Esther, chapter 4, verse 16.  So, what Esther is, in effect saying, is ---

UVECHEN – It’s logical cause and effect.  My people are in danger so therefore I must try to advocate their cause even at risk to myself.

I found a long explanatory footnote about the connection of this verse from Megillat Esther with our spiritual efforts during these Yamim Nora’im/ these Days of Awe --- these Ten Days of Teshuvah that start tonight and extend through the final shofar blast at the end of Yom Kippur:

Here’s what the commentary from the Metsudah Machzor says about Queen Esther’s “UVECHEN”/ “AND THEREFORE” and of its relation to ourselves:

(I’ve edited it slightly, mainly to make the God language gender neutral)

36 The word וּבְכֵן, ‘and [therefore],’ marks the beginning of the special prayers of the [Amidah] recited at each Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur service. According to Avudraham [who lived in 14th century Spain] the Sages chose this word to convey the thought expressed by Esther as she prepared to go before the king on behalf of her people. After telling Mordechai to assemble all the Jews to fast for three days and nights on her behalf, she said, “ וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ ‘and [therefore] I will go in to the king” (Esther 4:16). Thus, since today is the Day of Judgment, as we come before the Supreme [Ruler]of [Rulers], the [Blessed] Holy One […], we begin with the words uttered by Esther as she came before the king. The Siddur Maggid Tzedek quoted by Siach Yitzchak writes that the emphasis of Avudraham was on the last words of the verse said by Esther, “וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא כַדָּת,” “And so I will go into the king, even if it is unlawful,” for which one of us can say, “I am virtuous, I have cleansed my heart from sin.” Especially on this great and awesome Day of Judgment, who among us is not embarrassed and ashamed to appear before the [Ruler of Rulers] garbed in sackcloths of sin. If Esther who had fasted for three days in penitence and prayer in preparation for her appearance before the king was nevertheless so terribly frightened that she declared: “וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא כַדָּת” (“And [therefore] I will go into the king, even if it is unlawful,”) then we should certainly tremble in awe before the presence of Hashem on this Day of Judgment, knowing deep in our hearts how little and how poorly we have prepared ourselves. Thus our Sages ordained that we open the prayers with the word וּבְכֵן [“and therefore”] recalling the words of Esther; therewith shattering our delusions of spiritual complacency, and causing us to bow before [God] with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes.

Okay, before anyone runs out of here in a fit of hopelessness, let’s back up a little.

Just remember --- that this yearly exercise we undertake of individual and communal self-assessment is not meant to spiritually paralyze us.  Just the opposite.  We --- and our liturgy – only go through this process because we have faith in the outcome --- We have faith that God, so to speak, doesn’t expect us to be perfect – rather God, as it were, has compassion for the world and its creatures and therefore “UVECHEN” – we too should have compassion for the world and its creatures.  And THEREFORE/ UVECHEN our sincere efforts for teshuvah will be fruitful.   As it says in Psalm 27 –

 ה'  אוֹרִ֣י וְ֭יִשְׁעִי מִמִּ֣י אִירָ֑א ה' מָעוֹז־חַ֝יַּ֗י מִמִּ֥י אֶפְחָֽד׃

The Eternal is my light and my help;

whom should I fear?

The Eternal is the stronghold of my life,

whom should I dread?

And so, that word --- UVECHEN/ THEREFORE --- Queen Esther’s faithful exclamation --- comes up prominently in our High Holiday liturgy.

So, did anyone notice it in the silent Amidah we did a few moments ago?

I’ll point you to it --- Let’s open our machzorim to the bottom of page 41:

Here’s where the unique features of the Amidah for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur first appear[2]:

It’s in the context of the third blessing of the Amidah, known as Kedushat Hashem (in the evening version) or as the Kedushah (in its longer version in the morning and afternoon amidot).  This third blessing of the Amidah invites us to think of ourselves as the earthly counterparts to angels on high.  That, like the angels of Jewish tradition – we should be occupied with praising and serving God – and with giving one another permission to do so in everyone’s own unique ways.

We have three different insertions into the Amidah here in the High Holiday Machzor starting with the word “UVECHEN” (“AND THEREFORE”) --- and a fourth insertion starting with the word “VETIMLOKH” (“AND YOU SHALL RULE”)

I’ve decided to use these four paragraphs as my “chomer lidrosh” – that is to say, as the texts I’ll try to sermonize about – for my four High Holiday sermons.

So here we are at Sermon Number 1 (Erev Rosh Hashanah) --- Let’s look at that first “UVECHEN” insertion (at the bottom of page 41):

I’m going to try to translate it pretty literally line by line rather than using the more interpretive English in our machzor:

וּבְכֵן

And therefore

תֵּן פַּחְדְּךָ ה' אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ

grant that Your awe, Adonay, our God,

עַל כָּל מַעֲשֶֽׂיךָ

be upon all Your works,

וְאֵימָתְךָ עַל כָּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָֽאתָ.

and Your dread upon all You have created;

וְיִירָאֽוּךָ כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים

and may all [Your] works fear You,

וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶיךָ

כָּל הַבְּרוּאִים.

and may all created beings bow down before You.

וְיֵעָשׂוּ כֻלָּם אֲגֻדָּה אֶחָת

And may they all form a single band

לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ

to do Your will

בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם.

with a perfect heart.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁיָּדַֽעְנוּ ה' אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ

For we know Adonay, our God

שֶׁהַשִּׁלְטוֹן לְפָנֶֽיךָ

that rulership is Yours,

עֹז בְּיָדְךָ

strength is in Your hand,

וּגְבוּרָה בִּימִינֶֽךָ

And might is in Your right hand

וְשִׁמְךָ נוֹרָא

and Your Name is awesome

עַל כָּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָֽאתָ:

over all You have created.

**********

When I recite these words in prayer, the phrases that jump out at me are the ones that stress how we, not just we in this room, not just we in the Jewish community but we --- כָּל הַבְּרוּאִים (all created beings) – are in this together.  That all of us are charged to form אֲגֻדָּה אֶחָת (one band, one fellowship, one collectivity, one human race.).

Climate change is upon us.  No nation can combat it alone. 

Public health inequities are rampant.  No nation can remedy it alone.

Hatred and terrorism plague the planet.  No nation can battle it alone.

It sometimes seems like we are in a chaotic, senseless world.  But that’s only our limited perspective.  We need to believe that it somehow does all make sense.  That there is cause and effect. That there is a “THEREFORE”  --- an “UVECHEN” ---in play in our lives. 

All this reminds me of the finale of Beethoven’s 9th symphony with its setting of Schiller’s Ode to Joy –

Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt
Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?
Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt!
Über Sternen muß er wohnen.

I’ll take the liberty here of revising those lyrics slightly to make them more gender inclusive as I render them in English ---

Be embraced, O you Millions!

This kiss is for all the world!

Brothers and Sisters! Above the starry canopy

A loving parent must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, O world?

Seek the Creator above the starry canopy.

Above the stars God must dwell.

Those words were written in 1785, and set to music by Beethoven in 1824.  But they still ring true for us on Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world. 

An affirmation of hope and faith that recall the machzor’s call for all humankind to join together in

אֲגֻדָּה אֶחָת

לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ

בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם[3].

a single band

to do Your will

with a perfect heart.

UVECHEN – THEREFORE – Let us enter the new year 5783 full of hope, faith and determination to heal ourselves and to heal the world.

Shanah tovah u’metukah

© Rabbi David Steinberg

Erev Rosh Hashanah 5783/ September 2022

[1] Esther 4:16

[2] The extra language in the first two blessings of the Amidah appear throughout the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur) but the “uvechen” insertions only occur on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

[3] “Agudah echat la’asot retzonkha beleyvav shaleym”

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

Dvar Torah on Parashat  Bemidbar (5782/2022)

(Num 1:1 – 4:20)

Dvar Torah given at Temple Israel on Friday evening 5/27/22. That service also included a baby naming for a newborn in our congregation who was given the Hebrew name “Miriam.”

In our yearly Torah reading lectionary cycle this week we begin the fourth of the five books of the Torah, the book known in Hebrew as Sefer Bemidbar and known in English as “The Book of Numbers.”

As is the case with many of our holy books, the Hebrew title doesn’t correspond to the English title.  “Numbers” refers to the various Census counts that take place in the book.  “Bemidbar” is the first word in the two-word phrase “Bemidbar Sinai” meaning, “In the Wilderness of Sinai”.

That’s, of course, where our story takes place.  The miraculous escape from Egypt and arrival at Mt. Sinai are described in the first half of the Book of Exodus.  Then for the second half of the Book of Exodus and the entirety of the Book of Leviticus, we are still camped out at Mt. Sinai as God conveys many laws to Moses who conveys them to the people. 

But now, in the Book of Numbers, after a few introductory chapters of preparation, we set off “Bamidbar”/ “Into the Wilderness” slowly making our way to the Promised Land. 

We never quite get there – at least not in the five books of the Torah.  That settlement of the Land of Israel and the subsequent history of Ancient Israel is recounted in the remaining books of the Tanakh/The Hebrew Bible.

I guess Sefer Bemidbar has always been my favorite among the five books of the Torah because this theme of wilderness wandering is so resonant. 

All our lives, if you really think about it, are journeys.  Sometimes the journeys are filled with joy and abundance.  Sometimes they are filled with stress and sadness.  But our sense of unceasing connection with our loved ones, with our values, and with our faith is there to help keep us steady amidst the twists and turns of life. 

This past week has certainly been one of those stressful times, with the horrific news of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.   Stressful, not only because of the tragedy itself, but also because of our frustration at the inability of our leaders and representatives to pass rational gun safety legislation.  I know that a massive protest took place today outside the previously scheduled National Rifle Association convention in Houston. And David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting when he was a high school student, is now organizing further actions to advocate for laws requiring universal background checks and other sensible laws and policies. Particular outreach is being done at the moment to encourage gun owners who understand the need for better gun control policies to get involved in a bipartisan manner.  If you look up the hashtag #GunOwnersForSafety on Twitter or other social media you can find a lot more information.  And, as I understand, there will be a number of demonstrations and other actions all around the country in the coming days and weeks.  Hopefully, such actions will have greater success than those that took place after Columbine, after Sandy Hook, after Parkland, etc., etc., etc.

In such a world, it can be scary to raise children, or to bring new children into the world.  But we are a people wedded to the value of “Uvecharta Bachayim”/ “Choose Life.”[1]  And this is not by any means the first time in our history when life has seemed precarious.  Our Torah teaches that when Pharaoh decreed that all the newborn Israelite male children should be drowned in the Nile, and when the entire Israelite population was being crushed by the indignities of slavery --- that many families were considering not having children, were considering not bringing new lives into their dangerous world.

But, according to the midrash, they were dissuaded by one brave, forthright, hopeful, faith-filled, optimistic, visionary prophet.  That prophet was Miriam, the older sister of Moses. We read in Tractate Sotah in the Talmud that Miriam spoke up and convinced her parents, as well as many others among the Israelites, to keep hope for the future.  She convinced them that it was worthwhile to continue to bring new life into the world. 

And in this way, she single-handedly saved the Jewish people and ensured its continued existence. [2]

And from there Miriam went on in her prophetic career to fill the role of spirit-raiser-in-chief, leading with dance and music as the Israelites emerged in safety from the waters of the parted Sea of Reeds.[3]

Anyone blessed with the name “Miriam” carries that proud and life-affirming heritage within her throughout her days.

But getting back to this week’s Torah portion, it starts with God instructing Moses to take the first of several census counts of the Israelites. Why?  Doesn’t God already know how many Israelites there are?  Indeed, doesn’t an all-knowing God already know everything there is to know about us? 

Rashi, commenting on the opening verses of our Torah portion explains:

מִתּוֹךְ חִבָּתָן לְפָנָיו מוֹנֶה אוֹתָם כָּל שָׁעָה

“Out of affection for them, God counts them all the time”[4]

A well-known midrash elaborates on this idea.  As we read In the Midrash collection Bemidbar Rabbah:

“This may be illustrated by a parable. A man possessed ….a stock of fine pearls which he would take up and count before taking [them] out [to market] and which he would count them again on putting [them] back in their place [when he came home]. So, as it were, said the Holy One, blessed be God: … ‘You [Israel] are my children … therefore I count you at frequent intervals.’

Rabbi Melissa Crespy comments on this midrash :

“God takes pleasure in the ‘children’ God brought into the world, and wants to make sure they are safe and sound, and so God counts them at frequent intervals, taking delight and comfort in seeing them and knowing that they are all safely there.”[5]

And so it’s true with us as well ---

All of us, to use a Yiddish expression, “shep naches” – or, loosely translated – all of us take joy and satisfaction in the arrival into the world of children who will be loved and nurtured and who can rely on the support and encouragement not only of their parents but also of the entire community which treasures them as well.

We hope and pray and strive to create and maintain such community – in our congregation, and in the wider society in which we live.

But, in the meantime, we cherish the moment and look to the future with hope, commitment and faith.

Shabbat shalom.

© Rabbi David Steinberg (May 2022/ Iyar 5782)

[1] See Deuteronomy 30:19

[2] Sotah 12a

[3] Exodus 15:20-21

[4] Rashi on Numbers 1:1

[5] https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/counting-pearls/

A MITZVAH OF DISOBEDIENCE

Thoughts on Kedoshim (5782/2022)

(Lev. 19:1 – 20:27)

[Dvar Torah given on 4/29/22 — The Shabbat of Joey W.’s bar mitzvah]

Shabbat is always a special time for the Jewish people. It’s our most important holy day, more important than Yom Kippur, more important than Passover, more important than Chanukah.  The poet and philosopher Asher Ginsberg (aka “Achad Ha’am”), who lived from 1856 to 1927 famously put it:  "More than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews."

This sacred time from Friday evening to Saturday evening each week affords us an opportunity to step back from the rushed pace of weekday concerns, to reconnect with our loved ones, to remind ourselves of our blessings, and to commune with God.

Of course, as the Achad Ha’am quote suggests, our ability and commitment to fully immerse ourselves in the spirit of Shabbat is often far from 100%. But the more we put into that effort, the more we will get out of it.  The sweetness of our gathering together right now as a community is just a taste of what could be.

All Sabbaths are special but this one is especially special!  For this is the Shabbat when we welcome the fine young man sitting behind me into his status as a full member of the Jewish community.  That’s what Bar Mitzvah is all about.  Joey may not yet be old enough to drive, or to vote in American elections, but we now regard him as an adult in terms of his status in the Jewish community. 

What this means is that Joey (like any young person reaching the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah) is entitled to have their thoughts, beliefs and opinions respected.  And, conversely, that they are responsible for their actions. 

This classic Jewish idea that age of 13 signals a change in status goes back almost two thousand years, to the Mishnah, where in the tractate “Pirke Avot” we learn בֶּן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַמִּצְוֹת age thirteen for mitzvot.   In other words, age 13 for being responsible for one’s own sense of right and wrong. 

Parents teach and compel a child’s behavior but, like it or not, the teen years bring on a transformation. 

And, would you believe it – science apparently bears this out!

Literally, just yesterday, scientists from Stanford University published a study in the Journal of Neurosciece with the fancy title:  “A neurodevelopmental shift in reward circuitry from mother’s to nonfamilial voices in adolescence”. [1]

From what I gather from the news coverage around this new study, it seems that from infancy to around age 13, a child’s brainwaves instinctively react to the voice of one’s mother.  But from age 13 on --- the voices of others have a stronger effect.  Here’s how all this is described in an article released today on the website of the British newspaper the “Daily Mail” :

“The study by the Stanford School of Medicine used functional MRI brain scans to give the first detailed neurobiological explanation for how teenagers begin to separate from their parents.

It suggests that when your teenagers don't seem to hear you, it's not simply that they don't want to clean their room or finish their homework — their brains aren't registering your voice the way they did in pre-teenage years.

'Just as an infant knows to tune into her mother's voice, an adolescent knows to tune into novel voices,' said lead study author Daniel Abrams, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences.

'As a teen, you don't know you're doing this. You're just being you: You've got your friends and new companions and you want to spend time with them.

'Your mind is increasingly sensitive to and attracted to these unfamiliar voices.'

In some ways, teenagers' brains are more receptive to all voices — including their mothers' — than the brains of children under 12, the researchers discovered, a finding that lines up with teenagers' increased interest in many types of social signals.

But in teenage brains, the reward circuits and the brain centres that prioritise important stimuli are more activated by unfamiliar voices than by those of their mothers.

The brain's shift toward new voices is an aspect of healthy maturation, the researchers said.

'A child becomes independent at some point, and that has to be precipitated by an underlying biological signal,' said the study's senior author Vinod Menon, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences.

'That's what we've uncovered: This is a signal that helps teens engage with the world and form connections which allow them to be socially adept outside their families.'[2]

-----

None of this, not the mishnah’s teaching about בֶּן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַמִּצְוֹת nor the new Stanford University study about changes in brain wave patterns at age 13 – none of this means that a teenager should stop respecting their parents.  Most of us are familiar with the fourth of the 10 Commandments that we find back in Exodus 20:12 ---

כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ

Honor your father and your mother…

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Kedoshim, at Leviticus 19:3, that idea is reiterated in slightly different language: 

אִ֣ישׁ אִמּ֤וֹ וְאָבִיו֙ תִּירָ֔אוּ

You shall each revere your mother and your father,

Notice that the order of the parents is flipped  -- In the Exodus quote father comes first, while in the Leviticus quote mother comes first.

One commentary that I read about this suggests that both versions appear in the Torah in order to show that a person should respect their parents equally.   

(And I’d argue that we can also apply this idea to families with two Dads or two Moms --- whatever your family structure is – if you are in a two-parent household you should respect each of your parents equally).

But what I find really fascinating, especially in the context of Joey’s Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat, is the second half of that verse from this week’s parasha, Leviticus 19:3:

As I mentioned a moment ago – the verse begins with the words

אִ֣ישׁ אִמּ֤וֹ וְאָבִיו֙ תִּירָ֔אוּ

You shall each revere your mother and your father,

BUT THE FULL VERSE READS AS FOLLOWS:

אִ֣ישׁ אִמּ֤וֹ וְאָבִיו֙ תִּירָ֔אוּ

ואֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י תִּשְׁמֹ֑רוּ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

You shall each revere your mother and your father, and keep My sabbaths: I יהוה am your God.

We might well ask --- what does revering your mother and father have to do with the commandment of keeping the Sabbath, and why does the verse end with the reminder “I am Adonai your God”

Here’s what the medieval commentator Rashi, citing a teaching in the Talmud, says about that:

סָמַךְ שַׁבָּת לְמוֹרָא אָב, לוֹמַר אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִזְהַרְתִּיךָ עַל מוֹרָא אָב, אִם יֹאמַר לְךָ חַלֵּל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, אַל תִּשְׁמַע לוֹ, וְכֵן בִּשְׁאָר כָּל הַמִּצְווֹת (בבא מציעא ל"ב):

Scripture places the commandment of observing the Sabbath immediately after that of revering one’s parent in order to suggest the following: “Although I [the Eternal] admonish you regarding the reverence due to your parent, yet if [your parent] bids you: "Desecrate the Sabbath", do not listen to [your parent]”— and the same is the case with any of the other commandments.

(So says Rashi commenting on Leviticus 19:3 and citing Bava Metzia 32a of the Talmud)

Okay, far be it from me to suggest that Gerry or Devyn would ever order Joey to commit a sin. 

But I think the teaching here can be expressed in a more general manner --- That’s the idea that once you reach your teenage years,

once someone like Joey reaches the age of Bar Mitzvah,

once any of us starts to transition into being a grown up ---

Once that happens -- we are called upon to continue to respect our elders and look to them for guidance but we also are now called upon to exercise independent judgment and follow our consciences. 

That’s what it means to be a Jewish adult.

Another one of my favorite Jewish teachings is where it says, also in Pirke Avot:

אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם

Who is wise?  The one who learns from every person.[3]

Joey has a lifetime ahead of him. 

And for Joey, as for the rest of us, there always remains so much to learn. But if we want to attain wisdom, we should also strive to learn from every person.

I know I speak not just for myself, but for all of us gathered here, when I say that we all look forward to learning from Joey, both tomorrow morning when he will share his dvar torah with us, as well as in the days and years to come. 

Shabbat shalom.

(c) Rabbi David Steinberg

April 2022/ Nisan 5782

[1] https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2022/04/06/JNEUROSCI.2018-21.2022

[2] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10763435/Teenagers-brains-start-tuning-mothers-voice-age-13-study-finds.html

[3] Pirke Avot 4:1

LAND OF MY GRANDFATHERS

Dvar Torah for Parashat Vayakhel/ Shabbat Shekalim given on Friday evening 2/25/2022 

(Exodus 35:1 – 38:20)

As we gather together this evening to welcome the peacefulness of Shabbat, we remain poignantly aware of the lack of peace in Ukraine.  I have been obsessively following the news coverage in recent days as I’m sure is true for many of you as well. 

These horrifying developments strike a particular chord for many of us. 

The Jewish people is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial people.  And it is right and good and admirable that the diversity of our people has gained greater emphasis of late.  However, it also continues to be true that a sizable majority of the Jewish population of the United States is ethnically Ashkenazi[1], and within this Ashkenazi population, a sizable number of us trace family roots to Ukraine.

For me personally, my grandfather on my mother’s side, Harry Gray (born Aron Grabelsky) was born and raised in the town of Zhmerynka, Ukraine.  And my other grandfather, Boris Steinberg, was born and raised in Odessa – one of the cities that has been under attack by Russian forces in the past couple of days.

And whether or not any of us personally has family roots in Ukraine, we all get a shiver down our spines as we witness the worst aggression of one sovereign European nation against another sovereign European nation since World War II.  Only this time, democracy loving nations hesitate to battle the aggressor with full force because the aggressor has a vast stockpile of nuclear weapons.

Russian President Putin explicitly referenced that fact in remarks he made yesterday just before giving the go-ahead signal to start the invasion of Ukraine – even as the nations of the United Nations Security Council were in session trying to avoid the onset of hostilities. 

That would appear to explain why the United States and its allies have announced that they would not send troops into Ukraine to fight the Russian invaders.  All of this is leaving Ukraine to fight for its life at this very moment.

I’ve been incredibly inspired by the bravery and heroism of President Zelensky of Ukraine and by the people of that country.  As many of you already know, Zelensky himself is Jewish – and not only that, but he lost family members in the Holocaust.  He has been showing great leadership both in the days leading up to Russia’s invasion and now in the face of that ongoing aggression.

While these events play out, we can pray for the safety of President Zelensky and all of the inhabitants of Ukraine.  We can also donate to charitable organizations active on the scene.  For example, the World Union for Progressive Judaism, of which both the Reform and Reconstructionist movements are constituent members, has started a Ukraine Crisis Find.  You can visit www.wupj.org for more information and to donate.

Well, my basic task when talking from the bima on Friday nights is to share some insight about the weekly Torah portion.  In studying this week’s portion, Parashat Vayakhel, there were a few aspects that resonated for me in connection with the crisis in Ukraine.

I’ll just share two such ideas.

First off, this Torah portion --- like several other Torah portions in the second half of the book of Exodus, talks about the construction of the Mishkan, that tabernacle in the wilderness that was to make palpable God’s presence in the midst of the community.  In speaking of the tabernacle – and also in speaking of the menorah that was to have an important place within it, we read of many component parts which are fashioned out of a single block of gold (in the case of the menorah)[2] or which are joined into a single structure (in the case of the tent of meeting).[3] 

This integration of discrete elements into a single unified whole has been compared to the character of the Jewish people – we are diverse, but we are One.  That is true, at least ideally, of countries as well.  The motto of the United States, after all, is E pluribus Unum – Out of the Many, One.

And we see it today in Ukraine as well, where the people are united in defense of their land and in defense of its right be free and independent.  Our hearts and our thoughts and our prayers are with them at this perilous time.

The second thought that comes to mind for me in thinking about Parashat Vayakhel is the idea of how the Mishkan and all of its components and furnishings were designed to be portable.  Amidst all the dry details of our parasha, on several occasions we have mention of the poles which were used to carry the various items from place to place.[4]  Indeed, earlier in the Book of Exodus we learned that such poles were to be permanently in place on that holiest of holy objects, the ark of the covenant.[5]

Torah speaks of our ancestors wandering from place to place over forty years in their journey from bondage in Egypt to settlement in the Promised Land.

And, as we well know, our people would be involved in many more episodes of wandering over the centuries that followed. 

And now, today, many Ukrainians are on the move --- doing their best to move towards safer locations.  Among them are the members of the main synagogue in Odessa, my Grandfather Boris Steinberg’s native city. 

On Twitter today I saw a video of the Gabbai of that synagogue reporting emotionally about how the synagogue had been evacuated and how we should all pray for the safety of its people and for their ability to return in peace.[6] 

He seemed at the verge of tears in that video.  But, even amidst all this, he concluded by wishing everyone a Gut Shabbes.

– and now I wish the same for all of us.

Gut Shabbes. 

May it be a Shabbat of peace and safety for all.

Shabbat shalom.

© Rabbi David Steinberg

February 2022/ Adar I 5782

[1] https://www.pewforum.org/2021/05/11/race-ethnicity-heritage-and-immigration-among-u-s-jews/

[2] See Exodus 37:17-22

[3] See Exodus 36: 8-13

[4] See Exodus 37:4, 37:15,37: 27-28, 38: 6-7

[5] See Exodus 25:15

[6] https://twitter.com/Yair_Rosenberg/status/1497214891031240707

FIRST THINGS FIRST?

Thoughts on Parashat Terumah (5780/2020)

(Exodus 25:1 – 27:19)

[Note:  I gave this dvar torah two years ago, when this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Terumah, came around.  As can be seen, these were the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.  It feels so weird to re-read this two years later when so much has changed but so much yet remains to be done.] 

This week’s torah portion, Terumah, is the first of several that present the detailed instructions for building and equipping the Mishkan.   The word “mishkan” (from the same root as Shechinah) means “dwelling place.”   

The Torah is speaking here of a portable sanctuary that the Israelites were commanded to transport with them during the decades of wandering in the wilderness. Tradition sees the mishkan as the precursor of the Temple that would be built centuries later in Jerusalem under the reign of King Solomon.  In this way it is also a precursor of the Temples of our day – including this building in which we are gathered right now. 

On a surface level, this may seem like really dry stuff.  Just a slew of intricate details about the building process of this structure and of its furnishings:  This week’s Torah portion Terumah (and continuing in next week’s Torah portion Tetzaveh) sets forth God’s instructions to Moses.  Later in the book of Exodus, in Parashat Vayakhel, Moses painstakingly repeats those instructions to the people.  And after that, all of these minute details get repeated yet again as the text recounts the actual carrying out of these instructions by the people. 

When we read all the details about the making of the ark, and of the fashioning of the ark cover, with the figures of cherubim hammered out atop it from a single piece of gold. And when we read about the golden menorah with its component sections that evoke the symbolism of trees and flowers.   And the fancy bowls, ladels, jars and jugs; and the table for the shew bread, and so on and so on…

It’s easy to get bogged down in the material descriptions and lose sight of the spiritual purpose. 

But the Torah reminds us that holiness is not about material goods, it’s about human connections. 

In what is probably the most well-known verse of our parasha, Exodus 25:8, God declares:

       וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ; וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם

("v'asu li mikdash v'shachanti betocham")

“They shall make for me a sanctuary and I shall dwell within them.” 

Not, as we might expect – ”btocho”/ within it (i.e. within the fancy sanctuary with its fancy accoutrements), but rather “btocham” -- within or among them.  The actions of the people in building the mishkan and fabricating its contents bring them together in holy community.  Although God is everywhere, the community building project helps the people to be better able to experience God’s presence.

Bottom line:   It’s nice to have an aesthetically beautiful building, but what it’s really all about is having a setting in which we can experience God’s presence through our interactions with one another.

And yet, even as we gather here tonight, trying to experience that sense of God’s presence by virtue if being together in the same space at the same time – we are conscious of the fact that in China, Japan and elsewhere gatherings are being cancelled, and thousands of individuals are being quarantined.  All because of a pandemic disease -- COVID-19  --- the new corona virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, and which is rapidly spreading around the world. 

The New York Times reports that as of today, the coronavirus outbreak has sickened more than 83,800 people, according to official counts and that at least 2,866 people have died, all but 78 in mainland China.

And we are told that the situation may get significantly worse in the coming weeks in places like the United States that have so far been largely spared. As Dr. Nancy Messonier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said in a news briefing earlier this week: 

“It’s not so much of a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more of a question of exactly when this will happen.” According to the New York Times, Dr. Messonier further stated that “cities and towns should plan for ‘social distancing measures,’ like dividing school classes into smaller groups of students or closing schools altogether. Meetings and conferences may have to be canceled, and businesses should arrange for employees to work from home.”   That quote doesn’t mention cancelling religious services, but one could easily imagine this if the situation were to become extreme in Duluth.

However, so far, it’s best just not to panic but just to be vigilant.  As one apt meme making the rounds on the internet advises: “Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands.”   

Morbidity rates from COVID-19 are quite low, and, so far, anyway, most people who do catch the disease have mild symptoms and recover fully in a couple of weeks. 

And on an especially optimistic note, news out of Israel is that scientists there claim to be only weeks away from developing a vaccine.[1] 

Of course, I am no public health specialist.  I just want to emphasize the message of being conscientious and not panicking.

And, indeed, a key debate among the traditional commentators on this week’s Torah portion reinforces that message. 

How so?

Well, that debate involves the question of chronology in the Torah.  Some commentators, like Nachmanides, say that in general we should assume that Torah stories took place in the order in which they are set forth.  But others, like Rashi emphasize the idea that : אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה  / “eyn mukdam u’me’uchar batorah” / “there is no before or after in the Torah.” --- that the text is not necessarily set out in chronological order. 

What does that have to do with Parashat Terumah or with the new Corona virus?:

As I mentioned above, this week’s Torah portion Terumah (and continuing in next week’s Torah portion Tetzaveh) sets forth God’s instructions to Moses on building the mishkan or tabernacle.

Later in the book of Exodus, in Parashat Vayakhel, Moses conveys those instructions to the people and the people carry them out as they build the mishkan. 

But in between God’s instructions to Moses in Exodus chapter 25 and Moses’s instructions to the people in Exodus chapters 35 – some dramatic stuff happens!

Most prominently, the incident of the Golden Calf when the people rebel against God by building a Golden calf as an idol  --- which enrages God and leads to a deadly plague.

Only after all of that takes place, does the Torah continue the story of the Mishkan with Moses relaying the directions to the people that God had given to him.

Rashi, echoing many of the classic rabbinic midrashim that preceded him, argues that this week’s Torah portion is inserted into the Torah out of chronological order.  That God’s instructions to Moses to build the mishkan chronologically came after the incident of the Golden Calf.  That the Mishkan project was a project through which the people could be healed after the trauma of the Golden Calf and the plague that had ensued in its aftermath.

In the words of the rabbinic midrash Tanchuma –

אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: יָבֹא זָהָב שֶׁבַּמִּשְׁכָּן וִיכַפֵּר עַל זָהָב שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה בּוֹ אֶת הָעֵגֶל,

The Holy Blessed One said: “Let the gold used for the Mishkan atone for the gold that was used in making the calf,” (Tanchuma, Terumah 8)

And why was this placed out of chronological order?  Because, as we learn in Tractate Megillah of the Talmud,

דאמר ר"ל אין הקב"ה מכה את ישראל אא"כ בורא להם רפואה תחילה

Reish Lakish said: The Holy Blessed One does not inflict the Jewish people until having first created their cure. (Megillah 13b)

In other words, before describing the sickness resulting from the Golden Calf incident we needed to be encouraged in our faith by first hearing about the Mishkan project that would symbolize healing and the continued divine presence in our midst.

And so, taking these teachings to heart, as we “Keep Calm and Carry On,” and as we wash our hands, and sneeze into our elbows, and, if necessary, stay home if we are sick, and do whatever needs to be done until this current pandemic has abated ----

Let’s also keep the faith that God doesn’t create the sickness without first creating the cure --- or, to put it more naturalistically – before first creating a world in which doctors, scientists and others will have the ability to do God’s work by finding that cure.

I’ll close with words composed by my colleague Rabbi Leila Gal Berner that can be found in the Kol Haneshama siddur that we use here at Temple Israel on Shabbat mornings:

May the One who blesses all Life, bless and heal

these people who struggle against illness.

May those afflicted with disease be blessed with

faith, courage, loving and caring.  May they know

much support and sustenance from their friends,

their loving companions and their communities.

May they be granted a full and

complete healing of body and soul.

May those who seek ways of healing through

increased medical knowledge and those who care for

the sick daily be blessed with courage,

stamina and communal support.

May all, the sick and the well together be granted

Courage and hope.  And let us say: Amen.[2]

Shabbat shalom.

 (c) Rabbi David Steinberg (2020, edited for publication 2022)

[1] https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-vaccine-weeks-away-being-developed-says-head-israeli-science-research-institute-1489694

 [2] Kol Haneshama: Shabbat Vehagim (Reconstructionist Press, 1994), p. 686

FRIENDS AND FOES

Thoughts on Parashat Yitro

(Exodus 18:1 – 20:23)

(Dvar Torah given on Friday, 1/21/2022)

This week’s Torah portion, Yitro, is named after the father-in-law of Moses.  (The English equivalent is “Jethro”).  The name “yitro” is related to the Hebrew word “yeter”  --- meaning “excess” or “surplus” or “addition.”  The traditional commentators say that this refers to the fact that Yitro’s advice to Moses was “added” to the Torah. 

Specifically, what we read in Exodus, Chapter 18 is that Moses has been working himself to death judging every little legal dispute posed brought to him by the Israelites.  Jethro advises Moses to find capable communal leaders to handle the smaller matters, freeing Moses up for the hard cases.   Thus, Moses would be able to keep from burning out.

Good advice to be sure, and as we read on in the Torah portion, we’re relieved to learn that Moses has accepted that good advice.  As it says in Exodus 18: 24-27 –

24 Moses heeded his father-in-law and did just as he had said. 25 Moses chose capable individuals out of all Israel, and appointed them heads over the people — chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens; 26 and they judged the people at all times: the difficult matters they would bring to Moses, and all the minor matters they would decide themselves. 27 Then Moses bade his father-in-law farewell, and he went his way to his own land.

That’s all well and good.

But where does the idea come from that this scene was “added” to the Torah?  That comes from the view of various commentators that this chapter is out of chronological order.  For how could Moses be judging legal disputes, and how could Jethro be advising Moses on how to delegate minor legal questions to other communal leaders, when the relevant laws were not yet given?  All of this is going on in Exodus chapter 18, but the 10 Commandments are not given until Exodus chapter 20, and the various other “mishpatim” or “statutes” are not given until we get to next week’s Torah portion, aptly named Parashat Mishpatim.

And, again, we can ask, why would the Torah go out of its way to insert this story of Jethro out of chronological order? 

I love the answer given by the 12th century bible commentator Ibn Ezra.

Ibn Ezra comments that the story is inserted here, at the very beginning of this week’s Torah portion, in order to form a contrast with the story that appeared at the very end of last week’s Torah portion. 

And what was that story at the very end of last week’s Torah portion.  It’s the account of the war against Amalek, concerning whom the very last words of last week’s Torah portion, Parashat Beshallach, are these words in Exodus 17:16 ---

 מִלְחָמָ֥ה לַה' בַּֽעֲמָלֵ֑ק מִדֹּ֖ר דֹּֽר׃

 “Adonai will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages”

 Do you recall who Amalek is?

 Amalek is a non-Israelite who tries to kill all the Israelites, beginning with those who are weakest and least capable of fighting back (see Exodus 17: 8-16 and Deuteronomy 25: 17-19).

 Jethro is also a non-Israelite!  But he comes as a friend and supporter – indeed he comes as family. 

 And so, in the words of Ibn Ezra:   

 למה נכנסה פרשת יתרו במקום הזה.

“Why was Parshat Yitro inserted in this place?

בעבור שהזכיר למעלה הרעה שעשה עמלק לישראל

הזכיר כנגדו הטובה שעשה יתרו לישראל

 Since [the Torah] recounted above the evil that Amalek did to Israel, here it contrasts to that the good that Jethro did to Israel.”[i]

This reminds us that we should never make false generalizations about others. 

There remain plenty of Amaleks in the world, and we must be on guard against them.  But there are also plenty of Jethros in the world --- and we must remain open and welcoming and appreciative of their sincere good will and helpful intentions. 

Last Saturday afternoon and evening many of us were anxiously following the hostage crisis at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas.  A terrorist --- following in the footsteps of Amalek  --- threatened to kill the hostages in the synagogue.

He was Muslim. 

But, at the same time, the Jews of that congregation, as well as Jews around the world including here in Duluth, received the embracing support of other Muslims, who were following in the footsteps of Jethro. 

It’s so important that we acknowledge that the evil deeds of one person are not reflective of the nature of an entire group.

Let me share with you the message of support I received early this week from Nik Hassan of the Islamic Center of the Twin Ports, and my response to him:

And, actually, Nik wrote to both me and to Temple Israel member Elyse Carter Vosen, who has been very active in promoting our interfaith connections with our local Muslim community:

Nik wrote:

Dear Rabbi David and Elyse,

The Muslim community here watched with horror at what happened to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. We are glad that no one was hurt other than the perpetrator of that terrorist act, committed during Sabbath services, of all times. It is extremely sad to know that a Muslim was involved, even though he did not represent in any way the teachings he may claim to hold. It becomes even more urgent for all of us to continue our efforts within our own communities to highlight the sanctity of our worship places and our lives.

Sincerely

On behalf of the ICTP Board and members

Duluth, MN

 I was very touched by this message and so this is what I wrote him back (cc’ing Elyse):

 Thank you, Nik.  Your kind words mean so much to me.  Of course, you didn't have to even say this for me to already know that you and the members of the Islamic Center of the Twin Ports already felt this way.  I feel very blessed to be living in a place where our local Jewish and Muslim communities are so supportive of one another.

L'shalom,

David

 And Elyse in turn sent this response to Nik and me:

 Dear Nik, 

 Rabbi David expressed my thoughts and feelings so well. I agree wholeheartedly with all he said. I'm so grateful for the trusting and caring relationships between our communities, and that we can continue to work together for peace. Please share our gratitude and caring with the ICTP board and membership. 

With great gratitude and respect, 

Elyse

----------------------

In the wake of horrific incidents like what occurred in Texas last Shabbat, it’s important that we continue to remain openhearted, loving our neighbor, seeking peace where there is strife, and reflecting God’s love in all the ways we interact with others.

To be sure, we need to worry about security.  We need to be mindful of the dangers that are out there.  As you may already know, this week also marked the 80th anniversary of the Wansee Conference at which the Nazis bureaucratically codified their plans for the extermination of the Jews of Europe.

We need to be compassionate and understanding to ourselves in the wake of trauma, both the traumatic after effect of recent events, as well as in light of the intergenerational trauma that each of us, to a greater or lesser extent, lives with every day. 

But, ultimately, we must not live in fear.

As that classic hymn Adon Olam reminds us in its closing words:

Adonai li velo ira:  (“The Eternal is with Me, I shall not fear.”)

Shabbat shalom.

© Rabbi David Steinberg

January 2022/ Shevat 5782

[i] Ibn Ezra on Ex. 18:1

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Thoughts on Parashat Va’era

(Exodus 6:2 – 9:35)

This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Va’era, includes the account of the first seven of the ten plagues that God inflicts upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh is willing to let the Israelites go forth from slavery to freedom.  But before we get to those plagues, the parasha starts out with an ambiguous side discussion about God’s name. 

 In the first two verses of Parashat Va’era, three different names for God are mentioned:

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו אֲנִ֥י יְ-הֹ-וָֽ-ה׃

וָאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י וּשְׁמִ֣י יְ-הֹ-וָֽ-ה לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃

Elohim spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am Adonai

I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name Adonai.[1]

That first name mentioned in these opening verses, “Elohim” is usually translated as “God.”  We can combine it with possessive suffixes to get forms like “Eloheinu” (“Our God”) or “Elohai” (“My God”) or “Elohekha” (“Your God”).  It can be thought of as a generic term for divinity. 

The second name mentioned, Adonai, often translated as Lord or the Eternal, is seen as a more specific, or “personal” (so to speak) name for God. 

Rabbinic tradition also sees the term “Adonai” as a reference to God’s attribute of merciful compassion contrasting with “Elohim” --- which is thought to refer to God’s attribute of strict justice. 

Jewish tradition generally points toward a divine unity, encompassing, as it were, the best of both worlds.

And so the traditional blessing formula employs both names:

Barukh atah ADONAI, ELOHEINU melekh ha’olam.

Blessed are you ADONAI (merciful aspect of divinity), ELOHEINU (justice seeking aspect of divinity), who rules the world. 

And so we declare in the Shema: 

Shema Yisrael, ADONAI, ELOHEINU, ADONAI ECHAD.

Hear O Israel,  ADONAI (the God of Compassion) , is ELOHEINU (our God of Justice)  ---  and these seemingly distinct aspects of divinity are “Echad” (integrated and singular).

And we, in turn, so it would seem, are called upon in all our actions in life, to find that proper balance between justice and compassion. 

That third name mentioned in the opening of our parasha “El Shaddai” consists of two parts:  “El”, which is a shorthand variant form of “Elohim” (“God”) and “Shaddai”.  We don’t really know for sure what “Shaddai” is supposed to mean -- this name that was known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Some say “Shaddai” is related to a word meaning “breasts” --- invoking God as the source of fertility and sustenance.  In stark contrast, some say “Shaddai” is related to a word meaning “destroyer.” Others say it’s related to a word meaning “mountain.”

But the most evocative explanation in my humble opinion, is the classic explanation that Shaddai is a word formed from the combination of the prefix “Sheh” (meaning which or that) and the word “Dai” (meaning “enough”) So El Shaddai, in this interpretation, means “God” who is “Enough” or “God” who is “sufficient.”

The first generations of our people, whom we read about in the Book of Genesis, according to this view, didn’t need God to produce any miraculous signs and wonders.  They had simply come to a profound belief in the existence of God and that was “Dai” – that was “Enough.”

Moses’ generation, on the other hand, needed to see the proverbial hand of God actively working in history – producing signs and wonders like the plagues of the Passover story, and freeing our people from centuries of bondage.  In the Book of Exodus, the times called for a more active role for God in history. [2]

But we are 21st century folks.  Most of us don’t expect God to change the physical laws of nature – even if we might still believe in a creator God who established all those laws of nature in the first place.  And even back in the Talmud, we have a classic teaching that could have been composed by contemporary scientists: עולם כמנהגו נוהג (“olam keminhago noheg”/ “the world follows its accustomed course”)[3]

In other words, there are rational explanations for all the phenomenon we encounter. 

But if that’s the case, then what does it mean for God to act in the world? 

At the heart of it is the idea that God, as it were, acts through us.   

That God is found in our relationships with others, in our reaching out to others. 

One corollary of this idea is that each of us affects the world around us.  Each of us has power and influence – and responsibility.  Each of us needs to take care in the words we speak and in the actions we undertake. 

It might seem sacrilegious to say that each of us is a God.

But, look at our Torah portion! That’s exactly what it says about Moses in this jarring statement in Exodus 7:1 -- 

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְ-הֹ-ו-ָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה רְאֵ֛ה נְתַתִּ֥יךָ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לְפַרְעֹ֑ה [...]

 “Adonai said to Moses, “See, I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh[…]  

I don’t think that the Torah is actually claiming that Moses is a God, any more than any of us are Gods. 

But what I do take from this verse is the idea that we should never underestimate the effects of our words and our actions on the world around us. 

Whatever we do each day, including in each day of the new secular year that is upon us, has meaning, even if we don’t always see it. 

We should take ourselves seriously, for the way God acts in the world is by acting through each of us.

This is a tremendous responsibility --- but also a tremendous gift and a tremendous blessing.   May we be up to the task.  May we be worthy of the blessing. 

Shabbat shalom.

© Rabbi David Steinberg (New Year’s Eve 2021/2022; Tevet 5782)

[1] Exodus 6: 2-3

[2] See Yeshayahu Leibowitz [1903-1994], Accepting the Yoke of Heaven: Commentary on the Weekly Torah Portion (Urim Publications, 2002), p. 62. 

[3] Avodah Zarah 54b (and elsewhere).

HEAVEN AND EARTH; LIFE AND DEATH

Dvar Torah for Parashat Chayei Sarah 10/29/21 (24 Cheshvan 5782) 

[Genesis 23:1 – 25:18] 

This week’s Torah portion is “Chayei Sarah” which means “The Life of Sarah.”  Despite that title, Genesis ch. 23 is actually about the death of Sarah, and about Abraham’s acquisition of a burial place for her in Hebron at the Cave of Machpela.  To this day, that site, in the heart of what is now the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is a major holy pilgrimage site for Jews and Muslims alike.  Our tradition teaches that not only is Sarah buried there, but Abraham, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah as well.   

The Cave of Machpela is referenced again near the end of the parasha, when the Torah reports at Genesis 25: 8-10: 

וַיִּגְוַ֨ע וַיָּ֧מׇת אַבְרָהָ֛ם בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָ֖ה זָקֵ֣ן וְשָׂבֵ֑עַ וַיֵּאָ֖סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו׃ 

Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good ripe age, old and contented; and he was gathered to his kin. 

And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites; there Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. 

What does it mean that Abraham was “zaken ve-saveya” (“old and contented”)? 

Abraham is the first person in the Torah to be described as “zaken”/ “old” and there’s a nice midrash that says that the word “zaken” is shorthand for “zeh kanah chochmah” (“this one has acquired wisdom.”).  I don’t know about you, but I can certainly attest that as I have grown older, and acquired more life experience, I feel like I’ve acquired more wisdom – or at least more of a capacity to “not sweat the small stuff.”  A lesson for us all to be sure. 

And the Torah says that when Abraham reached the end of his life he was “saveya” (“contented”).  And here our commentators draw a connection to the next verse which reports that both of his sons --- Ishmael, the one whom he had chased away years earlier, and Isaac, the one whom had almost sacrificed at the Akedah, that Isaac and Ishmael had reconciled between themselves, as evidenced by their coming together to bury him.  Of course, Abraham was dead already, but various hints in the text have led commentators over the centuries to feel that this reconciliation was something about which Abraham was already aware. 

How many of us have estrangements in our lives? Or unresolved conflicts with those that have been close to us?  Abraham, the Torah tells us, lived to the age of 175.  But who knows how much time any of us have left?  Better sooner than later if we have reconciliation work to do with anyone in our lives. 

****************************************

Please excuse the possible morbidness of those sentiments – I’m so happy to be back in the sanctuary with you after missing a month of Shabbat services as I struggled with a breakthrough bout of Covid-19.  But I can’t deny that the experience has made me more conscious than ever of the fact that none of us live forever.  At the same time, I have felt an enhanced sense of gratitude for each new day.   

And I thank you for your understanding and indulgence as you can surely sense that my vocal stamina is still not totally back to normal yet. 

 ****************************************

I’ve talked already a little about incidents described near the beginning of this week’s Torah portion (in Genesis 23) and near its end (in Genesis 25) 

But the middle of the parasha, Genesis 24, actually takes up the biggest chunk of the narrative.  It’s the longest chapter in the book of Genesis – 67 verses in all.  It describes how Abraham sends his servant Eliezer back to his birthplace of Aram Naharayim to find a wife for his son Isaac.  

One detail that I was particularly struck by this week as I studied the parasha is how Abraham describes God in two different ways in two verses that are not that far apart from each other. In Genesis 24:3, as Abraham entrusts Eliezer with his task to find a wife for Isaac, Abraham asks Eliezer to take an oath in the name of “Adonai elohei hashamayim velohei ha’aretz” ("Adonai, God of Heaven and God of the Earth”). However, four verses later, when Abraham is reminiscing about his earlier experiences he speaks of “Adonai elohey hashamayim” – Adonai, God of Heaven --- who had taken him out of his father’s house and charged him with going forth to a new land that God would show him. 

Why, regarding that earlier time does Abraham refer only to “God of Heaven” rather than “God of Heaven AND God of Earth?”.  Wasn’t Adonai always God of both? 

Well, not exactly.   

As Rashi (commenting on Gen. 24:7) explains: 

Adonai, God of heavens, Who took me from my father’s house: But he did not say, “and the God of the earth,” whereas above (verse 3) he said, “And I will adjure you [by Adonai, God of heaven and God of the earth].”He said to him,“Now Adonai is the God of heaven and the God of the earth, because I have made Adonai familiar in the mouths of the people, but when Adonai took me from my father’s house, Adonai was the God of the Heavens but not the God of the earth, because humanity did not [yet] acknowledge Adonai, and Adonai’s name was not familiar on the earth.” 

In contemporary terms, what this means to me is that “God of Heaven” is an abstract, philosophical idea.  We might have beliefs and values and morals – but as long as they stay in the theoretical realm they are, in a sense, incomplete. But, for me anyway, the phrase “God of Heaven AND God of Earth” (Elohei hashamayim velohei ha’aretz) implies something more meaningful, instrumental and life changing. 

Bringing those ideas and those ideals – DOWN TO EARTH – is about walking the walk, about putting our ideals into practice.  

Maybe this means means working for social justice causes.  

Maybe this means being present and connected with the real, flesh and blood people in our lives.  

Maybe that’s what it means when we sing at the end of the Aleinu ---  

Ki Adonai, Hu ha-Elohim, bashamayim mi-ma'al, 
ve'al ha'aretz mi-tachat. Ein od. 
Kakatuv be'toratecha: "Adonai yimloch le'olam va'ed." 
Ve'ne'emar: "Ve'haya Ado​nai le'melech al kol ha'aretz, 
bayom hahu yihiyeh Adonai echad, u'shemo echad." 

For Adonai is God in the Heavens above and on the Earth below.  There is none else.  As it is written in Your Torah: 
"Adonai will reign forever and ever." 
And it is said: "Adonai will be Ruler over the 
whole Earth, and on that day, 
God will be One, and God's name will be One. 

Shabbat shalom. 

Rabbi David Steinberg

(c) October 2021/ Cheshvan 5782

DIVINE SHADE

Sermon for Yom Kippur morning 5782

September 16, 2021

Here we are at the last of my four High Holiday sermons on the four chapters of the Book of Jonah.  Jonah Chapter 3, which we focused on last night, was when Jonah ventured off to Nineveh (like he was originally supposed to do before he ran off to sea in chapter 1 and before he was swallowed by a big fish in Chapter 2.)

But in chapter 3, he does what God tells him to do, albeit still less than enthusiastically.  He wanders through only a part of the city of Nineveh and utters just five Hebrew words to its inhabitants. 

ע֚וֹד אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְנִֽינְוֵ֖ה נֶהְפָּֽכֶת׃

(Od arba’im yom ve-Nineveh nehpahkhet)

Meaning ---

“Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overturned”

But that’s enough to do the trick and all is well by the end of chapter 3.

You’d think Jonah would be happy about having made such a positive impact on so many people.

But no – Jonah is annoyed.

Back in Chapter 1, when Jonah ran away from his assigned prophetic role, it was never explicitly explained why he was doing so.  It’s only now in Chapter 4 that he finds his words to express what’s really ticking him off:

As we read in Jonah 4: 2-3:

 וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל ה’ וַיֹּאמַר, אָנָּה ה’ הֲלוֹא-זֶה דְבָרִי עַד-הֱיוֹתִי עַל-אַדְמָתִי--עַל-כֵּן קִדַּמְתִּי, לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה:  כִּי יָדַעְתִּי, כִּי אַתָּה אֵל-חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם, אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב-חֶסֶד, וְנִחָם עַל-הָרָעָה.

He prayed to the Eternal, and said: Please, Adonai, was not this my word when I was still in my own land? That is why I fled to Tarshish; for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness, and repenting of evil.

  וְעַתָּה ה’, קַח-נָא אֶת-נַפְשִׁי מִמֶּנִּי:  כִּי טוֹב מוֹתִי, מֵחַיָּי. 

Therefore now, Adonai, please take my life take, I beseech Thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.'

I would worry about such a person.  If we didn’t think he was somewhat suicidal in chapter 1 when he told the sailors to pitch him overboard, it would certainly seem that way now.  This is a man in existential distress.

In our own lives, occasionally we find ourselves, God forbid, dealing with people who are thinking about suicide. I have personally known a couple of friends who suffered from depression and committed suicide:  my friend Ken in Philadelphia in 1999 and my friend Michelle in Montreal in 2000. Zichronam livrachah/ May their memories be for a blessing.

Depression is a horrible disease, but help is available. If you or anyone you know ever have suicidal thoughts, God forbid, please call the the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free number, 1-800-273-TALK(8255).  Calling that number would connect the caller to a certified crisis center near where the call is placed.[1]

In any event, none of the commentaries I’ve read about the Book of Jonah focus in that direction.  They apparently interpret Jonah’s exclamations as just melodramatic , exaggerated language.  Rather then seeing Jonah as potentially suicidal they see him as simply angry and annoyed with God.

But why the anger and annoyance?

Some would say, Jonah was just motivated by ego. If he preaches that Nineveh will be destroyed, and then it doesn’t get destroyed, then he’ll get the reputation of being an incompetent prophet.

But prophecy – at least in the sense that Judaism understands the term – is not about predicting the unalterable future.  Rather, it’s about shedding a light on the ills of society to encourage it to reform itself.  It’s not about what “will” happen but rather about what “could” happen if we don’t change our ways.

As we learned in chapter 3 – there is more than one way in which a city can be nehpahkhet (“overturned”).

But the main philosophical issue played out in chapter 4 of the Book of Jonah is that God’s justice is tempered by God’s compassion – implicitly teaching us that our own sense of justice should be tempered by compassion.  Jonah is the kind of “by the book” stickler who wants everyone to play by the rules and to suffer the consequences if they don’t. 

Jonah wonders where is the justice in the world if evildoers don’t get the punishment due them?

But we know better than Jonah --- This world needs both justice and mercy – both din and rachamim. That’s our Jewish understanding of the way of the world.  We are all less than perfect.  And God, as it were, does not expect us to be perfect.  Rather, what we can and ought to be doing is trying to be the best versions of ourselves, to the best that we can.  And that very much includes being forgiving of others. 

In Jonah chapter 4, God, as it were “throws shade” at Jonah.

First, in the literal sense, God provides Jonah with a “kikayon” – which is a large, shade producing plant.  Jonah is most pleased with this.  But soon thereafter God sends a worm to attack the plant and cause it to wither.  This prompts Jonah once again to complain that he “would rather die than live.”

But God has the last word --- throwing shade of a different kind -- the kind of “shade” defined by www.urbandictionary.com as “acting in casual or disrespectful manner towards someone.”[2]

How does God “throw shade” at Jonah in that urbandictionary slang sense? 

Well, listen to God’s last words to Jonah – the last words of the book, to which Jonah has no response, no answer, no teshuvah:

“You cared about the plant, which you did not work for and which you did not grow, which appeared overnight and perished overnight. And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well”[3]

Our Temple member David Siegler wrote about this passage in our Temple bulletin a few years ago.  He writes of Jonah: 

“Jonah is the archetypal slacker, self-involved and self-pitying, who just never gets it that it’s not all about him.[…] 

“Jonah is just clueless that God has saved the lives of over a hundred thousand people; all he can think of is that he missed the Packers-Vikings game on TV.”

And David Siegler paraphrases God’s final words to Jonah this way:

 “You know what?  There’s a whole bunch of cattle there too, and right now, they mean a whole lot more to me than you and your insufferable attitude, and don’t even get me started with where I think you stack up against the Ninevan cockroaches!” 

As David Siegler’s essay broadly hints to us, there’s plenty of humor in the Book of Jonah.

But all this all this talk of prophecy, and the imagery of Jonah in chapter 4 sitting forlornly in his sukkah east of the City of Nineveh, boiling in the hot sun and the sultry wind, had me thinking about climate change. 

Many prophets of our own time are right now trying to get us to change our ways both at the grassroots level and at the governmental level to save humanity from this worsening scourge.  Wildfires, floods, droughts --- the signs grow more ominous each year.

We have to have hope.  But we also have to have a sense of urgency.  Both at the grassroots level and at the governmental level. 

Unlike Jonah, I’m sure that those sounding the alarms on climate change would be happy if a great teshuvah movement of environmental action staves off the worst forecasts --- so that the worst forecasts prove to be as wrong as Jonah’s forecast of Nineveh’s destruction.

And yet, I didn’t tell you this part – and the author of the Book of Jonah doesn’t tell us this part either.  But the fact is that that great city of Nineveh was in fact destroyed by the Medean Empire in 612 BCE, about a century after the events described in the Book of Jonah, though prior to the writing of the Book of Jonah.[4] 

This was hinted at in Jonah 3:3 where it says that Nineveh “haytah ir gedolah leylohim” – “Nineveh WAS [past tense] a great city to God.”

All of this reminds us that teshuvah is an ongoing task.  It’s not a one-shot deal.  We may overturn a terrible verdict.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t possibly have new challenges in the future.

Sometimes we can get frustrated with it all, like Jonah.

Jonah, who didn’t know how to take yes for an answer. 

Jonah, who couldn’t accept that he had a beneficial role to play in the lives of others – and that he had succeeded in bringing about needed change. 

And sometimes, in the face of the enormity of the tasks before us, we get frustrated. We lose sight of the beneficial role we play in the lives of others and in the healing of the world. 

Today is Yom Kippur our communal Day of Atonement. Though Yom Kippur comes once a year, teshuvah is a year long process. Indeed, a lifelong process.  There will be new challenges in the future even after we muddle through the current ones.

But we are not in it alone – and that is indeed a blessing.

***************

We have spent a lot of time this High Holiday season thinking about the Book of Jonah.  We finally get to hear it – in bilingual stereo! – this afternoon when Linda Eason and Kathy Levine come up to the bima as our Ba’alot Maftir for the Yom Kippur afternoon service.  I hope you’ll all be able to join us for that at 3:30 p.m. today.

In the meantime, I hope all who are fasting are having a tzom kal (an “easy fast”), and that this day brings all of us chatimah tovah (a “good sealing”) in the Book of Life, at this start of shanah tovah umetukah  (a “good and sweet [new] year”).

© Rabbi David Steinberg (September 2021/ Tishri 5782)

[1] Within the next few months a new simpler phone number “988” will become available for this national hotline. See: https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/988-fact-sheet.pdf

[2] https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Shade

[3] Jonah 4: 10-11

[4] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nineveh_(612_BCE)