Parashat Devarim is read the Shabbat before Tisha B’av, which begins Wednesday night of this upcoming week. Tisha B’av is a day of mourning including a full day fast with the same restrictions as Yom Kippur. We sit on the floor as if we are in the shiva period of mourning. We mourn the destruction of both Temples as well as Jews murdered during other periods of destruction including, the Spanish Inquisition, the pogroms, the Holocaust, and others. Rabbi Fried writes in his TJP column this week, we also “…mourn the lack of connection to our spiritual Source, our lack of clarity.”

Devarim begins with Moses giving a speech to the Israelites in which he recounts their journey through the wilderness, reminding them of past mistakes while describing the challenges that still lie ahead. We should remember, at this point, that Moses is not speaking to the adult Israelites who originally left Egypt, but to their children. The original adults of the Exodus had been sentenced to wander for 40 years and die in the desert because they had lost faith in G-d very early on, when 10 of the 12 spies returned from their reconnaissance of the land and declared the land and its inhabitants too frightening and dangerous to conquer.

Despite that fact, and despite the fact that G-d had decreed that the Israelites now poised to enter the land would inherit in their parents’ places, Moses speaks to the current generation as though they are old enough to remember the events he is recounting (although many of them are not) and as though they, too, bear the responsibility for the sins committed by their parents. Perhaps he does this so that this generation will understand the burden they carry to behave differently, to be more faithful to G-D than the generation before them had been.

Perhaps it is simply because Moses is exhausted from the burden of leading two million or more people out of slavery in Egypt and then journeying with them through the desert for 40 years instead of the much shorter journey he originally expected to take with them. Throughout those 40 years, Moses was responsible for inspiring that 1^st generation of Israelites, who repeatedly lost faith in G-d, to fulfill their commitment, nonetheless, to their covenant with G-d.

It is not an easy job to lead and motivate a large group of people. After all, there was no Twitter or cable news for mass communications. Imagine how long it took each week to chisel the weekly newsletter into tablets of stone.

Moses was not unaware of the challenge posed by leading Israelites out of Egypt to the land of Canaan, even at the outset. In recounting the journey to the generation now ready to enter the land, he says, “Thereupon I said to you, ‘I cannot bear the burden of you by myself. The Lord your G-d has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky . . . ‘ ” (Devarim 1:9-10) Whereupon G-d commands him to appoint judges over tens, and hundreds, and thousands, to help him in his task. Moses’ delegation of his responsibility to these judges helped both Moses and the Israelites to endure.

Somehow, through all the adversities we have faced as a people over the past thousands of years, we, too, have managed to endure. Rashi’s interpretation of these verses focuses on the image Moses invokes of “stars of the sky”. When Moses refers to the stars, he is talking about the Israelites growing in numbers, but Rashi focused on the stars in the heavens, sometimes burning brightly and sometimes faintly, but never disappearing, just as the Jewish people have continued to exist as a nation throughout thousands of years. While we have always been a minority compared to the far greater world population, we as a people have existed – and continue to exist – in order to bring light to the world.

We live in a time of division in our country and growing division in Israel. As we prepare for Tisha B’av we should reflect on improving our spiritual selves and how we can continue to spread our light both within our own people and in the rest of the world. In the coming days, a few thoughts to think about.

1. Take time to examine your own life. Are you treating others with kindness and empathy? Do our words and actions uplift and support those around us? Each of us can make a difference.
2. Today, we witness various forms of injustice, such as discrimination, poverty, and oppression. Make a commitment to work towards rectifying these inequalities against Jews and against others. Become an advocate for change and actively help those in need. Just as the Israelites were instructed in chapter 1:16-17, “Hear disputes between your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother and the one who has come from abroad. You shall not show favoritism in judgment. You must hear the small and the great alike.”
3. There is no better time than this week to think of our environment and how our actions of the past and, more importantly, our actions going forward impact our environment – particularly with regard to climate change. Devarim teaches us to cherish and protect the land that sustains us. It is our responsibility to save our planet for future generations by advocating and participating in practices that will safeguard our planet.
4. We must all strive to build bridges with those we may not politically or ethically agree with. Just as Moses stressed the importance of unity and solidarity among the Israelites, the biggest threat today facing the Jewish people is ourselves. We, in America, cannot afford to further divide ourselves either religiously, ethically, or politically. We must begin to build bridges instead of reinforcing our walls. It pains me to witness the increasing strife in the streets of Israel between Jews on the left and those on the right. Military reservists are protesting the recent vote removing Supreme Court Oversight of the Knesset by refusing to serve, putting the security of Israel at risk. CEOs of startups and managing directors of venture capital firms are taking steps to move their assets elsewhere, which could precipitate a financial crisis on top of the political. We Jews have enough enemies without spurring infighting amongst ourselves.

Whether or not you go to shul Wednesday night and/or Thursday spend the next few days reflecting on how we can continue to keep our star shining bright. Devarim marks the beginning of the last book of the Torah. We end our reading and then start over again. We continue to exist as a people because each apparent “ending” our people have faced has ended, almost miraculously, in a new beginning. The strife of our current time can end in a new beginning as well if we do the work to make it so. So, let’s use this time as we approach the High Holidays to reflect on how we can better ourselves, how we can better our community, how we can better the Jewish people, how we can better the world around us and how we can improve our spiritual relationship with G-d.

Shabbat Shalom.

Vayikra 5783 – Is it Real?

Over the past several months, the use of the artificial intelligence engine, ChatGPT, has received lots of media attention. I am fascinated with the capabilities and the dangers of this technology.  Would it be possible for these artificial intelligence engines to one day replace what we rely on human intelligence for? During Kiddush lunch a few weeks ago, Joey and Stephen Spiro educated me on how ChatGPT is being used successfully today to write computer code. How will this technology advance to take over other aspects of our daily lives?

As a test, I asked ChatGPT the following, “write a 500 word dvar torah for parasha Vayikra and include relevant information to current times”.  About thirty seconds later I had a d’var for Vayikra. I will read the d’var word-for-word with no edits while I ask you to listen carefully for accuracy and the message delivered.

“Parshat Vayikra is the first portion in the book of Leviticus, and opens with the instructions for the various offerings that were to be brought in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, in the wilderness. The focus of this portion is on the act of sacrifice and its role in the lives of the Israelites and their relationship with G-d.

In Vayikra, we see the different types of offerings that could be brought as a way of expressing devotion and remorse. The different offerings represented various aspects of a person’s relationship with G-d, including burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, and sin offerings. These offerings were meant to be a physical manifestation of a person’s commitment to G-d, serving as a means of purification and atonement for one’s sins.

One of the key lessons from Vayikra is the importance of intentionality in our actions. The sacrifices offered in the Mishkan were not just about giving an animal to G-d, but about the person giving of themselves and their devotion to G-d. This was a way for the Israelites to show their commitment and to seek forgiveness for their misdeeds. The act of sacrifice was not just a physical act, but a spiritual one, requiring a person to examine their inner self and make a deliberate effort to improve their relationship with G-d.

This message of intentionality is relevant to our lives today, as we too seek to deepen our relationship with G-d. In our modern world, we may not bring physical offerings, but we can still embody the same spirit of sacrifice through our actions and intentions. This means making a conscious effort to live a life that is in line with our beliefs and values, and striving to better ourselves and our relationship with G-d. It also means being willing to forgive others and seeking forgiveness for our own mistakes.

Another important theme from Vayikra is the idea of holiness. In this portion, we see that G-d is described as a “holy G-d”, and the offerings are said to be “most holy”. This concept of holiness was meant to inspire the Israelites to strive for holiness in their own lives. This means living a life that is in line with G-d’s values, and striving to bring out the divine in all aspects of our lives.

In our current times, the idea of holiness is still relevant and important. As we navigate the complexities of our modern world, we can still strive for holiness by living our lives in accordance with G-d’s values and principles. This means being mindful of our actions, striving to bring out the best in ourselves and others, and seeking to live a life that is in line with G-d’s vision for the world.

In conclusion, Parshat Vayikra teaches us about the importance of intentionality, sacrifice, and holiness in our lives. By examining the offerings brought in the Mishkan, we can learn valuable lessons about our own relationship with G-d and how we can deepen that connection. These lessons are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago, and provide us with a powerful reminder of the importance of living a life that is in line with our beliefs and values. May we all strive to embody these lessons and bring holiness and intentionality into our lives, as we seek to deepen our relationship with G-d.”

So, what did you think?

I recently finished reading the non-fiction book, Homo Deus, written by the Israeli author Yuval Noah Harari in 2015. Amongst the many topics addressed, this book predicts what will happen in the twenty-first century as artificial intelligence becomes a natural part of our lives. This book was written many years before the advances we have seen in the past year in artificial intelligence. He believes it is not if AI will replace humans but when.

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence will replace many of the jobs and tasks only human intelligence was able to perform in the past. There have been many advances in technology and medicine already. But, will AI replace what we have relied on rabbis for? While I do not feel this AI generated d’var is strong enough as is, it certainly is a starting point from which I could make edits to and significantly decrease the time it takes to research and write a d’var. Will AI ever be able to replace the compassion, the wisdom, and the personal experiences that a person and specifically a rabbi provides?  I would never want a halacha based decision or spiritual guidance to be purely based on textual facts.

 I leave you with this thought to ponder on. Just as the Israelites could not imagine worshipping G-d without animal sacrifices following the destruction of the second Temple, we too have difficulty imaging a time when artificial intelligence will replace our rabbis. Change is inevitable, but how much we accept Rabbi Robot is up to us. I hope.

Shabbat Shalom.

With the high death rate attributed to Covid over the past couple of years, the war in Ukraine, and the passing of Queen Elizabeth last month, we have been inundated with death. Many within our community lost loved ones during this time, and the world has faced astronomical levels of death.  1.06 million people have died in the US and 6.55 million people have died worldwide from Covid. While the magnitude of these numbers is unimaginable, it feels as if we are getting numb and complacent to death. So, you must be thinking this is going to be an upbeat few minutes.

It became a popular tradition during the peak times of Covid for news anchors to read a list of names each day of a few people who lost their lives to Covid. Some of the Jewish anchors would end the reading of their list with, “may their memory be a blessing”, a common expression that we Jews use to offer condolences. I have always struggled with what exactly does, “may their memory be a blessing” mean.

The phrase is derived from the popular acronym that we use following the name of the deceased. The Hebrew letters zayin, lamed are commonly seen as z”l following a name representing  זכרונו/ה לברכה  (Zikrono Livrakha) which means of blessed memory or may his/her memory be a blessing. I remember my father would always use the term, “Alav Ha-Shalom” , may peace be upon him/her, following the mention of a deceased loved-one.

My previous understanding of “may his/her memory be a blessing” was it had a similar meaning to the term, RIP – Rest in Peace. I decided to research the derivation of זכרונו/ה לברכה  (Zikrono Livrakha) to better understand why, we as Jews use this phrase.

My favorite interpretation of the phrase, “may their memory be a blessing” is to understand, to appreciate and to benefit in your life from the good blessings that the departed created while on earth. The tzedakah one provided to individuals and to the community, the teachings that a parent provided to their children, the positive influences that were left behind, and all the other good deeds should continue even though they are no longer with us on Earth. When we say, “may their memory be a blessing”, what we are wishing is that you, the community and maybe even the world will benefit from their presence in our lives now and in the future.

For those of you that were here this past Shabbat, Joel spoke about his goal to focus on increasing the number of good deeds he performs. He mentioned in parasha Lech Lecha G-d says to Abraham, “You will be a blessing”.   It struck me at that moment there is a tie-in to the mention of blessings here to the use of the phrase, “may his/her memory be a blessing”. Thank you Joel, for helping to set this straight in my mind.

The Torah is constantly juxtaposing blessings and curses. Blessings reflect G-d’s approval and require that we create life, that we treat others with kindness and that we live in peace. Curses represent dealing with the bad and the personal struggles we face in life to do good. In Lech Lacha, G-d says to Abraham, “You will be a blessing. Be a blessing and I will bless those that bless you”.  We should make the best of what we have and strive to do better to help others by focusing on the acts of kindness. But with 24/7 news, phone alerts, social media, email, etc. it becomes too easy to only see the negative.  Our focus today on asking for forgiveness and recalling how we have wronged others may cause us to lose focus with all the good we have done in the past year. Tomorrow is more important than today, because tomorrow 100% of our attention should be on blessings, on doing good deeds in the new year ahead.

It is a natural emotion to be sad as we approach the Yizkor service because we miss our loved ones. We remember the time we spent with a parent, with a sibling, with a child or with other loved ones, and realize we will never be able to physically be with them again. Focus on the memories of the blessings they left behind. I recall the numerous organizations my father served on the board for, his love for the synagogue, the money and time he contributed to tzedakah, how he always treated others kindly and fairly, and the lessons he taught me that I have tried to pass on to my family. These are the blessings that will continue to live – hopefully for generations to come. Use this time to recall the blessings that your loved ones imparted for future generations. And hopefully their blessings have become a role model for you to create blessings and for you to perform acts of loving kindness for the benefit of your family, for our community and for the world.

May their memory be a blessing.

Parasha Vayakhel is almost a word-by-word repetition found earlier in the book of Shmot of how to build the Tabernacle. Rather than rehash what others have spoken about in the past several weeks, today I will focus on the first couple of verses of the parasha. G-d commands the Israelites to keep the Shabbat, keep it holy, and if you do work on the Sabbath the punishment is death. Show up next week for a more detailed discussion on the fourth commandment in Larry’s, Ten Commandments class. This verse is followed by a specific callout to not create fire on the Sabbath. This parashah includes thirty-nine elements of work required to build the Tabernacle. Rashi explains the specific prohibition against fire emphasizes that every act of work is separate and should not be lumped together as a whole.

How are we to interpret this prohibition of fire on Shabbat in modern times including cooking? If you extend the creation of fire to driving a car on Shabbat, the argument is made that a combustible engine sparks a flame on each cycle of the engine. For those aligned with and prescribe to the rulings of the Rabbinical Assembly, the Conversative rabbinic authority, it is permissible to drive to Shul on Shabbat. This ruling came about in the 1950’s when the rabbis issued the t’shuvah that sparking a car engine is different from kindling a fire for the purpose of warmth and cooking. It is not my intent to relitigate this seventy-year-old ruling, but I do believe this ruling is like other rulings throughout our history breaking with traditional halacha not only by the Conservative movement, but by the mainstream Orthodox movement.

My favorite example is the Eruv. Many of you are aware that our Kehillah is in the Far North Dallas eruv, the structure that allows one to carry in public on Shabbat. It is considered work to carry any object outside the home. Constructing a wall out of a wire around a large area symbolically sets it apart as a private domain. Pardon my cynicism, but I refer to this rabbinic ruling on the eruv and the newer ruling on driving as laws of convenience.

The concept of an eruv is simple. A private domain has historically been defined as a walled off area. It is permissible to carry within the confines of a private area such as a home or a walled off community. The rules of the eruv were established during the Mishna Period in Roman Palestine. As the Jewish community grew outside the established walls, it became necessary for those outside the primary communal area to partake in Shabbat related activities with others residing within the walled-off area. As the Jewish community grew and Jews moved to new areas in Babylonia and Eastern European countries, the rabbinic authorities expanded the definition of the eruv. The creation of these halakhic neighborhoods was established to allow people living within the larger community to share food with one another on Shabbat. The concept of “Oneg Shabbat” or to enjoy Shabbat was the basis for these new rules.

Throughout history the rabbis have had to make adaptations or form new rules of halakha to account for changes in the community or to society as a whole. So why is it not permissible to turn on the oven to cook food on Shabbat rather than eat a cold or warm Shabbat meal? Certainly, allowing one to cook and enjoy hot food on Shabbat would make the day much more enjoyable. The ruling is not a work-around to the use of fire on Shabbat, but starting a car engine does not complete the creation of a material item such as cooked food. These acts of completion all relate back to the construction of the Tabernacle. There are thirty-nine acts of malachot, or work, needed to complete the construction of the Tabernacle which define work which is not permitted on Shabbat.

We are commanded to enjoy Shabbat. We set aside Shabbat as a set time to behave differently than the other six days of the week. Shabbat is a time for rest, relaxation, and enjoyment – a time to separate ourselves from our day-to-day tasks. Each of us have our individual level of observance. I believe the rabbinic authorities throughout our history have always considered the community as a priority. The Talmudic rabbis justified this eruv loophole because it allows Jews to come together as a community. The Conservative rabbis allowed the use of a car on Shabbat to allow those who live too far to walk to shul to participate in the Shul community in.

G-d commanded the Israelites to build the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary and provided extensive details on the materials and methods of construction. Since G-d is everywhere, was it necessary to have a physical location to worship G-d from? Was it necessary to later construct the temple as a permanent structure? Is it necessary to have shuls and other places of worship today? Yes, it was and is still necessary to have these physical structures as a place set aside to connect to G-d. Throughout our history, it has been important to establish a physical location where we can come together as a community. The rules on an eruv and the rules of driving a car on Shabbat are necessary because experiencing the enjoyment of Shabbat requires that we physically be together as a community.

Shabbat Shalom

Tis the season. Since it is Shabbat, I hope everyone planned ahead to fulfill the mitzvah of Chinese food and a movie on Christmas. Your festive meal may just have to wait until Motzi Shabbat this year. There is no escaping the music of the season. Hanukkah has long since passed and with-it Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, Ma Ozur, and of course Joel’s original lyrics to the tune of Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Songakah. With Hanukkah coming so early this year, we are now overwhelmed with the music of the Christmas season. My family calls me Scrooge because I am not a fan of these holiday tunes. However, I do understand that there is a non-religious observance of Christmas which has become an American holiday and being an American Jew means being a part of these customs. I just don’t have to like it.

This week we begin the book of Sh’mot, probably the most well-known part of the Torah. Not only is Passover the most celebrated Jewish holiday, but the storyline of the Exodus from Egypt has lent itself well to Hollywood. Our story picks up with the death of Joseph, a new Egyptian king coming to power, the birth of Moses, and the raising of Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter. Lots of time passes in these first four chapters.

Today, my focus is on Chapter 5. Here Moses in his best Charlton Heston voice says to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the Gd of Israel: Let My people go that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness”. They continue, “The Gd of the Hebrews has manifested Himself to us. Let us go, we pray, a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord…”. Pharaoh responds with anger and instructs the Pyramid construction foremen to stop supplying the straw for the making of bricks, but he does not change the production quota. After a few days of beatings, the Israelites make a formal complaint to Pharaoh and ask why they are being punished when they are not part of the request from Moses and Aaron. The foremen of the Israelites then approach Moses and Aaron saying, “May the Lord look upon you and punish you for making us loathsome to Pharaoh and his couriers, putting a sword in their hands to slay us.”

There is lots to unpack here. Moses and Aaron are taking the blame when they are just delivering Gd’s message. At this point, they do not understand why they have been tasked to be the messenger. It is human nature to quickly blame others. It was easy for the Israelites to get caught up in the day-to-day quota of bricks, to lash out against the cause of harsher punishment, and miss the big picture of what may provide their freedom and the freedom for generations to come. Not addressing the true cause of a bad situation rarely results in a long-term solution.

I am sure you have seen this same type of behavior in your personal life, in business or in politics. It is easy to blame someone else rather than to understand the true cause and fix the underlying problems. It is easier to find a scapegoat than a solution. As we enter the third year of this pandemic, we now have a better understanding of the necessary restrictions and personal sacrifices we were forced to make and must continue to make for the long-term benefit of society. Like the Israelites learned, we too will suffer in the short-term to prosper in the future.

And who better to teach the world these lessons than us Jews. Throughout our history, Jews have been the victim, the scapegoat of numerous cultures that have attempted to annihilate us. American Jews live a life of freedom and prosperity never seen in our history.  But didn’t the Jews of Spain before the Inquisition and of Germany before the Holocaust, think they too were integrated into their local culture? The opportunities for a better life are always in front of us. Yes, we will suffer setbacks, but we are a strong people that continue to overcome adversities.

The parasha purposely ends with a cliff hanger – one verse from the next chapter, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘You shall soon see what I will do to Pharaoh: he shall let them go because of a greater might; indeed, because of a greater might he shall drive them from the land. ‘” The Israelites who were content with the daily grind of manual labor and quotas had no idea of what was in store for their future. It is up to us to keep a positive outlook, fight for what is right, fix what is wrong, strengthen our faith and pray for that next miracle. Stay tuned…

Shabbat Shalom

It is wonderful that our Kehillah has taken the step toward Shabbat morning normalcy by returning to an in-person minyan. Today marks the sixth service in a row we have had an in-person minyan. Thank-you to the core group, Becca, Joel, Mike, Rachelle, Bill, Barry, and Daniel, who continued to show up each week to make sure our Kehillah survived the pandemic. Thank you also to those that tuned in on Zoom each week. I made the decision to not attend in person or on Zoom unless there was an in-person minyan. Thank you to all for understanding. Our Kehillah has been built on the acceptance and support of individual beliefs.

I have a confession. During my absence from the weekly minyan, I did not miss praying. I could not find that personal connection to G-d that prayer brings. I tried individual Shabbat morning prayer, but the connection was not there. I did, however, enjoy staying in my sweats, eating a leisurely breakfast, and relaxing while reading the morning paper and a book. I thought it would be difficult to change my twenty plus year Shabbat morning routine, but I must admit I enjoyed my new Saturday morning ritual.

So what does this have to do with parahah Emor? Being of Kohanim descent, this is the perfect parahsah to allow me to reflect on the laws for the rituals and obligations of the Kohanim. The commentary in the Etz Chaim reads, “As the Israelites are to represent the G-d oriented lifestyle to the nations of the world, the Kohanim are to represent a maximal level of devotion to G-d for their fellow Israelites.” The commentary goes on to quote Jacob Issac of Lublin, “Tell the Kohanim to be sons of Aaron indeed and not only in descent…”. Wow. Had I read this commentary pre-Covid would I have made different decisions about my absence from attending Shabbat morning services?

In Emor, we learn about the restrictions placed on the Kohanim to maintain ritual purity in society. Chapter 21, verses 18-22, states that nobody that has a defect, a deformity or any handicap may offer the ritual sacrifice to G-d. And likewise, no animal with a blemish or deformity may be offered up as part of this sacrifice. There is obviously no concern here about being politically correct. The Sefer Ha-Chinnuch ( ספר החינוך), a rabbinic text detailing the 613 mitzvot published in the thirteenth century, explains the reasoning of this requirement for perfection is to increase one’s focus on the value of striving for perfection. Am I to interpret this commentary to mean that if an item or a person is not perfect, their value is diminished?

How does this relate to us today in a time when the Kohanim are not necessarily our spiritual leaders, and we no longer offer animal sacrifices to G-d? We replace these rituals with offerings of our time, our financial resources, our support of tzedakah and our presence in person or in shul to offer our prayers. Our acts and our lives may not be perfect, but they do shape those in our family, in our community and the Jewish people. If we only accept that which is perfect, we have nothing to strive for. Here in our Kehillah, we have learned that Torah reading by new lainers may not be perfect, davening by those who may have never davened before may not be perfect, d’vrei Torot such as this one certainly have their blemishes, but we all learn and grow from these personal offerings. We learn and grow by coming together as a community to support each other to increase our personal spirituality. Perhaps not seen as ideal or perfect by some, but hopefully accepted by all.

Not until March 20, when I returned to the first in-person minyan with our community, with the familiar and uplifting voices of song and prayer, did I realize how much I missed praying. May we all continue to be together, to pray together, and grow together for many years to come.

Shabbat Shalom.

This week has been very memorable for the Kehillah as we all came together as a community to discuss how we will meet again in person. The last time we met in person was on March 14 after some debate if we should follow the lead of others and even hold services.

It has now been 12 long weeks. Our small shul sits idle. Our Sefer Torah remains at parasha Ki Tisa awaiting the exodus. We have maintained visual contact, we have Zoomed our Kabbalat Shabbat service each week, we have had study sessions, we have held Seders over Zoom, and two Yizkor services. But I miss that personal element. I miss the ability to shake a hand, to give a hug, to be with my Kehillah family. While Zoom may be the next best thing, it is not the same. I, like many others spend my workday on video conference calls and have little desire to interact socially and religiously in this manner. But on a positive note, I have enjoyed the joyful melodies of Kabbalat Shabbat which remain in my head all weekend long.

This week, the proposal was presented to the membership to re-open the Kehillah for Shabbat morning services on a limited basis. It is a scary time, and everyone voiced concerns rightfully so. The plan was presented this past Wednesday with lots of detailed discussion to bring our community back together in person.

This week, in Parsha Naso, we read the following from chapter 5, verse 1, “The Lord spoke to Moses saying: Instruct the Israelites to remove from camp anyone with an eruption or a discharge and anyone defiled by a corpse. Remove male and female alike and put them outside the camp so that they do not defile the camp of those in whose midst I dwell”.

Here we have it, the Israelites were instructed to social distance those that were infected. We could easily substitute Covid-19 to the verse, and we would be current on today’s situation with one major difference. We have been instructed by our healthcare professionals to keep our distance from each other to avoid the potential spread of the virus.

So now we have reached that moment in time when we are ready to once again gather together in our sacred Beit Kenesset, our Shul. We are ready to slowly open the Kehillah to allow us to meet in person once again. To see each other in person once again.

Wednesday night we had an open discussion with many viewpoints. We challenged each other’s opinions. I voiced my concerns of having a virtual minyan using Zoom, and others voiced their desire to be together in person and on Zoom for our Shabbat morning service. In the end we came to an acceptable compromise solution for me, and I believe for most others.

What I realized through this effort is how much the Kehillah means to us all, the strength of the community that we have built over the past seven years and how each and every one of us desire to be together. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation dictates that many cannot join in person due to health or other concerns. I accept and respect each person for their position.

Yesterday I received a flurry of emails from many. One wrote a very well stated and convincing email of their belief in how Jewish law changes over time and how we should accept a Zoom minyan for those that are not able to attend in person. Another wrote about their beliefs in tradition expressing a stricter adherence to hallacha. Another sent an email upset that they were not provided adequate time to review the plan in greater detail in order to provide their opinion. And thanks to a beautifully written email to the Kehillah from Rabbi Michele Sullum, I realized why we were all so passionate with our desires to come together in some way or some form. I realized that we each voiced our wants and desires not to be obstinate, but the desire to achieve the same goal. The beauty of our Kehillah is the mix of beliefs and observance levels. There is no right and wrong, and we strive to accommodate all levels of beliefs.

I believe we all want to be back together in some way or some form. We all feel strongly about our opinions because what we have been forced to do over the last three months is no longer adequate. We all long for more. We long for the restart of our Shabbat morning service, we long to once again roll the Sefer Torah forward past the book of Shemot, past the book of Va’Yikra and into Bamidbar. We long to hear our collective voices sing in prayer, to celebrate simchas together, to comfort each other in times of grief and to sit across the table and enjoy a meal together. We long to be together once again.

So, it is time for us to return to camp whether in person or virtually through Zoom. And soon, it is my prayer that we will all feel comfortable in returning to be with each other once again for a complete service. I cherish what we have built and I cherish each one of you. Whether we are behind a mask, or behind the screen of Zoom, we will soon be together in Shul again.

And just as the Lord instructed Moses in this parasha to speak to Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel, I offer the same blessing to our Kehillah that has been given from generation to generation.

Yivarechecha Adonai viyishmirecha
May G‑d bless you and guard you.

Ya’er Adonai panav elecha veechuneka
May G‑d shine His countenance upon you and be gracious to you

Yeesa Adonai panav elecha viyasem lecha shalom
May G‑d turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace.

Amen.

I now invite everyone to join in joyful song to welcome the Sabbath.

And these are the rules that you shall set before them. When you acquire a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years; in the seventh year he shall go free, without payment. If he came single, he shall leave single; if he had a wife, his wife shall leave with him. If his master gave him a wife, and she has borne him children, the wife and her children shall belong to the master, and he shall leave alone. But if the slave declares, “I love my master, and my wife and children: I do not wish to go free,” his master shall take him before G-d. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall then remain his slave for life.

The above is the opening six verses of parasha Mishpatim which means rules. Welcome to the initial body of laws, known as The Book of the Covenant, which were transferred by Moses to the Israelites.  Just last week we listened to Becca beautifully lain the ten commandments from paraha Yitro which are the foundation of our value system we still live by today. And this week we read about the laws of slavery and many other areas. Today, the focus will be on the laws governing slavery.

I have to admit, that I had to scratch my head on this one. We have the Israelites that just left 210 years of enslavement in Egypt. G-d brought out of Egypt with his mighty hand by invoking the ten plagues on the Egyptians until our people were free. Some argue that these laws more appropriately define an indentured servant by placing limitations on slavery.

The most important word of the introduction of the mishpatim is the first word, “VE-aleh (ואלה)” – and these. The “veh’s” translation is “and” which sets up a continuation from the ten commandments to the laws. It is interesting that the Etz Chaim Humash leaves the “and” out of its translation of the Hebrew text. We go from the core foundation of the commandments to a more detailed explanation of how we are to conduct ourselves according to rules of law. For more on the Ten Commandments, make sure and attend Larry’s monthly class. Rashi makes the claim that the structure set up in the Torah by the Mishpatim or rules set forth and conveyed to the people of Israel by Moses is a deliberate attempt in the structure of the Torah to place these laws as a central point of the revelation.

The very first commandment, as we studied last week, begins with, “I am the Lord your G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt”.  Here G-d makes the exclamation that I brought you out of slavery in Egypt, and now sets forth rules to govern slavery. On the surface this is a major contradiction – I remove you from slavery, but here is how to treat your slaves.

To try to reason and understand this dilemma, I had to separate myself from my personal values based on the history of slavery in the US and other modern-day countries and try to have a mindset of life 2,500 years ago.  Slavery was an expectation of the times across all cultures. The Israelites that crossed the Red Sea did not know any other way of life but slavery.

Who is a Hebrew slave in these times, why would one Jew consider the purchase of another Jew as a slave, and why would a Jew choose to sell himself as a slave? RASHI rationalizes this dilemma by explaining that the slave is either a person that cannot support themselves and/or meet their debts, or the courts have sold a person that has stolen from another and is unable to pay back their debts.

The laws set up a structure for this slave or servant to pay back their master through servitude and then to be set free after seven years. And then there is the case where a slave may want the security of not having to support themselves by electing to stay with their master at which time the master will pierce their ear at the doorposts of the house making them his slave forever.  A parallel is made to the smearing of lamb’s blood upon the doorpost during the tenth plague, the slaying of the first born. Is this act meant to imply the slave is now the master’s animal forever? We have a person who prefers a life without the need to make decisions or the worries of how to care for themselves.

I still have some difficulty rationalizing the acceptance of these laws based on what I consider to be unethical behavior. But is it fair of me to pass judgment on a code of laws from 2,500 years ago which are based on societal norms of the time? Should these laws be accepted simply because they are in the Torah. It is the norm of many modern-day Jews to make exceptions to the original mitzvot dictated in the Torah to handle the necessities of modern times. There is another mishpatim to not work on the Sabbath, but we invent concepts like an eruv to rationalize carrying, people use a Shabbat elevator to avoid climbing steps, and we use electricity on Shabbat for comfort and convenience.

Perhaps the Torah is teaching us that there is a more humane way to treat the downtrodden and the oppressed. Current estimations are there are somewhere between 20 and 40 million people enslaved in some manner around the world.  And what about the severe homeless problem we have in this country and in most others. Another way to rationalize this issue is to understand there are various levels of slavery. There are still people forced into slavery today from generation to generation such as the Jews in Egypt were and the Africans captured and brought to this country were. Rabbi Jonathan Saks explains it well in his commentary about the Mishpatim, “These laws…they turn slavery from an existential fate to a temporary condition. Slavery is not what you are or how you were born, but some thing that has happened to you for a while and from which you will one day be liberated.” I do believe there is a difference in the slavery of oppression and the slavery mandated in the Torah.

Like always seems to be the case, maybe the Torah was forward looking and not hypocritical with the establishment of these laws of slavery.  I am still scratching my head on this one because I don’t have the answer. And what better way to end a Torah discussion than with a question.  I will leave it to you to form your own conclusion. Do the laws of slavery established in the Torah allow people to work themselves back to a position of strength eventually allowing them to live free after their indentured servitude, or is it better to have people lose all dignity by sleeping on the sidewalk, digging through the trash for food and begging for spare change?

Shabbat Shalom

This is my paternal lineage

The descendants of Natan ha Kohen.

Yosef ben Natan ha Kohen – Born 1864 Russia begot

Nachum ben Yosef ha Kohen – Born 1890 in Birmingham – begot

Moshe ben Nachum ha Kohen begot

Aharon Shalom ben Moshe ha Kohen – Born 1960 (that’s me)

The maternal side of my family is only traceable to my grandparents Sam and Ida Fishman due to the inability to find any official records in Ancestry.com. Thanks to this technology and a discussion over dinner with friends talking about family trees, I was able to trace my ancestry back several generations with their help. See me after Yom Tov for more information on finding your ancestry.

On October 26, we will read in Parsha Noach a detailed account of the lineage from Noah. I had the advantage of technology to help dig through my lineage to learn about my ancestors. All this information is stored in a mega database somewhere in cyberspace. Imagine how difficult it was to track one’s ancestral chain without the use of the technological tools we have today.

While aspects of our ancestor’s lives are stored forever in the heavens, our descendants will have it much easier as every aspect of our lives are now stored in the cloud. Facebook and other types of social media will allow your great, great grandchildren to know not only your name, but how you lived your life, where you liked to vacation, what restaurants you liked to visit, and they may possibly see a picture of the meal their great, great bubbie ate. The history and the intrigue will be gone. In today’s age of Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat and other forms of social media, we must be even more careful how we lead our lives since our behaviors may be recorded at any time for all eternity. Will there be anything left to the imagination.

Yizkor – remember. Think back, to the events you remember in your life and especially those events with your parents, with your siblings, with your grandparents, with your aunts and uncles and other special people in your life. How far back can you remember?  I remember having meals with my grandparents and prumes being a required desert. I remember going to ball games with my father, accompanying him to his office, helping him with home repair projects and most important, I remember his involvement in the Jewish community. I remember Shabbat dinners at our family table and my parents attending Shabbat morning services every week. I remember holiday celebrations with my cousins. I remember the favorite foods my mother made. I remember sitting on my grandparent’s slippery vinyl couch and doing what any kid would do only to be yelled at for sliding on and off.  And most important I remember the coke or sprite float my grandfather made for us.

Think back and remember those events in your past that helped to shape who you are today. Yizkor.

We remember, and we hold on to these memories associated with some event in our past and feel the impact on our lives. Not so obvious is how each one of these events have or will have an impact on who our children and/or our future children are, who are grandchildren are and/or future grandchildren will be. Our moral fiber is created from our lineage. Besides the major impact parents have on a child’s development, I believe a small piece of every person in our lineage is passed down from generation to generation, to become a part of who we are. I refer to our neshmah, our soul, not to the strict scientific definition of our inherited genetic structure. There are way too many physicians and micro-biologists here for me to even attempt to go down that path.

On Rosh Hashanah day 2 the Torah portion was about the binding of Isaac to the alter by his father Abraham. What memory did Isaac carry with him through his life of this near-death experience, and how did this one event change him forever. How much stronger is the presence of G-d in his and Abraham’s life. How did this one episode also influence Jacob and his twelve sons and the future of Judaism through all future generations. Each one of us are influenced by the behavior of Abraham, and the memory Isaac carried with him. Even today, this event remains a part of each us, passed down from generation to generation.

In his Rosh Hashanah d’var, Joel spoke of the importance of spending time with those that mean the most to you and how these memories become embedded in your brain. Not only should you hold onto these memories to make yourself happier, but these memories will remain with your loved ones and will shape the neshumas of future generations. You can point to those in your life that helped to shape who you are, but your ancestors played a part too. The Jewish religion has survived for thousands of years despite the countless times others have tried to destroy us because we as a people make it our responsibility to create memories that will be passed down to future generations.

Think about the number of potential memories that were lost during the Holocaust at the hands of the Germans. We didn’t just lose six million lives, we lost all the generations that would have followed. We lost neshumas that we will never know. We lost memories that will never be made.

Think about the memories you had growing up. Think about how these memories with your parents, with your grandparents and with others have influenced or will influence the lives of your children, your grandchildren and all the future generations to follow.

We leave today with a clean slate. Promise yourself that you will honor the traditions set by the generations of those that came before you. Do good deeds, treat every person with kindness and dignity. Honor our heritage of being kind to strangers. Help those in need with acts of tzedakah. Look for the good in everything bad. Make memories that the generations that follow will be proud of. Live for today, make a difference in the world and know these memories one day will impact your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren and all future generations. Strive to avoid the creation of bad memories that will negatively impact others today and in the future. Even though you may never meet them, know the way you conduct your life today, know the memories you create starting today will be the foundation which builds our collective future.

May you all be sealed in the book of life for a year of health and happiness.

This week we read Shoftim which translated means judges. Fortunately, the first few verses was all I needed to formulate my d’var. The majority of the parsha was difficult to get through and stay awake. The Torah and more important the rabbis over the centuries continue to impress me with the amount of knowledge and wisdom that can be derived from just a few sentences.

The main theme of the parsha is justice and the amount of power that kings, elders or any other type of ruler can obtain, and the obligation of the judges they appoint to treat everyone in a fair manner. From the beginning, a system of law and order was established to protect the most vulnerable from the most powerful. In Chapter 16, verse 20 we read the most recognized lines from Shoftim, “Justice, justice shall you pursue, so that you may thrive and occupy the land that the Lord your G-d is giving you”. The directive is made in the second person, plural – You. The obligation is on the people and not on the elders. Herschel explains the power of the statement lies in the word, “pursue”. It is our obligation to obey the laws, but we are each obligated to actively pursue fair justice.

The literal meaning of these opening verses is that we will appoint impartial judges or elders that will not take bribes to influence a ruling against an innocent party. I believe these directives were included to set the tone for how society is to function. History has proven that the masses are influenced by their leaders. The tone of these verses insure our leaders set the example of righteous behavior. It is reasonable to conclude that all people should treat others in a fair and impartial manner.

I will take some poetic license, or should I say, Torah license, in my interpretation of the word judge which is the root of the word judgement. When we judge others, we tend to place them in a class and assign them a role based on the stereotypes that we have developed for them. Let’s exam a few of these:

• We judge our fellow Jews based on their religious beliefs of Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. We pass judgement on those that have behaviors and beliefs that are different than ours. Wouldn’t it be better if we were truly עם אחד – One People. Aren’t we all just Jews with differing levels of beliefs?
• We put ourselves into political buckets of Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and independents. We may judge our friends and colleagues based on where they stand on a political spectrum. Wouldn’t it be better if we classify ourselves as Americans first with the emphasis on improving our country rather than our party?
• We categorize people based on their socio-economic upbringing, their race, their religion, their sexual preference, their gender, their country of origin and countless other ways. Wouldn’t it be better to hold judgement on others until you know their true character?

One does not need a PhD in history to understand what has happened to societies over the past thousands of years where leaders have not ruled from a position of fairness, have not treated each sect of society as equals, but have ruled based on a preferential outcome for the ruling class. Here are two examples to consider:

• In the 15th century, the Spanish Inquisition expelled all Jews who would not assimilate into the Christian culture. How would things be different if all were treated without bias and judged fairly?
• In Germany, the nationalistic Nazi Party slowly gained prominence. This ultra-right-wing party led by Hitler came to power promising to improve society by ridding it of the Jews who were blamed for all the problems. Judgements made by these Nazi leaders had a major impact on modern day Judaism.

Today, there are many leaders around the world that are quick to judge people based on their external characteristics. In many cases when a ruling class causes harm to a specific set of people, these judgements are justified. However, in many instances these rulings resulted in acts of hatred and unfair treatment.

The commandments in Shoftim dictate both a top down and bottom up approach to create a just and fair society. We are fortunate to live in a country which allows each of us as a citizen of the US to publicly represent our position. Dictatorial powers are never in the best interest of the masses. No matter what your political affiliation or level of observance is, we as Jews and as Americans can no longer stand idle and wait for our leadership to act appropriately. Shoftim teaches us that everyone deserves fair and equal treatment, and we must be strong to pursue this treatment.

I close with this verse from Shoftim 16:19 – “You shall not judge unfairly; you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just.”

After all, who are we to judge?

Shabbat Shalom