Tazria is about the laws for ritual purity regarding childbirth, leprosy, and garments.   I read the parshah looking for something of interest to me.  Those of you hoping to hear about leprosy of the skin, will be disappointed. The most interesting thing to me is that Tazria and next week’s Parsha, Metzora, are the least studied and have the least written on them, obviously due to these topics.   When I prepare for a dvar I like to find what the great Jewish scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel has said about it, but I couldn’t find any references by him so I decided to reference the great Jewish comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

I will focus on the third section about Tzara-at, disease of garments.  Tzaraat of garments  discoloration, only occur on natural color garments that are white.  The reason is perhaps a dyed garment that became discolored was due to a flaw in the dye processing, or uneven color, if not dyed, so since it is not clear how the discoloration happened, it is not considered tzaraat.. from Toras Kohanim.

Tzaraat is mistaken as leprosy but is some form of a mysterious, infectious skin disease, that may no longer exist, possibly some form of melanoma. It is unclear just how this would affect a garment. The text says if you suspect tzara-at on your garment, show it to the Kohen, who then quarantines it for a week, and if the problem still exists it is tzaraat.

Tazria mentions Tzaraat or discoloration on your garment, whether wool, linen or leather as a spiritual disease.  We would discard clothes that discolor and couldn’t look good any longer.  Of course today if your garment is soiled, we have chemical spot removers, washing machines and dry cleaners. No one would go the Kohen, the high priest or rabbi if their clothes became discolored, unless it is Cohen, the dry cleaner. I love the Seinfeld line about the old Tide commercial. The commercial says “Tide gets blood out of your shirt”.  Jerry commented on this, “maybe if you have blood on your shirt, laundry isn’t your biggest problem”. More about that later.

I suppose in these ancient times, people perhaps only had one or two garments and had to figure out how to make the clothes look better and remain functional. We don’t think of a spot on clothes as a spiritual disease, but this parshah mentions that it indicates being ritually impure. The spots or discoloration on the clothing are a sign of sins.  Nachmonides said Tzaraat is not a physical malady but a spiritual ailment of the body and also caused by several transgressions mostly gossip.

A midrash says the Tzaraat occurs 3 ways. First to the home, if not remedied then to the garments and if not remedied then to the skin. With that in mind, it’s pretty important to remedy this garment problem before it reaches and infects the skin.

The Talmud mentions sins of tzaraat: Evil gossip or lashan hara, murder, false oaths, illicit relationships, arrogance, theft and stinginess.  Most well known is evil gossip.

Lashan Hara, gossiping and speaking ill of others, is considered quite bad and to refrain from it improves the quality of life and apparently quality of your clothes.

Does the fabric on its own cause a discoloration to notify you of a spiritual disease or is G-d signaling the owner of the garment of a spiritual problem, so it can be remedied?  The ancients believed G-d has sent this signal.  Imagine you have a discoloration appear on clothes, I would think this often happened due to sun and sand damage.  But the text indicates it is because you said evil gossip or one of these other sins and you have a chance to clean up your act, change your ways and get on with life happier as a result and thereby, avoid home, clothing and skin infections.

As promised, back to Seinfeld. There was a Seinfeld episode when Elaine, not a Jewish character, seemed blue and her neighbor, the rabbi, invited her over to talk.  In confidence she told him that she was jealous that George got engaged, but she hadn’t said anything to George or anyone else except the rabbi. The rabbi gossiped to everyone he could find in the neighborhood about Elaine. She heard about this from several people, even neighbors she didn’t know, quite to her embarrassment.  Imagine the tzara-at on that rabbi’s garment. This comedy is so funny because these things happen. Rabbis and other people repeat gossip and things told confidentially to them, and sometimes the rabbi’s behavior is the source of gossip.  So according to my understanding of the Torah portion Tazria, when there is a tzara-at on your garment, laundry is not your biggest problem, it is spiritual disease.

As a Citizen Support Team member with the Dallas County Sheriff Reserves I volunteer with sworn deputy sheriffs who are trained, licensed, and insured to carry guns. Recently I visited the Dallas County Quartermaster. For those who may not know – the Quartermaster provides uniforms and equipment for peace officers (police, first responders, sheriffs). When I went in to pick up my traffic vest for upcoming events I commented to the Quartermaster that it was interesting that like the peace officers who come to get their uniforms and equipment issued that the scene reminded me strangely enough of the County jail when prisoners are at intake getting their uniforms issued. The Quartermaster commented that WE ARE ALL ONE DECISION AWAY (from jail intake).  Not sure how many of you have friends or family or you yourself have experienced incarceration – it’s more common than one might imagine and definitely a punishment that extends far beyond ones childhood punishment of standing in a corner for an hour.

This circuitously brings me back around to today’s parsha and specifically Aaron’s two sons Nadav and Avihu who made at least one bad decision that lead to their untimely deaths. We could spend time today exploring the laws of Kashrut or how the Tabernacle was consecrated – though this portion of Shmini is very thought provoking.

There is much midrashic speculation on why Nadav and Avihu were killed on the day of and shortly before inaugural sacrifices were to begin in the Mishkan.  For example –

Were Nadav and Avihu drunk?

Had they committed moral sins that they were punished for on the auspicious occasion of the dedication to make an example of G-D’s power/authority?

Did the brothers not know the rules about approaching G-D without G-Ds authorization to bring fire to the Mishkan?

Were Nadav and Avihu’s limbic and prefrontal cortexes mis-firing- (that is: the limbic system that produces emotions like fear while the balance from the prefrontal cortex provides thoughts that are deliberate along with rational thinking and potential consequences)?

Had Aaron’s son’s missed the numerous occasions their uncle Moses shared the risks of death that G-D shared with him? For example, if one were to look at or get too close to G-D when G-D spoke to the people of Israel- for example looking directly at the cloud or other natural images such as a burning bush or an early ascent of Mt Sinai?

In fact in Exdous (20:17) G-D warns Moses that no one shall ascend Mount Sinai:  G‑d spoke to Moses (again): “Go to the people and prepare them…. And they shall be prepared for the third day, for on the third day, G-D will descend before the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And you shall set boundaries for the people around, saying, Beware of ascending the mountain or touching its edge; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.’ No hand shall touch it, for he shall be stoned or cast down; whether man or beast, he shall not live. When the ram’s horn sounds a long, drawn out blast, they may ascend the mountain.”

OR were Nadav and Avihu simply two enthusiastic zealots with a desire to do good and follow G-D’s commandments in spite of their otherwise ONE DECISION resulting in their premature and imminent deaths?

Why should this event be remarkable – I mean doesn’t this happen today? For example, like Moses, with well known people of the time, like Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin and author Jane Buckingham who made fateful decisions that got them ‘BURNED’ in a different way – while also showing their progeny and the world how little they believed in their children’s abilities. Hey – at  least Moses had bestowed G-d’s blessing on Aaron, Nidav and Avihu because one would have to believe G-D had faith and confidence in the collective brother’s ability and perhaps enthusiasm to follow G-D’s commandments.

Of course ubiquitous rules help us with daily decisions. Rules/regulations/laws are the guides that help business grow and flow and sports teams and athletes win and lose. They help maintain boundaries to make informed and appropriate decisions.  When a ticket is required for transportation or when a ticket is required for speeding.  And rules change except for pi – isn’t it always 3.1415…?

Maybe Nadav and Avihu thought the ‘RULES’ had changed for them upon their anointment to share the responsibilities with the high priests – the Kohanim.  Or maybe the brothers thought the rules were simply advice and they thought – well hey G-D really trusts us -let’s bring him some fire to thank him and we will light the place up.

Obviously Nidav and Avihu were not around to read Terry Pratchett’s Thief of Time  where Pratchett wrote:  “Look, that’s why there’s rules, understand? So that you think before you break ’em.”

So let’s all take time to learn, practice and remember the rules and make wise decisions.  Oh yeah & remember your sweater so you don’t get cold!

You might have missed reading last week’s parasha, Vayikra, and are wondering what you’ve missed. You don’t have to worry. In this week’s parashah, Tzav, the laws of sacrifice are completely repeated. Not again! Since our tradition maintains that nothing in the Torah is redundant and that there are no excess, unneeded words, we wonder why two consecutive parashas cover virtually the same material. The same five sacrifices are described. There is a minor difference in the order that these offerings are discussed. One reason for the repetition is that the instructions in Vayikra are given to the people of Israel, while in Tzav the directions are given for the kohanim.

At the time of the birth of Judaism, all cultures had temples and all religions were practiced through sacrifices of one kind or another.  This was the religious reality, the cultural background with which Judaism had to contend.

When Judaism arrived, it introduced a revolution in many areas such as the dignity of man, human freedom, and ethical monotheism. For the Jews, there were laws and regulations to follow which would shape the new way of life that God was introducing into the world. Certain ideas were unique to this new religion. Do not mix milk and meat or keep Shabbat, for example. These could be mentioned very briefly in the Torah because there was no danger that any of the contemporary religions would defile these ideas because only the Jews were practicing them. But if God merely told the Israelites to build the temple and to bring sacrifices, they could have simply followed the contemporary pagan way of their neighbors. Instead, God had to spell it out. To prevent possible mingling from other cultures and the infiltration of pagan ideas into the sanctum of the monotheistic mindset, the Torah had to define the spiritual tools to the most miniscule detail. Nothing was left to interpretation. And so, the detail in which the sacrifices are described was vital in ensuring a uniquely Jewish way of serving God.

The Hebrew word for sacrifice is korban.  Korban also means “to draw one near.”  The korbanot bring the Jewish people together and build solidarity between us and our God as well as with each other. Certain korbanot are brought purely for the purpose of communicating with God and becoming closer to him. Others are brought for the purpose of expressing thanks, love, or gratitude to God. Others are used to cleanse a person of ritual impurity. And some are brought for the purpose of atonement.

The Torah, rather than creating the institution of sacrifice, carefully limited the practice, permitting it only in certain places, at certain times, in certain manners, by certain people, for certain purposes. This is why there were no sacrifices after the destruction of the second Temple.

Given how central the sacrifices were to the religious life in Israel in Temple times, how did Judaism survive without them?

The short answer is that the prophets, the sages, and the Jewish thinkers of the middle ages realized that sacrifices were symbolic enactments of mind and heart and that they could be expressed in other ways as well. We can encounter the will of God by Torah study, engage in the service of God by prayer, make financial sacrifices by charity, create sacred fellowship by hospitality and so on.

Maimonides argued that sacrifices were an early form of worship given to the Jewish people so that they could learn how to serve God without feeling different from all the idolatrous people surrounding them. Slowly the people learned that that prayer is a better means of attaining nearness to God.  Maimonides emphasizes that the superiority of prayer is that it can be offered everywhere and by every person.

What about sacrifice in modern society?  We love what we are willing to make sacrifices for.  This is true in many aspects of life. A happily married couple is constantly making sacrifices for one another. Parents make huge sacrifices for their children. People are drawn to a calling – to heal the sick, or care for the poor, or fight for justice for the weak against the strong – often sacrificing remunerative careers for the sake of their ideals. In strong communities, people make sacrifices for one another when someone is in distress or needs help. Sacrifice is the superglue of relationships. It bonds us to one another.

That is why, in the biblical age, sacrifices were so important – not as they were in other faiths but precisely because at the beating heart of Judaism is love. In other faiths, the driving motive behind sacrifice was fear: fear of the anger and power of the gods.  In Judaism, it was love

Lose the concept of sacrifice within a society, and sooner or later marriage falters, parenthood declines, and society slowly ages and dies.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks notes that the Jews have not abandoned the past. We still refer constantly to the sacrifices in prayers. But Jews did not cling to the past. Nor did they take refuge in irrationality. Rebecca Costa, in writing about civilizations that did not survive, said:  “What is remarkable about the Jews and Judaism is that they did not focus obsessively on sacrifices, like the failed civilization of the Mayans. Instead they focused on finding substitutes for sacrifice. One was acts of kindness They thought through the future and created institutions like the synagogue, a house of study, that could be built anywhere and sustain Jewish identity even in the most adverse conditions.

Rabbi Sacks Concludes:  Surely there is a lesson for the Jewish people today: plan generations ahead. Contemplate worst-case scenarios. What saved the Jewish people was their ability, despite their deep and abiding faith, never to let go of rational thought, and despite their loyalty to the past, to keep planning for the future

A couple of weeks ago, a box came to our door. A very large box. I mean really, the box was taller than me! Lucy, it seems, has outgrown her overnight “pack and play,” and she will be visiting soon. The large box contained her new crib. And not only a crib mind you, but when the time comes, it converts to a small bed.

Assembly required. Uh-oh.

Now in fairness, Nancy offered to hire someone to put this together, but no – I told Nancy this was something I should be able to do. And so that very night, I unpacked this large piece of furniture and looked at all the parts. One word came to mind: OY! Of course, it came with a set of instructions and diagrams. The barrel bolt goes here, be sure to put the hex nuts around each screw, part A slides over part B, etc. And heaven help me if one step is done incorrectly, as I found out the hard way.

I can read the minds of our newest grandparents in the shul – yes, Mike and Rachelle, when the time comes, I will gladly help you assemble a similar overnight dwelling for Henry.

I got to sleep later than usual that night, and awoke much earlier than I expected, with soreness in muscles I never even knew I had, but with a revelation – I had an idea for my D’var! Having read today’s parashah with dismay – and wait until the rest of you who have D’vars following mine in Leviticus – I was now on my way.

You see, the instruction manual for the crib needed to be followed exactly if the job was to be done right. And what is our parashah? A very long instruction manual about ritual sacrifices.

Here’s part, somewhat shortened and clarified, of a portion of today’s parashah:

“And if his offering is a goat, he shall lay his hand upon its head. It shall be slaughtered before the Tent of Meeting; its blood shall be be dashed against all sides of the altar. He shall present the fat that covers the entrails; the two kidneys and the fat that is on them; and the protuberance on the liver, which he shall remove . . . had enough?

OY . . . So there it is. An instruction manual by any other name.

And it doesn’t get much better. In coming weeks, we’ll read about skin diseases, mold in the home and, well, you get the picture. All of this seems quite alien to us. But we can’t do without it. It was our ancestors’ early attempt to find Gd and to walk in Gd’s ways. So let’s go on an abbreviated and selective journey across several millennia and discover what has become of the manual we find in today’s parashah.

A couple of millennia after Leviticus was written, along came Isaiah. First chapter!

“What need have I of all your sacrifices?” says the Lord

“I am sated with burnt offerings of rams

I have no delight in lambs and he-goats

You come to appear before me – who asked that of you?

Bringing offerings is futile!

incense is offensive to me

Your new moons and fixed seasons fill me with loathing

They are a burden to me. I cannot endure them

And when you lift up your hands, I will turn my eyes away from you.”

Whoa! I guess there should be no Judaic instruction manual for Isaiah.

Perhaps a century or two after Isaiah wrote his words, the first Temple was destroyed. The Temple was replaced by synagogues. Sacrifice was replaced by prayer. Centuries later, the Talmud was compiled. In the first chapter of Mishna Brachot, the questions are not about sacrifice but rather, it is asked: “From what time can the evening Shema be recited?” Certainly far removed from finding a protuberance on the liver!

The debate rages in the Talmud about this prayer and that ritual, until Rabbi Eliezer denounces the whole exercise: “When prayer is fixed – made routine – it is no longer genuine prayer,” he says. Prayer that becomes fixed and statutory, with no feeling is like the instruction manual for the crib. Like just another technical manual that we can get online. Isaiah would have been proud of Eliezer.

Those ways – those ritual sacrifices – have now been replaced by other rituals. Long ago, we became more comfortable around a holiday table than around an altar of sacrifice. Our davening, our prayers are now the ways many people draw closer to the Divine. The text might be challenging, but there are lessons hidden within, and it’s up to us to find them.

From Leviticus to Isaiah, to the Mishna, to Abraham Joshua Heschel.

In his book, “Gd in Search of Man,” here are a few of Heschel’s quotes: “It is a distortion to reduce Judaism to a cult or a stream of ceremonies.” And this: “No religious act is properly fulfilled unless it is done with a willing heart and a craving soul.” No other area of observance required such strict adherence to formalities as the ritual at the Temple in Jerusalem. But he also writes, “Gd asks for the heart, not only for deeds; for insight, not only for obedience, for understanding, not only for acceptance.” Quite a change, over millennia, from Leviticus.

If we looked at old papers we wrote in our youth, we would probably cringe a bit, just as we cringe when reading Leviticus. But that very act of cringing when reading papers from our youth shows that we’ve grown, and cringing when we read some sections of Leviticus shows that we’ve grown as a people. After the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed and the Jewish people was dispersed, synagogue services replaced the sacrificial rites that we read about still. Our current day rabbis are in many ways, derived from the priests of the Bible. Modern-day Judaism began with what we will read this week. May we always remember our roots – personal and religious.

And by the way, by late that evening, the crib was fully assembled.

This parsha closes the book of Exodus, Shemot- meaning “words”.  It is the last of 5 parshiot that all depict the construction of the Mishkan.  Pekudei literally means “accounts”.  Accounts can be audits or can mean taking “account” of what we have, and what we need to complete… you fill in the blank.  The Book of Shemot has been an account of the Exodus from Egypt and a preparation for what it will take to enter the Promised Land.

In order to prepare for entering the Promised Land, Moshe has acted as G-d’s agent to direct us in what we had to collect, and how we had to assemble the Mishkan, so that G-d could dwell “amongst us”.  An obvious metaphor for the Mishkan is our own individual selves, our Souls, what we had, and what we needed to construct or rather to “reconstruct” ourselves in order to create a “Holy space” within ourselves, where G-d could dwell.  Hence, the great importance of us needing a detailed repetition in 5 parshiot, an accounting, of how to build a proper Mishkan to hold the Ark of the Covenant- that which represents our collective Souls’ connection to the Almighty.

When we carefully build the Mishkan- when we carefully build or rebuild ourselves- we become “Miracles of Faith”- human incarnations of the Ark of the Covenant.  Just as on the tablets of the Ark, we have the opportunity to write upon our own Souls, the Ten Commandments… and more!

When we carefully, lovingly, and with attention to detail construct or reconstruct ourselves, the process of this construction helps us to recognize and correct our spiritual and communal flaws.  It is my firm belief, that what matters most to the Almighty, is not the final product, but rather what we go through, and how we grow in this process of carefully constructing or reconstructing ourselves, and our Souls.  Indeed, in the process of taking an account of how we have built ourselves as a Mishkan, we collectively become “Miracles of Faith”.

Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat Shalom.

This D’var Torah is dedicated to Rabbi Yitsi Hurwitz who celebrates life daily. Read about “Rabbi Yitsi” at Aish.com.

In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Moses gathers the nation of Israel and lists the various materials that they can contribute to the Tabernacle, G‑d’s home on earth.

“Take from yourselves an offering for the L-rd; every generous hearted person shall bring gold, silver, or copper…”

The Rebbe explains that each of these materials represent a different persona in the nation. Gold represents the purity of the tzaddik, the fully righteous individual. Silver represents the baal teshuvah, the returnee.  And, Copper, the least expensive of metals, represents the sinner.

We might have thought that only a tzaddik who is removed from the enticements and ensnarement of this world has the ability of transforming it into something holy. Or, we might believe that only a baal teshuvah, who intimately knows the negativity of this world, can transform its lowliness into loftiness. But the Torah teaches us that even the sinner must be included in this endeavor, and contribute his share.

No matter our spiritual standing, no matter our intellectual abilities or our emotional intelligence, we were all handcrafted by our Creator to make our world a home for G d.

What matters in life is not who you are, or to which gender you belong, but what you can contribute to the common cause. If you have a specialized skill, then utilize your ability to bring beauty and greatness to the world.

Building the mishkan was the most holy and intricate task that the Jews were assigned during their sojourn in the desert. Nonetheless, every Friday night all work on this magnificent edifice would come to a grinding halt

AT their first stop in the wilderness, the Jews rested at the foot of Mt. Sinai, where they received the Torah and all its teachings. According to Midrash Sh’mot Rabbah, “when God gave the Torah to Israel, they became exempt from the sway of the Angel of Death… For as soon as Israel accepted the Torah, God adorned them with His own glorious splendor. Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai said: God gave them weapons on which was engraved the Ineffable Name of God, and as long as this sword was in their possession, the Angel of Death could exercise no power over them.”

But then, according to the Midrash, and with fear of the unknown by their side, they sinned when they built the Golden Calf: Thereafter God deprived them of all good things. With their rebellion against God, the Israelites once again fell under the sway of death.

Even without taking this story as the absolute truth, as though it were conveying a piece of history, it is possible to understand it as speaking metaphorically about an insight of great worth: we live eternally to the extent that we can tap into something eternal, something that connects our most distant ancestors, ourselves, and our most distant descendants.

Judaism is that eternal something.  In the stirring words of Rabbi Jacob Kohn (a 20th Century US Rabbi), a life of Torah provides “the unbroken faith that links generations, one to another.”

When we study the words of the sages, read the eloquent words of our Prophets, or chant the words of the Torah, we link ourselves to their lives.  In the words of the Mishnah, “their lips move from the grave.”  We grant them posthumous (pas’-che-mous) life through our study.  And we connect ourselves to those of our descendants who will also pour their souls into those same insights.

When we translate the mitzvot from objects of study into living realities, we link ourselves to an aspect of kedushah (holiness) that stretches throughout, and above time.  Observing the mitzvot allows us to soar and transcend time, to enter the realm of the sacred and the timeless.

And, finally, when we study our sacred writings, make the mitzvot the cornerstone of our lives, and let the values of Judaism shine through our deeds, we make of our souls tabernacles in which God can dwell.  By placing ourselves in the Eternal One’s line of vision, we join the parade of Profits and sages who live eternally in God’s eternity.

The truth is, in some significant ways, the Torah still conveys eternal life.  In values that pass from one generation to another, in deeds that transform our communities and the world, and – most precious of all – in making ourselves fit to be cherished by God – we live on as members of Beit Yisrael, the Household of Israel.

In preparing this D’var Torah, I would be remiss if I did not mention the scholars who helped me along the way.

Chana Weisberg is the editor of TheJewishWoman.org.

Then there is Rabbi Elisha Greenbaum, and of course…

Rabbi Bradley Artson

Shabbat Shalom!

Before the start of 2019 Alan asked a number of us if we’d volunteer to develop and present a D’var Torah. Little did I know that the date I agreed to, February 23^rd – today, would bring us Parashat Ki Tissa.  We’ve been here before. I had the distinct pleasure to learn and speak about this parasha in 2017. It’s been quite a while and yet it seems as if I haven’t moved very far.

Then I learned that this parasha is considered the longest of the weekly Torah portions found in the book of Exodus (although not the longest in the Torah). It is a popular piece read a number of times throughout the year.

• It is read it on the 21st Sabbat after Simchat Torah, in the month of Adar (in leap years – this is during Adar 1)
• The first part of the parasha, Exodus 30:11–16,regarding the half-shekel head tax, is the maftir Torah reading on the ‘Shabbat Shekalim’ (this year on March 2^nd)
• Those portions of the parasha addressing the intercession of Mosesand G-d’s mercy are read on the fast days of Tevet, the Fast of Esther, the Seventeenth of Tammuz, Tzom Gedaliah, and for Mincha on Tisha B’Av.
• Another part, the one that addresses the Shalosh Regalim (Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot), is read as the initial Torah reading on the third day (Chol HaMoed) of Pesach.
• Lastly we read a large selection from this parasha as the initial Torah reading on the Sabbath that falls an intermediate day of Passover or Sukkot.

Ki Tissa is a deceptive parasha. It begins quietly and then brings up one of the most gripping stories in the Torah. The parasha opens with the taking of a census and the collection of a head tax to fund the creation of objects for the Cohanim and the Tabernacle.

Next the drama begins to build. Hashem reveals himself to all at Mount Sinai and instructs the people in the 10 commandments. Moses, their leader since before the exodus from Egypt, leaves them to ascend the mountain to study and receive two tablets engraved with the 10 commandments. He tells the people he will be gone for a period of 40 days.

It is surmised that during this doubt, restlessness, and fear began to creep into people’s thoughts. Remember that a bare 6 weeks earlier they were slaves in under the rule of Pharaoh. Unrest takes over the camp and the actions that follow have long range consequences for those that came out of Egypt.

The people, confused and panicking without the leadership of Moses, in a moment of high drama make a Golden Calf and dance before it. They idolize it.

Hashem threatens to destroy them and Moses must intercede.

Coming down the mountain and facing the people, Moses smashes the tablets, the symbol of the covenant. He grinds the calf to dust, mixes it with water, and makes the Israelites drink it. He tells the Levites to punish the wrongdoers.

Moses prays for mercy for the people. He climbs the mountain once again and tries to re-establish the shattered relationship between God and the people. God accepts Moses’ request and tells him to carve two new tablets of stone.

The people were afraid. Had he died? Where was he? Without Moses they felt bereft. He was their point of contact with God. He performed the miracles, divided the Sea, gave them water to drink and food to eat. They didn’t know what to believe and they didn’t know who to trust. They lacked faith.

Now the ideas of belief, faith, and trust were ones that spoke to me as I re-read Ki Tissa.

Here as from the very beginning of our history as a people – belief and trust in the unseen and unknown forms the center of our religion and our lives. It asks us to accept the idea that someone / something larger than us cares about us.

Belief is simple acceptance that a proposition is true, without regard to reason(s) – any reasons could be good, faulty or completely non-existent. Trust is acceptance of a proposition primarily for a social/moral reason rather than an epistemological (evidence-based) reason.

Belief is a product of the mind, while faith is not.

Faith is a product of the spirit.

To have faith in the worst of times will no doubt require us to silence, or at least quiet, the mind.

Trust is inherently different than faith, because trust is something that you build day after day. Faith, on the contrary, is something which is meant to materialize out of thin air; with the only requirement being that you are a little too optimistic / naive

Faith is something we possess. Trust is something we do.

Ki Tissa tells us that Moses with Hashem is hard at work grappling with very long and precise directives, but the Israelites have no idea what’s going on. Instead, they are down in the desert with no leader, no permanent home, and no sense of what they should be doing or of what’s next.

As humans we are built to seek tangible connections. The tabernacle, the tablets, and the rituals were designed to be their anchors.

We crave regular and real reminders of abstract ideas — hopefully inspiring ones.

STONED ON TETZAVEHI just get back from Disney World and I find an email from Alan. Will I give a Dvar on February 16^th? Sure! Why bother checking what I’m getting myself into. Tetzaveh? Isn’t that the Parsha that describes the priestly garments? How will I ever turn this into a good Dvar? After minutes of intense concentration (maybe I should have given the matter a little more thought), I decide that the best approach is to ask myself some questions about the Parsha and then research to find the answers. Here’s the questions that I developed: (1) What stones are on the priestly breastplate, (2) Why these stones, (3) Why 12 stones? Since all of my questions involve stones, I decided to title my Dvar “Stoned on Tetzaveh”.

The Priests, starting with Aaron and his four sons, were required to wear special garments. These garments are described in detail in this week’s Parsha.  The names of Aaron’s four sons, if you’re curious, are Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar.  Rather than describing all the garments of the High Priest and Ordinary Priests, I am going to limit my discussion to those items that pertain to my three questions. The High Priest wore on his shoulders two gold settings. Gold chains extended from the settings to gold hooks in rings that were on a breastplate. This allowed for the breastplate to be affixed to the ephod, an apron which he wore. The breastplate, or Choshen Mishpat (breastplate of judgment), was square and was worn over the heart. It is on this breastplate that the 12 stones were set.

So, what were the 12 stones? Although the stones are named, their true identity remains a mystery. The terms used to name the stones are very difficult to translate. The end result is that over thirty opinions have been rendered by Biblical scholars regarding the identity of the stones. What is known is that the color of each stone corresponded with the color of the banners carried by the tribes during the journey  through the wilderness. Based upon this information, a list that often appears for the 12 stones is as follows:  Reuven-ruby (red), Shimon-jade (green), Levi-agate (red, white and black striped), Judah-emerald (bluish-green), Issachar-lapis-lazuli (deep blue), Zebulun-quartz (clear), Dan-turquoise (blue),  Naftali-amethyst (purple), Gad-agate (grey), Asher-aquamarine (blue-green), Joseph-onyx (black) and  Benjamin-opal (a play of all colors).  The first two questions have now been addressed. A reasonable list of the 12 stones has been put together based upon the color of the tribes’ banners. Therefore, it is nowappropriate to proceed to the last question.

Why 12 stones? The simple answer is that the 12 stones represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The High Priest wore this reminder of the tribes on his breastplate over his heart so that he could be mindful of them when he came before G-d. The order of the tribes on the breastplate, however, is also a subject of controversy. It is known that the stones were place on the breastplate in four rows of three stones each. The name of a tribe was engraved on its corresponding stone. In which order were the stones/tribes placed on the breastplate? One school of thought is that the tribes were listed in the order of the birth of the sons of Jacob. Thus, the engraved stones of Reuven, Shimon and Levi would appear in the first row in that order concluding with Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin in the last row. A differing opinion places the stones/tribes according to the Matriarchs who bore them. First came the six sons of Leah followed by the two sons of Bilhah, two sons of Zilpah and two sons of Rachel. Using this approach Reuven, Shimon and Levi would be in row 1 ending with Asher, Joseph and Benjamin in row 4. A third approach places the tribes on the breastplate in the order that they marched in the wilderness. That’s part of the beauty of Judaism. Two people—three opinions.

How can I conclude this talk with only three questions? Don’t we typically ask four questions? So, here is my fourth question. Frankly, I don’t have an answer. If the 12 stones are supposed to remind the High Priest of the 12 tribes, then why were the 12 sons of Jacob engraved on the 12 stones rather than the actual 12 tribes? I’ll leave that question for you to research.

In parshat Terumah, Moses is given detailed instructions on how to construct this dwelling for God. The instructions address the need for the mishkan to be dismantled and portable, all in preparation for the journey across the desert. The instructions are VERY detailed, even to the specific dimensions. Is this whole parsha a blueprint? Yes, basically it is. BUT…

You could consider this as a recipe… perhaps a layered cake, filled with something yummy and then iced on top.

FIRST gather the ingredients (Aliyah 1):

The people of Israel are called upon to contribute specific materials—gold, silver and copper; blue-, purple- and red-dyed wool; flax, goat hair, animal skins, wood, olive oil, spices and gems.

God says to Moses, “They shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I shall dwell amidst them.”

SECOND make the icing: Aliyah 2 describes the cover for the Ark which would hold the tablets.

The Ark, made of acacia wood, was to be covered with a slab of pure gold. Rings were to be attached to the corners of the Ark to facilitate the portability.

NEXT make the batter: Aliyot 3 and 4 describe the construction of the inside (sanctuary) of the mishkan.

The covering of the Sanctuary was to consist of several layers of tapestries. The first layer was to be a woven mixture of dyed wools and linen. The second layer was to be made of goat’s hair. These two oversized coverings also covered the outsides of the Tabernacle’s walls. The very top of the Tabernacle was then to be further covered by skins.

The Sanctuary’s three walls were fitted together from 48 upright wooden boards, each of which was overlaid with gold and held up by a pair of silver foundation sockets. The roof was formed of three layers of coverings…

THEN prepare the filling (Aliyah 5): Aliyah 5 describes building the inner sanctuary

The inner sanctuary was to consist of two sections: the innermost chamber was the Holy of Holies, wherein the Ark was to be placed; and the outer chamber was the Holy Chamber, which housed the Menorah and the Table. The two chambers were separated by a curtain which was to be woven of the dyed wools and linen.

LAST prepare the platter and presentation (Aliyot 6 and 7):

(6) God gave instructions for the construction of the Outdoor Altar. This altar was to be made of copper-plated acacia wood, and it was to have four “horns,” vertical projections, protruding from its uppermost corners. The altar, too, was equipped with rings and transportation poles.

(7) The Tabernacle courtyard design was also very specific with regard to size and orientation (entrance to the east, of course) and the entrance should be covered with a curtain made from the dyed wools and linen.

So… why did I include “the importance of thirteen” in the title of this dvar ? What does thirteen have to do with parshat Terumah?

If you recall, in Aliyah 1 When the people of Israel are called upon to contribute materials for the construction, they were told to bring thirteen specific materials – the gold, silver and copper; blue-, purple- and red-dyed wool; flax, goat hair, animal skins, wood, olive oil, spices and gems.

It caught my eye that there were 13 items (ingredients, if you will) … and you know, in Judaism, numbers must mean something. So, I started looking around for other mentions of Thirteen and I learned some fun things I wanted to share.

Let’s start with 2 obvious mentions of thirteen:

• Age of Bar Mitzvah when a boy officially ‘counts’ as a member of the Jewish people
• Thirteen Attributes of God

A little more digging and I found:

• Abraham entered into 13 covenants with God through the commandment of Brit Milah, the covenant of ritual circumcision that God gave him.
  • This is derived from the fact that the word brit, covenant, is repeated 13 times in the passages in which God commands Abraham to perform circumcision on himself and his children. Lech-Lecha (Genesis 17:1-21)
• In Gematria (Jewish numerology), both the words ahavah (love) and echad (one) equal 13.

Let’s explore that one a little more…

The gematria of echad – אחד is thirteen:
Aleph = 1, Chet = 8 and Daled = 4

The gematria of ahavah – אהבה is thirteen:
Aleph = 1, Hey = 5, Vet = 2, Hey = 5

Let’s go one more step and consider the Shema

Shema Yisrael. Adonoy Elohenu. Adonoy Echad.

If God is One (Adonoy = Echad = 13, and Ahavah = 13), then by the transitive property God is Love 😊

And as the Israelites built the mishkan to have God dwell with them, then God and Love dwells with each of us as well.

Shabbat Shalom

Sources and Inspiration:

https://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=226

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/630275/jewish/Aliyah-Summary.htm

I am fortunate to give this D’var since it is usually delivered by Joel or Iris as they sit on the board of the Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association.  I’d like it if Joel would say a few words at the end of the D’var about DHFLA.

How is a moral and just society built?  One can look to the commandments/laws outlined in this weeks parasha – Mishpatim.

Last week we received the 10 Commandments – this week we receive an additional 53 ‘Covenant Collection Laws’. Like the laws we learn about today in Mishpatim such as  the- Laws of Slaves, Laws of Manslaughter, kidnapping, injuring a parent, personal damages, forbidden magic, idolatry, holidays,  the laws of stray animals and violent animals and the laws of lending money.

In fact – Exodus 22:24 states:  ‘If (or really WHEN) you lend money to my people, to the poor among you,  do not act towards them as a creditor and you may not charge them interest.’

How many times have ‘WE’ been able to borrow money without interest to purchase a car, property or say  education? OR how many times have we been told by the Secretary of Commerce through the Executive Branch that banks or other lending institutions (different from the Hebrew Free Loan Association) can loan us money (with interest) if we are furloughed Federal workers?  Oops – let’s get back to the D’var –

Essentially, law and guidance from Torah about lending to THOSE IN NEED is that the loan is not to benefit the lender by receiving interest on the outstanding loan. The loan should benefit the indigent – the person in need.

However, what about when we or someone we may know of was in a compromised position (like no job or furloughed, lack of savings, living paycheck to paycheck).  How did that situation feel to you or to them? What action did this cause us to take or did it? Can any of us imagine what it would be like to not have a source of income and live under alternate circumstances?   If not you are welcomed to join me in Homeless volunteer work – truly a real ‘wake up’  experience and is surely one that will humble.

Let’s be clear here -G-d did not say – hey – ignore the crying baby or throw obstacles in the way of the disabled/blind. Nope-it was more about showing compassion for those who do not have the resources to support a balanced life.

A person in financial need really can be anyone among us.  In fact it’s not about ‘THEM’ (the POOR) and us because as the Torah points out we are us and we were made in “b’tzelem elokim” – the image of G-d.

So why might someone put ‘blinders on’ or ignore or disregard someone who is seeking help?

Essentially, we as Jews are to recognize those less fortunate than ourselves because we were once an oppressed and poor people.   People who need help are not separate from us – THEY ARE US.  For another real example – visit Parkland Hospital and speak with the medical personnel who work in the mental health extended observation unit or visit the County jail and tour the floors in the jail that ‘house’ mentally ill individuals unable to post bond and essentially have no-where to go and usually no one that will have them except the Texas State Hospitals IF beds are available and IF these individuals ‘qualify’ for a bed.

Again- WE are not ‘better’ than the oppressed and poor because we were once oppressed and poor.  In fact this is pointed out twice in Mishpatim.  G-d wants us to REMEMBER WHERE WE CAME FROM.

In My Jewish Learning, Rabbi Jill Jacobs points out that those of us who do not live in dire poverty often protect ourselves from any sense of vulnerability by finding ways to differentiate ourselves from the poor: ‘THEY’ must be poor because ‘THEY’ don’t work hard, because ‘THEY’ drink or self medicate or take drugs to cope with ‘THEIR’ illness, or because ‘THEY’ come from dysfunctional families, or because ‘THEY’ live paycheck to paycheck and so forth. Seeing each poor person as our sibling cuts through any attempts to separate ourselves from him or her

Rabbi Jacobs also points out that like the concept of achikha (or brotherhood), this demand forces us to see each poor person as an individual human being worthy of dignity and respect. Rather than the view of a poor person as an anonymous and undeserving vulnerable individual, we are asked to regard this person as a child of “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Like us, this person, though imperfect, is deserving of what talmudic Rabbis call z’chut avot (the merit of the ancestors), the ancestral connection that guarantees God’s mercy.

Further – Rabbi Jacobs points out that perhaps we should consider the care of the poor as a means of building a stronger community as a whole. In the most utilitarian formulation of this idea, perhaps contributing to the education of the poor to help guarantee a better educated and therefore more productive society; that perhaps helping the poor to buy property increases the number of homeowners in a given place and therefore may raise the value of all housing stock; or that job training and small business loans for those who are less fortunate might increase the economic viability of an entire community.  By the way – some of these ideas have been funded by the Hebrew Free Loan Association.

Look I’m not saying we need to sacrifice everything for those in ‘dire straights’.  There are examples of people who have found themselves in less fortunate circumstances and have had or found the resources to come out better than they were – like people with Dyslexia such as Danny Glover, Nolan Ryan, Alyssa Milano, Pete Rose. Or those who have dropped out of school to take care of family before getting on solid ground like Benjamin Franklin (dropped out of school at age 10) or Jim Carey who dropped out of school at age 15 and lived in a car with his dad – an unemployed musician.

Back to our D’var and the idea of charging no interest to the poor. This also speaks to the larger idea of what one might refer to as the ‘Community of Humanity’ that we all are a part of – so ‘taking care of people in need’ is something everyone can do.  Examples of how we can make a difference to those in need might be like donating to the Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association, or giving our time to Meals on Wheels through the Jewish Family Service when Melissa Steiner asks if anyone is available to fill in or if we get a call from the Jewish Federation to contribute our time or money or both for causes that are within or outside of our Jewish Community.

The Torah explains that helping others is a requirement – a necessary Mitzvot .  Let us all remember Exodus 23:9 (often annually on Passover if not daily) G-d stated:  “Do not oppress a stranger; you yourselves know how it feels to be a stranger