Rabbi Lord Johathan Sacks says that “the Korach rebellion was the single most dangerous challenge to Moses’ leadership during the forty years that he led the people through the wilderness. The precise outline of events is difficult to follow, probably because the events themselves were tumultuous and disorderly. The narrative makes it clear that the rebels came from different groups, each of whom had different expectations, and reasons for resentment.”

And, the Chofetz Chaim teaches that “some people can become so entrenched in a dispute that they prefer to endure great suffering over ‘losing’ the argument.”

We live in an age that is afraid of compassion. During election season, our politicians compete with each other to demonstrate who is tougher, more hard-nosed, and less willing to make exceptions because of extenuating circumstances.

In race after race, politicians declare that they are more willing to sentence convicts to death, to stand tough against foreign enemies, and to battle assertively to get their way. In our personal lives as well, we admire firmness, decisiveness and strength. We reward those postures of power and firmness whenever we can. The last epithet a politician would want associated with his or her own name is “compassionate.” No one wants to be a wimp.

How striking, then, that ‘compassionate’ is one of the names Jewish tradition applies to the supreme leader, to God.

God of compassion and mercy — seems a remnant
of an earlier time: a kinder, gentler somewhere else.

Today’s Torah portion reveals Moses has a troubling experience in front of him. Faced with the most threatening rebellion of his entire leadership, we expect Moses to react the way most powerful men would respond toward an insubordination. We expect hardness, perhaps even ruthlessness, as Moses reasserts his control over a dangerous revolt.

We also know from elsewhere in the Torah, that Moses is a man of tremendous energy and force. This is certainly an instance where we might expect him to lash out. Instead, Moses expresses repeated concern for the rebels themselves. Rather than punishing them immediately, he engages in a series of maneuvers to postpone the inevitable clash, hoping all the while that Korach and his followers will back down.

Instead of calling upon God immediately, Moses first summons two of the leaders of the revolt, Datan and Aviram, hoping that their yielding to his leadership would demonstrate a willingness to renew their loyalty to Moses, and to God. When they refuse to come, Moses again postpones the public contest, saying only that – come morning, the Lord will make known who is going to continue to lead our people through the Dessert.

The Torah records that when first dealing with the rebels, Moses “fell upon his face.” Rashi understands this to mean that he was dismayed that they would yet again rebel against God. Three times, Moses intervenes with God to overlook the rebellions; but, now, at the rebellion of Korach, his thinking may well have been – how long can I impose upon God?  Perhaps he will no longer accept advocacy from me?

A Midrash of Rashi illustrates a powerful mode of leadership not often accepted by our contemporaries. Rather than lash out, Moses demonstrates sufficient confidence in his own leadership to try to re-establish a connection with his enemies. Rather than simply use force to impose his will, Moses makes the effort to persuade, to discuss, to negotiate.

In our own time, when men are praised for their ability to impose their will, to “get things done,” the compassionate efforts of Moses can encourage us to examine a higher level of interpersonal accommodation and understanding.

Power need not only be the ability to use force, or the might to impose will. Perhaps the ultimate power, as our Rabbis understood so well, was the ability to control our own inner drives, to hold them in check, and to occasionally rise above them.

In the world of international politics, no less than in the world of friendship, family and love, taking the time to discuss, to explain and to educate can produce results whose depth and degree can far surpass a begrudging acquiescence to force.

The Chofetz Chaim tells us that the dispute of Korach against Moses was the only one in history in which one side was totally in the wrong and one side was completely in the right. He said…

“I’m also struck by the language the Torah uses to describe Korach and his followers “assemble against” Moses and Aaron. This was not a friendly conversation, a heart-to-heart discussion about the direction the Israelites were taking in their wilderness wandering, or a question about leadership style and priorities. This was rebellion! “

Thus far, the story of Korach is intensely realistic and even similar to politics in today’s WORLD. A leader is able to mobilize a people by articulating a vision. But the journey from the real to the ideal, from starting point to destination, is fraught with setbacks and disappointments. This is when leaders are in danger of being deposed or Assassinated. As in today’s world and in Korach’s some 3,600 years ago, Korach is the symbol of a recurrent type – the coldly calculating man of ambition who fuels discontent against the status-quo, who thinks that only he can make the world a better place, and in reality – he really wants is to become a tyrant himself.

Korach and his people suffered a “measure for measure” punishment because they had accused Moses – “the most humble of all men” – of being arrogant and self-important. And, since Moses was at ground level, God felt that their punishment must be below that! And, at that point, the Earth opened its mouth, which had been created at the dawn of creation, and sucked down Korach and his men from the midst of the people.

The question might be asked, did Korach get his just reward? Are there similar situations in the World today???

I would be remiss if I did not share the names of the scholars who helped me in preparing today’s D’var Torah…

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

The Chofetz Chaim

Rabbi Bradley Artson

Rashi

Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen

Shabbat Shalom, may it be peaceful, spiritual, and secure for all of us!

In this weeks parasha Shelach (which means to send, send to you, send for yourself)  God commands Moses to send 12 men (SPIES) – to check out the promised land before the Israelites enter the land.As explained in the parasha the results of this expedition were less than remarkable for at least 10 of the ‘SPIES’ – in fact one might say it was not only a lack of belief and inspired leadership, but also perhaps for our purposes here today,  a lack of faith.  The Torah explains that a plague kills 10 of the spies with the exception of Caleb and Joshua two of the twelve spies that had faith and perhaps a vision of what God had laid out before the Israelites. Ultimately as we are told in the Parasha – God selects Caleb to replace Moses to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land along with Joshua.

Because of the 10 spies transgressions when they described their fear and supposed risks they described which were associated with entering the promised land God commanded an entire generation of Israelites to wander for 40 years and all men who were 20 years and older would die in the desert  until the new Generation of men younger than 20 years of age were ready to enter the promised land.

There are many interpretations of why the spy activity was a failed project, the consequences of what failure meant to the spies and Israelites and what and why Moses said that God commanded the spies to do.  It was as if God was resetting or renewing expectations for the Israelites by assuring theirs would be a land flowing with milk and honey.  However this idea of a land flowing  may have been hard to conceive for the Israelites after so many centuries of mental and physical oppressive slavery.

It’s hard to imagine that 10 spies did not understand the ‘long game’ with purpose, cause or belief on their mission to evaluate the promised land.

For me this parasha has much to do with internal belief leading to confident, deliberate and strategic decision making related to the risk/reward of entering the Promised Land.

And where was Dwight Eisenhower to offer his insight? Eisenhower famously said,  “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable”  The Israelites never got to the planning stages. Sometimes simply asking a question amongst a group of people with the same purpose, cause or beliefs is all that one needs to start a positive movement.

Like – How can we make this land of milk and honey OUR society?

A society that is a safe and healthy, where our people will be treated not as slaves but instead with humanity, dignity and respect.  A society without petulant, autocratic and demigod rulers and instead with laws that are fairly administered to all.

Rather than having an inspired vision from God for creating a just and verdant society, one with social, economic, education and welfare based systems, 10 of the spies had a fearful vision of the risks associated with taking over the Canaanite land. Some of the spies stated that the Israelites were like grasshoppers next to the large overwhelming Canaanite community.Does anyone else see a paradox with 10 of the spies who were fearful of the Canaanite Nation  when the ‘WORD ON THE STREET’ was out that all nations should fear the Israelites – God’s people who were able to flee and out run the powerful nation of Egypt?

In the big picture the entire spy situation appears to be a test or validation of the Israelites fidelity to God. For IF the Israelites had truly believed that God could help them they would have trusted Gods request to check out the promised land in the first place.  Right?  You know the God who cast plagues upon Egypt and helped Moses negotiate the exit plan and ultimate emancipation from Egypt.

For me this parasha is about a lack of thoughtful and abject POSITIVE AND INSPIRED leadership. Also it’s about the negative beliefs of the 10 spies who ultimately influence the Israelites into believing that the risks of entering the promised land out-weighed the benefits.Would the risks of entering the Promised Land have been ameliorated had the spies beliefs, cause or purpose been bigger than the commandment that  they the spies were to ‘scout-out’ the land?

For example – perhaps God or Moses being the visionary he was could have framed an INSPIRED vision that this Promised Land is actually safe and would bring laughter, hope, health, happiness AND that this Israelite society was one they could create and develop by and for the Israelite Community, the Chosen People so the Community could continue to learn Torah, pray to one God, create an economy, raise families, livestock and crops,  build homes live in peace and expand the surviving generation of people who had been through so many life changing experiences in such a short  period of time.

OH Yes and by the way there is this community of Canaanites and we can figure out a strategy to extricate them since their beliefs are antithetical to ours.With a little inspired leadership would or could that vision have changed perspectives, attitudes, fear and uncertainty for the Israelites?

Caleb from the tribe of Judah  and Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim were the optimists who believed a story like or similar to this.

They had vision, belief, cause and purpose perhaps because they held personal beliefs and hope for future generations of Israelites and they remembered clearly what God had done for the Israelites by bringing the Chosen People out of oppression.

Perhaps Caleb and Joshua also believed that because the Israelite people successfully made it out of oppressive Egyptian captivity with the help of God and the leadership of Moses the Israelites could successfully move into the land they had been promised by God. Sure it would be risky though Caleb and Joshua must have found the faith, confidence and belief within themselves to know that it was possible.

The strength in their minds and hearts for God, for a better life that did not initially include wandering the desert. Caleb and Joshua  saw a glass that was not only half-full but perhaps they thought it was important to have a larger glass for a vast society inspired and envisioned by God for the Israelites. For Caleb and Joshua moving into the Promised Land was the best option for the Israelites.

Here are four take away’s to consider from today’s Parasha when it comes to making important decisions:

1) be vulnerable enough to share what is known and what is not known and ask WHY- for example – Why are we going into the promised land? Why is this important and why should anyone care?2) ask questions of ourselves and others like: How can we better care for ourselves and others in our community so we know where we are going and what our purpose, cause and beliefs are about?

3) listen closely and humbly to questions others ask  and listen carefully for  answers that make sense to our hearts and minds and are consistent with our personal values and beliefs

4) share knowledge to discover new questions/answers that will inspire us to move forward

A favorite TED Talk of mine is Simon Sinek’s How Great Leader’s Inspire Action. Sinek states that ‘Leaders hold positions of  power or authority. HOWEVER we all have a choice to seek out inspired leaders or organizations that cause us to follow not because we have to butbecause we want to.  We follow inspired leaders not for them – but for ourselves.

Parashah Naso has 176 verses and is the longest parashah in the torah.  One of its most moving passages, and the one that has had the greatest impact over the course of history, is very short and is known by almost every Jew.  It is the Priestly Blessing. This is among the oldest of all prayer texts.   It is in this Torah portion that God dictates the priestly blessing to Moses who is to teach it to Aaron and his sons, the kohanim. It is said today by the kohanim in the reader’s repetition of the Amida in Israel every day and in most of the diaspora only on festivals. It is used by parents as they bless their children on Friday night. It is often said to the bride and groom under the chuppah.

Traditionally, it is interpreted as a blessing for physical well-being and sustenance. These three blessings nourish our relationship with God and represent the arc of our spiritual climb. First, we serve God, then we know God, and finally we rise to the pinnacle of unification with God.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks notes that what gives these verses their power is their simplicity and beauty. They have a strong rhythmic structure. The lines contain three, five, and seven words respectively. In each, the second word is” the Lord”. In all three verses the first part refers to an activity on the part of God –” bless”,” make his face shine”, and” turn his face toward”. The second part describes the effect of the blessing on us, giving us protection, grace and peace.

One interpretation of the first verse is: May the Lord bless you with material wealth and protect you from losing that wealth, for material blessings are vulnerable to loss. Or another is may God protect you from being corrupted by attainment of material blessing. This is probably more relevant for many political leaders and some religious leaders who are falling prey to the increasing temptations and dangers of corruption in our society. It may also mean:  May God bless you according to your needs – blessing the student with intelligence, the businessman with business acumen.  Sforno notes that Jews need not be embarrassed to pray for material wealth, which can make a life of charity and study more attainable.  God’s blessings are as varied as our individual needs.

The second verse,” May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you,” refers to moral blessing. Grace is what we show to other people and they to us. It is interpersonal. Here we are asking God to give some of his grace to us and others so that we can live together without the strife and envy that can so easily poison relationships.

For the author of the Midrash, the second line of the blessing is a prayer for the light of wisdom and knowledge of Torah. Unlike wealth, they require no protection to prevent them from being stolen. The second half of the second blessing adds the words” may the divine presence deal graciously with you”. The attributes of graciousness and loving kindness and mercy are essential if we are to live moral lives. They will enable us to be more fully human; they help us care for of the underprivileged in our communities; they will help us relate to all human beings with a greater understanding and compassion.

The third blessing is the most inward of all the blessings.” May the Lord turn his face toward you.” There are 7 billion people on the face of the Earth. What makes us anything more than a face in the crowd? The fact that we are God’s children. He is our parent. He turns his face towards us. He cares.

The third blessing is looked at as the Lord’s compassion above and beyond what we deserve, as expressed by the forgiveness of sin and giving peace.

In English, peace connotes absence of war. It can also describe a state of tranquility. But the peace of God in the priestly blessing embraces even more aspects of life. It includes good health, security, inner harmony, wellness, material prosperity, and long life. But if we don’t have peace is hard to enjoy it all. This is a peace that is with us in good times and bad. The broad and rich meaning of peace in the priestly blessing reinforces the role of holiness in the life of Israel. It brings about both social and physical health.

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aharon interpreted the priestly blessings in an interesting way- like parenthood: “May God bless you and protect you”. God is taking care of us, above us, and we are below, like a parent taking care of a child.” May God cause His face to shine upon you, and may God be good to you.” Here, God is shining His face at you, from the same level as you. We have become equals with God. The parent and child are now peers. This verse makes me imagine seeing my children grown and standing, looking at them eye to eye, being independent people, debating with me.” May God lift up God’s face to you and grant you peace.” The directionality here is most clear. God is looking up to us, up at us, as an aging parent looks up to an adult child, admiring of everything our grown child has become, we hope. Yet the parent still has wisdom to impart.”

We matter as individuals because God cares for us as a parent for a child. That is one reason why the priestly blessings are all in the singular, to emphasize that God blesses us not only collectively but also individually.

As mentioned, clergy do not have sole title to the Birkat kohanim. Parents recite it when blessing their children at the Shabbat dinner table. Indeed, this may be the most spiritually gratifying utilization of these words. Kids today are not accustomed to being blessed by their parents. Hugs are in, as are high-fives. Blessings are something else. One sees a special impact of a blessing when parents introduce the brief ritual into their Shabbat home observance. We have seen it with our own grandchildren. The blessed children radiate a special glow that is assuredly a reflection of God’s presence.

This is precisely the intended effect of the priestly blessing. The Torah offers this explanation for why God commands the priest to pronounce it:” Thus they shall link my name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them”. In word and deed, and in bestowing an ancient blessing at important times in people’s lives, all of us can help make God’s presence felt in the world around us

The Jewish day is punctuated with the recital of a variety of blessings. The Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof said: “There truly is a blessing for everything.” These blessings serve a variety spiritual purposes to praise God as the source of all goodness, to ask permission to eat God’s food and say” thank you” and to bring God’s blessing into the world.

But what is a blessing? We can easily agree that it is a very positive thing, but when we try to pin down the concept of blessing to a definition, it suddenly seems surprisingly difficult.

Blessings are short statements that express gratitude for something. But a blessing is not merely to show gratitude. The purpose of the blessing is awareness.  A blessing is an expression of hope.

There are three main types of blessings. First, there are blessings we make over something we enjoy with our senses. The most common ones are blessings over food. We take a moment to pause and reflect on where this pleasant experience comes from and use it to channel Godliness into the world. The second kind of blessing is for Commandments. Jews consider the Torah to be the greatest gift of all, and the act of performing a mitzvah is an act of channeling divine energy into our mundane world. The third kind of blessing are blessings of experience. They are called” blessings of sight” or” of hearing,” but can also be designated as blessings of awe.  These are the blessings we recite when we see or hear something that reminds us of God’s presence in the world.

So, what does it mean to be a blessing? Hanan Schlesinger says it is when God blesses us and then we must pass blessings along. We ought never to hoard his blessings for ourselves. God gives life, and light, and sustenance and hope, and so must we give these blessings to others as well. Blessings are not meant to flow into us, but rather flow through us.

As the kohanim transmitted God’s blessings to the Israelites, we, too, must transmit God’s blessings to all people. To bless others is to serve as conduits of God’s blessing, God’s generosity, and God’s light. Blessing opens a channel for holiness to enrich the lives of both the blessers and the blessed.

How can you be a blessing? With a smile or a hug; by always thinking of giving, of helping, of lending a hand; by offering an invitation instead of waiting to receive one; by opening up to a stranger, by making someone feel at home; by teaching and helping others to learn; by offering insight and inspiration; by encouragement or kind word. It is not hard to find ways to be a blessing – you just have to constantly be aware of it.  May we all be constantly aware of it.

I received inspiration for this d’var from a podcast discussion between the host Jonathan Silver of the Tikvah Project and his guest, Rabbi Daniel Gordis of Shalem College in Israel. They discussed the growing divide between Israeli and American Jews. No longer do we live in an American society where support for Israel is automatic and where Israel can do no wrong. Not only are we as Jews attacked by far-right extremists, but we now experience the far-left who question Israeli policies especially in the area of the Occupied Territories. And this anti-Israel sentiment is now heard from our fellow Jews as well. Religious belief in America is diverse across a wide spectrum of beliefs, but Israelis are typically either Orthodox or Secular with a few who find themselves involved in the Mesorti or Conservative sect and the Reform sect.

I have given the dvar for Bamidbar for the last five years since it is my Bar Mitzvah parasha. This year, I went back and reread the parahsa with a different mindset. Bamidbar means, “In the Wilderness”, but in English this book is called Numbers. We completed the book of VaYikra last week and now transition to wandering in the desert where the revelation occurs. Tomorrow we celebrate Shavuot which celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai which begins the establishment of a formal book of law.

Verse 2 begins with G-d speaking to Moses, “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by the clans of its ancestral houses, listing the names, every male, head by head.  You and Aaron shall record them by their groups, from the age of twenty years up, all those in Israel who are able to bear arms.  Associated with you shall be a man from each tribe, each one the head of his ancestral house”.  This census begins the lineage of the Jewish people as 603,550 males over the age of 20 were counted.

The census, organized by tribe, establishes the numbers which defend the nation of Israel. The tribes flew their flags in the formation of the encampment. The count and the structure established a position of strength in hopes of avoiding war. Was there any premonition to the future that each of these tribes would spread the Jewish people to different parts of the world in the future? What would happen to the strength in numbers when there was no longer a single presence as one nation?  A common set of beliefs and morals were established to build the basis to form a nation based on the laws of the Torah. Would anything have changed knowing the state of modern day Judaism and the events leading up to present time over the past thousands of years?

The English Oxford Living Dictionary defines a religion as, “The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal G-d or gods.” A nation is defined as, “a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory.” So, where do we as Jews fit into these definitions? Most Americans think of Judaism as a religion first. The basis of our Jewish upbringing revolves around receiving a Hebrew School education, having a Bar Mitzvah, attending shul and building a social network of other Jews. In Israel, I believe people see themselves as a nation first and as a religion second. Those of us outside Israel do not inhabit a common land or speak Hebrew fluently.

Recently, in some heated Congressional politics here in the US, the allegiance to America over Israel was questioned. It is Jewish nature to feel a bond to Jews everywhere and especially to those Jews in Israel. But it cannot be disputed, that the vast majority of American Jews are patriotic to their home country. It is not just a yes or no or a right or wrong answer. As Jews, we owe our allegiance to both our home country and to our ultimate homeland, Israel. We as Jews have never been treated better in the history of the diaspora than we have been treated here in the US. Most people have created a successful and comfortable life. Let’s hope we never find ourselves forced into a position of having to give-up our dual loyalty.

The answer to the question – Are we a people or are we a religion is not so simple. The answer depends on where you live and the individual perspective you take. For those in the US we are part of a religion that has survived thousands of years in various locations because of our belief in a fundamental value system originating at Mt. Sinai. The argument can be made that we are a single people that have taken up residence in various host countries over the years and carried with us the same fundamental beliefs. But a people or a nation requires a common system of laws, a common culture, a common language and political structure to support everyday life. The only place that all these aspects exist today is in Israel. As American Jews, most do not understand and speak Hebrew, the language of the Jewish people.

Religion provides the underlying structure that governs the laws, the culture and the language that the state of Israel is built on. Just last week Benjamin Netanyahu was unable to form a government because of a single issue – the requirement from the opposition that all Israelis serve in the military no matter their religious beliefs. Will a three-year absence from formal study negatively impact a segment of society devoted to Torah study and the future of Judaism? I believe not. What happens to a nation formed on the foundation of religion if the Jewish people continue to exist, but the Jewish religion slowly fades away? Is it possible to have a Jewish People without Judaism?

Shabbat Shalom

There are so many topics that I could speak about today:

—Nancy and I recently took a trip to trip to Japan. The radically different culture of the Japanese could easily be woven into a D’var.

—My recent bicycle marathon to support the MS Society. Throughout that very long ride, I kept thinking, “There must be a D’var somewhere in here!” In fact, much of what I will discuss was “written” in my head during that ride.

—Today’s parashah. This will get a mention in just a moment.

Fitting for a bar mitzvah boy, I decided to discuss my own faith and my affirmation of that faith

First, since we’re here today to celebrate the 55th anniversary of my bar mitzvah, I would like to tell you about my most powerful bar mitzvah memory and the exact moment – yes, moment –  when I actually became a bar mitzvah. . . .

Today’s parashah provides a good launching pad for discussing why today I strongly affirm my Judaism. Perhaps the main feature of the parashah is a listing of Gd’s rewards and punishments that come about depending on whether or not one follows Gd’s commandments.

But . . . does Gd really act in the world in this way? To be honest, I don’t know. Maybe the rewards and punishments for certain types of behavior as described in the parashah were simply the best way to influence the Jewish people, much as one talks to a toddler. After all, at the time this was written, the Jewish people at that time were still in their “toddlerhood,” if you will. Are we really ultimately rewarded for acting morally and following the dictates set forth in the Torah? And punished if we do not? Can any of us really know for sure?  Not me.

Emet Ve’Emunah, the statement of beliefs of Conservative Judaism, published by the United Synagogue, JTS and the Rabbinical Assembly,  acknowledges that when we think about Gd, we are filled with perplexity, confusion, uncertainty and doubt. That’s what it says! And that describes me.

What I do have more certainty about is that people whose happiness and joy are pegged to material things are doomed to despair and frustration. But by internalizing the profound messages and lessons of the Torah and our Great Books we can get past this frustration and infuse our lives with purpose, experiencing a far more durable inner peace and happiness.

Well, what are some of those profound messages in our teachings?

—The sanctity of life

—The infinite worth of the individual

—Justice, Justice you will pursue

—Love your neighbor as yourself

I could go on and on.

I understand that it’s possible that we might be nothing more than a swirl of dust and there may be nothing beyond what humans can see and feel, but I live better – more fulfilled – when I do so with a sense of a larger purpose as dictated by these Judaic principles. In that sense, Judaism “works” for me. It provides me a sense of mission – a sense of purpose.

And here’s more: even if I was certain that I am indeed just a swirl of dust and there is nothing beyond – no ultimate reward or punishment – nothing – even with that certainty, I wouldn’t regret or change the things that bring richness and joy to my life. These include:

—my Shabbat mornings here at Kehillat Chaverim

—my faithful relationship with an “other” – Nancy

—The charitable giving Nancy and I do

—The message of the Passover sedar – to act as though I personally was a slave in Egypt, so as to remember the downtrodden.

So here’s the key point: to me: whether Gd in fact acts in the world doesn’t really matter in terms of how I live my ife.

See, even if my perceptions about Gd are filled with confusion, uncertainty, perplexity and doubt, these perceptions don’t apply to Judaism. On the contrary, And if it winds up that I was wrong, I would still not feel as though my life was spent in vain. Oh, I will perhaps wish that I could have enjoyed shrimp scampi or a BLT sandwich, but still, still, I would not have given up these Shabbat mornings here at the kehillah with friends, and I would not have regretted learning Torah to the extent I have, because those things have given me much joy and sense of purpose. So if all this Jewish and Gd stuff turns out to be a delusion, as delusions go, this is a good one. And in fact, it’s so good, that I believe it may really not be delusional at all.

Those profound, enduring lessons of Judaism that I mentioned earlier – equality, the infinite worth of the individual, the sanctity of life, the pursuit of justice . . . those lessons were radical in their time. Who had ever heard of equality and justice in the ancient world? And so even if they weren’t Divinely inspired – if they had come from a relative that was that prescient and wise, you might not adhere to all else that relative had to say, but you would sure listen!

Those lessons, and the miracle  – truly, the miracle – of Jewish continuity after all we as a people have been through, instill in me a strong belief that it is up to me and to other Jews to bear witness to these fundamental principles and to be Gd’s partner in the unfolding history of humankind. That’s why I do what I do and why I care so deeply about Jewish continuity. So whether I’m rewarded or punished, whether Gd acts in the world or doesn’t – none of that matters a bit to me.

On this, my bar mitzvah anniversary, I conclude with a paragraph from Jonathan Sacks’s “Letters in a Scroll.” This may sound familiar to some of you – I read it at our Pesach sedars each year.

“I am a Jew because, knowing the story of my people, I hear their call to write the next chapter. I did not come from nowhere; I have a past, and if any past commands anyone, this past commands me. I am a Jew because only if I remain a Jew will the story of a hundred generations live on in me. I continue their journey because, having come this far, I may not let it and them fail. I cannot be the missing letter in the scroll. I can give no simpler answer, nor do I know of a more profound one.”

Shabbat Shalom

Emor means ‘speak’ in Hebrew and the parsha is focused on continuing to speak or lay out the laws for man. If we were reading the whole Torah portion, in the first Aliyah we would read about the qualities and behaviors of a Kohen. In the second Aliyah, we would learn how body blemishes and deformities disqualify the Kohen from performing priestly duties. In the third Aliyah, this restriction is extended to disqualify blemished animals from sacrificial use; this Aliyah also restricts animal sacrifice before they are eight days old and introduces the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem (sanctifying God’s name). The fourth through sixth aliyot briefly mention Shabbat and then gives more specification of the obligations of Shabbat, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Shemini Atzeret.  The seventh Aliyah focuses on the more frequent activities of kindling the Menorah (in the Temple), and arranging twelve ’showbreads’ on the Mishkan Table every Shabbat; the Torah portion concludes with a few additional laws about blasphemy, murder, and injury to others.

As we are reading only in the third cycle, we will start with the fifth Aliyah. I’m not going to go into depth on each of the aliyot but I do have a few comments to share on some of them.

In the first and second aliyot, we learn about the Kohen’s obligation to maintain a high level of ritual purity.

• A kohen may not become ritually impure through contact with a dead body
  • I learned about this rule during the year that Ron and I lived in Israel. I was working at Hebrew University and was taking a ride with coworkers from the campus at Mount Scopus to the campus at Ein Kerem. As we entered the parking lot at Ein Kerem and decided where we would enter the hospital, one of the guys asked me if I was a Kohen. I answered no, but had to ask why he questioned it. He wanted to use the entrance shortcut near the morgue.
• A kohen with a physical deformity cannot serve in the Holy Temple.
  • This law makes me uncomfortable… if humans are created in the image of the Lord, why exclude someone with some kind of deformity? And why does a deformity make one unfit to serve the community?
  • This kind of exclusion feels particularly contrary to today’s morality and in my research on trying to understand this constraint the best I could find is that this is an example of a paradox within the Torah that is meant to spur conversation and debate.
  • Is this the start of a conversation on how to treat those who have physical or mental limitations? Is this simply a warning or guidance on how to have special respect for the life and care of those who maybe are not wholly capable of caring for themselves?
  • It is incumbent upon us to struggle to find meaning for these paradoxes in every generation and to puzzle over the applicability in our own time.

Near the end of the fourth aliya, after the instruction for counting the Omer and the introduction to Shavuot, there is the guidance on leaving something for the poor after harvesting.

When you reap the harvest of your Land, you shall not completely remove the corner of your field during your harvesting, and you shall not gather up the gleanings of your harvest.

Kedoshim literally means “(the) Holy ones.”  Usually, the title of the Parshah is the first, second or third word, but this time it is the 14^th word- or the 10^th word if one counts hyphenated word combinations as single words.  Is this merely a coincidence or is this intent since the Parshah begins with recounting the Ten Commandments?  Is this a statement that to become Holy, the Ten Commandments are sufficient or are they a required starting point or again merely a coincidence?

Hashem begins the Parshah commanding Moshe to speak to the entire congregation informing them that “You shall be Holy: for I the Lord your G-d am Holy.”  The Parshah continues to recount the next nine of the Ten Commandments before expanding the requirements of Holiness.

Ethical behavior is critical to starting a civil society.  But it is a minimal requirement from which it is too easy for some of us to occasionally “fall off the wagon” of consistent ethical behavior.  This is where striving for “Holiness” takes over.

Holiness occurs when we appreciate an emotional or higher dimension link with one another, something beyond simple ethical transactions regulated by local and state laws.  Holiness is an expansive term.  It exemplifies the potential for infinite love, infinite compassion, infinite forgiveness and recognition that we are all connected to one another.  Holiness can start with something as obvious and tangible as the Second Commandment- to Honor one’s Mother and one’s Father.  How appropriate as Mother’s Day approaches- tomorrow!

But Holiness is, as Holiness does.  Holiness is not an aloof concept, only achievable by priests and the like.  Holiness is beyond acceptance of ethical principles… it is how each of us carry on our daily, oft mundane, interactions with one another, recognizing the “Spark of Life” that unites us all.  It is that recognition of the spark of life that we see, feel and hear as we interact with one another that unites us as Human Beings, and gives meaning to our lives.  Holiness is when we give from our hearts:  food or money for the poor; compassion to the ill; and compassion to the bereaved.  Holiness is the power we sense when we connect with each other in such a way that we never want the sensation of connection to end, nor can we resist the need to pursue more and more of such fulfilling connections.  It is the actions we pursue, not out of seeking recompense but rather feeling the necessity for that which yields meaning to Life.

This Parshah brings a Hasidic tale to my mind.  There was a miserly man of the community named Yosele.  He would never give to any charity when asked, no matter how nicely he was asked.  By the way, I am simplifying and paraphrasing this poignant tale.  The community had obvious negative feelings toward Yosele.  There was… quite to the contrary, an anonymous donor who would deliver money in envelopes to the poor, every Friday morning with just enough money to pay the rent or to pay for food for the next week.  When Yosele died, with no family to be found, he was buried in a small corner of the cemetery with no fanfare.  When next Friday morning came, there were no envelopes at the doorway of the poor.  All the poor, then sought out the Rabbi to tell them of their plight.  The Rabbi then realized that Yosele was a “Holy Miser”, who upheld the highest levels of giving Zedakah.  That is, that he gave anonymously to all the poor of the community, each according to his need.  Yosele was then moved to a prominent part of the cemetery commensurate with the Holiness with which he lived his life, in anonymity.

This Hasidic tale always brings tears to my eyes and energizes my Heart.  Truly, “Holy is… as Holy does.”  Shabbat Shalom.

How do you like your Matzah? Butter? Cream cheese and jelly? As a matzah pizza or lasagna? Scrambled in eggs as Matzah brei? However you like it, breakfast, meal, snack or dessert, I am sure that by today, the eighth day, you are probably tired of being matzah-creative! Like me, you might be suffering from Matzah belly… That uncomfortable feeling you get when you know you’ve had too many matzah balls and or too much farfel-based granola.

So my question to you today is why are we still celebrating an eighth day of Passover in the diaspora? Why not end on the seventh like they do in Israel? Or as the reform or reconstructionists do here in the US? Is it cognitive dissonance that comes from the idea of changing strong-held family traditions? Would your grandparents be upset if you ended ‘early’?

This may be the fifth question we could ask at the Seder: how many days is Pesach?

The beauty of Passover it the traditions associated with the holiday and they are as varied as there are families. Most of us grew up with the Maxwell House or the Red / Yellow Hagaddahs that proliferated in the 60s and 70s. This year at our table, we shared passages from the Hogwarts Unoffical Hagaddah, the Mrs. Maisel Hagaddah along with several different editions of the Red/Yellow (copyright dates in the 1960s and 1990s).  We also had two different types of Haroseth, the traditional Ashkenazi one my mom makes, with apples, nuts and wine—just like my grandfather used to make. And we also have the Sephardic one with dried fruits made by a friend of the family.

Do you use green onions or celery for the greens we dip in the salt water? Do you still use bones to represent the Pascal lamb, or do you do as some of my vegetarian friends, who use a Pascal Yam?

My father, may he rest in peace, used to say that Pesach was his favorite holiday. Not all of the cooking that my mother did, not all the cleaning and moving of things around the house, but because it was a holiday centered around the home and family. He loved to hide the afikomen in places no one would ever dream of looking (including in his sock one year). He reveled in the fact that everyone had a responsibility and role to play in our family seder. We use food and dialogue, song and readings to make the seders truly ours. Like ours, I am sure that yours have evolved over time. We don’t read as much Hebrew, we don’t sing as many of the songs, be we continue to include the parts that have meaning.

Whether we are use traditions from our ancestors or creative interpretations to keep the next generation engaged (including stuff toy plagues), we constantly renew and revive our faith, ensuring it is as meaningful now as it was when we first started celebrating our Judaism, whenever that may have been. And what feels sacred and right to one of us may be totally foreign and new to another, yet there is room for everyone and every custom. Whether you ended Pesach last night or will do so tonight, I hope that this holiday celebration has brought meaning and joy to you and yours.

Shabbat Shalom.

So today is Shabbat Hagadol—The Great Shabbat. Guess I’m supposed to give a long Drash. Sorry to disappoint you, but that isn’t about to happen. Let’s start with some basics. What is Shabbat Hagadol and what makes it so great? It turns out that the first Shabbat Hagadol was actually observed in Egypt five days before the redemption of our ancestors from slavery. That Shabbat fell on the tenth of Nissan. A one- time commandment was given by G-d ordering each man to get a lamb and tie it to his bedpost. Huh? You heard me right. The lamb was to be sacrificed four days later as a Passover sacrifice. Thus, the creation of the Pascal lamb. The Egyptians instead of wondering what the crazy Jews were up to, instead were really steamed. It turns out that the lamb was an Egyptian deity. Amazingly, nothing bad happened to the Children of Israel as a result of the commandment. Everyone agreed that the lack of reprisal by the Egyptians must be a miracle. Therefore, the Shabbat when lambs were taken became known as the Great Shabbat—Shabbat Hagadol.

Let’s move on now to this week’s Parsha, Parshat Metzorah. The Parsha deals primarily with two matters: How to purify a leper who is healed and a discussion of laws concerning the emission of bodily fluids. Query: What is the connection between Metzorah and Shabbat Hagadol? Why are we reading this Parsha today?

The answer bluntly is that I really have no idea how these two things are related and I am not able to find any help on the subject. So, the best I can do is give you an opinion. Let me premise this by reminding you that I am neither a Rabbi nor a scholar. I am just a guy who innocently raised a question that he can’t answer and who will now attempt to come up with something that at least makes sense.It strikes me that the main theme of Metzorah is purification. Could it be that the Pascal lamb that gave rise to the notion of a Shabbat Hagadol was part of a purification process that the Children of Israel had to go through before undertaking the Exodus from Egypt? Was it a test of faith as well?  Our ancestors  witnessed one miracle after another. As the Haggadah notes, G-d made everything happen by Himself. Not through a messenger. Not through any other means. All that our ancestors had to do was sit back and watch. But what would they do if their necks were on the line? The Pascal lamb was an abomination to the Egyptians. G-d wasn’t gathering lambs. G-d wasn’t killing them. People were gathering them and preparing them for slaughter. Perhaps the question of the day was: Are these people mere bystanders or do they purely and genuinely have faith in G-d to the extent that they will actively involve themselves in the overall freedom process and put themselves potentially in harm’s way? Do they have faith that G-d will not allow the angry throngs to seek revenge and harm them?

It seems to me, therefore, that when the Haggadah compels us to consider it as if we too were freed from slavery, the Haggadah is not only speaking about the time of the Exodus. The message, I maintain, is just as relevant today. On this Shabbat preceding Passover, are you fully purified? Are you spiritually prepared for the upcoming holiday of Passover? If so, then next Shabbat can be a Shabbat Hagadol V’Hakadosh. As you prepare to face the drudgery of purifying your home for Passover, recognize that freedom does not come about without sacrifice. After the misery of purifying our home and preparing for Passover is completed, I like to reflect on a few matters. When I see the beautiful and smiling faces of Terry, my children and my grandchildren at the Passover Seders, I realize that the hardship of preparing for the holiday is somehow worth the effort. At that moment, I recognize that I am free—free at last.