A few weeks ago, Nancy and I were in Israel. A truly fabulous trip! One day, our group went to the Kotel – the Western Wall of the old temple. As you may recall, several years ago, there was a big brouhaha. Women, it seemed, were demanding to be able to pray there. Imagine such a horror – women actually wanted to pray in a similar fashion as men! Well, there was quite an uproar, but the Women of the Wall, as the organizing group was called, wouldn’t quit.

Protests continued, and of all things, a compromise was reached following a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court. Today, women have their own special section – right next to the men’s section – where they can pray. And beside that is an egalitarian section, where, while still incomplete as far as its exact boundaries, women and men can actually pray together. Gasp!.

Well, you all know what happened after that? Absolutely nothing! The Wall didn’t come tumbling down. The offending women (and men) were not struck with leprosy. And aside from some die-hard men who continue to rail against these sinful creatures  (They’re not called Jews by these die-hards. They’re actually called Nazis! by these stupid people) things are pretty much mostly quiet on the Western Wall front.

I wonder if these so-called religious people still stone their children to death for disobedience, as the Torah calls for. Oh, that commandment was never meant to be taken literally? I see. So they’re already interpreting the words of the Torah!

In today’s parashah we read about the daughters of Tzelophehad – Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tizrah. They sound like sisters, don’t they? Their father died with no male heirs, and the land is thus to be divided among other clans. The daughters make the case to Moses that the land should stay in their own clan, even though this would break with precedent and it would mean that women (women!!) would inherit (inherit!!) the land.

The daughters speak about the good qualities of women – they mention the men’s sex orgies. They also mention that it was the men who always complain about the lack of bread and water, and how it was the men who lacked faith in the Israelites’ ability to conquer the land. Why, some men even refuse to pray with women!

Moses takes the case directly to Gd. “OK ladies. You’ve made your point. Please wait out here while I think this over.” He closes the door. He summons the help of Gd. “Master of the Universe. What should we do?” “You know, Moshe, they have made a good point. Several of them, in fact. Let’s change the law! Let’s not be too obstinate here. Some of my original laws may need some revision. That’s OK. We’re wiser now than we used to be. Even I.” 

“You are changing you mind, O Holy One?”

“Well . . . . yes! I must admit – times have changed, not all circumstances can be foreseen, and so we must be willing to take note of current circumstances and occasionally make some changes. All of us.”

 So here, stuck in the middle of this parashah, with no apparent connection to what comes before or what comes after, comprising fewer than a dozen verses, is this mini drama, in which a profound lesson is taught. This then became our earliest recorded revision of Biblical law, owing to an overriding moral imperative. This is a great example of how our laws, while reverent, are responsive and can sometimes be modified without fundamentally altering the basic character of what it means to be a Jew.

Personal and collective growth is good. Inclusion is good.

This is a great example of how our laws are reverent, yet responsive. In fact, later, in Deuteronomy, Chapter 17, Gd tells Moses that when there is a legal dispute, he should  seek the counsel of judges who will decide on the law . . . in their time! This implies to me that the law must be responsive to the realities of the day – the very hallmark of Conservative Judaism.

I would also suggest to you that the way the law was changed as a result of the persuasion and the arguments put forth by the daughters of Tzelophehad changed the way the Children of Israel thought about women. The message, alas, hasn’t reached all corners of Jewish, and especially Israeli, society. But it’s reached us!

Parsha Chukat is about mortality. After describing the confusing purification rite of the Red Heifer, we skip ahead 38 years. We are hit with three successive tragedies: Miriam dies, Moses is given a death sentence and is banned from the Promised Land and Aaron dies. We are told virtually nothing regarding the death of Miriam. Our tradition says she was a prophet in her own right. The midrash gives her standing and power as she is the source of the life-giving water that sustains the Israelites for their long journey the desert. But the Torah text dispenses with her in just six words, in the last third of the first sentence of Chapter 20 – “Miriam died and was buried there.” Six Hebrew words. When Miriam dies, the story immediately continues. There is no account of the people mourning for her.  Not even Moses or Aaron stops to mourn.  By contrast, seven verses are allocated to the death of Aaron, and there is a 30-day period of national mourning. We know that right after Miriam’s death, the Israelites show remarkable insensitivity, complaining to Moses and Aaron about the lack of water. Not mourning Miriam was a mistake. It probably contributed to Moses striking the rock.

Although the Bible preserves only a few direct references to Miriam, her importance to the Israelites’ story shines through even this leanest of biographical sketches. We know that Miriam saved her brother when he was in the wicker basket drifting down the Nile River. She had the courage and the ingenuity to approach Pharaoh’s daughter on Moses’ behalf. Miriam persuaded her father to annul his decree that the husbands should divorce their wives and have no more children which led to the birth of Moses and other Jewish children. The midrash implies that this six-year-old girl had more faith and wisdom than her father who was the leading Rabbi of the generation.

We remember Miriam for several other reasons. First, as mentioned, she is called a prophet, although prophetic teachings are not recorded. Second, she sings and leads the women in song to God following the people’s safe passage across the Red Sea. Third, she and Aaron speak out against Moses’ wife and his authority. Fourth, because of speaking out, she is sent out of the camp when she is stricken with a skin disease.  It is telling that the Israelites refused to move on until she returns.  The time outside the camp verifies her cleanliness but does not restore her to wholeness. Miriam remained a condemned woman. After her punishment, she never speaks, nor is she spoken to. She disappears altogether from the narrative until the announcement of her death and burial at Kadesh. These few references to Miriam are but clues to the larger story of her life and its importance.

As the Jews wandered through the wilderness, lacking adequate water would have been fatal.  However, the power of Miriam’s integrity, piety, and caring was such that God provided a moving well of water to follow the people through their wanderings until the moment of her death. Without Miriam, there was no more water. 

On the face of it, the first and subsequent sections of the parshah do not seem connected. However, if we examine the actual context in which Miriam’s death is reported, we noticed something very interesting: the verses immediately preceding Miriam’s demise are the ones that introduced the mysterious laws of the Red Heifer which is the ritual purification rite one must undergo after coming into contact with a dead person. This purification ritual requires copious amounts of water – water to spray on the liquefied ashes, water to launder the clothing of the one undergoing purification and, water for ritual immersion. The first words after Miriam’s burial are: the congregation had no water; so, they assembled against Moses and Aaron.

In an article by JJ Gross, he suggests that the children of Israel mourned Miriam greatly, perhaps even more than they would subsequently mourn her brother Aaron. So great was their grief that everyone became ritually impure by touching her coffin. Suddenly there was an urgent need for a great mass of water to purify all those who had come into proximity with Miriam’s corpse. Hence, we are told” the congregation had no water”, not that it had no water to drink. All the water they had was insufficient for the ritual purification needed by such a mass of people. The sudden shortage left no water for drinking as well. Thus, Gross says, we can understand from the context that Miriam’s death was mourned greatly. Without sufficient water in which every mourner could bathe and wash their clothing, the entire social and religious fabric of the society disintegrates. This problem first arises with the death of a beloved and massively mourned Miriam. Suddenly there is no water, and a miracle is needed.

The story of Miriam’s well suggest that her death left a void that stretched beyond the lack of material sustenance. Miriam added a dimension of creative thinking and artistic, active, joyous participation within the Exodus narrative. Miriam’s legacy of leadership is that she modeled for the recently released slaves how to escape their former identity, and to take pleasure in what free people have time, energy, and desire to do – join together in song and dance. By using musical instruments to encourage broader participation, Miriam demonstrated the importance of building consensus.

The Israelites needed a leader who would not do the work for them but who would instead inspire them to do the work themselves.

Though Moses did not regard his leadership role as requiring a close connection to the people – a doubtless source of friction – this is precisely where Miriam excelled. Miriam’s leadership was guided not by stressing her individuality but by forming a network of human relations. It was Miriam who enabled dialogue with the people. Through her unique brand of feminine leadership, Miriam was able bridge the gap between the grumbling masses and their “distant” leader.

In their book, “Multipiers”, Wiseman and McKeown describe multipliers as leaders who do not pretend to have all the answers or stifle the creativity of those with whom they work. Instead, multipliers consistently strive to make everyone around them smarter by unleashing others’ full potential and empowering the broader problem-solving abilities of the entire organization. A multiplier believes that most people in organizations are underutilized and that their capabilities can be leveraged with the right kind of leadership.

As a natural leader such as Miriam doesn’t tell you how to think and what to do but rather connects to your inner self, enables you to better understand your own feelings and empowers you to realize your true potential without being afraid of losing control.

Miriam’s prophecy was one of the deeds. Rather than stirring speeches or administration of justice, Miriam focused on teaching her people how to sing in moments of joy, and she saw to their sustenance during their period of exposure and fragility. Miriam’s example, paralleled by countless women after her, is one of action – deeds of love and support. This parshah offers an opportunity to honor Miriam and her legacy of Jewish leadership. The fact that Jewish women were so deeply and thoroughly absorbed with the Jewish spirit may be ascribed, in no small part, to Miriam, who set for them a shining example as a prophetess.

Many women quietly provide wells of nurturing and support without public attention or commendation. Only when they are no longer able to serve are their services noticed. Why didn’t anyone notice Miriam or her well when she was still alive? Miriam’s death should motivate us to recognize people today who provide nurture and support. Let Miriam’s brief death notice provoke us into raising up for honor Jewish women of all ages and places as they deserve.

Today’s Torah portion tells the story of Korah the cousin of Moses and Aaron who questions the ‘spirtual leadership’ of the Israelites. Moses defends the divine appointment of Aaron as Kohen Gadol  and clarifies the wearing of Tallit.

Like Moses, Korah was a Levite and born in Egypt and a witness to the miracles of the Exodus.

Different than Moses, Korah was a disruptive ‘dis-believer’ of  all that G-d had planned for the Israelites and questions the authority and leadership of the day.

Why was Korah considered a ‘rebel’?

Let’s start with Korah’s general disbelief illustrated by attempts to discredit Moses and Aaron. For example, how could the chosen people’s path to freedom be completed by a shepherd cousin and his brother Aaron who Korah believes was anointed (by way of nepotism) as the high priest of the ‘Chosen People’. 

Another example of Korah’s attempts to discredit Israelite leadership were found in his views and personal  challenge to Moses (and G-d) regarding the Mitzvot of Tallit and specifically tizitzit. 

Well, the rest (as ‘they say’) is history or at least it’s a gripping Torah story we will read about today regarding the demise of Korah, his family (with the exception of his sons) and followers so stay tuned.

Now let’s turn to the virtue of humility and leadership. Why? 

Different than Korah, and throughout the Torah and this parsha, Moses continues to demonstrate his leadership using humility.  Maybe in one of the only examples that comes to mind when Moses loses his humility in Torah appears in next week’s Parsha Chukat, when out of anger and frustration, he strikes a rock to bring calm and quench thirsts of parched Israelites.  

Unfortunately, as we will read next Shabbat, we know how this will turn out for Moses. But hey, Moses was human, and while ‘strong of character’ was also vulnerable.

As John Baldoni points out in a 2009 Harvard Business Review article, “A sense of humility…authenticates a person’s humanity.” He goes on to write that “humans are frail (‘vulnerable’)  and we all have our faults. Recognizing what we do well and not so well is key to self-awareness and paramount to humility.”

As we will read, Korah’s life and his followers literally was turned upside down when he/they failed to acknowledge belief in his cousin’s sincerity, humility and leadership for the practices and ‘path/direction’ of the Israelites.

Maybe if Moses had given Korah a role or responsibility it could have tempered Korah’s frustration and impatience with the direction the Israelites were taking (or maybe not so much).

While all of us are not leaders, or perhaps choose to selectively lead when appropriate, we often need reasons for people to believe in leaders and leadership. In summary humility breeds humility.

Let’s remember this lesson on the virtue of humility in this parsha with a quote from Alabama coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant:  “If anything goes bad I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, you did it. That’s all it takes for people to win football games for you.”  And get you through the desert to a land flowing with milk & honey.

Good Shabbos!

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 we find out the expedition was less than remarkable for 10 of the ‘SPIES’ – perhaps due to a lack of belief, inspired leadership, and a lack of faith. 

The Torah explains that a plague kills 10 of the spies except for Caleb and Joshua who had faith and a vision of what God wants for the Israelites. In fact, G-d selects Caleb to replace Moses to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land along with Joshua. 

Due to spy transgressions caused by fear and risks associated with entering the promised land G-d 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.

So the spy ‘project’ failed, and G-d’s expectations/consequences of what failure meant to the spies and Israelites was not communicated from the start.  Seems like G-d was resetting or renewing expectations for the Israelites by assuring theirs would be a land flowing with milk and honey.  However a land flowing may have been hard for the Israelites to imagine after so many centuries of mental and physical oppressive slavery.

The ‘long game’ for the spies and Israelites was the purpose, cause and belief to evaluate the promised land and begin to inhabit the land. 

When you step back and look at the big picture an internal belief leading to confident, deliberate and strategic decision making related to the risk/reward of entering the Promised Land was what this story was about.

What if the spies and Israelites had asked: “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 rather 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 spies were overwhelmed with fear associated with moving on to the Canaanite land.

Perhaps if G-d or Moses re-framed the spies initial task as an INSPIRED vision that the 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. 

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 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 G-d had done for the Israelites by bringing
the Chosen People out of oppression.

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.

Let me leave you with this final thought from Simon Sinek who has stated in his presentations and books: “We (should) follow inspired leaders not for them – but for ourselves.”  

At my dear mother’s funeral in 2002, I read part of a letter to her from the corporate offices of Walgreen’s. “Dear Mrs. Tobias (She had remarried for a time, several years after my father died), Thank you for your note to us about Ernie Gibson.” Ernie Gibson was the pharmacist at the Walgreens on Northwest Highway. He had been kind to my mother in the course of business, and she followed that up with a letter to Walgreens’ corporate office. Who does that? Individual acts of kindness, apparently from both Ernie Gibson and from my mother.

And as another example, I still recall when, as a lowly college student who was a waiter in the Blue Hill Country club outside Boston, members Henry Stone and George Snyder took a moment now and then as I waited on their tables during the members’ dinners to ask me about my studies. Gratuitous shows of kindness. How special did that make me feel at the time? More than 50 years later, I still remember their names. I don’t remember the names of hardly any other members. A little bit of kindness can go a long way.

The title of today’s parashah is Naso, meaning to count. I’ve read, though, that the word actually means, “to lift up.” So why in the parashah are we lifting the heads, as it were, instead of simply counting? In the parashah, we read of how the leaders of 12 clans, in the final preparation for the sanctuary, each brought identical gifts. But unusually (to me at least), each of the chiefs of the 12 clans is named individually in the Torah. And even though they all brought identical gifts, each offering is named – one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a grain offering. It’s similar to, instead of simply thanking those who contributed to the service, Becca takes the time and effort to mention each name individually.

A total of 75 verses are spent in this way – an extraordinary amount of verbiage! The entire section describing the Ten Commandments takes only 14 verses, and the entire adventure of the crossing of the sea 31 verses. Why on earth does this section deserve so many verses by itself? What is the lesson here?

In the ancient world, what seemed to matter most was numbers, size and strength. Monuments, pyramids, the masses. In Judaism, we are taught exactly the opposite. the individual is of supreme importance because we each carry a spark of the Divine within us. In the 147th Psalm, we read, “And Gd reckoned the number of stars; to each Gd gave it a name.”  What we value we name. Gd gave even the stars unique names. When we are called by the Still, Small voice of Elijah, we are to answer, hineni, Here I am. Gd then meets us, one on one. Our significance cannot be measured by merely a census, a counting of numbers.

In today’s parashah, and every day, Gd not only counts us, but lifts our head. To me, this is an acknowledgement that we’re all the children of Gd, and so each of us is of infinite worth. A hassidic story tells of how we should each carry two messages at the same time. One is that we are but dust and ashes; the other is that it is for us that the world was created. We’re important. Infinitely important, at that.

Although I don’t recall the exact circumstances – I must have been very young, because my father died when I was only eight, I do recall him repeating the sign-off slogan of a local TV meteorologist. 1950s. Boston. Remember, he would tell me as a small child, it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice. We are as important as we make other people feel. And that can be very important, indeed!

The book of Vayikra draws to a close by outlining the blessings that will follow the Israelites if they are faithful to their covenant with God. Then it describes a much longer series of curses, the tochechah, that will befall them if they are not faithful. The general principle is clear. In biblical times, the fate of the nation mirrored the conduct of the nation. If people behaved well, the nation would prosper. If they behavedd badly, eventually bad things would happen.  Our parsha bluntly sets out the terms of that equation:  it takes the form of inducements and intimidations, promises of prosperity, security and peace, and then threats of disease, famine, war, chaos, and exile.  The future of ancient Israel in its homeland will depend entirely on its adherence to the revelation at Sinai. There is a tone of urgency. Free will has its risks; people may choose to put themselves in harm’s way.  The audience for this concluding address is the people as a whole, and not the individual Israelite.  The warnings come directly from God. The images are vivid.  The word keri, key to the whole passage, is repeated seven times. It appears nowhere else in the entire Tanach. Keri seems to be the root cause of the people’s sins and the driving force of God’s retribution.  But its meaning is uncertain. It may mean rebelliousness, obstinacy, indifference, hardheartedness, reluctance or being left to chance. But the basic principle is clear. “If you act toward me with keri, says God, I will turn that same attribute against you, and you will be devastated.”

These curses will occur not only if the people of Israel violate God’s laws but even if they obey them in a spirit that drains them of religious value. If the people of Israel follow the commands without love, in a calculated manner, God says,” I will act towards you coldly.”

This is a remarkable reading and points toward a distinction that we sometimes forget: divine punishment on one hand, and the withdrawal of divine providence the other – what the Torah calls ” the hiding of the face” of God. When God punishes, he punishes the guilty. But when God hides his face, even the innocent may suffer.

Why are the curses in this week’s parsha so much longer and stronger than the blessings? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says that the answer is that God loves and forgives, but with the proviso that, when we do wrong, we acknowledge the fact, express remorse, make restitution to those we have harmed, and repent. We see that the stick is more a powerful motivator than the carrot. Fear of the curses is more likely to affect behavior than desire for the blessings. Threat of punishment is more effective than promise of reward. Where there is a clear threat of punishment for bad behavior, people behave better.  The reason the curses are so dramatic is not because God seeks to punish but the precisely opposite. The curses were meant as a warning. They were intended to deter, guide, and discourage. They are like a parent warning a child not to play with matches. The parent may deliberately intend to scare the child, but he or she does so out of love, not meanness. Too often we make the wrong choices because we don’t think of the consequences. Judaism is a religion of love and forgiveness.  But it is also a religion of justice. Without punishment, there is no effective law, and without law there is no society. That is why the curses are so powerful, dramatic and fear inducing.  The more powerfully one can present the bad, the more likely people are to choose good.

 It has been a custom to read tochechah in a low voice in the synagogue, which has the symbolic effect of robbing them of their terrifying power if said out loud. But they are fearful enough however they are read. And both here and later in Devarim, the section on curses is longer and far more graphic than the section on blessings. This seems to contradict a basic principle of Judaism, that God’s generosity to those who are faithful Him vastly exceeds His punishment to those who are not. In Leviticus, the curses end with a note of consolation. It says that even in their worst hours, the Jewish people will never be destroyed.  God will not reject them. The covenant will still be in force and its terms still operative. No matter where they are they will still be bound by mutual responsibility and be responsible for one another. They will still be a nation with the shared fate and destiny.

In a book by John Tierney and Roy Baumeister, “The Power of the Bad”, the authors argue based on substantial scientific evidence, that bad has far more impact than honest and good. We pay more attention to bad news than good news. Bad health makes more difference to us than good health. Criticism affects us more than praise. A bad reputation is easier to acquire and harder to lose than a good one.  The Power of the Bad gives some excellent tips on how to become happier by identifying your tendency toward negativity and what psychology and research has to show you about how to beat it. The authors say that if one thing goes wrong, don’t interpret it as a harbinger of inevitable doom whether you are dealing with a personal setback or contemplating the state of the world.

We live in a world where negative things seem to get all the attention whether in our own minds or otherwise. You may have many positive thoughts but for some reason, the bad one takes control of your brain. Why is this? How do we fix it? Negativity is not good but learning about it may help you be happier.

According to researcher Randy Larsen, not only do negative events and experiences imprint more quickly in our brains, but they also linger longer than positive ones. This phenomenon is known as positive – negative asymmetry or the negativity bias. In other words, we’re more likely to remember an insult or negative event than we are to take in a complement or recall details of a happy event. A study was done which participants were asked to imagine either losing $50 or gaining $50.  Even though the amount is the same, the magnitude of the emotional response was significantly larger for those imagining what it would be like to lose the money. In other words, the negativity bias can cause you to dwell on something negative even if something positive is equal. The negativity of losing something is far greater than the goodness of gaining something, even when the something that has been lost or gained objectively equivalent.

Kenneth Yeager, PhD, suggests the following: you need to put effort into truly valuing all the good and positive aspects of life so that you are not overcome by the negative.  Even if you are facing a multitude of objectively negative situations, you should try to appreciate the positive aspects of life, regardless of how small they may be.

Rabbi Sacks says: “Search for meaning and you will discover strength. For everything there is a meaning. It does not always say: this is why such and such happened. Sometimes it says: given that such and such happened, this is what you must do. Once we find the why, even a curse can be turned into a blessing. Without the why even a blessing can become a curse. So, search for the why and the rest will follow: strength, fulfillment, peace.”

Picture this – you are Moses (for the moment) you know the prophetic leader of the Israelites who was blessed with a stutter (or so we have read in Exodus).  Also consider – that you have just received a directive from G-d  to ‘get the word out’ about the recently published laws or ‘commandments’ and how to live as Jews in the world.  So there’s a couple of things to consider:  1) how does one get the word out?; and 2) how will everyone in the community remember and follow the commandments?

First, of course, let’s get the ‘logistical stuff’ out of the way. You stand in front of hundreds if not thousands of people reciting the laws as handed down by G-d about how everyone is to live in the world.  Obviously there’s no save the date invites sent out, the only  ‘media’ are ‘the tablets’ and of course no phones, nor recording devices  or any of that jazz.  This was serious specific content communicated orally for a chosen people that provides guidelines/boundaries/pro-scribed rules for how to get along and live in the world as a community with common interests and moral codes.

Next – what about remembering the details of the commandments?  Think about this – these rules, laws, commandments cover a broad number of topics within a variety of areas.  You know, like ALL the rules (there are many) about the high priests (the Kohanim). 

Perhaps the most memorable commandments for the Israelites were those related to the celebration of holidays such as Passover and Sukkot.  Admittedly I’d probably be just as excited about these holidays/festivals since  G-d commands us not to work and instead celebrate by eating Matzah, building leaf covered booths and shaking Lulav’s. 

Of course along with the good or ‘fun’ commandments are those laws that promise to punish people (by stoning them or sending them away from the community) if they  take G-ds name in vain – you know blasphemers or if an individual commits murder. 

So how did we manage to absorb, adopt and live the laws G-d told Moses to deliver to the Chosen People? Maybe the Israelites embraced the laws simply due to the passion or charismatic (or dogmatic) way that Moses expressed the laws when reading and speaking to the Israelites long ago. Those laws that outlined how we were to live our Jewish lives. It’s been said that there is a certain ‘spiritual magic’ that can affect us when someone delivers a message from the heart.

So while it may appear on the surface that Moses is simply speaking words because after all G-d said ‘Moses – EMOR’ – this parasha is more than ‘lip service’. So Parasha Emor is about Moses speaking about festivals and how they work, punishment and reward, and about building community. So while it may have been daunting and or possibly over-whelming to listen, understand and embrace the laws, it would also seem that many were excited about the adventure of a new life they were to build. Parasha Emor is a reminder of the rules, laws and guidelines for a Jewish life. How life was to be lived centuries ago and today as well.

Good Shabbos! 

This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, is about the lifelong process of figuring out who we are and who we want to be.

In the beginning of the parshah, God speaks for the first time to Abraham.  The parshah begins with Lech lecha,” go for yourself, from your land, from the place where you were born and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you”.  According to the Zohar, the words lech lecha do not just mean” go for yourself,” but simultaneously mean” go to yourself.” This teaches us that to really know ourselves, we must temporarily distance ourselves from the influences of those around us. When Abraham embarks on his road to self-actualization, it requires him, step away from the psychological, cultural, and physical boundaries of his birthplace and forge a new trail ahead. In finding himself, Abraham found what we are all looking for: a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning that is internally motivated.

But new beginnings are hard:  a new school, a new job, the start of parenthood, for some of us, retirement or as with Abraham, the start of a new religion. Before one goes out on a journey, the journey is mysterious. We don’t know what to expect. It can be daunting to leave the familiar and go forward into the unknown. Abraham understood the limitations of the old and the possibilities of the new. Rather than focus on the frightening and unknown, he was able to imagine the possibilities of a new situation and feel invigorated by the challenge.

All of us can remember what it was like when we chose to depart from our parents’ home on our journey toward the future. Often bittersweet, the journey simultaneously causes anxiety and excitement as we start an adventure for a fresh start. It might be traveling to a new location for a job or some other new adventure. It might be a journey of self-discovery or a move toward emotional freedom. Living without your parents will help you become your own person. Getting a healthy distance from your parents gives you space to decide what you believe in. You will have the opportunity to become the mature and fully formed adult you are meant to be. Helen and I hoped to accomplish this when we moved from Chicago to Dallas with our infant daughter, away from our families, for me to start my residency. But while living without your parents comes with new-found freedom, it also comes with new responsibility and a good measure of loneliness. Whether physical, emotional, or intellectual, our journeys call us to leave the comfort of home behind and to venture forth into the unknown.

Part of any mission which any one of us hopes to accomplish is to take a step back, look at oneself, and figure out what each of us needs to do to become the person we need to be to fulfill our purpose in life.

Do you ever find yourself questioning who you are or wondering how you got to the point where you are today? Maybe you achieved some goal or success, but it is no longer satisfying. Do you daydream about doing something completely different? Maybe you’ve been thinking about pursuing a different career, something unrelated to what you do now. Maybe you don’t have any experience in it but believe it would help you find true happiness and success. Or perhaps your life has changed. With different needs and expectations, you may be motivated to forge a new path that will provide new opportunities. 

It’s natural for us to get stuck in a rut now and then. We get used to our routines and habits, which sometimes become boring. But if you find yourself in that rut too often – especially if it’s affecting your self-esteem or making you feel like you’re not living up to your full potential – maybe it’s time to start a process to reinvent yourself.

As I mentioned, there are many possible reasons why it could be time for you to start reinventing yourself. Examples include looking for a career change because you’re bored or feel burned out, going through an existential crisis, needing a change to something in your life, or seeking more fulfillment out of life. But when it comes down to it, you don’t need a reason to justify wanting to change some areas of your life.  At age 60, I changed from direct patient care to becoming the hospital’s medical director of patient safety and quality to improve patient care for all patients.

The first step to reinvention is to figure out exactly what you want for yourself. This means thinking about what makes you happy and what things in your life would bring you closer to happiness. The second step is to determine how realistic these goals are given your current situation.

Reinventing yourself means identifying patterns, values, or activities that no longer serve you and making a conscious effort to change them for better options. It can involve external characteristics, like job, personality, habits, hobbies, appearance, relationships, and location. True reinvention also happens inside, in how you think and behave.

Reinventing yourself takes time and isn’t easy. It requires self-knowledge, honesty, and a willingness to change. But it’s possible, and it’s worth it.  It will help you become more confident and happier with yourself, which will affect all aspects of your life. In addition, reinventing yourself is an extremely exciting process. It allows us to explore new ideas and learn new things about ourselves, both good and bad.

The point is that reinvention doesn’t mean turning 180 degrees and becoming a completely new person – it means understanding yourself as a human being and using all your qualities to achieve something greater than what you are now.

Reinventing yourself takes courage and commitment because it’s a challenging journey of self-discovery that leads you to understand your past successes and failures. In the process, you’ll have to face your fears and figure out how to overcome them.

Reinventing yourself provides you with a platform to build the best version of yourself. In turn, this enables you to lead a healthier, happier life. It allows you to continue exploring new parts of yourself. It helps you realize what you truly value in life. It encourages constant learning. It makes you resilience and agile in an ever-changing world. It builds your sense of purpose. It boosts your positivity and lust for life.

Abraham’s success in his new mission depended on his ability to reinvent himself. Rather than focus on the negative aspects of leaving his home and family, he was able to imagine the invigorating possibilities of a new challenge.

In my reading, I found this quote:  You’ll never see all the awesome things ahead of you if you keep looking at all the bad things behind you. Sometimes you just have to turn around, give a little smile, throw the match and burn the bridge. Live, learn and don’t look back.

We need to stop worrying about what the world wants from us, and start looking within, to our soul, to know what we want for ourselves.

Today’s parashah, Kedoshim, is chock full of rules, and they fall into various categories. One category is called called chukim. These are commandments that seem to make little sense. An example prohibits us from mixing linen and wool in our clothing. Why is this sinful? Gd says it’s so, and so it is. Oh, various explanations have been given for this one. And OK, we can contrive an explanation, but some commandments in the Torah  are regarded as holy simply because Gd says so. And for many Jews, of course, that’s perfectly good enough. For the purposes of today’s d’var, I’m going to leave those aside.

In addition to the Chukim, some commandments relate to the social order and how we relate to the world at large, including, among other things, the admonition not to withhold wages and not to use false weights and measures in business. We are commanded to  leave part of our harvest for the poor. Others that we read about today involve interpersonal relations such as not to gossip, hate, take revenge, or bear a grudge.

So today I’m going to discuss commandments relating to our relationship with the world at large and the world within ourselves.

In Lev. 19:34, we read, “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens. You shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your Gd.”

Love him as yourself? What’s love got to do with it?

In my view, the word love in this sense means an unconditional  commitment. The opposite of love when used here is apathy. So we must love others in the sense that we have a commitment to doing what we can to assure the stranger the basics of life – food, shelter and justice.

This is different from the Golden Rule, “Do unto others. . . “ you know that one. That one is transactional. We treat others well or at least refrain from treating them in a hateful way, so they will treat us in the same way. There’s no unconditional commitment  involved there. Those – that Golden Rule stuff – those are the basic ground rules for life within a group.

This talk about the stranger, though, is different. Judaism was the first civilization to put love – an unconditional commitment – at the heart of morality. And try as I might, I can’t separate the verses about the stranger from what we will read later, in Deut. 19:1-13. In those verses, we are told to set aside cities for those whose innocent blood would otherwise be shed. So-called sanctuary cities. Nor can I separate these passages from the crisis in the Ukraine, given all the refugees streaming out of that country in desperation. 

I prepared this D’var at the time I had finished reading this book, “Lest Innocent Blood be Shed.” I read the book in preparing for my tour tomorrow at the Holocaust Museum. The title is a direct quote from those Deuteronomy verses. It’s about a Protestant Hugenot pastor in WWII, Andre Trocmé. He lived under the Nazi collaborators in Vichi France. He and his entire village saved several thousand Jews, who drifted to the south of France, trying to stay ahead of the advancing Nazi army that had invaded France and was hunting Jews without mercy.  He encouraged his parishioners to protect those in need, although it would have certainly led to severe punishment if they were caught.

Pastor Trocmé said that he did not see a Jew at his door. He saw a fellow human in need of being saved from great danger. He didn’t love those strangers as the word love is generally used, but he felt a strong commitment to them as fellow humans.

And more. He told his followers that in the Book of Luke (New Testament, of course), the Good Samaritan, those who helped others in need, embodied the teaching that, “You shall love the Lord your Gd with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.”

Sound familiar? Directly form Deuteronomy and recited as part of the Shema – the prayer that is the watchword of our people. So in other words, in Pastor Trocmé’s view, loving Gd with all our heart, soul and might meant – meant – that we were to love the stranger. To have an unconditional commitment to their safety and well being. In other words, to be holy.

And so while we’re all familiar with the Golden Rule, and adhere to it as best we can, we are commanded in Kedoshim to do even more. Beyond refraining from hateful behavior, we’re commanded to commit to the stranger’s safety and justice. And in these times of great need for those from the Ukraine and elsewhere, today’s parashah and Pastor Trocmé teach us – command us – to do more.

So. Has the New Testament ever been cited in one of our D’vars?

OK. Now – looking inward for my other example. Another commandment that I would like to comment on. In Kedoshim, Leviticus, 19:18, we are told, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself. I am the Lord.”

We are instructed in today’s parashah not to bear a grudge. And there’s that word love again. Another example of holiness. So important and so often ignored. Don’t bear a grudge or take vengeance.

I once read of an American Indian story about a boy who came to his grandfather, angry with a friend who had done him an injustice. His grandfather told him that feelings of anger would only wear him down, but would not in any way hurt the offending party. It’s like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die.

The boy didn’t quite understand until his grandfather said it was as if there were two wolves who lived inside him and fought each other for his soul. One wolf was vengeful and angry; the other was kind and forgiving. They constantly fought. The boy asked, “which one wins, grandfather?” The old man smiled and said, “The one I feed.”

Shabbat Shalom!

Of the messages in this week’s Parasha (which is the parasha that is located actually in the very center of the entire Torah),   Acharei Mot literally means, ‘After the Death’ in reference to the deaths of Aaron’s sons Nadav & Avihu.  

It is said that after one hears the title of the Parasha the intent is for us to reflect upon our own mortality (perhaps something some of us engage in daily or maybe around the high holidays).

Specifically, it may inspire us to think about how we have been living our lives, and prompts us to ask if we have we made the right choices  and do we continue to make the right choices in our life or perhaps should we be making different choices?

This is about self reflection. The type of ‘self-inventory’ we are to consider during Yom Kippur.

The Torah portion is about discipline. G-d demands this from everyone following the deaths of Aaron’s sons.  G-d also has expectations that all Israelites follow proscribed rules related to three areas of the Tabernacle:  1) Meat, (presumably due to sacrifices) where, when and how to eat it; Sex, (the complete guide of where, who/who not to have it with); and finally, 3) Atonement-the how and when to clean up your ‘act’ (you know from those ‘oops moments’ from meat, sex and other human foibles) for inclusion in annual inscription for another year.

So to assure this parasha is as relevant today as it was when first published, laws/commandments governing meat are still relevant (for the moment, vegetarians and vegans get a pass). For example, no eating blood, no eating corpses (night of the living dead-zombies excluded) and meat should be slaughtered under supervision (the Levites were often under watchful eyes when providing Kohanim with sacrificial expiated animal parts for burning at the altar of the Tabernacle though Levites were entitled to a portion of the meat involved with the communal sacrifice).

Sex is also covered in Acharei Mot. Essentially the Torah directs us to have healthy loving relationships and avoid detestable practices like sleeping with your sister or animals or….well cultural behaviors that emerged from say the Canaanite clan/tribe that may have practiced/endorsed (one of which was the sacrifice of children for the idol known as Molech).

What about Yom Kippur- the Day of Atonement? As we know this religious observance is marked with particular diet and clothing requirements, along with moment by moment reflections upon aspects of our lives that  need fixing all of which takes place over 24 hours.  Centuries ago, rituals included a single Kohane that stood in the Tabernacle with much blood and animal sacrifice. Today, we are each individually responsible for considering how we atone for our past, and plan for our present and future.

Essentially the purpose of this parasha is its emphasis on the importance of discipline, order, rules and regulations for what a well lived life should ‘look like’. Generally this portion of Leviticus was about the establishment of specific boundaries of acceptable behaviors that G-d wanted everyone to follow.  Of course some of these rules established centuries ago have changed/evolved over time and are no longer relevant though let’s leave this for another D’var.

So whether it’s about eating meat or fasting for Yom Kippur or how we love, G-d wants us to apply the required discipline and self regulation outlined in Torah to our daily lives for a life well lived.

Good Shabbos!