Moses and the Egyptian, Israel and Iran

Shemot
Exodus 1:1 - 6:1

Précis: With this parasha, we begin the second book of the Bible, Exodus. In Hebrew, the title for this book is “Shemot” (“names”) because the first verses begin with a listing of “names” of the Israelites who came down to Egypt with Jacob, Joseph, and the rest of the family.
         A new Pharaoh has arisen who “does not remember Joseph.” He afflicts the Israelites and orders the killing of all male children. A Levite male child is born, is hidden by his parents, and is sent down the river in a reed basket where he is found by Pharaoh’s daughter. He is, of course, subsequently identified as Moses.
          Nothing appears in the text about Moses’ childhood, other than that he is raised in the house of Pharaoh. As an adult, Moses witnesses a taskmaster beating a Hebrew, and slays the taskmaster. Next, he witnesses a fight between two Hebrews. When he attempts to intervene, one mentions Moses’ killing of the Egyptian. Fearing disclosure, Moses flees to the desert.
          There, Moses becomes a shepherd in the camp of Jethro, a Midianite “priest.” He encounters the burning bush and learns God’s “name.” Moses receives his charge to free the Israelites and is provided with signs to authenticate his mission. Before leaving Jethro, Moses marries Zipporah. Moses and his brother Aaron go before Pharaoh and ask that the people be freed to worship God in the desert. They are refused, and the burdens are increased on the slaves, who become angry with Moses for his interference. The parasha ends with God telling Moses, “You now will see what I will do to Pharaoh.”

Exodus 2:11-12 “And it happened in the days when Moses was grown, that he went out to see the burdens of his brothers, and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brothers. And he looked around, and when he saw no one else, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.”

          Our tradition contains two starkly different versions about how Moses killed the Egyptian overseer. Moses observes a terrible injustice but does not act rashly; he first “looks around.” The text seems to imply that Moses first "looked around" to see if there would be any witnesses - whether he could "get away with it." Other commentators suggest that Moses was hoping to see someone else who might intervene before he needed to engage in violence personally. These two conceptions underscore how hard it is to reconcile the concept of Moses the law-giver who communes with God with a man who commits premeditated violence.
          For two millennia, Jews lived in a Diaspora of essential powerlessness, where our survival depended on the acts of others, surviving periodic outpourings of violence and anti-Semitism. We believed that God would redeem us when He was ready to do so, just as He did in the story of the Exodus. This belief went so far as to suggest that active, physical defense was somehow a “shanda” – that it revealed a lack of faith in God. Early religious opponents of Zionism were inheritors of this perception.
          As Daniel Gordis wrote in Commentary (October 2010), “...the Jewish experience in Europe was fundamentally one of defenselessness. What happened to the Jews was whatever their enemies determined should happen to them. The creation of the State of Israel fundamentally changed not only that reality but also the self-perception that accompanied it.” He adds that “Many people are put off by the Israeli national affect, which they take to be a mix of arrogance and bravado. This is a misperception of an attitude that is born, in truth, out of collective relief: We Jews no longer live - and die - at the whim of others.”
          In his article, Gordis argues that should Iran become a nuclear power, there would be a fundamental sea change in Israel’s self-perception: we would return to the status of “victims-in-waiting.” This, he maintains is the real existential threat of an Iranian bomb: the end of the Zionist dream of self-defense of the Jewish People.
          It is true that Israel would retain a so-called “second strike” capability, and that vengeance would be assured. But the damage to Israel - and to the Jewish People - would be horrific. Almost as much as the loss of life, a second Holocaust could spell the end of the Jewish enterprise.
          Like Moses in our reading, Israel needs to “look around” and see if there are others who can intervene before it takes action itself. We must hope that the “international community” can understand Israel’s need for defense against a nuclear-capable Iran, a regime that believes Israel is a “cancer” needing to be “cut out” of the Middle East. But Israel cannot become a victim-in-waiting, and must be prepared, like Moses, to take action itself.

Indifference to the wonders around us

Vayyechi


Genesis 47:28 - 50:26

Précis: As the Book of Genesis comes to a close, Jacob lived (vayyechi) in the land of Egypt for 17 years and dies after giving a final, poetic, individualized ethical testament to each of his sons. In a great funeral procession, Joseph, his brothers, Pharaoh and his court bring Jacob’s body to Machpela to be buried. At the end of the parasha, which is also the end of the Book of Genesis, Joseph also dies after exacting a promise from his family to (eventually) bring his remains to the family plot as well.


Genesis 48:11. “I never expected to see you again, and here God has let me see your children as well”
     Abraham Joshua Heschel has said, “Indifference to the sublime wonder of living is the root of sin.” How does this statement relate to Jacob?
     Last week, we read that Jacob informed Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourn are one hundred and thirty. Few and bad have been the years of my life, nor do they come up to the life spans of my fathers” (Genesis 47:9). At a time when Jacob should have been happy with his family’s reunion, he can only think about the hard life he had lived, and of its disappointments. A tragic flaw in Jacob’s character as portrayed up to this point is that he lacked the ability to recognize the blessings of life, a flaw which many of us share.
     But in this parasha, we see another side of Jacob. As he is about to die, Jacob says to Joseph, “I never expected to see you again, and here God has let me see your children as well” (Genesis 48:11). Jacob is expressing his awareness that he has indeed experienced much good in his life. Jacob goes on to offer his blessing to his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh: “The God who has been my shepherd from my birth to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm — bless these lads” (48:15).
     Jacob’s death-bed utterance reveals that he at last recognizes the blessings in his life. He asks that the same Angel who has protected him through his travels will do the same for his grandsons.
     As Heschel says, we cannot be indifferent to the wonders all around us. Let’s use these verses as a reminder of the need to appreciate what we have. When we focus on life’s tribulations, we can forget all that is good in life. This is the basic rationale for the recitation of so many brachot into our daily lives: we are acknowledging God’s gifts in all that we experience.

Shalom Bayit - It's Your Choice

Vayigash
Genesis 44:18 - 48:27

Précis: We approach the end of the Joseph saga. Benjamin is being held by Joseph as the alleged thief of a gold cup. Judah comes near (vayigash) Joseph, and begs for his brother’s life, offering himself as a substitute. Joseph is overcome and reveals himself to his brothers, forgiving them for selling him into slavery, stating that it was all part of God’s plan. Joseph sends them back home to bring Jacob and their families down to Egypt in order to survive the famine. They comply, and Joseph arranges for them to reside in the land of Goshen, living off “the fat of the land” at Pharaoh’s insistence. During the remainder of the famine, Joseph purchases land and cattle for Pharaoh in exchange for the grain stored during the seven years of plenty. The Israelites prosper and multiply.


Genesis 45:5-7 "And now, don’t be troubled, don’t be chagrined because you sold me here, for it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. There have already been two years of famine in the land, and there remain five more years without plowing or harvesting. So God has sent me ahead of you to assure your survival in the land, and to keep you alive for a great deliverance."

Here Joseph has revealed his identity to his brothers, who fear retribution. Joseph, instead, is magnanimous, giving, and forgiving. It is a wonderful example of the importance of “shalom bayit” (literally, peace in the house, but meaning much more: the maintenance of peaceful relationships within families and communities).

There is no textual support for Joseph’s statement: nowhere does the Torah tell us that his sale into slavery was part of a Divine Plan to save the Israelites. Perhaps Joseph had a revelation – not recorded in the text – in which God’s plan was explained.

I prefer another way of considering the statement. Joseph was choosing to remember positives. He was not remembering his brothers’ plans to kill him, or of their placing him in a pit (while they casually had a meal!), or of their selling him into slavery. Perhaps he was recalling his own behavior towards them: boasting about his dreams or parading around in his cloak (a sign of their father’s favoritism). In either case, he was choosing to look forward, to be a problem solver, to avoid holding a grudge or acting upon it.

In our own lives, we have the choice of concentrating on the hurtful or hateful things others have done to us, or we can remember what we did to earn the enmity of others. We can break the pattern of charge and counter charge, complaint and rejoinder, hateful action and cold rejection. We can reach out to those who we have held at a distance, perhaps because of long-ago ill-remembered slights. Like Joseph, we can choose to be magnanimous and forgiving, and to ignore even well-deserved animosity. Life is short; let’s not wait.

The Realities of Hunger

Mikketz
Genesis 41:1-44:17

Précis: At the end (mikketz) of two years of Joseph’s imprisonment, Pharaoh dreams of cows and ears of corn. The butler who had shared Joseph’s cell now remembers him, and calls him from prison. Joseph predicts seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh is so impressed that he appoints Joseph as his chief vizier and Joseph goes about storing grain during the times of plenty. Joseph marries Asenath and they have two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. When the famine comes, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to purchase food; Joseph has them brought in while he remains in cognito. Joseph accuses the brothers of spying, and sends them home after they leave one brother hostage and promise to return with their youngest brother, Benjamin. Upon their return, the brothers (including Benjamin) meet the still-unidentified Joseph. Joseph has their bags filled not only with grain but also with the money used to purchase the grain. He also hides a gold cup in Benjamin’s belongings. When they are “caught” by Joseph’s men, they learn that whoever stole the cup would become Joseph’s slave, while the others return to their homeland. On this cliffhanger, the parasha ends.


This parasha has a theme of hunger – sometimes explicit, at other times just beneath the surface. We see the concept of hunger in Pharaohs’ dreams, in Joseph’s release from a prison where hunger must have been experienced, to Joseph’s brothers’ trip to Egypt in search of food. There are other kinds of hunger in this week’s reading as well: Joseph hungers for reunion with his father, the brothers hunger both for the love of their father and for atonement. Jacob himself hungers for his lost wife, Rachel, and for his lost son, Joseph. We may also infer that Joseph hungers for teshuvah by his brothers.


Today, we experience many kinds of hunger. We can help those who are experiencing physical hunger by contributing to local food banks, donating to organizations like Mazon, or working ourselves to feed those in desperate need. But we also need to address the spiritual hunger – so often hidden out of a misplaced sense of pride or embarrassment – associated with the loss of gainful employment. Speaking from personal experience, the Jewish community is far from immune to the ongoing, world-wide recession. Congregations and federations are taking steps to help job seekers enhance their skills and learn about opportunities. This is an important mitzvah in which all of us can participate by supporting those with this particular kind of hunger through a kind word, or better yet, with a networking introduction.

In Israel, there is hunger for peace and hunger for security. Whether the current leadership of Israel (and the Arab world) can understand this hunger and take real steps to rectify an intolerable situation remains to be seen.


Finally, the American people have a hunger for leadership. While the recent elections were not (in my humble opinion) a mandate for another go-round of the policies which got us into trouble in the first place, it is clear that the voters are hungry for someone to explain how we can get through the difficulties we now face.


This year, we read Mikketz on the Shabbat during Hanukkah, the festival of rededication. We can be reminded that the hunger for freedom from economic insecurity and uncertainty burns within us. We need inspired leadership to satisfy this hunger and, like Joseph, lead us through the tough times we face.

Truth to Others and Ourselves

Vayeshev
Genesis 37:1 - 40:23


Précis: The story of Joseph begins with the words, “And Jacob dwelt (vayeshev) in the land of his father’s travels.” We learn that Joseph is Jacob’s favorite son. Joseph receives the famous coat of many colors, and dreams strange dreams and relates them to his brothers and father, creating additional concern on their part. The sons conspire to do away with Joseph, but before he dies, they sell him into slavery. Jacob is devastated when the sons present evidence of Joseph’s “death.”
     We then have an intervening story about Judah. He marries off his first son to Tamar. The son soon dies, and, the next son is married to the widow (“levirate marriage.”) The second son (Onan) dies, and Judah is loath to offer the third son. The widow dresses as a harlot, seduces Judah, becomes pregnant, and reveals herself to Judah as a woman wronged. He acknowledges her as a rightful daughter.
     The scene shifts back to Joseph, who is now a servant in the household of Potiphar, an Egyptian official. Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce Joseph but he refuses her advances. She accuses him nonetheless of attempted rape, and Joseph is tossed into prison. There, he meets jailed servants of Pharaoh, for whom he interprets dreams successfully. When the chief butler is restored to his post, he promises to “remember” Joseph, but the parasha ends with the words, “but he forgot him.”


Genesis 39:7-8 “After a time, his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused…..”


Rabbi Evan Moffic, writing in 10 Minutes of Torah (12/12/09) describes how we can learn important lessons from a single repeated word in this week’s reading. The story of Potiphar’s wife and Joseph provides the background for this analysis.

When Joseph refuses the advances of Potiphar’s wife, she grabs an article of his clothing, which is used as evidence of rape, and Joseph goes to prison. The Hebrew word for the clothing is “beged” and it appears six times during the 10 verses which set forth the story. As we know, Torah does not waste words, and repetition of words or phrases have much to teach us.


The word “beged” has the Hebrew root of bet-gimel-dalet. Another word with this root is “begidah”, usually translated as “treachery" or "deception." What is the connection between clothing and deception?


In this story, the clothing is used as false evidence by Potiphar’s wife. It reminds us of a previous episode in Joseph’s life, when his brothers brought Jacob the famous coat of colors stained with blood as false evidence of Joseph’s death. Twice in Joseph’s life, clothing provides the vehicle for treachery. (And perhaps a third time, later on, when Joseph, dressed in Egyptian royal garb, hides his identity from his brothers when they reunite.)


Taking this a step further, we can see that the truth may often be concealed by layers of deception. While in these cases clothing was the vehicle of deception, we know that there are many of ways of concealing the truth.


In public discourse, we are often deceived by elaborate deception based on a narrow explanation or point of view (Fox News or MSNBC), by outright falsehoods given provenance because of email circulation (University of Kentucky (or maybe the United Kingdom) dropping Holocaust studies because of Muslim pressure), or based on political motivation (Obama is a Muslim!). This parasha reminds us of the need to cut through the pretense and volume of “facts” we are bombarded with and touch base with truth.


The concealment of truth reaches its nadir when we engage in self-deception, deliberately (or unthinkingly) telling ourselves that what is black is white and what is white is black. Just as deception is a leitmotif of Joseph’s life (from the bloody cloak to Potiphar’s wife, to Joseph’s own identity concealment), self-deception is an all-too-common trait in our modern lives. Facing the truth as it is - rather than as we’d like it to be - is a challenge for us to overcome.

Contingency Planning

Vayishlach
Genesis 32:4 - 36:43

Précis: As he nears a return to his homeland, Jacob "sent" (vayishlach) messengers to Esau to ascertain Esau’s state of mind after their 20 year separation. While he awaits a reply, Jacob encounters an “adversary” (most assume an angel) with whom Jacob wrestles through the night. As dawn breaks, the adversary announces that Jacob’s name is to be changed to Israel – “He who wrestles with God.” On the following day, Esau approaches, and despite Jacob’s fears, there is a happy reunion.
     We then read the story of how a local prince rapes Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, and then asks to marry her. Jacob agrees on condition that all of the men of the city are circumcised. While the men are recovering, Jacob’s sons Simon and Levi attack the city and kill all of the inhabitants in revenge for the insult to their sister.
     Jacob soon travels to Beth-el (the site of his ladder dream), and on the way, Rachel gives birth to Benjamin and dies following her labor. Thereafter, Isaac’s death is noted, as is his burial by Esau and Jacob. The parasha ends with a genealogy of Esau and his descendants.

Genesis 32:4 “And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the field of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, ‘Thus shall you say unto my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob...’"

After 20 years, Jacob fearfully returns for a reunion with his twin brother Esau – with the person whom he deprived of the primary parental blessing. Fearful about Esau’s reactions, Jacob sends gifts and separates his people into two camps before the planned meeting. These actions are demonstrations of subservience and of defensive preparation.

According to Nachmanides, Jacob chose not to rely solely on God's protection. A hesitancy to place all of his faith in God is not a new mode of behavior for Jacob: last week, following a dream in which he was promised to be a great nation and to be returned safely, Jacob questioned whether God would actually provide the security he needed (Jacob says, essentially, “If God will provide protection, I will return and build an alter on this spot.” Gen 28:20). Jacob is a person who might be comfortable with Ronald Regan’s famous misquotation of a Russian proverb: “Trust, but verify.” On the eve of his reunion with Esau, Jacob took detailed, practical steps to protect himself and his family from anticipated dangers and the potential of reprisal.

What is the lesson for us? One might say that it is "God helps those who help themselves." Or perhaps it is the Boy Scout motto of “Be prepared!” There is a second level we might consider: Jacob was not assuming that the protection he had been provided in the past would continue. From this we can learn that we should never assume that because we prevailed in the past, that we will do well again in the future. The past is not always prologue.

Like Jacob, Executive Directors, other Jewish professionals, parents and every individual must plan for all eventualities. Such contingency planning may be exhausting or even depressing. Nevertheless, I believe that a lesson of this story is that such planning is necessary if we are to succeed in life.

To Be Jewish is to Struggle

Toldot
Genesis 25:19-28:9

Précis: The introductory phrase to this parasha is “These are the generations (“toldot”) of Isaac.” What follows is the birth of the twins, Esau and Jacob. Their childhood is omitted from narrative, and we know only that Jacob was a quiet man while Esau was a cunning hunter, that their mother Rebecca preferred Jacob, and that Isaac preferred Esau. We then have the story of the sale of the birthright by Esau to Jacob for a bowl of porridge. A famine takes place, and Isaac journeys to the land of the Philistines where he claims that his wife Rebecca is actually his sister (as Abraham did with Sarah in Lech Lecha) and again, the woman escapes unharmed. The story then turns to the “great deception” where Jacob pretends to be Esau in order to obtain the primary blessing from his father Isaac. Esau hates Jacob and threatens him; Rebecca urges Jacob to escape to her family in Haran, to where he sets off at the conclusion of the parasha.


Gen. 25:22 “And the children struggled together within her; and she said: 'If it be so, wherefore do I live?' And she went to inquire of God.”

From a literary perspective, the Bible is a remarkable work, having the power to convey rich detail in a concise manner. On a thematic level, the parasha introduces us to the essential core of Jacob’s life: struggle. He struggles with Esau in the womb (as noted in the cited verse), is the object of struggle between his parents (Isaac preferring Esau, Rebecca preferring Jacob). He struggles with Esau (and perhaps with his father) over the blessing, with his father-in-law over his marriages, with an angel when his name is changed to Israel, again with Esau upon his return home, and with his sons over their jealousy of Joseph. His struggles culminate when, after his reunion with the long-lost Joseph, Jacob encounters Pharaoh in Egypt, telling the Egyptian king that “‘The days of the years of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life” (Gen. 47:8-9).

The concept of struggle, of course, has become the central metaphor of Jewish existence. Jacob’s second name, “Yisrael,” has been translated as “struggle with God” and our experience, both temporally and spiritually over the centuries, can be defined by struggle. Struggle, of course, continues today for Jews in Israel and around the world. Some of the current struggles have their roots in ancient times (some point to Esau as the progenitor of Edom, a traditional enemy of the Jewish People; others note that Ishmael, Jacob’s half-uncle, was the father of the Arab nation). Other struggles within the Jewish world have a more recent genesis.

Spiritually, the Jewish People have had to face the dislocation of the Babylonian Exile, where we “wept by the waters.” The destruction of the Second Temple created the struggle for continuity which found its expression in Mishna, Talmud, and rabbinic Judaism. In later times, the spiritual struggle was manifest in the epic challenges of denominationalism (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox), and today, the Jewish spiritual struggle seems to have adopted the same kind of partisan extremism which dominates American political discourse.


While, in Jacob’s words, one may view the Jewish “life” as “few and evil,” I submit that we can take heart and hope from the fact that we have survived the struggles of millennia, and remain confident in our ability to overcome the challenges we face today, and will inevitably face tomorrow. Judaism as a belief is profoundly hopeful, based at its spiritual core on the Covenant between the Jewish People and the Creator, and based on the knowledge that each of us has within us not only a spark of the Divine, but also the ability to continue the struggle begun so long ago.

Kavod Ha-Met - Honoring the Dead

Chayye Sara


Genesis 23:1-25:18

Précis: The parasha begins with the counting of the life of Sarah (chayye Sara) - and with her death. It continues with a detailed description of the negotiation for and purchase of the cave of Machpela by Abraham for a family burial site. Abraham orders his servant to go to Abraham’s ancestral home to obtain a wife for Isaac, and after a series of fulfilled signs, the servant finds Rebecca. Rebecca returns with the servant; she and Isaac meet, fall in love at first sight, and become man and wife. The parasha ends with the death of Abraham, and his burial by Isaac and Ishmael in the family burial cave.

Genesis 23:2-18 “Abraham arose from beside his dead, and spoke to the Hittites, saying, ‘I am a resident among you; sell me a burial site…’ And the Hittites replied, ‘Hear us, my lord…bury your dead in the choicest burial spot; none will withhold his burial place from you’…And Abraham bowed low…and said to them… ‘Let Ephron sell me the cave of Machpela…for the full price, as a burial site.’ Ephron...answered Abraham… ‘No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave…’ Then Abraham spoke…saying ‘Let me pay the price of the land; accept it from me’…And Ephron replied… ‘A piece of land worth 400 shekels - what is that between you and me? Go and bury your dead.’ Abraham accepted Ephron’s terms, and Abraham paid out the money…”

Since the dawn of time, burying the dead has been a widespread human ritual. What motivated our ancestors to bury their dead? We can assume that it had symbolic meaning to them (a hope for resurrection? a return to the womb of Mother Earth?). Without question, one motivation was to create a way for the living to remember the dead.

The negotiation for a burial plot set forth in these verses ties burial with the ownership of land. While we know very little about Jewish burial rituals before the era of Rabbinic Judaism, we do know from this story and others in the Bible (Rachel, Jacob, Joseph, et al.) that it was important for individuals to be buried in ancestral lands. As a result of the Babylonian and subsequent exiles, it became impossible for Jews to be buried with their ancestors, and so this story became a template for subsequent Jewish purchases of burial plots. Abraham was a “resident” in a land not his; his descendants seeking to purchase burial property would be faced with the same issues he faced.

What do we learn from this story First, that the grave site land needs to be purchased, and not merely accepted as a gift. Clear title and ownership is important. Second, the fact that the local citizens also used special land to bury their dead shows that Abraham was acting out a ritual which was common among those with whom he lived. Similarly, Jews throughout history adopted some of the customs of the surrounding people (the use of ossuaries in Second Temple times; wooden coffins; grave stones and markers, etc.).

Throughout our history in the Diaspora, Jews have purchased land for cemeteries whenever we were able (and permitted) to do so. Among the first items on the Jewish agenda when establishing a new community was the creation of a burial society (for both chevre kadisha and the purchase of burial land). When Jews were expelled from a state or a principality, history records that the cemeteries were among the property sold off with other Jewish possessions. Desecration of Jewish cemeteries became a symbol of one faith’s "victory" over another – whether Christians or Muslims were the ones doing the desecration, and whether it took place in the 10th century or in the 20th century.

While, like Abraham, we have tried to find secure and tranquil places to bury our dead, we have learned that buying grave sites gives neither the living nor the dead any real security. There is really no "eternal rest." If the purpose of burial rituals, as suggested at the outset, is to remember, then we now face an additional challenge: the dispersion of families across the country and around the world. It's rare, these days, that several generations of a family remain in the same location. This heightened mobility means that unlike Abraham, the responsibility for maintenance of Jewish burial sites - part of "kavod ha-met" - is not a familial responsibility alone but increasingly a communal one. Whether we are “Jewish professionals” or just members of the Jewish community, the care for the dead and for their burial places is an ancient mitzvah we must continue to observe.

Can God Learn?

Vayera
Genesis 18:1-22:24

Précis: God “appeared” (vayera) to Abraham in the form of three travelers to whom Abraham shows hospitality. They promise of the birth of Isaac, overheard by Sarah (who laughs). God reveals His plans for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham argues for its salvation for the sake of any innocent who might dwell there. The scene shifts to Sodom, where Lot lives, and he and his daughters are rescued first from an unruly mob, and then from the destruction of the city itself. Lot’s wife glances back and turns into the pillar of salt. His daughters, fearing that they are the last females alive, make Lot drunk and engage in sexual relations with him, later giving birth to founders of the tribes of Moab and Ammon (traditional adversaries of the Israelites).
     Back with Abraham, Sarah conceives and gives birth to Isaac. She becomes unhappy with the continued presence of Ishmael and prevails upon Abraham to expel Ishmael and Hagar from the household, which he does (after being promised by God that Ishmael, too, will be the father of a great nation). Thereafter, the story continues with the attempted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, the Akedah: the Binding of Isaac.

Genesis 18:23-33 “Abraham came forward and said, 'Will you sweep away the innocent along with the guilty? What if there be fifty innocent within the city…? Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death to the innocent as well as the guilty'…And Adonai said, 'I will forgive the whole place for their sake.' And Abraham said, 'What if the 50 innocent will lack five? Will you destroy the whole city for want of the five?'”

With thanks to Jerome M. Segal’s Joseph’s Bones (Riverhead Books, 2007), I’d like to examine what may at first seem a highly heretical point of view: that Genesis reports the moral education and development of God. As God "experiences" humanity, His understanding of morality changes and becomes more "mature."

There is a mixed bag of God's view of humanity leading up to the Flood story. Adam and Eve are naive and are expelled, but treated well (God provides them with clothing). God protects Cain after he kills his brother Abel. But by the time of the Flood, the text (Gen. 6:5) tells us that everything every human being did was evil (except, of course, for Noah). No specifics are given. The text merely tells us that “God saw” how great was the evil – we have God’s impression of what humanity was engaged in, and that He “thought” humanity was uniformly evil, without room for individual differentiation.


After the Flood, it seems that God has "learned" that humanity is in fact a mixture of good and evil. This is suggested by God’s expression of regret for His action, and His promise never to repeat it. He creates a formal covenant between Himself and humanity, with the rainbow as a “reminder.” God’s expression of regret is troubling, precisely because it calls into question His omniscience. Who needs the reminder: humanity or God?


In Chapter 18 of Genesis, God consults with the angels as to whether He should hide his intent to destroy Sodom from Abraham because Abraham has been “singled out” to “instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the Lord.” Because Abraham is to be a teacher of morals, God decides to tell Abraham that he "will see" what is going on down in Sodom. God is becoming a participant in Abraham’s moral education.


It is ironic, then, that what transpires next is that the roles are reversed: Abraham becomes God’s teacher. When informed of God’s intent "to see" what is going on in Sodom, Abraham responds (famously) “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?...Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”


Abraham knows what God has planned, because God has done it before with the Flood. Abraham knows God’s intent, and immediately challenges God. God’s response is interesting as well. He does not say “Of course not, I’ll pick out only the guilty.” Instead God says that He will pardon the city if 50 innocent men can be found. So while no longer suggesting that all of humanity is evil, God implies that at least some critical mass of the good can save the larger, evil society in which they live. In arguing that justice requires God to act justly, Abraham asserts that moral law is binding upon God.


Rabbinic interpretations see the connection between the Flood and Sodom. In Genesis Rabbah 49:9, Abraham reminds God about His promise: “You have sworn not to bring a deluge upon the world. Would You evade Your oath? Not a deluge of water [but] will you bring a deluge of fire? Then You will not have acted according to Your oath.” In this midrash, Abraham chides God for looking for a “legal loophole” and interprets the rainbow not as a “reminder” of how God would destroy the world, but rather about the underlying principle: that the innocent cannot be swept away with the guilty. This principle of protecting the innocent is what links the stories of the Flood and Sodom. Abraham’s argument is aimed at obtaining God’s assent to this principle and thereby demonstrating God’s moral development.


On the one hand, the Torah may be telling us that God’s understanding of morality grows as His understanding of humanity grows. Humanity has some apparent surprises up its collective sleeve, perhaps because of the operation of free will. God’s initial subscription to the theory of collective punishment slowly gives way to the concept – however poorly executed in our own lives – of individual culpability. On the other hand, if we read the text as a cautionary tale (with humans being expected to imitate God's actions), we may see that we are being to instructed to become increasingly moral ourselves, and to recognize (just as God recognizes) that we are bound to a moral imperative which exists outside of ourselves. It is a subtle, if not sublime, refutation of the concept of situational ethics and a rejection of the belief that all systems of morality share equal validity. This tale tells us that some things are always right, and some things are always wrong, regardless of circumstance, society, or faith.


The fact that life does not follow this rule is a question worth pondering this Shabbat and in the future.

Tower of Babel - the Beginning of Pluralism

Noach
Genesis 6:9-11:32


Précis: The story of Noah and Flood appear in this parasha. Noah, called by God, builds the Ark and collects the animals (two by two, except when he collects 7 pairs). Then it rains and floods the world. Noah and his family are saved and subsequently leave the Ark, build an altar, and offer sacrifices to God. God sets a rainbow as a promise not to destroy mankind again. Noah plants a vineyard and becomes drunk. The story of the Tower of Babel is included, and the parasha ends with a genealogy of the ancient peoples of the Bible, ending with Abram.

Genesis 11:7-9 "‘Let us go down there and confuse their speech, so that no one understands what the other is saying.’ So it came about that God scattered them over all the earth, and they stopped building the city."

Our reading this week is one of the most extraordinarily dramatic portions of the Torah: the destruction of the world by flood, Noah’s survival, the building of the Tower of Babel, and the scattering of humanity.

The Babel story shows us the power of language. A shared common language allowed humanity to cooperate and undertake the effort to build the tower. God appears to take umbrage at their effort to bridge the gap between Himself and Creation, and punishes humanity by dividing them.

On the other hand, we could interpret God’s action as giving us the gift of pluralism. Because we are not all alike, we can learn from one another, and the texture of humanity is enhanced by the different threads which make up the “whole cloth.” Different languages lead to different cultures and different thoughts.

Americans have long believed in the concept of religious pluralism (or at least have given lip service to it as an ideal). President George Washington famously wrote in his letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, RI in 1790:

"It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support."

Washington’s point is simple: it is not for us to “tolerate” the beliefs of others, because everyone has a “natural right” to believe what he or she will believe, provided only that we act as good citizens and offer support to our country.

Unfortunately, in recent months and years, individuals who claim to have a special understanding of the “intent” of the Founding Fathers have nevertheless ignored President Washington’s thoughts and lash out at those who believe "differently" than the majority of Americans. In a country “which gives bigotry no sanction” and which offers “persecution no assistance,” it is ironic that there is a movement afoot which seems intent on limiting the exercise of religion by those who pray in another language. I'm not sure which is a greater offence to the Founders: those who call the President a "secret Muslim" or those who think that somehow a Muslim is not eligible to be President.

While some of America's foes -and they do indeed exist- find our support for religious pluralism heretical, I would submit that the God who confounded humanity by linguistic separation at Babel also knew that all people could call upon Him in their own language.

The Cycle Begins Again

Bereshit
Genesis 1:1 - 6:8

Précis: The first Book of the Torah, Bereshit (Genesis, literally “in the beginning” or “when God began to create”) begins with the familiar story of creation: the world is created in six days, with God resting on the seventh. The story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden are included in this weekly reading, as is the story of Cain and Abel.

Genesis 3:9 - “And God called to the man, and said to him, "where are you?"
With thanks to Erica Brown, my wonderful teacher who has written on this verse, I ask “where are you” (physically) as you read this? In front of a computer screen? Did you print it out and take it to shul to read during a boring part of the service?

More importantly, as you read these thoughts, where are you emotionally and spiritually? Having just completed the High Holiday process of self-examination and atonement, are you feeling uplifted or downcast? Do you feel secure or uncertain? Are you facing the coming year with hope or with concern?

In this verse, God calls to Adam because Adam and Eve had sinned by eating fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. By so doing, they gain knowledge - insight of a sort – and the well-known text which follows tells us that they suddenly see that they are naked, and that they are ashamed by it. They have also learned to fear God’s judgment.

We have less of an excuse to hide ourselves, because our self-awareness is far from a recent phenomenon. During Rosh Hashanah, we delved deeply into issues of good and evil, and on Yom Kippur we emerged from hiding and asked for forgiveness. As self-aware human beings, we are cognizant of our shortcomings, and fearful of the hazards we face in the year just starting.

Rashi teaches that God’s question “where are you?” was a compassionate and gentle way to engage Adam in conversation. By beginning our annual cycle of Torah reading with these words, we are reminded that God compassionately asks each of us, “where are you?” and that it is up to us to reply with a sense of thanks for the blessings we have received and with a sense of hopefulness for the year to come.

Be Joyous on Sukkot

Shabbat Chol Moed Sukkot
Exodus 33:12-34:26,
Ex. 34:6-7 –“Adonai, Adonai, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”

On the Shabbat which takes place during Sukkot, we read passages from Exodus, with the action taking place just after the Israelites had danced before the Golden Calf and Moses had shattered the tablets. Moses goes back up the Mountain, prays for the People, and returns 40 days later with a second set of tablets. When he returns, he brings not only a second set of tablets but also the Thirteen Attributes of God quoted here.

The Torah reading includes these verses so shortly after we have repeated them countless times one week ago during the Neilah service. I find this a profoundly hopeful concept: no matter how often we fall short of the mark, we can be forgiven.

But in addition to being hopeful, we must also be joyous. This is a holiday when we are commanded to be happy: (the Hebrew phrase is “u’smach-tem”). While all holidays have commandments associated with them, this is the only one for which happiness is mandated. Why Sukkot?

Part of the answer is that this is a harvest festival. Coming soon after Yom Kippur, a bountiful harvest was viewed as a tangible manifestation of God’s forgiveness and mercy, and a reason for joy. Second, when we live or eat in flimsy booths, we recognize that we can be happy with very little, and that we can rejoice with what we have. I contend that u’smach-tem is aimed squarely at the “woulda-shoulda-coulda” attitude that overtakes all too many of us. “I would have acted differently ...things should have been different… If only I could do this or that….” This attitude can overtake us when we forget the blessings we experience every day of our lives. U’smach-tem stands in stark contrast to a backward-looking, regret-filled point of view and insists that we be happy with what we have.

A Message for Yom Kippur

The reading for this Shabbat (Yom Kippur) details the rituals performed when the Temple stood in Jerusalem. While few of us today aspire for the return of animal sacrifices, perhaps we can appreciate the devotion which motivated our ancestors when they sought to get close to God in their own fashion.

Leviticus 16:6 “And Aaron shall present the bull of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.”


We usually translate "Yom Kippur" as "Day of Atonement." The Hebrew word "kippurim" is from a root meaning "to cover" (and actually is related to the word for the covering of the ark - parochet). The rituals described in the Yom Kippur reading were intended to "cover up" the ritual improprieties committed by the priest, Levites, and the people during the previous year. In our reading, after the recitation of the sacrificial requirements, the people are enjoined to "afflict their souls" (the basis of fasting in our modern observance).

In the Torah itself, and in the rabbinic discussions which followed over the centuries, there is a certain lack of clarity between "ritual impurity" and "sin." Many day-to-day sacrificial offerings were called "sin" offerings, but in reality were to atone for errors in ritual behavior, or for the ritual impurities arising from bodily functions or contact with impure objects (e.g., a dead person).

In part because of the connection between ritual impurity and sin, the prophets were concerned that the ritual sacrifices would be viewed as a way to annul not only ritual errors but moral improprieties as well. Ezekiel (18:20), Hosea (14:2) and Malachi (3:7) all stress the ideal of atonement through a "return" to God. This concept of "return" ("teshuvah") has become the central focus of Yom Kippur. And of course, Isaiah, in the haftarah read on Yom Kippur, explains the importance of action over empty ritual (58:6-9):
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?...

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’”

On Yom Kippur, we focus on ages-old rituals with great care. We want to do it “the right way” and use the “right melodies.” As the prophets so clearly remind us, while we cannot and should not ignore the ritual, neither are we permitted to simply “go through the motions.” As Isaiah so eloquently reminds us, Yom Kippur is a stirring not only of the soul, but is also a call to action: to free the oppressed, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked and seek the closeness of friends and family. It is then that God will be disposed to answer our prayers. May you and yours be sealed in the Book of Health, Prosperity, and Life for the year to come.

Shabbat Shalom, Happy Labor Day, and Shannah Tovah

Nitzavim/ Va Yelech
Deuteronomy 29:9 -31:30

Précis: In this week’s double parish, we read the exhortations of Moses to the People to honor the Covenant. Moses transfers the mantle of leadership to Joshua, and orders regular reading of the Law.

Because of the vagaries of the calendar, we conclude the annual Shabbat cycle of Torah reading this week with the two parshiot mentioned above. Special Shabbat readings will follow in the next weeks: Shabbat Shuvah, Yom Kippur, Chol Moed Sukkot, and then we will read the final words of Deuteronomy in Haazinu on Simchat Torah.

This week also coincides with the secular celebration of Labor Day, about which I’d like to say a few words. The connection between the Torah reading and Labor Day is not entirely imaginary – after all, the Torah in general (and the Book of Deuteronomy in particular) stresses the need to treat employees fairly and equitably.

The most noteworthy “employee dispute” in our Torah is found in parasha Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-33:3), when Jacob bitterly rebukes his uncle/employer Laban for mistreating him and unilaterally and unfairly changing the elements of his employment “contract.” Jacob is cheated, his wages are improperly withheld, and ultimately he is forced into working an extra seven years.

After his service to pay the dowries of his wives, he remains penniless, and agrees to work an additional period of time for a portion of the flocks. Rashi tells us that Laban cheated him again by removing all of the healthy animals from the herd, leaving only old and sick animals in his care. Ultimately, Jacob accuses Laban of deception; Laban denies any personal responsibility.

The text is the source for the Jewish ethical mandate to treat employees fairly and honorably, and is the basis for many subsequent rabbinic rulings. The rabbis recognize the importance of a contract between an employer and an employee, but insist on “reading into” any employment agreement the standards which the civil society imposes. The "right to contract" is not absolute, but must give way to fairness, honesty, mutual respect, and community standards.

In 21st century America, it is hard to believe that less than 100 years ago, labor unions were largely illegal, child labor laws and minimum wage laws were prohibited, and that health and safety regulations were non-existent. All of these societal “norms” we now take for granted were at that time viewed as an “infringement” on the “right to contract,” regardless of the fact that the employer had the only power in that relationship. Our country was filled with Laban-like employers, and the toiling Jacobs had nowhere to turn. But the Labor Movement (which had among its leadership not just a few Jews) began to organize successfully and to demand equality for labor through collective bargaining. Labor also sought and obtained, together with the Progressive Movement and through the ballot box, governmental action to put into law the safeguards which previously had not existed.

In today’s political climate, we observe among “Tea Party” activists some who would like to “restore” the 19th century concept of “freedom to contract” by outlawing minimum wages, child labor laws, health and safety regulations, and the right to join a labor union. At his recent rally, Glenn Beck claimed that the Progressive Movement (led by Teddy Roosevelt and Robert LaFollette) was the “beginning” of the “erosion of our rights.” Some of Beck's fellow-travelers argue that fundamental social justice programs which Progressives and Labor have successfully promoted - social security, Medicaid, unemployment compensation – are all infringements on our “rights.”

I would argue that the Jewish tradition stands in strong opposition to such a point of view. We believe that care for the least among us – for the orphan, the widow, and the stranger – is the hallmark of mitzvah. In the days approaching Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah, we might well consider not only our own actions, but also the kind of society we want to leave to our children and grandchildren. Will it be one of selfish individualism, or one of compassionate care for the weakest among us?

Remembering to Appreciate Others

Ki Tavo

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

Précis: The parasha continues, from the reading last week, numerous concerns regarding the formation of a civil and moral community (including tithes of first fruits and tithes to support the Levites). The People are promised that if they follow God’s instructions, they will be transformed into a “holy people.” They are further instructed that they have a choice in their own destiny: there are blessings and curses (the “Admonition”), and they must to choose between the two - and take the consequences. The parasha ends with Moses reminding the People about all that God had done for them in bringing them from Egypt, providing sustenance, defeating their foes, and giving them the Land.

Deuteronomy 29:1-5 “Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: You have seen all that Adonai did before your very eyes in the land of Egypt…the wondrous feats that you saw with your own eyes, those prodigious signs and marvels. Yet until this day Adonai has not given you a mind to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. I led you through the wilderness forty years; the clothes on your back did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet….”

The verse tells us about a generation which has had personal knowledge and experience of God’s daily blessings and miracles. However, they had also failed to grasp either the bounty which had been provided to them or the source of that bounty. They appear like ungrateful children, feeling entitled to the largess of their parents.

The text suggests that the reason for their lack of appreciation was that “until this day” God had not provided them with a means of understanding His miracles - that God had not endowed them with the kind of self-awareness needed to appreciate His gifts or to learn from the past. The text goes on, however, to let us know that we now have the kind of awareness necessary to appreciate all that is good in the universe – and of its Source.

Our inability to draw lessons from the past, particularly to appreciate the support, encouragement, and gifts given us by others, is a weakness most human beings share. We are too often quick to claim credit for our achievements without acknowledging that any success we have attained rests on others’ shoulders.

We all (and this may be doubly true for Jewish communal professionals) are fairly quick to note when others fail to mention our contributions to their good outcomes. We need to make sure that we acknowledge and appreciate the contributions which others have made on our behalf. Expressing those thanks in the days leading to Rosh Hashana is particularly appropriate.

Prepare (spiritually and logistically) for the High Holidays

Ki Tetze
Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19

Précis: The parasha describes the creation of a just and moral society once the People enter the Land. This parasha, according to Maimonides, contains more commandments than any other - over 70 of the 613 contained in the Torah. Laws concerning battle, treatment of prisoners, the rights of first-born and dealing with disobedient children follow. The next section concerns care for corpses, restoration of lost property, and kindness to animals. A mixed assortment of commands, the source of many rabbinic rulings, include requirements that there be sex-distinct clothing; that mother birds not be separated from their eggs; that roof-tops have parapets; that seeds not be mixed in a field, and that “tzitzit” (fringes) be worn on garments. Laws related to marriage, adultery, maintaining the ritual purity of the camp, charging interest, vows, divorce, and justice to the widow, orphan, and stranger are listed. The parasha concludes with commands for the kind treatment of animals and Levirate marriage.



Deuteronomy 21:10 “When you take the field against your enemies, and the Eternal your God delivers them into your power and you take some of them captive . . .”

An interesting grammatical question is raised by the opening words of the parasha (Ki tetze lamilchamah - "When you [an Israelite warrior] go out to war"). The verb is in the singular form. We can assume that the wars envisioned in the parasha were not being fought by a single individual, but by an Israelite army. Why, then, is the commandment in the singular?

The Baal Shem Tov suggests that the Torah’s choice of the singular voice should be understood not to define the physical battlefield, but rather the inner struggle that every individual faces. We should read the parasha as referring to the ongoing personal war between our “evil inclination” (yetzer hara) and our “good inclination” (yetzer hatov).

This understanding of the text is appropriate during the month of Elul, as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Now is the time when we begin to take the measure of our lives, and to determine how often we have sought the “better angels” of our lives, and how frequently we have yielded ourselves to the temptations of the yetzer hara.

The parasha reminds us that this is a battle – and not merely a metaphoric one. It is a battle between good and evil, between morality and immorality, between care for others and self-absorption. It is a battle in which we need to be open to God’s promise of deliverance.

A Scroll is more than a Scroll

Shoftim

Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

Précis: The parasha Shoftim (literally, “judges”) is devoted primarily to various themes of justice, and includes warnings against false testimony, idol worship, and the dangers of mortal kings. The parasha includes regulations for rulers, and also warns the people against false prophets, magicians, soothsayers and witches. It establishes requirements for cities of refuge in the Promised Land. In short, the parasha is devoted to ways to create a just society in the Land of Israel.

Deuteronomy 17:18 “When he (the king) is seated on his royal thrown, he shall have a copy of this Teaching written on a scroll by the Levitical priests. Let it remain with him and let him read it all his life…”

In the midst of a discussion of rules regarding the king (in addition to being native-born, the king may not keep too many horses or too many wives, nor should he amass silver and gold “to excess”), we see that the king is also to be guided by Torah.

The need for repetition which the entire Book is about (Deuteronomy comes from the Greek meaning “second telling”) is underscored in this particular verse, where the king is to have a physical scroll of Torah by his side. Midrash suggests that it was his responsibility to copy the scroll himself, but that if he lacked the skill, this could be delegated to the Priests as suggested in the cited verse. The Midrash underscores the importance not only of the Law itself, but of the physical scroll we commonly refer to as "Torah."

In the Washington DC area, we have recently experienced something akin to a scandal about Torah scrolls. A local rabbi and scribe has been leading an effort to “rescue” previously "lost" Holocaust scrolls from Europe, to restore them to “kosher” status, and to make them important symbols in congregations (in both the United States and in Europe). Some have accused the rabbi of being overly elaborate (if not disingenuous) about the provenance of some of these scrolls, and the organization which supports him in this rescue effort has recently signed an agreement with civil authorities not to make claims about scroll provenance without documentary evidence.

This episode reminds us of how precious the Torah scroll is to us, not only for its contents, but also because of its symbolic importance. In some congregations, Torah processions take on a semi-talismanic aspect, bordering almost on a form of idolatry (which is the opposite of the prohibitions of this parasha).

On the other hand, this verse reminds us of the importance of the actual, written scroll itself. The society envisioned by Torah can be sustained only when leaders and the community follow its precepts, and both need the comfort and guidance of a physical scroll as a symbol of that goal.

Is it Really Kosher?

Re’eh
Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17

Précis: Moses begins by quoting God, saying “Behold (re’eh) I set before you a blessing and a curse this day.” The outcome will depend on whether or not the people obey the commandments. A concern with idolatry permeates the ensuing verses. The parasha explains that there will be only one site for sacrifices. A test for a false prophet and the punishment of an idolatrous city are included. The parasha then shifts to other subjects: the prohibition against self-mutilation, the biblical basis of the laws of kashrut, tithing so that the Levite, the "stranger, the fatherless, and the widow” are taken care of. Remission of debts, freeing of Hebrew slaves, and the dedication of firstborn cattle are discussed, as are the commandments for the observance of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

Deuteronomy 14:2-3 - “For you are a people consecrated to Adonai, your God; your God chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be a treasured people. You shall not eat anything abhorrent.”

This parasha deals extensively with laws of kashrut. (Interestingly, it is linked to the concept of the Chosen People....but that is a d'var for another week!)

In looking at the development of Jewish law and custom regarding kashrut, we know that for traditional Jews, “keeping kosher” is not a choice but a commandment from God. Others may observe kashrut from a sense of tradition or sense of obligation (to faith or family members), a desire to identify with the Jewish People, or even for health reasons (although this last has been pretty well discounted as scientifically inaccurate). Others observe kashrut because it promotes a sense of kedushah (holiness) in their lives.

Over time, it appears to be the case that details of kashrut have changed. It's unlikely that our current customs regarding separation of milk and meat, dishes, kashering, etc., have always been with us. After all, there is biblical evidence for the eating of milk and meat at the same meal. So it has been a development over time, and over regions (note, for example, differences between Sephardim and Ashkenazim about items permissible on Passover.)

Within the last few years, the Conservative Movement has initiated a program called “Hechsher Tzedek” – the "seal of righteousness." It is intended to bring to our eating choices consideration of how animals are treated during their raising and slaughter; whether the companies involved treat the animals humanely and their employees fairly and equitably; and whether these firms observe laws and regulations concerning health, safety, and environmental concerns.

The Hechsher Tzedek began even before the scandal of Agriprocessors, a Jewish slaughterhouse and meat packing company located in Iowa which became America’s largest source of kosher meat. The company and its management were found guilty of scores of violations of health, safety, environmental, wage and hour, and child labor laws, although these issues remain in litigation. The Orthodox Union (the "OU," which among its functions includes a kashrut certifying branch) threatened to revoke the “hashkacha” (certificate of kashrut) unless the management of the company changed. This happened, but the company, under the weight of civil and criminal charges, nevertheless was forced into reorganization.

This case brought focus to the question of whether kashrut certifying authorities should take into consideration violations of state and federal law in their determinations of whether or not the company merits their hashkacha. As Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, of Ohev Sholom in the District of Columbia (an Orthodox congregation) noted, how can we trust the kashrut of a company which lies to state and federal authorities?

The laws of kashrut were adopted to provide for sanctity (kedushah) in slaughtering requirements. Over the centuries, rabbinic decisions and explanations of kashrut changed with the time, place and circumstances of the Jewish people’s lives. Living as we do in a 21st century society where we have come to appreciate a wide range of regulations (many of which fit well within the Jewish concept of tikkun olam) it is certainly consistent with our tradition for us to consider expanding the concept of “kashrut” to make sure that the farms and slaughterhouses which supply our kosher products do so in a way consistent with all of our values.

Consequences of Covenant?

Ekev

Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25

Précis: Moses continues his recapitulation of the commandments to the people, reminding them to be obedient to God’s laws in their forthcoming struggle with the Canaanites. Moses describes in detail all of the blessings which God had already provided them, and reminds them to bless and thank God for the bounty they receive. On the other hand, they should learn the lesson of rebelliousness of their fathers, including the incident of the Golden Calf. Moses reminds the people that he brought down a second set of tablets, which require their continued obedience to God.


Deuteronomy 7:14 “You shall be blessed above all other peoples….”

This verse explains that if the people carefully obey God’s rules, He will faithfully maintain the covenant, and that the people will be blessed. The Hebrew phrase “baruch ti’hiyeh mikol ha-amim” which we translate here as “you shall be blessed above all other peoples” can also be read to mean “you will be blessed by all the other peoples.” Etz Hayim, citing Deut. Rabbah 3:6, notes that as a reward for Israel’s way of life, other nations will admire and praise Israel.

While the authors of this relatively late addition to Rabbinic Literature (some suggest that the commentary was written in the 9th century of the Common Era) often had incredibly prescient observations to draw from the texts they were explicating, I submit that in this particular midrash, they had it wrong: wrong when written, wrong explaining the past, and wrong predicting the future.

As we review the long and tortured history of the Jewish people, there have been only a few very rare times when we have been blessed either “above” or “by” other peoples. A traditional point of view is that the Jewish People have suffered because we have failed to live up to our part of the bargain. The rabbis write that the Temple was destroyed and the Great Diaspora began because of baseless hatred among Jews – an obvious failure to live the kind of life demanded by God’s law.

This line of thought that our suffering results from a failure to follow the commandments has been carried to awful and hateful extremes. Indeed, some Jewish fundamentalists “explain” the horror of the Holocaust as resulting from the Jew’s failure to abide by God’s laws in general – and even for their adherence to Reform, Conservative or Progressive modes of Jewish expression!

There can be no doubt about the historical facts. While there have been periods of toleration by the various “host nations” in our history, our memories are chock full of pogroms, forced conversions, and expulsions. It has been said that when Albert Einstein was asked what the result would be if his theory of relativity was proven correct, he remarked that the Germans would call him a German, and the French would call him a citizen of the world. If his theory proved false, the French would call him a German, and the Germans would call him a Jew. The greatest mind of the past century fully understood how Jews were neither blessed by nor held above other peoples.

To me, as we look around the world today, it is a cause of continual amazement that Jews are still persecuted in much of the world, are blamed for the ills which all of humanity face, and are indeed the only people who must continually fights for a “right to exist.” No one seems to doubt that Lichtenstein, or Malta, or Monaco, or Palau has a “right to exist.” But questions continue to be raised regarding Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. There is no doubt that efforts to delegitimize Israel are just the newest and latest form of Anti-Semitism.

So whether we are to be blessed “above” all other peoples, or “by” all other peoples, the fact remains that there is much work to be done. All of us are obligated to rebut any and all attacks on the legitimacy of Israel, the Jewish State. We may (and perhaps at times should) disagree with some tactical decisions made by any particular Israeli Government, but that can never interfere with our defense of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State. “Am Yisrael Chai.”

Listen Up!

Va'etchanan
Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11

Précis: Moses continues the recapitulation of travels through the wilderness and urges the people to follow God’s commandments. Moses pleads with God that he be allowed to enter the Promised Land, and is refused. In anger, Moses rebukes the people, telling them that it is their fault that he is being denied entry. He continues with a restatement of the Ten Commandments, and follows with an articulation of the basic element of Jewish theology: the Sh’ma. Moses then warns the people against the peril of forgetfulness, particularly of the Exodus, and cautions against idol worship of gods of the nations they will conquer.

Deut. 6:4 “Hear oh Israel! Adonai is our God, Adonai is one!”

Is there a Jew who is not at least somewhat familiar with the Sh'ma? In six short Hebrew words, we find the central proclamation of our liturgy and of our theology: our belief in monotheism.

Most read the last Hebrew word, “echad” as “one” and assume it is the most important word in the phrase. However, if we read this verse within the context of the parasha, we may come to a different conclusion.

One can conclude from the Book of D’varim that what Moses is trying to do throughout these concluding exhortations is simply to get the people to listen to him. Within this parasha, Moses repeatedly tells the people to listen, even to the extent that they should depend less on what they see (e.g., idols), and focus on what they hear. In other words, “listening” takes precedence over “seeing.”

If this interpretation of Moses' intent is correct, how do we adhere to the premise of “sh’ma" (Listen!) at a time when God no longer speaks to us as He did to our ancestors at Sinai?

Perhaps there is an analogy to be found in modern cosmology. In an article appearing in Astrophysical Journal, vol. 142 (July, 1965) A.A. Penzias and R.W. Wilson of Bell Labs wrote an article entitled “A Measurement of Excess Antenna Temperature at 4080 Mc/S” which suggested that a previously unexplainable background hiss in radio astronomy was, in fact, the remains of the Big Bang which created the Universe. This finding is now a principle piece of evidence for the theory itself.

Just as cosmologists “listen” to the faintest echoes of Creation to understand something about the present makeup and structure of the universe, I ask each reader to think about how they can “listen” for the echo of Sinai and the echo of God’s Voice today. This is why “listen” is the most important word of the most important sentence in Jewish thought.

Tisha B'Av - Is it Still Relevant?

D’varim
Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22

The Book of Deuteronomy (d’varim) takes the form of a series of lectures by Moses to the People as they prepare to enter the Land. The Book has a strong focus on the centrality of the Temple and other ritual activities which remain at the center of Jewish life. A key premise of the Book is that God will, in the end, redeem the People and bring them (or restore them) to the Promised Land.
 This Shabbat is also referred to as “Shabbat Chazon” (“the Shabbat of Vision”) taken from the haftarah, which begins with Isaiah’s vision of destruction. We read it on the Shabbat preceding Tisha B’Av, when we are (most specifically) reminded of the destruction of the Second Temple.

Since Mishnaic times, Tisha B'Av has been associated not only with the destruction of the Second Temple, but also with the return of the 12 spies scouting the Promised Land (and the subsequent judgment of 40 years wandering in the desert), and with the end of the Bar Kokha revolt. In subsequent eras, the rabbis connected the date with additional cataclysms: the expulsion of Jews from England (1290) and Spain (1492), and with the beginning of the extermination of Jews in Treblinka and the Warsaw Ghetto (1942).

For me, Tisha B’av has long been a troublesome observance, and I found it difficult to gain much from the traditional recitation of Lamentations ("Eicha"). But lately, I find myself changing my viewpoint about the fast day. Let me explain.

I was fortunate enough to be in Jerusalem on Tisha B'Av in 1967, just weeks after the city had been reunified, at a time when there was uncomplicated joy and unlimited hope. I joined a huge throng, singing "David Melech Yisrael" and dancing around the walls of the Old City, while at the same time we could hear the chanting of Eicha, often with a different nusach from each rooftop. I felt that the time for mourning for Jerusalem was at an end, and that Tisha B'Av could be left to memory.

Since then we have learned that joy can be complicated and that hope has its limits. There is no doubt that for generations we Jews sought a connection between our ancient history and the present, and that Tisha B'Av became a symbol of this connection.

I see three reasons why Tisha B'Av remains relevant today. First, we need to remember the disasters of our history because they have a real impact on us today. Second, we commemorate our losses because we recognize that destruction is part of life. Third, we commemorate overcoming our catastrophes. We are still here.

Our survival as a people offers tangible evidence of the promise made in the Book of D’varim: God will, in the end, redeem us.

Shabbat Shalom.

Leaders Have to Lead

Pinchas
Numbers 25:10 - 30:1

Précis: This parasha begins with a reward for Pinchas’ zealotry in slaying the offending adulterers at the conclusion of the previous parasha. (His reward: the hereditary High Priesthood for his family). The parasha continues with a second census conducted by Moses, with war being declared against Midian. The laws of inheritance are amended to provide, at least in certain cases, for daughters to inherit their fathers’ estates. Joshua is appointed the successor to Moses as leader of the People. The parasha then shifts to details of daily sacrifices, offerings for the new moon, and Festivals.

27:15 -16 “And Moses spoke to Adonai saying, ‘Let Adonai, God of the spirit of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who will go in front of them and who will bring them out and who will bring them in, so that Adonai’s congregation won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.…’”

Richard Elliot Friedman points out in his Commentary on Torah this is the last time recorded in the Bible that Moses speaks to Adonai (in Deuteronomy, there are reports of past discussions between Moses and Adonai, but not current speaking). And what is the subject of Moses last words? The future leadership of the people. Moses uses the metaphor of a shepherd, since he himself had been a shepherd.

And what are the attributes of a leader? That he goes out before the people and come in before them - and does not trail behind them. The leader must lead, and not look behind to see what they want. The leader keeps the needs of the people as the first priority. This is important for professionals, for volunteers, and for our political leaders as well.

A Blessing or a Curse

Balak

Numbers 22:2 - 25:9

Précis: Balak, the King of Moab, is fearful because of the success of the Israelites against other Canaanite peoples, and he hires a local magician named Bilaam to place a curse on the Israelites. Bilaam begins the journey riding upon his ass, which refuses to proceed and actually talks to Bilaam, protesting Bilaam’s foul treatment of the poor beast. Bilaam sees an image of an angel, and he refuses to complete Balak’s mission. Balak reiterates his command to Bilaam to curse the Israelites, but instead Bilaam pronounces a blessing, frustrating Balak.
     The parasha ends with an interesting brief episode: Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron, sees an Israelite having sexual relations with a Midianite woman (a violation of a commandment not to fraternize with the Canaanites), and he slays both of them and, in the process, staves off a plague that had been threatening the Israelites.

Numbers 23:9 “For I see it from the tip of the rocks, and I behold it from the hills; this is a people that will dwell apart and not count itself among the nations."

Our Torah portion this Shabbat brings us Bilaam, the seer, who comes to curse the Israelites and ends up blessing them. As always, someone is trying to figure us out: who are these People? We see evidence of such inquiries in the Torah, in Haman suggesting to the King that the Jews are disloyal, in the historical denial of full citizenship to Jews in any place they lived until late in the 18th century, or in the allegations of “dual loyalty” which plagued the Jews of Europe prior to and during the Holocaust. Jews have always been unique among the nations, dwelling “apart” and yet in the midst of all other nations, without a homeland of our own until the restoration of the State of Israel.


In the quoted verse, Bilaam says, “there is a people that dwells apart, not counted among the nations” (Am le-vadad yeeshkone). In her own d’var Torah on this verse, Rabbi Mindy A. Portnoy of Temple Sinai in Washington DC asks, “Is that a curse or a blessing? Is it our destiny, or our hope? Is it our burden, or our glory?” Bilaam makes an all-too truthful prophesy: Israel (the Jews) is indeed a People who will “dwell apart” in the centuries and millennia to come. They will never be considered just another nation.

The traditional reading of this verse, according to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, is that Israel will dwell in a circumscribed territory, without engaging much with other nations in order to achieve its “inner national mission.”

History seems to have another gloss on this verse. This historical imperative is the same one Israel faces today. No other nation in the world, even those recently created as a result of ethnic conflict, must continually justify its existence as a state. Israel is - at the same time - held to a higher moral standard and denigrated for failing to attain that higher standard by most of the world. It may be trite but it is nevertheless true: the enemies of the Jews seek a new “final solution” through the delegitimatization of the State of Israel. Hamas, bin Ladin, much of Western Europe, and most of the Islamic world continue the tradition initiated by Balak, seeking to curse Israel and the Jewish People. The effort, which began with the “weapon” of a curse from Bilaam, has been transformed into the weapons of rockets, bombs, and the threat of terrorism from groups and states. This is merely a new manifestation of ancient anti-Semitism, a point very well made by Shelby Steele of the Hoover institute in his recent essay in the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704198004575311011923686570.html?mod=ITP_opinion_0#

We need to remember that, in the end, Bilaam was forced to bless us instead: “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwelling places, O Israel” Perhaps a blessing will arise from the curses being heaped upon Israel and the Jewish People today.