The dangers of gossip

Dear Friends and Family: While I announced my retirement last week, and said the weekly d'var would be more occasional, it turns out that I'm ready this week. Some habits are hard to break. It's likely that there will be a hiatus for the next 2 or 3 weeks. Shabbat Shalom

B’haalot’cha

Numbers 8:1 - 12:16

Précis: The parasha begins with a description of the making of the seven-branched menorah, a (the?) central Jewish symbol. Next, the Levites are given specific directions for their duties. The parasha returns to narrative with a recounting of a second Passover celebration (required because some of the Israelites had been ritually impure when the first anniversary of Passover was celebrated). Next comes a discussion of the making of silver trumpets. The cloud of God’s Presence lifts, and the march of the People through the wilderness from Sinai begins, led by the Ark of the Covenant. The people begin to murmur, this time about a lack of meat. God provides, but the People are struck with a plague. This time, even Miriam and Aaron seem to have complaints about Moses, cast in terms of their critique about his “Cushite woman.” Moses is stressed by the demands of leadership.

Num. 12:1-2 “And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses about the Cushite wife whom he had taken, because he had taken a Cushite wife. And they said, ‘Has Adonai only spoken through Moses? Has not Adonai also spoken through us?’”

            We find in this parasha a fairly unusual occurrence: God imposes punishment immediately upon Miriam (a prophet in her own right!) following her criticism of her brother Moses. (Interestingly, Aaron does not seem to be on the receiving end of God’s wrath, but that is a d’var for another occasion.) God seems angry with both of them for gossiping about Moses, or perhaps because they are voicing a complaint also made by Korah about the uniqueness of Moses’ leadership and authority. As punishment, Miriam's skin turns leprous. Aaron seeks the intervention of Moses, who makes one of the few prayers reported in the Five Books: "O God, pray heal her." Miriam is healed.

            Traditional commentators state that Miriam’s punishment was the result of gossip (lashon hara). The Sages believe that this sin is perhaps one of the most vicious to be committed, and demand that gossip be avoided, even if true. (There may be exceptions if a person has a legitimate need to know about the matter, for the safety of others.)

            A well-known Chassidic tale highlights this traditional aversion to lashon hara. A man had the habit of bad-mouthing his rabbi. One day, the man approached the rabbi, having recognized his sins and begging for forgiveness. The rabbi told the man to take a feather pillow out into the field on a particularly windy day, beat it, and release all of the feathers. The man complied with the rabbi’s request, and returned to him. The rabbi then insisted that he return to the field and collect all of the wind-tossed feathers. When the man protested about the impossibility of the new task, the rabbi responded by telling him that the task was just as impossible as it would be to repair the damage to the rabbi’s reputation caused by words of gossip, which spread like feathers in the windy field.

            We can learn from this episode an important lesson. All of us come into possession of knowledge about others which, if spread about, would cause terrible harm. We can act as appropriate models by refusing to engage in conversations with anyone which contain gossip.

Shabbat Shalom and Farewell (at least on a weekly basis!)

Dear Friends and Family: In 5761, corresponding to the year 2000-2001 of the secular calendar, I began an effort to prepare a commentary (“d’var torah”) on the weekly parasha. I intended at that time to find some lessons that would be of particular interest to Executive Directors of temples and synagogues. From time to time, the news of the day has served as a different stimulus for interpretative reading of the weekly text, and at other times, I’ve delved into social commentary. With a few exceptions, I have kept at the task regularly for almost 15 years.
               With this week’s d’var torah, I come to the end of the attempt to write a d’var torah each and every week, since I am about to begin my retirement.  With God’s blessings, my wife Abby and I will continue to enjoy good health and love. Over the next months, we’ll be doing quite a bit of travel, and the frequency of these weekly comments will vary, depending on time and access to the internet. The best part of this process has been the interchange of ideas, and for that, I thank all of my regular correspondents! And now to this week’s d’var torah.

Naso
Numbers 4:21-7:89

Précis: The parasha opens with a continuation of the listing of the Levitical families and their duties regarding the transportation of holy vessels. This is followed by a brief commandment concerning restitution for wrongs. The parasha then turns to a mysterious procedure for testing a wife’s fidelity when questioned by her jealous husband. Next we have a discussion of the laws of Nazerites, and the recitation of the “Priestly Benediction.” The parasha concludes with the presentation of identical gifts by each tribe for the dedication of the Altar.
Num. 6:22-26 “And Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, “This is how you will bless the children of Israel; say to them: ‘May Adonai bless you and watch over you.  May Adonai make His face shine to you and be gracious to you. May Adonai raise His face to you and give you peace.”’
               Rabbi Joshua Heller has taught us on the meaning of the priestly blessings (MyJewishlearning.com, 5/14/13).
               The verses of the priestly blessing are among the oldest words of liturgical usage, and archaeological evidence shows that these words were used as early as the 7th century BCE. 900 years later, these words were included by the Sages in daily prayer (Mishnah Tamid 5:1), and incorporated into the central prayer, the Amidah.
               With the destruction of the Temple and the end of the sacrificial system overseen by the Priests, most of the rituals associated with the Temple disappeared. The priestly blessing remained an exception; in traditional congregations, it is still recited today by descendants of the Priests (the Kohanim). This recitation is a reproduction of the ancient ritual, with the Levites washing the hands of the Kohanim, who doff their shoes, place their talitot over their heads and hands, and form the ancient Priestly sign beneath the tallit as they intone the words of this blessing.
               Some believe that this practice is no longer appropriate. After all, what provides the “power” (or authority) for modern Kohanim to “bless” the congregation? Does a random fact of birth provide the Kohain with some special authority to give importance to his blessing?

               Others, however, understand that the Kohanim are not the source of the blessing; the Kohanim are asking God to bless the People as they perform the ceremony. As they pray for God’s blessing on our behalf, we join them in a ritual dating back almost 3,000 years. This is almost the definition of tradition.