Shanah Tovah

             The central concept of the season is t’shuvah, which we usually translate as “repentance,” although the Hebrew word’s origin is closer to “turning.”  There are many different motives to encourage repentance. We might be motivated by regret, by a sense of inadequacy, or by loss. We can also be motivated by fear, as this clever story illustrates (as told by Rabbi Marc Israel, while he served at Ohr Kodesh Congregation):

            A woman received a parrot as a gift. The parrot was fully grown and quite beautiful but it had a very bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every other word was a curse word; those that weren't profane were, to say the least, rude.

            The woman tried to change the bird's attitude by constantly saying polite words and playing soft music, anything she could think of. Nothing worked. She yelled at the bird and the bird got worse. She shook the bird and the bird became even madder and ruder. Finally, in a moment of desperation, the woman put the parrot in the freezer to get a minute of peace. For a few moments, she heard the bird swearing, squawking, kicking and screaming. Then, suddenly, there was absolute quiet. Frightened that she might have actually hurt the bird, the woman quickly opened the freezer door.

            The parrot calmly stepped out onto the woman’s extended arm. Perfectly calm, the parrot said, "I am very sorry that I offended you with my language and my actions and I ask your forgiveness. I will endeavor to correct my behavior, and I am sure it will never happen again."

            The woman was astounded at the changes in the bird's attitude and was about to ask what brought about the sudden change of heart when the parrot continued, "May I ask what the chicken did?"

            (Please pause and groan or laugh here.)

            Because of t’shuvah, Rosh Hashanah is the holiday which offers us the possibility of hope: hope that we can overcome our fears and weaknesses, hope that the coming year will be better. We seek the potential of closeness with others, with God, and peace within ourselves. While the Jewish calendar has several other “new years” (for trees, tithing, Passover) Rosh Hashanah is the most universal in outlook, celebrating the creation of the world. As the world itself is in effect re-created, we are offered the opportunity to look deep within ourselves and go about the task of re-creating what is missing in our lives. While we strive to repair the world (tikkun olam) we also strive to repair our inner world. There is despair at our failings, but there is also hope. Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Psiscke is quoted as suggesting: "Keep two truths in your pocket: the world was created for my sake and I am but dust and ashes.”

            On the one hand, we are crowns of creation; on the other, we are worthless. This dissonance is the essential core of the Days of Awe we now commence. It also symbolizes that we always have another chance to do better and to live better. May the coming New Year be one of re-creation, of life, sustenance, and happiness to all. 

Standing with the Stranger

Nitzavim - Va Yelech

Deut. 29:9 -31:30

Précis:  In the first of this double parasha reading, Nitzavim, Moses continues to address the People: You stand (nitzavim) this day before Adonai. In his final words to the People, Moses recounts the wonders Adonai had done for them, and calls upon them to remain loyal to God by observing the Covenant. The extent of the relationship is explained: it will survive exile and captivity with a return to the Land. The Torah is an “open book” that is accessible to all. A blessing and a curse have been set before the People, and Moses urges them to choose the blessing, to choose life.

            In Va Yelech, The Israelites are instructed to annihilate the seven Canaanite nations and take possession of the Promised Land. The death of Moses approaches, and he transfers his mantle of leadership to Joshua as his successor. Moses orders regular reading of the Law, and then transfers the written Torah into the hands of the Levites for safekeeping in the Ark of the Covenant.

Deut. 29:9 -11 “You stand this day, all of you, before Adonai your God -  your tribal heads, your elders, your officials, all the men of Israel; your children, your wives, even the stranger in your camp, from woodchopper to water drawer, to enter into the covenant of Adonai your God…”

I find this verse to be compelling for any number of reasons. First and foremost, it is a statement of the essential unity of the Jewish People, making clear that from the greatest to the least, all stand together in a covenantal relationship to God, and (I imply) to each other. Second, the Hebrew grammar is instructive in its use of the pronouns “you” and “your.” Most of the times, they are in the plural as one might expect. However, the “your” as it relates to the stranger in the camp is in the singular. In effect, the stranger is “your” personal responsibility.

            As Rabbi Peretz Rodman has written (Torah Sparks, 9/28/16), “In the present verse the message is: "You [singular, this time] are the person who determines the living conditions of another human being, one whom you might ignore or neglect because his social status is low and his agency over his own life is limited. Do not overlook him." This is the same stranger (“ger”) who in the first chapter of Deuteronomy (1:6) has full equality under law, and perhaps also the same ger who should enjoy Shabbat rest (Ex. 23:12).

            Who is this ger who stands with us? It is the man, woman, or child who lives within our midst, but is not part of “us.” It may be the undocumented alien, the Dreamer, or those who live in poverty and despair. This verse, I would suggest, leads us to a conclusion that each of us has an individual responsibility to remember that these individuals “stand together” in a mutual covenantal relationship. We dare not overlook or ignore them.