A Matter of Trust

Nasso

Num. 4:21-7:89

Précis: The parasha (the longest of the weekly readings) 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. 5:11-29  “…If the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and she be defiled, or … not be defiled, the man will bring her to the priest, and shall bring an offering for her...And the priest will set her before Adonai…and take holy water in an earthen vessel, and of the dust on the floor of the tabernacle, and put them in the water…and the priest shall cause the woman to…drink the water of bitterness….and if she be not defiled… then she shall be cleared and shall conceive.”

            These verses describe an “ordeal” undertaken against a woman accused of adultery by her husband. [The practice was abolished early in the rabbinic period.] Why should we study it now?

            One rationale for its relevance is that the practice was illustrative of our tradition’s insistence of trust in any relationship. Trust must be earned, and once lost, can be enormously difficult to restore. This is certainly true in familial relationships, and I suggest it is true in our more public relationships as well.

              Two matters spring to my mind this week. It is evident that many in communities of color (as well as many in the white community as well) have lost faith in our police forces. All should acknowledge that the vast majority of police officers are dedicated to the public they are sworn to protect and defend, but a small number of those officers have acted in a way which people of good conscience must find offensive and unacceptable.

            While we have experienced periodic episodes of violent protests following police officers who engaged in despicable behavior (the beating of Rodney King was only one example), this may be the first time when “citizen journalists” have photographed developments and spread them virally through social media. There is an old adage in journalism: “if it bleeds, it leads.” So, we get an overemphasis of the relatively few who engage in acts of police misconduct or of looting, and precious little appears about quiet, determined, and nonviolent protests, or of the officers who express support for those who protest instances of abuse by their fellow cops. How we can restore the trust is a conundrum, but one which leads to the second point I would like to raise.

            The Presidency of the United States has been called “a bully pulpit,” a phrase usually attributed to Theodore Roosevelt. With the twin plagues we are experiencing in our country today, we are sorely in need of a President who can lead with reason and compassion, and remind us that we have more in common than those things which divides us. Unfortunately, the pulpit is empty.

            Our President lashes out at imaginary conspiracies, claims that these riots are organized by a secret cabal of radical Democratic left-wingers. He makes no distinction between peaceful protestors and a small violent minority engaged in looting. He repeats racist phrases: “When there’s looting, there’s shooting.” He talks about using “vicious dogs” as if the memory of their use by Bull Connor in the 1960’s has not been burned into the memory of all who lived then.  

            He ignores the recommendations of his own administration officials about dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic, and undermines their credibility with the American public. This President displays a remarkable lack of empathy for those in need. He lashes out at minorities and immigrants, calls those engaged in protests “bad people” but calls people carrying the treasonous Confederate battle flag “good people.” How can we trust him with anything at all, let alone with the future of the American People?

            I recognize fully that every leader makes mistakes, and many in fact have lied to the American People. But where is leadership like Ronald Reagan after the Challenger disaster, or George W. Bush after 9/11, or Barack Obama singing "Amazing Grace" at a memorial to victims of racism? We had leadership we could trust, whether we agreed with the specific policies those Presidents stood for or not. That is sadly not the case with the current incumbent, the political yes-men he surrounds himself with, or with those members of his party who previously have tried to speak truth to power, but have abandoned this effort, to their shame. How can this Presient regain the trust of all Americans? I cannot imagine any scenario in which this is possible.

An alternative to the blintz

This week, Shabbat falls on the second day of Shavuot, so traditional congregations read a special Torah reading recounting the sacrifices which were made during the Shavuot Festival. (On the first day of Shavuot, we re-read part of the parasha Yitro in Exodus, recounting the giving of the 10 Commandments). Hence a central theme of Shavuot: z’man matan torahteinu, the time of giving of the Torah.

            I wanted to take a look at a custom many observe during this holiday: eating dairy.

            While dairy foods are customarily associated with Shavuot, there’s no real understanding as to why this is the case. Several ideas have been floated to suggest a connection.  In Psalms 68:16, Mount Sinai is called “Har Gavnunim,” a Hebrew word similar to the Hebrew word for cheese (“gevinah”). Gematria suggests that the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew word for milk (“chalav”) is 40, which is the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai. A more far-fetched idea is that until the Torah was given, Jews had no idea which animals were kosher, so they lived on dairy or pareve foods only.

            Perhaps there is a single textual connection which gives substance to this custom. In Ex. 34:26, we read, “Bring first fruits to the house of God; you shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk.” The holiday of Shavuot is when first fruits were offered, and the same verse refers to milk.

            The Ashkenazi custom of eating blintzes, it has been suggested, comes from the idea that two blintzes on a plate look like the scrolls of Torah!      

            For those who are not lactose intolerant, may I suggest that eating a cheese pizza works out very well. The triangular shape of a slice reminds us of the three kind of Jews: Priests, Levites, and Israelites. A typical pizza is sliced in 8ths (except for those strange square or rectangular pizzas, which are for another discussion). The 8 pieces represent the seven weeks of the Omer and the first week afterwards, starting with Shavuot. The crust is brown (like the wilderness), the sauce reminds us of the “Red” Sea of the Exodus, and the white (the cheese) is in tradition a symbol of physical and intellectual purity, being the true color of light, without any modification. And pizza, as a whole, reminds us to be grateful for eating something so delicious.