Category: Rabbi’s Dvrei Torah

According to the great 12th century philosopher and scholar Moses Maimonides, this week’s torah portion, Ki Tetze, contains 72 mitzvot, commandments — more than any other portion of the Torah. Yet now during the month of Elul when this portion is always read, we tend not to focus on the minutia of the law as we busily prepare ourselves for the new year by making Teshuva: considering the ‘bigger picture’, taking account of our life and our ways, turning our lives around and trying to repair the damage we’ve caused by the mistakes we’ve made in the past. So, why read all these myriad laws now?

There is a curious phenomenon: Many people on airplanes tend to cry, or even weep, while watching movies on long-haul flights. Various theories have been suggested as to why, from the psychological to the physiological. I once started sobbing during the “oompa-loompa” song in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the tears didn’t stop for hours. In general though, and not just on airplanes, we all connect to a little heartbreak in the stories we read and the movies we see. This week’s Torah portion is, truly, heartbreaking. Moses tells how he pleaded to God to cross the Jordan and see the Promised Land, despite already having been told that he will die before reaching the Land. V’etchanan – “and I pleaded before God”, is the first word of our portion: tradition wants to draw our attention to this poignant episode, by naming our portion for Moses and his plea.

This Shabbat is the Shabbat just prior to Tisha B’Av. It is called Shabbat Chazon, the “Shabbat of Vision”. In the Torah we read Parashat Devarim, and the haftarah begins with the words חֲזוֹן יְשַׁעְיָהוּ, chazon Yishayahu, “the vision of Isaiah.” Maybe we need to dust off of this word חֲזוֹן, chazon – “vision”. We don’t speak of “vision” from day-to-day as we go about our busy lives. What is the long-term “vision” that guides us through the here-and-now? What are we aiming towards? Are we still oriented towards that goal? Is our path leading us there, even if circuitously? Is what we are going about doing in the meantime aligned with the values that our vision requires in order to be achieved ultimately? Does this “vision” continue to inspire and energize us?

We’ve all had the experience of having said or done something that reveals who we truly are. Sometimes those moments are heroic or profoundly kind, generous, or brave. Often, we find ourselves forced to admit we are not yet the person we aspire towards or think ourselves to be. The Torah in these week’s parasha, Mattot-Masei, records one of these moments of profound insight into one’s character. Maybe we can learn from it. The tribes of Israel are about to cross into the Promised Land, finally, after 40 years of preparation. It is clear that moving onto the Land will require war and all manner of difficulties. The tribes’ unity, morale, and faith will be essential.

Which seems more intriguing to you, more poetic and inviting: the idea of “Numbers” or “In the Wilderness”? Which is more likely to be in your weekend plans – playing Sudoku or going for a hike, watching a sunset, enjoying your garden’s beauty? For those of us who struggled with math in school, it might cross our minds that ‘numbers’ and [being lost] ‘in the wilderness’ are – more or less – synonyms! On the other hand, mathematicians – who see equations as beauty and understand the theories of how the entire universe appears to be founded on mathematical principles – might say that ‘numbers’ and ‘in the wilderness’ share an aesthetic, a thrilling limitlessness, and even a sense of spirituality.

Which seems more intriguing to you, more poetic and inviting: the idea of “Numbers” or “In the Wilderness”? Which is more likely to be in your weekend plans – playing Sudoku or going for a hike, watching a sunset, enjoying your garden’s beauty? For those of us who struggled with math in school, it might cross our minds that ‘numbers’ and [being lost] ‘in the wilderness’ are – more or less – synonyms! On the other hand, mathematicians – who see equations as beauty and understand the theories of how the entire universe appears to be founded on mathematical principles – might say that ‘numbers’ and ‘in the wilderness’ share an aesthetic, a thrilling limitlessness, and even a sense of spirituality.

This week’s Torah portion, Bechukotai, is known for its stark, black-and-white warning, called the tochecha: Either follow God’s laws and observe the commandments – maintaining the covenant – and receive blessings; Or, disobey God and not observe the commandments – spurning the covenant – and receive the worst misfortune and suffering imaginable. The choice is ours: either/or, blessing or curse … When we look at the world around us, however we realize that things are a little more subtle than that, a bit more ambiguous.

This week’s Torah portion, Emor, reviews the details of all the major Jewish holidays: Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh HaShana, and Yom Kippur. While each has its importance and relevance for our lives, and each adds meaning and depth to our existence in its own way, on only one of these holidays are we specifically commanded to be happy. Presumably, our axiomatic pursuit of happiness in life is an ongoing and constant goal. Buddhists say that our wanting happiness is one of the “Four Noble Truths”, that is, a fundamental condition of our lives. Yet, of all these major Jewish holidays, the Torah mentions happiness only in connection with the holiday of Sukkot.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel used to say: on three things does the world stand: On justice, on truth and on peace, as it is said: “execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates.” (Zechariah 8:16) Explanation by Dr. Joshua Kulp: Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel in this mishnah is not the same Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel quoted in Avot 1:17, but rather his grandson, the son of Rabban Gamaliel of Yavneh. He was the patriarch after the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135 C.E.). He lived in the Gallilee, which became the center of Judaism after the revolt. Many of his statements appear in the Mishnah, and was the father of Rabbi Judah Hanasi, who edited the Mishnah.

A few thoughts as we get ready for Passover starting Monday night: There is a tradition of trying to cleanse all the ‘chametz’ out of our lives, to do a ‘spring cleaning’ of our souls as well as of our houses. Nevertheless, if you are like me, the perfection of your soul might still be a work-in-progress. So…you might have some chametz still in your house – expensive scotch, extra boxes of mac n’ cheese you can’t bear to part with, etc. Don’t fret [well, at least don’t overly fret]: You can put all your chametz that can’t be disposed of into a drawer or cabinet, tape it shut, and “sell it” for the duration of the holiday. There is a special form that you must fill out in order to sell your chametz [the form was sent in the Temple Sinai newsletter, or find it here]. It MUST be at Temple Sinai or scanned/photo sent to my email by SUNDAY EVENING AT 7:00pm. Quite simple to do and no cost [though it is customary to give some tzedakah either to Temple Sinai or out there in the wider world].