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Parashat Tzav 5780

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Sacrifices in the Modern Era This week’s portion starts the new book of Vayikra/Leviticus. This book contains about half of the 613 Commandments. We start this book of the Levites and Kohanim discussing four sacrifices. The first two sacrifices are voluntary offerings that address both feeling that we could do better and thanksgiving for the wonderful things in our lives thanks to Hashem. The first is the “Olah” or burnt offering that is burnt completely and goes up in smoke. The next one is the “Shelamin” or peace offering in which only certain parts of the animal are burnt while the rest is eaten. The next two are sin offerings. They are meant to repent committing any transgressions out of ignorance. Many may feel that this pertains to a part of our culture and heritage that is long gone, perhaps never to return. Since G-d proclaimed that there be no private altars among we Israelites (Jews) and sacrifices are only to be done in the Temple, and the Temple does not at the present time stand, these laws and commandments are archaic. They are best just viewed as part of our history and left there. Consider that the idea of sacrifices, however, still has relevance for today’s Jews. We are commanded to do tzedakah or justice. This is the word we use for charity and doing mitzvot. Sacrifice is to give something up, and in this context, for a greater good. Ultimately, it is about service. In these trying times of a pandemic, tzedakah is more relevant and timely, and necessary than ever. We hear about people going out of their way to help their neighbors, either sharing necessities or doing shopping for those who are compromised. People are also doing what they need to do to keep themselves and others safe by practicing controls. One of the concepts discussed in this portion is the idea of the head priest also making atonement when necessary. Our leaders are not above the law but rather expected to set an example. Before the Cohen Gadol officiates for the Congregation of Israel during Yom Kippur, he has to make his own personal expiation. This is still relevant today in the form of the “Heneini” prayer. Right before the start of the Mussaf or Additional service, the hazzan acknowledges their own shortcomings and inadequacies and asks G-d not to let this prohibit them from beseeching on behalf of the congregation. We are all familiar with the strife and toxic bipartisanship infecting our government on all levels. For the last 25 years or so, it’s been anything but politics as usual. Things in Washington, DC just haven’t been getting done. We see now during this pandemic crisis that these same leaders in bitter rivalry are coming together to solve this crisis and save lives. While it’s not perfect, we are seeing that our leaders are stepping up to the plate and being the leaders we all want and expect. These people are putting aside their contempt for each and put their constituents first. It is unfortunate that it has taken a crisis of these proportions to bring our leaders back to reality, but at least they are rising to the challenge. In fact, isn’t it interesting that when there’s a crisis is when we all realize our highest and most sincere potential and become altruistic? Many people, in times of crisis, see a strength inside themselves they didn’t know they had. Why do we need a crisis? During the Middle Ages when Jews were prohibited from practicing, they did so in secret under penalty of death. During Purim, they would gather together in darkened rooms to read the Magilla. Instead of sounding loud groggers that would alert the King’s men, they would write the name “Haman” on the soles of theirs shoes and erase it. Now that there’s no danger, no one shows up for services. The idea of the sacrifice is meant to keep that in our minds all of the time. Sacrifices taught us that our good fortune, and yes, bad fortune too, comes from one place, Hashem. It is G-d that allows us how much bounty we have, and we are obligated by Torah to give back. Unfortunately, this crisis has brought out some very unfortunate responses as well. We have had business and political leaders say in the media that they want to curtail the safety measures adopted by both health care professionals and most local government leaders in favor of improving the economy. Their callous recommendations put lives at stake for the sake of returning to economic expansion. Nothing can be more contrary to Torah than favoring commerce over human lives. The Torah specifically states, “You shall live by the Torah”. This led our sages to conclude that human life is so important and takes precedence over complying with our commandments. Remember that one of the main messages when an angel stayed Abraham’s hand in killing Isaac on the alter is that human sacrifice is absolutely forbidden. That goes both for pagan gods and business gods. Certainly, managing this crisis is going to necessitate taking austere measures to ensure safety and it’s possible that it will take longer to recover economically. But G-d created humans with frontal lobes so we can engage in creative thinking. Surely, we can use that “seichal” to find solutions that resolve both our human and economic health in optimal ways. Perhaps when this crisis is over—and it will be over—we need to see the lesson. We must not give up lofty ideals and actions and return to our baser emotions. Let us live each as if there were a crisis and practice being the evolved humans that G-d expects us to be.

Parashat Vayikra 5780

Joy is the Best Medicine As a current rabbi and former environmental biologist I am fascinated by the interconnection of science and spirituality. New findings in double blind studies published in peer reviewed scientific journals, the “gold standard” in science, are increasingly providing proof of what we already know or intuit, deep inside. It’s what a psychologist professor I once had used to call Grandma Research: proving what your grandmother could have told you, and probably often did. In this time of uncertainty and challenge, the news media supply us with many things to worry about. It’s their job, I don’t blame them. And it is the opposite of what we need right now. The Chassidic masters of the 18th and 19th centuries in Eastern Europe, whose movement was founded by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, called Baal Shem Tov, taught that joy is the best medicine. Science is now proving this. The Eastern European Jews of their time were often living in poverty. They were a persecuted minority from whom high taxes were exacted. If they failed to pay, they were often imprisoned. The rabbis of their time taught that one should live in joy, and this is the important part: independent of the circumstances. Many people know that the editor Norman Cousins cured himself of a terminal auto-immune disease through laughter, by watching funny movies. There is a growing body of research showing that that we can affect the state of our health through joy. In fact, the field of psychoneuroimmunology or mind-body medicine, is burgeoning at universities and medical schools. A 2003 study of susceptibility to the common cold virus showed that positive emotions were associated with a lower risk of developing a cold. (PsychomMed; Cohen, Doyle, Turner, Alper, Skoner). Another study from 2006 showed that the people in the study who were happy boosted their immune systems, creating more antibodies, when they were injected with a Hepatitis vaccine (Brain, Behavior, Immunity; Marsland, Cohen, Rabin, Manuckin). The converse has also been proven: that stress, worry, fear, and depression suppress our immune and endocrine systems. This is the quintessential Grandma research. My teacher, Rabbi Joseph Gelberman taught that joy is a decision, and that joy is different from happiness. As an inheritor of the Chassidic tradition, he had made a decision to always be joyous, although he wasn’t always happy, having lost many family members in the Holocaust, including his first wife and only child. We can become addicted to our familiar emotions, and yet they are simply habits that can be changed. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” Martin Seligman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has done research on changing our thinking. He wrote, “Habits of thinking need not be forever. One of the most significant findings in psychology in the last twenty years is that individuals can choose the way they think. (Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life).” Changing our way of thinking and consciously choosing joy takes commitment and practice. It doesn’t happen overnight, and yet we know we can change our habits. We can change the place where we put our keys and we can change our habits of thinking. It means intentionally ignoring the present reality to live joyously. It also means being conscious enough to catch yourself when you begin to think anything negative about a person or thing, by choosing a happy thought, and staying with that thought. Simply taking a walk in nature, remembering someone you love, or thinking about a wonderful moment in your life will raise your spirits. Optimism and open, uplifted hearts are good for us. And they may not only keep us healthy, but also heal us more quickly when we do become sick. Joy is the medicine we need right now. What we permit ourselves to think is up to us. Yes, it takes practice, yes, it takes commitment, intention, and insistence. And it is worth it. At the very least, we will all have happier days and live healthier lives. Rabbi/Cantor Jill Hausman The Actors’ Temple

Parashat Vaykhal-Pekudai 5780

Live Streaming Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv (3/13/2020) In response to containment efforts for the coronavirus, we live streamed the service so people could participate in our virtual service and be safe.

Shabbat Parah ("Sabbath [of the] red heifer" שבת פרה) takes place on the Shabbat before Shabbat HaChodesh, in preparation for Passover. Numbers 19:1-22 describes the parah adumah ("red heifer") in the Jewish temple as part of the manner in which the kohanim and the Jewish people purified themselves so that they would be ready ("pure") to sacrifice the korban Pesach.

Parashat Ki Tissa 5780

Story of Purim Purim Newsletter

Parashat Tetzaveh 5780

D'var Torah Shabbat Across America and Canada Dvar Torah – February 28, 2020 Tonight is the twenty-fourth annual Shabbat Across America and Canada, sponsored by NJOP (formerly known as National Jewish Outreach Program). Tonight, Shabbat Across America and Canada is being celebrated in hundreds of locations, in 38 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces, and Spain! By participating in Shabbat Across America and Canada, you join in a grand celebration of Shabbat that ties together Jews from all walks of life, who are participating in synagogues and Jewish organizations of all denominations and connecting Jews all across the North American continent and beyond. This Shabbat, we read the Torah portion known as parashat Terumah, which launches the second half of the book of Exodus. Nachmanides (1194-1270 famed Spanish Rabbi) labeled the book of Exodus the “Book of Redemption.” He stresses that although the appellation’s application is obvious regarding the first half of Exodus (delivery from slavery, Revelation at Sinai), the focus of the second half of Exodus–namely, the construction of the Tabernacle–also represents a type of redemption. Erecting a physical habitat for God’s presence represents a spiritual salvation for humanity. The mystics (Nefesh Ha-Hayyim 1:4; Sefer Habahir) suggest that the construction of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness was meant to mirror God’s creation of the universe. On the first day, God created the heavens, and the Children of Israel were told to construct a “covering” for the Tabernacle. On the second day, God separated the upper waters from the lower waters. The Children of Israel were told to create a partition between the “Holy” and the “Holy of Holies.” On the third day, God “gathered the waters,” while the Children of Israel were told to construct a water basin for washing. On the fourth day God created luminaries to provide light; the Children of Israel were commanded to make the Menorah/candelabra. On day five, God proclaimed “Let there be fowl that fly over the earth,” while the Children of Israel were told to place “cherubs with wings spread upward” upon the Ark of the Covenant. On the sixth day, God created the human being, and with regard to the Tabernacle, God commanded Moses to, “Draw close Aaron your brother.” On the seventh day, the Torah states that “The heaven and the earth were finished.” As the Tabernacle was completed the Torah declares, “All the work of the Tabernacle was finished.” While Shabbat represents a weekly slice of “sacred time,” the Tabernacle describes “sacred space,” where God’s contracted Presence is manifest in this world. On every Shabbat we celebrate sacred time, and remind ourselves that, just as God ceased creative activity on the seventh night and day, we become Godly when doing the same every seventh day. In the book of Bereshith (Genesis), God created our world. In the second half of the book of Shemot (Exodus), the Children of Israel are given the task of creating an appropriate place for God’s world in the mortal realm. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks describes this as follows: “God creates order in the natural universe. We are charged with creating order in the human universe. That means taking painstaking care in what we say, what we do, and what we must restrain ourselves from doing. There is a precise choreography to the moral and spiritual life as there is a precise architecture to the Tabernacle. Being good, specifically being holy, is not a matter of acting as the spirit moves us. It is a matter of aligning ourselves to the Will that made the world.” (The Architecture of Holiness, Terumah, 5777). For 23 consecutive years, Shabbat Across America and Canada has transformed the Divine mandate and the Divine gift of Shabbat into an international movement and phenomenon. Shabbat Across America and Canada‘s goal has always been to unify North American Jewry through the sanctity of Shabbat. NJOP has passionately endeavored to bond Jews to their Jewish birthright and heritage. Whether through Hebrew reading, Shabbat Across America and Canada, Crash Courses in Basic Judaism and Jewish History, holiday programs or a robust social media presence, NJOP has built bridges between Jews and fellow Jews, and between Jews and their Judaism. The confluence of Shabbat Across America and Canada and Parashat Terumah ought to inspire all of us to recall the role given to the Jewish people of being a beacon and leader for the world. In order to succeed in that sacred task, we need to enlist as many sister and brother Jews in this mission. These twin objectives–recognizing our special role in the world and encouraging all Jews to embrace this role–can be accomplished by simply joining together tonight and committing to these callings. Tonight is Shabbat Across America and Canada because tens of thousands of North American Jews have decided to spend Shabbat night together in fellowship with their co-religionists, engaging in Jewish life and contemplating our collective Jewish future. Each and every one of NJOP’s partners--comprised of synagogues, military bases, Hillel houses, Moishe Houses, JCCs, Federations and outreach centers--have committed to the notion that when we celebrate Shabbat together, the observance is ennobled, and becomes more uplifting, uniting us all. Thank you for attending and elevating this particular Shabbat, and transforming it into a collective one with this community and with hundreds of other communities who are celebrating with us across North America and beyond. It is NJOP’s hope to join with all North American Jews to recognize our Godliness by ceasing from “work” on Shabbat and by inspiring all others to live Godly lives. Shabbat Shalom.