Commentary on this week's Torah Portion: "Korach" 5779 07/06/2019 #ParashatKorach5779 #DvarTorah #TorahCommentary

https://youtu.be/ri9I3B4yQ4U This week’s portion of the Torah is “Shelach L’cha”. Many remember this portion as the incident of the spies and the mandate from Hashem that all the Israelites over the age of 20 are doomed to die off in the desert. However, there are other situations addressed here that are also important to our people. Towards the end of the portion, we are told of a man who was out in Wilderness gathering wood on Shabbat. People were outraged that he was desecrating the day of rest and went to Moses. Moses went to G-d and the consequence was capital punishment. This seems pretty severe, especially 3300 years later as we look towards the Torah for guidance. It is almost incomprehensible that someone is punished this severely for just not resting. And if we want to do something on Shabbat, isn’t that our business anyway? And just to clarify, there’s more to the story than that. The individual in question was first warned, two witnesses saw hm do this after the warning, and let’s face it, he did it in front of the whole community. Under the surface, it probably wasn’t just about gathering wood. Nowadays, it seems that a seven-day week is not enough, let alone six. Not only do we have to spend forty hours of each week earning a livelihood, but then there’s the commuting. Most of us also have chores and everyday tasks to do as well. On the weekends, many of us have kids or grandkids that we take to or watch their activities. We also have projects. Who has time to rest? Maybe if Hashem wanted us to rest a day, maybe our weeks should be eight or nine days! Then it would be a lot easier to take one day and do nothing (or maybe we’d be just as busy and want a 10 or 11 day week). How can He expect us to forego one day a week and let all the other stuff just pile up? And if we did take that day to rest, all we’d do is fret and worry over all the things we have to do and didn’t get to do last week. Oh, by the way, did we mention paying bills in all those tasks? We can get anxious just listening to all we have to do and then figuring out when to do it all. So what’s the point? Well, that is the point. First of all, rest is not just important, it’s critical and crucial to engaging in our daily activities. Everyone knows this, because everyone has had days when they didn’t get enough sleep or had a lot to do over the weekend and then came back to the workweek completely exhausted hating life. We rationalize by saying that it’s either that or let things pile up and then it would even worse. We would probably all agree that conceptually, having one day in seven to kick back is a pretty good idea. If only…. Well, in Judaism, having a day off is so important, it’s one of the top ten. In fact, it’s number four, even before not killing or stealing. Of course, the implication is not that if you get too tired, you’re going to go out and commit crimes! The obvious point is that there’s more to it than just resting. The verses after this passage, the Maftir, is the third paragraph of the “Shema”. This introduces us to the commandment of putting tzitzis on the corners of our clothes. The knots that we tie on those strings remind us to remember and do all the commandments. We know that the sequence of the Torah is not random; the verses are in their specific places and in a specific order for a reason. Consider that it is on purpose that the commandment to put tzitzis on our clothes follows the incident of someone desecrating the Shabbat. It would seem that observing Shabbat is specifically related to knowing and performing all the commandments. And that is exactly the point. Not only is the Shabbat a day off and a time out from mundane and material work, it a day of spiritual refreshment. With all our attention directed out into the material world, it can be easy to forget the purpose of life. With all our efforts directed at managing life, sometimes we forget or sidestep some of the ethics and morality. Being so busy, there is this temptation to take shortcuts. But it’s not necessarily so simple. It’s not as easy as when you’re busy, you lose your integrity. The point is that it’s sometimes easy to become so busy and focused on doing things in life that we forget what’s it all about. We go to work support our families, so life isn’t so stressful, and we have time to impart important values to our offspring. The main reason we observe Shabbat is to remember what’s important. While engaging in life is necessary and critical for our survival, we need to study our roots. We need to remind ourselves to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with Hashem. We do that, and life takes care of itself. #FridayNightSermon

https://youtu.be/JtaNYAhRWiA #ParashatShelachLecha #TorahCommentary #TorahPortion #DvarTorah

https://youtu.be/hA0Hk_8fntU I have a friend who’s a business coach. A few months ago, she published a series of affirmations over a period of forty days with a new, different affirmation for each day all of which focused on creating prosperity and wealth. Although they were all different, they seemed to revolve around five or six themes. One of the themes that I found very meaningful and particularly stood out to me was the idea that prosperity doesn’t come from without, it comes from within. We all go through life looking for the right situation, the right people, the right venue, for us to prosper. She contended that prosperity really doesn’t depend on external factors. The crux of the theme is that it is really our connection to a Higher Power or G-d that creates our wealth. This is a concept that is the focus of the Vedas. The Vedas—or “knowledge” in Sanskrit—are ancient texts that have been studied for hundreds of years and part of which is the basis of Hinduism. One of their concepts is that we all live in a physical world and therefore our focus is directed out. Part of the path to enlightenment is to turn the focus inward and identify with the big Self that is connected to the Universe. The problem that humankind faces is that we are so focused on what happens on the outside that we get overwhelmed when situations don’t go our way. In fact, we can also get overwhelmed when things go well. We are so focused that we let anything that happens dictate our moods, thoughts, and particularly actions. In short, we react to our environment. The idea in the Vedas is that we need to know that, as my business coach contends, it is really our essence that is connected to Hashem that dictates our lives. One of the books of the Vedas is the Bhagavad Gita. This is an allegory that revolves around a crisis that the hero of the story, Arjuna, is facing. Arjuna is a great warrior, skilled in leadership and the bow. And he stands on the battlefield, in the midst of a tragic situation of having to go to war against members of his clan. While he is dedicated to doing what needs to done, he is troubled and indecisive. However, he has the advantage of being counseled by Lord Krishna. The Gita focuses on Arjuna’s spiritual journey towards enlightenment as Krishna guides him to be in a perfect state of bliss in accord with the Universe and then perform action. Only when he realizes the true nature of his inner Self, can he be skilled in action. Part of this guidance, though, involves removing himself from the effects of action, or Karma. This concept has created confusion for centuries. People felt that in order to be in bliss, one had to physically remove himself from the effects of karma, the results of our action. So people thought they to achieve enlightenment, in which one is not affected by the results of action, they had to go into a cave and contemplate their navel. People didn’t understand that one can achieve the right action of enlightenment through acting in the material world. As we think about the conflict of Arjuna, we are reminded of something closer to home. Even though the Torah is called the Five Books of Moses, it is really in the middle three books—Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers—that Moses is active in establishing G-d’s Law. And especially now as we go through the latter of those books, Numbers, we see that Moses faces a very similar situation as Arjuna. In fact, Moshe Rabbeinu himself was a warrior. And like Arjuna, Moses is facing rebellions from his clan, the Levites, some of whom question his leadership and wisdom to the point of outright rebellion. And whereas Arjuna had Krishna, Moses has Hashem. And like Arjuna, G-d gives Moses the commandments that are designed to help us act rightly and justly in this world. We humans get so involved in our activity that it takes holds of our moods. The Torah, however, tells us what to do. The third paragraph of the “Shema” is very explicit as it tells us not to follow our hearts or our eyes, but ONLY G-d’s commandments. And thus we do right action. And by performing mitzvot, we remove our Selves from the consequences of action because we only do right action. That action is to love our neighbor, help those in need, give to people who are needy, etc. The Jewish path to enlightenment is very clear. Really, we don’t have to worry or let life’s little annoyances rule our lives. Of course, yes, it’s inconvenient when a large appliance or car breaks down, or our business situation or family changes; one can’t help but have feelings. But we know, as Jews, that G-d will take care of us as long as we’re true to the covenant. And that’s how we know that our true selves, our true basis of prosperity is not something that is happening out there, it’s really from in here. #FridayNightSermon #CreatingProsperityfromWithin

https://youtu.be/UX5IDb727WA #ParashatBahalotcha #DvarTorah #TorahCommentary

https://youtu.be/zcgr0ieyvcE There has been a decline in attendance and membership in synagogues. To paraphrase Bob Dylan: “And we would not feel so alone…” that everybody is experiencing a decline in attendance. It seems to be a social phenomenon that people are avoiding traditional houses of worship. There are, however, exceptions. Someone recently cited Pew Research that Evangelical Christians and Megachurches are experiencing prosperity. In Judaism, it’s like a barbell: the Orthodox movement is growing, ostensibly because, perhaps, people seek out religion for guidance, and traditional Judaism is very specific. The Reformed movement is growing because they tend to be very progressive and well, more permissive. Conservative Judaism was the major movement in Judaism a few generations ago. It represented the middle of the road, in which the halacha wasn’t that intense and still allowed to adapt to modern times. Now, they say it’s dying. Why? (No idea what’s going on in Islam and their houses of worship). Let’s stop for a little survey. What is the difference between spirituality and religion? The point will be clear in a few minutes…. …. Tough question, right? Let’s try a working definition of each term. Spirituality is that part of us that seeks to identify and understand things that are beyond our level of reasoning. Spirituality is that belief that there is a greater force, mostly good, that controls and accounts for how our lives proceed and progress, and what forces interact with us, and how they will turn out. It acknowledges, typically, some higher power or Being, either G-d or Nature, or what-have-you. Religion, then, is the format and venue in which people can express that spirituality. It is all the rituals and rites and processes that help us connect with this Higher Power in as real a way as possible. It is the vehicle that will help us connect to the greater forces that guide the flow of the Universe. People seek out religion for the spirituality. Consider that most people want spirituality in their lives and that’s why they go to, in our case, synagogue. They want to know that their lives mean something and that in the challenges they face, there is an ultimate good that will come out of that. People want to know that when they do attend services and recite prayers and perform our rituals (Torah, bread, candles, wine), that their lives will be that much better. This week’s portion in “Nasso”. A major part of the portion talks about how the princes of each tribe (“Nasim”) all brought items and animals for use in the Tabernacle, and by the Priests (Cohanim) and the Ministers (Levites). What’s remarkable about this is that they all brought the same items and without really being asked. They were more than happy to contribute to this new budding institution of what became Judaism. By contrast today, people are hesitant to contribute to synagogues and many are struggling. The difference? Those people were surrounded by the Shechinah of G-d’s presence. They saw the manna and water that sustained them and the pillars of fire and clouds that protected them. They witnessed the birth of the Ten Commandments. The rituals and ceremonies made sense and they could all relate to it. Even though we pray three times a day that we’re thankful for G-d’s miracles each day, it’s as off we’re talking ourselves into believing that. Today, the closest thing we see to a miracle is finding a parking space close to door of the doctor’s office. We’re so involved in our struggles, it’s tough, almost hypocritical to stop and give thanks. And yet, there are indeed things for which we can be thankful every day. Here we are three thousand years later, and Judaism still exists. We have the holy land back in our possession and we are thriving. Individually, we still wake up in the morning and can get out of bed and go about our daily business. If you have issues considering that a miracle, ask someone who’s had hip problems or some diseases or is old and has trouble standing on their own two feet! Most of us have our five senses and even people who are handicapped have resources available to help them thrive despite those challenges. So where does that leave us? How does our synagogue promote spirituality? We need to go beyond just the words and the chanting and see what messages these Torah portions and our prayers have for us. We need to delve into what we are truly saying, and then consider the answers. Religion needs to be spiritually relevant. This is really the question that we want to answer. Ultimately the rituals and performances are there to imbue spirituality. It’s up to us to be receptive. #FridayNightSermon #SpiritualityvsReligion

https://youtu.be/ZUg3VsWjQ2g Recently, someone posted a video on Facebook, the social media site, of an avowed atheist confronting a religious leader. The atheist was very adamant that either that was no God, or if there was, then He is evil. Among his points were little children who are born with cancer or who had to deal with other things, and just what did they do to deserve this? He also cited the various tragedies that occur in the world: disease, pestilence and war. The video was only of him talking and it left unclear whether the other person, the religious leader, had responded to his accusations. This is a very salient point and many people struggle with this. They either lose faith in G-d or struggle to come to terms with “G-d’s purpose” when tragedy does strike. Many people will have a tragedy strike, pray to G-d, and then lose all faith when the tragedy occurs. To this question, some people respond that yes, G-d answers all prayers, but sometimes the answer is “no”. This is a valid point. If religion can’t answer or at least address this issue, we may wonder why we are religious. What is the point of praying if G-d doesn’t answer our prayers? Judaism does address this conflict. First of all, mankind did live in a paradise where there was no disease, famine or misery. Every need was met. Mankind interacted with nature, his and her environment, in a positive, productive manner. It was called the Garden of Eden, “Gan Edan”. When given the option, Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and gained free will. This may explain why HaShem told them the fruit was off limits. Yet there it stood, in the garden, available. In effect, Adam and Eve, our ancestors and the model of humans, may the conscious decision to gain knowledge of good and evil and give up their innocence. Why do wars happen? Because mankind choses to engage in war. He doesn’t have to; he has free will. We all have differences, why not just talk them out? Or flip a card; toss a coin; play a sport, two out three, winner take all. Or compromise. While man is asking, “How could G-d let this happen?”, maybe G-d is asking, “Hey humankind, how can you let this happen? I gave you a world and look what you did?” What about the infant or child that is born with cancer? Or maimed? Or addicted? How do we explain that? The Rabbi’s addressed that issue in the Talmud, in the tractate of “Berachot”. There are reasons why bad things happen to good people. First of all, sometimes we need a jolt to set us on the correct path. Take, for example, someone who doesn’t exercise, eats fatty foods and junk foods. Later in life, it’s a good bet that this person will develop adult onset diabetes. He goes to the doctor who puts him on a diet and tells him to develop an exercise routine. The man then loses a lot of weight, feels better, is more productive and happy, and lives a long life. It took a tragedy to set him on the right path. Kabbalah sees actions as sort of a balance sheet. On one side are the good things, on the other side are the bad things. When we have challenges in life, the result depends on which side predominates. That is one of the reasons for doing mitzvoth; you never know when you are going to need the good things. The Talmud also talks about the world to come, and this is also reiterated in the Zohar, the scripture of Kabbalah. There is a story of a righteous rabbi who was quadriplegic. His students felt bad for him, that he was confined to bed and how could he be happy and live a productive life? He responded that he was having his misery now, in life, so that in the World to Come he would be that much ahead of the game. Finally, how do we explain the case of an innocent child born with a debilitating disease or maimed? Judaism believes in transmigration of the soul, or reincarnation. We don’t dwell on it because we focus on the present to build a better future. You’re here, it’s now, deal with it. We are made in G-d’s image. HaShem is not a physical being, so in what image are we made? It would be G-d’s spiritual image. G-d is eternal and immortal; therefore, there would be a part of us, our soul or “neshamah” that is a reflection of the divine and is also immortal. As we move from life to life, we carry “baggage” or unfinished business with it. These lives allow us to resolve these issues, as well as set the stage for the next transmigration (whatever that is) and move to a better place. It is called the “World to Come”. It is the next life, heaven? We don’t know. Yet. Whether we finish this life and move to the next life or advance through the levels of heaven (there are seven) after spending a year in purgatory finishing up some of our issues from the most recent life, we face our challenges as best we can, always pushing ourselves to do and be better. That is on what we need to focus—performing Mitzvot and always pushing ourselves to do better. #Sermon #Whybadthingshappentogoodpeople

https://youtu.be/ELN18NP5wLE #ParashatNasso #DvarTorah #TorahCommentary

https://youtu.be/-w7BOqpXqZM #ParashatBamidbar #TorahCommentary #TorahPortion

https://youtu.be/lOof2RYRpnI This week’s portion is Behukotai and contains the “Tochacha”, or warning. In this discussion, Hashem tells the Israelites that if they do the commandments and what they’re supposed to do according to the word of Hashem, things will be good. If they don’t, then there will be consequences. As usual, the consequences outweigh the rewards. The Admonition, or “Tochacha”, contains three levels of seven warnings. Each of them are progressively worse. This is to give the Israelites the opportunity to return to Hashem and the commandments, what has made our people strong. The prophecy turned out to be true. Our ancestors abandoned our principles and as a result we were conquered and forced to live in exile for the last 1800 years. We were thrust among those that did not only did not believe as we did, but in many cases forced us, or tried to force us, to adopt their beliefs. During that time, we nevertheless clung to our beliefs and survived. This was what the prophecy declared. If we look at the last 1800 years as we struggled among strangers, many of our ancestors clung to our beliefs and religion. Wherever we went, we set up schools and synagogues and continued, as much as we could, to live our culture. We persisted even when death at the hands of foreign governments threatened our very lives. As a result, we now have our land back. And in many ways, we are thriving. We have created an oasis in the desert. Many entrepreneurs have started thriving businesses. We are a democracy in an area that sees almost exclusively repressive regimes. But our civil rights and respect for individual life speaks for itself. Israel is thriving. There are more start-up businesses than just about every other country in the world. As the portion declared, five of us will pursue twenty and twenty will fend off a thousand, so it is. Israel, our land and heritage, has survived and overcome our enemies. We have persisted and thrived and in fact, many of those enemies are now looking to engage with us in commerce and defense. Such is the result of practicing our faith in the face of dire circumstances. However, in our country of the United States, and much of Europe, we are oppressed and persecuted. Many of our fellow Jews are beaten and synagogues are attacked. Attempts by those in our government to declare this to be unacceptable are overturned by those who seek to diminish our struggle and put other issues involved that draw attention away from our plight. Consider that all this has happened as synagogue attendance and membership has hit a low. Yes, according to recent polls, only 30% of Jews belong to, or are involved in their local synagogues. Whereas many areas were thriving with a Jewish population, now they are desolate. Coincidence? That depends on how much credence you give our Torah. If you regard it as mere history, literature, a “fairy tale”, then there’s not much of a resolution. But if you study Torah and look at the times that we have strayed from Hashem’s teachings, it becomes interesting. During times when people either ignored Torah or saw it as trivial, we have suffered. When we’ve favored the customs and culture of our host countries and tried to blend, there was a push back. You would be hard pressed to explain the connection as anything but divine providence. The Tochachah says this. This is our first warning and we need to change. The synagogue is the center of our community in the diaspora. It keeps us together. Strength in numbers. When we live our culture, we take pride in it and who we are. We are proud. We feel confident and strong and this attitude pervades into the perception of other peoples. When we feel a part of our 3500-year tradition, it gives us a confidence and a faith. Others see it. They see that we are strong and will not tolerate oppression. Now this is not a call to arms; in fact, it is anything but. When we connect with Hashem, Hashem will connect with us. Of course, it won’t be perfect, but as history and the Torah has showed us, it will be better. Let’s all make a commitment to express who we are. G-d will be pleased. #FridayNightSermon

https://youtu.be/dxzeOgHRBu8 A few months ago, someone mentioned the phrase, “Toxic Masculinity”. It seemed an interesting description of “machismo”, “macho”. “Toxic” would obviously be anything that is poisonous. A man, therefore, who is engaging is certain behaviors would be hurting himself and maybe others as well. Perhaps this is because men are bound to a specific series or pattern of behavior that can be personally and socially detrimental. Some people long the days when “men were men and women were women”. What does that mean? Simply that men engaged in masculine behavior and women engaged in feminine behavior. Men were strong and tough; women were gentle, soft and feminine. Men were dominant and women were submissive. Pretty cut and dried. In the olden days in an agricultural society, men and women had specific roles. Women gave birth and were on a higher spiritual plane, so they stayed home with the kids, cooked and cleaned, and lit the Shabbat candles. Men went out to the fields or pastures to labor all day and win the bread. On Shabbat, men went and prayed all day because they were brutes and needed all those extra commandments to keep them focused. They wore tzitzis to remind them of those commandments and to keep their masculine urges at bay. Then came equal rights. First was women’s suffrage, then work and career, then bursting the glass ceiling and now equal pay. Women want to be doctors, lawyers, captains of industry, combat soldiers, body builders (with lots of defined and bulging muscles) and MMA fighters. Where that does that leave men? What has happened to that distinction that made men men. In the modern day when we now have more choices with our lives, women are pushing to fulfill themselves outside the home. They were now competing with men in men’s field. They already had the freedom of emotional expression and now were involved highly competitive careers. They have it all. Part of the point of toxic masculinity is the expression of feelings that women can have, and men can’t. Women express their feelings very freely; men are stoic. Crying is seen as giving in to the pain, almost a sign of weakness. For women, it’s a tactical release. Men tough it out because they’re, well, men. Men don’t give in to piddly emotions, we are strong and do whatever it takes. We know what happens with other kids at grade school when a male child shows emotion or fear or, heaven forbid, cry. That’s all well and good, but this toxic masculinity seems to describe a situation in which men hold it in, don’t express their pain, and then it builds and builds and builds and next thing you know, you have an irate temper tantrum. So expressing feelings is good, right? What does the Torah say? Yes, it talks about men and women not wearing each other’s clothes. For some, that is a metaphor that each gender has their own role, G-d made everything masculine and feminine and we don’t mess with G-d’s intention. Or does it? Does that mean that women can’t fulfill themselves in the workplace and academia? Men were losing their gender advantage, and more important and consequential, their dominance and identity and thus felt threatened. How can men feel good about themselves as men if they’re on an equal footing with women? What now makes a man a man, and one of whom he can be proud? All those things that makes a man a man are now also the domain of a woman. Many feel that men need to loosen up. When a man has intense feelings, why not use crying as a release, if appropriate? After all, the Torah has examples of people coming together after extended periods of time, like Jacob and Esau, and crying. So stoicism, at least in the Torah, doesn’t make a man less of a man. In fact, it’s very culturally appropriate. This is merely one example. While the Torah talks about our ancestors and how they expressed themselves fully, the men were still men. Jacob, with his emotional displays and releases, still supported four wives and thirteen children and was the “Israel” after whom we are called. The real implications all of those characteristics of a man are tied to—you guessed it—self-esteem. I will tell you that I’ve experienced some of that myself. Years ago, a friend was training me in martial arts. It was his turn to roundhouse kick the pad that I held up. I was holding it too close and he kicked the pad into my face. So I just got ready for his next kick with my face red and eyes tearing from the blow, smiling the whole time. He stopped, of course, to make sure I was all right and then gave me a moment to recover. Toxic masculinity. We men have to learn to appreciate ourselves. If we want to express feelings, like cry over frustration or hurt, we do it. And nobody is going to tell us otherwise because we can still be strong and have that release as a catharsis, and then go on and deal with the issues. That doesn’t make us any less of a man. “Real men don’t eat quiche”? Hey, real men eat whatever the heck they want!

https://youtu.be/meWtz2DY6a0