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The debate over science vs. religion has been raging for years. Many people have declared that since religion demands no inquiry and also faith and belief, it is incompatible with the scientific method that seeks investigation and hypotheses and testing in order to confirm. Therefore, they say, while you can be both religious and scientific, mixing the two is like oil and water. In a recent class, in fact, with pre-B’nai Mitzvah students, they were adamant that Torah was religion and not science. They didn’t see how anything that Torah proclaimed was grounded in reality or fact and it was merely just stories and faith. They, too, felt that science is science and religion is religion and never the twain shall meet. Judaism not only doesn’t believe that science and religion are two completely different disciplines but that one describes the other. How can this be so in the face of so much controversy to the contrary? First of all, we need to understand that Judaism is not only a religion, nor was it ever meant to be; it so much more. Years ago, in a confirmation class, my rabbi at the time said that Abraham, after smashing all but one of the idols in his father’s shop and blaming it on the one surviving piece of wood, conceived this universal force. In fact, my rabbi stated, the word “Adonai” means “force” as in “force of nature”. The point is that this Universal Force was what brought all into being and constantly maintains the integrity of the universe. Consider what Genesis says about the beginning of everything. It talks about how in the beginning there was nothing, and G-d—using the word for G-d that can means gods or angels or nobles—created the light and darkness by saying so, and thus it was. According to Judaism, then, this Divine Being spoke a command and things started happening. This was repeated for each day with different things happening, like the lights in the sky, then the plants, fish, birds, creatures and finally Man (or more rightly perhaps, Humans) coming into existence over a period of six “days”. The current theory of creation in the scientific world is the theory of the Big Bang. There was nothing and then a sound emanated from the superfluid vacuum state, or wherever, and matter exploded into existence. It was then over many millions of years, or epochs, that this “stuff” started to coalesce into what we see now as our physical home. Personally, this theory of the Big Bang sounds exactly like what the Torah is describing in Genesis, chapter 1. The “bang” was Hashem saying “Let there be light…and there was light”. The Torah goes on to describe 5 succeeding various stages, or “days”, of creation marked by a progression of developments that ended with the advent of thinking, discerning human beings. Seems to be a very accurate description by people who didn’t have a fraction of the scientific equipment or sophistication that we have now to create such a theory some 4000 years later. Now about that word “day”. In our current language, “day” can either mean the amount of time our or any other planet takes to rotate around its axis until the same point is facing the sun. It can also mean that part of our 24-hour cycle that is light. How about another meaning for just a distinct period of time? So maybe the first day was a period of microseconds? The second day was a longer period of perhaps millions of years while the raw material started to form into distinct and specific shapes that became the bodies that we now recognize as planets, stars, etc. Next we have the story of the first humans, Adam and Eve. The word “Adam” is a derivation of the word for earth, “adamah”, as man was created from the ground itself. “Eve” is the word “Havah” or life, probably because it is the woman that formed a new life within her womb. These two may have been, as has been suggested, the missing link between the lower primate and our intelligent species. Eating from the Tree of Knowledge may be a vague reference to the development of the frontal lobes of our brains that allows us creative thought. Remember that animals run around naked; it is only humankind that requires clothing to be able to maneuver with the elements of the changing seasons. This is a very rudimentary discussion of how Torah is not a contradiction to the rational thought of the scientific method. Certainly a discussion like this can go for a lot longer. As we start our yearly adventure into our heritage, consider the relationship between the so-called mystical and fantastic stories that we will read and the scientific. To be continued…. #FridayNightSermon

https://youtu.be/kK1scirNCHs #ParashatNoach #DvarTorah #TorahPortion

This week we ended the High Holidays with Simchat Torah. This is a rabbinically mandated festival in which we honor the heritage of our people, the Torah. We hold a special service, dance around with the Torot (plural) and sing songs from verses out of the Torah. We read the last portion of the Torah, “V’Zoet HaBracha” and then re-roll our scroll and read the first and part of the second chapter of B’reishit, Genesis. As such, we see that the Torah doesn’t end and begin—not really. It is a continuous stream from which we are always learning and with each pass, we learn something new. This is the lesson of our Torah study, that the end and beginning are merely contrived; it never comes to a conclusion. Such is life. The idea of “Circle of Life” has come into our pop culture from media. This, however, is a very familiar concept in Judaism. Just as the Torah is a continuous stream, so too is our lives. Consider that cycles occur in nature. There is day, then night, then day again. There is spring, summer, autumn, winter, then back to spring again. And so on. Consider that there are cycles in life as well. After every end is another or new beginning. We know this from our experience. There are a couple of ways to consider this. Sometimes we all get very pessimistic. Things were going so well, why couldn’t it stay that way? We are creatures of habit and once we relax into a set routine or situation, we just want it to continue. It’s too much stress to have to—or really want to—put ourselves out to deal with change. This is really true when things are going well, though, isn’t it? We want them to stay going well. We know that if, or really when, things change it’s from good to bad. When things are bad, we can’t wait for things to get good again, and then savor it while the going’s good. So far, we’ve looked at this as a passive experience. We sit and enjoy the good and then wait with trepidation for things to turn around. We can also be pro-active. Just as we re-roll the Torah scroll right back to the beginning immediately after reading the end, we can do that with life as well. Instead of sitting around and having these things happen and dread for the next shoe to drop, we can see what the situations are telling us, take action, and use the experience to learn for the future or take steps to prepare ourselves. In fact, most of the time, we do that. We’re working, spending our money on fun things like trips and dining out, maybe a new car. Then the bills come. We have to fix that car, buy a new refrigerator because this one just broke down right after the warranty expired or a medical bill from an illness we didn’t see coming. Well, maybe we need to start saving more money and not go out as much. So after we’ve recovered and paid the bills, and the money is coming in, we ought to consider approaching life a little differently. Maybe that extra payment for an extended warranty isn’t such a bad idea. And perhaps supplemental insurance wouldn’t hurt either. This better than gambling with life events. Think about the Torah. While many see it as a story, it’s not. The story is there as a didactic, to emphasize the commandments and teachings of Moshe Rabbeinu and the evolution of how that all came to be. The teachings are presented in a format; it’s up to us to figure that out and then apply it to our lives. So the circle of life is really life, the ultimate life, living the mitzvot and commandments which Hashem gave us. This is the ultimate guide to living. It’s a guide to right action, the best way to handle situations in life as they come up. True, the Torah may not tell you whether or not get an extended warranty on that new appliance. It will, however, tell you to be fair in business dealings and love your fellow as yourself. So maybe that fellow selling you the new appliance and the extended warranty will be so happy for your business, understanding and polite demeanor that they’ll tell you to come back next week and take advantage of that unannounced sale starting on Thursday or throw in that extended warranty as part of the deal. Saves you a couple of bucks that makes it easier to take care of that medical bill. #FridayNightSermon

https://youtu.be/JGumQ5cEGYA #ParashatVZoetHabrachaandBresishit #TorahPortion #10MinuteTorah

The book of Ecclesiastes is read during the Shabbat that coincides with Sukkot. Many of us are familiar with what the book says because of the folk-rock song by the Byrds, “Turn, Turn, Turn”. While the melody of the song is somewhat upbeat or neutral, the actual text of the book is very pessimistic. It addresses the futility of life and asks the question, what is the point of living a life of productivity and accumulating material wealth when we’re all just going to die anyway? Many sages ascribe the author to be King Solomon who indeed lived a life of opulence and became very downtrodden in his later years realizing the aforementioned as truth. Sukkot, like many holidays and teachings in Judaism, has multiple meanings and symbolisms. Sukkot recognizes, remembers and honors the flimsy structures in which the Israelites camps during their sojourns through the Wilderness prior to conquering and settling in the promised land. One of the reasons that the sukkah we build is flimsy is to highlight that life is flimsy. It reminds us never to get too comfortable with material good because they are so fleeting, just like Ecclesiastes portrays. Sukkot is also a fall harvest, hence the decorations of plants and fruit that adorn our Sukkot. The tie-in to Ecclesiastes is that we’ve worked hard during the warmer months and now that we’ve harvested our bounty, now what? It’s almost like a dénouement. We’ve planted, grown, harvested, ate…nothing more. Or is it really that depressing and hopeless? Let’s examine the special Torah portion that is read during the Shabbat of Sukkot. As a pilgrimage holiday, it extends eight days (seven in Israel). It therefore always encompasses at least one Shabbat. The portion is taken from Exodus. Moses is back up on Mt. Sinai for a second go around on the Ten Commandments. He has broken the first tablets in disgust at the sight of the Golden Calf. G-d, too, is very angry with the offending Israelites. Moshe Rabbeinu, here, asks Hashem for mercy. Hence the tie-in with the High Holidays. The Sages will say that the opportunity to be sealed in the Book of Life for this new year is not yet a “done deal”. We can still petition until the end, which would be Simchat Torah. Some even go so far as to say that we have the whole month of Tishrei. So this is another opportunity to hone in the point that redemption can still be had. How do we reconcile the idea of mercy with the pointlessness of materialism? Let’s look at the idea of Yom Kippur. We afflict ourselves by avoiding food, beverage, pleasure and immerse ourselves in the spiritual world. We focus on conquering the temptations of the body in order to be in touch with Hashem. While we are asking for another chance, we are proving that are worthy by proving to Hashem and ourselves that our spirit is stronger than our body, the ethereal over the material. Yes, Ecclesiastes is correct: as the title of the Broadway play states so simplistically, “You Can’t Take it With You.” But to consider that striving for growth is futile is really not true. To do so would deny that existence extends beyond the physical body. But let’s assume, for a moment, that it does not, that this physical existence is all there is. Do we not talk about “being fruitful and multiplying” and “Generation to generation”? A person’s existence is very much like dropping a rock into a pond. There are ripples that extend and spread out everywhere. We don’t know the extent of whom we affect. That’s why the commandment to “Love your fellow as yourself” is so important. It’s like paying it forward. You do something nice for someone and they feel good. That affects everyone with whom they come in contact. Then those people feel good, etc. It spreads out. Perhaps the physical and material wealth of life are fleeting, but not so the spiritual wealth. Our spiritual wealth lives on long after we’re gone. And not only the memories of us and what we may have done, but there’s also our seed that we’ve created by being fruitful and multiplying. So as we sit in and enjoy our sukkot, and remember how fleeting “things” are, let us remember that we all leave our mark. The high holidays remind us to always use Torah and G-d’s teaching to leave the best mark we can. May you all be sealed in the book of life.

https://youtu.be/IgD8PZHepxM #ParashatSukkot #TorahPortion #DvarTorah

As we approach the end of the book of Devarim/Deuteronomy, we see Mosh Rabbeinu continuing to exhort the Israelites to study and follow Torah. He reminds them that Hashem has kept them and protected them in the wilderness for the last 40 years. Now they will be conquering and settling the promised land and will prosper. Prosperity can be a blessing and a curse. Prosperity allows us to enjoy comfort and security and enjoy the finer things in life. It can also make us forget what’s important, which is Torah. While we are enjoying the fruits of our labor and the beneficence of Hashem, we must not lose sight of the commandments, and being true to the covenant and commitment we made as a people to honor the mitzvot. Moshe Rabbeinu is a prophet, and as a prophet, he can see what is to come. Or is he also a great psychologist who has seen the behavior of the Israelites, knows they are a stiff-necked people, and can get lured away from doing what’s right by those same comforts. He knows that his people can succumb to temptation all too easily. So he sets out with a final warning. Torah commentary has many levels. One of the levels looks at the actual words as they are displayed on the scrolls. The lay out of this particular portion is different than most portions which are the standard lines and paragraphs. Most of Ha’azinu is a poem that is structured as two columns, side-by-side. There is another such pattern earlier in the Torah that is the Song of the Sea, the victory “song” by Moses after he led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, through the parted Sea which then collapsed on the pursuing Egyptians and drowned them. This latter portion, however, was structured likes rows of bricks rather side-by-side columns. Staggering bricks gives a support structure of strength that keeps the structure intact. By contrast, two columns side-by-side makes for a flimsy situation that is easily toppled. Such is the danger of the Israelites; their commitment is tentative, and they must be vigilant to keep their dedication the tenets of our heritage. What is the structure of your life? We are through the main part of the High Holiday Days in which we asked Hashem to inscribe us in the Book of Life. We now must prove to Hashem that we are worthy of redemption and forgiveness. Have we set our lives as bricks, side-by-side, staggered, that give us the integrity and character to weather all sorts of temptations? Or is our commitment like two columns side-by-side, easily toppled by the first sign a short cut? It is probably a certainty that we will be tested to see if we are sincere in our desire to be forgiven. No doubt we will encounter situations and people that will challenge us and our integrity. Maybe we’ll be at a store and get too much change back or maybe we’ll walk into the break room at work where co-workers are demeaning another employee. Is our character on a solid foundation of staggered bricks or two flimsy columns? And what about our relationship with ourselves? Do we push ourselves to do better or settle? Should we get more exercise to improve our health, or get more rest to prevent illness from over-exertion? Will we stand up for ourselves when people try to take advantage, or just capitulate to low self-esteem and give in, being grateful for whatever attention and favors others show us? We must favor the bricks. As Hillel said, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If not now, when?” And as the poet said, “If you don’t respect yourself ain’t no one going to give a hoot”. How you feel about yourself will translate into your relationships with others. If you are the columns and give in to temptation, then your co-workers will know that they can count on you to join in harassing another. If you are the staggered bricks, then you will let them know in no uncertain terms that you accept people as the are and do not believe in humiliating others. If you are the columns, then you will think that this is your lucky day to get extra change. If you are the staggered bricks, you will let the store clerk know that they gave you too much. The observant Jew sees the mitzvot as strength, not weakness. They know that while there may some short-term gain in giving in, it is short-lived as the consequences of negativity make problems later. They know that making fun of a co-worker will cause tension in a job that is already challenging as it is. They know that cultivating a “buyer beware” attitude will create a pattern that one day get that person into legal and financial trouble. As we settle into 5779, let us all make the commitment to be staggered bricks instead of flimsy columns. It will be more of a challenge, but ultimately our lives will be more satisfying and rewarding. #FridayNightSermon

Probably one of the hardest things we do as social beings is to apologize. What makes it so hard? Consider that when you apologize to someone, you are admitting that you did something wrong. Now the proverbial Pandora’s box is open. If you apologize and did something wrong, you’re not perfect and you’re flawed. There’s goes our self-worth. But wait, it gets better. By admitting that we are wrong by insinuation, we are vulnerable; we are at the mercy of the other person’s ego. We would like it if they just smile, accept our apology, excuse us and then we can all move on. Lesson for next time to think about the consequences. Our biggest fear, though, is that they’ll twist the knife. They’ll start demeaning us with catch phrases like, “See?”. Or they’ll interrogate us with probing questions like, “Well, why did you do it?”. Or worst yet, “Do you know how you made me feel?”. Let’s backtrack and then return to these points. Someone asked if these ten days of awe, the period between Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur, are the specific time when we have to apologize for wrongs. Does that also mean that the people we’ve wronged have to wait until then to get their due? Meanwhile, their contempt and disdain for us for committing the infraction grows and grows until who knows how they’ll feel by then? The reality is that the sooner you apologize to someone, the better. In fact, it’s part of our daily liturgy that we pray three times a day during the secular week—and this is actually part of the Yom Kippur service—that one of the prayers during the weekday Amidah is to state to Hashem, “forgive me for I have sinned, pardon me for I have erred”. The Sages have taught us that for G-d to forgive us, we have to forgive others and our apologies have to be sincere. Treating people with positive regard is a fulltime, 365 days a year process for us. The ten days of awe are for reflection and it’s to make sure that if you didn’t apologize before, or you questioned whether it really was an offense, this is your chance. When in doubt, apologize anyway. Better safe than sorry. As a past Karate instructor used to say at the end of practice: “Thank you for doing what you’re supposed to do”. If this is what we’re supposed to do, and someone vicariously smacks us in the face for practicing righteousness, what do we do with that? Most of us know the teaching that we are supposed to ask forgiveness three times. If the person hasn’t relented by then, it’s on them. Nevertheless, apologizing can be sort of an existential crisis. What if the person does not accept our apology and uses it as an opportunity to demean us and really take revenge? Sure, that thing about the three tries sounds great on paper, but it would be daft on our part to think we can just let it roll off our backs. Just another thing we’ll be thinking about at night as we try to go to bed and watch the minutes tick by as we toss and turn. Our Torah is all about teaching us always do the right thing in life in whatever situation presents itself. Let’s fill in the blanks here. Let’s talk about the best ways to handle and perceive this situation. Keep in mind as we proceed that while this isn’t necessarily a commandment to apologize, it is a rabbinical directive. It’s also the right thing to do. We get nervous because we spend our lives valuing our own self-worth by how we perceive others liking us. It’s part of our society & peer pressure. One of the most liberating things we can do is practice being our own reinforcement. Our self-esteem comes from how WE, OURSELVES perceive ourselves, not others. It starts from accepting who we are and loving ourselves unconditionally. The problem with apologizing, and anything else we do, is that people are going to judge us. Remember, though, that other people have their own agenda. Maybe they don’t feel so good about themselves the way almost the whole world does. Apologizing to them gives them a way to feel better about themselves by demeaning us. If we need to apologize, then we made a mistake, we’re flawed and now they can berate us and feel good about themselves because they didn’t make the mistake so they’re perfect and we’re not. That’s an opportunity for them to feel good because they’re better than we are. That’s not reality. Here’s reality: the fact that we have the backbone and integrity to admit we made a mistake means we’re strong, not weak. Hashem made us imperfect so we’d have something to do for the 80-or-so years after we come out of the womb. And He, or She, loves it when we grow spiritually. It’s like anything else: practice makes perfect. The more we display honesty and integrity, and reinforce our own selves, the better we become over time. It’s just a matter of taking the first step. This year, may you all grow as people and become actualized as you become your own reinforcement. #YomKippurSermon #Sermon

https://youtu.be/N8fqs8JjJBs #TorahCommentary #TorahPortionParashaReeh #ParashatHaazinu

The portion that is read during the first day of Rosh Hashannah comes from the book of Genesis. In this special parashat, Isaac is just born to Abraham and Sarah. This fulfills the promise HaShem made to the couple to have their own son. Of course, Abraham already has a son through Hagger, his maidservant. Her son is Ishmael. Haggar is a pagan or Egyptian princess, depending on the commentary. Sarah knows that although Ishmael is the first born, he does not have the values fit to be the spiritual heir to Abraham. The text of the portion state that Ishmael would play with Isaac when the latter was a baby. The word “play” here has different connotations. Some say that the word “play” is a euphemism for the way Ishmael would treat Isaac. He would taunt him and even pretend to shoot arrows at him. Sarah recognized that Isaac was really in danger from Ishmael and she knew as well that these two would only interfere with the new message of Monotheism and ethics that Abraham was spreading. She realized that her only course of action was to send them away. Some people might this consider this course of action to be extreme. In this case, it made sense. There was a real physical danger to keeping these two pagans around. Perhaps we can see that Sarah was justified in her action because it would seem that Ishmael did not follow his father’s moral character, yet instead succumbed to his baser instincts. As we start to take hold and own the message of the high holidays, let us consider a metaphor of this story. Right now our minds are on repentance and t’shuva/return. We are now getting ready to look critically at our behavior and be very honest and straightforward about what we need to change for this new spiritual year. Doesn’t that involve also getting of certain unwanted behavior? Wouldn’t this mean that some things that we do are not in our best interest and we need to change them? Shouldn’t we work on banishing our negative traits? But even beyond the obvious, aren’t there some other things we may want to banish from our lives? Aren’t there people or even situations with whom we associate that are more of a drain on us that prevent us from growing? This can take a lot of discernment. Some people seem to have some character traits and are who they are. They mean well and probably benefit from our association. Sure they can be exhausting, but they’re at least sincere. Others are just bad news. People drain us. They feed on us. They are spiritual and emotional vampires who just want to drag us down. Same with situations. How many of us have or have had jobs that we absolutely dread? Oh, the job itself isn’t so bad. But the environment is crazy! People are in cliques, they gossip, the demean. And you’re either with them or against them. You can’t be neutral; you have to take sides. Choose carefully because the wrong choice and your life for 8 hours a day will be torture. Or maybe you have friends or even family that drag you down. They always have problems. There is always conflict in their lives. Every time you see them they are always complaining about someone or something. You try your best to counsel them, listen intently, offer advice. They never take it. Their response is always, “yes, but….” So here’s a novel idea: cast them off the same way Sarah, our wise matriarch, cast off two troublemakers who did not want to spiritually evolve. As if vindicating Sarah’s decision, once Hagger ran out of water, she set Ishmael away from her because she didn’t want to see him suffer and die because it was too much for her to handle. This instead of being a good mother and doing what she could to go find water for the both of them. People like this don’t want to solve problems. They want to drag you in. Misery loves company. They’re addicted to it the same way other people are addicted to chemicals and you are their high. You will not change them. So why bother? You tried being a friend, helping them with positive, constructive feedback and they don’t want it. It’s time to take your New Year’s resolution and gravitate towards more positive, uplifting situations. Same with your situation, be it a job or circle of friends, or maybe even certain family members (that’s a tough one and only you can decide). Want proof? Take a week vacation away from the offending people or situation and see how you feel. You will know what to do. Realistically, most change doesn’t happen overnight, that’s true. But as the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. #RoshHashannahSermon

A little early to discuss also the portions read for Rosh Hashannah. https://youtu.be/fH9Kwazxiu0 #TorahPortion #10MinuteTorah #ParashatVayelech

This week’s Torah portion is “Nitzavim”. It is one of the last portions of Deuteronomy as we come to the end of the Torah and will, in a few weeks, re-roll and start again from Genesis. This is also Moshe Rabbeinu’s last day on Earth and his third discourse. “Nitzavim” – You are all standing here, all of you who are here and all of you who are not here. About whom is Moshe talking? The people there is obvious. What about the people who are not there? He is referring to us. Yes, we were there. All of us. Those of us, the Israelites who were physically present and those of us who were present, let us say, spiritually. This invites questioning, analysis and a lot of thought. What do you think he meant by that? The sages are pretty much in agreement that all of us who are Jews were there at this final address. In Genesis, which we will soon be starting again, Hashem says, “let Us make man in Our image”. Since G-d is not a physical being, this would mean that He made us in His spiritual image. Since G-d is immortal, there is a part of us that is also immortal. Our souls, that which makes us a conscious being, have always been around in one form or another. One may say that while our immortal selves were present at that important time, were we present spiritually, or we were present in a different life? Many of us believe in the transmigration of the soul or reincarnation. So that would mean that we were present in a previous life. What are the other implications? That if we were all there in one form or another, then we’ve always been together from, literally, day one. As Jews, we have traveled these paths and journeys as one people. So…since we’re all in this together—always have been and always will be—we have to stick together and support each other. This concept becomes prominent as we are approaching the High Holidays. The two main ideas are “t’shuva” and “repentance”. “T’shuva” means return, and we need to return to Torah. Moses continues with his third discourse by saying that people have a tendency to forget where their good fortune comes from, and that’s Hashem. Since Hashem give us, as the psalm says, everything we need, then really fortune is not involved at all. This is the time to remember that. The second concept is repentance. During the Days of Awe, the ten days between Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur, we are to be especially vigilant in righting any wrongs we may have committed. If we haven’t apologized or sought forgiveness from certain people, now’s the time. If we are to be sincere in asking Hashem for forgiveness for any wrongs we may have done, we certainly have to seek out our fellows and do the same. Not that we shouldn’t have done it already, but this is our last chance. Now, as we go through the “vidui”, the confessional, during Yom Kippur, we come upon the sin of being haughty. What does this mean? Perhaps we were nasty to someone because that particular person deserved it. Yes, they brought it on by themselves by their behavior and we were just reacting to their offenses. It’s their fault and they should be apologizing to us! No. And this is the very idea of what haughty is. We’re playing god. We have judged, found them guilty, and now we are executing a judgement that they certainly deserve. So I’m not apologizing to them—even though they may have apologized to me. Isn’t that hard, though, to be humble? We just have to get over ourselves. Sometimes, no, a lot of times, we just have to accept the fact that as humans, we’re flawed. Isn’t that the whole point of the High Holidays? It’s asking for one more chance. In order to get that one more chance, we have to be sincere. And that means we have to swallow our pride and, as the commercial says, just do it. This means risking vulnerability and seeing that maybe we’re not as perfect as we think we are. (The subject of the next sermon). But that’s what keeps us growing, isn’t it? If we’re perfect, and we can probably all agree that we’re not—even those that are pretty close—then there’s no where to go. And we can all probably agree as well that that’s not the case. #FridayNightSermon