This week’s portion, Chayei Sara, honors our two sages and prophets, Abraham and Sara. It opens with Sara passing on and ends with Abraham passing. We are reminded that these two great people are who set the stage for the world’s first ideas of Monotheism of a loving, just G-d and kindness and respect to all. So that’s it, that’s the sermon. Really, we could just leave it there. But let’s dive in and see just what made the two so great. Consider that Abraham used to sit outside his tent in his free time waiting for travelers to whom he could play host. Thus the beginning of the last portion when the angels came by. Abraham was waiting to play host even though he was still recovering from his circumcision. Consider that he did this in a world in which aliens were mistreated to the point of being murdered. Sara, of course, rushed to gather up food to serve them as well. When G-d came to Abraham to tell him of the impending demise of Sodom and Gemorrah, he pleaded for mercy for them, knowing full well who these people were. He felt that if there were but at least ten righteous people, they should be spared. He even had the affrontery to confront Hashem, such was his feelings of compassion. Abraham also stood up for what was right as well and was loyal. When his nephew Lot got in the middle of a war and was taken captive, he rounded up his men and went after him. He showed his fierceness in battle and resolve to do what was right. Sara was always right behind him. True, she isn’t mentioned as much, but it is taken for granted that she, too, had the same qualities. She believed as he did as is evidenced by this incident of serving the guests. We would do well to follow his example. We live in a world where fear-mongering has reared its ugly head. It’s become “us” vs. “them”. If you’re not “us”, you’re “them” and not welcome. Contrast this to Abraham welcoming strangers with hospitality to the point where it’s become a commandment to honor the stranger. We live in a world of bigotry as well. We are all still recovering as the horrific killing of our brothers and sisters in Pittsburg who did nothing more than follow in the ways of Abraham and express their heritage and culture of honoring the one, true G-d. They followed in Abraham’s footsteps. Abraham had an un-dying faith. Hashem told him to leave his home of paganry and set out. No planned goal, no specific destination, just go. And did without question. As a result, Abraham became very wealthy. But he was always sharing. But he always shared and thought of others. When his and Lot’s servants fought and they decided the best way to handle this was to separate, he let Lot pick his place first. Even though Abraham was the elder and by custom should have got the right of first refusal, he deferred. How would Abraham have handled this recent killing of Jews observing the Sabbat? Certainly he would have mourned and lamented that people feel that way. He would also make sure that his people were protected against future attacks. Maybe he would also try to reach out to those who may have similar budding feelings. Perhaps he would invite them in to his tent and offer his hospitality. Perhaps he would show them just what a mensch is that while we have our faults, all we really want is peace and for all humankind to live together under the blessings of Hashem. Perhaps he, and Sara, would pray that they find peace as well. Perhaps Sara, being the more realistic one, may have seen that some of these people are irredeemable and want them away. Perhaps she would feel that it’s more important, after seeing some of their behavior, that they not be around us. She seemed to be a safety first type of person. So together, consider that we have two sides of the same coin in our prophets. It is always good to reach out to people and promote understanding. On the other hand, there might also be a point when you have to face reality as well. #FridayNightSermon

Last week was the horrific tragedy in Pittsburgh, PA. A gunman, a self-described white supremist, walked into a large synagogue and opened fire. Eleven people were killed, six people were wounded. It is human nature to want to ascribe blame in order to have a target for our anger. This helps us vent and get some vindication, and acts as a catharsis. The most evident target is the President. People were quick to associate this action with the President’s remarks last year in response to marches by white supremists marching in West Virginia. These people were out in the open, chanting the anti-Semitic slogan “Jews will not replace us.” People felt that the President’s lackadaisical attitude and remarks that there were some fine people and there’s blame on both sides gave license to these people to display their bigotry publicly, rather than remain in the shadows as a fringe element. Anti-Semitic incidents, according the Anti-Defamation League, is up 57% this year. People point to the President and his remarks and alleged acceptance of any one or group that supports him. They claim that his narcissistic attitude makes him accept even bigots as long as they like him, and thus he downplays their attitudes…which has the effect of making these groups more mainstream. Now they feel emboldened to display their negative attitudes in the open. Having said that, let’s revisit the ideas that there’s blame on both sides. Consider main news sources like the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC and Agence France-Presse, considered to be progressive or liberal. They have reported on Israel and the conflicts with Gaza and seem to always put the onus on Israel as using excessive force. They consistently open their stories with headlines about how many people are killed and injured by Israeli army gunfire. You have to read well into the article before they talk about how Palestinians are massing at the border sending over incendiary devices that have burned much arable land in Israel that has ruined a lot of businesses. They also downplay that the Gazans are the antogonists. A recent article ran a headline about how three Palestinian youths were laid to rest after being shot by Israeli forces overnight. They said that while it looked like they were setting up explosives, none were found. They also mentioned that these were kids were 13 and 14. There was no discussion as to why these kids were out at night in a war zone and why the parents were not monitoring them. And by the way, this article appeared in the Pittsburgh Gazette, the same town where the gunman killed eleven Jews. These media serve to vilify and demonize Israel and by extension and association, Jews in general. Consider that there are organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine and BDS. While proclaiming to be peaceful, they often disrupt speakers who are either Israeli, Jewish or pro-Israel. They are very active on college campuses proclaiming how Israel has oppressed their people and taken their land. They don’t mention how Israel was created by UN proclamation, nor do they talk about their own people attacking and killing Israelis without provocation. Consider some groups such as BlackLivesMatter and the Gay Rights Organizations. In their manifestos is verbiage about not accepting oppressive regimes, a veiled reference to—you guessed it—Israel. Consider that leaders of the MeToo movement, which seeks to get equality and justice for abused women, are women who have openly attacked Jews and Israel. Many vigils have occurred all over the country for those slain. Even the Foreign Minister of Iran sent his condolences. in Hollywood, where is the outcry and outrage? Where are statements from George Clooney, Matt Damon, Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey about this tragedy? Where are statements from Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner and Bette Midler? To date, the only celebrity that seems to be speaking out is Donna Pescow who has been very active on Facebook. Twitter? Barely a peep, and this topic isn’t even trending. Politicians. Anybody heard from Bernie Sanders? Chuck Schumer? Nancy Pelosi? We heard from Mike Pence, the Vice President, who brought in a Messianic—let’s call him a—Minister, something we Jews don’t accept. Not appropriate. A lot of people in Pittsburgh, upon hearing that President Trump was going to visit, protested and said they didn’t want him to come. They said that his acceptance of the “alt right” was why this happened and along with other, misanthropic policies, have led to this animosity. This is the wrong tact. To the contrary, he should come and be welcomed. People should take him on a tour of the site of the attack and show him the carnage. They should explain how nervous they are now and implore him to act. They should educate him. This attack wasn’t the result of a single person’s policies; it was a whole culture of anti-Semitism. But guess what? We’ve been there before. We’ve survived because we’ve supported each other and lived our heritage. We are strong in our commitment to G-d and I would say His commitment to us. We’ve survived because we value morality and integrity and that is our strength. Nevertheless, we’ll probably be there again. Or maybe not. Maybe we can use this tragedy to wake people up. Maybe we can use this to show people what happens when they denigrate and vilify and demonize a people over and over again. Our strength is our humanity. Our acceptance of everyone. When this killer was wounded and brought to the hospital, who were the doctors that healed him? Jews. When the daughter of a Hamas leader needed crucial surgery where did he take her? To a hospital is Israel that successfully healed her. This is who we are. This is why we’ll survive. #Pittsburgh #PittsburghSynagogueShooting #PittsburghShooting

https://youtu.be/UZDW_ACgHYo #ParashatChayeiSara5779 #DvarTorah #TorahPortion

https://youtu.be/Z97BSN1ciUk #TragedyinPittsburgh

https://youtu.be/2NSc-ZpTq6I #TorahPortion #ParashatVayera #DvarTorah

https://youtu.be/JE6rR-36aAQ #ParashatLechLecha #TorahPortion #DvarTorah

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