This week’s Torah portion is “Eikev”. As it turns out, this is also my Bar Mitzvah portion. Moshe Rabbeinu is now starting on his second discourse to the Israelites as they prepare to conquer and settle their new home, the holy land. Moses reminds them that while living in the “Midbar” or wilderness for the last 40 years or so, HaShem took care of all their needs. They had water and food and protection. Their clothes either remained intact and grew with the children, or G-d provided them with the means and materials to repair and sustain as needed, depending on whether you accept the Orthodox or Conservative versions. He reviewed some of the incidents from those previous years and said that “you are a stiff-necked people”. In fact, throughout this particular discussion, Moses uses the 2nd person plural pronoun. This is interesting since he is speaking to people many of whom hadn’t even been born yet. So why use the plural “you” form in his address? This is the theme of this portion. The portion ends with the second paragraph of the Shema. This paragraph is the reward-and-punishment paragraph of the Shema, the V’Ahavta being the mercy paragraph. Here, we are told that if we follow the commandments, life will be good and we’ll be able to take care of ourselves. If we don’t follow the commandments or stray, then the land will not produce its bounty and life will be hard. Again, this is all discussed in the 2nd person plural. The latter part of this paragraph repeats commandments of putting on tefillin and mezuzot that are stated in the first paragraph, but again, in the plural form. Not only, then, is it each of our responsibility to honor the covenant and adhere to the commandments, but it is also the community’s responsibility as a community to adhere to the covenant. We are only responsible for our own karma, but we are only responsible for the community’s group karma and each other’s actions. We must encourage and ensure that we each “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our G-d”, and we must encourage and ensure that “Clal Yisrael” does what is right as well. We see this in some of the individual commandments. Not only are we commanded to not gossip, steal or cheat, but we are also admonished not to join in with others in the commission of such. We are also commanded to help our fellow who is stuck on the side of the road even if we don’t like that person. In this portion, too, is the first time we are commanded to love the stranger. This has been interpreted by our sages in modern context that when someone is new to your community, synagogue, work or school, you are supposed to befriend them and make them feel welcome. The idea of cliques in Judaism is a foreign and unknown concept. Certainly, we all have our circle of friends, but we do not exclude people. We watch over each other. This isn’t an altruistic notion; it is a commandment. We have seen throughout our history what happens when we follow the wrong path or people. We have seen people join with others in the Wilderness to challenge Moses’ divinely-sanctioned leadership; we have seen what happens when our people fraternize with cultures that mean us harm; we have seen half of our people get conquered and scattered for engaging in idolatry. We know the consequences of allowing negativity to flourish. By condoning and allowing it, we ourselves are just as guilty as the perpetrators. We suffer the same consequences as they do. This is why we are warned by the two levels of these commandments. We are told individually and collectively to remember, to put tzitzi’s on our clothes and mezuzot on our doorposts so that we always know to do the right thing, and even more important to encourage others to do the right thing. For many of us, this is not easy. It is hard standing up to those who follow their hearts and eyes and not the commandments to do the wrong thing. There is a lot of peer pressure that Heaven forbid we stand up to insolence and become ostracized ourselves. We must always remember that HaShem has our back. As the psalmist said: even though evil seems to thrive, their doom is sure to come for Yours is the ultimate Triumph.

https://youtu.be/TS-13aCKVYY #ParashatEikev #TorahPortion

This week’s Torah portion is “V’Etchanan”. This is an interesting coincidence for this time of the year. We just observed Tisha B’Av. This observance marks a multitude of various tragic occurrences in our history. The first was the day that the spies returned with a very pessimistic report of the promised land that resulted in that generation’s having to remain in the Wilderness for the next 38 years and die off. It also commemorates the destruction of both of our Temples and the beginnings of World War I that led to the Holocaust or “Shoa”. V’Etchanan starts off with Moses saying to the new generation that will ultimately conquer and settle the new land, and how he beseeched HaShem to allow him to at least pass into the promised land as a mere Israelite. Joshua would lead and he would be just be there to pass into the land. HaShem turns him down. Moshe Rabbeinu then discusses a prophecy to the Israelites, and this is the portion that is read during the morning service of Tisha B’Av. He tells them that they will settle the land and enjoy its prosperity. They will then fall away from Torah and be conquered and dispersed and have to cling to their roots. He warns them not to be lead astray by the customs and rituals of their host countries, and certainly not to succumb to the temptation of intermarriage, thus losing their identity. This last week had some very interesting and timely news stories that fit into this. A man appealed to a higher court after a lower one turned him down, to be able to sue a prospective employer for discrimination. This is the first time that our justice system recognized Judaism as a separate race—under the law—and therefore under the jurisdiction of the EEO and Title VIII. The judge recognized Jews by virtue of birth, as protected by those laws. His decision rested on the history of the Jews. We’ve always been persecuted as a people. It didn’t matter whether we were observant or secular. We’ve always been singled out just because we’re Jews. Additionally, the State of Israel just passed a controversial law that acknowledges Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish people. They recognized Hebrew as the official language with Arabic considered as a recognized language. In other words, the Jews are now a separate people with their own land, apart from all other peoples or races in the world. Perhaps Moses’ prophecy and it’s ensuing fulfillment has now gone to fruition. It’s as if Hashem is showing us that, yes, we need to remain separate and cling to our own heritage and guard it. Is this yet another example of G-d guiding us, setting in motion the necessity for us to remain a separate people, His people? Some may just say that these were all just the actions of a few people. But others will say that it is ordained. What makes it so important that we cling to our Torah? Some, who are secular, may contend that the laws of the land are enough to keep us observant if not righteous. What does it matter anyway if we keep kosher or go to services? Part of the answer may lay in our legacy. Remember that we were the first people that acknowledged that there is one all-powerful G-d that is responsible for creating and maintaining the Universe. As we say at the beginning of the Ma’ariv/Evening service, the stars make their rounds according to Your Divine Will. But it’s more than that. With that acknowledgement comes an attachment to the higher things in life. We were the first culture to accept rather than vilify the stranger. We were the first culture that required charity/tzedakah for the poor, widowed and orphaned who were challenged in fending for themselves. It is by clinging to this heritage, and remembering Moses’ words, that we maintain our identity as a people. Concomitant with that, it makes us realize we have an important responsibilty to humanity to maintain the higher consciousness of the human race. #FridayNightSermon

https://youtu.be/hhCGSHOM4kU

This week’s Torah portion starts the book of Devarim, otherwise known as Deuteronomy. This book is also known as “Mishnah Torah”, a repeat of the Torah. This latter name comes from the fact that many of the commandments are repeated in addition to some new ones. Considering that we study the Torah every year, then on Simchat Torah re-roll the scroll and start over again to study the same thing for the next year, why have a review? Why do we need to have what is essentially a review-within-a-review, especially since we are going to start over again in just a few months? Isn’t it enough to just go over it once a year? Short answer: no. The context of this repetition is that it is now 38 years after the Israelites were condemned to remain in the Wilderness and die out without the privilege and pleasure of seeing and inhabiting the promised land. This generation, having grown up without knowing the yoke of slavery and being weened on desert survival, is a heartier bunch that is better suited to take the land. Moses’ purpose is to discuss the flaws of the previous generation and in the words of Elvis: “Little sister don’t you do what your big sister done”. The discourses that comprise the book of Deuteronomy is really for us, the successive generations later. It is to hone in some very specific points about what’s important to us as the descendants of those who interacted directly with Hashem. It is to make sure that we remember what’s important. Consider the first part of the book, the first things that Moshe Rabbeinu says. He gives a little travelogue that outlines the journeys of the Israelites over the past 38 years. He specifically names the places in which the Israelites sojourned. Some commentators look at the names of the places and see a veiled reference in the names. The names are derived from the events that took place in those locations. Unfortunately, those events were the negative aspects of the journeys, like where the Israelites contended with Moses over the need for water, or the rebellions. Rather than just out-and-out state the incidents, the Torah couches them in sort of code names. While this does remind us of the improper things that the former slaves did to challenge Moses and Hashem, it also spares them of the embarrassment of having their actions demeaned throughout the ages. This is similar to a mention towards the end of the previous book “Numbers” of the incident of a certain person who gathered wood on Shabbat, a no-no that had some very serious consequences. Most sages agree that this was Tselophahad, whose daughters then beseeched Moses to share in an inheritance since there were no sons, but they also contend that the Torah is sparing his family the embarrassment of his actions since his daughters were righteous and ultimately had an added commandment on their account. “Lashon Harah” is a frequent issue in Judaism that is repeated or referenced many times in our yearly journey through the Torah. Why? Because it’s so easy to descend into that sin. Yes, sin. It is a sin and big temptation. Why? Because many of us get frustrated by certain events and people. Many times, it isn’t so much the current issue that is right in front of us, but other issues about which that reminds us; this is what psychologists call “transference”. Our tongues last out. We want vindication and we want justice for ourselves. We are so tempted by this need for validation that forget the commandment to not take our own vengeance but leave it up to Hashem to dole out divine justice. No, we want that power to control someone’s reputation that either makes up for attacks on us or just to give ourselves power for a much-needed ego boost. Hashem and Moses apparently knew how tempting it was to demean people to sure up our own egos that it is a concept that is mentioned many times in the Torah. It is to show that us that if the powerful and wise people of our heritage were able to withstand this temptation, then they are our role models and we would do well to follow them. Certainly, it’s hard not to gossip and demean, but our religion is all about pushing ourselves to a higher level of behavior. This is especially true with Tisha B’Av right around the corner. It customary to read a portion of the Talmud tractrate from “Gittin” that discusses the incident of two rival rabbis. One of the rabbis then allied with the occupying Romans against his rival and this is one of the main incidents that led to the destruction of the Second Temple. Take a lesson from all and this either speak positive about people, or don’t speak at all. You will see a better quality of your life and your relationships.

https://youtu.be/epAGte4bMxU #ParashatDevarim #TorahPortion

One of the premier commandments in the Torah is to “Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself”. Back in the Talmudic period, someone showed up at Hillel’s house and asked him to teach him the entire Torah as he stood on one leg. Hillel responded: “What is hateful to you, do not do to others. The rest is commentary”. Many of us remember when political debates were intellectual exercises. Two of more candidates would get on stage behind podiums, and it was a civics test. They would bring up issues from around the country on various fronts—economics, foreign relations—and we would follow along, our intellects stimulated. These days, it’s still reminiscent, but more about what we used to call “rank-out session”. Each candidate now either insults the other or finds a way to denigrate him or her, usually based on personal appearance, likes or dislikes, family members. It resembles more of the Jerry Springer show than a debate with the only thing missing is the bouncers to make sure the fisticuffs don’t get out of hand. Recently there have been other incidents as well. Now people are getting personal. Protesting isn’t enough anymore. Now, people in their businesses are refusing to serve other people because of their life styles and political affiliations. Unfortunately, it goes further than that. Social media is rife with threads posting a news source or video, with comments getting terse, aggressive and sometimes outright vulgar. There have been situations where family member ceased interacting with each other over differing points of view and opinions. It goes even further than that. People have always disagreed about politics. Now people are getting into physical fights and there are reports of aggression. When and how did it get so bad? In my company, we all interact virtually on line. Someone, in order to make a more cohesive work force, decided to start a thread called “water cooler” where people could take a few minutes out of the day and converse by a virtual water cooler. Today’s question was what do you miss out of your past that is no longer available? My answer, and there were agreements: civility. King Solomon, in his Book of Proverbs, stated, “Who is strong? One who controls their passions.” There isn’t a lot of control going on. Some political strategists years ago started tapping into this suppressed frustration. By addressing it they fueled it and thus opened the lid on the Pandora’s Box of emotions. It snowballed into the current situation where these days people feel that now not only is it OK to act out, but the new normal. It’s hard to stop a charging bull. It’s hard to stand in front of a gushing fire hose and contain the water of years of pent-up resentment and anger let loose. But it has to stop and there are signs that people are starting to get fed up. The best way to change the current situation is to be, yourself, a beacon of hope. Follow the time-tested tenets of our religion. It may be hard to love your neighbor, but you can sure respect them. When someone goes into a tirade, refuse to reinforce by taking part. Either remain silent, change the subject, or walk away. Eric Berne, in his landmark book, “Transactional Analysis”, discussed his adaptation of Freud’s make-up of the human psyche as ego states. When someone cathects or activates their inner child by expressing unrestrained passions, you can cathect the adult and be the logical Mr. Spock and address their queries with pure logic. Ask them about sources, who said what, where did the statistics come from, etc. That may quiet them down. In the final analysis, though, these people probably have unresolved anger or resentment themselves. It may help to be understanding and make it personal by asking them how all this affects them on a personal level. Maybe they had an IRA audit that ruined their finances. Perhaps a family member had a medical illness that the current system seemed to slough off. Perhaps by being understanding, you may help them through these issues and resolve some issues. And then we are being good Jews by truly loving our neighbors and bringing just a little peace to the world.

https://youtu.be/RL7RnRRX6P4 #ParashaMattotMasei #TorahPortion

This week’s Torah portion is Phinehas. While the portion addresses various topics, one of those topics talks about the rights of women, and more important, fairness. It would seem that while the #MeToo movement is new, and the Equal Rights Amendment campaign was started a mere 40 years ago, they are barely in their infancy compared to Judaism. Yes, the idea of women’s rights for the Israelites goes back about 3200 years, literally to the time of Moses. And the issue isn’t just about women’s rights, it’s about doing what is right. In this portion, we see a census, not just of all the tribes, but the clans within those tribes. One of the clans within the tribe of Mannasheh was the family of Tselophahad. This is a man who had only had daughters and died without giving birth to any sons. This presented a problem. These four women went to Moshe Rabbeinu and entreated him. They said that in this male-dominated real estate system, since property was handed down generation to generation to only the sons, this would mean that their ancestral divinely-granted properly would pass out of their family forever. This would also be the case in any similar situation. Moshe then goes into his tent and inquires of Hashem. Hashem states that the daughters of Tselophahad speak true. He told Moses that while land would primarily pass to sons, in the event of a man having no sons and only daughters, the latter would then be the heirs. This way, the land would stay in their family or clan. This would certainly be considered an early victory for the women’s rights movement. But consider that there is also a much larger issue involved. That is “fairness”. Hashem is a perfect Being. He is omniscient, and as we read in our psalms that are designated for Shabbat, He metes out Devine Justice. So the judgment was based on only that: fairness. The daughters of Tselophahad approached Moshe and their inquiry was sincere. Their concern was only for getting what they felt should be theirs based on the underlying principle of the system, that property should be passed down generation to generation remaining in the family or clan. Since Hashem recognized the logic of their concern and accepted the sincerity of their request, He granted it in the way of a brand, new commandment. Consider then, the basis of the decision. There was no pre-conceived notions about the place of women or whether women should get power or be equal to men. I was about one thing and one thing only, what is the right thing to do under the circumstances, devoid of any other characteristics. As we, ourselves, go through life, it’s important that we approach life in this same way. In our interactions with others, how many times does ego get in the way? How many times do we consider a decision not just on the merits of the consequences, but also the impact it may have on our own esteem? There was never any thought about how that decision may emasculate men, which, by the way, it wouldn’t. But maybe human males might think that if women were able to inherit property, next is being a Kohen or a Kohen Gadol and then what do we do? Interestingly enough, these days women are becoming more prominent in the religious management of synagogues by becoming rabbis and cantors. Many men might feel threatened. Yet, if a woman can do a better job, given the same circumstances, why not let her take that role? For some, the introduction of a woman in the competition poses yet another reason why we may not get what we want. In the case of the daughters of Tselophahad, the land really should stay in the family anyway. Many times, our insecurities prevent us from being fair as we seek ways to give ourselves an advantage. The obvious path would be to do what we have to do to make sure we are the best and best-suited for that to which we aspire. That may mean working harder and smarter. It may also mean accepting a loss…which may not be a loss at all, but rather a divine intervention that what we seek is not in our best interests. So the point to all of this is that we make sure we are doing our best to maintain equity. We are made in G-d’s image. Part of that image is to be as divinely just as we can and make decisions based on fairness. It may threaten our egos a bit, but we should always live life doing what is right. And usually, there’s a mitzvah attached to it.

https://youtu.be/uGIiSmn9ARI #ParashaPinchas #DvarTorah #TorahPortion

Many of us get into situations and challenges in life that can be trying and frustrating. Often, we will just accept the fact that our plans have been redirected and accept that it is “G-d’s plan”. Such is also our acceptance of the situation when either things don’t work out as we thought they would or should. This week’s Torah portion (June 30, 2018) is Balak and highlights that concept. Balak was a Moabite King who contracted with Balaam, a wizard and a prophet, to curse the Israelites. Balaam set out to do just that, but HaShem had a different idea. First a little background. According to some commentators, Israel was the only people with a prophet. G-d gave each one of the 70 nations a similar prophet. This way, none of them could say that Israel had an unfair advantage in battle. Balaam was such a prophet. He was also, however, a wizard. He supposed knew that one time during the day that G-d meted out judgment and so was able to coordinate his cursing of a people with that time. So this is why Balak hired him and what he set out to do. Along the way, he was met first by Hashem who inquired what he was going to do, and then by an angel who got in his way and prevented him from traveling. The word that was used, by the way, was “satan”. “Satan” really means obstruction, and fyi, this is the first time we encounter The angel then informed Balaam that he was not going to curse Israel but would bless them with the words that Hashem would put in his mouth. Balaam then goes through three sets of blessings for Israel. The last blessing was so beautiful that the sages decreed it to be part of the service. “How goodly are your dwellings, O Jacob, your sanctuaries, O Israel”. So here we have a prime example of a plan that resulted better than the original plan. For us, anyway. For Balaam, consider the fact that even though things didn’t go his way, he ended up doing a mitzvah. Of course, it would have been better for him had it been his idea…. Probably all of us have heard that saying, “G-d answers all prayers, but sometimes the answer is ‘no’”. Consider probably a better postulate that we would consider in Judaism: “G-d answers all prayers, but sometimes the answer is ‘no, I have a better plan in mind’”. As He did in the case of Balaam and King Balak. How many times have we wanted or desired something. We work hard, put all the pieces together, and then it seems like everything goes wrong. We’re frustrated, and we throw our hands up and wonder why G-d doesn’t like us, or what did we do to not deserve this success. But then, things progress in a different direction and in retrospect, we see that things happened better than we thought. That’s because a mind that is omniscient is in charge. G-d knows better than we do. Now this doesn’t mean we should just sit back and do nothing and wake up every day and say, “OK, G-d, You’re in charge. Rouse me when you got it all prepared”. Judaism is a religion of action. Our commandments all pretty much start with “do” or “do not”. So it’s not just OK but expected that we live our lives taking some sort of action, doing some activity. Yes, make plans. But be aware. Be alert to what’s happening, how things play out, and then go with it. Be the CEO of your life and let HaShem be the COO. Obstructions may be there not to confound your plans but as a sign to change direction. Obstructions may actually save you from pursuing a course of action, that while supposedly leading to success, may end up causing more problems. These obstructions may end up saving us a lot of grief. So while Satan may seem to be an enemy, Satan, as G-d’s prosecuting attorney, might just save you from making big mistakes. Enjoy your life, make plans, and remember to always be alert to what’s happening and use it to the fullest. That way, you will enjoy success and happiness. And not be cursed.

https://youtu.be/_-dCBFG0VRo #ParashahBalak #TorahPortion