COMPLETING THE WORK

(Dvar Torah on Parashat Pekuday [Exodus 38:21 – 40:38]

3/28/2025 (29 Adar 5785)

This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Pekudey, concludes the Book of Exodus, as the Mishkan, that portable sanctuary or tabernacle housing the Ark of the Covenant, is completed and set up for the first time.

In the past few weeks of our lectionary cycle, the Torah has devoted hundreds of verses to describing the process of creating the Mishkan and its furnishings, and the vestments of the priests who would serve within it, and the structures to be placed in its courtyard and the fences of the courtyard itself. 

The effort involves not only Moses, but also his chief designer Bezalel, and lots of individual workers.

This time around studying the Torah portion, I found myself surprised by the language of Exodus 39: 33-41.  This is what the Torah says right after it has finished reporting that the Israelites had finished manufacturing and designing everything required for the Mishkan project:

Starting at verse 33 this is what it says:

They brought the mishkan to Moses, the Tent, and all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of taĥash skins, and the veil of the screen, the ark of the Testimony, and its poles, and the covering, the table, and all its vessels, and the showbread, the pure candlestick, with its lamps, the lamps to be set in order, and all its vessels, and the oil for light, and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the incense of spices, and the screen for the tabernacle door, the brass altar, and its grate of brass, its poles, and all its vessels, the laver and its pedestal, the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its sockets, and the screen for the court gate, its cords, and its pegs, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the Tent of Meeting, the uniforms for service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons’ garments, to minister in the priest’s office.

So I read all of this, and I think – wait a second!

Why does it say regarding all this stuff that they brought it all to Moses?

Did Moses order this stuff from Ikea?

Why, after all that work, does Moses get it from them “SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED”!

And, indeed, Rashi (relying on earlier commentaries) addresses this question: 

Commenting on the phrase

 (אל משה)  ויביאו את המשכן

(“They brought the Mishkan ]to Moses[)

Rashi says:

ויביאו את המשכן שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִין לַהֲקִימוֹ

“They brought the Mishkan (to Moses) because they were unable to erect it.”

The commentary goes on to explain that, though Moses was in charge of the whole operation, though Moses was the one to whom God had first conveyed the instructions --- still, Moses had thus far only delegated all the work to others and had not thus far done any of the actual work himself. And so ---

וּלְפִי שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה שׁוּם מְלָאכָה בַמִּשְׁכָּן, הִנִּיחַ לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה הֲקָמָתוֹ

Since Moses had done no work in the Mishkan, the Holy blessed One left for him the task of erecting it.

--- Now here is where it gets interesting ---

Continuing Rashi’s comment on Exodus 39:33

Since Moses had done no work in the Mishkan, the Holy blessed One, left for him the task of erecting it, for nobody was able to set it up because of the weight of the boards which no human strength was capable of setting up. Moses, however, succeeded in placing it in position. Moses said to the blessed Holy One,  “How is its erection possible by human beings?” God answered him: “You be busy with your hand!” It appeared as if Moses had erected it, but in fact it had stood itself upright of its own accord. And that is why Scripture says, (Exodus 40:17), הוקם המשכן  / hukam hamishkan “The Tabernacle was erected” — [the passive form of the verb indicating that] it was erected by itself.

I’m moved by that midrash.  It tells us that our cooperative work, in whatever context we find ourselves interacting with others, is more than the sum of its parts, more than the sum of our individual efforts.  That working together, we, so to speak, activate or tap into the experience of Godliness in the world.

Remember, this whole process started with the directive at Exodus 25:8 when God said to Moses --- “Make me a sanctuary that I might dwell among them.” And now, at the end of the Book of Exodus, that goal has been achieved.

********************************************

Another feature of Parashat Pekudey that differentiates it from all the previous iterations and repetitions of the Mishkan construction plans is this:

In these concluding chapters of the Book of Exodus, with respect to the completion of the construction of every specific component, and with respect to the installation of every specific component of this complicated project, the Torah comments that each and every one of these actions was done:

כאשר צוה ה' את משה

Ka’asher tzivah Adonai et Moshe/ JUST AS ADONAI HAD COMMANDED MOSES.

That phrase – Ka’sher tzivah Adonai et Moshe – JUST AS GOD HAD COMMANDED MOSES – appears (if I’ve counted this correctly) at least six times in this relatively short Torah portion – plus a few more times where the wording is varied slightly.

Okay, here’s where I try to make some connection between these words of Torah and the state of our society today.

I’m always reluctant to do this.  I didn’t enter the rabbinate in order to be a political commentator.  And, my nature is always to try to find common ground, to try to be a peacemaker, to try to honor differences of opinion.

But, I gotta say, if we take to heart the Torah’s emphasis that all of these actions were done KA’ASHER TZIVAH ADONAI ET MOSHE  “just as God had commanded Moses”, this evokes for me the idea that in our own society, when government officials conduct their various actions, those actions should analogously be carried out:

KA’ASHER TZIVAH HA-CHUKAH  OTAM – JUST AS THE CONSTITUTION HAS COMMANDED THEM.

KA’ASHER TZIVU MISHPATEINU OTAM – JUST AS OUR LAWS HAVE COMMANDED THEM

And yet, distressingly, the current presidential administration has been laying waste to our established structures of government, and terrorizing vulnerable individuals in our society ---

LO KA’ASHER TZIVAH HACHUKAH – NOT AS THE CONSTUTION COMMANDS

LO KA’ASHER TZIVU MISHPATEYNU– NOT AS OUR LAWS COMMAND

We’re at a breaking point in our society right now and we’ll need our courts, and our elected representatives, and one another and our fellow citizens, to set things aright.

Each of us approaches these challenges in our own ways, but, as our tradition teaches us:

לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה

(Lo alekha hamelacha ligmor ve lo atah ven chorin libatel mimena).

“It’s not upon any one of us to complete the work, though we are not free to evade it.”[1]

Parashat Pekudey portrays Moses witnessing that the people had indeed done all that God had commanded them, and so

וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹתָ֖ם מֹשֶֽׁה

“Moses blessed them.”[2]

And, with the subsequent report of Moses doing all the assembly of that Mishkan set from Ikea 😊.

וַיְכַ֥ל מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶת־הַמְּלָאכָֽה

(Vayechal Moshe et hamelacha)

“Moses completed the work.”[3]

The traditional commentators note that this description parallels the description of God’s work of creation in Genesis 2:1-3 – verses that are also a part of our Shabbat evening liturgy:

וַיְכֻלּ֛וּ הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ וְכׇל־צְבָאָֽם׃

וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃

וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ 

Vayechulu hashamayim veha'aretz vechol tzeva'am.
Vayechal elohim bayom hashvi'i melachto asher asah. Vayishbot bayom hashvi'i mikol melachto asher asah.
Vayevarech elohim et yom hashvi'i vayekadesh oto. Ki vo shavat mikol melachto asher barah elohim la'asot.

“The heaven and the earth were COMPLETED and all their array.

“On the seventh day God COMPLETED the work that had been undertaken: [God] ceased on the seventh day from doing any of the work.

And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy—having ceased on it from all the work of creation that God had done.”

Our work is not yet done.

But, at least for these next 24 hours, Jewish tradition invites us dwell in gratitude for what we have, and to refresh our souls for the work to come.

Shabbat shalom.

© Rabbi David Steinberg

March 2023/ Adar 5785

[1] Pirke Avot 2:16

[2] Exodus 39:43

[3] Exodus 40:33

IN SEARCH OF THE WAY FORWARD

Dvar Torah for Parashat Beshallach (Exodus 13:17 – 17:16)

Given at Temple Israel on Friday night 2/7/2025

This week’s Torah portion, Beshallach, includes the dramatic account of the Israelites crossing the Sea of Reeds in their escape from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army.  This account appears twice in our parasha, first as a prose description and then in the form of a poetic “song.”  That “song” (or “Shirah” in Hebrew) gives this Shabbat its special name of “Shabbat Shirah.”  

Right between the end of the prose description and the beginning of Shirat Hayam (“The Song of the Sea”), at Exodus 14:31, the Torah emphatically declares: 

וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה, אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה' בְּמִצְרַיִם, וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם, אֶת-ה'; וַיַּאֲמִינוּ, בּה', וּבְמֹשֶׁה, עַבְדּוֹ. 

And when Israel saw the great power which the Eternal had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared the Eternal; they had faith in the Eternal and in God’s servant Moses.

That verb --- להאמין (leha’amin)/”to have faith” --- has a particular kind of meaning in Judaism.  As Nahum Sarna, the editor of the Jewish Publication Society commentary on the Book of Exodus, writes: “Faith” in the Hebrew Bible is not belief in doctrine or subscription to a creed.  Rather, it refers to trust and loyalty that find expression in obedience and commitment.”[1]

This message of faith and deliverance in Shirat Hayam is so central to the Jewish religion that we include excerpts of Shirat Hayam in the morning Shacharit and evening Ma’ariv prayers every day. 

“Mi Chamocha Ba’elim Adonai”  -- Who is like you Adonai among the mighty? ---

“Adonai yimlokh le’olam va’ed” – “The Eternal will reign forever and ever”  --

Those lines are from Shirat Hayam in this week’s Torah portion.[2]

There is a wealth of commentary on Shirat Hayam.  For the moment, I’ll just focus on one of the verses contained within it.  In the second verse of the song, at Exodus 15:2 to be precise, we have this pious statement:

עׇזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה        זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ        אֱלֹהֵ֥י אָבִ֖י וַאֲרֹמְמֶֽנְהוּ׃        

The Eternal is my strength and song, and has become my salvation; this is my God, whom I will glorify; my ancestor’s God, whom I will exalt.

There are a lot of ideas packed into that verse: 

Yah/the Eternal – is “ozi vezimrat” – My strength and song.

Which might prompt each of us to ask ourselves?  What makes ME sing?

And as for this idea of the Eternal being “Elohei Avi”/ “My ancestor’s God” --

We might ask ourselves:  How is the God in whom I believe --- or the godly values to which I aspire --- similar or different from the God or the godly values of my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and on down the line?

And collectively as Jews, we might ask ourselves: How has our own approach to these ideas evolved over the centuries from that of our ancestors?

And, moreover, it says “ve”anvehu” – I WILL GLORIFY GOD and it says “va’aromemenhu” --- I  WILL EXALT GOD” . 

How do we do that?

How do we glorify or exalt God? 

Saying prayers with formulations like “Barukh Atah Adonai”/”Blessed are you God”  or “Yitgadal vehitkadash shemey rabbah”/ “May [God’s] great name be magnified and sanctified --- That’s the easy part.

Living out these affirmations in our lives and in society is the more difficult part.

When racism, antisemitism, or other sorts of oppression contaminate our world God, and godly values, and God’s reputation in the world are desecrated. 

In the stories of the Book of Exodus we see examples of such hateful behaviors in the stories about the oppression of the Israelites by the Egyptians. 

And yet, Torah also insists that ultimately the Israelites and the Egyptians would be reconciled.  As it says in Deuteronomy 23:8

לֹא-תְתַעֵב מִצְרִי, כִּי-גֵר הָיִיתָ בְאַרְצוֹ

You shall not abhor an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land.

The stories we read in the Torah, including this week’s Torah portion Beshallach which recounts the crossing of the Sea of Reeds shortly after leaving Egypt ---- all these stories emphasize the connection of the Jewish people with the Land of Israel  -- where we were and would again be at home – and would no longer be strangers in someone else’s land.

As we all well know, centuries upon centuries went by after all that:

The Jewish people under Judge Chieftain leaders like Deborah and under monarchs like Saul, David and Solomon controlled its own destiny in the Promised Land.

But there was a 70-year-long exile to Babylon for much of the population in the 6th century before the common era.  And then an almost 1900-year long exile stretching throughout the world after the destruction of the Second Temple by the forces of the Roman Empire in the year 70 of the Common Era. 

And, during that interim, a new world religion, Islam, was born in the seventh century in the Arabian Peninsula, and its adherents conquered most areas of the Middle East in the centuries that followed, including the area that Jews had called Eretz Yisra’el/ The Land of Israel, and which the Romans had renamed Palestine --- after the Philistines who had conquered the coastal areas centuries earlier – including the city of Gaza, which over the previous centuries had been under Canaanite, then Philistine, then Israelite rule.

Just as Jews in Israel, by virtue of some 3000 years of history, are not strangers in someone else’s land  --  the same can be said for Palestinians in Gaza. Even if the Arab presence in the Land of Israel is ONLY around 1400 years – that’s still quite a substantial claim!  Indeed, our own identities as Americans (unless any of us sitting here are Anishinaabe or Dakota) don’t even compare to the connections that Jews and Palestinians all have to that place that some call Israel and others call Palestine.

I’m not going to get into right now all the arguments surrounding the Hamas attacks on Israel of October 7th, 2023 and the Israel-Hamas war that has followed in its wake.  For the moment, we can be grateful that a ceasefire is currently, at least temporarily, in place -- and that at least some of the Israeli and foreign hostages cruelly held captive by Hamas terrorists are slowly being released.

But the current diplomatic situation is precarious.

This past Tuesday, President Trump made the situation even more precarious --- and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has shamefully egged him on.

Amidst all the crazy pronouncements of recent days, I think we can confidently say the following:

No --- Two million Palestinians will not be exiled from Gaza.

No – The United States will not take ownership of Gaza.

But even the discussion of these (to put it charitably) half-baked ideas puts the current ceasefire and hostage release deal in danger.  

Let me share with you an excerpt from a statement issued earlier today by the Israel Policy Forum, a U.S. based think tank and advocacy group founded in 1993 at the encouragement of then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin to support the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

I think the statement that the Israel Policy Forum issued today is one of the more sober analyses I’ve seen in recent days. 

In responding to Trump’s Gaza proposal, they say the following:

“All of this is a distraction from a fundamental and inconvenient reality: Israelis and Palestinians living between the river and the sea are fated to be neighbors.

In the aftermath of October 7, finding a path forward that advances peace, security, opportunity, and political rights for both Israelis and Palestinians has never been more daunting—and the need for the leadership of the United States has never been more apparent.

A more secure, peaceful, and integrated region is within sight. There is an enormous opportunity for the United States and President Trump to lead efforts to create a viable, sustainable day-after plan in Gaza, to elicit regional involvement in this task, to advance long-overdue reforms to overhaul the Palestinian Authority, and to expand the Abraham Accords.

Bold ideas and creative thinking are crucial. But such ideas must reflect the will and rights of the people who will be impacted by them or they will not succeed. The Trump administration is correct to identify the impossibility of rebuilding Gaza so long as Hamas is in charge, and with two million Palestinians internally displaced amidst terrible humanitarian conditions. But any attempt to stamp out Palestinian nationalism through forced transfer is no more realistic than those who vainly believe that Israel and Zionism can be wiped away with enough boycotts or calls for Palestine to be free from the river to the sea.

Trump administration officials have begun to encourage alternative proposals. The coming days will be crucial. U.S. leadership is essential to first and foremost secure the release of all of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, and to begin working with regional partners to develop a genuinely workable and mutually agreed-upon way forward.”[3]

Speaking of finding a way forward --- that brings us back to our Torah portion:

At Exodus 14:15, as the Israelites find themselves at the shore of the Sea of Reeds with the Egyptians in hot pursuit, it says this:

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מַה־תִּצְעַ֖ק אֵלָ֑י דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְיִסָּֽעוּ׃

Then Adonai said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.

And, as the Torah recounts, they did so, and the sea parted, and they reached the other side.

“They had faith in the Eternal and in God’s servant Moses.”[4]

And may we have faith that rational thinking may prevail as Israelis, Palestinians, Americans and the people of all nations face the many challenges of our time.

Shabbat shalom. 

© Rabbi David Steinberg

February 2025/ Shevat 5785

[1] The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus, p. 75, footnote to Exodus 14:31

[2] Exodus 15: 11, 18

[3] https://israelpolicyforum.org/2025/02/07/reflecting-on-president-trumps-gaza-proposals/

[4] Exodus 14:31

TRANSFORMATIONS

Dvar Torah for Parashat Shemot (5785/2025)

[January 17, 2025]

(Exodus 1:1 – 6:1)

This Shabbat our yearly lectionary cycle arrives at the opening chapters of the second book of the Torah, the book known in Hebrew as “Sefer Shemot”.  In English, we refer to it as the Book of Exodus, since the Exodus from Egypt is its main subject matter.  However, the literal translation of the Hebrew title Sefer Shemot is “The Book of Names” – And that title is derived from the first words of the book:  “Ve’eyleh shemot b’ney yisra’el haba’im mitzraymah eyt ya’akov…”  (“These are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob…”) 

It’s notable that within a single verse we have the name Yisrael/Israel as well as the name Ya’akov/Jacob.

This reminds us of the theme of transformation that informs so many of our sacred stories.  Our third patriarch is referred to in this single verse both by his birth name Ya’akov -- meaning “the overreacher” or “the one who acts like a heel”; and by the name he acquired after his mysterious nocturnal wrestling match – Yisra’el -  which the Torah explains as being derived from “sarita Elohim” – “you have struggled with God and with human beings and you have prevailed.” [1] The transformation of the father is reflected in the transformation of the children.  Originally, they were just one nuclear family but now they are a nation.  This idea is first expressed a few verses later at Exodus 1:9 when Pharaoh says to the Egyptians –

הִנֵּ֗ה עַ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רַ֥ב וְעָצ֖וּם מִמֶּֽנּוּ

Behold, Ahm Benei Yisrael [THE NATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] are much too numerous for us.

That formulation – AHM BENEI YISRAEL – THE NATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL – is significant.  The BANIM[2] (the children) of the patriarch named Israel have become the AHM (the people or nation) of Israel.

As we gather this evening, the nation of the Jewish people --- ISRAEL – remains on edge as we await the start of the ceasefire that has just been agreed to by Hamas and Israel.

As we have been doing now for over a year, we pray for the release of all of the remaining hostages as well as for an end to the suffering of Gazan civilians. Yet still, it remains the case that any solution that leaves Hamas in power in Gaza will likely just bring a temporary lull before Hamas and its supporters try again to destroy Israel. 

And any solution that prolongs the presence of religious nationalist extremists in the Israeli governing coalition will likely further delay progress towards what remains the only possible road to peace --- that of the creation of an independent Palestinian State in Gaza and the West Bank existing peacefully alongside the State of Israel.

Currently, neither the leaders of Hamas nor the governing coalition in Israel are willing to commit to working towards that ultimate goal.

Perhaps, despite all our fears and concerns about the incoming Trump administration, maybe Trump and his advisers will be able to pressure Israel and the Palestinians in that direction. 

Stranger things have happened in American history.  (See: Nixon in China).

Meanwhile, our AMERICAN nation also remains on edge as we follow the ongoing devastating news of the fires in California.  Our hearts go out to all those affected, including of course, our previous rabbi – and my Rabbinical school classmate – Rabbi Amy Bernstein and her congregation of Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades. 

Please check out the information in this week’s “Temple This Week” email update about ways to help.[3]

In light of these and other ongoing crises in the world at large, we might gain some wisdom by considering the juxtaposition between a passage from this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Shemot, and next week’s Torah portion, Parashat Va’era.

In this week’s Torah portion, after Moses receives the revelation at the Burning Bush, he goes on to follow God’s instructions by relaying the message to the Israelites.  In response, at Exodus 4:31, the Torah reports:  

וַֽיַּאֲמֵ֖ן הָעָ֑ם וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֡וּ כִּֽי־פָקַ֨ד ה' אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְכִ֤י רָאָה֙ אֶת־עָנְיָ֔ם וַֽיִּקְּד֖וּ וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּֽוּ׃

“The people were convinced and when they heard that Adonai had taken note of the Israelites and had seen their plight, they bowed low in homage.”

And we might take that as a lesson that all we need to do is have faith.

But, of course, things did not go so smoothly for our ancestors after that. 

Moses and Aaron go off to confront Pharaoh with their demands, but Pharaoh responds by making the horrible working conditions of the Israelites even worse.  “No more straw for you!, “ he says.  Now go gather the straw for yourselves that you need to fulfill your quota of brickmaking!”  [4]

Perhaps then it should not be a surprise that the next time Moses preaches his message of liberation to his people in next week’s Torah portion, what happens is that, as it says in Exodus 6:9 ---

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר מֹשֶׁ֛ה כֵּ֖ן אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֤א שָֽׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִקֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָ֖ה קָשָֽׁה׃

“When Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses because of KOTZER RUACH and hard labor.”

What is this “Kotzer Ruach?”  Those words literally mean “shortness of breathץ” 

Some more idiomatic translations of “kotzer ruach” include expressions such as “crushed spirits”, “distress” or “impatience.”  However we translate the phrase “kotzer ruach,” we surely get the idea.  At first, we’re prepared to believe and have faith and see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

But as the days and weeks and months go by and we’re still stuck in that tunnel and it’s dark and scary and difficult, “kotzer ruach”  --- crushed spirits, distress, impatience – can set in.

The ongoing effects of climate change, like what we’re seeing in California, can do that to you.

The ongoing death and suffering in the Middle East can do that to you.

In this life we have some days filled with hope.  Some days filled with despair.  And the bulk of our days lie somewhere in between.

But just as Moses and Aaron and Miriam and the rest of the Israelites pushed past the feelings of kotzer ruach/ crushed spirits – so must we

and so do we

and so shall we

b’ezrat hashem/with God’s help.

Shabbat shalom.

(c) Rabbi David Steinberg (January 2025/ Tevet 5785)

[1] Gen. 32:29

[2] “Benei” בני means “children of ….” and this form of the noun must be followed by the object of the preposition.  The same word on its own (“children”) is “Banim” בנים

[3]  Here’s the text of that announcement that went out to folks on our “Temple This Week” subscriber email list:

“Our former Rabbi, Amy Bernstein, was one of the many people in the Los Angeles area who lost their homes to the fires last week. Not only did her home burn, but her community, Pacific Palisades, was also largely destroyed, with the miraculous exception of her synagogue Kehillat Israel. Many people have asked if we can do something to support her and Eliana. If you would like to contribute to a personal gift on behalf of the Temple Israel Community, please send your donation to the office by January 20th.

There are of course numerous funds to support victims of the fire:

• Go Fund Me set up for Amy and Eliana: https://gofund.me/14f9ccde

• KI fund ourki.org/firefund

• Jewish Federation of LA fund https://www.jewishla.org/wildfire-crisis-relief

Natural disasters continue to impact many across the Unites States. If you would like to support those continuing to recover from Hurricane Helene: https://templebethel.org/help-our-neighbors-affected-by-hurricane-helene/ “

[4] See Exodus 5: 6-9

INSIDE OUT

Sermon for Yom Kippur morning 5785

October 12, 2024

This morning in our Torah service we read Leviticus, Chapter 16, from Parashat Acharei Mot. It describes in close detail the rituals that were conducted on Yom Kippur in days of old to cleanse the Mishkan from ritual impurity --- ritual impurity that was in large part the result of human sin. Without that process of purification, our ancestors feared that God’s indwelling presence might cease to abide in their midst.

 The Mishkan was the portable shrine that the people carried around with them in the wilderness. Jewish tradition teaches that the Mishkan was the predecessor of the more elaborate Bet Hamikdash – the Temple that King Solomon built in Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C.E.  The Bet Hamikdash was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., rebuilt on a possibly smaller scale some seventy years later, and then destroyed again by the Romans in year 70 of the Common Era.

 The fall of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. was a traumatic event for our people which could have spelled the end of Judaism itself

However, Churban Bet Hamikdash was not the end of Judaism. 

In the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple, we learned as a people to carry on the traditions of Judaism in new ways. 

The Torah had described the Day of Atonement with its Priestly administered sacrificial offerings this way:

כִּֽי־בַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה יְכַפֵּ֥ר עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם לְטַהֵ֣ר אֶתְכֶ֑ם מִכֹּל֙ חַטֹּ֣אתֵיכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֥י ה' תִּטְהָֽרוּ׃

”Ki vayom hazeh yikhaper aleykhem letaher etkhem; mikol chatoteykhem lifney adonai titharu.”

(“For on this day atonement he [i.e. the Kohen Gadol or High Priest] shall purify you;  Of all your sins before Adonai you shall be purified.”)

However, after the destruction of the second Temple, the focus of Yom Kippur altered from one in which a hereditary functionary ritually purified a physical structure on behalf of the people ---- to one in which, we the people took on the task of spiritually purifying ourselves.

If we look closely at the wording of that verse, Leviticus 16:30, we see that there are two processes discussed here.

The first process is “kaparah,” which means “atonement” or “expiation”   --- According to the late Rabbi Joseph Solovetchik and others, kapparah is about removing the metaphorical stain that has sullied the world outside ourselves as a result of our sins.  We do so by apologizing to those whom we have wronged, and by making whole those to whom we have caused injury.

The second is “taharah,” which means “purification.” In contrast to the external focus of that first process of kapparah or atonement, this second process of taharah or purification is about removing the metaphorical stain that has sullied our inner selves as a result of our sins.  

In Pirke Avot, there’s a famous teaching that says – “mitzvah goreret mitzvah, va’avera goreret avera”/ “one mitzvah pulls along another mitzvah and one transgression pulls along another transgression” (Pirke Avot 4:2). In other words, acting honorably on any one occasion makes it more likely that you’ll get in the habit of acting honorably; while acting dishonorably on one occasion makes it more likely that you’ll get in the habit of acting dishonorably. 

So, even if we have achieved kapparah or atonement for a sin by setting right whatever damage we have caused to others – we still have internal work to do if we want to achieve taharah or purification -- setting right the damage that we have done to our inner selves. 

We still are obliged to work on changing our direction in life so that we’ll learn from our past mistakes, rather than simply repeating them in the future.

Jewish tradition teaches us that God is eager to meet us way more than halfway.  In Shir Hashirim Rabbah, the rabbinic midrash on Song of Songs, God is described as saying to the Jewish people – “Open to Me a gate of repentance no bigger than the point of a needle, and I will open to you a gate [of forgiveness] wide enough to drive wagons and carts through.” (Shir Hashirim R. 5:2).  

And since we should strive to act in godly ways in the world, we should therefore also try our best to forgive others who have wronged us when they seek to apologize to us.

We give special focus to this process of teshuvah during our High Holiday season.  However, Judaism understands the process of teshuvah to be a year-round process.   Making things right when we have done wrong, and seeking to learn from our mistakes --- These are ongoing, continual activities (which is why the traditional weekday Amidah includes a prayer seeking forgiveness for our sins.)   

We strive to be engaged in teshuvah throughout the year, always seeking to be conscious of who we are, and what we do, and where we are -- always making mid-course corrections as we try continually to be oriented towards God. As it says in Psalms 16:8 – “Shiviti Adonai lenegdi tamid.” “I set God before me always.”

May we be faithful to this path not only on this Day of Atonement but throughout the year, and throughout our lives.

Gmar chatimah tovah.

© Rabbi David Steinberg

October 2024/ Yom Kippur 5785

FAR BEYOND

Sermon for Kol Nidre night 5785

October 11, 2024

For those of you who are regular attendees at Shabbat services throughout the year, I’m sure you notice how various elements of the service --- prayer language, congregational tunes, and Torah cantillation modes are different for the High Holidays.

But even for those of you whom we tend to see much less frequently at services during the rest of the year, I would guess that there is at least one liturgical change that you notice as well.

It comes in the various forms of the Kaddish – whether it’s the half kaddish or the full kaddish or the mourners kaddish.

I’m referring to the repetition of the word “le’eylah” (לעלה). 

The rest of the year in the Kaddish --- we declare that God is “le’eylah min kawl birkhata veshirata tushbechatah venechemata da’amiran be’alma” --- “beyond all blessings, songs, praises and words of comfort that we can say in this world”

That statement in the Kaddish reminds us that there is so much in existence that is utterly beyond our comprehension.  That there is so much mystery and miracle all around us at all times that if we were to truly perceive it all it would just blow our minds --- maybe even literally  -- who knows!

I think that’s what the Torah means when it portrays God telling Moses ---

“I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name ADONAI, and the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show […] but you cannot see My face, for a human being may not see Me and live.”[1]

That passage from the Book of Exodus goes on to describe God’s divine attributes, the idea that we cannot perceive God directly, but, rather we perceive the effects of God’s actions in the world.

We proclaim those attributes multiple times in our High Holiday services:

ה' ׀ ה' אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת׃

נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙

Adonai, Adonai, compassionate and gracious God, patient, abounding in kindness and truth; assuring steadfast love for a thousand generations, forgiving transgression and sin, and granting pardon.[2]

And from these and other teachings with which Judaism abounds, we learn that the ultimate life of religious faith consists of trying to emulate such qualities in our own lives  --- regardless of whether you believe in a personal God or are atheist or anything in between. As Jews, we are a people with a shared heritage and destiny even while our particular theological outlooks may vary.

But I want to go back to what I started talking about regarding the words of the kaddish ---

The rest of the year we say that God’s actual nature is “LE’EYLA” (“BEYOND”) all blessings, songs, etc. “da’amiran balma” (“that we utter in the world”).”

But, during the Yamim Noraim – the days of awe from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur we don’t just say “Leyla” “BEYOND” we say “LE’EYLAH ULE’EYLAH”  -- “Beyond and Beyond’ – or, more idiomatically —“FAR BEYOND”.

The ultimate nature of reality is FAR BEYOND that which we mere earthlings can express or understand.

I have been thinking about that extra “LEYLAH” on this High Holiday season  --when it seems like it’s FAR FAR BEYOND my abilities – and perhaps LE’EYLAH ULE’EYALH – far far beyond ---- the abilities of my fellow rabbis in synagogue pulpits around the world --- to thread the needle --- to find the proper balance --- between

sharing what I believe

versus

maintaining a spirit of welcoming community with those with whom I am in profound and painful disagreement. 

Perhaps those of you who attend the discussion session tomorrow afternoon will come up with that magic formula.

As for me, up here trying to come up with words of some value or inspiration to share with you on this holiest of nights ...  I just keep thinking “le’eyla, ule’eylah” – it’s far far beyond me to square the circle --- it’s far far beyond me to get everyone on the same page –

regarding the existential question of Jewish survival in a post-October 7th world.     

And I won’t try to do that here.

Those of you who know me well, probably know what I think.  And those of you who don’t, can certainly ask me when I’m off the bima. 

One of my rabbinical colleagues recently shared in an online group that they were

“Looking for a Yom Kippur sermon idea - something on political polarization and the election along with some rabbinic texts,…But I’m not sure what to say except that polarization is bad. Any ideas?”

In my response to that query I wrote this:

“The old "makhloket leshem shamayim" [argument for the sake of heaven] vs "makhloket shelo beshem shamayim" [argument not for the sake of heaven] dichotomy could be useful. As for me, I'm sorely tempted to do a sermon about how putting a band aid on a problem (rather than trying to solve it) is actually a good response...” 

That’s what I wrote.

About a month ago I took a bad fall while I was out for a run on the Lakewalk.  I managed to walk and then continue to run the remaining couple of miles home while my arm and my leg were dripping blood.

Thankfully, I didn’t need any stitches.

And yes, after cleaning myself up, I did indeed put on a bunch of band aids to cover the wounds.

And, miracle of miracles, I kept the band aids on long enough that everything healed on its own.

As we say in the asher yatzar blessing in the daily Shacharit liturgy: 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' רוֹפֵא כָל־בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת

Barukh atah Adonai, rofey khawl basar umafli la’asot

"Blessed are you Adonai, the wondrous healer of all flesh."

My inclination is to be a peace-maker – to put metaphorical band aids on our communal hurts and just give them time to heal on their own with the passage of time.

I know this modus operandi does not work for all situations

But I really do appreciate band aids!

And I pray that, as a congregation, as a society, as a world – we be graced with the ability and the opportunity to find common ground without insisting upon identical ground. 

I realize that I am mixing a lot of metaphors and perhaps being somewhat obscure in my remarks.

But what I’m getting at --- and what I bet you can indeed get from what I’m saying --- is this:

Let us remain in covenantal community with one another, supporting one another, caring for one another, rooting for one another  even though --- outside these walls --- we may be in bitter opposition to one another on matters that may be deep in our hearts.

Ahm Yisra’el Chai/ May our people continue to live and thrive.

Gmar chatimah tovah/ May we all be inscribed and sealed for goodness in this new year.

Tzom Kal/ May those who are observing the Yom Kippur fast, do so easily.

Shabbat shalom --- May this Yom Kippur -- this Shabbat Shabbaton – this Sabbath of Sabbaths – be a time of meaningful reflection and communion ---

AND MAY OUR BROKEN HEARTS BE HEALED.

Amen.

© Rabbi David Steinberg

October 2024/ Kol Nidre Night 5785

[1] Exodus 33:19-20

[2] Exodus 34: 6-7 (Actually, the recitation in liturgy of those so-called “Shelosh Eshrey Midot” (“Thirteen [Divine] Attributes”) omits the end of verse seven but that could be the subject of another sermon altogether… )

TAKE NOTE

Sermon for First Morning of Rosh Hashanah 5785

October 3, 2024

Rosh Hashanah is the start of Aseret Ymei Teshuvah – The Ten Days of Teshuvah – which culminate with Yom Kippur nine days from now.

Teshuvah is often translated as “repentance” but its more basic meaning is “return”.  So, these are the ten days of return.

“Repentance” and “return” --- Those concepts seem to suggest looking backwards and, indeed, that’s a big part of what these High Holy Days are about:  Reflecting on the year that has passed, and on how we conducted ourselves in our relationships with God and with one another.

But Rosh Hashanah is also a beginning.  A new start.

As we sang after each set of Musaf Shofar blasts today – HAYOM HARAT OLAM – TODAY THE WORLD IS BORN.

Indeed – our tradition teaches that, not just Rosh Hashanah, but, in fact, every single day is a time of rebirth.

As the traditional language of our liturgy declares –

הַמֵּאִיר לָאָֽרֶץ וְלַדָּרִים עָלֶֽיהָ בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְטוּבוֹ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל־יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית

Bringer of light to the earth and its inhabitants in mercy and divine goodness, renewing each day continually the work of Creation.

Or as the contemporary author, poet and teacher, Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg expresses it –

Every day, Creation is renewed.

Wake up and see unfolding

In the spreading light of dawn,

The world and all it contains

Coming into being, new, fresh.

Filled with divine goodness and love

Every day, Creation is renewed.

Reflected in the great lights

We see a new day,

One precious day,

Eternity.

No matter how stressful yesterday may have been, today is a new start.

And if that’s true from day to day – how much more so for the start of a new year.

In this spirit, it seems odd that Jewish tradition doesn’t assign the first chapter of Genesis, the story of the creation of the world, for this first morning of the Jewish New Year. 

Instead, we read Genesis 21 from Torah portion Vayera, and, as our haftarah, we read the opening chapters of the First Book of Samuel. 

One explanation for this practice is that each of these passages speaks of God’s faithfulness in our times of trouble.

When Sarah was struggling with infertility, Torah reassures us

וַֽה' פָּקַ֥ד אֶת־שָׂרָ֖ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמָ֑ר וַיַּ֧עַשׂ ה' לְשָׂרָ֖ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֵּֽר׃

“Adonai took note of Sarah as [Adonai] had promised, and did for Sarah as [Adonai] had spoken.”

And in this morning’s haftarah, when Hannah was similarly in despair,

וַֽיִּזְכְּרֶ֖הָ יי

--- “Adonai remembered her” (1 Samuel 1:19), prompting Hannah to sing

עָלַ֤ץ לִבִּי֙ בַּֽיי

“My heart exults in Adonai”  (1 Samuel 2:1)

And, more to the point, the choice of these texts is also related to the statement in the Talmud, Masechet Rosh Hashanah page 11a:

רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר:... בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה נִפְקְדָה שָׂרָה רָחֵל וְחַנָּה

“Rabbi Yehoshua says … On Rosh Hashanah Sarah, Rachel and Hannah were remembered.”

Indeed, the traditional text of the Machzor frequently refers to Rosh Hashanah as “Yom Hazikaron” – “The Day of Remembrance.”

(And, by the way, we’ll meet up with Rachel in the haftarah for the second day of Rosh Hashanah tomorrow.)

………………..

We all know that life can be difficult. 

Life can be challenging.

Life can be painful.

The events of the past year, especially since last October 7th, lends credence to this observation.

But Judaism encourages us to persevere with hope and optimism --- to cultivate within ourselves the faith that God, however we may understand the nature of God, remembers us, and takes note of us – as Torah teaches God did for Sarah, Rachel and Hannah.

And as the psalmist instructs us: 

קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־ה' חֲ֭זַק וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־ה' ׃

Hope in the Eternal
be strong and of good courage!
Hope in the Eternal.[1]

For, as Jews, we understand that -- whatever befalls us -- we are not alone.

At the start of this dvar torah I spoke of how Rosh Hashanah is the start of the “Aseret Ymei Hateshuvah”/“The Ten Days of Teshuvah”.  And how the word “teshuvah” can be translated as either “return” or “repentance”.

The understanding of “teshuvah” as “return” is more characteristic of its use in the Biblical period.

The understanding of “teshuvah” as “tepentance” is more characteristic of the subsequent Rabbinic and Medieval eras that followed the destruction of the Second Temple. 

For us, almost two thousand years later, we might well combine the two definitions and think of “teshuvah” as being about “returning to our better selves”.

We do this, as Paul McCartney would say – “with a little help from our friends”

And we do this, as generations of our ancestors have taught us --- with faith in the unfailing presence of God, Tzuri ve-Go’ali – “my rock and my redeemer.”[2]

Just this past Shabbat, our Torah reading from Parashat Nitzavim, from Deuteronomy Chapter 30, included an extended passage incorporating various forms of the verb “to return” seven times in close succession.  One particular verse from that parasha strikes me as perhaps the most poignant verse in the whole Torah, at least as it is filtered through the commentary of the Talmud and Rashi.

As it says in Deuteronomy 30:3

וְשָׁ֨ב ה' אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ אֶת־שְׁבוּתְךָ֖ וְרִחֲמֶ֑ךָ

(veshav Adonai Elohekha et shevutekha verichamekha)

The Jewish Publication Society translation in the Plaut Torah Commentary translates this as: “Then the Eternal your God will restore your fortunes”

However, as with so many passages in the Tanakh, the Hebrew is somewhat ambiguous and capable of multiple interpretations.

We can also translate the phrase

וְשָׁ֨ב ה' אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ אֶת־שְׁבוּתְךָ֖ וְרִחֲמֶ֑ךָ

As “Adonai will return your returnees and be merciful to you.”

Or, to use the more poetic language of the old King James Version:

“The LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee.”

This idea that the word “shevutekha” refers to the return of Israelites who have been exiled and in captivity is the version favored by the Talmud.

And, in doing so, they notice an anomaly in the grammar.

If it were about God acting to cause the Israelites to return from exile and captivity, the verb should have been in the causative form “veheyshiv” (והשיב)   rather than the simple form “veshav” (ושב).

The Torah saying “veshav” rather than “veheyshiv” implies that, as it were, God is also, Godself, returning along with all of the exiles as they return from exile back to the Land of Israel.

As Rashi, citing the Talmud, comments:

 הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב "וְהֵשִׁיב" אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ, רַבּוֹתֵינוּ לָמְדוּ מִכָּאן כִּבְיָכוֹל שֶׁהַשְּׁכִינָה שְׁרוּיָה עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּצָרַת גָּלוּתָם, וּכְשֶׁנִּגְאָלִין הִכְתִּיב גְּאֻלָּה לְעַצְמוֹ — שֶׁהוּא יָשׁוּב עִמָּהֶם.

Scripture should have written, וְהֵשִׁיב ה׳ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ  (veheyshiv Adonai et shevutekha) [with the verb וְהֵשִׁיב  (veheyshiv) being in the causative conjugation, meaning “to bring back”]. But our Rabbis learned from [the simple conjugation of the verb] here [which alludes to God, Godself, returning], that the Shechinah (the Divine Presence), as it were, resides among the Jewish people in the suffering of their exile. And when they are redeemed [from their exile], God writes [in Scripture an expression of] redemption for Godself, that God, as it were, returns along with them.[3]

I know that for theological skeptics among us, I’ve just thrown at you a lot of God-centered language.  And I realize that sometimes it’s easier to go with it when it’s in Hebrew rather than in the vernacular. 

But all of the above is not inconsistent with a more naturalistic style of spirituality, the kind of spirituality that says that God is present in our relationships with one another. 

That God is experienced in community. 

And that God, as it were, works through us as we strive for Tikkun Olam, the repair of this decidedly imperfect world.

And that, as we seek comfort, and meaning, and inspiration from our sacred tradition – and from our sacred bonds with one another --- we can say in humble piety:

בְּיָדוֹ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי, בְּעֵת אִישַׁן וְאָעִֽירָה:

וְעִם רוּחִי גְּוִיָּתִי, ה' לִי וְלֹא אִירָא:

(Beyado afkid ruchi, be’yet Ishan ve’a’irah, v’im ruchi geviyati, Adonai li velo ira.)

Into [God’s] hand I entrust my spirit [both] when I sleep and when I awaken.

And with my spirit my body [too], Adonoy is with me, I shall not fear. [4]

Amen.

© Rabbi David Steinberg

Rosh Hashanah 5785/ October 2024

[1] Psalms 27:14

[2] Psalms 19:15

[3] Rashi on Deuteronomy 30:3 citing Megillah 29a

[4] These words are from the closing stanza of the hymn “Adon Olam,” traditionally attributed to Solomon Ibn Gabriol (1021–1058), though its actually origin is uncertain.

ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS

(Sermon for 1st night of Rosh Hashanah 5785)

October 2, 2024

Those of you who were with us for Ari S_____’s bat mitzvah a week and a half ago may remember that the Torah portion that Shabbat, Parashat Ki Tavo, contained a long, sweeping list of terrifying curses.  In that “TOCHACHA” or “REBUKE” passage in Deuteronomy Chapter 28, Moses warns the Israelites about the parade of horribles that they would suffer if they strayed from God’s commandments.  The schedule of our yearly Torah readings didn’t get standardized until the Middle Ages, but, centuries earlier, the Talmud was already teaching that we should recite that cascade of curses shortly before Rosh Hashanah.

The Talmud, in Masechet Megillah, page 31b, teaches that Ezra enacted that the curses that are recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy should be read before Rosh Hashanah.  The Gemara then asks – “Mai Tama?” -  “What is the reason for this?” And the answer it gives is

 כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכְלֶה הַשָּׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ

(kedey shetikhleh Hashanah vekileloteha)

“In order that the year may conclude together with its curses.”

To this day, in many Sephardic synagogues they open their Rosh Hashanah evening service with a 13th century poem that quotes that Talmudic teaching.  It’s called “Achot Ketanah” (“Little sister”), with the little sister of the poem serving as a metaphor for the Jewish people.

It begins as follows: 

אָחוֹת קְטַנָּה תְּפִלּוֹתֶיהָ. עוֹרְכָה וְעוֹנָה תְהִלּוֹתֶיהָ. אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לְמַחֲלוֹתֶיהָ. תִּכְלֶה שָׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ

“The little sister—her prayers
she arranges, and her praises she recites
Please, God, heal her illnesses now.
May the year and its curses come to an end!”

Each verse of that poem ends with the same refrain -- תִּכְלֶה שָׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ /tichleh shanah vekileloteha/ May the year and its curses come to an end!

All that is except for the last verse:

חִזְקוּ וְגִילוּ כִּי שׁוֹד גָּמַר. לְצוּר הוֹחִילוּ בְּרִיתוֹ שָׁמַר, לָכֶם, וְתַעֲלוּ לְצִיּוֹן, וְאָמַר, סֹלּוּ סֹלּוּ מְסִלּוֹתֶיהָ. תָּחֵל שָׁנָה וּבִרְכוֹתֶיהָ

Be strong and rejoice
And you shall ascend to Zion
And [God] shall declare:
“Clear! Clear! Her paths.”

תָּחֵל שָׁנָה וּבִרְכוֹתֶיהָ/ tachel shanah uvirkhoteha
May the New Year and its blessings begin![1]

As I mentioned in an email message to all of you last month, most of the year 5784 has been a collective nightmare for all of us ever since the mass murder, mass rape and mass hostage taking perpetrated by the Hamas terrorist organization and its accomplices last October 7th.  Of the year 5784 we may indeed exclaim:

תִּכְלֶה שָׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ

May the year and its curses come to an end!

 As we now enter the new year 5785, the hostages are still in captivity, Israelis and Palestinians are still ravaged by war and  --- not to forget -- Other parts of the world – like Ukraine and Sudan remain in conflict as well.  And yet we dare to hope and pray: 

תָּחֵל שָׁנָה וּבִרְכוֹתֶיהָ

May the New Year and its blessings begin!

As we enter this season of spiritual renewal, I find my thoughts turning to a verse from psalms: Psalm 68, verse 20 to be specific:

The verse is part of a long string of verses that we find in the traditional weekday morning and Shabbat afternoon prayer services. It goes like this:

בָּ֤ר֣וּךְ אֲדֹנָי֮ י֤וֹם ׀ י֥֫וֹם יַעֲמׇס־לָ֗נוּ הָ֘אֵ֤ל יְֽשׁוּעָתֵ֬נוּ סֶֽלָה׃

Barukh Adonai.

Yom Yom ya’amas lanu

Ha’el yeshuateynu . Selah

Blessed is Adonai.

Day by day supporting us,
God, our deliverance. Selah.

Now that’s just a brief Biblical quotation tucked away in one of the concluding prayers that are often skipped over in many less traditional minyanim.  And the verse doesn’t even make the final cut into any of the Reform or Reconstructionist prayer books that seek to make the prayer services shorter and more concise.  

But I have loved this verse ever since I first encountered it when I was living in Philadelphia back in the late 1990’s and used to attend a daily morning minyan at a Conservative shul down the street from my Center City apartment.

Barukh Adonai, yom yom ya’amas lanu/ Blessed is Adonai, Day by Day supporting us.

That phrase “yom yom” meaning “daily” or “day by day” really resonates for me.   For it has long seemed to me that faith in God is not about hoping for supernatural interventions in the law of nature.  Rather, it’s about appreciating the daily miracles of being alive.  It’s about developing the sensitivity to savor life’s joys.  It’s about finding the strength to persevere amid life’s adversities.  Those words from Psalm 68 sum it all up admirably:  Barukh Adonai, yom yom ya’amas lanu/ Blessed is Adonai, day by day supporting us.

That’s generally how the verse is understood in the Jewish Publication Society translation of the Tanakh and in various Conservative movement siddurim.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the liturgy:

It turns out that the Hebrew phrase “ya’amas lanu” is ambiguous.  Depending on the context it can have the opposite meaning.  Instead of meaning “supporting us” it can mean “burdening us”!

The Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon of Biblical Hebrew summarizes the matter by explaining that the verb la’amos (לעמוס)   – with those root letters ayin-mem-samech  (ע-מ-ס), can mean either to carry a load” (i.e. to provide support) OR to load upon (i.e., to impose a burden)

That second definition is the way the verse is translated in various Orthodox siddurim which follow the interpretive lead of traditional commentators like David Kimchi (France, late 12th century to early 13th century) and Etz Yosef (19th century Poland). They understand the verse to be saying that God, in fact, burdens us or places a load upon us.  But they go on to interpret that this burden is a good thing ---- that the “burden” or “load” being placed upon us consists of blessings. 

Indeed, Judaism in general understands the mitzvot themselves to be blessings.

Well, which interpretative approach to Psalm 68 verse 20 rings truer for us?  Does it feel truer to say that day by day God burdens us --- or to say that day by day God bears our burdens?

*   *   *

It seems to me that both interpretative approaches have merit.  Jewish tradition teaches us to look to God not only as a commander but also as a helper.  To look to God not only as the one who judges us but also as the one who advocates our cause.

These seemingly contradictory images appear throughout our High Holiday liturgy.  

Indeed, if the God of the machzor were running for president, God would certainly face partisan attacks for flip flopping.

But it’s no flip flop. Our tradition teaches us that the world is not governed by midat ha-din/ the Divine quality of Justice alone.  Nor is the world governed by midat ha-rachamim, the Divine quality of Mercy alone.

The rabbis derived this from the fact that Genesis 2:4 uses both of the traditional names of the Creator when it says

אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day when ADONAI ELOHIM made earth and heaven.

 In Jewish tradition, the name “Adonai” (typically translated as “Lord or Eternal One) symbolizes midat harachamim/ the attribute of mercy and the name “Elohim” (translated as “God”) represents midat hadin/ the attribute of justice.  There is a classic midrash  in the rabbinic collection Bereshit Rabbah that expresses it well:

“Adonai Elohim” made earth and heaven.”  A parable of a king who had cups made of delicate glass.  The king said:  If I pour hot water into them, they will [expand and] burst;  if I pour cold water they will contract [and break].  What did he do?  He mixed hot water and cold water, and poured it into them, and so they remained unbroken.  Likewise, the Holy One said:  If I create the world with the attribute of mercy alone, its sins will be too many; if with justice alone, how could the world be expected to endure?  So I will create it with both justice and mercy, and may it endure!”[2]

In the Talmud, in Masechet Berachot/ The Tractate on Blessings, we learn that just as we pray, God also prays.  And what does God pray? 

“May it be my will that my mercy overcome my anger that I might deal with my children with the quality of compassion and not merely strict justice."  (Ber. 7a)

*   *    * 

It’s not that God flip flops, or that God can’t stay the course.  Rather, it’s that God, as it were, sees us for the imperfect, complex beings we are, and sees our world for the complex place it is.

*   *   *

Of course, to make faith statements like this is to use metaphorical, poetic language.  When we affirm such things about God, we are also affirming our belief that we too should seek to understand the complexity and profundity of each person we encounter and each situation we face.

*    *    *

I find merit in both understandings of the words “ya’amas lanu:”

(1) Ya’amas lanu – God bears our burden – only laying upon us that which we have the capacity to handle – or, as we say in the Birchot Hashachar/ the Morning Blessings – Barukh.. she’asah li kawl tzarki/ “Blessed is the One who provides for all my needs.”

(2) Ya’amas lanu -- God places upon us the burden of living up to our ethical and religious values.  And yet this burden is also a blessing because doing so gives us the opportunity to become closer to God and closer to one another.   

*   *    *

In a certain sense, the traditional prayers of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur pivot around these two complementary views of God in Judaism  -- burden reliever and burden placer – advocate and judge – loving parent and commanding sovereign --- adonai and eloheynu --  avinu and malkeinu.

And so we will pray tomorrow morning before the open ark:  Avinu malkeinu/ Our parent and our sovereign – chaneinu v’aneynu – be gracious and answer us – ki eyn banu ma’asim – for we have too few good deeds to face a standard of strict justice. And so we implore --  Asey imanu tzedakah vachesed – act towards us with justice tempered by mercy, v’hoshieynu – and save us.

I hope and pray that our times together in shul during these Days of Awe, as well as the times we spend with our loved ones, and also the times that we spend alone --- will be times that are fruitful for the task of examining our lives.   As we seek God’s forgiveness, may we be forgiving of our neighbors and may we be forgiving of our selves.

תִּכְלֶה שָׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ / May the old year – 5784 -- and its curses come to an end!

תָּחֵל שָׁנָה וּבִרְכוֹתֶיהָ / May the New Year – 5785 -- and its blessings begin!

Amen.

© Rabbi David Steinberg

October 2024/ Rosh Hashanah 5785

[1] Here’s a link to a YouTube video of a rendition of those opening and closing verses of “Achot Ketanah”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTMbRxST34Y

[2] Bereshit Rabbah 12:15 as rendered in Bialik & Ravnitsky, The Book of Legends: Sefer Ha-Aggadah, William G. Braude, translator, Schocken Books, 1992.)

RESETTING THE NARRATIVE

Dvar Torah for Shabbat Shelakh Lekha (Numbers 13:1 – 15:41)

(Composed and delivered at Temple Israel on Friday evening 6/28/2024, the day after the first Biden-Trump debate of the 2024 election season.)

The first two thirds of this week’s Torah portion, Shelakh Lekha, contain the story of the 12 scouts, who are recruited to carry out a reconnaissance mission of the Promised Land.  Upon their return, all of them seem to agree that it is a wonderfully fertile place, a land

 זָבַ֨ת חָלָ֥ב וּדְבַ֛שׁ

“flowing with milk and honey.”[1]  

At least, that’s what the majority reports, and Caleb and Joshua don’t argue otherwise.

But Caleb and Joshua’s analysis diverges sharply from that of the other 10 scouts with respect to the military challenges ahead. The 10 who form the majority describe the land as one that devours its inhabitants. 

Those ten argue that the Israelites would not have the ability to overcome the Amalekite and Canaanite tribes against whom they would have to battle in order to gain their foothold in the land that God had promised to them.

But Caleb responds: 

עָלֹ֤ה נַעֲלֶה֙ וְיָרַ֣שְׁנוּ אֹתָ֔הּ כִּֽי־יָכ֥וֹל נוּכַ֖ל לָֽהּ׃

“We can surely go up [to the land] and gain possession of it for we are surely able to overcome it.” [2]

(And for you Hebrew grammar mavens, note that there are two examples of infinitive absolute verbs in that one verse.)

But the majority get the last word, despairingly claiming that the people they saw there were veritable giants and that 

וַנְּהִ֤י בְעֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙ כַּֽחֲגָבִ֔ים וְכֵ֥ן הָיִ֖ינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃

“we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them.”

In the Talmud we learn that a minyan, the required quorum for public prayer, requires ten people because God, later in the parasha, refers to those ten scouts who gave the majority report as an “edah” or congregation. [3]

So we have this idea that ten people can form a representative microcosm of a congregation at large.  And, indeed, the Israelites at large who are gathered around these returning scouts immediately turn on Moses and Aaron and Caleb and Joshua and threaten to stone them to death, and loudly demand that a new leader be chosen to lead the people back to Egypt.

It seems like the Torah is saying that subjective perceptions can bring about objective realities.  The pundits say the task is hopeless and so the public at large accepts as objective fact what might otherwise be viewed as simply opinion and analysis.

Let me try to connect this to current events without being too explicitly partisan about it:

This morning, after last night’s first Presidential debate of the 2024 election season, pundits of all political stripes are tripping over themselves to be the first to declare that President Biden’s performance shows that he is incapable of defeating his opponent.

Meanwhile, pundits who oppose the former president have been arguing for years already that if former President Trump were returned to the White House that this would spell the end of American Democracy.

How true either of these propositions might be is a matter of deeply divided opinion in our nation, even if many of us often silo ourselves among folks we agree with and distance ourselves from those who could possibly think otherwise.

In our Torah portion it all turns out disastrously.  God decrees that the generation that has come out of Egypt and that has become convinced by the pessimistic majority report -- this generation of self-described “grasshoppers” -- will never see the Promised Land.  That they will have to wait for the next generation. A journey from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land which should have taken eleven days[4] will now require an additional 38 years to complete. The entire generation of pessimists, with the exceptions of Joshua and Caleb, will be doomed to die in the wilderness.

Today as I was studying the Torah portion I found myself dwelling on the immediate aftermath of God’s frightening decree.  One would think that the people would just cower in depression --- just like many supporters of President Biden have been doing in the past twenty-two hours.   And, indeed, the Torah reports that the immediate response of the Israelites after Moses relays God’s judgment is that  

וַיִּֽתְאַבְּל֥וּ הָעָ֖ם מְאֹֽד׃

“The people mourned greatly.”[5]

But the tone is different the next morning.  The people rally!  As it says in the very next verse: 

וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣מוּ בַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיַּֽעֲל֥וּ אֶל־רֹאשׁ־הָהָ֖ר לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֶּ֗נּוּ וְעָלִ֛ינוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֛וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה כִּ֥י חָטָֽאנוּ׃

 They arose early the next morning and went up towards the crest of the hill country, saying, “Hinenu”/ “Here we are” --  we shall go up to the place that Adonai has spoken of, for we have done wrong”.[6]

(i.e., done wrong in despairing of the hope of success and in calling for returning to Egypt.)

Driving to Temple today I was listening to CNN on the satellite radio in my car.  They were broadcasting live a spirited Biden campaign rally in North Carolina. The buoyant, combative mood of that rally reminded me of the same psychological “reset” from the previous night that we find in our parasha, with the Israelites bewailing “we are like grasshoppers” but only hours later reversing course and arguing HINENU VE’ALINU --- WE ARE HERE AND WE WILL INDEED GO UP TO THE LAND! 

It's so interesting to me that the response of Moses, and God, Aaron and Joshua and Caleb to the people’s change of heart is decidedly not --- OKAY, WAY TO GO! LET’S DO THIS!

Rather, their response is – nope, nope, nope --- You showed your true colors last night.  This is a hopeless endeavor and we’ll get slaughtered if we try to follow through with the original plan.  And, indeed, the Torah reports that they try to advance but the Amalekites and Canaanites slaughter the fighting forces. 

And that’s the end of the story.

In the next chapter the Torah switches gears and talks about random legislation that will come into force when the next generation eventually gets to the Land of Israel – but end of story for this generation.

If you want to read this as a parable that can teach our political pundits and operatives anything, you might conclude that a terrible debate performance means that the path you’re on is doomed to failure, despite subsequent attempts to reset the narrative.

But I don’t know.

There’s also this pesky detail in the parasha.

At Numbers 14:44 it says that when the Israelites’ fighting forces advanced in battle, despite having been previously told that it would be useless, that at that time  

וַאֲר֤וֹן בְּרִית־ה֙’ וּמֹשֶׁ֔ה לֹא־מָ֖שׁוּ מִקֶּ֥רֶב הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

“Neither the Ark of the Covenant of Adonai nor Moses stirred from the midst of the Camp.”

Moses (and the Levites under Aaron’s command) stayed put.  They followed the analysis of the Divine Pundit and gave up.

And so, the campaign failed.

One might respond – well, God is not just a divine pundit – God’s word is law and that’s that. 

That would be the traditional pious response.

However, from a contemporary literary perspective, we understand that the Torah is made up of various narrative sources spliced together.  Indeed, there are some narrative inconsistencies in our parasha itself.

So, what’s the real story?

Is the narrator always reliable?

Is there another way?

As far as Parashat Shelakh Lekha is concerned, we don’t know because Moses and the Ark stay put and do not stir, while the rest of the folks try to reset the narrative but, of course, are unable to do so without the continued commitment of Moses and without the presence of that Ark.

Meanwhile, for all of us, if the past week has been challenging, may the arrival of Shabbat provide us with the blessing of being able to reset the narrative.

Shabbat shalom!

© Rabbi David Steinberg (June 2024/ Sivan 5784)

[1] Numbers 13:27

[2] Numbers 13:30

[3] Megillah 23b:8

[4] See Deuteronomy 1:2

[5] Numbers 14:39

[6] Numbers 14:40

STRAINED RELATIONS

Dvar Torah for Parashat Naso (Num. 5:1 – 7:89)

(Offered at Temple Israel on Friday 6/14/2024)

Broadly speaking, the first ten chapters of the Book of Numbers deal with various efforts to organize the Israelite encampment and to prepare it for leaving Mt. Sinai on its journey to the Promised Land. 

In last week’s Torah portion, Parashat Bemidbar, a military readiness census was taken and the various tribes were organized in terms of their positions around the tabernacle.

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Naso, a census of the Levites, begun towards the end of last week’s parasha, is concluded.

After that, the text turns to questions of preserving the holiness and ritual purity of the camp.  In other words, last week’s parasha was about building up defenses against potential external foes. And this week’s portion is about building up defenses against internal threats.

What types of internal threats?

First, in Numbers 5: 1-4, there is a provision about temporary isolation of anyone who is ritually impure because of proximity to a corpse or because of abnormal bodily discharges. 

Next, in Numbers 5: 5-10, we have a provision about restitution requirements when one person has wronged another in a monetary dispute.

Next in Numbers 5: 11-31, we have the case of the “Sotah” – a wife suspected by her husband of having committed adultery. A number of traditional commentators see the Sotah ritual as the Torah’s attempt to RECONCILE marriage partners whose union is on the rocks and whose marital disputes have become publicly disruptive to the community around them.  Thus, this is a third example in Parashat Naso of attempts to promote harmony within Machane Yisael/ The Israelite Camp so as to ready them for the onward journey forth from Sinai to the Promised Land.  

Finally, in Numbers, chapter 6, we have the ritual of the Nazirite vow. And this can be seen as a method for channeling the religious enthusiasm of individuals who, because they were not among the descendants of Aaron, could not become Kohanim or Priests. 

As Rabbi David Kasher observes in a dvar torah he published this week,

All of these cases deal with social pariahs, people who have become isolated from the larger community. They are inserted here, just after the description of the camp and just before the camp is inaugurated with offerings. Together, they serve as a kind of warning, before the operation of the camp begins, of the kinds of circumstances that can endanger someone’s place in the camp. Each of these cases, therefore, also provides some mechanism for ending the state of social isolation,and bringing the castout back into the life of the camp.[1]

There’s a lot to be said for this basic analytic approach to our Torah portion.

But, as with much of Biblical Tradition, the “elephant in the room,” so to speak, is the sexist, and arguably misogynist attitude towards women.  The Sotah ritual described in our Torah portion subjects a suspected wife to a trial by ordeal. If her husband suspects her of being a “sotah” (i.e, of having “gone astray” with another man), he is to bring her to a kohen (priest) who forces her to drink a bitter mixture of water and dirt.  Supposedly, the drink will cause her to suffer serious, life-threatening physical ailments if she is guilty.  But, if she’s innocent, then the drink will cause no ill effects and she’ll be assured of future fertility. But the reverse is not true:  Adultery in the Torah is defined as a wife cheating on her husband, and not vice versa.  There is no equivalent procedure that a wife can force upon a husband whom she suspects is cheating on her.

On Shavuot, just a few days ago, our holiday Torah reading featured the Ten Commandments, of which the seventh of those ten is “Lo Tin’af.”/ “You shall not commit adultery.” [2] This is indeed a serious offense – Leviticus 20:10 prescribes the death penalty for both participants in the extramarital affair! 

The Sotah ritual in our Torah portion doesn’t use the term “Tin’af” because, by definition, the designation of a woman as a “Sotah” means that there were no witnesses to this woman’s real or alleged unfaithfulness.  As it says in Numbers 5:13 ----

 וְעֵד֙ אֵ֣ין בָּ֔הּ

“There is no witness against her.”

The only evidence of her transgression is that the husband has been overcome by “Ru’ach Kin’ah” a spirit of jealousy --- whether justifiably or not. (Numbers 5:14)

Studying the parasha this week I couldn’t help but think about how sexism continues to plague contemporary society. Recent years have seen many attempts here in the United States towards turning the clock backwards regarding female empowerment. The most egregious example of this is of course was the Supreme Court’s striking down last year of a woman’s right to reproductive choice.  

Those who long sought to overturn Roe v. Wade often argued that they were doing so on the basis of States’ rights.  In other words, individual states should have the right to ban abortion or not ban abortion, and it shouldn’t be a federal matter.

But, of course, as soon as Roe v. Wade was overruled last year by the Dobbs decision, anti-choice forces began lobbying for national bans on abortion.

The outcomes of this year’s Presidential and congressional elections may well determine whether or not they will succeed.

In recent years, abortions have become more likely to be carried out through medication rather than through surgical procedures.  But now, anti-choice forces have been trying to restrict the use or distribution of the drugs needed for that procedure, despite those drugs having been approved for safety by the FDA decades ago.

So, there was a bit of good news this week that the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that plaintiffs who wanted to restrict the availability of the drug mifepristone did not have standing to bring the case. However, the future availability of medication abortion remains uncertain given that other legal challenges remain pending. [3]

We might argue that the United States is in danger of regressing in its legal treatment of women. 

On the other hand, we can at least note that the Jewish legal tradition, the halacha, has shown a progressive side with respect to the ritual of the Sotah.

By the time of the Mishna in the early centuries of the common era, the entire procedure had been abolished by rabbinic fiat.

As it is taught in the Mishnah in Tractate Sotah --- yep – there is an entire tractate on this subject in the Mishnah and the Talmud –

מִשֶּׁרַבּוּ הַמְנָאֲפִים, פָּסְקוּ הַמַּיִם הַמָּרִים, וְרַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי הִפְסִיקָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר  "לֹא אֶפְקוֹד עַל בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם כִּי תִזְנֶינָה וְעַל כַּלּוֹתֵיכֶם כִּי תְנָאַפְנָה כִּי הֵם (עִם־הַזֹּנ֣וֹת יְפָרֵ֔דוּ)."

 

From the time when adulterers proliferated, the performance of the ritual of the bitter waters was nullified; they would not administer the bitter waters to the sota. And it was Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai who nullified it, as it is stated [in the Book of Hosea]: “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for they consort with lewd women” (Hosea 4:14), meaning that when the husbands are adulterers, the wives are not punished for their own adultery (M. Sotah 9:9)

It's a cynical sort of legal reasoning, but at least it’s a step towards equal treatment of men and women.

As for contemporary society, egalitarianism remains a goal whose level of attainment continues to vary depending on where one lives, but the struggle continues.

Shabbat shalom.

© Rabbi David Steinberg 5784/2024

[1] https://www.hadar.org/torah-tefillah/resources/out-camp

[2] Exodus 20:13

[3] https://theconversation.com/supreme-court-unanimously-concludes-that-anti-abortion-groups-have-no-standing-to-challenge-access-to-mifepristone-but-the-drug-likely-faces-more-court-challenges-232453

UPRIGHT

Dvar Torah for Shabbat Bechukotai given at Temple Israel on 5/31/24 (24 Iyar 5784)

(Lev. 26:3 – 27:34)

This Shabbat we come to the end of the Book of Leviticus, with Parashat Bechukotai.  

Most of this Torah portion consists of a short list of blessings followed by a long list of curses that God promises as rewards for obeying or as punishments for disobeying God’s mitzvot.

The blessings and curses run the gamut from military victories and defeats, to agricultural surpluses and shortages, to climatic forecasts, to psychological syndromes.

I thought I would share a few thoughts about one of the curses mentioned in the Torah portion and one of the blessings mentioned in it.

It’s very striking, but psychologically perceptive, that the climax of that long list of curses speaks about fear that comes about when there is actually nothing to be afraid of. 

As it says in our parasha at Leviticus 26:36

וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים בָּכֶ֔ם וְהֵבֵ֤אתִי מֹ֙רֶךְ֙ בִּלְבָבָ֔ם בְּאַרְצֹ֖ת אֹיְבֵיהֶ֑ם וְרָדַ֣ף אֹתָ֗ם ק֚וֹל עָלֶ֣ה נִדָּ֔ף וְנָס֧וּ מְנֻֽסַת־חֶ֛רֶב וְנָפְל֖וּ וְאֵ֥ין רֹדֵֽף׃

As for those of you who survive, I will cast a faintness into their hearts in the land of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight. Fleeing as though from the sword, they shall fall though none pursues.

These words, though written thousands of years ago, retain their power today. Our people’s experience of centuries of oppression and violence, culminating in the Shoa’ah less than a century ago, have no doubt instilled in all of us a certain degree of intergenerational trauma. Especially for those of us who are old enough to have grown up when the memory of the Shoah was fresher, and when many more Holocaust survivors were among us than is the case today, it can be easy to see the specter of antisemitism arising all around us. And, sometimes, as our Torah portion predicts, this can be an exaggerated fear or even a paranoid fear.

“The sound of a driven leaf putting us to flight…. Fleeing though none pursues….”

Putting this into current context --- The demonstrations and encampments protesting Israel’s conduct of the current war have caused on the part of many Jews a sense of fear and danger for their, for our, own safety.  And much of this is an exaggerated fear.  Discomfort is not synonymous with Danger.

And yet, we have indeed also seen in recent months incidents in the United States and around the world in which Jews have been attacked simply for being Jews.  The rise of such antisemitism is indeed real and not just the sound of a driven leaf.

We would all do well to be prudent but not paranoid.  And I know we are all deeply appreciative of the efforts of our security committee, and our ushers and of the Duluth Police Department who are all working cooperatively to ensure our safety as we gather together as a Jewish community.

But I also want to talk about a blessing that looms large in our Torah portion.

The climax of the curses in Parashat Bechukotai is that immoblizing fear, that trauma that might make us, as it were, afraid of our own shadow.

But the climax of the blessings in the earlier part of our Torah portion presents another outlook:

As it says in Leviticus 26: 11-13:

וְנָתַתִּ֥י מִשְׁכָּנִ֖י בְּתוֹכְכֶ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תִגְעַ֥ל נַפְשִׁ֖י אֶתְכֶֽם׃

וְהִתְהַלַּכְתִּי֙ בְּת֣וֹכְכֶ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וְאַתֶּ֖ם תִּהְיוּ־לִ֥י לְעָֽם׃

אֲנִ֞י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹצֵ֤אתִי אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם מִֽהְיֹ֥ת לָהֶ֖ם עֲבָדִ֑ים וָאֶשְׁבֹּר֙ מֹטֹ֣ת עֻלְּכֶ֔ם וָאוֹלֵ֥ךְ אֶתְכֶ֖ם קֽוֹמְמִיּֽוּת׃ {פ}

I will establish My abode in your midst, and I will not spurn you.

I will be ever present in your midst: I will be your God, and you shall be My people.

I the Eternal am your God who brought you out from the land of the Egyptians to be their slaves no more, who broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright.

That image of walking KOMEMIYUT --- upright or erect ----  is used as well in our liturgy.  In contrast to centuries in which Jews were downtrodden, oppressed and attacked --- the prayer Ahava Rabba in the daily shacharit liturgy says:

וַהֲבִיאֵֽנוּ לְשָׁלוֹם מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָֽרֶץ וְתוֹלִיכֵֽנוּ קוֹמְ֒מִיּוּת לְאַרְצֵֽנוּ:

“Bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth and lead us upright ( קוֹמְ֒מִיּוּת / komemiyut)  to our land.”

And, similarly, in the Birkat Hamazon/ The Grace after Meals, we say: 

הָרַחֲמָן הוּא יִשְׁבּוֹר עֻלֵּֽנוּ מֵעַל צַוָּארֵֽנוּ וְהוּא יוֹלִיכֵֽנוּ קוֹמְ֒מִיּוּת לְאַרְצֵֽנוּ

“May the All-Merciful One will break the yoke (of oppression) from our necks and lead us upright ( קוֹמְ֒מִיּוּת / komemiyut)  to our land.”

Zionism is getting a bad wrap these days.  But the political movement to establish and maintain the State of Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people, as it always was throughout the centuries of forced exile, is a project of KOMEMIYUT.

A way that the Jewish people can hold our heads high, and walk קוֹמְ֒מִיּוּת/KOMEMIYUT /UPRIGHT - and where our Jewish culture and civilization need not be an afterthought or a grudging accommodation on the part of the majority culture – as it is in the United States and everywhere else in the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I consider it very much a blessing to have the good fortune of having been born in the United States --- and not, for example, in Germany under Hitler, or Russia under Stalin, or as a second-class denizen in any number of places and eras where Jews were oppressed.

But there is no doubt that the existence of the State of Israel is a game changer for Jewish life around the world. 

It is not perfect --- by any means.

Just as the United States is not perfect – by any means.

But that blessing of walking KOMEMIYUT – upright – as a Jew,  is intertwined with the Zionist project.

I, for one, am a Zionist.

To me, that is inseparable from the fact that I am a Jew.

My recent sabbatical in Israel has only strengthened those convictions.  Thank you so much for making it possible for me to have that precious time away, thank you to all of you who have stepped up to keep our worship services, programs, holiday celebrations and community activities going in my absence, and thank you so much for warmly welcoming me back. 

These are challenging times for the Jewish people and for the world at large.  May we see peace, justice and reconciliation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, in this country, and in the world of large ---  and may a spirit of compassion and compromise prevail in a world of complexities.

Shabbat shalom.

© Rabbi David Steinberg (May 2024/ Iyar 5784)