Parashat Ki Teitzei

Parashat Ki Teitzei
Elul 14, 5772 ~ Sept 1, 2012
by Alex Hart

She knelt down before her, a movement so seamless, it appeared choreographed as she stepped away from the cast, before blowing her a kiss. In that moment, Laura’s eyes lit up and I could only succumb to the wisdom of the branding; Disney is ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’. From 2 feet off the ground, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is a wonder, the parades magnificent and the fireworks, well, words failed our little people. It all comes down to perception. If you play by the Disney rules you can give in and be merrily transported alongside barriers for pop-up shows, wait, with formally undiscovered reserves of patience, in lines for rides over in an instant and dispense with the vague hope of finding snacks being anything but a short-lived energy shot. The kids didn’t notice and instead, daily since our return, they narrate their mental snapshots of their time away. We hope that these images remain indelibly magical in their memories forever.  

In Parshat Ki Teitzei, the Torah’s perception in its meting out of the punishment for the wayward son, looks many years ahead. The son, presented to the Beth Din, is referred to as a glutton and a drunk by his parents (יח פסוק כא פרק).  The punishment is death by stoning; sekilah; the most severe death penalty. Many pages of explanation are devoted to this halacha. We are to understand the gluttony was to have been the consumption of meat, together with becoming inebriated from drinking wine, in the company of loafers and criminals. Astonishingly, the term ‘Ben Sorer u-Moreh’ refers only to a boy aged between 13 and 13 ¼. Insights into the Talmud, Sanhedrin 68b, delve into the boundaries as to when a boy is fit to be considered a ‘Ben Sorer U’Moreh’. For example, Rav Yehudah advises that punishment is applicable only when the son reaches the strength of an adult; Rashi understands this to be the beginning of adulthood; the Netziv teaches that liability is once the son reaches the age of Bar Mitzvah and Tosfot interprets the Gemara to be referring to the son right after his Bar Mitzvah. It stands to reason that a person of that age would not have the money for such items, unless by theft.  The Talmud (Sanhedrin 71a) teaches that the boy is put to death because of what he will eventually do, rather than what he has done.  In having stolen, the Torah can foresee the natural progression of events. All the more so, the Kotzker Rebbe suggests ‘al shem sofo’ ‘according to his end’ refers to the end of this appellation ‘moreh’. Translated here as ‘rebellious’, the word can also mean ‘teacher’ i.e. that he would lead others to behave likewise; killing him with the most severe form of death would deter others.  Undaunted by the united scolding of his parents (the source of their prerequisites is to be found in Sanhedrin 71a), he would loot once again. Having a taste for delicacies, his appetite could eventually lead the young adult to intricate heists. For a rebellious son’s conviction, he must have been warned in front of 3 witnesses (in this circumstance, a witness could even be a judge). The court could hand down the punishment of lashes. If the wayward behavior were to continue, one could perceive that neither a single experience nor any individual could prevent the son from even murdering for which the penalty is indeed sekilah. With relief I add that the complexities into the requirements to be derived from this passage to secure conviction of a rebellious son are such that none were, nor ever will, be killed. Rav Hirsch suggests that it comes down to chinuch, education. The perception is that with his education, a boy arriving at his Bar Mitzvah should be thrilled at the opportunity to contribute and the potential for increased responsibility. The parents should burst with hope and encouragement, that the novelty and care devoted to unfurling and laying tefillin will never diminish but instead, provide in time the welcome adjunct to the familiar comfort of daily morning Tefillah. 

If we take a moment to assess the make-up our community, it can be noted that a significant percentage of families feed into Beth Jacob singularly because of Gan Mah Tov’s  existence. The preschool is a place where our children’s spirits are nurtured and the mensch in each tot is enhanced. This year marks the 25th since the Gan was founded and the apple tree, just outside its doors, was planted. Hoping that you have now received the order forms for GMT’s Rosh HaShana cards, one of the preschool’s major fundraisers. The chinuch of our kids is a partnership. It is a combination of us as parents ‘Listen my son to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching’, together with Gan Mah Tov’s Morim, promoting gentle civility with the still quiet voice at playground level, providing tender guidance and displaying a kindly outlook that will ensure our community’s longevity. Your support towards the Gan’s programming is warmly welcomed.

כתיבה וחתימה טובה

Parashat Shoftim

Parashat Shoftim
Elul 7, 5772 ~ Aug 125, 2012
by Neska

Hashem

The Soul You Breathed into me is pure.

You Breathed It into me as I was born

You Breathed It into me and I took my first breath

So how can we be separated.

We cannot.

I was so Pure from Your Breath.

So Pure.

And then I grew.  And I made choices -

and more choices

most of them negative

and I was spiralling down....

And then

You saved my life.

You caused me to stop   and look

And one day I heard a Rabbi say

“Judges and Police shall you put at your gates”

Not the city's gates....but your gates.

My gates.  My openings.

And slowly I began to

stop and look and listen and speak

very differently.

I began to notice that when I wanted to say something

the Judges would say 'do you really?' 

And the Police would say 'take action – now.'

Or if I was listening to something unsavory

the Judges would say 'do you really want to listen?' 

And the Police would say 'leave'.

And I understood that there have to be both Judges and Police

at the gateways, at my gateways

because knowing is not enough

Without acting – knowing is not enough

And that's what the Torah teaches me

One has potential and one has actualization.

Adam and Chava.

Justice Justice – you shall pursue.

Just knowing that Justice is what I should pursue

allows me da'at—allows me to know

but without the action

it just sits there.

And of what good is that.             

This is what the Torah teaches.

Knowledge is good.

Action is good.

One without the other is pure potential.

One without the other is insufficient.

We will do  and we will understand.

Judges and Police shall you place at your gates.

Shabbat Shalom.

Parashat Eikev

Parashat Eikev
Av 23, 5772 ~ Aug 11, 2012
by Susan Somerville

Parshat Eikev "follows on the heels" of V'Etchanan, the parashah most intimately connected with G-dliness via both the declaration of the Shema and the first verse of the V'Ahavtah, and also, the reiteration of the Ten Utterances (the Ten Commandments). Midrashically speaking, when we heard the Bat Kol (Voice of HaShem) at Har Sinai, "we were blown away." as in fainting. (Well, that happened after the first two Commandments. Yet, we regained our senses shortly afterwards, thank G-d!) Besides the very first of the Ten Utterances, I would think that it would have been easiest to have remembered the declaratory Shema. But there are people in Israel who do not even know what The Shema - or the utterances for that matter - are.

A reliable friend told me about a survey that was taken in Israel amongst the secular Jews: They were asked to recite the opening declaration of The Shema. Almost 60% of those people surveyed could not do so and/or did not know what The Shema was. My friend found this result so astounding that he conducted his own mini-survey in Berkeley. He questioned a former kibbutznik who said that he never learned about The Shema. My friend also queried two different Israeli women who were his family's guests at two different occasions. One woman knew the first two words, and the other woman said that she had heard The Shema when she was young but that she had forgotten it. Her parents, who were also guests at that meal, remembered The Shema from their youth. However, they could not agree on the order of "HaShem" and "Kelokainu." If this is the situation with Israeli Jews, just imagination how much more problematic the situation is in the US, where the numbers of assimilated Jews keeps increasing! 

What a sad commentary! How can any of us live a day without proclaiming the absolute Oneness of HaShem? Our Neshamas require that we connect to Him and to every other Jew. For me, there is such power in this profound commandment, that I am left with an emptiness if I miss the opportunity - even once in awhile.

I think that we are a tremendously privileged people to have G-dliness bestowed upon us as a daily gift. Through the Shema, HaShem hears our voices and we "hear each other's voices," though not in the ordinary use of the word, to hear. For though we write these words on our hearts, (Which words? All of the words of the Shema, including the three verses of the V'Ahavtah.) they actually enter our hearts with repetition, helping us to become better Jews and a better people. Rashi said that they have a "freshness" when said each day. They give us understanding, and their essence takes on a fresh meaning, making them "beloved" to us. They have a uniting force through the proclamation of Oneness. On top of this, we are reminded to scrupulously observe HaShem's laws and decrees, which also bind us to Him and to each other.

One thing that I find fascinating is the requirement "V'Ahavtah..." (...to Love your G-d...). The question is always asked: "How can G-d command us to love Him?" I think there is an answer to this question. Loving Him is a binding force. It promotes our cleaving to Him, which is what He desires from us; and it promotes the longevity of Klal Yisrael (all Israel). Think about the fact that we are the oldest civilization/people on earth. All other civilizations have folded; except, the Chinese people, who are also ancient, but not as old as we are. (According to Wikipedia, they are celebrating their 4,710^th year at the most, depending on the epoch that they are using. We can trace history back 5,772 years.) We are commanded to be at the highest level on the spectrum of positive outlook and practice. Furthermore, Rashi points out that we are to serve HaShem with all of our heart, which is prayer. To me, it's an amazing Torah blueprint for life. But it is only possible if we "hearken" to HaShem's commandments; and this conditional aspect of how we are to conduct ourselves and the benefits that are reaped as a result of this supreme conduct are emphasized in the second verse of the V'Ahavtah. Interestingly, though, in the third verse, which is not in Parashat Eikev, we are admonished not to chase after our eyes and our hearts. (This topic would make for a fascinating few shiurrim, (classes) as some other time.)

In concluding this mini D'var Torah, I want to add that there is another aspect to the power of The Shema. "V'Shinantem L'Vanaicha..." How many of you remember your parents at your bedside when you were young, telling you that because "G-d is One," we have "to say Shema Israel before going to sleep?" Now, you are doing that for your children, and some of us sit by our grandchildren, following in the same tradition. It stuck with us! To reiterate, we are privileged!

Parashat Va'etchanan

Parashat Va’etchanan
Av 16, 5772 ~ Aug 4, 2012
by Michal Kohane

On December 16, 1932 a fire erupted at the Shirokiya (or Shirakiya) Department Store in Tokyo, Japan. It left 14 people dead and 67 injured. At the time, the store was having a year-end Christmas theme sale, and the interior was extravagantly decorated. A clerk in the toy section witnessed an electrical spark from a light bulb on a Christmas tree. The spark landed on some highly flammable celluloid toys, ignited them, and quickly spread. The open staircase enabled the fire to spread through the staircase to other floors. Some of the saleswomen were forced to go up to the roof; from there they jumped into safety nets held by firemen. Many attempted to escape the building using ropes made from clothing or curtains. About 80 people climbed down from the 7th floor in this manner. Others could not hang on and fell to their deaths.

It is believed that this fire changed fashion customs among Japanese women since kimono-clad women did not wear panties. News spread that during the fire, saleswomen in kimono refused to jump from the roof into safety nets because they were ashamed to be seen from below, and as a result died. It has been alleged that in the aftermath of the fire, department store management ordered saleswomen to wear panties or other short underwear under their kimono, and the trend spread.

Contrary to this belief, Shoichi Inoue, a professor of Japanese customs and architecture at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies found that most people were saved by firemen, and the story of women who preferred to die with their modesty intact was fabricated for the benefit of Westerners. It is what we otherwise call an “urban legend”.

In Parashat Va’etchanan, the Torah warns us lest we come to think of our experience at Sinai as an “urban legend”. Knowing some day we might be tempted or challenged to do so, the text gives us tools how to remind ourselves and others of the validity and criticalness of the Sinai experience. I could copy all of this parasha and especially Deuteronomy chapter 4. Here are only a few gems:

27-29: “And Hashem shall scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the nations, where Hashem lead you away. And there you shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you will seek Hashem your God; and you shall find Him…”

Who is this that can prophesy so accurately into the future, and guarantee not only ours but G-d’s behavior? The text continues: 

32-35: “For if you ask…. whether there has ever been any such thing… Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? Or has God ever come to take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders… according to all that Hashem your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it’s been shown so that you know that Hashem, He is God; there is none else beside Him…” 

Moses, in this last dramatic speech said during the month before his death, is talking to the generation that did not stand at Sinai as adults. He wants to instill a paramount core concept: 

The Jewish People are not an organic creation of time and place. Rather, their birth is a creation of G-d, and just like the first creation of the universe, it is a creation of yesh me’ayin, Ex-nihilo – “out of nothing” so is this People. Each member might not have the same language, specific history, ethnicity or culture as the next one, but they continue to be one extended family with a unique mission. Indeed, it is natural that one nation or another will have great influence on the world but it’s highly unlikely that this nation will be tiny, scattered and persecuted. Yet, this is what is promised here. The Jewish history and life never bends according to the customary laws of nature. 

Why? Over and over we ask this question. Why? Why the Jews? Why us? Why like this?

The text continues:

37-40: “…Because He loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them, and brought you out with His presence, with His great power, out of Egypt… to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day… And you shall keep His statutes, and His commandments… that it may go well with you, and with your children after you…”

What is the reason? Not our great qualities, wisdom, strength, beauty or talent. But love. Why does anyone love any person over another?? We can reason all we want, but at the end of the day, there is no explanation. As if to say, there is an irrational element in this journey that cannot be fully figured out no matter what. Even here is G-d’s fingerprint: It’s just so. And no matter how long we explore, question and wonder, at some point it’s just “so”. 

What’s left for us to do? Just keep “his statutes and His commandments… that it may go well”. The Hebrew says, “asher yitav lecha”, from the word “tov” meaning good. “Good” in the Torah usually does not mean a kind, considerate loving being, but one who fulfills who s/he is. Think of how we say, ‘this is a good table’. We surely don’t mean that this table is embodied with acts of loving kindness. We mean that it does what it supposed to do in the best possible manner. Likewise for us: following G-d’s mitzvot provides us with an opportunity to be better versions of who we are, while reminding those around us that our story is not a legend.

Shabbat Shalom.