Shabbat Shalom Friends,
This week we begin the fourth book of the Torah, Sefer Bemidbar (Numbers), which begins when the Israelites are standing "in front of the mountain" (Exodus 19:2). In other words, when we begin this book, the Israelites are still standing at the sight of their revelation from God, and they are about to embark on a journey that will take them longer than they ever anticipated, and we will begin the final book of the Torah with them standing on the other side of the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land.
One of the favorite commentaries on the significance of Mount Sinai as the mountain which God chose as the site of the revelation of the Torah comes from Pesikta Rabbati, which tells the following story:
"A man's pride will humiliate him, but a humble man will obtain honor (Prov.29:23)." A man's pride will humiliate him - as in Mount Tabor and Mount Carmel, that came from the ends of the earth and boasted, saying: We are tall, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will give the Torah on us. A humble man will obtain honor - that is Mount Sinai, humiliating itself and saying: I am low. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, raised it up by honoring it, giving the Torah on that mountain. So Sinai had the privilege of the Holy One, blessed be He, descending on it and standing there, as it is written, "The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai..."(Pesikta Rabbati, ch. 7, s.v. va-yehi ha-makriv).
In this text, see our rabbis assert that in the revelation at Sinai, a moment endowed with countless meanings, even the choice of the mountain itself was significant. At the same time, it tells us something important about the nature of Sefer Bemidbar, as well.
Up until now, the Israelites are an isolated people, confined to a particular region in Egypt, and entering the desert and receiving a revelation alone in the midst of the wilderness. However, as they embark on the journey that will ultimately lead them to the Promised Land, they have the responsibility of taking God's promise with them, and using it wisely. Therefore, according to this Midrash, the Israelites must demonstrate the same humility that Mount Sinai itself in being chosen by God for this moment of revelation.
The challenge of leading a life of faith is not only the rules and regulations, but the way in which one carries their message. If we do it with a sense of arrogance and otherness, we may believe that we are following the letter of the law, but rather we are perverting it. The challenge for us not only embody God's message through our deeds, but through our attitude. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days.
Shabbat Shalom
Josh
1. Parents: How do you balance standing up for what you believe in, without seeming holier-than-thou?
2. Children: What is the definition of the word arrogant? Can you think of a time when someone know acted that way? How did it make you feel?
3. Seekers: If this midrash defines spiritual arrogance for us, how would you define spiritual humility?
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Behar-Behukotai
Hi Friends
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful end to their week. This week marks the final parasha in the Book of Leviticus, Behar-Behukotai. One of the most famous concepts to emerge from this parasha is the Sabbatical Year, or Shemittah, where a person will leave their field fallow once every seven years. The commandment states the following:
"And the Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai. “Speak to the Israelites: When you enter the land which I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in its fruits: but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath for the Lord; you shall not sow your field prune your vineyard" (Leviticus 25:1-4).
Historically, we might argue that this commandment was an early form of crop rotation, making sure that fields were not over-harvested to the point where they would no longer grow anything. However, in his analysis of this mitzvah, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstrucionist Judaism, writes the following about the timeless nature of this mitzvah:
"As a result of the mechanization and over-industrialization of present day life, the human being has come to stand in greater need of the Sabbath than before…The function of the Sabbath is to prohibit man from engaging in work which in any way alters the environment, so that he should not delude himself into the belief that he is complete master of his destiny."
In other words, the timeless purpose is that this mitzvah forces to recognize that the natural goodness of the earth belongs to God, not us. When we treat the earth with callous disregard for the delicate balance of God's creation, we not only demean the earth, we demean God, as well.
In our present-day, we need a Sabbath for the earth, more than ever before. The practice of Shemittah must resonate deeply with each of us, as we think about how to meet the challenge of serving as proper stewards for this planet. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days.
Shabbat Shalom
Josh
1. Parents: To what extent do you think you are helping your family create a sustainable home? What are areas of life where you could be conscious of what you use and consume?
2. Children: Why do you think God wants the earth to have a rest from being harvested? What is the value of not using up our resources?
3: Seekers: What would a world look like where we maintained proper intervals of rest for the earth? What would this say about spiritual compass if were to allow that to happen?
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful end to their week. This week marks the final parasha in the Book of Leviticus, Behar-Behukotai. One of the most famous concepts to emerge from this parasha is the Sabbatical Year, or Shemittah, where a person will leave their field fallow once every seven years. The commandment states the following:
"And the Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai. “Speak to the Israelites: When you enter the land which I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in its fruits: but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath for the Lord; you shall not sow your field prune your vineyard" (Leviticus 25:1-4).
Historically, we might argue that this commandment was an early form of crop rotation, making sure that fields were not over-harvested to the point where they would no longer grow anything. However, in his analysis of this mitzvah, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstrucionist Judaism, writes the following about the timeless nature of this mitzvah:
"As a result of the mechanization and over-industrialization of present day life, the human being has come to stand in greater need of the Sabbath than before…The function of the Sabbath is to prohibit man from engaging in work which in any way alters the environment, so that he should not delude himself into the belief that he is complete master of his destiny."
In other words, the timeless purpose is that this mitzvah forces to recognize that the natural goodness of the earth belongs to God, not us. When we treat the earth with callous disregard for the delicate balance of God's creation, we not only demean the earth, we demean God, as well.
In our present-day, we need a Sabbath for the earth, more than ever before. The practice of Shemittah must resonate deeply with each of us, as we think about how to meet the challenge of serving as proper stewards for this planet. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days.
Shabbat Shalom
Josh
1. Parents: To what extent do you think you are helping your family create a sustainable home? What are areas of life where you could be conscious of what you use and consume?
2. Children: Why do you think God wants the earth to have a rest from being harvested? What is the value of not using up our resources?
3: Seekers: What would a world look like where we maintained proper intervals of rest for the earth? What would this say about spiritual compass if were to allow that to happen?
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Emor
Shavua Tov Friends
My apologies for the late post. Somehow the Dvar Torah got left in my draft folder and did not make it online. This is a copy of an essay I wrote about this week's Torah portion for the weekly newsletter at the Jewish Theological Seminary...
I am oftentimes troubled when we talk about social justice with the assumption that acts of justice only exist in the temporal realm, yet do not enter into the spiritual realm. However, in this week’s parasha of Emor, we encounter a justice-oriented mitzvah that our rabbis see as bound up in the spiritual fabric of our lives, and develop a connect for how acts of justice are ones which the Talmud says are “where heaven and earth touch” (BT Bava Batra 74a).
In chapter 23 of Leviticus, the mitzvah of pe’ah, leaving the corners of one’s filed untouched to be given to the poor, is found amidst a series of commandments about the festivals between Passover and what we now know as Rosh HaShanah. Regarding the mitzvah, the text states the following:
“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not altogether remove the corners of your field…you shall leave them to the poor and to the stranger” (Leviticus 23:22).
In one of her gilyonot on the parasha, Nehama Leibowitz asks why the above verse occurs in the context of the mitzvot pertaining to festivals, a seeming dichotomy between commandments between humanity and God and commandments between humanity and one another (New Studies in Vayikra, 444). On this question, three perspectives emerge that each attempt to teach us something essential about the way in which acts of justice are connection to a larger spiritual mission for the Jewish people.
First, in a commentary that was most likely based on his sermons to the elite of the Polish Jewry, the Keli Yakar asserts that even though one needs to provide some of their harvest for the counting of the omer, one must still observe the mitzvah of pe’ah during that time period. When explaining his rationale, the Keli Yakar writes the following:
“The connection of this verse with the omer is expressed in the homiletical comment that God surrounded Israel with mitzvot (precepts) in all their activities…We might have supposed that the fulfillment of the omer precept exempts us from other precepts, hence the Torah states: “You shall not altogether remove…You shall leave them to the poor and to the stranger,” i.e., this mitzvah does not absolve us from leket, shikhehah, (forgotten sheaves) and pe’ah” (Keili Yakar on Leviticus 23:22).
In explaining the rationale of this commentary, Leibowitz writes that this commentary “reflects the important fact that the ritual commandments (e..g. the occasional sacrificial requirements) are easier to fulfill than those affecting one’s fellow man” (New Studies in Vayikra, 446-447). In other words, the mitzvot that require us to act justly, to give up something of our ourselves, can be far more difficult than a ritually-orientated mitzvah, and thus the Torah wants to remind us that not only are acts of justice equally obligatory, the performance of them may even reflect a higher degree of effort and intention.
Second, the Sefer Ha-Hinukh explains the rationale for the mitzvot of pe’ah and leket by asserting that each mitzvah is aimed at attaining a type of spiritual cleansing of the Jewish people. The text states:
“God wished for His chosen people to be virtuous and generous. As I have stated before, good deeds influence the soul and render it fit for God’s blessings. Leaving part of the produce of one’s land to the needy no doubt affords its owner satisfaction and bestows bliss upon his soul, God having provided him with plenty, and gratified his spirit. But those who take everything home, and disregard the needy who saw the rising crops and hungered for it, thus reveal their grudging heart…” (Sefer Ha-Hinukh, Mitzvat Asse 213).
In this text, the performance of the mitzvah of pe’ah is not simply a matter of fulfilling a particular obligation, but it is an act in a process of spiritual cleansing through an act of justice. In thinking about the mitzvah’s original context in this week’s parasha, the mitzvah of pe’ah is meant to provide a spiritual framework for our Jewish year in the same manner as our Jewish festivals.
Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, Rashi brings us a fascinating Midrash about what this mitzvah intends to teach. He writes,
“R. Avdimi b. R. Yossef said: Why is this precept placed among the Festivals, with Passover and Shavuot on this side and Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur on the other? To teach us that he who leaves leket, shikhehah and pe’ah to the poor according to the law, is considered as though he built up the Beit Ha-Mikdash and offered up sacrifices in it” (Rashi on Leviticus 23:22).
In commenting on Rashi’s teaching, the Be’er Yitzhak writes that, “The Torah put the obligation of gifts to the poor among sacrifice precepts in order to underline that these offerings do not present gifts to God…the laws of gifts to the poor appear amidst the Festival offerings, reminding us that these offerings are not presents. Heaven is the source of all riches…” (Be’er Yitzchak on Leviticus 23:22). The final perspective on our original mitzvah reminds us that mitzvot concerning societal justice exist not simply for the purpose of giving something to those who have less than us, but to recognize that all our possessions are, in reality, woven into the spiritual fabric of God’s creation. As such, we perform this mitzvah primarily because everything on this earth belongs to God, and a world of justice is one in which each of has the humility to give some of God’s possession to those who lack it.
In the contemporary dialogue in the Jewish community that increasingly places emphasis on issues of social justice, it is easy to rationalize these mitzvot in the context of our communal, philosophical, ethical or universalistic concerns. While I would not doubt any one of these individual rationales, it is essential that any community of Torah remember that these mitzvot are not simply bound up in extra-legal concerns, but rather are woven into the very fabric of God’s spiritual mission for the Jewish people. In short, justice is about who we are, and what our halakhah is meant to represent. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days. Shabbat Shalom.
My apologies for the late post. Somehow the Dvar Torah got left in my draft folder and did not make it online. This is a copy of an essay I wrote about this week's Torah portion for the weekly newsletter at the Jewish Theological Seminary...
I am oftentimes troubled when we talk about social justice with the assumption that acts of justice only exist in the temporal realm, yet do not enter into the spiritual realm. However, in this week’s parasha of Emor, we encounter a justice-oriented mitzvah that our rabbis see as bound up in the spiritual fabric of our lives, and develop a connect for how acts of justice are ones which the Talmud says are “where heaven and earth touch” (BT Bava Batra 74a).
In chapter 23 of Leviticus, the mitzvah of pe’ah, leaving the corners of one’s filed untouched to be given to the poor, is found amidst a series of commandments about the festivals between Passover and what we now know as Rosh HaShanah. Regarding the mitzvah, the text states the following:
“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not altogether remove the corners of your field…you shall leave them to the poor and to the stranger” (Leviticus 23:22).
In one of her gilyonot on the parasha, Nehama Leibowitz asks why the above verse occurs in the context of the mitzvot pertaining to festivals, a seeming dichotomy between commandments between humanity and God and commandments between humanity and one another (New Studies in Vayikra, 444). On this question, three perspectives emerge that each attempt to teach us something essential about the way in which acts of justice are connection to a larger spiritual mission for the Jewish people.
First, in a commentary that was most likely based on his sermons to the elite of the Polish Jewry, the Keli Yakar asserts that even though one needs to provide some of their harvest for the counting of the omer, one must still observe the mitzvah of pe’ah during that time period. When explaining his rationale, the Keli Yakar writes the following:
“The connection of this verse with the omer is expressed in the homiletical comment that God surrounded Israel with mitzvot (precepts) in all their activities…We might have supposed that the fulfillment of the omer precept exempts us from other precepts, hence the Torah states: “You shall not altogether remove…You shall leave them to the poor and to the stranger,” i.e., this mitzvah does not absolve us from leket, shikhehah, (forgotten sheaves) and pe’ah” (Keili Yakar on Leviticus 23:22).
In explaining the rationale of this commentary, Leibowitz writes that this commentary “reflects the important fact that the ritual commandments (e..g. the occasional sacrificial requirements) are easier to fulfill than those affecting one’s fellow man” (New Studies in Vayikra, 446-447). In other words, the mitzvot that require us to act justly, to give up something of our ourselves, can be far more difficult than a ritually-orientated mitzvah, and thus the Torah wants to remind us that not only are acts of justice equally obligatory, the performance of them may even reflect a higher degree of effort and intention.
Second, the Sefer Ha-Hinukh explains the rationale for the mitzvot of pe’ah and leket by asserting that each mitzvah is aimed at attaining a type of spiritual cleansing of the Jewish people. The text states:
“God wished for His chosen people to be virtuous and generous. As I have stated before, good deeds influence the soul and render it fit for God’s blessings. Leaving part of the produce of one’s land to the needy no doubt affords its owner satisfaction and bestows bliss upon his soul, God having provided him with plenty, and gratified his spirit. But those who take everything home, and disregard the needy who saw the rising crops and hungered for it, thus reveal their grudging heart…” (Sefer Ha-Hinukh, Mitzvat Asse 213).
In this text, the performance of the mitzvah of pe’ah is not simply a matter of fulfilling a particular obligation, but it is an act in a process of spiritual cleansing through an act of justice. In thinking about the mitzvah’s original context in this week’s parasha, the mitzvah of pe’ah is meant to provide a spiritual framework for our Jewish year in the same manner as our Jewish festivals.
Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, Rashi brings us a fascinating Midrash about what this mitzvah intends to teach. He writes,
“R. Avdimi b. R. Yossef said: Why is this precept placed among the Festivals, with Passover and Shavuot on this side and Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur on the other? To teach us that he who leaves leket, shikhehah and pe’ah to the poor according to the law, is considered as though he built up the Beit Ha-Mikdash and offered up sacrifices in it” (Rashi on Leviticus 23:22).
In commenting on Rashi’s teaching, the Be’er Yitzhak writes that, “The Torah put the obligation of gifts to the poor among sacrifice precepts in order to underline that these offerings do not present gifts to God…the laws of gifts to the poor appear amidst the Festival offerings, reminding us that these offerings are not presents. Heaven is the source of all riches…” (Be’er Yitzchak on Leviticus 23:22). The final perspective on our original mitzvah reminds us that mitzvot concerning societal justice exist not simply for the purpose of giving something to those who have less than us, but to recognize that all our possessions are, in reality, woven into the spiritual fabric of God’s creation. As such, we perform this mitzvah primarily because everything on this earth belongs to God, and a world of justice is one in which each of has the humility to give some of God’s possession to those who lack it.
In the contemporary dialogue in the Jewish community that increasingly places emphasis on issues of social justice, it is easy to rationalize these mitzvot in the context of our communal, philosophical, ethical or universalistic concerns. While I would not doubt any one of these individual rationales, it is essential that any community of Torah remember that these mitzvot are not simply bound up in extra-legal concerns, but rather are woven into the very fabric of God’s spiritual mission for the Jewish people. In short, justice is about who we are, and what our halakhah is meant to represent. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days. Shabbat Shalom.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Aharei Mot/Kedoshim
Shabbat Shalom Friends
In this week's parasha, we encounter one of the most famous statements of the Torah, "You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy" (Levitcus 19:3). Most people consider this verse a commandment, yet none of the rabbis who attempt to name all 613 commandments of the Torah (and yes, some rabbis actually tried to list all 613!) identify this verse as an actual commandment.
So the question becomes, what does it mean for God to say that "You shall be holy." Maimonides, one of our most famous Jewish legalists and philosophers, wrote in his Sefer Ha-Mitzvot (Book of Commandments) that,
"Now in the Torah there are certain imperatives and words of admonition which are not said in regard of any specific thing, rather they subsume all of the commandments in their entirety. It is as if to say, “Do all that I have commanded you, and take care to avoid all that I have warned you against.”
In other words, Maimonides assert that the statement "You shall be holy" is not a command, but a principle. Everyone action which we engage as Jews must be for the purpose of advancing holiness in this world. This applies not only what rituals we perform, but how we treat one another, and how we live out God's message for humanity.
As we enter this Shabbat, may live out the principle that ultimately lies every facet of our Jewish tradition, so that we shall be holy. Shabbat Shalom!
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
In this week's parasha, we encounter one of the most famous statements of the Torah, "You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy" (Levitcus 19:3). Most people consider this verse a commandment, yet none of the rabbis who attempt to name all 613 commandments of the Torah (and yes, some rabbis actually tried to list all 613!) identify this verse as an actual commandment.
So the question becomes, what does it mean for God to say that "You shall be holy." Maimonides, one of our most famous Jewish legalists and philosophers, wrote in his Sefer Ha-Mitzvot (Book of Commandments) that,
"Now in the Torah there are certain imperatives and words of admonition which are not said in regard of any specific thing, rather they subsume all of the commandments in their entirety. It is as if to say, “Do all that I have commanded you, and take care to avoid all that I have warned you against.”
In other words, Maimonides assert that the statement "You shall be holy" is not a command, but a principle. Everyone action which we engage as Jews must be for the purpose of advancing holiness in this world. This applies not only what rituals we perform, but how we treat one another, and how we live out God's message for humanity.
As we enter this Shabbat, may live out the principle that ultimately lies every facet of our Jewish tradition, so that we shall be holy. Shabbat Shalom!
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
- Parents: How do you teach your children to bring holiness into their lives? How can you make your family life holy?
- Children: What is an example of something that is holy? What makes it holy?
- Seekers: How do you bring holiness in the world? To what extent to think that your Judaism helps or hinders your pursuit of holiness?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Tazria-Metzora
Shalom Friends
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week. This week's double-parasha of Tazria-Metzora provides one of the well-known commandments of Jewish tradition, namely the covenant of circumcision. The Torah tells us that "On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised," establishing the biblical roots of circumcision as a Jewish obligation (Leviticus 13:2).
The challenge of finding continued relevance in this commandment is significant, yet it is important to think about the mitzvah's purpose as ideally conceived by the Torah and the rabbis. On this question, the The Sefer Ha-Hinukh (The Book of Education) writes the following:
"The Lord, blessed be He, wished that the people whom He had chosen to be called by His name have a fixed sign on their bodies, setting them apart from the other peoples by the form of their bodies, just as they are set apart by the form of their souls... and the difference was set in the reproductive organ since it is the cause of the existence of the species, aside from perfecting the form of the body... And the chosen people – the Lord, blessed be He, wished to perfect their attributes and desired that the act of perfecting be done by human beings. Therefore humans were not created perfect from birth, to hint to them that just as the perfection of the form of their bodies is dependent on them, so too the perfection of their souls is in their hands, in making their actions proper" (Sefer Ha-Hinukh, Parshat Lekh Lekha).
In this text, we are reminded that circumcision is intended to be a synthesis of holiness of body and holiness of soul. The mark that a Jewish boy receives is not simply meant to be a physical blemish, but a reminder about how we act with our bodies indicates the seriousness with which we take God's charge to be holy of body and soul. Of course, this is no easy task, but it is a task most certainly worth attempting to achieve. Shabbat Shalom!
-Josh
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week. This week's double-parasha of Tazria-Metzora provides one of the well-known commandments of Jewish tradition, namely the covenant of circumcision. The Torah tells us that "On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised," establishing the biblical roots of circumcision as a Jewish obligation (Leviticus 13:2).
The challenge of finding continued relevance in this commandment is significant, yet it is important to think about the mitzvah's purpose as ideally conceived by the Torah and the rabbis. On this question, the The Sefer Ha-Hinukh (The Book of Education) writes the following:
"The Lord, blessed be He, wished that the people whom He had chosen to be called by His name have a fixed sign on their bodies, setting them apart from the other peoples by the form of their bodies, just as they are set apart by the form of their souls... and the difference was set in the reproductive organ since it is the cause of the existence of the species, aside from perfecting the form of the body... And the chosen people – the Lord, blessed be He, wished to perfect their attributes and desired that the act of perfecting be done by human beings. Therefore humans were not created perfect from birth, to hint to them that just as the perfection of the form of their bodies is dependent on them, so too the perfection of their souls is in their hands, in making their actions proper" (Sefer Ha-Hinukh, Parshat Lekh Lekha).
In this text, we are reminded that circumcision is intended to be a synthesis of holiness of body and holiness of soul. The mark that a Jewish boy receives is not simply meant to be a physical blemish, but a reminder about how we act with our bodies indicates the seriousness with which we take God's charge to be holy of body and soul. Of course, this is no easy task, but it is a task most certainly worth attempting to achieve. Shabbat Shalom!
-Josh
- Parents: What do you think are the ways in which you can allow a holy soul to become a holy body? How does this relate to the way we eat, sleep, exercise and take care of ourselves?
- Children: What is holy about your body? How should you try and treat it?
- Seekers: What does it mean to be "holy of body"? What are some of the ways in which you are making this a reality?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Class THIS SUNDAY: Jewish Justice- A World As It Is Versus A World As It Should Be
Come this Sunday at 10 am for the next class on Jewish Justice with Josh Rabin, "The Blue Line Rabbi." This week's class is entitled Seeing the Other: Needs and Wants in a World of Justice. The class will discuss some of the work of Emmanuel Levinas, a Jewish philosopher from the twenty-first century, who saw "The Other" as a category of person that should inform our personal ethics and our Jewish practice. We will connect the work of Levinas to Jewish texts and the challenges of social justice in the modern-day.
Everyone is welcome. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Josh at bluelinerabbi@gmail.com or visit him at http://bluelinerabbi.blogspot.com
Everyone is welcome. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Josh at bluelinerabbi@gmail.com or visit him at http://bluelinerabbi.blogspot.com
Friday, April 2, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Shemini
Hi Friends
I hope that everyone is having an enjoyable festival of Pesah, and that everyone's Sedarim were meaningful and insightful. I will hopefully be sending Pesah Bites this Sunday, but today I will write about this week's parasha of Shemini, which also happens to be my Bar Mitzvah Parasha.
One of the things that I love about Parshat Shemini are the laws of kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary system. While many of us are familiar with some of the basic permissions and prohibitions of this system, we oftentimes forget that the rabbis attempted to endow this system with some type of spiritual meaning in order that we might "chew by choice" (I had to throw a corny joke in there...my apologies).
My favorite example of this is the Torah's specific prohibition against eating the hasidah, which is identified as the stork. The name of the stork in Hebrew means "the kind one," and the Talmud comments that the stork is called "the kind one" in Hebrew because it always helps out its friends (BT Hullin 63a). However, if the stork is known as "the kind one," why does it happen to be a prohibited animal?
In commenting on this question, Rabbi Yizhak Meir Alter (the Hidushei Ha-Rim), who is considered one of the first Hasidic masters of the early modern period, comments that a stork is not considered kosher because it only helps out its friends, limiting their kindness to their fellow birds. Given this reality, the stork cannot be considered kosher, because it does not recognize the fundamental truth that goodness and kindness is meaningless if it is only limited to ourselves, but rather must be extended to the many circles of influence in our lives.
Whether or not we agree with Rabbi Alter's commentary (after all, it's hard to know if a rabbi could really understand a bird's helping patterns), this commentary teaches us something profound about why we ought to observe mitzvot, in the first place. It is far too easy to assume that we ought to observe mitzvot for advancing our own place, when, in reality, we have the obligation to observe mitzvot for advancing everyone's place. Our task is to see a life of mitzvot as one that brings goodness not only to ourselves, but to the entire world. May we each have the merit of creating that type of life in our families and communities for generations to come.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
I hope that everyone is having an enjoyable festival of Pesah, and that everyone's Sedarim were meaningful and insightful. I will hopefully be sending Pesah Bites this Sunday, but today I will write about this week's parasha of Shemini, which also happens to be my Bar Mitzvah Parasha.
One of the things that I love about Parshat Shemini are the laws of kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary system. While many of us are familiar with some of the basic permissions and prohibitions of this system, we oftentimes forget that the rabbis attempted to endow this system with some type of spiritual meaning in order that we might "chew by choice" (I had to throw a corny joke in there...my apologies).
My favorite example of this is the Torah's specific prohibition against eating the hasidah, which is identified as the stork. The name of the stork in Hebrew means "the kind one," and the Talmud comments that the stork is called "the kind one" in Hebrew because it always helps out its friends (BT Hullin 63a). However, if the stork is known as "the kind one," why does it happen to be a prohibited animal?
In commenting on this question, Rabbi Yizhak Meir Alter (the Hidushei Ha-Rim), who is considered one of the first Hasidic masters of the early modern period, comments that a stork is not considered kosher because it only helps out its friends, limiting their kindness to their fellow birds. Given this reality, the stork cannot be considered kosher, because it does not recognize the fundamental truth that goodness and kindness is meaningless if it is only limited to ourselves, but rather must be extended to the many circles of influence in our lives.
Whether or not we agree with Rabbi Alter's commentary (after all, it's hard to know if a rabbi could really understand a bird's helping patterns), this commentary teaches us something profound about why we ought to observe mitzvot, in the first place. It is far too easy to assume that we ought to observe mitzvot for advancing our own place, when, in reality, we have the obligation to observe mitzvot for advancing everyone's place. Our task is to see a life of mitzvot as one that brings goodness not only to ourselves, but to the entire world. May we each have the merit of creating that type of life in our families and communities for generations to come.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
- Parents: What are you doing to help your children think about seeing outside themselves, and understanding the needs of other people?
- Children: What was a time when you did something for another person's sake, and not only for your own? How did you feel about doing it?
- Seekers: What do you think about Rabbi Alter's prohibition against eating the stork? Do you think his reason seems genuine, or that he is attempting to justify an obscure prohibition?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Tzav
Hi Friends
In this week's Torah reading of Parshat Tzav, we encounter the variety of offerings mandated to be given by the Israelites within the biblical sacrificial system. Each offering is grounded in notions of what type of religious worldview the bible wanted to develop in the Jewish people. For example, the parasha tells us about an offering that is to be brought as a "sacrifice of well-being" in the following text:
“This is the ritual of the peace-offering (well-being) sacrifice that one may offer to the Lord: If he offers it for thanksgiving, he shall offer together with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of choice flour with oil mixed in, well soaked. This offering, with cakes of leavened bread added, he shall offer along with his thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being” (Lev. 7:11-7:13).
When you look at this passage, you will notice, in contrast to many other offerings, a person is obligated to make an offering of bread to God as their offering of well-being. In commenting on the symbolism of this offering, the Keli Yakar, an early modern commentator from Poland, writes the following:
"Why was an offering of bread added to the offering of thanksgiving? In order that the donor might be able to share this, the tangible demonstration of his gratitude to God, with as many of his friends and neighbors as possible" (K’li Yakar on Lev. 7:11).
The commentary above attempts to remind us that while there are many reasons why one would bring an offering for the benefit of God, it is important to note that our offerings to God attempt to build community, as well. On the one hand, sometimes our offerings build community because everyone is obligated to make the same offering, at the same time. However, in the case above, the Keli Yakar is telling us that our offering builds community but allowing us to share that which we offer with our community. Although we no longer practice a sacrificial, there is no reason that we cannot continue embracing the notion that things we sacrifice to God can also be sacrifice to our community, as well. May we merit the ability to make offerings that show our communities that we care and embrace the holiness of one another.
Shabbat Shalom
Josh
In this week's Torah reading of Parshat Tzav, we encounter the variety of offerings mandated to be given by the Israelites within the biblical sacrificial system. Each offering is grounded in notions of what type of religious worldview the bible wanted to develop in the Jewish people. For example, the parasha tells us about an offering that is to be brought as a "sacrifice of well-being" in the following text:
“This is the ritual of the peace-offering (well-being) sacrifice that one may offer to the Lord: If he offers it for thanksgiving, he shall offer together with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of choice flour with oil mixed in, well soaked. This offering, with cakes of leavened bread added, he shall offer along with his thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being” (Lev. 7:11-7:13).
When you look at this passage, you will notice, in contrast to many other offerings, a person is obligated to make an offering of bread to God as their offering of well-being. In commenting on the symbolism of this offering, the Keli Yakar, an early modern commentator from Poland, writes the following:
"Why was an offering of bread added to the offering of thanksgiving? In order that the donor might be able to share this, the tangible demonstration of his gratitude to God, with as many of his friends and neighbors as possible" (K’li Yakar on Lev. 7:11).
The commentary above attempts to remind us that while there are many reasons why one would bring an offering for the benefit of God, it is important to note that our offerings to God attempt to build community, as well. On the one hand, sometimes our offerings build community because everyone is obligated to make the same offering, at the same time. However, in the case above, the Keli Yakar is telling us that our offering builds community but allowing us to share that which we offer with our community. Although we no longer practice a sacrificial, there is no reason that we cannot continue embracing the notion that things we sacrifice to God can also be sacrifice to our community, as well. May we merit the ability to make offerings that show our communities that we care and embrace the holiness of one another.
Shabbat Shalom
Josh
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Vayikra
Shalom Friends
My apologies for the tardy post. I wrote the post on Thursday, but somehow it did not get posted. Now...on to Torah!
I am always fascinated by the way in which the Torah speaks about who provides specific offerings and why in this week's parasha of Vayikra. In particular, the Talmud comments on the fact that when the Torah refers to who must bring a meal offering, it says that each nefesh (soul) provides the offering, as opposed to each ish (man) that provides an offering (Vayikra 2:1). In particular, the Talmud understands this term as being necessarily connected to the types of offerings made by those who are too poor to make a large offering, stating the following:
"Rabbi Isaac said, "In what is a meal offering, that 'nefesh'--'a soul'--should be said in that regard? The Holy One, Blessed be God, said, "The poor person, who generally brings a meal offering (not being able to afford an animal offering) is in My eyes like someone who has offered his or her very soul"" (Babylonian Talmud Menahot 104).
In this case, the Talmud is teaching us more than a simple lesson about the value of giving an offering even when we cannot afford to offer physically or monetarily significant. Rather, the Talmud recognizes that giving what we have to our community, even if what we feel what we have given is not enough, can ultimately be the creative act of bringing our souls into a joint communal experience. No matter what we can, giving something matters.
As we begin to enter the book of Vayikra, and are challenged to think about how the various offerings relate to our experience giving something to the Jewish Community, let us remember than we give an offering that comes from our soul, we do more than make a contribution of physical significance, but of spiritual power.
Shabbat Shalom
Josh
My apologies for the tardy post. I wrote the post on Thursday, but somehow it did not get posted. Now...on to Torah!
I am always fascinated by the way in which the Torah speaks about who provides specific offerings and why in this week's parasha of Vayikra. In particular, the Talmud comments on the fact that when the Torah refers to who must bring a meal offering, it says that each nefesh (soul) provides the offering, as opposed to each ish (man) that provides an offering (Vayikra 2:1). In particular, the Talmud understands this term as being necessarily connected to the types of offerings made by those who are too poor to make a large offering, stating the following:
"Rabbi Isaac said, "In what is a meal offering, that 'nefesh'--'a soul'--should be said in that regard? The Holy One, Blessed be God, said, "The poor person, who generally brings a meal offering (not being able to afford an animal offering) is in My eyes like someone who has offered his or her very soul"" (Babylonian Talmud Menahot 104).
In this case, the Talmud is teaching us more than a simple lesson about the value of giving an offering even when we cannot afford to offer physically or monetarily significant. Rather, the Talmud recognizes that giving what we have to our community, even if what we feel what we have given is not enough, can ultimately be the creative act of bringing our souls into a joint communal experience. No matter what we can, giving something matters.
As we begin to enter the book of Vayikra, and are challenged to think about how the various offerings relate to our experience giving something to the Jewish Community, let us remember than we give an offering that comes from our soul, we do more than make a contribution of physical significance, but of spiritual power.
Shabbat Shalom
Josh
- Parents: How would you say that you give to your community? Which contributions do you consider most valuable? Why?
- Children: Can you think of a time when you gave something to someone else who needed it? How did that experience make you feel? What are other times when you can perform the same act?
- Seekers: How can giving serve as an act that "feeds" the soul? What type of offering would you say is most spiritually significant?
Monday, March 15, 2010
How to Make the Most Out of Your Seder
Come and join the Near Northwest Side Parents Group for a class on "How to Make the Most Out of Your Seder." The program will include a class with me on easy ways to make your seder livelier, and an art project for kids to bring to your family's seder. To sign up, visit http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/GIIFXBQQTDIFDWCNVZPD/seder. Hope to see you there!
Kol Tuv
Josh
Kol Tuv
Josh
Friday, March 12, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei
Shalom Hevre,
Apologies about there being no Torah Bites last week. On my way to teach at a synagogue in Virginia, I had some car trouble that kept me from writing my weekly email. But now I'm back, and on to the parasha of the week...
It is incredibly interesting to think about the juxtaposition between the building task in which the Israelites are engaging in this week's parasha, namely the building of the Mishkan (tabernacle), and the command they receive to observe Shabbat, which, among other things, would prohibit them from doing certain forms of labor even to build sanctuary for God.
Regarding Shabbat, the Torah states that, "Moses convoked the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that the Eternal has instructed you to do: On the Seventh day shall be for you a Sabbath of complete rest for the Eternal. Whoever does work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your settlements on the Sabbath day" (Exodus 35:1-3). In this case, the Israelites are all commanded to refrain from work on the Shabbat, and the fact that this cessation of work includes the work of the Mishkan tells us something incredibly important about Shabbat.
On this subject, the Sefat Emet, a 19th century Hasidic Commentator from Poland, writes the following:
"Six days shall work be done (Exodus 35:2). This refers also to the six directions, the four "winds" and above and below. All the powers and qualities gather together to build a palace for the innermost place, the Sabbath. This is the true building of the Mishkan, of which it says, "Where is the house you will build Me?"" (Isaiah 66:1).
In this passage, we see the Sefat Emet making a fundamental connection between Shabbat and Mishkan, because while the Mishkan may be a palace in space, Shabbat is, to use the famous of words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a palace in time. Both Shabbat and the Mishkan connect us to God in different ways, yet both are bound up in the same essential task of bringing God's presence into our everyday lives. May we have the merit of creating that presence through how we create holiness in space and time.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
Apologies about there being no Torah Bites last week. On my way to teach at a synagogue in Virginia, I had some car trouble that kept me from writing my weekly email. But now I'm back, and on to the parasha of the week...
It is incredibly interesting to think about the juxtaposition between the building task in which the Israelites are engaging in this week's parasha, namely the building of the Mishkan (tabernacle), and the command they receive to observe Shabbat, which, among other things, would prohibit them from doing certain forms of labor even to build sanctuary for God.
Regarding Shabbat, the Torah states that, "Moses convoked the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that the Eternal has instructed you to do: On the Seventh day shall be for you a Sabbath of complete rest for the Eternal. Whoever does work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your settlements on the Sabbath day" (Exodus 35:1-3). In this case, the Israelites are all commanded to refrain from work on the Shabbat, and the fact that this cessation of work includes the work of the Mishkan tells us something incredibly important about Shabbat.
On this subject, the Sefat Emet, a 19th century Hasidic Commentator from Poland, writes the following:
"Six days shall work be done (Exodus 35:2). This refers also to the six directions, the four "winds" and above and below. All the powers and qualities gather together to build a palace for the innermost place, the Sabbath. This is the true building of the Mishkan, of which it says, "Where is the house you will build Me?"" (Isaiah 66:1).
In this passage, we see the Sefat Emet making a fundamental connection between Shabbat and Mishkan, because while the Mishkan may be a palace in space, Shabbat is, to use the famous of words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a palace in time. Both Shabbat and the Mishkan connect us to God in different ways, yet both are bound up in the same essential task of bringing God's presence into our everyday lives. May we have the merit of creating that presence through how we create holiness in space and time.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
- Parents: What do you currently to create "holiness in space" in your life? What about "holiness in time"? How might you bring one or both to the life of your family?
- Children: What is the most special place in your life? What makes it special?
- Seekers: Do you think most Jews place more emphasis on time, or space? What might Judaism look like if we gave them equal weight?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Class This Sunday: Jewish Justice: A World As It Is Versus A World As It Should Be
"This Sunday (March 14) will be the second in a series of class by Josh Rabin, "the Blue Line Rabbi," on the Topic of Jewish Justice, a class that integrates the traditional texts of the past with the issue of creating justice today.
Session Two will be entitled:There is always someone poorer than me. We will be learning about the obligation to offer aid to every human being, even if we are of limited means. We will meet at 10 am at the Knockbox Cafe on Sunday, February 28th. Hope to see you all there!
Knockbox Café is located at 1001 North California Ave. (at California and Augusta) http://www.knockboxcafe.com. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Josh at bluelinerabbi@gmail.com or visit him at http://bluelinerabbi.blogspot.com. "
Session Two will be entitled:There is always someone poorer than me. We will be learning about the obligation to offer aid to every human being, even if we are of limited means. We will meet at 10 am at the Knockbox Cafe on Sunday, February 28th. Hope to see you all there!
Knockbox Café is located at 1001 North California Ave. (at California and Augusta) http://www.knockboxcafe.com. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Josh at bluelinerabbi@gmail.com or visit him at http://bluelinerabbi.blogspot.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Apologies for No Torah Bites for Ki Tissa
My apologies for not providing Torah Bites for this past week's parasha. The Blue Line Rabbi had some major car issues this past Friday, and it kept me from writing my normal post. I will write new ones for this coming week's parasha.
Todah Rabbah,
Josh
Friday, February 26, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Purim, Justice, and Giving as Celebration
Hi Friends
Not to take anything away from this week's parasha, I thought that I would write the weekly message about the holiday of Purim, which begins this coming Saturday night. While the holiday of Purim is oftentimes associated with celebration and revelry, I would like to point out that Megillat Esther and our rabbinic commentaries define the type of "celebration" for the holiday differently.
In the book of Esther, it is written that, "The same days on which the Jews enjoyed relief from their foes and the same month which had been transformed for them from one of grief and mourning to one of festive joy, They were to observe them as days of feasting and merrymaking, and as an occasion for sending gifts to one another and presents to the poor" (Esther 9:22). Notice that while the holiday from Megillat Esther is celebrated not only through coming together for a joyous occasion, but the holiday is also celebrated through the giving of gifts to the poor.
In commenting on the meaning of giving as celebration, Maimonides famously writes that while it is mandated that any joyous occasion have meat and wine, any joyous occasion that does not also contain acts of charity is "not a celebration of a mitzvah; it is a celebration of gluttony" (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Refraining from Work 6:18). Furthermore, if given the choice between a party and an active of charity, one should always choose charity. Maimonides writes:
"It is better for a person to increase their gifts to the poor then to increase their festive meal, or their gifts to friends because there is no happiness greater then making happy the heart of the poor, the orphan, the widow and the stranger, that the happiness of the downtrodden has the quality of the Divine presence as it is said, “I dwell on high, in holiness: Yet with the contrite and the lowly, Reviving the heard of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15)" (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Megillah 2:17).
We are obligated to understand that giving is an act of celebration, for it is our freedom to provide something to those who have less than us which is the true testament of God's gifts to this world. As enter this season of Purim, as we eat our hamentaschen and wave our graggers in the air, let us not forget that the moment of potential catastrophe for the Jews was not celebrated only through revelry, but through justice. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days.
Hag Purim Sameah (Happy Purim),
Josh
Not to take anything away from this week's parasha, I thought that I would write the weekly message about the holiday of Purim, which begins this coming Saturday night. While the holiday of Purim is oftentimes associated with celebration and revelry, I would like to point out that Megillat Esther and our rabbinic commentaries define the type of "celebration" for the holiday differently.
In the book of Esther, it is written that, "The same days on which the Jews enjoyed relief from their foes and the same month which had been transformed for them from one of grief and mourning to one of festive joy, They were to observe them as days of feasting and merrymaking, and as an occasion for sending gifts to one another and presents to the poor" (Esther 9:22). Notice that while the holiday from Megillat Esther is celebrated not only through coming together for a joyous occasion, but the holiday is also celebrated through the giving of gifts to the poor.
In commenting on the meaning of giving as celebration, Maimonides famously writes that while it is mandated that any joyous occasion have meat and wine, any joyous occasion that does not also contain acts of charity is "not a celebration of a mitzvah; it is a celebration of gluttony" (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Refraining from Work 6:18). Furthermore, if given the choice between a party and an active of charity, one should always choose charity. Maimonides writes:
"It is better for a person to increase their gifts to the poor then to increase their festive meal, or their gifts to friends because there is no happiness greater then making happy the heart of the poor, the orphan, the widow and the stranger, that the happiness of the downtrodden has the quality of the Divine presence as it is said, “I dwell on high, in holiness: Yet with the contrite and the lowly, Reviving the heard of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15)" (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Megillah 2:17).
We are obligated to understand that giving is an act of celebration, for it is our freedom to provide something to those who have less than us which is the true testament of God's gifts to this world. As enter this season of Purim, as we eat our hamentaschen and wave our graggers in the air, let us not forget that the moment of potential catastrophe for the Jews was not celebrated only through revelry, but through justice. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days.
Hag Purim Sameah (Happy Purim),
Josh
- Parents: What are the ways in which you are teaching your children to foster acts of giving? When your children experience moments of celebration, how do make sure those moments are supplemented with acts of justice?
- Children: What does it feel like to give something to someone who has less than you? What are some ways you give to those who do not have plenty?
- Seekers: Do you think that Jewish holidays lack a justice component to them? How might we make a transition from holidays where we celebrate through eating and socializing to holidays where we celebrate through tikkun olam (repairing the world)?
Class Cancelled this Sunday
Hi Friends
Since the Blue Line Rabbi comes in from New York, I unfortunately will not be able to teach our class this Sunday, since there is a blizzard in New York that is keeping me from flying. I will be in touch with a rescheduled date. Thanks!
Hag Purim Sameah,
Josh
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
See the Blue Line Rabbi at Anshe Emet for Purim
Hevre
While there are many exciting things on the Near Northwest Side that you can do for Purim, I will be visiting the Purim Carnival at Anshe Emet Congregation in Downtown Chicago, as they are the synagogue that is helping sponsor my initiative in the area. If you are interesting in meeting me to learn more about programs, feel free to stop by! For more information, email me at bluelinerabbi@gmail.com.
Kol Tuv
Josh
While there are many exciting things on the Near Northwest Side that you can do for Purim, I will be visiting the Purim Carnival at Anshe Emet Congregation in Downtown Chicago, as they are the synagogue that is helping sponsor my initiative in the area. If you are interesting in meeting me to learn more about programs, feel free to stop by! For more information, email me at bluelinerabbi@gmail.com.
Kol Tuv
Josh
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Jewish Justice: A World As It Is Versus A World As It Should Be:
This Sunday will be the second in a series of classes by Josh Rabin, "the Blue Line Rabbi," on the Topic of Jewish Justice, a class that integrates the traditional texts of the past with the issue of creating justice today. Session Two will be entitled: Purim and Justice as Celebration. We will be learning about the way in which Jewish tradition sees creating a world of justice as the true meaning of celebration on this festive holiday. We will meet at 10 am at the Knockbox Cafe on Sunday, February 28th. Hope to see you all there!
Knockbox Café is located at 1001 North California Ave. (at California and Augusta) http://www.knockboxcafe.com. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Josh at joshua.rabin@gmail.com or visit him at http://bluelinerabbi.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Terumah
This week's parasha concerns the building of the Mishkan, the portable tabernacle built by the Israelites in the wilderness. In commanding the Israelites to build this magnificent structure, the Torah records God's famous statement that, "And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. Exactly as I show you - the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all the furnishings - so you shall make it" (Exodus 25:8-9). In this verse, the purpose of the Mishkan is spelled out of clearly: it is structure we create to bring God's presence closer to us.
However, our commentators are curious about why the Israelites are commanded to build the structure at this. Why not command them to build the Mishkan BEFORE receiving the Ten Commandments, or even before they left Egypt altogether? The great Spanish commentator Nahmanides (The Ramban) answers the question in the following way:
"When God spoke to Israel face to face at the Ten Commandments, instructing them – through Moshe – in some of the commandments, that are as principal commandments of the Torah… and Israel accepted upon themselves to do all that they had been commanded… He forged a covenant with them concerning all of this: from now on they were to be His nation, and He would be their God… AND NOW THEY WERE HOLY, WORTHY OF HAVING A SANCTUARY IN THEIR MIDST, THAT GOD'S GLORY MIGHT REST AMONGST THEM. And therefore God first commanded concerning the Mishkan, so that He would have a House in their midst, sanctified for His Name, and there He would speak with Moshe and command Bnei Yisrael…." (Introduction to Parshat Terumah).
In this passage, Nahmanides reminds us that the Israelites only became worthy to create a holy structure after they embraced the Torah, the model for how they ought to live their lives. For our Jewish Communities, this parasha ought to remind us that we can create any structure that we want, but the structure become holy when we choose to live lives of holiness. May we merit that type of embrace in our own lives, the lives of our families, and the Jewish Community.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
Bites for your Table:
However, our commentators are curious about why the Israelites are commanded to build the structure at this. Why not command them to build the Mishkan BEFORE receiving the Ten Commandments, or even before they left Egypt altogether? The great Spanish commentator Nahmanides (The Ramban) answers the question in the following way:
"When God spoke to Israel face to face at the Ten Commandments, instructing them – through Moshe – in some of the commandments, that are as principal commandments of the Torah… and Israel accepted upon themselves to do all that they had been commanded… He forged a covenant with them concerning all of this: from now on they were to be His nation, and He would be their God… AND NOW THEY WERE HOLY, WORTHY OF HAVING A SANCTUARY IN THEIR MIDST, THAT GOD'S GLORY MIGHT REST AMONGST THEM. And therefore God first commanded concerning the Mishkan, so that He would have a House in their midst, sanctified for His Name, and there He would speak with Moshe and command Bnei Yisrael…." (Introduction to Parshat Terumah).
In this passage, Nahmanides reminds us that the Israelites only became worthy to create a holy structure after they embraced the Torah, the model for how they ought to live their lives. For our Jewish Communities, this parasha ought to remind us that we can create any structure that we want, but the structure become holy when we choose to live lives of holiness. May we merit that type of embrace in our own lives, the lives of our families, and the Jewish Community.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
Bites for your Table:
- Parents: What does it mean to create a physical space that can be "holy"? What have you done to help a holy space for your family?
- Children: Why would it be important for the Israelites to build a sanctuary for God? How does making this building help God become closer?
- Seekers: What is your personal "mishkan"? How do you find ways to create sanctuary in your everyday life?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Mishpatim
In this week's Torah reading, we encounter one of the most famous expressions in the entire narrative, namely "We will do and we will listen." The text states, "Then he [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. And they said, "All that the Eternal has spoken, we will do and we will listen" (Exodus 24:7).
At first, it may seem redundant to say "we will do and we will listen," since it would be impossible for one to do unless they have already listened. Yet the Seforno, an Italian Commentator on the Torah, writes the following about the expression:
We will do and we will hear. We will do toward the end purpose of listening to His voice, akin to servants who serve the master without a motivation to receive reward, similar to, "Who perform His bidding, hearkening to the voice of His word (Psalms 103:20).
In this commentary, the Seforno argues that the verses teaches us that the Israelites are observing the commandments so that they might develop a closer relationship to God, the ultimate reward of the relationship. When we approach our Judaism with that type of focus, the mitzvot become a means to attune ourselves to the divine in the everyday. May we all the have the merit of reaching a closer relationship to God through what we do, so that we succeed in hearing the divine voice.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
Bites for your Table:
At first, it may seem redundant to say "we will do and we will listen," since it would be impossible for one to do unless they have already listened. Yet the Seforno, an Italian Commentator on the Torah, writes the following about the expression:
We will do and we will hear. We will do toward the end purpose of listening to His voice, akin to servants who serve the master without a motivation to receive reward, similar to, "Who perform His bidding, hearkening to the voice of His word (Psalms 103:20).
In this commentary, the Seforno argues that the verses teaches us that the Israelites are observing the commandments so that they might develop a closer relationship to God, the ultimate reward of the relationship. When we approach our Judaism with that type of focus, the mitzvot become a means to attune ourselves to the divine in the everyday. May we all the have the merit of reaching a closer relationship to God through what we do, so that we succeed in hearing the divine voice.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
Bites for your Table:
- Parents: When you give directions to your children, what do you hope that they will learn in the process? What have you found are the best ways to teach how to live lives of goodness and holiness?
- Children: Why do parents, teachers and adults give you rules? When is it hardest to follow what they say?
- Seekers: What is the hardest part about envisioning a God who commands us to do things? How do you balance divine command with individual autonomy?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Follow the Blue Line Rabbi on Twitter
For those who prefer Twittering to Blogging, you can also find about these events at our Twitter Account, which is located at https://twitter.com/BlueLineRabbi. Connect with me, and I will help you connect with other Jews!
Kol Tuv
Josh
Kol Tuv
Josh
Shabbat Potluck with the Near Northwest Side Parents Group
Hevre
This Shabbat afternoon, there will be a potluck lunch and Torah study for individuals and families living on the Near Northwest Side. Lunch will be from Noon to 2 pm. If you are interested in attending, email me at bluelinerabbi@gmail.com for the address and details.
Kol Tuv
Josh
This Shabbat afternoon, there will be a potluck lunch and Torah study for individuals and families living on the Near Northwest Side. Lunch will be from Noon to 2 pm. If you are interested in attending, email me at bluelinerabbi@gmail.com for the address and details.
Kol Tuv
Josh
Monday, February 1, 2010
Jewish Justice: A World As It Is Versus A World As It Should Be
There is a new grassroots initiative to help bring more Jewish life to the Near Northwest Side, spearhead by Josh Rabin, "The Blue Line Rabbi," a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary America.
At 10 am on Sunday, February 7th there will be a class open to everyone in the area at the Knockbox Cafe, where we will learn about Judaism's worldview about social justice, and how the ideas of justice, equality, sustainability and others are woven into the fabric of Jewish life. We will study Jewish texts from the Talmud to the Kabbalah to Abraham Joshua Heschel, and modern thinkers from John Rawls to Peter Singer to Nick Kristof.
Everyone is welcome. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Josh at joshua.rabin@gmail.com or visit him at http://www.bluelinerabbi.
Knockbox Café is located at 1001 North California Ave. (at California and Augusta)
http://www.knockboxcafe.comTuesday, January 26, 2010
Creating a Jewish Community
This blog is an experiment for an experimental project.
I am a rabbinical student who is working with Jews on the Near Northwest Side of Chicago, which includes areas such as Wicker Park, Logan Square, Bucktown and other areas. Spanning a number of neighborhoods and geographic locations, this area is largely united by the presence of the Blue-Line L-train (hence the name "Blue Line Rabbi").
Grassroots organizations are attempting to build Jewish opportunities in an area where this is "A whole lot of Jews, but not a lot of Jewish." The challenge for all of us is to think about how to create Jewish Community in an area with a growing Jewish population with little to no institutional life.
This blog represents a way in which to help bring Judaism into the lives of this community through the world wide web. Of course, it will include program announcements for opportunities that will be created in the area, particularly ones from the Near Northwest Side Parents Group. At the same time, it will offer ways in which to help people create Jewish opportunities for themselves, and connect them with other Jews, at the same time.
Everyone is welcome to follow and contribute to this blog, as we attempt to create a Jewish community that vibrant, grassroots, and most importantly, holy.
L'Shalom,
Josh
I am a rabbinical student who is working with Jews on the Near Northwest Side of Chicago, which includes areas such as Wicker Park, Logan Square, Bucktown and other areas. Spanning a number of neighborhoods and geographic locations, this area is largely united by the presence of the Blue-Line L-train (hence the name "Blue Line Rabbi").
Grassroots organizations are attempting to build Jewish opportunities in an area where this is "A whole lot of Jews, but not a lot of Jewish." The challenge for all of us is to think about how to create Jewish Community in an area with a growing Jewish population with little to no institutional life.
This blog represents a way in which to help bring Judaism into the lives of this community through the world wide web. Of course, it will include program announcements for opportunities that will be created in the area, particularly ones from the Near Northwest Side Parents Group. At the same time, it will offer ways in which to help people create Jewish opportunities for themselves, and connect them with other Jews, at the same time.
Everyone is welcome to follow and contribute to this blog, as we attempt to create a Jewish community that vibrant, grassroots, and most importantly, holy.
L'Shalom,
Josh
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