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

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

1. Parents: How would you say that you give to your community? Which contributions do you consider most valuable? Why?
2. 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?
3. Seekers: How can giving serve as an act that "feeds" the soul? What type of offering would you say is most spiritually significant?
   

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

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

1. 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?
2. Children: What is the most special place in your life? What makes it special?
   
3. Seekers: Do you think most Jews place more emphasis on time, or space? What might Judaism look like if we gave them equal weight?
   

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."

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