G*dcast for Shemot

Although I am not doing any weekly parsha blogging this year, I still follow the cycle as always.  Many other bloggers put out weekly essays or videos, and their insights vary from meh to enlightening.

This came in my newsfeed yesterday, starting the book of Exodus:

More on Lech-Lecha

Although I am not blogging the entire cycle this year (still waiting for suggestions on a good theme), I am still going to synagogue regularly and following the weekly parsha.  This week's parsha introduces the patriarch Abraham, as he is commanded to leave his home and go to the land which G*d will give to him and his descendants.

Many rabbinical discussions speculate on what distinguished Abraham to merit this call.  Some create legends out of whole cloth, suggesting that as a small child he saw the folly of idol worship.  Others see him as an adult, observing the world and concluding that there must be a Creator.  Some conclude that G*d calls each and every one of us, just as He called Adam in the Garden of Eden.  It is up to us to respond appropriately.

I have an edition of the Torah which breaks the text thematically rather than strictly along Parsha lines. This edition clued me in to a much more organic explanation of Abraham's prophetic encounter.  His childhood is not a total mystery, to be shrouded in legends.  The end of Parshat Noah gives some extensive detail:

כז  וְאֵלֶּה, תּוֹלְדֹת תֶּרַח--תֶּרַח הוֹלִיד אֶת-אַבְרָם, אֶת-נָחוֹר וְאֶת-הָרָן; וְהָרָן, הוֹלִיד אֶת-לוֹט.	27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot.
כח  וַיָּמָת הָרָן, עַל-פְּנֵי תֶּרַח אָבִיו, בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ, בְּאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים.	28 And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
כט  וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָם וְנָחוֹר לָהֶם, נָשִׁים:  שֵׁם אֵשֶׁת-אַבְרָם, שָׂרָי, וְשֵׁם אֵשֶׁת-נָחוֹר מִלְכָּה, בַּת-הָרָן אֲבִי-מִלְכָּה וַאֲבִי יִסְכָּה.	29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
ל  וַתְּהִי שָׂרַי, עֲקָרָה:  אֵין לָהּ, וָלָד.	30 And Sarai was barren; she had no child.
לא  וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת-אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ, וְאֶת-לוֹט בֶּן-הָרָן בֶּן-בְּנוֹ, וְאֵת שָׂרַי כַּלָּתוֹ, אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ; וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים, לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן, וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד-חָרָן, וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם.	31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
לב  וַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי-תֶרַח, חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה; וַיָּמָת תֶּרַח, בְּחָרָן.	32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

What do we know here? Abraham (then Abram) was the eldest of three sons.  His youngest brother Haran died as a young father, leaving behind a son (Lot) and two daughters (Milcah and Iscah).  Does Abram feel any guilt in this?  As the eldest, does he feel responsible for the tragedy, or for its consequences? His middle brother marries his niece Milcah and (as we learn later) has 8 children with her, as well as 4 children by a concubine.  In the meantime Abram marries his (as we later learn) half-sister Sarai, who turns out to be barren.

In the midst of all this, his aging father decides to uproot from the city of Ur and head towards Canaan.  (Did he have a divine call in this?  What did this trip mean to the father, who had buried his youngest son?)  He takes with him his childless son and daughter-in-law, as well as his orphaned grandson Lot.  Abram and Sarai develop a sort of foster-parenting relationship with Lot.  Nahor and his large clan are left behind. How does this impact Abram?  Disconnected from his familiar town, his friends, and his remaining brother and his family.

Terah, Abram, Sarai and Lot never do arrive in Canaan.  They stop in Haran. In Hebrew this is spelled differently than the deceased brother's name, although this could be a transcription error, as the letters חָ and הָ are quite similar. It may well be that they named their stopping-point in his memory.  Why do they stop?  How does Terah feel about not making it to Canaan?  How does Abram feel about this?

It is in this context that Abram hear's G*d's call:

א  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ.	1 Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.
ב  וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ, וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ; וֶהְיֵה, בְּרָכָה.	2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.
ג  וַאֲבָרְכָה, מְבָרְכֶיךָ, וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ, אָאֹר; וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ, כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה.	3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'
ד  וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְהוָה, וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ, לוֹט; וְאַבְרָם, בֶּן-חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, בְּצֵאתוֹ, מֵחָרָן.	4 So Abram went, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
ה  וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָם אֶת-שָׂרַי אִשְׁתּוֹ וְאֶת-לוֹט בֶּן-אָחִיו, וְאֶת-כָּל-רְכוּשָׁם אֲשֶׁר רָכָשׁוּ, וְאֶת-הַנֶּפֶשׁ, אֲשֶׁר-עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן; וַיֵּצְאוּ, לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן, וַיָּבֹאוּ, אַרְצָה כְּנָעַן.	5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

G*d's promise does not come in a vacuum.  G*d is promising to make right everything that went wrong in Abram's life.  He will have progeny, he will be a blessing rather than a curse to others (still feeling guilty about his little brother....) and he will complete his father's mission by arriving in Canaan.

This, indeed, is a person with whom we can identify!  Living through personal loss and disconnection, Abram sees in the divine an opportunity for deliverance.  He seeks to create a meaning for his life that is greater than the everyday details of his existence.  He has made a good living in Haran, but he is not settled.  He needs more.  He needs validation that there is a meaning and value to his losses.

And then G*d speaks to him.

Torah Connection 5773 - Index

5773

Bereishit - Genesis

Bereishit
Noach
Lech-lecha
Vayera
Chayei Sarah
Toldot
Vayetzei
VaYishlach
VaYeshev
Miketz
VaYigash
VaYechi

Shemot - Exodus

Shemot
VaEra
Bo
BeShalach
Yitro
Mishpatim
Tetzaveh
Ki Tissa
Vayakhel/Pekudei

Vayikra - Leviticus

Vayikra
Tzav
(Pesach)
Shemini
Tazria/Metzora
Achrei Mot/Kedoshim
Emor
Behar/Behukotai

Bamidbar - Numbers

Bamidbar
Nasso
BaHa'alotkha
Shlach-lecha
Korach
Chukat
Balak
Pinchas
Matot/Masei

Devarim - Deuteronomy

Devarim
VaEtkhanan
Eikev
Re'eh
Shoftim
Ki Teitze
Ki Tavo
Nitzavim/VaYeilech
Ha'azinu
V'Zot HaBracha

Khazak, khazak, va-nitkhazek!

Torah Connection - V'Zot HaBracha

Finally, the last parsha of the Torah, read on Simchat Torah, which begins tonight.  This is Moses' final speech to the Children of Israel.  His final prophecy, the words of a loving father on his deathbed, offering his blessings to each child.  We can read each blessing and internalize its message as if it was directed to ourselves. Because, of course, it is.

Tonight is the Great Rewind.  I suppose different congregations do it differently, but our congregation does it like this:  Several dozen people line the perimeter of the sanctuary; the Torah scroll is carefully unfurled, and each person holds up a page of parchment; when the entire scroll is open, we start reading. Each person is prepared with a short summary of one parsha, and we basically go through a Cliff Notes rendition of the entire Torah.  Finally, it is rolled back up.

Tomorrow morning, we read the final parsha.



 Then, without missing a beat, we take the newly-rewound scroll, and read the first chapter of Bereshit (Genesis):



The last letter of the Torah is a Lamed, and the first letter is Bet.  When those are concatenated, we get the word לב, which means "heart". Thus we fulfill the commandment in the blessing after the Shema,

ה  וְאָהַבְתָּ, אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ.	5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy G*d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
ו  וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--עַל-לְבָבֶךָ.	6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart;

And so the Tishrei marathon of holidays comes to an end, as well.

Torah Connection - Ha'azinu (Shabbat Shuvah)

We are now full-swing in the Days of Awe -- the 10 days from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur.  The sabbath which falls during this period is called "Shabbat Shuvah" -- the sabbath of return, which is also a play on the word "teshuvah" meaning repentance.

The reading -- parshat Ha'azinu -- is mostly a long poem recited by Moshe to the people of Israel. The title האזינו means "listen", but more specifically, "give your ear" ("ear" = אֹזֶן).  The central proclamation in Judaism - the Shema - commands us to "hear".  Interestingly enough, it is not the people who are commanded to "give ear" in this parsha:

¹ Give ear, O heavens, let me speak;
Let the earth hear the words I utter!
² May my discourse come down as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
Like showers on young growth,
Like droplets on the grass.
³ For the name of the Lord I proclaim;
Give glory to our God!

And yet, of course it is people to whom this oracle is directed. At the end of the parsha, he says,

⁴⁵ And when Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, ⁴⁶ he said to them: Take to heart all the words with which I have warned you this day. Enjoin them upon your children, that they may observe faithfully all the terms of this Teaching. ⁴⁷ For this is not a trifling thing for you: it is your very life; through it you shall long endure on the land that you are to possess upon crossing the Jordan.

This week and a half is our time to focus on our very life.  It is not a "trifling thing".  It is not just an elaborate ritual and a tedious synagogue service.  It is our very life.

G'mar khatimah tovah!

Torah Connection - Nitzavim/Vayeilech

A few exceptional verses from this double parsha:

First, the opener:

ט  אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם:  רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם, כֹּל, אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל.	9 Ye are standing this day all of you before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,
י  טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם--וְגֵרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ:  מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ, עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ.	10 your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in the midst of thy camp, from the woodchopper to the waterdrawer.

"From the woodchopper to the waterdrawer"??? What kind of an occupational spectrum is that? Two physical laborers, what gamut do they span? Many theories have been proposed. I like the one that looks at the two occupations in the way that they interact with the earth.  The woodchopper destroys nature, while the waterdrawer is in harmony with it.

ד  אִם-יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ, בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם--מִשָּׁם, יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, וּמִשָּׁם, יִקָּחֶךָ.

4 If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.

"Uttermost parts of heaven"???  Many translations ignore this strange wording and substitute the more intuitive "ends of the earth".  And yet, the original clearly says "heavens".  This suggests, that if we lose our way in our spiritual quests, that G*d will nonetheless seek us out to bring us back to the correct path.  As we approach the Days of Awe, this is an empowering sentiment.

Speaking of which, Rosh Hashana starts tomorrow night!  I think I will make this, as recommended by my friend Miriam....

Torah Connection - Ki Tavo

This parsha contains the litany of blessings and curses which accompany observance and rejection of the Torah, respectively. At the end of, it, we read,

א  וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה אֶל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם:  אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם, אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה לְעֵינֵיכֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכָל-עֲבָדָיו, וּלְכָל-אַרְצוֹ.	1 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
ב  הַמַּסּוֹת, הַגְּדֹלֹת, אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ, עֵינֶיךָ--הָאֹתֹת וְהַמֹּפְתִים הַגְּדֹלִים, הָהֵם.	2 the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs and those great wonders;
ג  וְלֹא-נָתַן יְהוָה לָכֶם לֵב לָדַעַת, וְעֵינַיִם לִרְאוֹת וְאָזְנַיִם לִשְׁמֹעַ, עַד, הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.	3 but the LORD hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

All that we have seen, even the greatest signs and wonders, are as naught if we fail to pay attention, and open our heart, and our eyes and ears, so as to comprehend them through G*d's eyes.

Torah Connection - Ki Teitze

Another difficult parsha.  I struggled with it all week, and now I need to start working on today's parsha..... so here goes!

This chapter contains rules that span many seemingly diverse topics, making it difficult to identify a coherent theme.  Some of the rules cover aspects of sexuality in rather harsh terms: transvestism and transexuality are both condemned, virginity, marriage and rape are all simply parameters in the ownership of women, and certain ethnicities are excluded in perpetuity from intermarrying into the Jewish people. Nasty stuff.

On the other hand, there are these:

Chapter 22¹ If you see your fellow's ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your fellow. ² If your fellow does not live near you or you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home and it shall remain with you until your fellow claims it; then you shall give it back to him. ³ You shall do the same with his ass; you shall do the same with his garment; and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses and you find: you must not remain indifferent.
⁴ If you see your fellow's ass or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it; you must help him raise it. (emphasis mine)

Returning a lost animal or possession is seen as highly important. But the importance rests not in the value of the object, but in training ourselves in not remaining indifferent to suffering and loss.

⁸ When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it.

Responsibility for others and their safety on your property. Is there a principle of accessibility here as well?

¹⁶ You shall not turn over to his master a slave who seeks refuge with you from his master. ¹⁷ He shall live with you in any place he may choose among the settlements in your midst, wherever he pleases; you must not ill-treat him.

Compassion for humanity trumps "property rights" with respect to slaves, even in a society which accepted some forms of slavery. (Bear in mind also, that Leviticus already provided various protections for slaves, from codifying ethical treatment to legislating manumission on the Jubilee.)

²⁵ When you enter another man's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you want, until you are full, but you must not put any in your vessel. ²⁶ When you enter another man's field of standing grain, you may pluck ears with your hand; but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor's grain.

Again, the needs of a hungry man override the property rights of the farmer, but not to the point of harvesting a significant crop -- just enough to sustain life.

¹⁴ You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. ¹⁵ You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is needy and urgently depends on it; else he will cry to the Lord against you and you will incur guilt.
¹⁶ Parents shall not be put to death for children, nor children be put to death for parents: a person shall be put to death only for his own crime.
¹⁷ You shall not subvert the rights of the stranger or the fatherless; you shall not take a widow's garment in pawn. ¹⁸ Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore do I enjoin you to observe this commandment.
¹⁹ When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it; it shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow — in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings.
²⁰ When you beat down the fruit of your olive trees, do not go over them again; that shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not pick it over again; that shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 Always remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore do I enjoin you to observe this commandment.

Here we see the theme of ethical treatment of those most vulnerable members of society:  the poor, the day-laborer, the stranger, the orphan and the widow. Again, we must not ignore the suffering in the world, but create mechanisms for the welfare and just treatment of those most likely to get "lost".  

22:3	You must do the same to a donkey, an article of clothing, or anything else that your brother loses and you find. You will not be able to ignore it. Vechen ta'aseh lachamoro vechen ta'aseh lesimlato vechen ta'aseh lechol-avedat achicha asher-tovad mimenu umetsatah lo tuchal lehit'alem.

What an important message for us to this day -- that we must be so attuned to others that we are not able to ignore their suffering and loss.

Torah Connection - Shoftim

Posting from Israel! Parshat Shoftim (Judges), read this past Saturday, discusses various issues in the application of justice: How judges are appointed and regulated, how crimes of various sorts are tried and prosecuted, etc.

One aspect of the biblical justice system was the use of Refuge Cities for accidental killers.  These are people who, without evil intent, caused the death of an innocent life.  They are not criminals, but friends and family of the victims would surely seek vengeance if they could.  The accidental killers are therefore given the option of fleeing to one of 6 Refuge Cities where they will be safe from their pursuers.

Rabbi Kamenetsky observes that in addition to building these Refuge Cities, the ancient Israelites were specifically commanded to put up directional signs towards them:

In an unprecedented command, it establishes a highway commission, telling us, "Prepare the way for yourself, … and it shall be for any murderer to flee there (ibid v.3) 

Rashi quotes the Talmud in Makos that there were signs posted at each crossroad pointing and declaring, "Refuge! Refuge!" each pointing the way to the nearest refuge city.

He then asks,

But, why? If road signs should be erected, shouldn't they be for Jerusalem, guiding the thousands of tri-annual travelers from the north and south who journeyed there for the shalosh regalim? Why should cities that house manslaughter offenders, get guideposts while the holiest city of Israel doesn't?

He concludes that the point is that people who would need directions, either to the Refuge Cities or to Jerusalem, would need to ask directions of other people, either residents or fellow travelers. Asking for directions to a Refuge City (with the implication that one is a killer, albeit accidentally) is demoralizing, both for the person asking and the person giving directions.  Making a pilgrimage, however, is uplifting -- perhaps the other person would be inspired to join along, or prepare for a future pilgrimage? So putting up signs towards the Refuge Cities spares those travelers the embarrassment of dredging up the past just when they need to turn over a new leaf, while having to ask directions to Jerusalem gives pilgrims an opportunity to spread the word.

This really resonated for me.  The internet provides a medium for people to offer their stories either openly or anonymously.  Both modes provide "directions" for others.  Doing so anonymously means that people can get the information they need with no embarrassment. On the other hand, doing so openly creates opportunities for people to connect more deeply, inspiring each other in ever-widening circles of FaceBook friends.

Torah Connection - Re'eh

Woo-hoo, finally caught up to yesterday's reading! This parsha continues to hold the sticks and carrots of divine justice, focusing mostly on avoiding idolatry, but also interpersonal relationships.

One important relationship is how a society treats its poor.   Interestingly, this parsha says the following about the poor:

First, in Deuteronomy 15:4-5:

ד  אֶפֶס, כִּי לֹא יִהְיֶה-בְּךָ אֶבְיוֹן:  כִּי-בָרֵךְ יְבָרֶכְךָ, יְהוָה, בָּאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן-לְךָ נַחֲלָה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ.	4 Howbeit there shall be no needy among you--for the LORD will surely bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it--
ה  רַק אִם-שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע, בְּקוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת-כָּל-הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם.	5 if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day.

And yet, only 2 verses later, we read:

ז  כִּי-יִהְיֶה בְךָ אֶבְיוֹן מֵאַחַד אַחֶיךָ, בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ, בְּאַרְצְךָ, אֲשֶׁר-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ--לֹא תְאַמֵּץ אֶת-לְבָבְךָ, וְלֹא תִקְפֹּץ אֶת-יָדְךָ, מֵאָחִיךָ, הָאֶבְיוֹן.	7 If there be among you a needy man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother;
ח  כִּי-פָתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת-יָדְךָ, לוֹ; וְהַעֲבֵט, תַּעֲבִיטֶנּוּ, דֵּי מַחְסֹרוֹ, אֲשֶׁר יֶחְסַר לוֹ.	8 but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.

Finally concluding,

יא  כִּי לֹא-יֶחְדַּל אֶבְיוֹן, מִקֶּרֶב הָאָרֶץ; עַל-כֵּן אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ לֵאמֹר, פָּתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת-יָדְךָ לְאָחִיךָ לַעֲנִיֶּךָ וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ, בְּאַרְצֶךָ.

11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy brother, in thy land.'

First, we are promised that if only we follow the commandments, there will be no poor people.  Then we are told that actually, there might be poor people sometimes, and that we must take care of them.  Finally, it is admitted that there will always be poor people, no matter what.

Perhaps the key is the word used, אֶבְיוֹן (evyon).  This word is not the common word for "poor person", which is עֲנִי (ani). We use this literary term on Purim. עֲנִי is related to the word for "humble", and refers to material poverty. אֶבְיוֹן is translated as "needy", and is related to the word for "desire".  The word conjures a more desperate state of poverty than עֲנִי  but that might be more related to the state of mind of the אֶבְיוֹן than his actual means.

It is interesting, then, that the first two excerpts above refer only to אֶבְיוֹן and not to עֲנִי, while the last excerpt includes both.  Economic cycles rise and fall, and people may find themselves objectively poor, without considering themselves needy. Understood in this context, the three excerpts offer this understanding of poverty:

1. If you follow the commandments and pay attention to the divine, you will be aware of your blessings, and thus will never view yourself as needy - אֶבְיוֹן.

2. If you see a person in need, be it a brother or just someone in your community, do not hold back from helping him. The emotional distress of the אֶבְיוֹן is real, and can hold him back from recovering from poverty. Verse 8 specifically says that we are to fulfill the "need which is wanted":
דֵּי מַחְסֹרוֹ, אֲשֶׁר יֶחְסַר לוֹ
It is not for us to judge them and say, "you don't really need that, you're just whining". No, the need is real even in this case. And "hardening thy heart" is the wrong response to human suffering!

3. There will always be people who feel needy, even in the richest societies. The poorest people in the U.S. live far better than average folks in the third world.  "Welfare queens" live in homes with indoor plumbing, electricity, television, and cellphones.  This fact should not prevent us from helping them.  We are commanded to help the poor, not to judge them.  It is in this excerpt that the עֲנִי is included.  This is to remind us that it is very hard from the outside to judge the person's need.  Most evyonim are legitimately poor, and many poor are too embarrassed to seek help. So this commandment reminds us, once again, to give abundantly (פָּתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת-יָדְךָ) to the poor of all sorts.


 

Torah Connection - Eikev

Parshat Eikev features the second blessing after the Shema:

Deuteronomy 11:13-21:

יג  וְהָיָה, אִם-שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְו‍ֹתַי, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם, הַיּוֹם--לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, וּלְעָבְדוֹ, בְּכָל-לְבַבְכֶם, וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁכֶם.	13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
יד  וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר-אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ, יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ; וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ, וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ.	14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
טו  וְנָתַתִּי עֵשֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ, לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ; וְאָכַלְתָּ, וְשָׂבָעְתָּ.	15 And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied.
טז  הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם, פֶּן יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם; וְסַרְתֶּם, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם, לָהֶם.	16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
יז  וְחָרָה אַף-יְהוָה בָּכֶם, וְעָצַר אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה מָטָר, וְהָאֲדָמָה, לֹא תִתֵּן אֶת-יְבוּלָהּ; וַאֲבַדְתֶּם מְהֵרָה, מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה, אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה, נֹתֵן לָכֶם.	17 and the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
יח  וְשַׂמְתֶּם אֶת-דְּבָרַי אֵלֶּה, עַל-לְבַבְכֶם וְעַל-נַפְשְׁכֶם; וּקְשַׁרְתֶּם אֹתָם לְאוֹת עַל-יֶדְכֶם, וְהָיוּ לְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם.	18 Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
יט  וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת-בְּנֵיכֶם, לְדַבֵּר בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ.	19 And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
כ  וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזוּזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ, וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ.	20 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates;
כא  לְמַעַן יִרְבּוּ יְמֵיכֶם, וִימֵי בְנֵיכֶם, עַל הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם לָתֵת לָהֶם--כִּימֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, עַל-הָאָרֶץ.	21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.

The idea of rewards and punishments vis-a-vis observance of the commandments is the theme of this reading. I'd like to focus on two pairs of verses, which seem to be in counterpoint to each other. In Deuteronomy 7:17-18, we read:

יז  כִּי תֹאמַר בִּלְבָבְךָ, רַבִּים הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה מִמֶּנִּי; אֵיכָה אוּכַל, לְהוֹרִישָׁם.	17 If thou shalt say in thy heart: 'These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?'
יח  לֹא תִירָא, מֵהֶם:  זָכֹר תִּזְכֹּר, אֵת אֲשֶׁר-עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לְפַרְעֹה, וּלְכָל-מִצְרָיִם.	18 thou shalt not be afraid of them; thou shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:

Then, in Deuteronomy 8:17-18:

יז  וְאָמַרְתָּ, בִּלְבָבֶךָ:  כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי, עָשָׂה לִי אֶת-הַחַיִל הַזֶּה.	17 and thou say in thy heart: 'My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth.'
יח  וְזָכַרְתָּ, אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ--כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ,לַעֲשׂוֹת      חָיִל:  לְמַעַן הָקִים אֶת-בְּרִיתוֹ אֲשֶׁר-נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ, כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה.	18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God, for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Both excerpts -- with the same verse numbers, ending on 18 (the number of Life) -- concern themselves with that which we "say in our heart".  While most commandments refer to actions, here we look at our intentions and our innermost thoughts.

In fact, the two excerpts look at the two extremes of self-talk.  In the first instance, we see despair, low self-esteem, and a sense of impotence:  "My challenges are too great, I cannot overcome them." In the second, we see arrogance and hubris: "My success is all due to my own excellence!"  Both of these are extremely common human reactions in the face of struggles and victories.

And what is Moses' response to both attitudes? "Remember the Lord your G*d."  -- keep things in perspective, it's not all about you.  There is a slight difference in emphasis, though.  When we are feeling down on ourselves, we are directed to recall past victories. Just as G*d got us through the enslavement in Egypt (and many, many other trials and tribulations), so we can expect that He will see us through whatever we are facing, as long as we do so in accordance with the commandments.   Perspsective.  When we are feeling full of ourselves, on the other hand, we are reminded that it is not all about us. Not only do we owe our strengths and opportunities to G*d, but we are indebted to "our fathers" -- those who came before us and made it possible for us to accomplish great things.  It is still our success, but it does not exist in a vacuum.  Perspective.

Torah Connection - Va'etkhanan

In this parsha (I'm almost caught up!) we read the reprise of the Ten Commandments, as well as the Shema prayer.

⁴ Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day.⁷ Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; ⁹ inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Why are we commanded to love G*d?  What does that even mean?!  Is it not enough that we do what we are supposed to?  How can we love something like G*d, which we can't even fathom? How can we be commanded to love in the first place?  Isn't love something that is just inspired within us? How can we love intentionally if the feeling is not there? If the knowledge of G*d's awesomeness does not inspire love, how can we fulfill this commandment?

Rabbi Menken addresses this in a way that I find has great relevance.  First, we must study Torah, to give us the background and the basis for love. But that is just preparation for love.  Then, we must perform Mitzvot - commandments - with the intention of forging a true love.  This is a lifelong process:

It is certainly possible for a person to learn for a while, do some Mitzvos, and wonder why he or she doesn't feel more. Isn't the sky supposed to open up, or something similarly profound supposed to happen? The answer is that nothing like that is guaranteed, or even expected. Judaism isn't about leaps of faith, but about slow, logical steps, a progression of ongoing development and self-perfection. This is something that lasts a lifetime -- the obligation isn't to feel everything tomorrow, but to begin taking the necessary steps to achieve that feeling, today!

This sounds a lot like how our love for our children develops, especially in adoption!  We read, think, plan and prepare for a child, and in some cases this creates profound, intense love for the child before s/he arrives. In many cases, however, parents struggle to bond to their child.  Post-partum depression is very common, and a similar phenomenon is even more common in adoption. As we do the day-to-day tasks of caring for and nurturing him/her, our love emerges.  

The same is true in marriages, as well.  As Tevye's wife Golde sings in Fiddler on the Roof:

For twenty-five years I've lived with him
Fought him, starved with him
Twenty-five years my bed is his
If that's not love, what is?

It is through the struggles and the joys of life together that the bonds of love are forged.  Many people think that this view of marriage is outdated, belonging to the era of arranged marriages.  However, even a couple who marries after falling in love experiences a transformation through the commitment to work through low points in the relationship.  Falling in love is the preparation for love.  The love itself is in the doing.  The love of a couple who has stuck it out "for better or worse" is very different from one that is based on honeymoon-like self-gratification.

Another reading of this passage makes the connection even clearer.  The verse reads:

  וְאָהַבְתּ, אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ.

The word אֵת is usually just a connector for a direct object. However, it can be used poetically to mean "with".   In that sense, the verse reads,

And you shall love, together with the Lord your G*d, with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your might.

And you shall love.  We are commanded to love, together with G*d.  We are commanded to love our neighbor, as s/he is loved by G*d.  We are commanded to love the spark of the divine within each person. What does it mean to love G*d? It means to love people, who are loved by G*d and are in the image of G*d.

I blogged about the double-meaning of אֵת before. It was nearly a year ago.  I had to search to find the context for that post, and I must say, I did a double-take.

'I Myself am establishing a covenant with you and your offspring after you.
Va'ani hineni mekim et-beriti itechem ve'et-zar'achem achareychem.

Here the word is usually translated "with" and I chose to re-read it as a direct object connector. But what is the context?  The divine covenant with..... our children.

Torah Connection - Devarim

The name of this parsha - "Devarim" - is from the same root as "Aseret ha-Dibrot" (The Ten Commandments). It means "words", or "speakings".   Given how behind I am right now, I'll just link to this eloquent drash on this connection.

My favorite excerpt:

Human speech creates and destroys. With words we can paint unframed pictures that are only limited by the extent of our imagination. With words we create realities of emotion. Words generate love, fear, hatred and courage. Where desire does not exist words can often generate it.
Ambition and determination, success and failure, reputation and its undoing are all the products of words. With words we wound and with words we heal. War and peace can rise and fall on the power of words.

Torah Connection - Matot/Masei

Yep, it's yet another double parsha, concluding the book of Leviticus!

The journey is almost over, as Moses and the tribal leaders plan the conquest of the Promised Land.  The lands to the East of the Jordan have already been subdued, and two tribes - Reuben and Gad - figure this would be a pretty good place to settle:

Chapter 32¹ The Reubenites and the Gadites owned cattle in very great numbers. Noting that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were a region suitable for cattle, ² the Gadites and the Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the chieftains of the community, and said, ³ "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon — ⁴ the land that the Lord has conquered for the community of Israel is cattle country, and your servants have cattle. ⁵ It would be a favor to us," they continued, "if this land were given to your servants as a holding; do not move us across the Jordan."

Moses doesn't think this is such a great idea.  In fact, recalling the episode of the spies, he sees this as potentially bringing on a similar calamity:

⁶ Moses replied to the Gadites and the Reubenites, "Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here? ⁷ Why will you turn the minds of the Israelites from crossing into the land that the Lord has given them? ⁸ That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to survey the land. ⁹ After going up to the wadi Eshcol and surveying the land, they turned the minds of the Israelites from invading the land that the Lord had given them. ¹⁰ Thereupon the Lord was incensed and He swore, 11 'None of the men from twenty years up who came out of Egypt shall see the land that I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they did not remain loyal to Me — ¹² none except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they remained loyal to the Lord.' ¹³ The Lord was incensed at Israel, and for forty years He made them wander in the wilderness, until the whole generation that had provoked the Lord's displeasure was gone. ¹⁴ And now you, a breed of sinful men, have replaced your fathers, to add still further to the Lord's wrath against Israel. ¹⁵ If you turn away from Him and He abandons them once more in the wilderness, you will bring calamity upon all this people."

The Reubenites and Gadites, however, seem to be taking responsibility for this decision:

¹⁶ Then they stepped up to him and said, "We will build here sheepfolds for our flocks and towns for our children. ¹⁷ And we will hasten as shock-troops in the van of the Israelites until we have established them in their home, while our children stay in the fortified towns because of the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until every one of the Israelites is in possession of his portion. ¹⁹ But we will not have a share with them in the territory beyond the Jordan, for we have received our share on the east side of the Jordan."

Moses relents, and in fact the two tribes are good for their word.  They fight alongside their brethren, and only settle their lands after all the tribes have received their portions.  They have paid their dues and earned the Good Life, the comfort and plenty beyond the Jordan. So all is well.

Or is it?

Rabbi Wein suggests that Moses had the right idea at first.  Just as the spies shied away from the Land of Israel because of the apparent challenges, preferring the "security" of bondage, so do these two tribes misjudge the value of material comfort in exile compared to the effort of living the life that G*d envisioned for them in Israel:

But all of this temporary gain comes with cost and a price. Separated from their brethren west of the Jordan, the tribes of Gad and Reuven have a difficult time defending themselves and are the first tribes to be exiled. They produce no major leaders or heroes for the Jewish people and their dreams of prosperity and material success are only fleetingly realized.

Even today, Israel is not an easy place to live in. By many measures, it appears that the costs outweigh the benefits. And even today, we see the attitudes of both the spies and the Trans-Jordanian tribes reflected.  Those who reject the Zionist enterprise entirely, and those who "support" it from the presumed safety of the diaspora.  Both groups miss the point.  The rewards of living in Israel are not material, but spiritual.  And in the long run, the spiritual life is what sustains us, both as individuals and as a community.

Torah Connection - Pinchas

I really struggled with this Parsha.  What a mish mash!

1. Recap of the end of last parsha, when, right after getting Bilaam's blessings, the Jews are seduced into idol worship, resulting in massive divine retribution, which only ends when Pinchas kills several of the perpetrators. Ugh.  Not a nice story.

2. Rundown of the census, in preparation for the upcoming war of conquest.  Um, OK.  G*d's decree that the slave generation would die off in the desert is confirmed -- only Caleb ben Yefune and Yehoshua bin Nun, the faithfuls spies, are spared.

3. An interesting anecdote, and a hat-tip to Biblical-era women's rights:

Chapter 27¹ The daughters of Zelophehad, of Manassite family—son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh son of Joseph—came forward. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ² They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the chieftains, and the whole assembly, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and they said, ³ "Our father died in the wilderness. He was not one of the faction, Korah's faction, which banded together against the Lord, but died for his own sin; and he has left no sons. ⁴ Let not our father's name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father's kinsmen!"
⁵ Moses brought their case before the Lord.
⁶ And the Lord said to Moses, ⁷ "The plea of Zelophehad's daughters is just: you should give them a hereditary holding among their father's kinsmen; transfer their father's share to them.
⁸ "Further, speak to the Israelite people as follows: 'If a man dies without leaving a son, you shall transfer his property to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, you shall assign his property to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, you shall assign his property to his father's brothers. ¹¹ If his father had no brothers, you shall assign his property to his nearest relative in his own clan, and he shall inherit it.' This shall be the law of procedure for the Israelites, in accordance with the Lord's command to Moses."

4.  G*d tells Moses to climb Mt. Abiram, look over the land of Israel, and die there.  Moses points out that he has not yet appointed his successor.  With G*d's guidance, he proceeds to commission Yehoshua bin Nun (Joshua) in an official ceremony with all the priests.  Then he realizes that we still have the whole book of Deuteronomy before he can die.

5. Let's go over some more sacrifices!  Daily, weekly (Sabbath), monthly (new moon), and festivals (Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkoth).

I can't get a coherent theme out of all this, and I am so behind, I'll just let this sit there.

Torah Connection - Balak

What an interesting story.  So much psychology going on, in the interaction between Balak and Bilaam, between Bilaam and the donkey, and Bilaam and the angel.

Where is G*d in all this?  First He tells Bilaam not to go to Balak.  Then He says Bilaam may go, but he must  do what he is told.  Then G*d is angered again, and sends the angel to interfere.  But instead of the angel talking to Bilaam, he reveals himself to the donkey, which shies away, pressing Bilaam against the rock (literally between a rock and a hard place...)  Only after Bilaam beats his donkey 3 times does the angel finally reveal himself to him, shedding clarity on the situation and allowing Bilaam to proceed with his mission.

Why this divine fickleness?

Is it G*d who is fickle, or is this an allegory of the uncertainty we feel about attempting to discern G*d's will about important decisions?

And what about the angel?  The flaming sword is pretty clear.  As soon as one sees it -- even a donkey -- the message is self-evident.  Bilaam apologizes for his faiings.  From here on he speaks with moral clarity.

Bilaam, the greatest of gentile prophets, realized that something must be wrong. A simple donkey saw the revelation of an angel. He did not. He realized that there are experiences he should have been able to grasp and appreciate. If he didn't it was not a donkey's fault. It was not an angel's fault. It was his fault. He realized then and there that it was he who was lacking. 

How often does G-d cry out to us in newspaper headlines, be it earthquakes, wildfires, or human tragedies? We should stare at the sight and see the divine figure standing with an outstretched sword. We do not. We flip the paper and strike at the donkeys who struck out.

Torah Connection - Hukkat

OK, still running late, as this is last week's parsha.

One of the highlights of this chapter is the latest round of popular grumbling, whereupon G*d commands Moses and Aaron to bring forth water out of the rock by speaking to it.  Moses scolds the thirsty people for their whining, then hits the rock, not once but twice.  The water flows abundantly, but not all is well:

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them."

Why are Moses and Aaron punished?  Some commentators say it is because they used physical force when words would have sufficed.  Some say that it is because they chastised the people while they were still suffering.  I think both of these interpretations have merit -- both of these are important lessons, for parents and other leaders....  but the Hebrew text offers yet another option:



The instructions are generally translated,

 ⁷ and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁸ "You and your brother Aaron take the rod and assemble the community, and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water. Thus you shall produce water for them from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their beasts."

However, this could also be read as:

"...Speak to the boulder which is upon their eyes and it shall yield its waters; and you shall take water out of the boulder and provide drink for the congregation and their beasts."

In other words, their grumbling represents a hardening, a blockage of vision.  It is to that hardening that Moses must speak.  That boulder may then yield its waters (tears?) so that they are open to receiving the miracle of the water.

An atheist might look upon this passage as a desert people stumbling upon a spring and foolishly crediting an invisible father-figure with it.  The value of religion is not in accurate accounting of scientific processes (although some religious scientists have gone to some lengths to demonstrate uncanny insights in biblical passages), but in the poetic understanding of human relations, which are as relevant today as in the distant past.

Torah Connection - Korach

I am very very late with this installment.  I struggled with this parsha greatly.  Korach led 250 community leaders to "Question Authority" of Moses and Aaron, and after a thorough humiliation (wherein their attempts to bring a special sacrifice failed miserably) they and their families are "swallowed up by the earth".  Ouch.  What is the purpose here?  Is it not a good thing to strive to excel?

This commentary finally gave me a new way of seeing it.  It distinguished Korach's spiritual strivings from the act of rebellion against Moshe and Aaron.  Defying their leadership, while still in the precarious existence in the desert, could jeopardize the whole journey to the Promised Land.  It had to be nipped in the bud. However, an interesting hint that there is more going on is indicated with the choice of phrases.

When Korach and his friends first confront Moses and Aaron, they say,

3 They combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the Lord's congregation?"

And in his response to them, Moses does a tu quoque:

 6 Do this: You, Korah and all your band, take fire pans, 7 and tomorrow put fire in them and lay incense on them before the Lord. Then the man whom the Lord chooses, he shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!"

The expression used in both cases is "Rav Lachem"  רב לכם.  And where else does this construction come up?  When Moses pleads with G*d to rescind the decree forbidding him from entering Israel.  G*d says, "Rav l'cha"  רב לך.   As Korach, and then Moses said, G*d says to Moses -- "You have gone too far!".  The common denominator in all cases is that the individual has taken a lofty motive and corrupted it.  Korach accuses Moses and Aaron of turning leadership into tyranny. Moses accuses Korach of turning piety into self-aggrandizement and idolatry.  And G*d accuses Moses of trying to use their special connection to curry favors.

What does this mean for us today?

What does it mean to "go to far" in the quest of excellence?

Interestingly, it seems to echo my recent conversations here on the subject of "how far" it is appropriate to go in pursuing treatments for Trisomy 31 and other disabilities.  Loving, dedicated parents seek to provide their children with every opportunity -- maximize their potential!  This is a good thing, just as the underlying motivations of both Korach and Moses were positive.  They sought to serve more fully and deeply, and to rise to ever greater spiritual heights -- maximize their spiritual potential!  However, it is too easy to fall prey to the lure of רב לך and focus on the "potential" at the expense of both the child as s/he is right now and the parent-child relationship.  It is possible to "go too far".

How apt that I struggled with finding something to say in this while I myself was embroiled in an impassioned debate on the appropriateness of "going too far".

Torah Connection - Shlakh-lekha

What a powerful parsha!

Here we read the famous story of the spies.  Twelve men, representing each of the twelve tribes, reconnoiter the Promised Land in anticipation of imminent entry. Ten of them return with fearsome tales of the land and its inhabitants, and only two affirm that the land is a good land and that the people should proceed according to plan. G*d gets angry, Moses argues with him, and G*d decrees that the current generation will continue to wander in the desert for 40 years more, until they all die out, and only their children (and the 2 faithful spies) will merit entering the Land of Israel.  Now the people realize their error, and some people try to invade Canaan without G*d's Presence.  They are roundly trounced.


Let's look more closely at the evolution of the people's psychology.

²⁷ This is what they told him: "We came to the land you sent us to; it does indeed flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. ²⁸ However, the people who inhabit the country are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the Anakites there. ²⁹ Amalekites dwell in the Negeb region; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites inhabit the hill country; and Canaanites dwell by the Sea and along the Jordan."

This is intimidating, but factual, and includes the upside - it is a good land, "as advertised". The proposition does involve a good deal of risk, though -- the land is populated with powerful nations, whose cities are well fortified.

Caleb (one of the faithful spies) attempts to rebut them:

³⁰ Caleb hushed the people before Moses and said, "Let us by all means go up, and we shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it."

Short and concise pep-talk.  However, it backfired, as the other spies intensified their negativity, shifting their focus from risks to fears:

³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, "We cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we." ³² Thus they spread calumnies among the Israelites about the land they had scouted, saying, "The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers. All the people that we saw in it are men of great size; 33 we saw the Nephilim there — the Anakites are part of the Nephilim — and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them."

Now their appraisal is no longer factual, but subjective and sensationalized.  And in fact they spark the imagination of the people, who respond with visceral fear:

Chapter 14¹ The whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. ² All the Israelites railed against Moses and Aaron. "If only we had died in the land of Egypt," the whole community shouted at them, "or if only we might die in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord taking us to that land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be carried off! It would be better for us to go back to Egypt!" 4 And they said to one another, "Let us head back for Egypt."

 Caleb and Joshua (the other faithful spy, who will later take the mantle of leadership over from Moses and lead the people into the land) now try to restore sanity:

 ⁶ And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those who had scouted the land, rent their clothes ⁷ and exhorted the whole Israelite community: "The land that we traversed and scouted is an exceedingly good land. ⁸ If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us into that land, a land that flows with milk and honey, and give it to us; ⁹only you must not rebel against the Lord. Have no fear then of the people of the country, for they are our prey: their protection has departed from them, but the Lord is with us. Have no fear of them!"

But it is too late.  The people are hysterical:

¹⁰ As the whole community threatened to pelt them with stones, the Presence of the Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.

Now G*d appears, and as He and Moses haggle over their fate, the people are shamed into regret:

³⁹ When Moses repeated these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome by grief. ⁴⁰ Early next morning they set out toward the crest of the hill country, saying, "We are prepared to go up to the place that the Lord has spoken of, for we were wrong."

Moses explains to them that without G*d's favor, such a mission would be doomed, but they ignore him, and  meet the predicted failure:

⁴¹ But Moses said, "Why do you transgress the Lord's command? This will not succeed. ⁴² Do not go up, lest you be routed by your enemies, for the Lord is not in your midst. ⁴³For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there to face you, and you will fall by the sword, inasmuch as you have turned from following the Lord and the Lord will not be with you."
⁴⁴ Yet defiantly they marched toward the crest of the hill country, though neither the Lord's Ark of the Covenant nor Moses stirred from the camp. ⁴⁵ And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that hill country came down and dealt them a shattering blow at Hormah.

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What can we learn from this?  First, that letting a rational assessment of risk turn into a debilitating fear can have consequences nearly as bad as our fears projected...

Second (though some would say this is first), taking the risk without spiritual backing is a really bad idea.  Even if you do not believe in G*d per se, it is clear that the defiant marchers were missing an important ingredient for success. We see this in many enterprises today, where the lack of a vision, a divine mandate to go forth and achieve greatness, can cause people to crumble before the opposition. On the other hand, having the simple faith that "we shall surely overcome it" can give people the fortitude to overcome substantial odds.

Torah Connection - Baha'alotkha

This week, the sacred tasks are handed to the various sub-groups of priests, the first post-exodus Passover is celebrated, and life settles into something of a routine for the traveling former slaves.  Alas, boredom leads to whining, and whining - as we all know - leads to parental fatigue:

10 Moses heard the people weeping, every clan apart, each person at the entrance of his tent. The Lord was very angry, and Moses was distressed. 11 And Moses said to the Lord, "Why have You dealt ill with Your servant, and why have I not enjoyed Your favor, that You have laid the burden of all this people upon me? 12 Did I conceive all this people, did I bear them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries an infant,' to the land that You have promised on oath to their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people, when they whine before me and say, 'Give us meat to eat!' 14 I cannot carry all this people by myself, for it is too much for me. 15 If You would deal thus with me, kill me rather, I beg You, and let me see no more of my wretchedness!"

Moses is likening himself to an adoptive parent!  And he is resenting the peoples' growing pains.And G*d responds,

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Gather for Me seventy of Israel's elders of whom you have experience as elders and officers of the people, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them take their place there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will draw upon the spirit that is on you and put it upon them; they shall share the burden of the people with you, and you shall not bear it alone.

Wow - the solution to parental fatigue is - community!  Who'd'a thunk?
He continues:

18 And say to the people: Purify yourselves for tomorrow and you shall eat meat, for you have kept whining before the Lord and saying, 'If only we had meat to eat! Indeed, we were better off in Egypt!' The Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat not one day, not two, not even five days or ten or twenty, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you. For you have rejected the Lord who is among you, by whining before Him and saying, 'Oh, why did we ever leave Egypt!'"

The answer to the whining is to provide such plenty that plates are turned back.  How similar to stories of adopted children, who typically hoard both food and possessions until they are secure in the knowledge that their new family will continue to provide, and that food will always be available.

The title of this parsha - "Baha'alotkha" - literally means "as you raise up".  In context it refers to the ceremonial lamps, but this seems like good advice for "raising up" children, as well.