Torah Connection - Tetzaveh (and Purim!)

Well, here is the belated Purim post I promised.

My 3rd child is having her Bat Mitzvah very soon, so I decided this week to to to synagogue just with her, and go for the whole service (2.5 hours) to get a feel for what it feels like and how all the parts fit together. With small children, we usually just come for the last hour or so, so the first half is not very familiar to us.....

Anyway, it is interesting that we came this particular week.  This is the parsha just before Purim, and she will be doing the parsha just before Pesach (Passover) four weeks later.  As she read along in her Chumash, she noticed that many verses were almost identical to those that she will be reading!  Turns out that there are many parallels:

1. This parsha is called "Tetzaveh" - "You will command", while my daughter will read "Tzav" - "Commanded".  In other words, there is a good reason for the similarity in the text!  Here we announce what we will do, while next month we will make good on these intentions.

2. Both Purim and Pesach are holidays of deliverance from those who would annihilate us.

3. Both this parsha and the Pesach Hagaddah share an interesting feature: Moses, although clearly central to the story, is never mentioned by name! Many commentators have suggested that this omission in the Hagaddah is intended to avoid the creation of a Moses cult -- all credit goes to G*d alone.

4. Related to this, however, is that the Scroll of Esther, read during Purim, omits any mention of G*d! The story reads like a secular folk tale, with sex and violence, drama and intrigue. The only hint of G*d's hand is a line by Esther's uncle Mordechai, to the effect that if she does not rise the challenge of the moment, that "help will come from another place, but you and your family will perish."  The message of Purim is that even when G*d is hidden, He is not truly absent, but merely "disguised" as a pattern in natural or human events.  The absence of Moses from the Hagaddah and from Parshat Tetzaveh can likewise be seen as a "hiddenness" rather than an actual absence.

On Purim, there are several customs, besides the reading of the Megillah (Scroll):

1. Adults and children alike dress in costumes, both to re-enact the story (Purim-spiel) and for general merriment.  This is a form of hiddenness, certainly.  However, adults are instructed to drink to intoxication.  Is your true self hidden or revealed in drunkenness? Or both?

2. All are instructed to both donate to charity (Matanot La-evyonim) and give goody-baskets to our friends (Mishloach Manot).  Which takes precedence, looking outwards to the truly needy, or taking care of our own?  Or both?

3. A theme in both the Purim story and the Haftorah for the Shabbat before Purim (Shabat Zachor - "remember") is that the ancient "Amalekites" are the perennial enemies of the Jewish people.  We are instructed to both remember them and obliterate their memory.  How can we do both?

A lighthearted holiday full of fun, it nonetheless hides within it some incredible richness and depth.  No wonder it has been said that in the days of the Messiah, all holidays will be abolished except Purim!

Serbian mental institutions revisited

NBC News just put up a 3-part series on the predicament of children and adults with special needs in Serbia.  This contains much footage from a much shorter (and very disturbing) 2008 video, but also includes followups, as well as a look into the very real dilemma faced by Serbian parents of special needs infants, as they must choose between relinquishing their child to these horrible places, or trying to raise a disabled child without medical or educational resources, and often without the support of family.

Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month

Yikes!  My Jewish calendar has been staring at me all month, and I did not notice until now that February is Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month!  Talk about unaware....

So here is what my calendar says about it:

"Do not curse the deaf nor put a stumbling block before the blind." - Leviticus 19:14

Jewish law and tradition requires that we not only assist individuals with disabilities, but also enable them to reach their potential and protect their self-esteem.  The mission of Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month, begun in 2009, is to encourage synagogues and Jewish organizations to support the full inclusion of people with special needs in all aspects of Jewish life.  Many synagogues schedule "Disabilities Shabbat," featuring the participation of children and adults with disabilities.  Other sponsor programs to lobby for disability rights.

Congregations throughout North America have taken steps to remove barriers to worship, whether architectural (ramps, handrails, wider doorways, grab bars in the restroom, accessible parking) or communicative (assistive listening devices, sign language interpreters, large-print materials, braille prayerbooks).

My congregation is actually pretty good on this stuff, although there is certainly room for improvement.  There are several adults and children with disabilities who are fully participating members of the community.

Since there is only one Shabbat left in February, and it's Purim eve, I don't know how much we can incorporate into it this year.  Hopefully we can at least plant a seed for next year?  Maybe brainstorm about what kinds of projects or activities would be apporpriate?

Torah Connection - Mishpatim

Mishpatim -- the Laws -- continue scattered throughout the next several books of the Torah.  Much Biblical analysis has gone into interpreting these laws so that they continue to be relevant in today's society, but I don't want to go there.  Either the laws are acceptable as they are for all ages, or they were made for their time and place.  If we re-interpret them to suit today's world, then we are making G*d in our own image.  I think that accepting them in their own context, as one step in the civilization of the People of Israel, does not require following them to the letter today.  Everyone draws the line somewhere.  Some don't bother keeping kosher, some are dismissive of the sexual restrictions, but even the most Orthodox do not follow the prescribed penalties for the various transgressions.  At most they use the aforementioned re-interpretation to deduce principles of compensation in human relationships.

There is a short passage describing the major festivals -- Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).  Then Moses and the leaders of the people prepare to ascend Mt. Sinai to receive the Tablets of the Covenant.

At this point, is a most incredible description:


24:10 They saw a vision of the G*d of Israel, and under His feet was something like a sapphire brick, like the essence of a clear [blue] sky.

and a little later, the whole people see the following vision:


24:17 To the Israelites, the appearance of G*d's glory on the mountain top was like a devouring flame.

Compare this to the vision with the Burning Bush at the beginning of the book of Exodus:




3:2 God's angel appeared to [Moses] in the heart of a fire, in the middle of a thorn-bush. As he looked, [Moses] realized that the bush was on fire, but was not being consumed.

What does it mean to be touched by the Divine? What is this burning fire, or this bejeweled clear blue sky "at the feet of" the Divine Presence? 

The Waltzing Bear

I was showing someone some of the stories about people with Down syndrome who succeed in pursuing a normal life in spite of the odds, and he said, "This is like the Waltzing Bear.  It's not that he dances so well, but that he dances at all."

This is actually not that unlike what most people think of children and adults with Down syndrome, I suspect.  Sadly, they are viewed as little more than animals, properly kept in cages or protected areas.... or killed if they are in the way.  They are seen as "trainable", but somehow not fully human.

But what if it turned out that bears were far more capable and intelligent than we give them credit for?  What if it turned out that with the proper care and assistive technology, they could learn to talk, read, write, and function in society? And that some bears could in fact learn to waltz, as well as pursue music, sports, arts, etc?  That they could have meaningful relationships with both people and other bears?  How would we then feel about seeing bears kept in cages at the zoo, deprived of the opportunity to fulfill their potential?  Would we not want to shout far and wide for these bears to be released, adopted into homes where they could get the care and assistance they need to blossom, and accorded a proper place in society?  Would we not want to see a world where a dancing bear is appreciated for his joy and creativity, rather than dismissed as an oddity?

Two awesome Down syndrome stories

One of my featured blogs, Noah's Dad, posted about a young Brazilian actor with Down syndrome whose dream is for Sean Penn (who inspired him to pursue acting in the first place) to come to Brazil to see the opening night of the movie he is starring in -- "Colleagues". Watch the trailer and share, maybe the dream will come true!

Well, I posted this to Facebook, and an old friend of mine commented:

You may enjoy this article. I have known Frankie for many years: http://www.lohud.com/article/20100221/SPORTS01/2210345/Frankie-Scarfone-Unexpected-master-black-belt

 Amazing story.  Especially when you consider this guy's age (46) in light of his mom's recollections of the standard medical advice to institutionalize him because he'd never amount to anything......

Double happy ending/beginning

Two families caught in the Russian Adoption Ban limbo found themselves waiting in the same Moscow hotel for court decrees for their new children.  These children are both about 4-5 years old. One is a boy, now known as Gabe Preece:



And the other is a girl, Vika Bonner:




Although these munchkins were in 2 separate orphanages, they are now good friends, embarking on this amazing experience of having a family.

These are examples of children who are rescued from institutional life while still in "Baby Houses", where they get to play, interact with loving caretakers, and develop basic skills.  Of course there is still much ground to cover once they get home, in terms of medical care, therapy, level of attention etc., but these are children who can walk, talk, play appropriately, and give and receive affection. 

It's fun reading their stories side by side.