importance of complex communication

 

How did Jesus get off the ground according to the Talmudic tradition (there is some debate as to whether this was the Jesus, but the simple reading is that it is)? The Talmud states that the issue was that the Rabbi didn’t communicate properly to Jesus.  When Jesus erred (he accused his Rabbi of having improper thoughts), he was too harsh in his rebuke and didn’t bake into the rebuke a hint of love that if Jesus were to repent, he’d be welcomed back with open arms.  The Talmud is quite critical of the Rabbi who created the rift with Jesus as it led to Jesus beginning an idolatrous cult of some type that was antithetical to Jewish thought.  Interestingly, this week’s parsha gives an illustration of the correct type of communication needed that would have averted this whole crisis.

              Correct communication needs to be multifaceted. It has to speak at several levels at once. It needs to have an element that shows strength and an appeal to justice; yet, it also needs to contain love and understanding.  It also needs to appeal to the intellect and to be polished. We know this from this week’s confrontation between Yehuda and Yosef. It doesn’t say in the Torah that Yehuda came to speak to the viceroy (he didn’t know at the time that it was Yosef), but that Yehuda approached the viceroy. What does an approach entail?

              The midrash says that the word approach is used in the context of war, appeasement, and prayer.  A just war occurs when one side feels an injustice has been done. An appeasement speaks to the heart of a person and looks to find the loving side of that person.  Finally, prayer is about realizing that every complicated situation requires divine assistance to get the balance right between these two dimensions. In other words, part of what made Yehuda’s speech successful was that it was multifaceted. He didn’t only threaten and he didn’t only beg, he did both. More than that, the structure of the speech was considered to be beautiful and well-spoken, hinting that leaders also need to express themselves with rhetorical skill.

              In short, two of the most important encounters in human history depended on how well the communication occurred.  When done correctly, it led to the ultimate reconciliation between the brothers. When done poorly, it led to a young student feeling spurned by his teacher and choosing to go his own way with catastrophic consequences for the Jewish people over the course of history.

             

             

Importance of seasons

 What went so wrong that the world needed to start over? The stated reason is because of robbery. As some explain, if even something as logical as property rights were lost, then the world could not be sustained.  Slightly more hidden in the verses is that humans had ‘destroyed’ the world. That hints at more severe problems such as murder, idolatry, and sexual immorality- the three cardinal sins.  However, what was behind that? Why did human beings descend to such chaos? 

              There is a hint to what went wrong in the aftermath of the flood.  G-d decides to change the way things operate in the world. There is strange verse that says, “So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” According to one commentary, it is an introduction to seasons. Prior to the flood the world was not seasonal; it was always temperate. Life spans were extremely long and the midrash says people would seed once and harvest for forty years straight. Why would the introduction of seasons help to alleviate these problem that caused the flood in the first place? Also, why does the verse emphasize the putting together of opposites?  And lastly, why does the verse have the word/letter (vav) 'and' inserted 6 times when it only needed three? 

              Anything that is only one dimensional inherently lacks balance and wholeness. For example, a person who is always giving to others is amenable to become a doormat if he doesn’t learn how to put a boundary. A person who is constantly concerned about boundaries will not create relationships.  The antediluvian world was a world of extremes. There was extremely long life, extremely good weather, extremely fertile soil.  A life of extremes creates chaos and confusion and the world was destroyed with a water that had no boundaries.  Post the flood, the world changed.  Boundaries were introduced via the bonding of opposites. Opposites can only exist together when things are defined and strong unto themselves.  Then they can come together and create a greater whole and balance than was before. That is the world we need to create now.  We need to bring opposites together and view them as not threatening our perspective but as balancing out our perspective.  That is what creates permanence in the world. 

An unfair G-d

As we start the Torah over again, it is important to look at old stories with fresh eyes as new discoveries are always lurking. This year, I took an in-depth look at the first quarrel of mankind between two brothers.  Although we find relationships between groups to be complex, those overt differences are not necessary. There is plenty to fight about within the family, which is sadly all too common as well.  The first criminal act between two people occurs between two brothers- Kayin and Hevel.  It is a short story but telling to what is the source for much conflict.

 

              A short summary of the story is that Kayin decides to bring a sacrifice to G-d, and he brings produce from the field. Seems fairs given he is a farmer. His brother, perhaps, stimulated by Kayin’s actions brings a robust offering of a choice animal. Seems fair given he is a herder. Yet, G-d only turns to Hevel’s offering and ignores Kayin’s. But isn’t this unfair? Kayin is giving of his own work and it was his idea in the first place? How could he be spurned so badly?

              As usual, certain textual details point us in the direction of what really went wrong.  When it says Kayin decided to bring a sacrifice it says, “At the end of days, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil”. It doesn’t explain at the end of what days?  One commentary explains that what happened is that Kayin was devoted to the land and growing crops.  Yuval Harari in Sapiens makes it clear that agriculture is a ‘fraud’. It promises riches, but it enslaves us to the process. In contrast to his contemplative brother who was the shepard who has time for contemplation like many of our future leaders. However, even Kayin who has lived a life devoted to materialism either gets old or realizes he will one day pass on, and thinks that he should play a token tribute to spirituality. But a token contribution is not what G-d is looking for since that is checking a box, not creating a relationship.

              Kayin then makes a further mistake in his perspective. Not only did he treat spirituality lightly, but he also thought that life is a zero sum game. If Hevel has ‘won’, then he has lost. If Hevel is greater than him, then he no longer exists. Furthermore, Hevel only ‘won’ because he cheated. He stole Kayin’s idea. For that reason Kayin takes the drastic action that he does because he didn’t have an identity without it.  From this episode we need a new perspective on life. First, we need to put our best into spirituality and second we need to realize the answer to Kayin existential question, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper’?  Are we competing or cooperating together in this world. And the answer is a resounding cooperation.

Yom Kippur: A time to heal

 

If there is one thing the world needs right now, it is healing. Physically and spiritually, the world is lacking wholeness on many levels.  Luckily, tis the season for healing on both of these levels.  We find that repentance and healing are deeply intertwined.  For one, in one of the classic High Holiday prayers, ‘our Father, our King’, the line about repentance is followed immediately with a line about healing.  The Talmud says it even more explicitly, “Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: Great is repentance, because it brings healing to the world, as it is stated: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for My anger has turned from him” (Hosea 14:5).”  When we repent and heal internally, that paves the way for a more general healing for the world as the Divine responds in kind. But what is the key to successful healing?

              For that we need to look at a fascinating encounter between the first father and son in world history fresh off the first major homicide in world history.  Adam meets Cain post fratricide and asked, “What happened with your judgement”? He replied, I repented and received clemency” When Adam heard this he hit himself in his head and said, “Such is the power of tshuva, and I was unaware of it” At that time, Adam composed A song for the Shabbos day”.  There is much to explore here- why did Adam hit himself? Why did he not know about tshuva? Why did that lead Adam to write a Psalm for Shabbos?

              We live in a world where what is done is done.  A car that is driven off of its lot loses half of its value and it will never be new again. It is not intuitive to say that despite an action that was done, we can erase it in some way, and even say that the negative is a positive as it spurred future growth. Adam hits himself in the head as if to say, I didn’t realize we could recreate reality.  But to do that, we need time to reflect.  Adam right away wrote a song about Shabbat because he understood that a set time to reflect each week was the crucial dimension that makes repentance possible.  This is why sickness in Judaism is viewed as something disconnected. The root of the word ‘sick’ in Hebrew, ‘chole’ is related to the world ‘chol’, which means secular.  It is being in a distracted, unbalanced state not connected to anything bigger. When we repent via reflection we rebalance and find our inner connection to something bigger that ensures we live both a healthier spiritual life, and in turn, a healthier physical life.

Using our ears

Using our ears

Every mitzvah is associated with an organ. One might think that Rosh Hashanah, as the name indicates would be associated with our brains, the head! But this isn’t the case, the mitzvah of the day is shofar and that is the only mitzvah directly associated with the ear. Why is the ear the key organ to target on the first day of the year?

 Every day in Elul we blow the shofar and each time the sound is somewhat jarring.  Especially now that we gather for daily minyans outside, this is especially so.  Despite being outdoors, with the sound of cars and buses whizzing by, the shofar sound sticks out with its alarming notes even more now that it is contextualized with the normal sounds of the world.  What is unique about this mitzvah?

The ear is the only organ that has the shape of a bowl. It is an organ that receives from the outside in a way that is NOT automatic such as by sight and smell. Aside from taking in important sounds to keep you alive, such as the sound of a hiss, the ears are the organ that take in new information (granted reading is a sight endeavor technically, we talk to ourselves as we read).  A person is limited to what they are unless they can open their ears to listen to what else is out there.  If a person is willing to bring in new ideas from the outside, then life’s possibilities expand.  But those ideas can only come via curiosity. A person needs to look at the world and be bothered by the riddle of it all. If a person goes through life without awe, and without a deep yearning to seek answers to life mysteries then things remain stagnant. This is where the shofar comes in.

The shofar sound stands out.  It calls attention to itself and asks us to stay curious about life.  This is the job on Rosh Hashanah. It is to open our ears so that we can stretch beyond this year. First, though we need to feel that emptiness around us, which shouldn’t be hard this year with all it has brought.  After all, to be a kosher shofar, the horn needs to be naturally empty.  A horn that is not hollow but drilled is not called a kosher shofar.  Granted, a shofar has marrow inside of it, it is of a different material then the horn and comes out. Once it has been hollowed out, then the yearning can happen. As we start the year, let’s be bothered about  where our growth is and how the world looks, and use that yearning to create change this year.

Be afraid, be very afraid

 

Last I checked, fear is an emotion we like to avoid most of time outside of a short thrill ride or at most two hours of tension during a frightening film. Even then, the fear is only acceptable because I’ve chosen to experience it.  However, fear that is put upon me, such as shaky turbulence on a plane, I can’t wait for it to end so that the tension is released.  Given our pejorative relationship to fear, it becomes difficult to understand why fear becomes the focus of G-d’s relationship with us. It is mentioned double the amount of times of love in the Torah, and it appears from this week’s parsha that it is the only thing that G-d really wants from us- to fear him. 

              Further, if we examine the human reaction to fear from an action stand point, things make less sense.  The goal of fear is to inspire a person to move away from that which causes fear, to create a distance.  If the goal of Judaism is to create a relationship with G-d, then why is G-d encouraging us to maintain a safe distance from him?

              A way of thinking about this is that relationships need fuel to function.  Nothing is more toxic than when a relationship is in a state where both parties feel that they’ve ‘made it’.  As soon as that feeling sinks in, the effort goes down and the cracks start to set in.  Relationships are always dynamic and always need an input to stay connected. The impetus for input is a realization that there is still a distance between the parties, and therefore, room for growth.  A healthy dose of fear reminds us that despite all of our commonalities with G-d, having a physical dimension means there is still a massive gap between us and G-d.  This gap is what makes us ‘fear.’ There is a distance that we can’t seem to close, and fear is the emotion we use not only to cause distance but to imply distance.  However, G-d can’t make us see this gap, we have to realize it is there for our self. Ironically, had G-d made us see the gap it would in the process close the gap; therefore, this is one area of life where G-d stays out.  This is behind the talmud’s famous dictum, all is in the hands of heaven except for fear of heaven.  

Finding the roots

We are a week away from the darkest day in Jewish history. Every year we hope it will be the last, but despite our hopes, it appears to be back and stronger than ever this year. Apart from the worldwide pandemic, the Jewish security situation in many parts of the world is as precarious as ever.  We don’t believe the situation is random.  If things are chaotic in the world that means something is chaotic inside of us. What are we missing that we can’t get right year in and year out?  A hint in this week’s parsha may give us an insight into what is missing.

              Moses spends the first part of book five recounting the conquests that had transpired so far around the boundaries of Israel.  As he does so, he notes that G-d had told him to go to war with a certain nation.  Two verses later, Moses says that he sent this nation messengers to make peace.  This is perplexing- why did Moshe seem to disregard the command of Hashem to go to war and try to make peace to no avail?

              The Midrash notes this aberration and says something astonishing. G-d was very happy that Moshe didn’t listen to his command like an automaton.  Moses thought to himself and realized that while G-d told him to go to war with said nation, this was from G-d’s omnipotent place that knew that peace wouldn’t work. But as a human being, who doesn’t know where overtures of peace may lead, Moshe understood, that peace always come first.  We need to do our part to bring unity, even if the chances are low that it will work.   In other words, G-d’s command reflected reality, but our job as human beings is to seek to go beyond realism and strive for idealism.  Striving for peace infuses the world with the necessary idealism to make it greater.

              The Talmud, unrelated to this story of Moses, says that Jerusalem was destroyed because the judges in Jerusalem ruled meticulously according to the letter of the law and never went beyond that.  They didn’t understand what Moses understood that at times we need to seek out solutions beyond the letter of the law.  G-d’s revealed word may reflect the reality, but there are times to seek out a more idealistic position that is in accordance with how we wish the world could be, rather than the way it is. Only when that fails do we default back into what we need to do given our reality. 

The downfall

It was all going so well. The Jewish people were in formation with proud flags, ready to be sent on their mission. Everyone knew their role and the Levites, our navy seals, were initiated to their role. What happened from that high to a series of calamities that led to the elimination of the entire generation that left Egypt and a 38 year delay before arriving at Israel? On the surface, it seems sudden and unclear why the Israelites turned sour. Beneath the surface there is a subtle hint that not all was going as planned.  Where is that hint?

              After successfully recovering from the sin of the Golden Calf, the Jewish people stayed at Mount Sinai for a period of time studying and expanding their knowledge for 7 months.  After this, it says the Jewish people left the ‘Mountain of Hashem’ for a three day journey. Soon thereafter unnamed complaints begin, which lead to overt complaints about the lack of real food with full tears. Were we so fragile that after leaving the cocoon of spirituality that we had at the mountain that we’d settle back to our old ways?

              The midrash notes that it wasn’t leaving the cocoon that created the issue, but the way we did. We left like school children leaving the last day of school. We were relieved to leave that intense spiritual environment.  This is hinted at because it describes the mountain as the mountain of Hashem as opposed to the mountain of Elokim as it usually does.  We left our relationship with G-d behind because we wanted to tone it down. We still related to life through a physical lens and we missed our physical pleasures that gave us so much excitement.  More than that, it says it wasn’t just food that we missed but we were sore about the sexual restrictions imposed on Mount Sinai- free love was no longer an option.  While on the surface we were on board, deep down our identities hadn’t made the shift to more refined living and it began to rebel.

              Deep down we all have a decision to make. Will we be defined by our physical pleasure or our spiritual ones? Do we go to a Torah class for the free food or the Torah? Obviously, initially it may be for the food, but can we make that shift to realize that true pleasure comes from wisdom?  That was the struggle then, and it is the struggle now. It is a timeless battle and a choice we need to make on a continuous basis- is our main joy in life spiritual or physical?

What we see

In the age of the internet, we now have the ability to see the world all the time.  The question is whether it is healthy to see so much and see everything? There are big expectations to what we see in the world- it is supposed to spur us to action. And according to the mystics, what we see may be a personal message of what we are supposed to fix in our own life.  Regardless, we are not supposed to gloss over what we see in the name of curiosity.  As one Rabbi used to do, he'd read the newspaper with a book of psalms next to him.  From where do we derive this message, and based on what is happening now, where we are seeing a barrage of disturbing videos, how should we react?

              The message is delineated in the strange juxtaposition in this week’s Torah portion by what seem to be unrelated subjects.  First, there is the case of the broken marriage or Sotah.  A husband suspects his wife of adultery based on damning circumstantial evidence, and a complicated ritual is done at the temple to ascertain whether the adulterous act has actually happened.  If innocent the couple comes back to together and a child is born within the year.  Directly after describing this tumultuous event, the Torah then delves into the laws of a nazarite, a person who has decided to become exceptionally pious by refraining from wine, ignoring his physical appearance, and staying away from the deceased.  Why would this exceptionally holy person be juxtaposed to a tabloid worthy scenario of family strife?

              The Talmud asks this question and says that a person who sees the procedure of a sota take place should decide to become a nazarite. Why? Because wine is the type of drink that can lead to adultery. In other words, when we see an act, on the one hand we may be horrified, but on the other, the act now becomes part of normal human behavior and it can seep into our subconscious as a real possibility. Therefore, to ensure that it does not become the new ‘normal’ we need to take an active step against losing our abhorrence of it. More than that, according to Chassidic thought, seeing that scenario was divinely orchestrated because that person needed to work on that specific character trait from the beginning and this was a way of stimulating the person to take action. 

              In light of all we have seen in the past week, from a murderous abuse of power, to looting, these images require actions at the human level. There is insensitivity happening in many directions and we need to be aware of it and make sure that insensitivity doesn’t creep into our hearts, and to do that, we need to run in the other direction. At the very least, we need to increase our empathy and sensitivity to those who are different than us.

Bringing back the lost

Poor Shavuot, it is by and large the least known of our holidays by the extended Jewish people- why? It has a lot stacked against it. For one, it is one day long in contrast to Passover and Sukkot.  But that shouldn’t be damning, as so is Yom Kippur.  However, the other issue is that there is nothing remarkably memorable about the day because there are no actual mitzvot that are specific to Shavuot unlike Yom Kippur which has the funky sneakers and the interminable fast that we dread for months before.  Finally, to add insult to injury, the Torah doesn’t mention it explicitly in the Torah. It talks about it in a most roundabout way, only discussing the technical sacrifices of the day. Why is that? Furthermore, why do the sacrifices of the day fly in direct contrast to what we just experienced on Passover? For a week during Passover and the month when we were cleaning our houses, our sworn enemy was chometz (leavening).  We got rid of it and talked behind its back about how nasty it is. Now, this enemy is granted new life.  It is now extoled and brought to the holy alter as the sacrifice of the day- why the change?

              To unravel the mystery we being with why there are no mitzvot on Shavuout. The reason is because of a verse in proverbs “A mitzvah is a candle, and Torah is like light”.  A candle is a physical object that is able to generate and hold light.  Light is the conceptual raw material that makes a candle possible.  Similarly, a mitzvah is the physical manifestation that generates and expresses a Torah principle.  On Shavuot, we celebrate the receiving of the light, the Torah which is a completely intellectual endeavor- there is nothing to see! For this reason, there are no mitzvot and because it is such a high concept, there is no verse in the Torah that can possibly describe such an abstract and ethereal concept. 

              Furthermore, the verse states, “…you will bring a new offering, from your dwelling place, two loaves of bread…with chametz..”.   It is explained that it is called a new offering as a hint to Torah, which must be constantly renewed each day. Incidentally, that is a second reason the Torah doesn’t want to specify the day.  One shouldn’t think that Torah learning is restricted to Shavuot, it is something that needs to happen constantly. Furthermore, our former enemy is now the hero because of the idea that chometz represents our evil inclination. Unfettered, the evil inclination needs to be cleaned out and not spoken about. However, if provided with a Torah structure, all of a sudden the evil inclination is no longer a hindrance, but something that can be used to enhance all of our service.  Therefore, on Shavuout, we offer the chometz with confidence that we can now control it and make productive use of it.  This is the reason why Shavuot is given short thrift in the Torah. There is not much to say about such a special day. It is a day we take with us the whole year and as long as the Torah stays fresh, it is the greatest tool to bring out our best.

Jewish innovation

Jews are credited with a plethora of creativity in the fields of arts, science, economics- basically any field under the sun. Unfortunately, we are not always credited with our most creative and productive work, sanctifying G-d’s name. What does it means to give sanctity to G-d’s name and why is it our most creative work?

              To begin, we need a working definition of sanctity.  One way of defining sanctity is the ability to do an act purely for its own sake. In other words, our world is bounded and anything in it can at best be exchanged, one thing for another, whether in physics or in our daily interactions. Normal terms of operations between people is if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Or, at the least, if it isn’t a direct exchange, a person expects something else in return whether it be recognition or a sense of satisfaction. Holiness is realizing that one can get past that natural path and do things in an altruistic way that breaks the cycle of nature and creates a one way street.  Since we are created in the image of G-d, we can act G-dly and give because that is who we are and not because of what we get in return.  To be able to break out of the natural cycle, and create a new way of interacting is the greatest act creativity one can do.

              Not only is it a great thing, but the verse in this week’s Torah portion indicates that this is what we are meant to do! It says, “You shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelite people—I the LORD who sanctify you, I who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God, I the LORD.” Why is the first verse followed by the second? Because it indicates that the entire reason for bringing is out of Egypt was so that we could create this new pathway of holiness and by doing so, this shows the world that our ability to subdue nature is a product of the fact that there is a Divine spark in each human being that in itself bespeaks to a Divine presence in the world.  The good news is that this innovation has another result.  If we break out nature, G-d says, I will break nature in return and express sanctity to you in the form of Divine miracles.  We can never rely on this, as this would actually bring us back in to a cycle of doing something for something, but it is something that exists.

              In light of some negative news about the Jewish people and the fact that there have been some small groups among us that find social distancing to be a challenge, a way to fight the negative news is to up our Kiddush Hashem. That has happened via plasma donations and other amazing activities that often goes underreported   And we can continue with a few other things as well. Maimonides points out how to do it. First, invest in Torah and then show exemplary behavior in your actions with small things such as paying workers on time, and maintaining an exceptionally pleasant demeanor among a few others things.  The best defense is a better offense.

What is the key to positive relationships?

There is a grand debate about which really is the most important principle in the Torah. Most people know the famous story about the convert who came to Hillel and asked to be converted on the condition that he is taught the whole Torah on one foot. Hillel is nonplussed by the seemingly bold request and answers that a person should not do what is hateful to him to another person, that is the entire Torah and rest is just details, now go learn.  He understood the covert was genuine and simply wanted a framework with which to build his knowledge. However, there is a slight problem with the conventional understanding of this story.  It seems the only idea that he teaches the potential convert is that the foundation of Torah is how we treat others, but that may not be the whole picture.

              The Talmud in Makkos deliberates about what are the foundational mitzvoth in the Torah.  If we had to distill 613 mitzvoth to a small number of mitzvoth that represent the others, what would they be? The Talmud concludes that all mitzvoth could be distilled to a verse in the prophet Habakuk: “ A righteous person in his faithulness he shall live”.  Meaning, that all mitzvoth boil down to faith.  We are now left with a question, is the main foundation of Torah faith or how to relate to others?

              The question is a straw man because it is based on a flaw in the way we read Hillel’s statement to the convert.  The reality is that the verse that Hillel’s idea is based on has an ending that is often left off. The full verse is, “Do not bear a grudge or take revenge, and love your neighbor as yourself, I am Hashem.” Therefore, if we understand that Hillel’s communication to the convert is the whole idea of that verse, it includes the idea at the end- “I am Hashem”, which is the foundation of all faith- there is a G-d. Now, Hillel’s statement incorporates both foundations. The Torah is based on having a healthy relationship with others in addition to a healthy relationship with G-d.  This makes sense if we look at the Ten Commandments that are also divided in this fashion, on two tablets, one dedicated to establish a relationship with G-d and another to establish a relationship with man.  It could also be that not only are these two principles the foundation, but it could also be that they are inextricably linked in that the key to success in our relationships with others is to understand that there is a G-d from which we all descend.

What to do in quarantine?

Quarantine is not a new concept. The idea that there are times when we need to be isolated was clear in ancient times when a person afflicted with a skin disease was told to isolate for at least a week.  The difference is the reason.  While it may look like it is because of a physical condition, the reality is very different (one way we know it isn’t because of a physical condition is because if a person is found to be completely covered with the skin disease, he is considered pure and does not isolate).  When are we quarantined in the Torah? When are people told to stay away from other people for at least a week, and maybe more?

              There is a mysterious set of descriptions that talk about the skin conditions that affect a person. The Torah describes these different skin sores as a ‘s’eis, spachas, or a baheres’ and they can result in a person becoming a ‘metzora’.  More on what these words mean in a second.  After a potential ailment appears, the person is brought to a Cohen to determine if the malady is indeed an official spiritual malady, also know as ‘tzaras’. The question is why does a Cohen specifically determine the condition and not any Rabbinic scholar who has learned the laws like most situations?

               The words above, ‘seis, sapachas, baheres and metzora’ have the following connotation. The word ‘seis’ means to be picked up which hints at arrogance.  The word ‘sapachas’ means an attachment and hints at an attachment to money. Finally, the word ‘bahares’ is related to the word white because one who speaks evilly about somebody else, whitens their face.  Finally, the word metzora is a conjunctive word that means to bring out evil- this person brought evil out to the world and contracted 'tzaras', which is a testimony to the negative way in which he viewed the world. The word 'tzaras' means to have a negative perspective.   

              There are two ways that a person can grow and change from this.  First, we need good role models to show different behavior.  That is why this person goes to a Cohen to be checked.  The model of the Priests was Aaron and he represent the idea of exuding loving kindness to others. This ability flowed through his descendants and the first way to help a person out of his negative paradigm is to give them a new one.  Interacting with a person whose values are the opposite of yours promotes a new persepctive, and seeing it lived is much more powerful than going to a scholar who can only provide information.  The next idea is that a person then has to be alone both to reflect and to avoid damaging more people.  Hopefully, that time of reflection creates change and the Cohen can come back and declare that this person is now different. 

              Given our situation, perhaps, our quarantine can be viewed in much the same way.  There is a preponderance of evil speech, arrogance, and love of money in the world right now and this is a time to reflect about looking beyond superficiality (perhaps that is why the ailments are on the skin) and going to a deeper place about what is truly important.  

Opportunities in illness

Several close friends have gotten the covid-19 virus, and luckily, have emerged relatively unscathed with a minor cold and fever. But what is the function of illness in the world? So it depends which type. One may find it quite surprising that according to Jewish tradition, when it comes to terminal illness, we asked for it! I don’t mean we asked for it as in we had it coming, but quite literally, we asked for it! It says in a midrashic text that Abraham asked for ageing, Isaac for physical weakness, and Yakov for illness before death. In a classic case of finding the positive, the midrash states that illness before death allows for everyone to tie loose ends with ones’ children and to have final conversations.

              What about temporary illness? There is a fascinating insight by Rabbi Nachman that explains one of the benefits of illness.  To summarize, we usually go about life and are often distracted from the big questions such as why do we exist and what is our personal purpose within the world.  After sufficient distractions, the soul says, enough is enough! I need to shake things up. So he weakens the person sufficiently to catch an illness.  During that illness, a person suddenly become very focused on becoming healthy.  Their schedule changes and they are willing to eat healthy and put aside their normal desires to swallow bitter medicines to get better.  The person realizes that they are not controlled by their desires and distractions and if necessary they are able to stay focused on what they need.  Of course, spiritually speaking, knowing our purpose and having meaning in life is not a luxury but a necessity to keep the soul healthy.  The goal is that post recovery, the body remembers that just like it needed a program to stay healthy, the soul does to and not to sabotage its needs. 

              Finally, a third idea comes from the Talmud. It says that a person that visits an ill person shouldn’t sit on the bed with them, and not on a chair next to the bed. Rather, one should wrap himself in awe and sit before the person. Why? Because next to a sick person, there is a divine presence. Whenever we feel fragile and outside of normalcy, our instincts call out to the divine and the divine responds with Her presence. There is no greater synagogue than the one that sits in the Sha’rei Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem. Everyone prays there with sincerity and urgency, which should always be the case.  As we sit at home this Shabbos, against our will, we should recognize the change that has taken place and use it as an opportunity to appreciate our fragility and reach beyond our self.

             

Turning plagues into blessings

As often happens, the Torah’s weekly reading parallels a current event. Granted, we Jews have a creative knack for finding connections, in this case, there is no need to stretch. The parsha begins with a census. However, in Torah thought, a census is not a straightforward endeavor.  Counting brings with it an immense danger,” with a counting, there is an evil eye that accompanies it, and it is accompanied by a plague” (Rashi).  For this reason, right after the count, Jews are meant to give a half-shekel to atone for this audacious counting.  The question is why is counting fraught with danger? What is an ‘evil eye’ and how is atonement achieved via giving a half shekel? Secondly, how does this information, perhaps, apply to our current situation?

              Counting has several connotations. It puts the spotlight on one individual and, in a sense, isolates them from the community as it points out that this person is a single, important, and visible number. These are great things in many ways, but  brings with it three problems. First, it highlights the person as an individual with all of his foibles and flaws.  When in a group, a person can rely on his strength and count on others to make up for his weaknesses, which is why the Torah views groups as meritorious.  For example, a short basketball player will not be docked for being a poor rebounder because on his team he likely doesn’t have to.  But if we were to look at him as an individual basketball player, we’d notice that he is not a great rebounder.

  Second, it creates overexposure as a person who is singled out can’t hide within the group.   The problem with overexposure is that when we really see something, we may be tempted to say ‘I’ve seen the whole person’, which is of course impossible.  Whenever we see a person, it is always just the tip of the iceberg.  A person is complex with a myriad of hidden thoughts and experiences.  When judging just what we see, it can create a false and negative impression.  Mr. Rogers says it best, “what’s essential is invisible to the eye…Particularly when we don’t slow down and really look”.

  Finally, it creates an evil eye in that too much importance given to somebody generates jealousies, and begs the question does this person really deserve this much status? We end up judging a person harshly (incorrectly) based on what we see. This in turn creates a spiritual danger for that person as our judgements also create spiritual judgements which in turn can create a plague. To summarize: counting has the potential to create an individualistic society, a shallow society, and a jealous society focused on status all of which create a society ripe for a plague.

Why a plague? Because a plague accomplishes a remedy to these three issues. A plague reminds us that we are part of one big community. A sneeze in China can affect an American in New York- we are never truly individuals.  Next, we are forced to go into hiding and not overly expose our self and every aspect of our life (granted, with facebook there is no real thing as indoors, but there is less content to show).  It also forces us to slow down and really take people in properly so that we can begin to understand them.  Finally, viruses are equal opportunity invaders that can affect the prince or the pauper, the celebrity and the laborer.

              However, we avoid the forced fix with a positive fix- the half-shekel donation.  Through the donation, a person reunites with community via a community project and by giving half, they realize they are not complete without the rest of the community. Furthermore, both the rich and poor gave the same donation-everyone is equal and no one is more visible than anyone else.

So what we can we do with our current predicament without the potential for a half-shekel donation? We can take the ideas of a half- shekel and apply it our world. Let’s work on creating community. Let’s work on our depth and treat others as complex beings whom we can’t judge or understand based on first appearances. Let’s slow down and take people in properly.  Let’s not concern our self with our own status or anyone else’s- we are all in the same boat. If we do this, we can transform this virus from a plague to a blessing.

Importance of a good meal

At times we don’t realize how much is going right in our life and how perilous and fragile our existence truly is. Due to a new microscopic invader, once more our precarious standing in the universe has been brought to light. However, we shouldn’t need to rely on a pandemic to appreciate our daily living. There is another tool at our disposal that we have to appreciate our daily sustenance.

              The only remnant we have of our temple is not only in the ruins of Jerusalem, but exists in almost all homes across the world- a table. It is odd that something as simple and mundane as a table took prominence in the temple.  A glorious light fixture such as the menorah and the beautiful ark with its cherubic figures seems to fit in with the theme of a temple, but a table doesn’t seem to capture the imagination in quite the same way.  So what was a table doing there and what was its function?

              On a simple level, the word Shulchan helps explain its importance. The word comes from the word, ‘to send’, ‘sholeach’.  The table at the temple was the symbol that reminded us that our ‘bread’ which is sent to us daily is a blessing. Meaning, a person should sit at his table and recognize that the bounty at their table is not automatic or a given. One should feel a sense of gratitude.  On a deeper level, we are reminded that a gathering around food should not only be a venue to comment on the latest recipes and on favorite tastes. While we should certainly make the chef feel appreciated, a meal provides an opportunity to stop and connect with others and share deep wisdom.  This means the meal is now a vehicle for something more.  And finally, the Talmud states if a person stays at his table for a long time he will merit a long life. The reason? Because it gives him an opportunity to have many guests. This is the beauty of a table and why Jewish life revolves around it.  It is a vehicle for wisdom, gratitude, and giving and there is nothing more Jewish than that.

An everlasting fire

When Moshe saw the burning bush, one of the commentaries mentions that it was both consumed by fire but also wet at the same time.  This is strange on two fronts. First, things that are wet don’t catch fire, or the other way is that things that are on fire don’t stay wet because the fire evaporates the water.  What is the importance of knowing that the bush was also wet? Furthermore, a midrash states that a bush in the desert only grows when there is water underneath it.  Why does the Torah emphasize a connection between the bush, fire, and water?

              Fire is energy and it is often used to denote inspiration.  A person is considered ‘on fire’ when they live with passion and a skip in their step. We also know how difficult it is to stay inspired. Over time, actions, jobs, and mitzvos can all become rote with little to enliven them; a person dries up.  What is the way to maintain ones’ vitality, keep ones’ fire and what does it have to do with redemption?

              There are two sources of water, which is the metaphor for life giving and desire.  There is water that is external, such as rain, a lake or a river and there is water that wells from within, which are tears. In fact, the word for an eye, ayin עין , is connected to the idea of a spring or a מעיין.  Both of these represent the keys to keeping fire.  The ultimate symbol for external water is Torah, often compared to water for its life giving properties.  A way to keep mitzvos strong is to continue to learn and reinforce the actions with deeper ideas to support it.  Another way is through tears, the symbol for yearning. It was precisely the tears of yearning that brought about the redemption.  Egypt is compared to a fiery furnace that dries everything in its path and for a while it dried up the Hebrews. Finally, though, they found their cry and their tears to shout out to Hashem and rekindle the relationship.  That was part of the vision that Hashem showed Moshe at the bush.  The Jewish people had found their tears that could rekindle the fire between them and Hashem, and therefore, it was time to take them out. 

true tranquility

There is a verse in the Torah that discusses tranquility in the strangest of ways.  In reference to Issachar, the tribe dedicated to the study of Torah, it says that ‘he saw tranquility that it was good, and the land that it was nice, and he bent his shoulder to carry the burden, and he became an indentured servant’.  On the surface, if one sees that tranquility is good, then one should seek it out directly- an isolated beach or a peaceful park. How does seeing the goodness of tranquility lead a person to ‘carry the burden’?

              Human beings are restless.  Staying in bed for long period of time is not a sign of peace and tranquility, but a sign of depression. It is a strange phenomenon for if one were asked, do they like to relax and likely they’ll say yes. However, most agree that after a while, relaxation loses its luster and a person finds himself itching to do something.  Rest only comes in handy after a dose of struggle has already occurred. Where does that itch come from to need to work and struggle?

              Deep inside we are aware that we have a  purpose. We are meant to do something and accomplish something with our life and until we arrive at that destination we will be restless. Rest in the Jewish sense really means arriving at a proper destination after a period of struggle. And Yissacher realizes that universally, the ultimate tranquility only comes via a person's struggle to achieve moral perfection via Torah study.  Finding physical completion via career is only part of the picture.  There is also an ethical dimension that requires fine tuning and until that job is done, we will find no rest. That is the type of tranquility that we call good.