Linking Ourselves to the Divine

This week’s Torah portion is Nasso, which means do, as in, do a census. Moses continues to take a census of the Levites; and the Levites are assigned tasks for dismantling and carrying the Tabernacle. Instructions for purifying the camp are given, there is a process to atone for sins, and laws that have been abandoned, such as the trial by ordeal, when a husband is suspicious of a wife; and the rules for temporary nuns and monks, the Nazarites, are outlined. This portion famously includes the Priestly Benediction; and concludes with the description of identical offerings of the tribal leaders for the dedication of the altar.

Each year I read this section: “....When a man or woman shall commit any sin that earthlings commit, to do a trespass against God, and if that person is guilty; Then they shall confess their sin which they have done; and he shall make restitution for his trespass in full, and add to it its fifth, and give it to him against whom he has trespassed. (Num. 5:6-7). I have spoken before that the words, against God, B'Adonai, can also be interpreted as, “in God,” which tells us that we live inside of God, or inside of being, inside of existence. Since there is no life outside of existence, outside of being, how can we re-establish the feeling of being loved and cared for and accepted by God after we have been less than charming? This Torah portion gives us a few ways to re-link ourselves back to God, which is the meaning of the word, religion: a re-establishment of our connection to equanimity within God.

The first method in this portion is confession and then giving 20% more, when we have sinned. That's like apologizing and also giving flowers or candy, or doing something extra nice for someone. The broader principle is that by giving we can feel good enough about ourselves to allow ourselves to feel better about what we did, and feel accepted by God.

The second way is through ritual that involves an official representative of religion itself. This is suggested by the arcane trial by ordeal of the Sotah, the wayward wife and the jealous husband. Something was wrong in this marriage. Neither the wife or husband was happy. The priest steps into this breach with a prescribed set of actions which all parties hope will effect an improvement in the relationship. Perhaps even just the triangulation of the wife and husband speaking to the Priest separately and then the priest speaking to the other spouse could increase positive communication, which is the basis for all healthy relationships. It was a kind of early marriage therapy, by bringing a pastoral presence to calm the situation and to help.

And then there is the method of the Nazarite. Perhaps this person is really tired of repeating the same negative behaviors, over and over again. The nazarite has taken himself or herself in hand to put a stop to the undesirable pattern and choose differently. Alternately, perhaps this person is frustrated by the unceasing demands of everyday life, and needs some peace, to feel rejuvenated and relinked to God. The method here, with the Nazarite, is by establishing a set of prohibitions upon oneself. No wine? Understandable. No grapes or raisins? No haircuts? Ridiculous, and yet the process of abiding by a prohibition, just because God asked it of us, does many things: it reduces our ego. It helps us to abide by God's laws. It shows us how to develop our inner fineness by letting us set the limits. It develops our integrity, not allowing us to fool ourselves or be less than totally honest with ourselves.

All of these techniques helps us to reestablish our connection to the Divine. The priestly Benediction, speaks of prayer and acceptance. By being gathered together for a blessing, we are reassured that eventually we will be forgiven. This portion then circles back to exactly where it began: with giving. The giving of gifts by the Tribal heads stresses the importance of charity and tells us that this is a pathway to help us to do good in the world and to feel good about who we are and our actions.

Living within God isn't easy for us humans. We often don't measure up even to our own standards, no less God's standards. Luckily we don't have to be perfect. We can make mistakes and be forgiven, relinking ourselves to the Divine. Ultimately it's about caring: how earnest we are in trying to do the right thing, and how quickly we can reestablish our connection to God, feeling good about ourselves again. Because we live inside of God and are made of Divine matter and energy, our innate goodness helps us to yearn to feel the flow of love between earth and heaven. May we make the effort to keep our love flowing to each other, and may we be guided back into love and acceptance when we need a helping hand.

So Much To Give

This week’s Torah portion is Naso, in the Book of Numbers, which means take. It continues the taking of a census from the previous Torah portion. All of the males of the Israelites, from 20 years of age and older, had been counted. Now the Levites were to be counted, from 30 years of age to 50 years, to do the work of the sanctuary: dismantling the Tabernacle, the portable place of prayer and sacrifice in the wilderness; covering it, and carrying; setting it up again; but also serving the priests, serving God, serving the people and later, when there was a permanent Temple, singing and playing the music of worship.
The Israelites were counted for the legion, in case there should be war and they had to defend the nation. They could serve from 20 years of age and onward. The Levite men could not serve until they were mature enough to take their tasks seriously. But why should they have to retire at 50? We are told in the prayerbook about the expected life span of the time: “three score and ten our years may number, four score if granted the vigor.” Most people were expected to live to between 70 and 80 years – not too dissimilar to our own time – slightly less, but not radically different. There is a hint in next week’s portion about this question. It says (Num. 8:25) “from 50 years of age he shall withdraw from the legion of work and no longer work. He shall minister with his brethren in the Tent of Meeting to safeguard the charge but work shall he not perform.” He shall minister: in other words, the Levite was asked to be there for people: a shoulder to lean on, a sympathetic ear, an understanding smile, help when it was needed: to be parent, friend, and even like God for people who seemed to be floundering or who sought a friend; to be a loving presence and to serve in any way his life, and the Eternal One, called him to serve.
And in a sense, this is the service we have been called to as well. Judaism teaches that there are no coincidences. That you, as members and friends, have been called here to be a part of a community where there are opportunities for service and for growth is not accidental. As we are here together, we will be walking along parallel spiritual paths. We are now companions on life’s journey: teaching each other and learning from each other; modeling God’s attributes as given in Exodus, during Moses’ intimate encounter with the Eternal Presence: compassion, kindness, patience, forgiveness, and truth. Each of us, like the Levites during their last 30 years of life, has so much to give. It is a spiritual opportunity for us, as we grow. And we are always in the process of learning how to give; how to get out of the way of our own impulse to love. Service is perhaps, the highest form of love. May our coming together tonight, be a grand new chapter in the history of this synagogue and also of our lives; the creation of a vibrant and sacred community; diverse, promoting and supporting our spiritual growth; accepting, loving, and committed to serving each other, our fellow human beings, and the Eternal God.