Marilyn and I visited R___ G___ .She was amazing. Smart, coherent, interesting, cultured, etc. She is 92 and has family in NY, children, etc. Nevertheless, she (to use her words) gets lonely at times and enjoyed the one hour visit. Marilyn and I both enjoyed meeting her and were pleased to participate in this wonderful outreach. --Jill Altman with Marilyn Scher
Unfortunately, B__ (our person) was not able to receive visitors. His wife answered the phone and said that he was very confused today and that we should not visit. We went back to Dorot for another name, then they let us know that there were no more visits. Good in a way that they had so many volunteers. -- Barbara Bova with Ruth
Betty, Bob and I visited a very sweet lady in Schwab House (West End Ave &
73rd St) and she was so pleasant and so lonely that we stayed about 2 hours.
She kept offering us Coca Cola and wanted to be a good hostess. She's about
85 and does get out a little but she fell last week and it's a little harder
for her now. But I think she will heal and Betty offered to come to her
house and take her to JASA on Fridays where they serve lunch and have
entertainment. I gave her the address of the Actors Temple and she may call
Access-A-Ride to bring her on a Friday night. She was exceedingly happy
with our visit.
We were also given another gentlemen to visit in the same building. Bob tried to contact
him but he had gone out for a walk with his aide. Bob left the package for him. --Florence Cohen with Betty Steiner and Bob Reicher
It is very encouraging. Unfortunately, Bert (our person) was not able to receive visitors. His wife answered the phone and said that he was very confused today and that we should not visit. We went back to Dorot for another name, then they let us know that there were no more visits. Good in a way that they had so many volunteers. --Barbara Bova with Ruth Sandberg
It went very well. Carlos and I got along very well and A__was very happy to see us. We were there about an hour an a half chatting about her and ourselves because she was interested and pleased with our visit. She's alert, articulate, goes to a synagogue nearby. We met her home care person but she did not join us; we learned about her family. She would like to see the Actors’ Temple but doesn't go out at night; she needs a walker. I suggested that maybe the day event (a tour of the synagogue) which started with the United Federation of Teachers (group visiting) would come up again and if it did I'd let her know; but the problem for her would be the stairs. She said she was going to request Dorot to have us both be sent there again; and as we left she said she couldn't wait to see what was sent in the bag. We told her about the Actors’ Temple, Rabbi Jill, and her music quest. She told us about her children and grandchildren. Carlos and I found it to be a gratifying experience --Estelle Levy with Carlos Ramirez
Our visit went well! Michael and I met a 95 year old holocaust survivor from Poland. Her daughter and son-in-law were also there. I played my violin for them all and fortunately they thoroughly enjoyed it. The daughter, who used to play violin herself, enjoyed it especially. Unfortunately, our visit wasn't long, as the daughter and her husband were due to go out and celebrate their anniversary. Still, we had a good time, however brief it was. I look forward to doing this again!--Daniel Constant with Michael Verdel
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Taking and Giving
This week’s Torah portion is Korach, the name of a cousin of Moses, who sought to wrest power away from Moses and Aaron with three of his neighbors from the tribe of Reuben and 250 other leaders. Korach and two of those neighbors, die in an earthquake; and the 250 other rebels also perish. Moses and Aaron, with God’s help and support, survive the insurrection. The portion (Num. 16:1) begins, “Now Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohat, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On, son of Pelet, sons of Reuben, took.”
The Zohar (III 176a) asks, “What did he take? “ And the answer given is: “He took an evil counsel for himself.” The Zohar goes on to explain, “If one runs after that which is not his, it flies from him, and what is more, he loses his own as well. So Korah pursued that which was not his, and he lost his own without obtaining the other. Korach quarreled with peace, and the one who quarrels with peace quarrels with the Holy Name, because the Holy Name is called peace. Korah tried to upset peace on high and below. The words, “Korach took,” are telling in this portion, because they say it all. When we were young many of us thought we were given life to become the best we could be in order to be able to learn how to take all that might be available to us. Korach too, misunderstood his mission on earth. He thought he was placed here, at that location and time, to make a name for himself, to win respect and power, to take what he could, and to enjoy all the fruits of life.
It is somewhat fitting that this week’s Torah portion is about leadership.
It is a great blessing for me to be here with all of you. I want to express to you my profound gratitude and thanks that you have allowed me to be here for the last five years to give and not to take. I have enjoyed many, many fruits of life at The Actors’ Temple, but they have all been secondary to the great privilege of being able to serve and to give in and to all of you and this wonderful synagogue. It is a place where we each can give, according to our talents and inclinations, to build up this spiritual community for each other; where we can learn and grow together: sometimes making mistakes, sometimes needing to apologize to one another and making peace, but with open, loving hearts, and the intention to strive to be more and more of a blessing: to support each other and this synagogue, and to be the kind of community we can be proud of. We are on each other’s spiritual paths, and as such we can take steps together to continue to innovate, to continue to grow, to continue to pray, laugh, learn, and help each other. As we enter the journey toward the next five years, please let me know your ideas for the future. Please suggest ways that you want to contribute to this synagogue and to those friends you have made here. Please let me know how I can give to you and support you. I am so grateful to all of you for being here tonight and for allowing me the privilege of serving you at The Actors’ Temple. Thank you with all my heart.
The Zohar (III 176a) asks, “What did he take? “ And the answer given is: “He took an evil counsel for himself.” The Zohar goes on to explain, “If one runs after that which is not his, it flies from him, and what is more, he loses his own as well. So Korah pursued that which was not his, and he lost his own without obtaining the other. Korach quarreled with peace, and the one who quarrels with peace quarrels with the Holy Name, because the Holy Name is called peace. Korah tried to upset peace on high and below. The words, “Korach took,” are telling in this portion, because they say it all. When we were young many of us thought we were given life to become the best we could be in order to be able to learn how to take all that might be available to us. Korach too, misunderstood his mission on earth. He thought he was placed here, at that location and time, to make a name for himself, to win respect and power, to take what he could, and to enjoy all the fruits of life.
It is somewhat fitting that this week’s Torah portion is about leadership.
It is a great blessing for me to be here with all of you. I want to express to you my profound gratitude and thanks that you have allowed me to be here for the last five years to give and not to take. I have enjoyed many, many fruits of life at The Actors’ Temple, but they have all been secondary to the great privilege of being able to serve and to give in and to all of you and this wonderful synagogue. It is a place where we each can give, according to our talents and inclinations, to build up this spiritual community for each other; where we can learn and grow together: sometimes making mistakes, sometimes needing to apologize to one another and making peace, but with open, loving hearts, and the intention to strive to be more and more of a blessing: to support each other and this synagogue, and to be the kind of community we can be proud of. We are on each other’s spiritual paths, and as such we can take steps together to continue to innovate, to continue to grow, to continue to pray, laugh, learn, and help each other. As we enter the journey toward the next five years, please let me know your ideas for the future. Please suggest ways that you want to contribute to this synagogue and to those friends you have made here. Please let me know how I can give to you and support you. I am so grateful to all of you for being here tonight and for allowing me the privilege of serving you at The Actors’ Temple. Thank you with all my heart.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Peace Not Only in Heaven
This week’s Torah portion is Shelach Lecha, which means, send forth for yourself. It tells the famous story of the scouts or spies, sent to have a first glimpse of the Promised Land. God gave permission for 12 leaders, one from each tribe, to be sent by Moses to bring back a report on the land, the people in it, and its produce. The scouts return, bringing with them the fruit of the land and they give a public report in which they affirm that the land is good, “But,” and this is a fatal but; 10 out of 12 of them said, in effect, we will never be able to conquer it. We are far too weak. The land is fully settled, fortified, and the people are too strong. The scouts demoralized the Israelites, who became afraid and wanted to return to Egypt. Because of the people’s fear and lack of faith, in spite of God leading them around with a pillar of cloud and feeding them manna each day, God concluded that only their children who had not been enslaved, would inherit the land and that they must wander for 38 more years. The ten scouts died in a plague.
Many Torah sages have asked, what was the scouts’ great sin? They were sent to reconnoiter the territory and come back and give their opinion, which they did. They were telling the truth as they saw it. So why, if this was their honest opinion, did they suffer for what they said? We know that we all make mistakes: we make them frequently. Mistakes are part of being human and seem to be the way we learn. But there is a higher standard when a leader causes others to go astray than when that leader does something wrong that only affects him or her personally. Making a public declaration instead of reporting privately to Moses was the beginning of the scouts’ wrongdoing. And it has to do with self aggrandizement, or an excess of ego. Perhaps they wanted to feel important, and seem important to the others. Perhaps they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight and their momentary opportunity for leadership. But this was not their only transgression. Perhaps their major sin was that the spies sowed divisiveness. It doesn’t sound like such a terrible sin. But seen in the larger context of the nature of reality, it takes on much wider proportions.
The people had been wandering for two years and were all ready to conquer the land, until the spies’ report. The spies divided the people from Moses and Aaron, and also from Joshua and Caleb. Tragically, the spies also divided the people from God. The portion says, “The entire assembly raised up and issued its voice; the people wept that night.” Not only was there division: there was fear and grief: unhappiness and suffering. This is what division causes. Division: separating ourselves from each other and the Divine Oneness of the Universe, causes unhappiness and suffering. I also think separating causes illness, as it says, “ …the people who spread the evil report about the land died in a plague before God (14:37).”
The Chassidic sage, Abraham Joshua Heschl of Apt, quotes a midrash: “It is written, The one who makes peace in the heaven, should make peace among us. The sages ask, what sort of peace needs to be made in the heavens? It is because the angel Mi’chael is the prince of water and the angel Gavriel is the prince of fire. And although water extinguishes fire, still there is peace among them And even more so, there are angels who are half water and half fire and even in them there is peace.”
The nature of God and the Universe is harmony and oneness. And this includes us. Any time we separate, by separating ourselves, or by trying to separate others, by our speech or actions, we create a disharmony that goes against the harmony and oneness of God and life. It creates little bits of death, as Moses said in Deuteronomy (30:19), “I have placed before you life and death, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life, so that you will live, you and your offspring, to love God your God, to listen to God’s voice, and to cleave to God, for The Eternal is your life and the length of your days.” Moses was trying to tell us that cleaving to the Divine; that is, not creating the little separations that we all create, will promote life in our lives. It promotes happiness. It allows us to move through life in sync with the true structure of God and the Universe. God’s very nature is peace. When we sow discord, we go against God, and life, and our own happiness. Why did the Israelites have to wander for another 38 years? To reestablish their connection with God and each other. Call it team building. Or call it the development of a more fearless attachment to the Divine Presence. When we find the harmony of living with each other in peace, we will have found the true nature of life, God, and ourselves. May we realize that creating divisions is not only counter-productive but counter to ultimate reality. May we choose to let unity, harmony, and peace flow through us, that we may extend life for ourselves and those around us.
Many Torah sages have asked, what was the scouts’ great sin? They were sent to reconnoiter the territory and come back and give their opinion, which they did. They were telling the truth as they saw it. So why, if this was their honest opinion, did they suffer for what they said? We know that we all make mistakes: we make them frequently. Mistakes are part of being human and seem to be the way we learn. But there is a higher standard when a leader causes others to go astray than when that leader does something wrong that only affects him or her personally. Making a public declaration instead of reporting privately to Moses was the beginning of the scouts’ wrongdoing. And it has to do with self aggrandizement, or an excess of ego. Perhaps they wanted to feel important, and seem important to the others. Perhaps they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight and their momentary opportunity for leadership. But this was not their only transgression. Perhaps their major sin was that the spies sowed divisiveness. It doesn’t sound like such a terrible sin. But seen in the larger context of the nature of reality, it takes on much wider proportions.
The people had been wandering for two years and were all ready to conquer the land, until the spies’ report. The spies divided the people from Moses and Aaron, and also from Joshua and Caleb. Tragically, the spies also divided the people from God. The portion says, “The entire assembly raised up and issued its voice; the people wept that night.” Not only was there division: there was fear and grief: unhappiness and suffering. This is what division causes. Division: separating ourselves from each other and the Divine Oneness of the Universe, causes unhappiness and suffering. I also think separating causes illness, as it says, “ …the people who spread the evil report about the land died in a plague before God (14:37).”
The Chassidic sage, Abraham Joshua Heschl of Apt, quotes a midrash: “It is written, The one who makes peace in the heaven, should make peace among us. The sages ask, what sort of peace needs to be made in the heavens? It is because the angel Mi’chael is the prince of water and the angel Gavriel is the prince of fire. And although water extinguishes fire, still there is peace among them And even more so, there are angels who are half water and half fire and even in them there is peace.”
The nature of God and the Universe is harmony and oneness. And this includes us. Any time we separate, by separating ourselves, or by trying to separate others, by our speech or actions, we create a disharmony that goes against the harmony and oneness of God and life. It creates little bits of death, as Moses said in Deuteronomy (30:19), “I have placed before you life and death, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life, so that you will live, you and your offspring, to love God your God, to listen to God’s voice, and to cleave to God, for The Eternal is your life and the length of your days.” Moses was trying to tell us that cleaving to the Divine; that is, not creating the little separations that we all create, will promote life in our lives. It promotes happiness. It allows us to move through life in sync with the true structure of God and the Universe. God’s very nature is peace. When we sow discord, we go against God, and life, and our own happiness. Why did the Israelites have to wander for another 38 years? To reestablish their connection with God and each other. Call it team building. Or call it the development of a more fearless attachment to the Divine Presence. When we find the harmony of living with each other in peace, we will have found the true nature of life, God, and ourselves. May we realize that creating divisions is not only counter-productive but counter to ultimate reality. May we choose to let unity, harmony, and peace flow through us, that we may extend life for ourselves and those around us.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Guest Blogger: Steve Greenstein
Many times I have gone to the Actors Temple and I say I live in
Newark...I am usually greeted with a face of why? Followed by
distorted views about the city, and many negative comments. If you
watch the powerful media, there is no wonder why, a killing gets lots
of press.
The fear factor sets in, and a whole city is labeled one big inner city
violent ghetto. You have to look past the headlines, and see we live
in many different America's. On July 5th I attended the New Jersey
Symphony concert right here in Branch Brook Park, followed by fire
works. All for free in a beautiful park designed by the Olmsteads of Central Park fame..
Later in the week I attended a free concert here in Essex county, the
Great Harlold Melvin and the Blue Notes. The awesome black soul group of the
70's which great hits like "The love I lost.." and the classic " If
you don't know me by now"..The park was filled with Blacks, whites, hispanics all
grooving to the geat tunes..Middle age folks breaking out in dance
steps on a hot summer night under a bright moon.
I have taught school in Newark for ten years as a parallel career to
being an actor. I have taught at Arts High and just about every
elementary school in the Ironbound section of Newark. I know the city, and that is why this latest killing on the news has gotten to me so deeply. On Friday a
young black woman, a graduate of Arts High and now a teacher was
gunned down outside a restaurant. Twenty seven years old, a life
infront of her. A gifted musician as well and a stellar person. Wrong
place, wrong time. A Black cop, off duty gunned down outside a pizza
joint a month ago.. random senseless...I could go on and on..but why
break our hearts. I have a beautiful vegetable garden here in Newark.
Every year awards are given out to residents from all over the city.
Its a great ceremony attended by so many people of different faiths and
races.
Newark is a diverse city. FIve colleges, Portugese, Brazillian, and
Hispanics communities are here form all over latin America. The
National Hockey league, the best Jewish deli..Hobbies serves awesome
cornbeef to hungry Devils fans on cold winter nights. A great museum,
minor league basball and five star restaurants.
Yet, and as politically incorrect as this may sound the victims
of most of the crimes are black, killed by other blacks. However, this
is rarely mentioned. The violence tends to be in a certain
neighborhood.The entire city is seen by outsiders as a living hell and
they have never stepped one foot here.
Where is Al Sharpton? Jesse Jackson, and yes the first Black President
Mr. Obama. Why does he not visit these areas and call attention to this
horrible situation. It goes on and on..and yet I have not seen any
civil rights leaders visit Newark, make a march or form a
demonstration.
On August 2nd it will be national night out on Crime. I hope the
problems in the Black community are brought to a forefront, and people
can really confront this issue. The president has been invisible on this.
With unemployment twice the average in black neighborhoods, what is the
future? I have taught so many kids in some of the most toughest
schools. That woman that was killed on Friday was a success story,
yet she lays in a morgue. It is all too senseless. We need to speak
out.
Newark...I am usually greeted with a face of why? Followed by
distorted views about the city, and many negative comments. If you
watch the powerful media, there is no wonder why, a killing gets lots
of press.
The fear factor sets in, and a whole city is labeled one big inner city
violent ghetto. You have to look past the headlines, and see we live
in many different America's. On July 5th I attended the New Jersey
Symphony concert right here in Branch Brook Park, followed by fire
works. All for free in a beautiful park designed by the Olmsteads of Central Park fame..
Later in the week I attended a free concert here in Essex county, the
Great Harlold Melvin and the Blue Notes. The awesome black soul group of the
70's which great hits like "The love I lost.." and the classic " If
you don't know me by now"..The park was filled with Blacks, whites, hispanics all
grooving to the geat tunes..Middle age folks breaking out in dance
steps on a hot summer night under a bright moon.
I have taught school in Newark for ten years as a parallel career to
being an actor. I have taught at Arts High and just about every
elementary school in the Ironbound section of Newark. I know the city, and that is why this latest killing on the news has gotten to me so deeply. On Friday a
young black woman, a graduate of Arts High and now a teacher was
gunned down outside a restaurant. Twenty seven years old, a life
infront of her. A gifted musician as well and a stellar person. Wrong
place, wrong time. A Black cop, off duty gunned down outside a pizza
joint a month ago.. random senseless...I could go on and on..but why
break our hearts. I have a beautiful vegetable garden here in Newark.
Every year awards are given out to residents from all over the city.
Its a great ceremony attended by so many people of different faiths and
races.
Newark is a diverse city. FIve colleges, Portugese, Brazillian, and
Hispanics communities are here form all over latin America. The
National Hockey league, the best Jewish deli..Hobbies serves awesome
cornbeef to hungry Devils fans on cold winter nights. A great museum,
minor league basball and five star restaurants.
Yet, and as politically incorrect as this may sound the victims
of most of the crimes are black, killed by other blacks. However, this
is rarely mentioned. The violence tends to be in a certain
neighborhood.The entire city is seen by outsiders as a living hell and
they have never stepped one foot here.
Where is Al Sharpton? Jesse Jackson, and yes the first Black President
Mr. Obama. Why does he not visit these areas and call attention to this
horrible situation. It goes on and on..and yet I have not seen any
civil rights leaders visit Newark, make a march or form a
demonstration.
On August 2nd it will be national night out on Crime. I hope the
problems in the Black community are brought to a forefront, and people
can really confront this issue. The president has been invisible on this.
With unemployment twice the average in black neighborhoods, what is the
future? I have taught so many kids in some of the most toughest
schools. That woman that was killed on Friday was a success story,
yet she lays in a morgue. It is all too senseless. We need to speak
out.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
What is the Gift of Speech For?
This week we read Behaalotecha, from the Book of Numbers. It means, when you lift up, referring to the lighting of the Menorah. This portion contains the famous passage about Miriam and Aaron, siblings of Moses, who were speaking to each other about Moses’ family matters – speech that amounted to gossip. God reprimands them; and Miriam, who apparently instigated the discussion, was given a skin disease. Aaron begged Moses to pray for her. Moses immediately prayed on her behalf and Miriam was healed. By using her speech to separate, she herself was separated from those she loved; and she had to stay outside the camp for seven days. Earlier in the portion, there are several instances where speech is also used negatively: the Israelites complaining and carrying on about many things, including the food, and a demand by servants of Moses for two prophets to be imprisoned. There are also a few instances in this portion, where speech is used positively: for blessing. Some people who had not been able to celebrate Pesach, because of a burial, approached Moses to ask how and if they could serve God and celebrate Passover. They were allowed to observe it in the following month. A commandment was given to make and use two silver trumpets to ask God to help them when they went to battle, among other occasions. And Aaron’s using speech to ask Moses to pray for Miriam as well as Moses’ prayer itself, were holy uses of speech. Finally, Moses’ asking God for help, was an appropriate use of speech, resulting in the creation of our high court, the Sanhedrin.
So this portion has examples of how to use our speech positively and negatively. The sages have said, “A human being is treated according to how he or she treats others;” and there is a teaching quoted in the Mussar literature, based on a work called Ways of the Righteous, by Orchos Tzaddikim, that tells this story: “A rabbi made a banquet and asked his servants to prepare meat, some of it cooked until soft, while the rest of it was left still tough. The rabbi placed the meat before his students, who selected the tender meat. He said to them: ‘Look what you are doing. Just as you selected the tender and left the hard, so, too, let your tongues be tender to each other.’” The Israelites of the Torah were attempting to create a holy community. In this synagogue, too, we attempt to be there for each other as a spiritual community. What purpose can we serve for each other? Certainly friendship and acceptance. A place to ask questions and sometimes to ask for help. A place to pray for ourselves and others. A place where we are all teaching each other and learning from each other. But not only that. My teacher, Rabbi Gelberman wrote that our speech is an outward expression of an inner feeling. This tells us that intention is vital. We can ask ourselves, what do we mean to accomplish with our speech? Is it drawing people together and not separating them? If our intention is to help, and love, and support each other, then we will accomplish the goal of inspiring each other. We will create a place where we can model holy behavior for each other and learn and grow together. We can be a family in the best sense of the word, where we build each other up and not tear each other down. This is what the great gift of speech is for and what a holy community can be for: to inspire and motivate ourselves and each other so that we can be lifted up, as in the title of this Torah portion, and together kindle our and each other’s great inner light.
So this portion has examples of how to use our speech positively and negatively. The sages have said, “A human being is treated according to how he or she treats others;” and there is a teaching quoted in the Mussar literature, based on a work called Ways of the Righteous, by Orchos Tzaddikim, that tells this story: “A rabbi made a banquet and asked his servants to prepare meat, some of it cooked until soft, while the rest of it was left still tough. The rabbi placed the meat before his students, who selected the tender meat. He said to them: ‘Look what you are doing. Just as you selected the tender and left the hard, so, too, let your tongues be tender to each other.’” The Israelites of the Torah were attempting to create a holy community. In this synagogue, too, we attempt to be there for each other as a spiritual community. What purpose can we serve for each other? Certainly friendship and acceptance. A place to ask questions and sometimes to ask for help. A place to pray for ourselves and others. A place where we are all teaching each other and learning from each other. But not only that. My teacher, Rabbi Gelberman wrote that our speech is an outward expression of an inner feeling. This tells us that intention is vital. We can ask ourselves, what do we mean to accomplish with our speech? Is it drawing people together and not separating them? If our intention is to help, and love, and support each other, then we will accomplish the goal of inspiring each other. We will create a place where we can model holy behavior for each other and learn and grow together. We can be a family in the best sense of the word, where we build each other up and not tear each other down. This is what the great gift of speech is for and what a holy community can be for: to inspire and motivate ourselves and each other so that we can be lifted up, as in the title of this Torah portion, and together kindle our and each other’s great inner light.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Finding Out Who You Really Are
This week’s Torah portion is Bemidbar, the first portion in the book of Numbers. Bemidbar means, “in the wilderness,” but Numbers gets its name from the commandment to number, or take a census of, the Israelites. In this portion, a plan of encampments is also given, with the ark containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments in the center, the Levites camping around the tablets, and the other tribes camping around the Levites. The Levites are designated to replace the firstborn, and are assigned tasks for transporting the tabernacle, being given temple service as their occupation. One verse begins: (3:6) “Bring near the tribes of Levi and have them stand before Aaron the Kohen and they shall serve him; and they shall safeguard his charge, or his guarding, and the charge of the entire assembly before the Tent of Meeting, before the service of the Tabernacle.” Rashi comments on this verse, quoting from the Talmud, (Megilla 13b) “But my assignment and your assignment are not the same.” It seems like an obvious statement, and yet a deeper subject is being introduced here, involving our uniqueness and our destiny. Rabbi Gelberman used to say that the Eleventh Commandment is, “Thou shall have a purpose.” But what is our purpose? How do we find and identify it? One of the Chassidic masters, Rabbi Pinchas of Korzek (as quoted by the S’fat Emet) said, “Each of us becomes excited by a different quality or aspect of life and possibly of religious life; and this is reflected in the may ways of understanding God,” as we say in the Amidah, God of Abraham, God of Sarah, God of Isaac, God of Rebecca, etc. Because we are alive, each of us is fulfilling a very special and holy purpose, because if we didn’t have a purpose, there would be no reason for us to have been created; but we aren’t told what that purpose is. It is up to us to embark on a process of discovery, because only we can fulfill the unique task that we’ve been given. We all contribute differently. Some of you may know the teaching that when we humans make many of the same thing: coins, or cars, or can openers, we make them all alike, but when God makes many of the same, each one is different.
In this portion that begins with a commandment to take a census and count the Israelites, the word, count: pakod, as noted by Rabbi Elimelech, also means raise. We are asked to raise ourselves, leading ourselves to be in tune with our inner yearning for giving and wholeness. Rabbi Arthur Green puts it beautifully: “the soul is holy and Torah is a holy teaching, a mirror held up to allow the soul to uncover the great depth that lies within.” The triumph of living life as a human being is that we can safeguard those qualities which are unique within us, our special talents, our inner appetites for certain kinds of learning and achievement, and our potential for spiritual and moral growth. Rabbi Elimelech quotes a teaching based on the Prophet Zechariah (3:7) which says that angels are called omdim, standing, because they don’t grow or learn from their tasks; they can’t change; they can only do what they have been sent to carry out; whereas humans are called me’haleich, from the word, lech, going or walking. We are not permitted to stand still. It is our destiny to move forward, as in Norman Mailer’s famous quotation, "For there was that law of life, so cruel and so just, which demanded that one must change or pay more for staying the same."
Bemidbar beckons us to the great wilderness of our own minds and hearts. It whispers to us, “find out who you really are – not who you are at this moment, but who you are capable of becoming and what is your own special service in the world. Don’t stand in one place like an angel, go forward like a human being, full of promise and dignity; and you will be counted among the holy and blessed who have fulfilled their unique purpose, being of great value to others and to God. Our capacity for learning, developing, and rising to great heights is unlimited. Take a step into the unknown: the world of the soul; the terrain of unconditional service and love, and there you will discover yourself.
In this portion that begins with a commandment to take a census and count the Israelites, the word, count: pakod, as noted by Rabbi Elimelech, also means raise. We are asked to raise ourselves, leading ourselves to be in tune with our inner yearning for giving and wholeness. Rabbi Arthur Green puts it beautifully: “the soul is holy and Torah is a holy teaching, a mirror held up to allow the soul to uncover the great depth that lies within.” The triumph of living life as a human being is that we can safeguard those qualities which are unique within us, our special talents, our inner appetites for certain kinds of learning and achievement, and our potential for spiritual and moral growth. Rabbi Elimelech quotes a teaching based on the Prophet Zechariah (3:7) which says that angels are called omdim, standing, because they don’t grow or learn from their tasks; they can’t change; they can only do what they have been sent to carry out; whereas humans are called me’haleich, from the word, lech, going or walking. We are not permitted to stand still. It is our destiny to move forward, as in Norman Mailer’s famous quotation, "For there was that law of life, so cruel and so just, which demanded that one must change or pay more for staying the same."
Bemidbar beckons us to the great wilderness of our own minds and hearts. It whispers to us, “find out who you really are – not who you are at this moment, but who you are capable of becoming and what is your own special service in the world. Don’t stand in one place like an angel, go forward like a human being, full of promise and dignity; and you will be counted among the holy and blessed who have fulfilled their unique purpose, being of great value to others and to God. Our capacity for learning, developing, and rising to great heights is unlimited. Take a step into the unknown: the world of the soul; the terrain of unconditional service and love, and there you will discover yourself.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Joining the Human Race
This week’s Torah portion is Behar, which means, on the Mountain. Behar gives us the laws for the Sabbath of the land, which occurs every seven years, and for the Jubilee, every 50th year. At the Jubilee, the land was to return to its original, ancestral owners, slaves were freed, loans were forgiven, and liberty was proclaimed for all inhabitants, the sentence inscribed on our Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. In this portion we are told that the land belongs to God and that we belong to God. Then there are laws to prevent poverty, such as the necessity to buy back land that was sold out of dire economic need, and the responsibility to help a relative who becomes impoverished.
Tonight I’d like to draw your attention to one verse in Behar which reads, “If your brother becomes impoverished and his hand falters with you, you shall hold onto him, stranger and resident, so that he can live with you.” This quotation features the word, Brother, achicha, which appears in the portion six times and also the words, with you, imach, which appears in this portion more than 10 times. The point being made here is the same as in the Shema – that God is one and that we are all brothers and sisters for each other – that we are all a part of each other and of God. This quotation actually answers the question posed by Cain about his brother Abel, Am I my brother’s keeper? The answer of course is yes, we are all our brother’s keepers. Each person is responsible fro every other person.
When my younger son was about five years old, I once said something about the human race. He asked me, Mommy, are they still racing? I laughed and then explained what human race meant, but since then I have thought about his question and I think there is a kind of wisdom in what he asked. There are different levels of joining the human race. Some people are like out of town members who would like to be aloof and live apart from others, not having a full fledged membership. Others are donating but inactive members who prefer to contribute financially but not participate personally. And then there are those who are fully engaged – full members of the human race with their sisters and brothers. This exemplifies that teaching in Leviticus which is a distant goal and which we are asked to struggle for all our lives: Love your neighbor as yourself. But how can we even begin to move in that direction? It seems like such a hopeless task. Moses is our great teacher in this area. The Torah says, “Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth.” Moses loved his people He volunteered to sacrifice his life for them to win forgiveness on their behalf. Luckily God did not accept his offer, but forgave the people anyway. God gave Moses two opportunities to abandon the people and start a new nation, after they had sinned, but Moses never would walk away from them. He repeatedly threw his fate in with theirs. Moses was only able to do this because of his humility. One of the great Chassidic rabbis, Rabbi Elimelech, wrote about his quality of humility. He cites a story from the Talmud that all the mountains gathered together before God and asked that they be chosen to serve as the place for the giving of the Torah. God answered them, “you are all blemished compared with Mt. Sinai.” Rabbi Elimech, in the name of the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria) asked, “what is Mt. Sinai’s great quality? It’s the lowest and most humble of all the mountains, teaching us that Torah can only be given to one who is humble and (who chooses to) lower himself… that is why Moses was able to receive the Torah directly from God.” The Torah makes clear in an earlier verse in Behar, that from God’s point of view, we are all alike. “The land is Mine; for you are sojourners and residents with me.” And also, “for the children of Israel are servants to me, they are my servants.” In other words, To God we are all alike. It is only the walls of our own egos that keep us from loving and accepting each other. The Karliner Rebbe taught it this way: “When someone falls in to mud, we must jump into the mud to save him. So it is when your brother stretches out his hand in need, put yourself in him place and save him.” These teachings are also echoed by Jesus, who taught the very same Torah concepts: (Mat 5:5) “ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Mat 5:3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 19:24) “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Mat 5:39) But I tell you not to resist an evildoer. On the contrary, whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.” All these teachings tell us that we must actively strive to break down the walls of ego we have erected which keep us from connecting with each other. We can emulate our great teachers and sages and pursue humility. It is only by working to join the Human race so that we can stop racing to overtake and best each other that we can begin to walk toward loving each other. Then we will experience the true goodness and blessing of being fully human, a full member of the human race. Then will we be true brothers and sisters and the world will be so much better for it.
Tonight I’d like to draw your attention to one verse in Behar which reads, “If your brother becomes impoverished and his hand falters with you, you shall hold onto him, stranger and resident, so that he can live with you.” This quotation features the word, Brother, achicha, which appears in the portion six times and also the words, with you, imach, which appears in this portion more than 10 times. The point being made here is the same as in the Shema – that God is one and that we are all brothers and sisters for each other – that we are all a part of each other and of God. This quotation actually answers the question posed by Cain about his brother Abel, Am I my brother’s keeper? The answer of course is yes, we are all our brother’s keepers. Each person is responsible fro every other person.
When my younger son was about five years old, I once said something about the human race. He asked me, Mommy, are they still racing? I laughed and then explained what human race meant, but since then I have thought about his question and I think there is a kind of wisdom in what he asked. There are different levels of joining the human race. Some people are like out of town members who would like to be aloof and live apart from others, not having a full fledged membership. Others are donating but inactive members who prefer to contribute financially but not participate personally. And then there are those who are fully engaged – full members of the human race with their sisters and brothers. This exemplifies that teaching in Leviticus which is a distant goal and which we are asked to struggle for all our lives: Love your neighbor as yourself. But how can we even begin to move in that direction? It seems like such a hopeless task. Moses is our great teacher in this area. The Torah says, “Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth.” Moses loved his people He volunteered to sacrifice his life for them to win forgiveness on their behalf. Luckily God did not accept his offer, but forgave the people anyway. God gave Moses two opportunities to abandon the people and start a new nation, after they had sinned, but Moses never would walk away from them. He repeatedly threw his fate in with theirs. Moses was only able to do this because of his humility. One of the great Chassidic rabbis, Rabbi Elimelech, wrote about his quality of humility. He cites a story from the Talmud that all the mountains gathered together before God and asked that they be chosen to serve as the place for the giving of the Torah. God answered them, “you are all blemished compared with Mt. Sinai.” Rabbi Elimech, in the name of the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria) asked, “what is Mt. Sinai’s great quality? It’s the lowest and most humble of all the mountains, teaching us that Torah can only be given to one who is humble and (who chooses to) lower himself… that is why Moses was able to receive the Torah directly from God.” The Torah makes clear in an earlier verse in Behar, that from God’s point of view, we are all alike. “The land is Mine; for you are sojourners and residents with me.” And also, “for the children of Israel are servants to me, they are my servants.” In other words, To God we are all alike. It is only the walls of our own egos that keep us from loving and accepting each other. The Karliner Rebbe taught it this way: “When someone falls in to mud, we must jump into the mud to save him. So it is when your brother stretches out his hand in need, put yourself in him place and save him.” These teachings are also echoed by Jesus, who taught the very same Torah concepts: (Mat 5:5) “ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Mat 5:3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 19:24) “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Mat 5:39) But I tell you not to resist an evildoer. On the contrary, whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.” All these teachings tell us that we must actively strive to break down the walls of ego we have erected which keep us from connecting with each other. We can emulate our great teachers and sages and pursue humility. It is only by working to join the Human race so that we can stop racing to overtake and best each other that we can begin to walk toward loving each other. Then we will experience the true goodness and blessing of being fully human, a full member of the human race. Then will we be true brothers and sisters and the world will be so much better for it.
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