4.29.16 Counting Up to Receive and Reclaim

Hope your seder was filled with meaning and joy.  Have you figured out ten new ways to eat matzah?  Personally, my favorites are (oldies and goodies); my abba's fried matzah (with syrup) and plain matzah with cream cheese and jam.  As you are thinking about matzah, what better time to register for the upcoming Shabbat Beineinu on May 6th? Celebrate Shabbat and replenish your chametz with music and friends.  Scroll down for details. 

Passover is hard work.  One would think we might deserve a break and just have some time to relax and just be.  Oh no, that is not the case at all.

The second night of Passover begins a journey towards receiving and reclaiming Torah. It's called counting the Omer (a measure of barley).  We count seven weeks ending at Shavuot (which literally means "weeks") - the holiday that celebrates the giving of the Torah. According to the Torah,Leviticus 23:15–16, we could just count one, two, three...all the way to forty-nine.  But, that would be mundane and Judaism is anything but mundane (right?). The Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) certainly thought it would be far more meaningful and more fulfilling to live a life immersed in deep spirituality.  So instead of just counting one, two, three...forty-nine, we are given seven qualities to reflect upon in preparation for receiving and reclaiming Torah.

1. Chesed - "Lovingkindness"
2. Gevurah - "Discipline"
3. Tiferet - "Beauty"
4. Netzach - "Eternity"
5. Hod - "Splendour"
6.Yesod - "Foundation"
7. Malkuth - "Nobility"
Each of the seven weeks is dedicated to one of the qualities and the intersection between that specific quality and itself and the other six.  Doing this inner work will enhance the journey to Shavuot and make us more ready to receive and reclaim Torah.  This first week is dedicated to Chesed, "Lovingkindness".  Am I generous with my love?  Is it unconditional?  Can I expand my Chesed?  

There are many many many contemporary writings and exercises available to support our effort and guide our reflection.  The following comes from Simon Jacobson, Meaningful Life Center (see details below for how to subscribe).

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we make our way into Shabbat and closer to receiving and reclaiming Torah, may we be mindful of the personal chametz (that which makes us puffy - stuck, unaware and closed) we are shedding during Pesach, so we may do the inner work necessary to draw closer to becoming our best selves.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Counting!
Laurie

DAY 6  -  YESOD OF CHESED Bonding in Lovingkindness Tonight, Thursday evening, April 28, we count six days of the Omer.    For love to be eternal it requires bonding. A sense of togetherness which actualizes the love in a joint effort. An intimate connection, kinship and attachment, benefiting both parties. This bonding bears fruit; the fruit born out of a healthy union. Exercise for the day: Start building something constructive together with a loved one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DAY 7 -  MALCHUT OF CHESED Nobility in Lovingkindness Friday evening, April 29, we count seven days, which is one week of the Omer.    Mature love comes with - and brings - personal dignity. An intimate feeling of nobility and regality. Knowing your special place and contribution in this world. Any love that is debilitating and breaks the human spirit is no love at all. For love to be complete it must have the dimension of personal sovereignty. Exercise for the day: Highlight an aspect of your love that has bolstered your spirit and enriched your life...and celebrate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DAY 8  -  CHESED OF GEVURAH Lovingkindness in Discipline Saturday evening, April 30, we count eight days, which is one week and one day of the Omer.    The underlying intention and motive in discipline is love. Why do we measure our behavior, why do we establish standards and expect people to live up to them - only because of love. Chesed of gevurah is the love in discipline; it is the recognition that your personal discipline and the discipline you expect of others is only an expression of love. It is the understanding that we have no right to judge others; we have a right only to love them and that includes wanting them to be their best. Ask yourself: when I judge and criticize another is it in any way tinged with any of my own contempt and irritation? Is there any hidden satisfaction in his failure? Or is it only out of love for the other? Exercise for the day: Before you criticize someone today, think twice: Is it out of concern and love?

HOW TO COUNT THE OMER The Omer is counted at night, while standing, immediately following the evening prayer. You begin with the following blessing:  Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer. After reciting the blessing, reflect on the week's quality and the suggested exercise. TO subscribe and receive these teachings directly to your email:  wisdomreb@meaningfullife.com

4.21.16 A little Passover

Passover begins tomorrow evening with Shabbat. Many will be seated with family and friends around tables featuring a seder plate, piles of matzah, cups of salt water, bottles of wine and bowls of charoset(the wine, nut and date mixture that represents the mortar - odd that something so yummy is the symbol of tragedy - perhaps this makes it "easier" to retell the story every year?).  And of course, also on the table, will be Haggadot (pl for Haggadah, the book used to tell the story).

We greet one another with hugs, kisses and warmth, get settled in our chairs (perhaps with a pillow for reclining), and begin retelling the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.  We retell our story of transformation from slavery and oppression to liberation and freedom. 

So far, I have attended 94 seders (that's 2 per year for 47 years).  From the time I can remember, which is around age 5, this was my favorite holiday.  My family hosted for over 35 years.  The same core group of people attended and a lot of the same conversations took place.  So many amazing memories.  But, there is one that resides at the top of the list.  My parents sent my sister and I to Jewish Day School as did some of their friends who were also at the Seder.  The parents were convinced that all of the Hebrew in the Haggadah could be sung.  Nothing gave them more pleasure than hearing us sing in Hebrew.  When we were young, we argued relentlessly that some were actually not songs and just Hebrew. But, our parents would not let up. Ultimately, we would give in and essentially make up melodies for the Hebrew content.  We would sing and they would be grinning from ear to ear.  Eventually, we stopped arguing and automatically launched into song.

As I got older the meaning of the rituals played a more significant role in the seder and I began approaching the different pieces of the seder more seriously and with more intentionality (as opposed to just reading the words). The order of the Seder, The 4 Children, The 4 Questions, the obligation for each of us to see ourselves as if we were slaves in Egypt, the teachings of the rabbis, The 10 Plagues, the promise of "next year in Jerusalem", each component represents historic and contemporary challenges. 

Passover is still my favorite holiday and also the most challenging.

"Egypt" is still happening today.  Throughout the world (even in America), slavery, violence, oppression, genocide, hunger, poverty, inequality and injustice against humanity are a reality.  Passover is the time to pause and focus.  It is the time to retell our story, acknowledge the wrongs of society and reclaim our commitment to "liberty and justice for all."  Our efforts can create change in the lives of others.  Perhaps someday, when we sit down to Seder, we will just be telling the story of what happened and no longer of what's happening.

Where will each of us lean?  

May your Seder be filled with meaning (and sweet/yummy charoset, games, stories and questions).

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, may we have the courage to use our freedom to help free others.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach, (a restFULL and blessed Shabbat),                                                                           Laurie

Lean into justice and make something happen.

A note from Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center: As we relive the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, our Passover seders are filled with moments of sadness, somber reflection and even a taste of bitterness. These heavy moments, however, are matched by moments of joy and celebration as we similarly experience the redemption and liberation of leaving bondage for the Promised Land.  

We cannot ignore the many parallels between the Israelites’ journey thousands of years ago and social injustices of today. We encourage you to use one of the RAC’s many haggadah inserts to incorporate themes of racial justice, environmental justice and more into your holiday observance.

4.15.16 JOIN THE WRESTLING TEAM

"WRESTLING JERUSALEM"
Written and performed by Aaron Davidman

"Set in America, Israel and Palestine,  WRESTLING JERUSALEM follows one man’s journey to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Davidman’s solo performance is a personal story that grapples with the complexities of identity, history and social justice. Giving voice to over a dozen different characters, the play sheds light on one of the most entrenched conflicts of our time." http://www.wrestlingjerusalem.com/

Last night I had the privilege of seeing this play.  Aaron weaves together the stories of 18 different characters.  For the first time I felt multiple narratives were being portrayed with equal weight and equal validity.  Multiple truths were able to stand together and have the opportunity to be equally visible.  See it!

Aaron enters stage right and begins rattling off the list while pointing to individual audience members.

Paraphrasing the actor (not very well but hopefully you will get the idea):

You might say it's because of the settlements.
You might say it's because of suicide bombings.
You might say it's because of Nentanyahu.
You might say it's because of Arafat.
It's because of the ultra religious.
It's because of the wall.
It's because of the tunnels.
It's because of Hamas.
It's because of the fact that they will never accept a State for the Jews.
If only the media were more balanced.
If only AIPAC would be critical of Israel.
If only JSTREET wouldn't be so critical of Israel.
If only Rabin wouldn't have been killed.
If only we hadn't killed Rabin.
It's Obama.
It's Iran.
Iran.

One of the biggest challenges is that each of us has the reason, the one reason why the situation cannot be resolved.  Whether we are supporting a two state solution, a one state solution, continuing the building of settlements, ending the occupation, BDS, no NO BDS, we blame the lack of progress on that one reason. We do not seem willing to accept or at least appreciate the more reasonable and logical possibility of there being many many many reasons.

We might not be able to change peoples' minds or implement the policies we desire but we do have the ability to choose to open ourselves up to the fact that multiple factors, which at times seem to be competing with one another, impact any kind of resolution. We can choose to engage in these competing narratives without insisting that ours is the truth and the others are false.  We can choose to accept the existence of multiple truths.

Perhaps this is the time to let go of being right.  

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat, may we use the 25 hours to replace being right with being committed to humanity.

May Shabbat be filled with wholeness and blessing.
Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,
Laurie

4.9.16 "It"

Passover is coming in two weeks.  In an effort to reduce stress and give you a little more time to clean out your chametz, Shabbat Beineinu (musical service and dinner) is happening on April 15th. Let us (and by "us", we mean City Bakery) do the cooking. 

Put the lesson of Passover into action before Passover even starts. Take care of the other.  Deliver food to the elderly and homebound on April 17th. 

Check out JUST JUSTICE(just for teens) event on April 16th.

Scroll down for full details and to RSVP.


This week we find ourselves in Parashat Tazria (Leviticus 12:1-13:59).  It deals with some unappetizing matters using pretty graphic details.  This is not the portion to read while snacking on sweet strawberries or ooey gooey babka.   Definitely not the portion a young person dreams of being assigned for Bar/Bat Mitzvah studies.  I would recommend having a glass of water handy.

The portion opens with the miracle of birth, focusing solely on what happens to a woman after she gives birth.  So much for the miracle.  There is a lot of blood and a lot of other fluids coming out of her body.  If she gives birth to a boy, she must be apart from the community for 33 days.  If she gives birth to a girl, 60 days. Why?  It's unclear.  One might say this is the first example of paid maternity leave.  Go Torah!

The explanation offered, which isn't really an explanation, is that the time away (somehow) relates to the purity of blood, being clean and unclean and clean again.  It's not totally clear.  Any ideas?

Immediately following the after birth protocol, the Torah launches into a fairly detailed accounting of various skin lesions known as Tza'raat, most commonly translated as "leprosy".  However, this is a modern contribution to understanding the text.  There are many translations where the Hebrew is maintained throughout.   There are a bunch of related symptoms including; mispachat, baheret, siet and neket, that are also not translated.  Pretty confident that whatever they are, they ain't pretty.   Perhaps none of these terms are translated in an effort to make the content more palatable(?). Another Torah mystery.  

There are very specific guidelines around dealing with Tza'raat.  The infected person is removed from the community, quarantined. Only the Kohen can have contact.  Only the Kohen can determine when the person is no longer infected and may return to the community.

So who gets this Tza'raat?  The most famous example is Miriam.  This is her punishment for talking behind Moses' back.  Miriam is caught engaging in lashon ha'rah ('evil tongue') and God strikes her with the white, oozing skin lesions (right about now you want to take a sip of that water).  Side note:  Aaron also engages in lashon ha'rah but he isn't afflicted. What's up with that?  Yet another Torah mystery.

There were a lot of things that happened during the time of the Torah that wasn't understood.  The body does a lot of strange things.  Blood, other bodily fluids and white lesions had to have been pretty scary situations.  What is the natural course of action when something is scary?  Send "it" away.  Get rid of "it".  Put "it" somewhere where nobody has to see "it".  And then when "it's" all better, "it" can come back.  

As with all of Torah, we are invited to "unpack" the hidden meaning and find a lesson that is relevant to our lives today.  Not so easy with this one.  Here's my take away;  I have read this Torah portion as an adult every year for close to 20 years and I don't have any better understanding of why a woman is cast away after giving birth or what Tza'raat is or any of the related symptoms.  

I always find myself drawn to the same thing.  No matter when, why or for how long a person is sent away, there is always a time when that person is fully healed.  Once this happens, they are welcomed back into the community. Nobody holds "it" over their head. In this parasha, only the Kohen can judge.  Only the Kohen has the ability to engage the person and only the Kohen can determine when she/he is fully healed.  And everyone else, they are not judge or jury.  They must accept the Kohen's ruling.  When the time comes, they must welcome the person back into the community.  In many ways Parashat Tazria is about forgiveness.  

If only we could find a way to mirror this behavior, "dye-ei-nu"!  Think about how many times someone we know has been cast out, shunned, isolated from the community for one reason or another.  Think about the tremendous damage caused by gossip, speculation and sometimes pure nastiness.  Think about the wounds that all of this causes and how difficult, how nearly impossible it is for someone to truly recover, truly heal from the situation.  What if our role were simply to forgive?

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat and make our way closer to Passover, let us begin an intentional process of reflection.  Let us look inward examining our need to judge and our ability to forgive.  Let us consider the wounds we have caused and those we have healed.  May we arrive at Passover with a renewed commitment to honor the blessing of freedom through deeds of kindness and compassion for the other.

May Shabbat be peaceful and full of blessing.
Shabbat shalom u'mevorach, 
Laurie

4.1.16 Forgiving God

Parashat Sh'mini

Leviticus 9:1–11:47

A lot going on so let's jump right in.  Here's a snapshot (definitely worth reading the whole poriton); Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu bring an offering of "strange fire" to God.  God didn't command this offering and they are killed.  Aaron is silent in mourning. God commands the first laws of kashrut.  And we learn about the mikveh (immersion into purifying waters).

It is very hard to understand God's reaction in response to Nadav and Avihu.  Why are they killed?  What is the "strange fire" and why is it so terrible that they brought the offering without being commanded?

Let's see what some of our Rabbis have to say:

             Rabbi Eliezer says they died because their actions implied that they were making                  decisions about Jewish law and they didn't have this authority.

             Rabbi Ishmael says they died because they drank wine and before entering the                    Tent of Meeting to make their offering.  This is forbidden.

That's it?  That's all you got?

I'm sorry Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Ishamel but this time, neither of your explanations is very satisfying.   I simply believe there could have been a better way to respond. Was death really necessary?  God could have spoken to them and clarified that only God and possibly Moses have the authority to create the rules, their job is to follow the rules.   I cannot rationalize or explain God's actions.  I feel let down and am disappointed in God (hope that is allowed). I actually feel God made a mistake (hope that is allowed too).  

I think about how challenging it is to sit with disappointment, especially when it is directed at a person and not a situation.  What happens when someone let's us down?  When someone falls short of what we expect?  Moving through disappointment requires a lot of patience and a lot of softening.  We really need to put ourselves in the mindset of forgiveness.  We cannot explain or understand their actions and so we must figure out a way to let go.  If we can't find a way to forgive then we risk being stuck in a permanent state of disappointment.  This will undoubtedly compromise our relationship with the other person.

But how?  How do we forgive?  How do we soften?  How do we let "it" go? 

We just do it.  

We make a choice to let "it" go either because we desire to be in relationship with the other or because we want to be able to move through the experience.  We make the decision to soften and release ourselves from the disappointment. (I also find it very important to share these feelings with the other so they know how their actions impacted me.)  We trust, we believe, we have faith that because of the desire to be in relationship, their will be growth.

So, God, if you are listening (and even if you aren't), I forgive you.  I forgive You because I want to be in relationship with You.  I forgive You because of the commitment we have made to one another.  I forgive You because sometimes mistakes are made, including very large ones.  I forgive You because I know you are not defined by one action. 

Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat, may each of us make room to forgive the other and/or ourselves for even very large mistakes.  May we learn from these experiences and use them to help us when we are faced with similar situations in the future.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach (a full and blessed Shabbat),

Laurie