Hanukkah Song

Parashat Toldot

Toldot 

The sixth weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual cycle of Torah reading. Genesis 25:19-28:9  

A related Story  

A Grandfather from the Cherokee Nation was talking with his grandson.
“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.”
“One wolf is evil and ugly: He is anger, envy, war, greed, self-pity, sorrow, regret, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, selfishness and arrogance.”
“The other wolf is beautiful and good: He is friendly, joyful, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, justice, fairness, empathy, generosity, true, compassion, gratitude, and deep VISION.”
“This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other human as well.”
The grand son thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
“Which wolf wins?”
The elder Cherokee replied, “The wolf that you feed.”

Author unknown 

The Short and sweet version of the Parshah 

After twenty childless years, Isaac and Rebecca’s prayers are answered and Rebecca conceives. She experiences a very difficult pregnancy as the “children struggle inside her. G-d tells her that “two nations are in your womb”, and that the younger will prevail over the elder. 

Esau emerges first; Jacob is born holding Esau’s heel. Esau grows up to be “a hunter and a fighter, a man of the field”.  Jacob, on the other hand, is “a wholesome man”, who spends his time mostly on learning.  

One day, when Isaac is returning from the hunt, Esau willingly sells his birthright to Jacob for a pot of red lentil stew. 

Escaping the famine in the land, the family moves to Gerar, in the land of the Philistines. Isaac presents Rebecca as his sister, out of fear that he will be killed by someone who desires to take her for her beauty. He very successfully farms the land, reopens the wells dug by his father Abraham, and opens a series of his own wells. 

Esau marries two Hittite women that cause a great grief for his parent.  

Isaac grows old and blind, and intends to bless Esau before he dies. While Esau goes off to hunt for his father, Jacob (now 63 years old) allows his mother to orchestrate the deception.  

Rebecca dresses Jacob in Esau’s clothes, covers his arms and neck with goatskins, prepares Isaac’s favorite dish, and sends Jacob to receive the blessing instead. Jacob receives his fathers’ blessings for “the Dew of Heaven and Fat of the Land and mastery over his brother.  

When Esau returns and the deception is revealed, Isaac weeps with his son, Esau. He blesses him and predicts that he will live by his sword and that when Jacob wavers, the younger brother will be deprived of his superiority over him. 

Isaac blesses Jacob for the final time and Jacob leaves home for Charan to flee Esau’s wrath and, per his parent’s advice to marry a wife in the family of his mother’s brother, Laban.  Esau marries for the third time. This time he takes the daughter of Ishmael, his uncle.
 
 

The MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?
 

Parashat Toldot opens with the verse, 

And these are the generations of Isaac the son of Abraham-Abraham fathered Isaac. What is the meaning of this verse? We know that Torah does not waste space. Then why does Torah see the need to repeat that Isaac’c father is Abraham?
 
One interpretation of this verse, according to Midrash [1] is that there are children who are embarrassed of their parents, and there are parents who are embarrassed by their children. But this verse is implying that Abraham and Isaac were proud of each other. That is true, but I think all of Abraham’s children were proud of their father and we have not heard that Abraham was unhappy with them either.
 
For another interpretation, we need to, once again, read the last chapter of last week’s parashah. We see that Abraham fathers more children by remarrying Hagar (Ishmael’s mother). He then gives them gifts and sends them away to East, away from Isaac.  One has no choice but to ask why Abraham, the man whom G-d calls “my friend”, who is the best personification of kindness and generosity, a father who says to G-d that he can not differentiate between his sons and he loves them both (at the time he only had Isaac and Ishmael), Who is the father of multitude of nations, send his children away from Isaac? In this verse Torah wants to emphasize that only Isaac is chosen to continue his father’s mission in the world and the other children went away and pursued their worldly interests. All the descendants of Hagar and, later on, Esau, even though they participated in the mitzvah of milah, are explicitly excluded from being the heir to the spiritual mission of Abraham. This neither reduces their father’s love for them nor makes them an inferior person in the eyes of G-d or us.
 
Toldot means “offspring”, “generations”. Abraham made a covenant with G-d. The limitation of this physical world and the master plan left his unfinished task to the generation of Isaac to finish. Isaacs’s task was to be a catalyst for the succession. His heir was to father the am Israel to fulfill the covenant of Abraham with G-d. To be the am segula – a holy nation whose task is to purify this world through mitzvoth (good deeds), conquer Eretz Israel and build a dwelling place for G-d on earth.
 
The echo of G-d’s promise and His expectation of Abraham and his descendants is in this week’s parshah.  

G-d to Isaac:
 

“I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky, and grant them all these lands. Because Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My decrees, and My laws.” [Gen. 26:4-5]
 

Through Jacob, we are chosen to be that particular people and Eretz Israel as that particular land. Why?  We do not know. But this covenant is made and this promise is conditional. It needs our transformation and tremendous effort. The above verse testifies that Abraham did all that was expected of him. G-d does not give this land to us if we do not obey His voice, and keep His charge, His commandments, His decrees, and His laws. We do not conquer our Eretz Israel if we do not separate and differentiate ourselves from the mundane of this world and its byproducts. 
 

What are the odds of that?
 The first two Jewish princes are ODD twins. 

Jacob and Esau were born in a holy, prominent and rich family. They enjoyed their grandfather’s legacy as well, who was called “my friend” by G-d and the prince of G-d by kings of the time.  

The children struggled within her. (Gen. 25:22) From the first moment that Torah refers to these two, we see that they are fighting in their mother womb, to a point that she can not bear the pain anymore and complains to G-d. Our sages see this struggle as a sign of the future path that each will take in their life. Rashi believes, “They were fighting over who would inherit the physical world and the World to Come.”  

The Red and hairy Prince 

The first born prince, upon his birth, is called by so many, Esau (“ready-made” or complete).  I think the Torah is hinting that, to him, his world was complete. He believed more in nature than G-d. To him, there was no need for “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world).  He was looking at the raw, base forces of nature and believed that no more is to come to this world by human effort. He was merely a material and pleasure seeker.  

He was most probably an impatient man. He was seeking the results and the rewards right then and there [He sold his right of the first born to his brother for a bowl of soup on his free will. (Genesis 25:33-34)].Unlike the rewards for the righteous people which come later, the pleasures of this world were important to him because they were immediate.  

The majority of the opinions expressed in Rabbinical literature do not portray Esau as a good man. The Midrash tells us that Esau killed for his own pleasure. The shock of Abraham’s death caused Esau to reject the concept of change. Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav [2] teaches that Esau tried to spread this philosophy of pleasure-seeking throughout the world. But we also can not deny that he is the best example of the utmost love a son can give to his father and he is capable to forgive.  

The gentle prince

At the time of birth, the second-born was grabbing his brother’s ankle. He was named Jacob (“he who heals”) by someone, but we do not know whom. We know that, unlike his brother, he did not have hairy and soft skin. He was in contrast with his twin brother. He was more spiritual than his brother. Jacob focused on the World to Come. He wanted the material world as well, but just a vessel to be used to ascend the spiritual ladder and connect to Hashem (G-d). 
                                

MEET THE PARENTS
 
Isaac and Rebecca
 

And Isaac was forty years old when he took to wife Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel the Arammian of Paddan-Aaram and sister of Laban the Arammian.

In the previous article, we talked about how Isaac developed the love for her wife. This love is more than affection and or passion for a “good looking” wife or material possessions of a husband. They both knew that they are each other’s soul mate. They were equal partners in their holly common purpose in life. The Torah tells us that,

Isaac entreated G-d for his wife, because she was barren; and G-d was entreated of him, and Rebecca his wife conceived. 

The Rabbis tell us that when he was praying, he was asking G-d that she bears a child for him and no other woman. They had a relationship full of love. In this parshah we see that king Abimelech saw them jesting and so concluded that they are not brother and sister as they claimed. They both were hoping that their descendents continue Abraham’s mission. They both loved their children. They both grieved when Esau married the wives that he was not supposed to. 

For those who ask why Rebecca preferred Jacob to Esau, we say she did not. Rebecca is a mother. How in the world she can prefer one child to another? She states to Jacob, in this parshah, that she loves both her children. She also tells Jacob, before sends him away to charan, that she does not want to lose both her children in the same day. Not just Jacob, but both of them.  

Being barren for twenty years, her children are not a natural phenomenon, but a gift of G-d to fulfill a divine purpose. She did not prefer a child over another; she only knew that Jacob is the chosen one, as we explain later.  

Mother Rebecca 

She recognized our people’s hero sooner than anyone else.  

And the children struggled within her (Gen. 25:22) 

Rebecca had a very difficult pregnancy. When she inquired to G-d, for the meaning of this difficult pregnancy, she was told by Him: 

Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall diverge from your belly. One nation will struggle against the other; and the elder shall serve the younger. 

She now understands and does not share the information with her husband. She either thinks that G-d would reveal it to him if He wants to or Isaac may already know. We will see later that the first case is true.
 
She is assured now that Abraham’s spiritual inheritance and fulfillment of the Covenant is going to go through her. But at this point she does not know through which son. Only later and after so many evidence, she figures out that the hero is none other than Jacob. She loved both her children, but she spends more time on Jacob to prepare him for redeeming the world. Besides the teachings that Jacob receives from his father, she makes it her job to send him to the academy of Shem to learn Torah from Eber, as well.
 
No one exactly knows how Jacob learned all the necessary knowledge to enter the deepest clippot of Laban’s dark castle and extract two holy sparks from it. Was it possible that Rebecca showed him few clues? It is more than probable. She used to live there, remember? She must have prepared her beloved son, the hero of our people, to the best of her ability, so he comes back safe and victorious. And through him and his bravery and courage, the am Israel would be created. 

FATHER Isaac’s mistake
 

Why did Isaac not see the plan as his wife did?
 
Originally, Esau was to be Jacob’s partner in the endeavor to redeem the world and Isaac was aware of his own role in the overall picture. He knew that he is the heir to his father’s spiritual mission in this world. He also knew that he is the bridge between his father Abraham and his own offsprings. But because people have the freedom to choose, Esau exercised that right and went astray. Now the pressure was on Jacob. He had to go alone and carry the burden of his brother’s responsibility on his own shoulder as well. G-d wanted Isaac to realize the change of plan on his own and to choose the right son for the ultimate blessing. The new plan was not revealed to him for free. He, too, had a choice to make. 

Our sages give many reasons for him to make that mistake and not being able to see. First, according to Zohar, “People who come from similar spiritual roots have an affinity for one another.” So Isaac loved Esau, because they came from the same spiritual root – harshness (Gevurah). Second, he thought that Esau, in time, will transform his sword to a spiritual one and help Jacob fulfill the mission. 
 
But when Jacob receives his father’s blessing and Esau comes back from hunting to receive his, Torah says that at that point, Isaac trembles. Rashi suggests that at the moment he realized what has happened, Isaac “saw Gehinnom open beneath him”. This is a very profound statement. The Blind Isaac suddenly sees (understands). He shuddered for he realized the truth. The one who painstakingly and slowly worked on his spiritual growth for the mission was Jacob and not Esau or the combination of both.  

What went wrong? What did he see? Is it that he understands at that awesome moment that he has been in denial for all his life?  Maybe. The whole episode of blessing Esau happens after the Torah states Isaac became blind. By this clue, Torah is trying to tell us that he became blind to Esau’s past. He did not see the true nature of his son through his past actions in life and thus Esau is not the chosen one. Esau was surely a strong man, a sportsman, and even maybe the ladies man. After all, he married two wives at the age of 40, way before his brother Jacob does. Despite being heart broken by his son’s marriages to the two Hittite women, it seems that Isaac did not see that as an obstacle to the blessing. It did not occur to him that maybe Esau did not truly want the blessing. Maybe he just wants to make his beloved father happy. Maybe he just desires to have the reward without trying to be worthy of achieving it.  

Or maybe Isaac was a wishful thinker? Or a dreamer? There is nothing wrong about being a dreamer or being hopeful. Throughout history, we Jews are people of hope, right?  

But we need to understand two more points, as Isaac did. First, no matter how high one goes up on the ladder of spirituality, he/she do not know everything. Only God knows it all. Although the negative qualities have their place in this world, they exist to serve the greater cause and not to dominate goodness or join forces with it. Second, there is an order in the world and no matter how much we love our children, they must live their lives; they have the right to choose and are the actors of their own life play. We can only help to prepare them for life challenges. Isaac understood that, just at that awesome moment, when the gates to accept his prayer became wide open and the Shekhinah was putting the words in his mouth.   

A blessing worth dying for? 
 

What is the importance of this blessing? Why is it so important? Why does this blessing that has been intended to be given to Esau go to Jacob and when Esau cries for another one, Isaac is helpless to give him the one or take the other back from Jacob? The blessing was for Esau, but it would have worked for anyone else too. Because it was not just a blessing but rather the secret of the universe wrapped in a blessing. By the divine order, you cannot share this secret, unless the receiver is worthy. And when they do learn they, in turn, are not allowed to reveal that either.

If we pay close attention to both blessings for his sons, Isaac prays for the fatness of the earth by divine providence in them. Isaac learned the secret of the universe from his ancestors and his father. In this Parshah, when Isaac was in Gerar, we see that his land produced 100 times more than the local landowner including the king, Avimelech. Later on, we see that Jacob too manipulates the natural law to separate his herd from Laban’s.   

Not all the blessings are the same 

Blessing for Jacob
 

“May G-d give to you (1) of the dew of heaven, and (2) the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine.
“May peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; you shall be lord over your brethren, and your mother’s sons shall bow down to you.
“Cursed be those that curse you, and blessed be those that bless you.”  

Blessing for Esau 

“Your dwelling shall be of (1) the fatness of the earth, and of (2) the dew of heaven from above. By your sword shall you live, and serve your brother; and it shall come to pass when you will have the dominion, that you will break his yoke from off your neck.”   

Note that Jacob’s blessing is conditioned to his effort (the word may is used). The fulfillment of the blessing is tied to grace of G- d.  For Esau, he uses the word shall. No effort on his part is needed. Also look at the order of the sections of blessings for Jacob and Esau. We see that Jacob’s starts with the dew of the divine and then fat of the land. Esau’s, on the other hand, starts with physical and then Divine gifts come second. 

Q. What is the significance of this order?                                                     

The Journey 

Jacob received the blessing that was intended for Esau. Upon hearing that Esau is entreating the idea to kill his brother, Rebecca tells Jacob that he must flee to Charan to her brother Laban.  

She tells her husband that it is time for Jacob to get married, and she knows that they both certainly do not desire that he follow the example of his brother in marrying a Hittite woman. At this point, both Isaac and Rebecca are sure that the mission of Abraham is going to be continued by Jacob. So Isaac summons Jacob and instructs him, very specifically:
 
Arise, go to Paddan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father; and take a wife from there of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.”
 
And before he goes, Isaac has an additional series of blessings for Jacob. What are they? The declaration that Jacob is certainly the one to inherent the Land which G-d has promised Abraham:

  “G-d Almighty shall bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and you shall become a multitude of people.
“And He shall grant you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land in which you sojourn, and which G-d gave to Abraham”.  

But Jacob was not ready yet. He flees but does not go to Charan immediately. It takes him 14 years to travel the distance that normally takes only one day. Our sages say that for fourteen years Jacob hid himself in the home of his ancestor and teacher, Eber (the great-grandson of Shem), where he immersed himself in the study of Torah.
 
        The message for our time 

The story of Jacob and Esau reflects the struggle of life itself resulting from the tension between two children which reside inside us.  Like Rebecca, we all bear two children inside us.

We carry two tendencies. One is towards the material and physical who wants us to be lazy, look for instant gratification and here-and-now pleasures in life. The tendency that serves the “I” in us. The kind that is always right and everyone else is wrong. The other tendency is the spiritual one that is the opposite of the other.  

Every opportunity that faces us in our lives comes with alternatives. We have to choose either The Jacob  – who represents  peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, justice, fairness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, gratitude, and deep VISION.” or choose Esau who represents anger, envy, war, greed, self-pity, sorrow, regret, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, selfishness and arrogance.” Just like the story of the two wolves, mentioned above, we have a choice to feed the Jacob or Esau who reside inside us. These two can not co exist with each other in equality. As our sages teach, “When one rises the other falls.”

We should not be blind like Isaac and recognize, differentiate, nourish and develop the Jacob in ourselves. Today our sons come home with a non-Jewish girl friend and are praised by their parents to be a lady killer. They are encouraged to have more. Mothers rush to take their children to the different and many sports and art classes as much as they could. The only spiritual experience for our children is their bar/bat mitzvah. This one is polluted with so many layers of material intentions that we cannot see the spiritual sparks anymore. We gossip, and try not to just keep up with the ‘Others” by beating them in a game of achieving the materialistic pleasures. We are feeding our Esau’s and teaching our children by example. And when they want to marry out of religion or leave it all together, we weep as Isaac did.  

Like our society here, the academy that Jacob was attending to ascend the ladder of spirituality was side by side of the idol worshipper’s temples. The division between these two brothers helps us to understand ourselves better. The Midrash tells us that Esau became deteriorated on the very day of the passing of his grandfather because he couldn’t accept the fact that such a holy and righteous man could die. The shock of Abraham’s death caused Esau to reject the concept of change.  

Q. What is our excuse for not wanting to change?
Q. What does it take for someone to escape the trap of drug or alcohol?

This has been but only one interpretation of the parshah. Based on the teachings of our sages
 
Shabbat shalom,
Dariush Fakheri  

Parashat Chayei Sara

Chayei Sarah

Genesis 23:1-25:18

Sarah dies at age 127 and is buried in a Cave in Hebron, which Abraham purchased from the local tribes for 400 shekels of silver.

Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, is sent with gifts to Charan to find a wife for Isaac. At the village well, Eliezer prays to G-d for a sign: when the girls come to the well, he will ask for some water to drink. The woman will offer a drink to him and to water all his camels as well.  This sign will signify this woman will be the one chosen by G-d for his master’s son.

Rebecca, the daughter of Abraham’s nephew Bethuel, appears at the well and passes the “test”.Eliezer invites her to their home. Rebecca, on her own free-will, returns with Eliezer to the land of Canaan, where they encounter Isaac praying in the field.  “Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took heras his wife and loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.^“

Abraham takes a new wife, Keturah (Hagar) and fathers six additional sons, which he gives them gifts and sends them away to the east,but Isaac is designated as his only heir. Abraham dies at age 175 and is buried beside Sarah by his two eldest sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

The Jewish princess of the world

And the life of Sarah was one hundred years, twenty years and seven years (Gen. 23:1)

And that is the way, the parashah start. The name of the parshah is life of Sarah but it talks about her age when she dies, her burial site and her eulogy by her beloved husband, Abraham. Once more, the Torah put the choice of life and death in front of us. We choose life and review her life story, as the title of the parshah, rightfully recommends.

And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah                  (Gen. 23:2)

After Eve left this world, the Torah hardly mentions any woman’s name. And even when we do encounter these few women, they did not contribute any active role in human history. They were merely mentioned in connection to their role, which their men bestowed upon them, either as a mistress or the bearer of their children. 

With the appearance of Sarah, we see a woman who exercises her freedom to choose, just as much as her husband. She is decisive and determined to write the destiny of her family and the world. The world faces a new kind of relationship between the woman and her man.  We are introduced to a Husband and Wife who enjoy equal rights, who share a common purpose in life. None is moreG-dlier than the other.

In the Torah, we see Sarah as 1) a visionary for her family and people, 2) the mistress of her house, 3) a true partner for her husband,and4)an independent person with unique individual character.

Unlike Ramban [1] who states simply, “Our mother sinned.” because of Sara’s demand that Hagar and Ishmael to be removed from her house, I side with Rabbi Kook [2] who believes that like Jacob, Sarah recognized the need for protecting holiness of her people.

I, also, agree withRashi[3]who suggests that Sarah is not just a pious homemaker but also an equal partner in Abraham’s public mission of spreading God’s name. I think Abraham was not able to see the reason of her action at the time. Only after the binding of Isaac’s episode, Abraham fully understood the common mission he had shared with Sarah in this world. At the end of the parshah, 38 years after Sarah’s death, he marries again and fathers 6 more children. What does he do? Without Sarah being there to advise him, he gives them gifts (some of his holly sparks) and sends them to the East and away from Isaac. These sons, like Ishmael, do not fully share the spiritual inheritance of Abraham and join Isaac’s mission.

Sarah understood the spiritual mission better than Abraham. She did what was good for her family. Her life’s lesson for us is to be a good mother and wife. By demanding Ishmael to leave, she warns us of the ever present danger of bad influence by unfit companion around our child(ren), i.e. friends, music, movies, internet, uncontrollable urge to consume, etc. Sarah was aware of and responsive to the destructive element of the surrounding cultures and began the process of separating their family from the outside world, while never trying to live in seclusion. As her children, we learned that this separation is crucial for our survival and the fulfillment of our individual and community’s spiritual inspiration and mission.

The fundamental role of Jewish woman in building the Jewish family has always been highly valued in Judaism. The Sages declare: “Woman determines man’s behaviour.”(Bereshit Rabbah).She did that for her man, family and people during her lifetime and even after her death. Midrash Rabbah states that Sarah died of grief over the Binding of Isaac. I believe that she diedafter Abraham and Isaac come back from the Mount Moriah.From the spiritual point of view, her part as a spiritual partner to her husband was done in this world. Her death in a way is celebration of her legacy.Sarah, established the future inheritance for her children. By setting up the right values for her family, Sarah sheds light on the path of the life’s true purpose for all Jewish families who come after her to this world. She separated herself and her family from any distraction to the covenant that exists between them and G-d. Sarah initiates the distinct heritage of the Jewish people.Through Sarah’s action and later with her heirs, the Jewish women were given the historical opportunity of being the builders of Jewish homes and destiny. They became visionaries, who personify as,

• Good wives,

• Mothers, 

• Wise partners who stands side by side of their husbands,

• A source of joy and harmony at home and more importantly,        

• The source of spiritual nourishment and the primary receiver of divine blessing for their family.

These are the reflection of Sarah’s life and the values she believed in. Her Husband-Wife relationship made the first model for a Jewish family unit. And for that reason, the Midrash[4] speaks of a cloud of glory hovering at the entrance to her tent. 

Passing on the torch 

In this parshah we meet Rebecca, Sarah’s daughter in law. As Sarah leaves, Rebecca enters in our Jewish family history. She is the rightful heir to her mother in law whom she never met. Although she has been put in a different setting than Sarah, she understands her role in our people’s history. Her role is to produce the Jewish hero who will be willing, ready and able to fight the prince of darkness and create a holly nation for G-d.

To be the right heir, as well as having the same characteristics of Sarah (sense of differentiation), she also shows the distinguishing characteristic of Abraham (kindness and generosity) at the well. She is ready to become the bridge that connects Abraham-Sarah to the hero.

Eliezer sees, recognizes, and invites her to marry his master’s son. When we follow her to the event of her encounter with Isaac, we see that Isaac takes her to her mother’s tent first, marries her, loves her, and then is comforted over the loss of his mother. This process show that Isaac sees her as the rightful heir to her mother’s vision, and can be symbolized as the passing of the torch to the rightful partner of Isaac. This is the meaning of the first Jewish marriage.

I Do

This parshah extensively talks about the G-dly emphasis on weddings and marriages. In light of the self-centered view on marriage and a high rate of divorce crisis in our community, it is not a bad idea to review the way the Torah and Judaism teaches the right way for Jewish family unit. Zohar [5] considers the creation of this world is not complete yet and G-d creates new worlds constantly. In what way? By causing marriages to take place. Thus, we are partners with G-d in this process. And in this partnership we need to invest all of our spiritual and material resources.

The primary goal of every Jewish home is to be a vessel. This vessel is supposed to be a mini Sanctuary that is holy enough for G-d to dwell in it. A place that couples shares with G-d filled with joy and harmony.  

   Soul mates or cellmates

What is our role in a marriage? How can we learn from the Torah and the stories in it? 

The first marriage in the Torah is the marriage of Adam and Eve who was a marriage wholly made in Heaven. But was this marriage, which is made in Heaven, the right example for our community? I do not think so. Adam and Eve produced a very dysfunctional family. 

Or is Abraham’s family the model to follow? After all He is a devoted husband who forges a partnership with his pious wife for betterment of this world. Or, is it the first marriage achieved by human effort – Isaac and Rebecca? But unlike Jacob’s sons, their children did not remain within the Jewish people.  

Esau, Isaac and Rebecca’s son, chose his wives and caused a bitter grief for her father and mother.  Jacob, by contrast, followed his father and mother advice. That brings up another interesting point, which we all encounter in America now. Does it mean we need our parents to choose our future life partners or we choose our own life partners (Soul mates)? Should our soul mate be Jewish, Iranian or none of these two? 

The Zohar that states,  

When a soul is sent down from Heaven, it is a combined male and female soul. The male part enters the male child and the female part enters the male. If they are worthy, God causes them to re-unite in marriage. This is true mating. 

Therefore, the Talmud concludes that presumably the child is in a better position than his parents to recognize his soul mate.

Our sages comment that each half soul is a complete entity, unique, self-sufficient person and although they come from different backgrounds and perspectives in life, but fate brings them under the wedding canopy and unites them to become one again.

In the Torah, marriage is not a merger between two big soulless bank accounts or acquiring a retirement accounts that guarantees a lazy life style. Our sages warn future couples, He who weds for money will have delinquent offspring. (Kiddushin,70). Marriage is rather the union of souls of a man and a woman, which joins in partnership with G-d to make their home a dwelling place for G-d.The holiness of this dwelling place for G-d can only be achieved through the covenant we have with G-d.  

Zohar, looks at the marriage like the dividing of the Red Sea. At the division there was drowning on one side and salvation on the other. At the marriage there is joy on one side and weeping on the other.   

When we are looking for a soul mate, love is not all we need. As the author of the “Why marry a Jew” was saying in his seminar, more than 95% of people who say, “I do” are or think that they are in love at the time. So what is the reason for such a high rate of divorce in our society? So what are the factors that make or break a marriage?  

Let’s look at Torah’s description of the first Jewish marriage.  

• The father of the groom makes a wise choice to marry his son to a wife with better character than what he sees in the woman in their locality. He does not look for money, beauty, different zip or area code as an indication of a good wife and family member but rather the soul compatibility. He is concerned that her soul may or may not complement his son’s soul.
• The bride’s to be family in return, do the same and all their concerns are addressed by the match maker.
• The woman has a choice to say “yes” or “no”.
• The groom evaluates her future wife with her mother as a yardstick, and then he marries her, falls in love with her and takes comfort that the high family values are at the right hand to be passed to their children.

What does a perfect union look like?

Jewish tradition believes in and encourages personal happiness and tries to prevent a union between a man and a woman that may lead to any conflict and division at home. Rabbi Hartman from Hartman institute in Jerusalem writes: The duty to provide for the marriage of one’s children indicates the importance of creating family conditions that foster the psychological capacity to love the “other.”

We need to understand that there is no such thing as a person who is always right or a person who is always wrong.  We need to understand that a partnership is one where the success of one is conditional on the success and happiness of the other. Nachman  of  Bratslav [6] teaches : The road to G-d goes through man. G-d is in each of them G-d is present.”

We need to love the other good, decent and loving soul in our life. See the good in them and praise them. Learn from Hasidism, which teaches us, any man who loves God while hating or despising His creation, will in the end hate God. That is why Talmud specifically teaches that a man ought not to marry a woman who does not please him. This is parallel to the Torah’s ideal home that is filled with joy and is in perfect harmony.

Shalom bayit (peace at home) is highly valued, encouraged and recommended in our tradition. In a union of two soul mates in this world, they live for each other, help one another to attain their highest potential in life. They will create a union full of joy to bring G- d to their midst. Finally, they both know that G-d does not like suffering and sadness and refuses to enter such a place.

We learn the necessary elements for Shalom bayit form our forefather’s stories in this parshaha. We have learned from them that the Jewish family is not authoritarian. It is based, rather, on mutual respect. We have learned that a Unisom effort towards a common family purpose in life should be the drive in life. The husband and wife relationship should be based on equality.

We will call the girl, and inquire at her mouth ( Gen.24:57).

From this verse in this parshah we learn, according to Rashi that a woman should not be given in marriage without her consent. But I think that we also learn two more lessons. First, the Torah respects woman’s opinion in other cases as well. Second, as a wife, she should not be obedient to her husband. We have also learned that the ability to communicate is not exclusive to one, rather which we should be sensitive to personal anguish of each other. That we do not go into a union with a life partner for our self- achievement(s).

The Kabbalists explain that husband and wife are the male and female aspects of a single soul, born into two different bodies.

Our sages explain, they embody the two halves of a single soul; the deeds of each contribute to their common soul’s fulfillment of both. This union takes place because every mission and act of good deed has a “masculine” and a “feminine” element. This single soul’s mission is to differentiate, purify, nurture and develop the opportunities in life. By each one contributes all their resources, physical and spiritual in total freedom. 

When our sages elaborate on The Commandment “to Love your neighbor as yourself”, they consider our spouses and family members as the primary neighbor in the first circle of people. 

Lesson 

The rabbi answered: “You must understand these words aright. Love your neighbor like something, which you yourself are. For all souls is one. Each is a spark from the original soul, and this soul is wholly inherent in all souls, just as your soul is in all the members of your body. It may come to pass that your hand makes a mistake and strikes you. But would you then take a stick and chastise your hand, because it lacked understanding, and so increase your pain? It is the same if your neighbor, who is of one soul with you, wrongs you for lack of understanding. If you punish him, you only hurt yourself.” 

The disciple went on asking: “But if I see a man who is wicked before God, how can I love him?” 

“Don’t you know,” said Rabbi Shmelke [7], “that the original soul came out of the essence of God, and that every human soul is a part of God? And will you have no mercy on him, when you see that one of his holy sparks has been lost in a maze, and is almost stifled?” 

STORY

A wandering soul was being shown around both Paradise and Hell by an angel. In both Paradise and Hell the soul could see huge tables filled with wonderful things to eat. Men and women were seated lining both sides of the tables. The soul then had something pointed out to him by the angel. “You will notice that in both places neither the men nor women can bend their elbows,” said the angel. 

“Well then,” asked the soul, “can you tell what makes Paradise different from Hell?” 

“Certainly,” said the angel. “The difference between the two is that in Hell everyone is trying to feed himself, but because their elbows cannot bend, they are tempted but cannot eat. But in Heaven, all the souls, whose arms cannot bend, reach across the table, each person feeding the person on the opposite side.” 

Adapted from Hebrew legend

We are facing a crisis in our community. We, single handedly have destroyed a generation; by praising the wrong values in life, and by separating ourselves from other members of the community for selfish reasons that only serves the process of community’s destruction and endangering our future. It is your fault. It is mine. No one can dictate how we act without our consent and submission. We are not defined by the zip code we live in. Our area code is not our voice. We are made in the image of G-d. We can change all of that and recognize the soul mate of our life, if we stand as a dignified independent thinking being. I leave you with this wonderful, though provoking statement by Nachman of  Bratslav – Man must not trust appearances. Man could – but does not – want. Or he wants only when it is too late. Then, and that is the worst of all maledictions, he forgets that he can. 

For those of you who already have found your soul mates, say to his/her, I Love You before it’s too late. 

This has been but only one interpretation of the parshah. Based on the teachings of our sages

Shabbat shalom,

Dariush Fakheri

Parashat Vayeira

 VayeiraOr Va-yera ( וירא Hebrew)  for “and He appeared,” is the fourth weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual cycle of  Torah readingGenesis chapters 18:1 to 22:24Summary of the ParshahThree days after Abraham circumcised himself at the age of 99, G-d revealed Himself to him. As Abraham looked up, three guests, who were angels disguised as men, appeared before him and he prepared a fine meal for them. During the meal, one of the men said that the barren Sarah would have a son in exactly one year. Sarah, with doubts about conceiving a child at such an old age, laughed at this comment.  The visiting men left and Abraham escorted them on their way to city of Sodom. Sodom and Gomorrah had been overcome by sin and G-d had sent the angels to destroy the city. However, Abraham pleaded with G-d to spare the wicked city of Sodom, in which his nephew, Lot, lived. G-d told Abraham that he would forgive the city if there are any righteous people left.After Abraham and G-d parted, the two angels went to Sodom in the evening. Lot, Abraham’s nephew, extended his hospitality to them and protected them from the evil intentions of a Sodomite mob. The two guests reveal that G-d had sent them to overturn the place, and to save Lot and his family. The angels warned them, “Do not look back and do not stand still. Escape.” G-d caused sulfur and fire to rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah. However, Lot’s wife looked back, disobeying the command, and turned into a pillar of salt.Lot took shelter in a cave with his two daughters. Because the daughters wanted to give descendants to their father, they made their father drunk with wine, slept with him, and became pregnant. The two sons, Moab and Ben-Ami, fathered the nations of Moab and Ammon.Abraham journeyed to the land of Abimelekh, king of Gerar. Since Sarah was presented as Abraham’s sister, Abimelekh took Sarah for his wife. In a dream, G-d warned Abimelekh that he will die unless he returns the woman to her husband. Abimelekh returned Sarah and gave Abraham animals and servants, money and the right to settle on his land. G-d remembered His promise to Sarah, and conceived and bore Abraham a son named Isaac. Abraham circumcised his son Isaac at the age of eight days; Abraham is 100 years old, and Sarah, 90, at their child’s birth. Sarah took a dislike to Hagar and her son, Ishmael, and told Abraham to banish them from their home. Abraham was hesitant, but G-d convinced him to listen to Sarah’s wishes. After Abraham sent them away, Hagar lost her way in the wilderness of Be’er Sheba with no more water. G-d heard the cry of the dying child and saved his life by showing his mother a well.G-d tested Abraham’s devotion by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem. Abraham did as he was told, journeying with his wood for the offering and with his son and his servants to the place that G-d told him. Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood and bound Isaac and placed him on the altar upon the wood. As Abraham raised the knife to slaughter his son, a voice from the heavens called out to stop him. He lifted up his eyes and saw a ram caught in the hedge, which he offered in place of his son. Since Abraham did not withhold from G-d, He promised Abraham that he will “multiply his descendants as the stars in heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.”WHO IS COMING FOR LUNCH?The Lord appeared to Abraham. He looks up and see three men standing over against him. Upon seeing them, he hurries from his tent door to greet them, and bows down. He says to G-d: “My G-d, if I have found favor in your eyes, Please wait until I have given hospitality to these men.” He then turns to the men and invites them to rest and have a meal. They are reluctant, but Abraham prevails on them and they eat.Our sages have different opinion on describing these visitors.Rashi [1] believes they were angels. So, If they were angels, what were they doing eating and drinking?Midrash tells us theangels can perform many miraculous things, including giving the appearance of eating and drinking. But Maimonides [2] refers to the revelation of G-d in broad daylight as a prophetic vision rather than an event that could be seen by others.Rabbi Levi’s statement in Midrash Rabba has taught the same way, which says that Abraham was in a very high spiritual state, not familiar to most human beings. Rabbi Chunia in Middrash Rabba notices a differentiation: Before they performed their mission they were called men; having performed their mission, they assumed the style of angels.Nahmanides [3] on the other hand states that the men that Abraham saw were neither angels, nor normal human beings; rather, they were special creatures. He comments that these men in this event and other events in the Torah are angle wrapped in special glorious garment to perform certain tasks and they could only be seen by righteous people in this world.The Kabbalists explain, today’s tangible shape and look of the torah is to make it more familiar and understandable to the mortal man. Torah is trying to do the same here and make the intangible, tangible and give us more understanding of a situation. The angels need to shape to a form that is understandable to the physical beings. Abraham and Sarah’s household used to see angels, including Lot and Hagar and obviously they were not at the same spiritual level as Abraham and Sarah were. Later on the two angels who go to destroy the city of Sodom, visit and talk to Lot as well.Talmud tells us that they are the angels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Michael who came to bring the news to Sarah of Isaac’s birth; Raphael to heal Abraham; and Gabriel to topple the city of Sodom. Later on, we see that angel Michael accompanies Gabriel to rescue Lot.                                                                Do you mind waiting, G-d?Some may say that this is heresy. How can a human being be so disrespectful to G-d?  A better question to ask is “Where is G-d? How can we see or get close to Him? Judaism believes that G-d is Omnipresent. G-d is everywhere.We believe that there is a link between the source (G-d) and reflection (Man). TheKotzker Rebbe used to say:  “God is where He is allowed to enter.” Thus, any appearance or revelation by G-d, is really the result of our effort to being drawn closer to Him.To understand this episode in this Parshah, we need to differentiate between personal and communal acts of Abraham. Abraham is not concerned about going to heaven. He is doing deeds of kindness, generosity and hospitality towards others to show us the heaven on earth. He challenges the verdict of Hashem, because he understands his personal G-d. He knows and can connect with the source of all beings. They both matter to each other. To connect to each other, they both show the same trait of characteristics. Compassion and generosity.Man cannot go to G-d without going through man. Baal Shem Tov school of thought teaches us that whoever loves God exclusively, namely, excluding man reduces his love and his God.  Hashem cares when we care for his creation. We can question His acts and He listens like a patient teacher and a father. When we fail, He is patient enough to listen and loves us enough to care. He enjoys seeing our growth, success and Joy. As the Chassidim sages teach us, the self-perfection could be attained only through others.Abraham understood all that. He introduced his G-d to us. And because he genuinely cared for people as well, in return, three world religions and billions of people call him Father Abraham.Man? G-d?  Man? G-d? Man? G-d? – ManRashi quotes the sages in Talmud that this story teaches us that taking in guests is greater than receiving the Divine Presence. You can reach G-d through people; G-d expects that as well.       Sages comment,  When You Have To Choose Between Man and God, Choose Man!We can attain godliness by acting with kindness towards others.Why?  Because our task as a Jew is to imitate G-d. According to Rabbi Sacks [4], to be like God is to be a giver. Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch suggestsdoing acts of selfless kindness towards others on behalf of G-d in this world is what we should do.  With the arrival of Abraham in human history, man takes the responsibility of showing the way of G-d, by his or her actions. For a Jew, this is done through understanding G-d on a personal and communal level. Meet my personal G-dG-d is “my Hashem” when He proclaims:  “I am the Lord your God (elohecha-singular). He is the one that we understand according to our Neshama, [ i.e. capacity] . And when we refer to G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac and G-d of Jacob, in our prayers, we are talking about our fore Father’s personal G-d. The G-d of covenant, on the other hand, is the one that we understand and react to from inside the community. That G-d requires us to belong to and be a compassionate, kind, forgiving, and giving member of the community. As Talmud teach us, be like G-d and cloth the naked, visits the sick, comforts mourners and bury the dead.  At that time we would be able to see Him in other people’s faces. Abraham did not see G-d in the sun, the stars, Abraham knew G-d through all people who are made in His image. For Abraham and his children, man in need takes precedent on talking to G-d- That is the way He wants it. Mazol Tov!
 In the age of security fences and gated communities in the exclusive neighborhoods, we are far from the hospitality which Abraham is known for. The chuppah which Jews marry beneath it, is open on all four sides, and like Abraham’s tent, it is open to the presence of God and man in all directions.When we marry beneath a chuppah, we confirm to be like Abraham, opening our doors to the messengers of God who appear in our lives to pour out the Light. Fire and brimstone are falling from the skyIn this Parshah,we hear the name Sodom for the second time. This time G-d has decided to destroy the city,  “Because the cry of [the victims of] Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous”     (Gen. 18:20)Sages can not help but to compare the kind and generous characteristics of Abraham to the egocentric and malice one of the inhabitants of the Sodom.  Only the dead are not able to give Geographically, Sodomis located next to the Dead Sea. In Israel. There are two seas connected by the Jordan River: The Sea of Galilee in the north, and the Dead Sea in the south. Unlike the sea of Galilee, and because the Dead Sea is the lowest point on planet Earth, water flows in but ever flows out. Sages comment that this inability to “give” is why it’s called the Dead Sea. Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do,When they come for you? This character affected the population of Sodom.

• The attitude of Sodom was “Mine is yours, and yours is mine,”
• The Talmud says that in Sodom it was illegal to welcome strangers. And it was decreed: “Whoever hands a piece of bread to a pauper or stranger shall be burned at stake”. For example, one Sodomite woman who gave bread to a poor person was punished by publicly being covered with honey and devoured by bees.
• According to Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, Plotit the daughter of Lot was married to one of the leading citizens of Sodom. Every day, she would place from all the foods of her home and feed the pauper. When the matter became known and she was taken out to be burned, and her cries rose to the Divine Throne.
• There were judges in Sodom but no fair judgments could be found.
• When visitors arrived at Lot’s home, the entire city, young and old, surrounded the house with the intention of molesting his guests.
• the attitude of Sodom was “Mine is yours, and yours is mine,”
• And finally, they had beds upon which travelers were forced to lay down. If the guest was too long, they shortened him; if too short, they stretched him out.

Isaac’s binding – what’s going on? Facing the eminent destruction of Sodom, Abraham, who calls himself mere “dust and ashes,” asks G-d: Will not the judge of all the earth do right?”Abraham’s extensively appeals to save the people of Sodom and Gomorra and requests G-d to change his plan. But at the same time, we see some philosophers, authors and even parents who judge him unfavorably on the ground that in the story of the binding of Isaac, he does not ask G-d to spare his own son’s life. Some comment that he was self-blinded, caring for others more than his own son.But doesn’t the person who asks G-d to judge the world right, deserve to be judged fairly and objectively?Can we deny that he was a father?  A loving father. Didn’t he have feelings?I am me and you are youThe Lubavitcher Rebbe says: Jewish ness is not a matter of historical conscious, outlook, ethics, or even behavior; it is a state of being.One of my beloved Rabbis, Rabbi Zussia,  was asked by his student on his death bed, aren’t you afraid that G-d asks you why you didn’t become Abraham in your lifetime? He answers I am afraid of G-d asking me why I did not become Zussia?Abraham should be evaluated on his level of faith. He had his way with G-d. His willingness to go through the last trial of faith and to get to the highest level and acknowledgment that everything belongs to G-d, may only be evaluated by a person who has reached that height. Only then we may understand Abraham in relation to the two stories of binding his son in one hand and the story of Sodom on the other. The period between the rules of the two kingdoms that dominated the land of Israel – the Christian Byzantines and the Moslem Arabs, the Jews of Jerusalem were the victims of severe rioting, and it may well be that as a result of the attacks by the Christians some Jews preferred to kill their own children rather than convert to Christianity. Similar event took place when the defenders of the Massda, preferred to participate in a mass killing of their wives, children and themselves rather than surrendering to the Roman. It is not justified to compare Abraham’s role in the story of binding Isaac with such events in Jewish history. None of them were and became Abraham.The amphibious manAbraham has lived two lives. He had one foot in the temporal, physical world and one in the eternal one. In the latter, where the conscious is absorbed into one, the physical and spiritual is one. That world, belongs to him alone and in it, his time is mostly spent with G-d and building their relationship on a personal level. But in the physical world, he is busy building the most humane kind of relationship with G-d’s creation. In our history, we see him as a bridge between both. By serving strangers, he was serving G-d. Abraham’s selfless love for his fellow man is his being in the temporary state – Isaac’s binding was his spiritual, personal quest. These two are different.To a naked eye his behavior, which is affected by this fact, could be misinterpreted. Regarding the story of Sodom, Abraham involves himself and tries to save the wicked people of that city, who did not even believe in the same G-d he believed in. And Judaism takes this lesson very seriously. Judaism learns from Abraham and teaches that you do not go up on the spiritual ladder to disconnect yourself from the world, brag about yourself, or boost your ego. At the same time you can not connect to G-d by excluding others either.    A sleepless night in the desert Torah gives us a lot of clues about the real purpose and the spiritual state of Abraham at the time of the binding.  

• The story of Binding of Isaac happens after the covenant between G-d and Abraham takes place. Abraham and whole his household is spiritually richer because of that.
• Sages teach that the donkey (chamor) is a metaphor for lowly materialistic (chomri) state. Early morning, when he saddles the donkey to embark on G-d’s mission, they consider that act as a clue for him, being successful in sub-duding that desire in him.
• The servants, who accompanied them, were not allowed to come up the mountain. They could only reach to certain point. The same thing story happens at the time of Moses , when G-d forbids the elders from following Moses after certain point of the mountain.
• To go through this spiritual experience, Abraham rose very early and traveled for three days. He rose? Sages ask: On a night like this, did he go to sleep? That is a good question. Could he go to sleep, when he is about to sacrifice his beloved child on the altar for G-d? Or was he contemplating? Was he excited and or worried that he could not pass the test? The last test? Can he get higher than the twelfth level of prophesy (that only Moses accomplishes later) which he accomplished when G-d appeared to him in broad daylight in the first portion of this Parashah? Or on the way, was he teaching his son ? Was he preparing him for his own trial that Isaac was about to participate and watch?
• ·        This trip was not an unusual one for the father and son , because we do not see that Sarah object to it. 

Have you seen your Ram?Rebbe Nahman teaches,To blindly submit to God, without questioning the meaning of this submission, would be to diminish Him.So our sages are right to comment that G-d never intended such a dreadful sacrifice to happen.When God commanded Abraham to bind Isaac to the altar, He never specifically said to “sacrifice” him.Abraham went through this test to see his own mount Moriah , climb it and change. And change happened. His perception regarding life changed and according to the Midrash, now, he was able to see the alternative, the Ram. Sages teach us that the ram was there at all the time. All he had to do was to lift up his eyes and see it. And at the end of the episode, this is exactly what he did and therefore was called twice by name (In the Torah, being called twice by name, like in case of Moses and Jacob, is an indication of reaching a very high level of spirituality). What is the lesson for us? The ram (the alternative) of our life is here. Tangled in front of our eyes, is offering us choices. G-d puts the ability in us to see the ram; he just wants us to make the better choice in life. All we need to do is to lift up our eyes, as our Grand Pa Abraham did, and see the alternative. For that we need to be more understanding and tolerant of others- more compassionate and fair and open our minds. Only then we may be able to connect to G-d and His creations at the same time.Like father, like sonAnd he bound Isaac his son ( Gen. 22:9)Midrash Rabbah asks, how can one bind a man thirty-seven years old without his consent? There is a story that Isaac became blind because of a tear drop of a weeping angel fell in his eyes, while he was on the altar. During the last test of Abraham, Issac is portrayed as a passive bystander. But what else do we know about him?We see that he is loved not by his father alone but also adored by his mother. He is the son of a very rich and respected head of a tribe. Unlike his father, he has a father who makes it his job in life to teach him everything he knows about G-d , the creation and the true purpose of life. He is the sole spiritual heir to his father and as such, becomes our second beloved forefather. He is a family man and the author of the poetic Minchah prayer that we read every day. But an inquiry mind wants to know, what happened to Isaac after the Akeida? We see him spiritually richer. He rises up with his father after being the sole witness to the test for the highest level of spirituality which is attained by his father. He has seen the devotion necessary for achieving this new understanding. He comes back to continue the Jewish covenant and be a father of a holy nation as G-d have envisioned it,“For I have known (Abraham), that he will command his children and his household after him, and they will keep God’s ways, doing righteousness and justice.”         [Gen. 18:19]If there is any trauma after this event, it is his mother’s passing, not the binding on the altar, which Abraham understands well. Lift up our eyes and seeFirst – G-d does not want us to sacrifice our children for Him or anything else. The great prophet Micah (6:7) was confronted with a society in which animal and human sacrifices were widespread. This is his reaction to them and teachings for us : “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? The Lord has shown thee, O man, what is good and what is required of you: but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”Second – The alternative is always there. It is in the choice between the moments of saying no to a needy person and saying yes. It is between the choice of neglecting and caring. Between the moments that we choose life over death for our spirit. It is when we choose to suffer or learn from a painful experience. Ruining someone” life or giving life to a ruined relationship.The alternative is always there, all it takes is to “lift up our eyes and see” it.                      

This has been but only one interpretation of the parshah. Based on the teachings of our sages

Shabbat shalom,

Dariush Fakheri

Parashat Lech-Lecha

Lech Lecha (Genesis 12-17)

Lech-Lecha, Lekh-Lekha, in Hebrew means “go for you”, is the third weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual cycle of Torah reading.

The summary of the Torah portion (parshah)

The first two parshah of Genesis tell the story of the creation of the world. The third parshah is the story of the beginnings of the Jewish people.

Avram and Sarai (later to become Avraham and Sarah), the first two Jewish people, travel from their native land to Canaan (later Eretz Israel). 

G-d promises Abraham to make of him a great nation, to bless him, make his name great , to bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him. And all the families of the earth shall be blessed through him.

Abram was 75 years old when he follows G-d’s command, takes his wife Sarai , his brother’s son, Lot and all the souls which they made in Charan and leave for Canaan. In Canaan, G-d appears to Abram and says, “To your seed will I give this land.”

There was famine in Canaan and Abram, his family and followers end up in Egypt.

Sarai is then taken into the Pharaoh’s house. The Pharaoh shows kindness to Abram for the beautiful woman’s sake and gave him animals and servants. But G-d struck Pharaoh with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. The Pharaoh sent for Abram and says, “Take your wife and go.”Abram leaves Egypt with Sarai and all of their possessions.

Back in the Land of Canaan, Lot separates from Abram and settles in the evil city of Sodom. He falls captive when the mighty armies of four kings conquer the five cities of the Sodom Valley. Abram with a small band of his people rescues his nephew, defeats the four kings, and is blessed by Malki Zedek, the king of Salem.

Sarai, Abram’s wife, had no children, but she did have an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. Sarai asked Abram to go to Hagar so that she might labor him a child. A son named Ishmael was born when Abram was 86. After Hagar conceived, she acts disrespectfully towards Sarai. Sarai complains to Abram, who tells Sarai to do whatever is good in her eyes. Then Sarai treats Hagar harshly and Hagar flees from their home.

An angel of G-d finds Hagar by a fountain of water in the wilderness. The angel tells Hagar to return home, promising to multiply her seed and a big nation of her son.The angel tells her to call her son, Ishmael, because G-d had heard her affliction. Hagar then calls (names) G-d, “You are a G-d of seeing.” And G-d calls the well, “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me”.

When Abram was 99, G-d said, “I wish to set My covenant between Me and you. You shall become a father of a number of nations.” G-d promises Abram the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession of his descendants. But he must keep the covenant by having “every male among you be circumcised at the age of eight days”.

G-d names Abraham’s wife, Sarah, and promises a son from her.  Abraham fell on his face and laughs and says in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old or shall Sarah who is 90 years old give birth?” But G-d says, “Sarah shall bear a son whom you shall name Isaac. With him will I uphold My covenant.”

Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the male members of his household and servants,circumcised the flesh of their foreskins and his own. 

THE CALL – moment of truth
 

As we mentioned before, Lech Lecha means “Go for yourself,” or when translated literally, it means, “Go to yourself.”

Abraham was 75-years old when he received the call from G-d to start his life all over again by leaving his native land and go to THE LAND, with a new mission. He was asked to “re-invent” himself and, as a result, he became a new person.

Let’s meet Grandpa Abraham!

People used to call him “Ivri“ because he was standing on the other side of where everyone else was standing, in thought and behavior.The Torahrefers to Abraham as “The one who crossed over.”

And G-d spoke to Abram: “Go you from your land.” (Gen. 12:1)

The Talmud states that Abraham recognized his Creator at age three. Other sources quote the ages 4, 48 and 50. Maimonides [1] believes 40, “the age of understanding,”. The Torah tells us, G-d considers him good and ready and called him when he was 75 years old.

Like the late Rebbe, I do not think that there is any conflict between these opinions. But I think that our sages are trying to teach us that the awakening, and the moment of enlightenment may happen to one when he/she is ready and is called by G-d.

No one taught him the way of g-d or guided him that way. He just followed hisheart and sought the truth and wisdom. He simply started to look deep in his soul and searched for the meaning of life, to seek purpose, the cause of the creation and know the Creator. Throughout his life, G-d tested him 10 times. He walked before G-d and was called by Him, a friend.

“I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be complete. I will make a covenant (brit) between Me and you.” [Gen. 17:1-2] 

To “walk before God“, means he was mature and responsible enough and does not need his parents to hold his hands to direct him, just like how to ride a bicycle for the first time without his parent’s help, if you will.

He performed the commandment of circumcision on himself when he was 99 years old. He was constantly learning by reflecting and asking and constantly reinventing himself.

He was a wonderful astronomer and a capable military commander. With a few of his men, he fought with a number of kings and won decisively. When the war was over, he refused to share the bounties of the war.  

Not a thread nor a shoe-strap, nor I shall take anything that is yours.(14:23)

He was also a good politician when the situation called for it. 

He saw and treated every human being as an image of G-d. He taught the whole world the true purpose of life, and to the Jews, why to be Jewish.

He was happy and content with his lot. As much as he was a generous and loving human being toward others, he was a wonderful father and husband. He was consumed with what is best for his children. He yearned to have a child for over 85 years and when he entered a covenant (on behalf of all the Jews) with G-d, he sought the promised blessing and inheritance for his children and not himself.

It seems that our Grandpa was a tough role model to follow. True. He is no Noah, Lot, his nephew who you meet in this parshah, or Job.Could it be that Abraham was a perfect man? Did he ever have doubts about anything? At times we see Abraham afraid, worried, or confused but always curious and not ashamed to ask.We see that after his crushing victory over the four foreign kings, he seeks G-d’s assurance of continued divine support;

G-d to Abraham:           

“Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be great”(15:1).

He even councils with an Egyptian wise man regarding performing G-d ’s commandment of circumcision.

Sure he is not an easy role model, but his life story has a lot to teach us. He is the first Jew and Zionist. He was a generous man. He could inspire people and win their hearts. He wrote a 400-chapter book and taught many people in a simple and easy way. He broke all the idols that his society used to worship and revere.

He answered the challenge of the most powerful king of the time, Nimrod, and came up victorious. He lived a holy life and his family did as well. Midrash Rabbah states that everyone in his household were prophets and used to see angels. All his life he tried to bring people together and sought justice for all, even for the wicked people of Sodom.

NOT FINDING 

Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhak of Pzhysha (The Yehudi)

“I understood what is told of our father Abraham; that he explored the sun, the moon, and the stars, and did not find G-d, and how in this very not-finding the presence of G-d was revealed to him. For three months, I mulled over this realization. Then I explored until I too reached the truth of not-finding.”

Q. Are we ready and or willing to answer G-d and change our life, if called by Him? 

Q. Abraham destroyed the idols of an existing belief system of his time. Do you think that you can do the same with the lure of today’s music, movies and consumerism?  

OUR FAMILY’S JOURNEY

After the revolution in Iran, most of us left our land, our birthplace, and our father’s house, just as our father Abraham did. We all left behind a piece of ourselves there. But since we Jews believe in life and continuity of the creation, we started to build our lives again despite being scattered around the world.

We lived a dual life, sometimes with three identities. Time after time we asked ourselves, am I an American, a Persian or a Jew? Or a combination of two or all three?We do not know which one of these identities is shaping who we are and which one should guide us in our lives.

Sometimes we have difficulty understanding why we are here. We have boundaries to cross, challenges to overcome and barriers to break. We have difficult choices to make. We have to do double the work of our hosts. We have to face the challenges of the time that they were facing as well as our own challenges to acculturate. For a long time, we were not sure if here is a permanent or a temporary home.      

Q. Was there a purpose, a mission or goal in this move?  Have we achieved what we were after?  

EGYPT, anyone?

When Abram arrived in Egypt (12:14)

Egypt is the metaphor for the slavery state of man’s mind in life. In this state, one does not exercise freedom of choice, does not decide for one’s own life; someone else does . In this Egypt, one sells his/her soul to the society’s idol(s).  

In this parshah, we see that Abraham and his nephew, Lot, both went down to Egypt. Our other two patriarchs, Isaac and Jacob and all of Jacob’s children will do the same later. There are dangers in going down that path. Abraham comes back physically and spiritually richer but Lot becomes the first Jewish casualty of that adventure. We see later that G-d worries that even our Patriarch, Isaac, cannot overcome the challenge;

God said to him, “Do not go down to Egypt, for you are a perfect sacrifice”(Genesis, chapter 22, verses 1-19)

“and the Land outside Israel is not appropriate for you.”(Rashi on Genesis)

In one way or another, we all will go to or face Egypt of our life. What matters ishow we come back?

G-d tells Abraham;

“Your descendents shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs.“(15:13)  

LOT‘S PERSPECTIVE 

The Jewish sages and commentators do not have a good opinion of Lot at all.

He accompanies his uncle to settle in Eretz Israel and is present when G-d speaks to Abraham.

Sages suggest that the he starts a dispute with his uncle out of greed.  

Torah: “And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the plain of the Jordan that it was all well-watered, like a garden of the L-rd, like the land of Egypt.”

When he starts the dispute, Abraham offers him the first choice for the land. But he chooses Sodom and Gomorrah and he is no longer a son of Abraham.

When Abraham was childless, he was the best candidate to succeed him as an heir.

But he cannot share the land with his uncle so he moves into an evil town that will ultimately cause his disgrace. Through an incest relationship with his daughters, he fathers the Moabites and Ammonites, who were sworn enemies of the Jewish people.

And there was strife between the herdsman of Abram’s cattle and the herdsman of Lot’s cattle; and the Canaanites and the Perizi then dwelt in the land.(Gen. 13:7) 

Midrash Rabbah teaches, ‘the cattle of our father Abraham would go about muzzled, while Lot’s cattle would go about unmuzzled.’ 

Q. In your opinion,what is the relation between this statement by Midrash, greed and Egypt?  

A STRANGER AMONG US?

Hagar is Sarah’s Egyptian maidservant who, at the request of Sarah, bears the first child for our father Abraham. “Hagar”, in Hebrew, means “the sojourner”, “the visitor”, “the foreigner”, “the stranger”, and “the outsider.”

A rabbi writes: 

Hagar is Egyptian, “the Egyptian Stranger.” Over and over the Torah reaches us, “Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the Land of Egypt.”  Hagar the Egyptian was a stranger in our midst, we became strangers in her Egypt, and so we must learn to treat with love and equal justice the strangers in our land.

These commands of Torah about just and loving treatment of the stranger are repeated thirty-six times.

Thirty-six times! Twice chai, the world that means “life” the word whose letters add up to eighteen. Was this a quite message? – For the sake of two lives, your own and the stranger’s, you must follow this difficult path!     

The Torah mentions twenty-three good women in Israel and nine in other nations. Hagar is one of the nine and through her son Ishmael, she becomes the mother of a great nation.     

But she doesn’t fade away after she leaves Abraham and Sarah’s home. According to the Midrash, after arranging Sarah’s funeral and Isaac’s wedding to Rebecca, Abraham remarries Hagar. According to the same source, Abraham frequently visits Ishmael, his son. Isaac maintains his relationship with his brother and we see that, when Abraham dies, they bury their father together. 

Where are we?  

With this parashah, we meet our father Abraham, the first Jew, and the Jewish history starts.

In the first two parshah of the Torah, we witnessed that with Adam’s sin and Noah’s lack of communal responsibility, this world’s physical side outweighs the spiritual one. We see the expulsion of man from Eden, the destruction of the world by the Flood and the Tower of the Babel episode that resulted in the division of people into 70 nations with different languages. After Eve, women disappear and are not mentioned in the Torah.

But in the first chapter of the third parshah, Lech Lecha, G-d finds a friend and confidant who hopes through his children, the Jewish people, these problems will be rectified and the world will be saved.

With the birth of Abraham, we move into a new era, different from the first era of “Creation.” We see families and every day challenges of their lives. Life evolves around family. The women show themselves in the Torah, as wives, mothers, life partners. They stay side by side with their husbands and proactively write the destiny of the world and the Jewish people. In this parshah, we meet Sarah. Grand Ma Sarah, who converts people to monotheism along side her beloved husband. Abraham trusts her to make family decisions. G-d talks to her directly and, in at least one occasion, we see that G-d tells Abraham to listen to her.  

(Based on the teachings of our sages)

Shabbat shalom,

Dariush Fakheri

Parashat Noach

  Noah – Noach

(Genesis 6:9-11:32)

Noah is the only righteous man in a world consumed by violence and corruption -G-d instructs him to build a large wooden  “ark”), coated within and without with pitch. A great flood, says G-d, will wipe out all life from the face of the earth; but the ark will float upon the water, sheltering Noah and his family, and two members (male and female) of each animal species.

All the fountains of the great deep were torn apart and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. The rain came upon the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, covering the highest mountains and wiping out all living things. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark were left. So the waters swelled over the earth for 150 days.

The ark settles on Mount Ararat, and from its window Noah dispatches a raven, and then a series of doves, “to see if the waters were abated from the face of the earth.” When the ground dries completely–exactly 365 days after the start of the Flood, G-d said to Noah, “Go forth from the ark with your household and let all the animals and living things go out with you- be fruitful and multiply.”

Noah builds an altar and made an offering to G-d. G-d swears, “Never again will I curse the ground or will I ever again destroy every living thing as I have done. The days of the earth shall be forever.”

G-d also commands Noah on the sacredness of life, through the seven Noahdic laws.

Noah plants a vineyard and becomes drunk on its produce.

Two of Noah’s sons, Shem and Japeth are blessed by him for covering up their father’s nakedness, while his third son, Ham, is cursed for taking advantage of his nakedness.After Noah passed away, his descendants remained a single people, sharing one language and the same culture, for ten generations. Then they defy their Creator by building a great tower to symbolize their own invincibility; God came down to the city to set his eyes on the tower that the sons of men were building.

G-d makes their language incomprehensible so that “one does not understood the language of the other,” causing them to abandon their project and scatter them across the face of all the earth, splitting into seventy nations.

The Parshah of Noah concludes with a chronology of the ten generations from Noah to Abram (later Abraham), and Abraham’s journey with his wife, Sarai (later Sarah)from his birthplace of Ur to Charan, on the way to the Land of Canaan.

Scene 1

Don’t miss the boat

Noah spends 120 years building an Ark. It measured larger than a football field and contained over a million cubic feet of space! It was equipped with three separate levels: The top for Noah and his family, the middle for the animals, and the bottom for the garbage.Noah undertook this strange and unusual project, not at the coast – but on a mountaintop!

Death of innocence and revenge of G-d

G-d decides to wipe out all life from the face of the earth and lets it rain for 40 days and 40 nights. After 365 days the water recedes and the Ark finally lands. God calls a cease-fire and sends a rainbow as a sign of peace.

Why did it all happen?

According to the Torah, the Jewish sages and commentators, the generation of the Flood was consumed by robbery and violence, sexual recklessness, idolatry, and bloodshed. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 57a) also tells us that the world was immersed in jealousy, greed, theft, lying, intolerance, deception and fraud. Rashi [1] and Ibn Ezra believed that the people exploited each other sexually.

The Midrash says that corruption and abuse became even celebrated in popular songs. Does it sound familiar?It did not end there. Another Midrash, quoted by Rashi, sees this anarchy carried over into the animal kingdom: even the animals and birds, which normally instinctively followed certain sexual boundaries, cohabited with members of other species.

So the whole world was flooded, right?

An important variation can be noted in the Hebrew text, according to Peggy Ketz.

She writes, Though adamah and aretz may both be translated as earth, they can also mean local environs and not the entire Earth. She comments,the first mention of the Eternal’s plan to destroy animal life is: “And the Eternal said I will blot out man whom I have created from on the face of the earth (adamah), both man and beast and creeping thing and fowl of the heavens” (Gen. 6:7). For the entire Flood account, the destruction is related to destroying life from the face of aretz, not the adamah.

Another example: “And the famine was on all the face of aretz“ (Gen. 41:56); and “There was no bread in all the aretz“ (Gen. 47:13). Cain was banished “from the face of the adamah“ (Gen. 4:14). He neither went to sea nor left Earth for Mars! We see that these terms, aretz and adamah, often have implications of limited geological extent.

The change in terminology from adamah to aretz may indicate a change in divine intent, a change form destroying all life to destroying life in the corrupt region of Mesopotamia. That change in intent is perhaps signaled by the verse following Genesis 6:7 that was quoted above: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Eternal” (Gen. 6:8). Things were bad, but not hopeless. Some good was found in the area. From this verse onward, destruction is limited to the face of the aretz.

How did G-d feel at the time?

Before the Flood, when the world sank to the level of savages and barbarians, according to the words of the Torah, G-d was “grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain.”

Imagine, our father was grieved and His heart was filled with pain, because of us!

But, on a positive note, the Flood added a new spiritual side of the world, with the seven commandments of the Noahdic Code, known as the seven universal laws of humanity. These are the “Laws of Noah”:

1. Do not murder.
2. Do not steal.
3. Do not worship false gods.
4. Do not be sexually immoral.
5. Do not eat the limb of an animal before it is killed.
6. Do not curse G-d.
7. Set up courts and bring offenders to justice.

You are one of a kind

Most probably Noah was:

• A heck of a ship builder – He has built the biggest ship of the time.
• A healthy mountain climber – It took him 120 years to built the ship on the top of the mountain
• The husband of a non-complaining wife? – There is no mention of his wife complaining.
• Subject of ridicule by everyone and everyday – He was an outsider
• Not being invited to parties and social gathering
• And he was okay with all that

The Midrash teaches us that Noah spent his entire life surrounded by evil and wickedness, yet he managed to make himself into one of the most righteous people who ever lived. There is a story in Farsi, which talks about a very well mannered man. When they ask him, “Where did you learn such good manners?” he replies, “By observing and avoiding what manner less people do”

Although he found favor in G-d’s eye, our sages expected more from him.

Our sages see him as a submissive person who doesn’t take any initiative. He waits to be commanded rather than being proactive. He waits for the divine command to get in and get out of the Ark. The ark is so “comfy” for him. Like a child in the mother’s womb, he needs the push to get out and face the world. He escapes the possibility of standing on his own feet, to work with others and build the world according to G-d’s vision. Either it is because he is not good in communicating with others and convincing them or he does not want to.

He is compared numerously to Moses and Abraham in the Zohar and Talmud.

Our sages question him for not being like Abraham, who

• Prayed for the doomed inhabitants of the city of Sodom, though he knew they were wicked people.  
• Fought a war to rescue his nephew
• Even encountered G-d, by saying to Him: “Shall the judge of all the earth not do justice?” and
• Sought to awaken the entire world to holiness.

Moses also prayed and fought for the people.

Noah did not do any of these. Noah’s level of virtue is compared with the moral expectations of his generation. He was just better than his neighbors. That’s all.

Could it be possible that he did not he know how to protest?

But he does. Another Midrash tells us that Noah protests to God after he sees the level of destruction. However, G-d asks him not to complain when he did nothing to protest beforehand.We believe that not all tzaddikim (the righteous) are equal. Every person brought forth into this world is unique and have a personal mission and a G-d given purpose. No one is supposed to be like Abraham or Moses. But don’t you think he could have cared more? Or have used his potential better?

Scene 2

“Come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower whose top is in the skies! G-d descended [to punish the wicked] to see the city and the tower that the descendants of Adam had built. From that place, G-d scattered them all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city. He [G-d] named it [the city] Babel because this was the place that G-d confused the world’s languages.”

Bereishit 11:1- 9

What did you say?

The 10^th generation after the Flood spoke the same language and cooperated with each other in a united cause, which was important to their community. Yet, their act was considered sinful.

What is wrong here?

Surely they were in agreement, united and most probably efficient master builders, but they wage war with the Almighty to take possession of Heaven.

You see, before the sin of Adam, the physical and spiritual domains were united. The Midrash [Chagigah 12a] tells us that Adam’s height stretched from the earth all the way to the heavens. This explains that unity, which disappeared after Adam committed his sin.

But the generation of the Tower did not care that the Heaven is the domain of G-d and earth is the domain of man. That there are boundaries in and between the two worlds that must be respected. By attempting to build a tower that would “reach the heavens,” the builders of Babel attempted to transgress the other boundaries, before the time is right and way before they become spiritually ready and prepared.

What was their punishment? They were separated into seventy nations, scattered to the four corners of the earth, each with an entirely different language, un-comprehendible to the other.

How much for that brick?

Waging that war was not the only sin in the eyes of G-d. According to the Midrash, God dispersed the builders of the Tower because, despite being united in the same cause, they did not truly care about each other. Since the cause was not heavenly and sacred, they turned against their Creator and became unkind to their fellow human beings as well.

How?

In time, we are told, the tower rose so high (The tower was so high, the remaining 1/3 was still so high that a person could walk three days and be in its shadow) that it took a year to go from the ground to the top. To continue building, they kept taking up bricks. Now that it took a year for materials to reach the top, if a brick fell off from the height, they wept for it. If a man fell off and plunged to his death, they took no notice.

The Jewish tower of love

A Mishnah teaches us not to judge a community by its apparent unity or disunity. We must look behind the surface. The people of the Tower spoke one language and devoted themselves to one project: to build the Tower of Babel. According to one source, 600,000 participated – the same number of the Israelites who left Egypt to gather at Sinai to accept the Torah and make a covenant with G-d.

(237 Sefer haYashar, Noah)

So, is there any Jewish tower? Yes, there is. On the individual level, we see a role model in Jacob who connects the physical and the spiritual worlds via a ladder. We use a ladder, which is not used for confrontation but rather for connecting to our Creator.

On the community level, the Baal Shem Tov [2] teaches us,

“Every Jewish person represents one letter in the Torah. When that person joins with his/her Brethren in a sacred act, they fuse their souls together into a vessel that holds G-d’s blessings. Through this fusion and united in love of each other, we can channel heavenly loving kindness into ourselves and into the world around us.”

Unlike the people of the Tower, we do not fall in the trap of human show off of technological arrogance. More than thinking of a more lasting name on a taller building or a fatter family trust account, we understand and work for our survival by instilling Jewish values and higher purpose into our family unit and community’s institutions. We would rather bring more meaning to our Temples and community buildings, and invest in programs that will endure for our children and youth.

Scene 3

Lonely souls

Human history has witnessed thousand of years of misunderstanding, intolerance and bloodshed between different races and cultures. What do we teach our children? Should we act according to our ethnicity or ethics? Do we offer an empowering tradition and culture?

It seems that this is the age of lonely souls. Most people have problems making connections and building positive relations. Man’s only choice shouldn’t be to either cut off from all the responsibilities towards the community and others, like Noah, or collaborate in a destructive, hateful unkind cause who wants to blow up “others”, like the generation of the Tower of Babel.

When Noah left the ark, he had the whole world to himself. He could have shaped it to the way of G-d. He saw what happened. He knew what G-d wants and what is right. So what did he do? He drank heavily and went to sleep. He fell to a depression, closed all the doors on himself and the world. It was not a surprise for an irresponsible being like him to be like a dead man.

We look at man, G-d and the world differently. Judaism has problems with the self help gurus that seem to pop up everywhere to steal from these lonely souls. It seems that whenever you turn the channel on public televisions, cables or classes and gatherings, there are “wild west snake oil salesmen” who are charging handsome money to sell a sense of self-confidence,  a key to happiness and self worth, to a depressed and confused souls.

I saw that on T.V.

A very famous celebrity was saying, on T.V.,

“If there is a G-d, then that G-d is me, all of us, animals, trees, rocks, everything-not some personified Other who ‘wants’ our prayers or our obedience.”

There is no if; G-d exists. G-d in Judaism does not “need”. We have freedom of choice so; the word obedience does not exist in the Torah. That is why Noah is not our hero; Abraham and Moses are. In G-d’s creation, man is a dignified being. He/She is made in the image of G-d; he/she is not G-d, but part of G-d and human race. He/She is G-d’s partner in creation. The path to happiness is well laid out for the Jews, and our purpose in life is well defined: “To be holy, because G-d is holy”.

He also states later in the program,

“Work at being content with who you are, rather than pleasing others by being unauthentic. Say to yourself “I am what I am and it’s ok as long I’m not hurting anyone else in the process.” You have a right to be who you are. The only morality that you have to be concerned with is whether someone else is being hurt by you by being who you are. You don’t have to apologize for anything or anyone. You don’t have to apologize to anyone for anything that you are. It’s a wonderful affirmation. “I am what I am.”

What a selfish way to look at world. What a destructive way of looking at others in life. In a person such as this, I see a lonely, unloved, unkind person who is isolated. Today’s Noah. All relations, according to Judaism, are based on an I-and-Thou relationship with other Human beings and not with a thing.We are not a mere coincidence of nature, slaved to our DNA. The Torah gives dignity to the individual. Man is glorious, majestic, powerful being. And at the same time, He/she is responsible for the community. One cannot build a personal ark and save one’s self.

Torah talks about individual and values our individuality in a community-based culture. We understand the importance of the communal responsibility.

Your Legacy

The Flood is called “the waters of Noah” (Isaiah 54:9).

Q. What would be your legacy when you leave this world?

This has been but only one interpretation of the parshah.

Based on the teachings of our sages

Shabbat shalom,

Dariush Fakheri

Parashat Bereshit

B”H

Bereishitבראשית

Means“in the beginning”
Genesis 1:1 – 6:8
The first weekly Torah portion in annual Cycle of Torah reading

The Joke

One day a group of Darwinian scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed G-d. So they picked one Darwinian to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.

The Darwinian walked up to G-d and said, “G-d, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go on and leave us alone.”

G-d listened very patiently and kindly to the man. After the Darwinian was done talking, G-d said, “Very well, how about this? Let’s say we have a man-making contest.” To which the Darwinian happily agreed.

G-d added, “Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam.”

 The Darwinian said, “Sure, no problem” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

 G-d looked at him and said, “No, no, no. You go get your own dirt!!!!”

Nice to see you again!

We start reading the Torah all over again. Since we have changed during the last yea, we are going to look at the verses with a different perspective. We may have been single and now we are married. Without a child and now, we read them as a parent. In short, Torah has not changed but we have.

What was going on?

G-d creates the world in six days. On the first day He makes darkness and light. On the second day He forms the heavens and divides the “upper waters” from the “lower waters.” On the third day He sets the boundaries of land and sea and trees and greenery come up from the earth. On the fourth day He fixes the position of the sun, moon and stars as illuminators of the earth. Animals are created on the fifth day, and then the human beings are created on the sixth. G-d ceases work on the seventh day, and sanctifies it as a day of rest.

G-d forms the human body from the dust of the earth and blows a “living soul.”into his nostrils.  Deciding that “it is not good that man be alone,” G-d takes a “side” from the man, forms it into a woman, and marries them to each other.

Adam and Eve, the only residents of the Garden of Eden are commanded not to eat from the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” The serpent persuades Eve to violate G-d’s command. Adam and Eve commit the first sin. Because of their sin, it is decreed that man will experience death and return to dust from which he was formed; eat bread with the sweat of face and shall not gain anything in life without struggle and hardship. Man, then is expelled from the Eden.

Eve gives birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain argues with Abel and becomes the first murderer in the world and a rootless wanderer. A third son is born to Adam called Seth.G-d regretted that He had made man on the earth and decides to destroy humanity.  Noah, the tenth-generation descendent of Seth, is the only righteous man in a corrupt world who finds grace in the eyes of G-d.

Did it really happen?

For centuries, mysteries in the Torah have occupied the mind of the rabbis in The Talmud and Kabalistic books. And still the mystery of the forbidden tree from which Adam and Eve ate, exists. Why? TheMidrash Rabbah states that G-d purposefully did not, and will not, reveal its name. It also states that this is the case why it is written in the Book of Books that, in the beginning, God created the heavens and earth, without saying how?

It is not easy for man to know the mystery of the other reality, which parallels our physical world. Our sages teach us that this is like dealing with parables.

Someone who wants another person to understand him will offer a parable (mashal), but the true message (nimshal) is hidden in the lesson of the parable. So, similarly, G-d contracted, as it were, in the lowest levels of creation, and this is a parable so that we might understand it. God is in everything a parable, and by analogy we can understand the deep lesson.

In Judaism we acknowledge that there is no shame to the fact that it is impossible for human beings to understand the infinite wisdom of the Creator, with his/her finite wisdom. G-d lives in another state of time and space that is not similar to the ones which we are bound to. He can be in different locations at the same time; we can’t. That is the reality of His world; this is ours and it shouldn’t bother us.

Our sages teach us “One must not try to understand. One must admire, that’s all.”The great late Persian poet, Sohrab Sepehri echoes this approach by saying, we need to swim in the magic of a rose, rather than trying to identify the mystery of its secret.

So what is left for man to do?

Heartfelt thanks for having the opportunity to be chosen to partner up with G-d, to continue the creation alongside Him. Sing a song of gratitude and joy for getting noticed and being dignified by Him. Study and try to understand His book and walk humbly on his path. 

This does not mean that Judaism runs away from giving answers. Questioning has always been encouraged in Judaism. We even question G-d’s actions and His Judgments, not to confront him, but to understand His way. 

I do not want to bore you with the pros and cons of creation versus random evolution. For those of you who are interested in this subject, I recommend Genesis and the Big Bang as well as The Science of God by Professor Dr. Gerald Schroeder.

In his books, he discusses the areas that the Torah and science are in complete agreement, such as the non-existence of time before the universe exists and the idea that there was no vacuous void within which the universe appeared.

  

    He also notes the problems with the theory of random evolution by bringing up issues such as,

• Falsification of fossil records admitted by Huxley [1], himself, among other lack of evidences
• The problem of the projection of eternity into a finite material universe
• A quantum vacuum fluctuation can only produce a universe that is closed, that is, a super massive universe, one that might have collapsed shortly after its big bang
•  There are no data that support the contention that our universe is closed.

Dr. Schroeder writes that Creation of the universe from absolute and complete nothing marked the beginning of space, time, and matter. Torah has held that position for over 3000 years.

What should I call you?

                                              
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks [2] notices that the eleventh century poet and philosopher Judah Halevi has made a distinction in the names used for G-d in the first few chapters of the Torah.

In Bereishith 1, God is described as Elokim, then transforms to Hashem-Elokim. And then He is called Hashemalone. The sefer (book) Bereishit, refers to God as a person, a “Thou.” Hashem is The One who speaks to us and to whom we speak, who loves us as a person loves, who hears our prayers, forgives our failures, gives us strength in times of crisis, and teaches us the path of life.

Rabbi Sacks concludes, “The profound message of the first three chapters of Bereishith is a story about language, relationships and what it is to be a person. Judaism is the story of how the love we feel for another person leads to the love of God”.

Howdy Partner

Unlike the surrounding cultures of the time, and many other belief systems in the world, Judaism puts man in the center of the faith with the Creator. Adam walks and talks with G-d. Man discusses and argues with Him. 

     The starting date of the biblical calendar was set at the creation of the souls of humankind (Gen. 1:27), NOT

• At the creation of the universe – “In the beginning” of Genesis 1:1.
• Migrating from one city to another or
• Someone’s birthday

Martin Buber [3] writes,

 In the beginning, man is alone. Alone as God is alone. As he opens his eyes he does not ask: Who am I? He asks: Who are you? In the beginning, man oriented himself solely in relation to God-and all of creation defined itself in relation to man. Before man, things were there, yet did not really exist.

So, we partner up with G-d in His vision for history. We believe in the Creator who is not indifferent neither to us and nor to our life. He has created this universe with a plan in which we are not mere gene-producingmachines. We are made in His image and as such we have worth. To Him, we are significant, unique, unparallel, responsible and accountable beings.As Talmud teaches, man is made to be G-d-like, and must be partners with G-d in this act of creation. In the words of our sages, the process of the world’s creation is only in its infancy and “There is yet much work to be done”.

G-d could have very easily continued the creation, but he chooses a partner and the divine education starts from the beginning. In this partnership, I also know that I cannot fulfill myself through a substitute. No one can replace me and fulfill my G-d given mission in life. Adam and Eve were punished by God, not only for not listening to Him, but for also casting blame for their actions elsewhere.

Start of the partnership and education according to the Torah

G-d formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.                                                     (2:19)

Adam named all the living creatures, himself, his wife twice and then even named G-d, A-do-nai, (“lord”), for He is “Master of all Your creations”.

 And the message is?

We shouldn’t be concerned with proving that God created the universe in six days or there are bigger numbers involved. We refuse to do that, because Torah is not a history book or a Photo album to look at. Torah, according to Rashi [4], is primarily an instruction book for the Jewish people.

Through the Torah, a Jew finds out to dream, love, fear and hope. He/she learns that life and all of life is sacred.

RabbiHartman form Hartman institute in Jerusalem comments,

 “A person whose religious sensibilities are nurtured by the biblical creation model cannot sit passively and watch a child die of leukemia. He or she must reject the myth that hunger, sickness, and exploitation are inevitable or tolerable because of the doctrine of divine providence”.

That I have full trust in my creator.

 G-d is all good. After each creation, G-d is satisfied and calls that good. We see that G-d through that process acts as a loving parent, who has the best interest for His children at heart. Therefore there is no place for me to worry.

                                  
That Creation is an on going process

The Creation is continuously renewed, and we are also being constantly recreated.

That life is full of purpose and meaning

 Nothing is coincidental in life. Life is full of purpose and meaning and each one of us is here to utilize them and fulfill our G-d given mission by exercising our free will, within the limits of the laws, which are applicable in both the physical and spiritual world.

That I am a responsible and accountable being.

           After G-d had created the first man, He led him on a path through the trees in the Garden of Eden.

          God then said to the man, “Observe what I have done, see how beautiful and worthy of appreciation they are. Everything I have done has been for your sake. Take this to heart and do not do evil or harm My creation; because if you hurt it, there will be no one to fix it after you.”                          Midrash Rabbah

 To be a good brother

It is important for us to apply the lesson from the Cain and Abel story, without even knowing what went on in their conversation which ended up to be the first murder in the world (Maybe that is why the Torah does not elaborate on this conversation).

And,

• Ask ourselves one of the most profound questions for all mankind through Cain’s question from G-d “Am I my brother’s keeper?”. And extend the lesson learned to all aspects of our lives and this world, either it may be a hungry stomach or Global warming issue.            

• As the Torah states,

            “And the earth was desolate and void, and darkness was upon the water and the Almighty said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.”

                                                                                                           (Genesis 1:2,3)

Instead of making ourselves busy with the age of the earth, we should rather learn from G-d and send light into the darkness of someone’s life. Send a message of hope. Say something nice. Bring someone out of depression or a miserable situation. The Kabbalists teach the most precious spark of light is hidden in the deepest point of darkness.

• And try to put clothes on a naked body, as G-d did to Adam and Eve.

• And learn, as Nachmanides [5] concludes from, when Torah states regarding the creation of fish and fowl on the fifth day of Creation and the creation of man on the sixth, to be sensitive to others and to anticipate what their needs will be before they ask.

• And as G-d asks Adam, “Where are you?” Examine our life, once in a while, and see where we are spiritually in this life.

• And feel obligated to love our fellow man, because only man is fashioned in the image of the Creator and as such we should emulate and imitate Him.

• Kabbalists believe that G-d contracted Himself to open room and give space to this Creation; similarly, we do the same and give room and space to others around us to grow.

• Learn from Midrash Rabbah ,

Why doesn’t it say “It was good” on the second day?

Because on that day, divisiveness was created.

and avoid any situation which puts a division between us and other images of G-d on the earth, because that is not good in the eyes of G-d.                          

An open heart, every one’s welcome

 The most profound message to humanity in the Torah is not the Ten Commandments or “Love thy neighbor as thyself”, but rather the statement that states, all human beings share the same father and mother.

From Rabbi’s mouth

 To a disciple who complained about the imperfections and gaps in creation, the Rabbi replied: “Could you do better? If so, what are you waiting for? Start working!”

 

(Based on the teachings of our sages)

Shabbat shalom,

Dariush Fakheri

Sukkot

Sukkoth

Torah reading(Leviticus 22:26-23:44)
                                                    

C’mon, let’s celebrate!

Celebration and happiness are essential themes of the holiday of Sukkoth. During the evenings of the Sukkoth holiday, there was music, dancing, and even juggling in the holy Temple. Today in Jerusalem and Jewish communities throughout the world, there is dancing and music during the week as a reminder of these Temple celebrations.

The Torah says:

“You shall take … the beautiful fruit (Etrog), a palm frond (Lulav), myrtle twigs and willow branches of the stream -and rejoice for seven days before the Lord your God.”                                                                    (Leviticus 23:40)

On Sukkoth, we bind all the branches together – two willows on the left, one palm branch in the center, and three myrtles on the right. We hold this bundle in our right hand, and then lift them together with the Etrog. We then shake them all together, three times in each direction: front and back, left and right, up and down.

It is a Kabbalistic custom to beat the willow on the floor five times. By doing this, they mean to expel evil decrees, and rouse the love between God and the Jewish people.

THANK YOU

We say the following prayers in the sukkah:

Baruch ata Adonai Eloheynu Melech ha’olam asher kidshanu be’mitzvotav ve’tzivanu ley’shev ba’sukah.

“Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us by Your commandments, and has commanded us to sit in the sukkah.”

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melech ha’olam shehehiyanu ve’kiymanu vehigi’anu la’zman ha’zeh.

“Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us in life, and has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this season.”

When taking the lulav, say:

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melech ha’olam asher kidshanu be’mitzvotav ve’tzivanu al netilat lulav.

“Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us by Your commandments, and has commanded us to take the Lulav.”

LOOK WHO IS COMING FOR DINNER

“When the people of Israel leave their homes and enter the sukkah for the sake of God’s name, they merit to welcome the Divine Presence there, and all the seven shepherds descend from Gan Eden (paradise) and come to the sukkah as their guests.”

                                                                        (Zohar, Emor 103a)

According to the Jewish beliefs, during the seven days of the Sukkoth, this physical, humble structure of panels and branches creates a vessel for a dwelling of the divine presence which manifests itself like it does in Eden. For one entire week, this is the house where we and our Creator will dwell together.

The Zohar [1] remarks that on each day of Sukkoth, we also welcome a spiritual guest, seven in total, into our Sukkoth. We recite a special prayer and invite the souls of the seven shepherds of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David, who take turn to lead the other six to our Sukkoth each night.

Some Sephardic Jews even have a custom of setting aside a lavishly decoratedchair covered with fine cloth and holy books for these guests.

WHY NUMBER 7?

Based on Kabbalists views, Nachmanides [2] explains that Seven is the number of nature. “Seven”, represented here by the seven days of Sukkoth, is the world of nature. “Eight”, on the other hand, stand for Shmini Atzeret, corresponding to beyond nature. During this festival, we celebrate both physical and spiritual worlds together.

WITH YOU I AM BORN AGAIN

On the fifteenth of this [seventh] month shall be the festival of Sukkoth to
G-d for seven days. On the first day is a holy gathering—The eighth day is a sacred holiday to you—                                            [Lev. 23:34-36]

During the 40 years that the Israelites journeyed in the wilderness, they were surrounded by “Clouds of Glory” in all four directions, above and below. These supernatural clouds protected them from all the natural hazards.

One can easily conclude that we were like a little child who doesn’t need to know  from where, how and by whom his/her needs are being taken care of, but nevertheless benefits from his or her parent’s protection and is nourished by them.

As we mentioned before, based on Kabalistic teachings, when Jews spend time in the Sukkoth, G-d joins them as well. By looking upward, it seems like heaven showers through tree branch ceilings and fills our Sukkoth, and immerses us in this spiritual Mikveh of energy.

This is a basis for a deeper metaphysical and popular analogy in the Kabbalists circle, in which G-d symbolizes the husband and the Israelites as the wife. Based on this analogy, G-d chooses the Jews for a wife and rescues us from Pharaoh to marry us in the wilderness. He protects us from all human and natural dangers and sustains us for 40 years in the desert.  But we betray G-d right before we consummate our marriage. As Moses brings us the Torah (Metaphor for the Ketubah, the Jewish marriage contract) from G-d, we are worshiping an idol instead.

It’s not surprising that when the Israelites worshiped the “Golden Calf,” the clouds of glory (husband’s protection) left, only to return after Moses had achieved the final atonement on Yom Kippur (forgiveness) and bringing the second set of the Torah. Therefore, we commemorate the clouds after Yom Kippur. In other words, during Sukkoth, we celebrate a new relationship with our partner under our new dwelling place.

THE HONEYMOON

The 8^th day is for G-d and Israel to be alone.After all theses spiritual moments, God adds a special day at the end of Sukkoth, a day of intimate time with our Creator.

Simchat Torah, which follows the Sukkoth, is the day when we finish reading the Torah and start reading from the beginning (Genesis) anew. G-d has pardoned us and it is time that we celebrate our renewed relationship with Him and start a new Creation as partners, once more. 

LESSONS OF THE SUKKOTH

Not all the Jews are farmers anymore. So what are the lessons of the Sukkoth for our time?

As a people with agricultural roots, by reflecting on changes in the nature, we may find many ways to respond to our surrounding’s needs. By emphasizing not just on the cycles of the earth, but also the cycles of our lives, we learn to address the issues that affect our family, community and the world.

Aside from the lofty spiritual matters of the Sukkoth, Judaism, as always, emphasizes on human actions. Torah is full of teachings regarding social justice and righteousness. As we celebrate Sukkoth, we need to focus on commandments that demand actions on numerous areas toward Tikkun Olam,meaning to repair the world.

On an individual level, we are expected to try to be more human, less materialistic and superficial. And in relation to others, we need to show more respect, caring, sharing and love.As the sages say, we can not reach G-d without going through man and we can not reach man without going through G-d.

ME

Moses was “a very humble man“. The fragile nature of the Sukkoth teaches us a good lesson in humility and humbleness. As our teacher, Moshe Rabbenu was the most humble man ever. Being humble, in the eyes of the Torah, doesn’t mean submissiveness or weakness.

WE ARE FAMILY

When we spend time in the Sukkoth, G-d joins us as well. Once more we understand the value of relationships. We understand the value of people who share most of our life with us. Our life partners, children, parents. Like G-d, they need to share some ‘one to one’ time with us. They need to know that we are there for them. We love them and cherish their presence in our lives.

We all need each other’s sensitivity and support that could help improve our lives. We need to face and share their challenges with them and show them the respect they deserve. Spend time with each other. Invite them to the private Sukkoth in your heart.

IT IS A SEASON OF GIVING

Sukkoth is the “harvest festival.” In the agricultural world, the summer is over and the grain that was left in the field to dry is now gathered into the storage bins. The Torah commands everyone to leave his home and sit in the Sukkoth, see the stars and ponder. Cold days of fall may be a good time for those with full and not nearly full bins to reflect on life and its challenges.

Hunger and poverty are facts of life throughout history and they will never cease from our mist.

In the words of Zohar, One must also please the poor, and the portion [that would otherwise have been set aside for these seven spiritual visitors who visit us from Eden, should go to the poor. One should not say "I will first satisfy myself with food and drink, and I shall give the leftovers to the poor." Rather, the first of everything must be for one's guests. If one pleases his guests and satisfies them, God rejoices over him.

Maimonides [3] echoes this teaching, “When a person eats and drinks in celebration of a festival, he is obligated to feed converts, orphans, widows, and others who are destitute and poor. In contrast, a person who locks the gates of his courtyard and eats and drinks with his children and his wife, without feeding the poor, is not indulging in rejoicing associated with a mitzvah, but rather the rejoicing of his gut—This rejoicing is a disgrace–”

The Sukkoth symbolizes a temporary dwelling. Because we have lived as strangers and as temporary settlers in different lands, we understand the vulnerability and fragility that we all share as human beings.

Our mandate for the new relationship with G-d should be to emulate and please him. It would be very nice to dig deep into our hearts and souls. Offer peace to our surroundings. Extend security to those in need. Understand the importance of the shelters for the homeless and the deprived in our society. Invite the ‘have-nots’ and strangers to share the bounty of our Sukkoth.

Our wandering ancestors had to dwell in Sukkoth following the exodus from Egypt. We should understand the homelessness better than others. Since our ancestors were slaves in Egypt, we should understand people who are unable to make ends meet and the oppressed people in the world, better than others. We have the Torah. We should understand their needs better than others since 36 times in the Torah, G-d reminds us to help the poor, the widow, the orphan and strangers, because we were strangers in the land of Egypt. 

LOVE OF THE OTHER NATIONS

The Temple was not just for Jews. The prophet Isaiah [4]refers to the Temple as a “House for all nations”                                                          (Isaiah 56:7)

As a sign of love for other nations, 70 bulls were offered, in the Temple during Sukkoth, to atone for sins of the Biblical 70 nations of the world. On Shmini Atzeret (the 8thday), we offer only one bull for the Jewish people.

Sukkat Shalom means Sukkah of Peace.It would be nice to invite our non-Jewish friends, work associates and neighbors to share this season of joy and peace with us in our Sukkoth. We may try to build a bridge of understanding and share the beauties of our religion and concerns with them.

 ONE GIGANTIC SUKKOTH

 “You shall dwell in Sukkoth for seven days, every person in Israel will dwell in Sukkoth. In order that your generations will know that I made the children of Israel dwell in Sukkoth when I took them out of Egypt, I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 23:42-43)

The Talmud says that, in the days of the Messiah, all Jews will dwell together in one gigantic Sukkoth. This underscores the need for Jewish unity.

                              The big fish and G-d

Did you know that there is a legendary giant fish that God will feed the righteous in the World to Come, and will make a sukkoth out of its skin?

Based on the teaching of our sages.

  May this Sukkoth bring all of us much happiness,

joy and hope 

 Shabbat Shalom and Chag Succot Sameach!!

Dariush Fakheri

Yom Kippur

Did you ever know that you’re my HERO?

The story of Isaac’s sacrifice – reading Jonah’s story and Yom Kippur ceremony is part of what we read during Yom Kippur services. Lessons on responsibilities, either personal or communal, are in abundance on this Jewish sacred day.

Some people, especially mothers, have problem coming to terms with Abraham’s action: sacrificing his own child to show his utmost obedience to G-d.

To them, Abraham is the personification of a human being who is willing to sacrifice everything for G-d. It bothers some, because, that makes Judaism look similar to other religions. In Christianity, for one, even G-d sacrifices Himself for the sake of humanity. They are also concerned that Abraham’s action would give reasons to fanatic beliefs that everything is a game when it comes to G-d.

But the message of the Torah is exactly the opposite. The message of the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) is that G-d does not allow us (let alone Himself) to sacrifice our sons. At the end of the story, as you know, the act stops, G-d intervenes and Isaac is not sacrificed.

 Jews celebrate life, whenever they find a chance. We are not on this earth to prove the legitimacy of our religion or our way of thinking by killing ourselves and or others. The way of the Torah is not by spreading the message of love while acting violently. To us, the truth is life and this belief leads us to the source of both man and G-d.

On the other hand, submission is not what the Torah is asking of us. In the Torah, Moses is personified as a hero: a prince who joins with slaves to strike down an oppressor.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS AND THERE IS BAD NEWS

Tomorrow is Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is full of opportunities for a Jew. It is a private and communal time to ponder. It is a time to go deep and listen to the voice of our souls. Judaism believes in the freedom to choose. In the eyes of G-d, we are responsible forwhat we have done throughout the past year.

There is good news and there is bad news.

First is the bad news. There is no person who does not need to go face to face with G-d on Yom Kippur. We can hardly find a soul without any blemish and, according to prophet Ezekiel (18:4-13), the person who sins, only he shall die (dying here means severe separation from G-d’s presence).

The good news is if one is righteous and does what is just and right: Such a man shall live, declares the Eternal God.(Ezekiel 18:4-13),

And G-d is the G-d of possibilities. There is nothing that He asks us that we are not capable of performing. In Judaism, we believe that,

1- We’re all good, decent, and loving souls (because we are part of G-d), but we occasionally get lost from His path.

2- G-d loves and misses us, as we love and miss Him. Fortunately, this Yom Kippur coincides with Shabbat. Zohar says that G-d gives us an additional soul on Shabbat: “a neshamah yetarah“. Neshamah yeterah is to focus on an additional quality of consciousness.

As G-d loves us immensely, He doesn’t demand total surrender to His command. G-d values our independent understanding of the moral issues and judgment and respects man’s sense of dignity.

Rabbi Barukh, the great Chassid rabbi and the grandson of Rabbi Baal Shem Tov, says “God and man’s love of God are alike-for they are boundless”.

I can easily echo the words of Logan McAdams here.

“I have never seen Atheism dry the tears of a widowed bride. I have never seen Atheism comfort the single mother. I have never seen Atheism calm the spirit of a distressed father. And I have never seen Atheism offer hope to the hopeless, forgiveness to the sinner, and grace and mercy to all who ask it. Atheism indeed denies humans of the one thing our souls so long for; an answer. I have found the answer! The One and Only Answer.”                     

 HAVE WE CHANGED?

Maimonides claimed that there were three stages in the worship of God: sacrifices, prayer, and meditative prayer. The highest form is achieved through philosophical knowledge of God revealed in nature. The lowest level, animal sacrifice, reflects the form of worship prevalent in pagan society in Egypt, where Jews were enslaved. It is given that “a sudden transition from one opposite to another is impossible. And therefore man, according to his nature, is not capable of abandoning suddenly all to which he was accustomed.”

So up to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, we used to offer animal sacrifices. The Kohen Gadol used to dress up in special and majestic uniform and appear along with the Levites. On behalf of himself and the rest of the Jews, through very elaborate Yom Kippur services, he used to plead to G-d to forgive all of our transgressions and sins. Then he sacrifices one of the identical twin goats and put our sins on to the head of another and people drove out that one into the wilderness.

Later on, and after the destruction of the Temple, Rabbi Yuchanan Ben Zakai and his school in Yavneh, came up with a genius idea that guaranteed the survival and perpetuation of Judaism for centuries to come.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the ex-chief rabbi of England, relates to this move. “after the destruction of the Second Temple and the end of a functioning priesthood, kehunah was essentially universalized and democratized. In prayer, everyone became a priest.”

Each synagogue throughout the world was a miniature Temple. Through teshuvah (repentance) of Yom Kippur, each Jew was like a High Priest atoning for sins. “From the day the Temple was destroyed, Halakhah invested, and invests, every detail of daily life with the charisma of holiness. No longer did anyone need a special uniform to single them out as priests or holy people because the Jewish people as a whole had become, individually and collectively, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

And then, in the absence of the Temple and the sacrifices, we moved to prayer and acts of loving kindness toward man. Now, any ten Jews who gathered together in prayer witness the ever-present sanctifying power of G- d in their midst. The flames we kindle to bring in Shabbat and festivals to our homes have replaced the fire of sacrifices at the Temple.

 

And another piece of good news is that when the Messiah comes, the Rabbis have said Yom HaKippurim would be like the Day of Lots, a Yom Ha K’Purim, a day like Purim. They said a day to atone for our sins would dissolve into a day like Purim, a day beyond sin because all sin would be transcended. Of all the holy days, they said, only Purim would still be celebrated after Messiah comes.

      Prayer – intent      annnnnnnd,             ACTION

1- Words are important in our religion. Kabbalist call this world, the world of the word, because it is created by the word of G-d. Maybe that is why THE MAGGID OF MEZERITCH, the great Chassidic Rabbi, thinks when he says: Some words are as important as deeds – some words are deeds.

2- While praying, it is the intention that counts the most. Prayer without the right intention is worthless. Says a Lurianic source, the rite itself, is the body, mystical kavvanahthe (right Intention) is its soul, ‘and if anyone performs the sacred action without the right intention, it is like a body without a soul.’

3- And then comes the deeds. There is a fundamental difference between the mysticism in Jewish and the other religions. Based on that difference, the rabbis insisted that mystical experience, the ‘love of God’, must be confirmed by activity in the human community. This was not enough for an individual to pour out his soul to God. That teaching and tradition brings us to the most important part, act of loving kindness towards man.

Reb. Moshe-Leib of Sassov asks, “how do we know whether whatever you are doing is right?”  He answers, “ask yourself whether it brings you closer to man. If it does not, then you are heading in the wrong direction-you are moving away from God. For even the love of God must be measured in human terms. One must love God and man and never act against man or without man.”

One of the most desirable acts of kindness, in the Torah, is giving charity. Rabbi Nachman of bratslav, another great Chassidic rabbi and founder of the Bratslav dynasty, says that before prayer, give to charity.

Do you have any problem with color?

In Judaism, the act of loving kindness is not limited to the Jews. In the eyes of G-d, we are all His children. That is why the rabbis in Talmud teach us that charity knows neither race nor creedGittin, 61a).

The Rabbis have taught us: “For the sake of peaceful intercourse or for the sake of the Torah whose ways are ways of peace, the non-Jewish poor may gather un-harvested produce left over in Jewish fields, in the same fashion as the Jewish poor. The non-Jewish poor shall receive food and garments from Jewish charity funds the same as Jews. If the non-Jewish sick have no friends, they should be visited the same as the Jewish sick. If no one claims the body of the non-Jewish dead, they should be buried by Jews, the same as the Jewish dead. When a Jew sees a non-Jew at work in the field, he should greet him with words of blessing, even in the forbidden seventh year when a Jewish worker should be shunned.”Gittin, 61)

 At the time of the Temple and during the festival of Sukkoth we used to offer seventy sacrifices for the welfare of the seventy nations because of our love for them. Based on Zohar’s teachings (iii, 29a) – the world exists for the sake of him who sacrifices his soul for the benefit of the world. It does not say the Jews only, but the world. According to the teaching of our sages the heathen is our brother and neighbor and wronging them is a sin.

 We are not here to judge. On Yom Kippur we are being judged. As Menahem Mendel of Kotzk used to say, “Watch over your own soul and your neighbor’s body rather than your body and your neighbor’s soul.”

STORY

 

A wandering soul was being shown around both Paradise and Hell by an angel. In both Paradise and Hell the soul could see huge tables filled with wonderful things to eat. Men and women were seated lining both sides of the tables. The soul then had something pointed out to him by the angel. “You will notice that in both places neither the men nor women can bend their elbows,” said the angel. “Well then,” asked the soul, “can you tell what makes Paradise different from Hell?”

“Certainly,” said the angel. “The difference between the two is that
in Hell everyone is trying to feed himself, but because their elbows
cannot bend, they are tempted but cannot eat. But in Heaven, all
the souls, whose arms cannot bend, reach across the table, each person feeding the person on the opposite side.”

                                           Adapted from Hebrew legend

Needless to say,  there is descending levels and priority order in giving charity

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

The new you!

We do not sacrifice animals these days. Today we use another way to deal with sin. On Yom Kippur, we say to G-d, “We have sinned”. We pour our hearts out and acknowledge the sin within. We do not put it on a goat and send it away, as we used to. We confront our sins and use the opportunity to change ourselves.

According to our sages’ understanding, things between us and God are forgiven on Yom Kippur. Things between us and our fellow-man are not forgiven, until s/he has forgiven us.  God’s words through prophet Isaiah :   “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake,  and remembers your sins no more.

Yom Kippur gives us an opportunity to drop the mirror and look at each other faces. Release the emotions of fear and guilt and replace these emotions with love, forgiveness and kindness. 

If we are feeling guilty about your past conduct, we need to release the guilt by asking G-d to forgive us and vow to avoid this kind of conduct in the future.

We use these private and intimate moments with G-d to build a new relationship. Raise ourselves to a higher level of spirituality. Send guilt out of our life and become a new person.

We have to examine what we have done as a parent, employer, a significant other or a team member in the past year and seek forgiveness for any misuse of our power in those capacities.

We need to deal with the people in our lives. Take the time, even for a few moments to confront the issues, listen, absorb, and mend any relationship that needs mending.

We need to become a good observer. We can learn a lot from our surroundings. We can learn sympathy, kindness and generosity from a child. And as a Chassidic Rabbi teaches, persistence, dedication and camaraderie can be learned from a thief.

We need a thorough cleansing of our mind and soul. Focusing on the good in others rather than their short comings. Hold on to that picture in your mind. The real Teshuvah is the total transformation of our soul

STORY

Early one morning, a rich man who seldom gave to charity happened to approach the Rebbe’s house. On seeing the Rebbe at his window, the man invited himself up and joined the Rebbe at the window overlooking the street.

“When you look out the window, what do you see?” asked the Rebbe.

“People,” answered the miser, with disregard.

“And now?” asked the Rebbe, pulling the man over until he stood in front of a tall mirror.

“And now,” said the man, thinking the question ridiculous, “I see myself.”

“Ah,” said the Rebbe, “think about this. In both the window and in the mirror there is glass, but the glass in the mirror is backed with silver. What do we learn from this? From this we learn, that as soon as silver was added to the equation, you no longer saw others and saw only yourself.

 Adapted Hasidic folktale

The Kabbalists teach us that God is the shadow of man. If man is charitable, God will be charitable too. The name of man’s secret is God, and the name of God’s secret is none other than the one invented by man: love, who loves, loves God. Last year a Kabbalist in Safed, Israel explained this insight to me. He said G-d says the man who is busy helping others needs someone to take care of him. The man who just takes care of himself does not need a caretaker, namely G-d.

Let’s drink to that

The Talmud relates that during the first ten days of the Jubilee year (according to the Torah, on the 50^th year, that slaves go free and lands will return to their previous owners), the slaves were not sent home. Nor did they work. They would feast and drink, celebrating their freedom “with crowns upon their heads.” Only after the court blew the shofar on Yom Kippur would the newly freed slaves return home.  [Rosh Hashanah 8b].

Would you marry me?

On Yom Kippur!

According to Talmud, there never were greater days of joy in Israel than the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur.

On the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur, the daughters of Jerusalem would go out … and dance in the vineyards. And what would they say? “Young man, raise your eyes and see whom you select for yourself….”

Based on the teaching of our sages.

Shabbat Shalom and  Gmar Chatimah Tovah,

Dariush Fakheri

And the Joke

“You tell me Arnold that you have a relative staying with you over the holidays. Is this relative of yours a religious man?”
“Well let me tell you, Benny. My relative is so orthodox that when he plays chess with me, he doesn’t use bishops, he uses rabbis.”

Parashat Ha’azinu

Parshah Haazinu

האזינ- Hebrew for “listen,” the first word in the parshah – the 53rd weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading

Devarim 32:1-32:52            Torah Reading for Week of September 9-15, 2007 – Elul 26, 5767-Tishrei 3, 5768

The chosen verses

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! And let the earth hear the words of my mouth!
My lesson will drip like rain; my word will flow like dew; like storm winds on vegetation and like raindrops on grass.
When I call out the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness to our God.
The deeds of the [Mighty] Rock are perfect, for all His ways are just; a faithful God, without injustice He is righteous and upright.
Destruction is not His; it is His children’s defect you crooked and twisted generation.
Is this how you repay the Lord, you disgraceful, unwise people?! Is He not your Father, your Master? He has made you and established you.

So, love,
This is my song
Here is a song, a serenade to you

by: Charles Chaplin     
Movie:  ”A Countess from Hong Kong”   (1967)

Rebbe Nahmanhas said that G-d summons one man with a shout, another with a song and a third with a whisper. So as long as the sheep do not stray too far, they can hear the shepherd’s flute, who in turn can hear their bells. The bell is the Torah - which reminds both of the dangers of distanceand separation.

 Tikkun Zoharmentions that “There is a Temple in Heaven that is opened only through song.”

Give ear, O heavens, and hear, O earth.(Deut. 32:1)

In his splendid poem and last majestic song, right before his imminent death, Moses asks the heavens to listen and earth to hear him. He asks them to act as witnesses to a contract.

Moses is addressing us from the height of the divine but he is not in heavens. He is among us on earth and is also addressing heavens.

In the Jewish theology, heaven and earth are interconnected to each other. Dreaming of a ladder by Jacob is the best metaphor of this idea in the body of the Jewish thought.

It seems like the most prominent and staunch defender of the Israelites ever, is in court and is on Jacob’s children side again.

Reminding the potential heavenly “accusers”, once again, that even when we Jews, sometimes part our way from G-d’s and He covers his face from us, “If Jews were to disappear, the Torah would disappear and God Himself would lose the most effectivewitness of His presence. -                          Rashi to Ps. 83:6; Midrash Tehillim,

Moses is reminding the Heavens and the Earth, that our intimate relationship with G-d is based on a kind of love and trust that exists between two partners in life, like a man and a woman, if you will.

God to Israel:

I remember the devotion of your youth,
Your love as a bride -
How you followed Me in the wilderness,
In a land not sown. (Jeremiah 2:1)

In this unique and purposeful relationship, that in the words of the prophet, God is the ish (man) and Israel is the Ishah (woman).

Moses is reminding the Heavens and the Earth that in case of a future judgment on Israel, “A majority of one is sufficient to exonerate, while a majority of two is necessary to convict”.As in a case of ones wife’s infidelity in the relationship, according to the custom of the sotah, before the husband can compel his wife to be tested, he must have warned her in the presence of two witnesses. Andanother set of two witnesses to testify that they actually saw his wife rendezvous with the man in question.

At the same time, he teaches as he prays on our behalf and defends us. He rebukes as he calls us to get closer to the torah, as according to the Mishna, the Torah is the channel through which movement takes place from Heaven to earth. 

He connects the body to soul of not just each and every Jew but of the universe. He shows the interconnection between the two and harmonizes them by calling them to witness his vision and worries.

 It is not his wish for the Jews alone, but for all humanity, as he knows that the destiny of all man is intertwined together. The warning and punishment that Moses is talking about is for the well-being of non-Jews and hopes for the realization of the humanity’s dream. But he uses the Jews because, as according to one Midrash, when Abraham came into the world, God ceased the catastrophic punishments and set the punishments of other peoples in relationship to Israel’s presence in the world. This Midrash conveys that, as Jews, we have a unique ability and responsibility to bring peace and stability to the world.

Rain drops keep falling on my head

May my teaching drip as the rain,
My words flow as the dew,
Like showers on young growth,
Like droplets on the grass.
For the name of Adonai I proclaim;
Give glory to our God!” (Deuteronomy 32: 2-3).

The agricultural environment was and is part of the Jewish life. There are also specific celebrations and moments connected with water, and the blessing of rain, including: the Prayer for Dew on Pesach and its inclusion in our festivals and tradition.

Dew harvesting has been practiced by humanity as far back as ancient times, in areas where rainfall and groundwater resources are scarce.

According to some studies the dew is an important factor to remove pollutants from the atmosphere. The dew water has strong minerals in comparison with rain water.

Q. Was Moses giving us a lesson in ecology?

Intoxicated with love

Moses’ poetic final words to all of us have both the obvious and subtle meanings.

Saadi , the great Persian poet writes:

The rain, that there is no question regarding its tenderness and pure character

Produces flowers in the garden and torn bushes in the desert

Rashi, explains that rain, though vital, can be annoying to someone on a journey, or can spoil the winemaker’s grape in the field.

Let’s look at the character of both the dew and rain.

Rain, on the other hand, is the precipitation of liquid water drops, either as rain or drizzle. Rain may fall at anytime, though wanted but it is uninvited. It is vital for our livelihood and when it falls, it benefits everyone.

On the other hand, the deposit of water drops formed at night by the concentration of water vapor from the air onto the surfaces of objects freely exposed to the sky is dew. Through a passive process, the dew allows water particles to return to the earth in a pure form. 

Dew is a night phenomenon. It requires surrender. To act as a dew, one needs a one on one sweet surrender. One needs to elect, to want to receive and create the situation to join and produce.  There is more of a one on one partnership involved for the creation. An intimate give and take.  

But is there any other reason for Rashi to assume that everyone unconditionally rejoices in the dew?  And Hoseatells us that God will be to Israel “ka’tal,” like the dew (Hosea 14:6)?

And what is another possible hidden message by our teacher, Moses, in this verse?

We call Moses, “Moshe rabbenu”, Our teacher , who taught us the Torah. 

The teacher says: “My lesson will drip like rain; my word will flow like dew“.

In any teacher-student relationship, there are some who may go to school and listen to the teacher’s lesson, take some courses to get the necessary grade, just to graduate. Rain creates righteous and the self-righteous people. It feeds the good and the bad without any special relationship.

On the other hand, there are students who want to learn more. Though very necessary, they are not just satisfied with the lessons (rain) alone. They would like to sing in the rain and swim in the essence of the water, while they are intoxicated with love of the author.

They want to go deeper and understand better. They are not just satisfied with the relevant. They like discussions, asking hard questions, participate in the debates. Give as they take. They are willing to make it a true partnership. This requires waking up in the middle of the night and connecting to the source, as King David and most our sages have done.

There is a Talmudic significance of the expression Torah lo bashamayim: Torah is not in Heaven. Moses is reminding us of the importance of the connection and the Word, that

“is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart” (Deuteronomy 30:14).

HOW DOES A FOOL GROW?

Moses also compares his teaching to “raindrops on grass“.

In Genesis Rabbahwe read, “There is not a single blade of grass that has not its own star in heaven that strikes it and says, ‘GROW!’ “.  And according to aYiddish folk saying,  only a fool grows without rain.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Yet Moses is taken to Mount Nebo at the end of his life and allowed to look into the future, an opportunity given to no one else. 

Q. Would you like to be able to do that?

HAVE YOU ASKED YOUR FATHER?

We left Iran because it was terrible to live there. We came to America because the opportunities for our new generation were endless. 

Moses has dedicated his eventful life to a vision. He led the people out of Egypt into the desert before entering the promised land, likewise so did your parents who fled from Iran.

As we are approaching the end of the third decade of living in America, they seek some assurance that their children enjoy and attain opportunities they were denied due to special circumstances and their lack of proficiency in some areas. They did let go of what they loved to do and shifted their priorities from what they want to what is good for the next generation, exactly as Moses is doing in this parshah. Not being allowed to enter Eretz Israel, he is happy that they will enjoy the land of Milk and honey.

Sometimes thememories of the past are never as good as we would like to remember them.

Moses:

“Remember the days of old,

Consider the years of ages past;

Ask your father, he will inform you,

Your elders, they will tell you:

When the Most High gave nations their homes

And set the divisions of humanity,

Fixing the boundaries of peoples

In relation to Israel’s number.”                                       

(Deuteronomy 32:7-8)

Q. Have you asked about your past from your parents?

Q. Did they tell you about their ordeal of escaping the mullahs’ regime, through Pakistan and Turkey?

Q. Have they shared with you the agony of loss?  Have you asked them?

Q. What is it that they want from and wish for you? Do you value their inputs?

 Q. Reflecting on both the faults and achievements of your parents, what would you do differently? 

JUSTICE OF THE ROCK

The deeds of the [Mighty] Rock are perfect, for all His ways are just; a faithful God, without injustice He is righteous and upright.
 Destruction is not His; it is His children’s defect you crooked and twisted generation.

Moses keeps on singing his last great song. There are orders and patterns that we do not understand. Although the law of cause and effect applies to both physical and spiritual world, there is only one ultimate judge who is not bound to the elements of time and space, as we are.

We are empowered with the needed potentials. We are given the guidelines and the way. We may fail G-d but He never does. Isn’t it Rabbi Zusia , the great Chasidic rabbi saying: After death “When I shall face the celestial tribunal, I shall not ask whyI was not Zusia. I’ll be asked why I did not become Rabbi Zusia.” In Zohar, Hell is defined as the realization of our potentials compared to what we have became during our life time on this earth.

All we need to know is G-d is just and human beings, as partners in creation, should act justly.

Eloheinu, v’elohei doroteichem, Our God and God of the generations of our people, sustain this new Jewish immigrants community to this new land and its members to strive to draw closer to you by drawing closer to one another.

May they continue tostrengthen their ties to their family and to the Jewish people. May the years ahead be full of blessing and full of joy, finding holiness in the ordinary, and support when we are needy, of finding courage in times of trouble.

Based on the teaching of our sages.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dariush Fakheri