Bereishis 5776, October 2015: Trusting in Torah

We all know Adam and Chava were quick to fall from obedience to G-d's word, but midrash tells us that from the beginning of the creation of the tangible, this was the reaction of the created.

Sometimes we see reminders that G-d's creation is in every way perfect

On the first day, G-d created light and darkness in their entirety, as well as time in the linear sense (Rashi). On the second day the creations were the solidification of the Heavens into a stable firmament (Bereishis Rabbah), five groups of angels, and Gehinnom. None of these were distinct individual tangible objects except the angels, and those were inherently designed as tools essentially, to unquestioningly (unless asked) fulfill specific tasks.

On the third day, though, G-d created trees. The trees were intended to be entirely edible from roots to leaves, as well as their fruits. However, the earth feared that if they were too useful in this easy to access way (as opposed to chopping lumber which takes a great deal of work for man), they would be quickly over-used by man, and so the earth produced trees from which only the fruit was edible (Bereishis Rabbah, Tankuni). G-d punished the earth by making only some trees bear edible fruits whereas originally it had been intended that all trees would bear fruit along with edible bark, wood, and so on. While the earth had a concern, it tried to violate the law of Torah and contradict G-d's word.

On the fourth day, G-d created the sun, moon, stars, and zodiac and fixed them in the sky. The moon complained that it was improper for it and the sun to be identical in strength and appreciation; in response, G-d depleted the original light from the moon itself. When the moon showed contrition, G-d granted that the stars should shine alongside it alone, and not the sun regularly, so that the night sky should be appreciated as well as the day time sun-filled sky.

On the fifth day, fish and birds were created. Each took happily to its assigned portion, and so G-d blessed them with special unique blessings; ultimately when man was allowed to hunt and fish, this blessing also allowed them to survive in suitable numbers. None though tried to argue with the blueprint of creation.

Then came man, who rebelled against the rules of G-d, who had given him only one negative precept. The stage had already been set though by the rebellion of other creations which could not bend to the glory of Torah and the inherent perfection of G-d's plan.

V'Zot haBerachah 5776, October 2015, Inclusion

Devarim 33:4
 תּוֹרָה צִוָּה-לָנוּ, מֹשֶׁה:  מוֹרָשָׁה, קְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב

The Torah's last parsha, read on Simchat Torah (also Shemini Atzeret in Israel), is a blessing from Moshe Rabbeinu clearly directed to all of the family of Israel, every man, woman, and child. Everyone was included without exception. Whether they were the greatest tzaddikim, the least, the newborn, the zakein, they were included in Moshe's thoughts and prayers, and were part of his kehila. The Torah was commanded to US, every single one of us, by Moshe. It is an inheritance to the community of Yaakov, every single member of the community of Yaakov.

I am going to depart from my usual source-based discussion this week because this brings great pain to my own life. Today, our communities simply are not that inclusive to so many with disabilities, especially developmental, learning, or invisible disabilities, and it feels to me as though the Torah is telling us in wrapping up all its law that we must include every Jew, with joy and open hearts. Moshe Rabbeinu made no exceptions: we must provide a Jewish inclusive community for everyone, no matter what their ability or disability.

Getting her to her own bat mitzvah
celebration was only a small step

Let me first differentiate between accessibility and inclusion. Having wheelchair ramps, floor level bimahs, clear lines of sight, wide doorways, are all aspects of accessibility, allowing those with disabilities to enter the physical presence of the space they wish to access. They are critical, they require thought, they are not always obvious. But implementing accessibility is not inclusion.

I myself seen a young adult's family informed that they are not welcome at High Holiday services due to the disruption someone felt the youth caused to that other person's davenning (despite the fact that this same youth had been repeatedly asked to attend services to ensure a minyan would be present); a child with a speech impediment informed on Yom Kippur that a school bully had forbidden all other children from playing with that child at all; a small child's family assured that babysitters would take good care to ensure he didn't elope into danger only to have that occur within minutes; a young adult with intellectual and developmental disabilities publicly humiliated by being told that if he wouldn't lead davenning it must be because he had been "poorly educated."  These are just a few incidents I personally have seen or know directly have occurred.

Every one of these four children has a serious medical, developmental,
psychiatric, and/or intellectual disability. You wouldn't pick them out
of a crowd of children as the ones with disabilities, yet they have them.

Did you know that when people drum and pound on furniture during tefillah, it causes actual physical pain to some with sensory integration dysfunction or with synesthesia? That crowded spaces and children running out of control within those spaces can cause severe anxiety in those with many conditions (including intellectual, developmental, psychiatric, and medical disabilities) and can exacerbate necessary attempts to gain control of the environment for some? That there are those who chose not to dance on Simchas Torah for any variety of hidden disability related reasons varying from pain to poor coordination to dizziness and more? That boys with severe learning disabilities may simply not be able to leyn because they are already spending dozens of hours a week just trying to read in English the necessary material for school basics, but may be embarrassed to explain this?

Of course no one set of board members, rabbinic leaders, children's group leaders, or others can know the potential effect of every decision and every moment's actions for those with disabilities around them. That's impossible. What is necessary though is to remember to consider it, particularly if someone seems to have a negative response. The person not dancing, leaving the bais medrash when pounding on the bima begins, no longer attending synagogue at all; the child alone in the corner or running into every stationary object, these are not people rejecting the community. These are people abandoned or even rejected by the community if the community is not aware of the reasons for their behavior and the fact that the behavior is in fact caused by the community itself, for good or bad.

This may sound harsh, and it is. But the treatment I have seen those with disabilities receive from the Jewish community in the last few decades is itself terribly harsh. It is also not at all in keeping with the Torah, and particularly this parsha which is meant to bring the entire Torah into our hearts. All of our hearts. I wish everyone, everyone, a lively and joyful Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

Haazinu 5776, September 2015; Gentleness and Strength

Moshe directed Heaven and Earth to be his witnesses as they are permanent and unchanging in their essence. Yes, clouds can pass across the sky, earthquakes can even alter the landscape, but the real nature of Heaven and Earth remain just as a person's inner essence does not change no matter whether his mood is good or not, and whether or not he does teshuvah for his sins he himself is still that one person (though he can be as if reborn if he does teshuvah). In the times of the Torah, the heavens were seen as a male influence on the world, and the very earth the female essence of creation. Together, mediated by G-d, they create our entire natural experience.

The rain in its time and the dew in its time and we will have
crops, arbah minim, schach, and all we need. And the little
children grow with the influence of their parents and other
male and female adults in their lives.

Moreover, Moshe went on to state that his words would be "like a  torrential rain which uproots…and causes great harm. Tzror Hamor reminds us that storms help crops grow stronger. Rain itself likewise was considered essentially male; it could benefit but it could destroy subsistence falling at the wrong strength or the wrong time.  Mostly though it was life giving, just as is the Torah. Both are essential for the world, both come from Heaven, both cleanse and purify, both develop seeds (the Torah metaphorically developing the seeds of spirituality within one's heart) (Rashi).

Yet Moshe then went on to say, "My saying shall trickle like dew."  Dew seems almost to spring from the ground and is historically thought of as feminine, gentle. Dew is never a negative agriculturally for the crops of Eretz Yisroel. It never interferes, it is never dangerous to man. In the same way that everyone in Eretz Yisroel rejoiced uniformly at dew, so Torah is always a cause for rejoicing (Sifrei).

This photo doesn't begin to show how steep
the path truly was, somehow it shows it more
leveled out than in reality. It would have been
terribly dangerous to descend in heavy rain.

I was recently hiking and was on very steep trails. I feared the coming rain greatly, for there would have been no safe way to get down the path at all. It would have been a complete flood immediately if real rain began to fall. Such is the power of rain on our minds, to control our actions. But we must change our actions to follow the Torah, and sometimes a strong reminder is necessary. Keeping this metaphor fresh in our minds can help.

Parshas Vayeilech -- All Together Now 9/18/15

Parshsas Vayeilech

Dt. 31:1-30

This week’s parsha is closely related to last week’s Parshas Nitzavim and they are read either together on or during Rosh Hashanah. In the Chayenu publication there is an insightful thought concerning the two parshios, they note that “parshat Nitzavim focuses on G-d’s side of the covenant, while parshat Vayeilech focuses on the Jewish people’s side of the covenant.”  Let’s begin this week’s d’var Torah by revisiting the opening line from Parshas Nitzavim:

“You, all [together], are standing today before the Eternal, your God:”

What I like about this line is that it reminds us that we are all in this together! So with that in mind let’s move into this week’s parsha.

“Moshe then went and spoke these words to all Yisrael. He said to them,’” Today I am one hundred and twenty years old. I may no longer go out or enter, [for] the Eternal has said to me, ‘You will not cross over this Yarden.’”  

I cannot imagine what hearing those words must have felt like to B’nai Yisroeal, who as fledgling nation are about to cross over into the Promised Land, but now they hear that they will do so without their beloved leader, Moshe Rabbeinu. Yet Hashem, who has never left any generation, bereft of a Shepherd, has the entire nation as witnesses to the installation of Yehoshua. What follows next is the first of three repetitions of strong encouragement that gets right at what any of us might have felt in that moment.

First to the people and then twice to Yehoshua, Moshe says, “Be strong and be firm”, some translations say courageous instead of firm, but the message then and now is we must, as a united people, stand strong and with courage, and might I also suggest pride in our Yiddishikeit. All we have to do is look around our world to see just how important it is that this reality has a home in our heart and mind. But if and when we falter, we have the very next verse to comfort and strengthen us,

“But it is the Eternal who is leading before; He will be with, [and] will not let you slip [from His grasp] nor forsake you.” v.8

When we place our eyes on the Creator King of the universe going before us into all matters of life, it truly helps during our times of distress to know who has the lead that we can safely follow. Once this part of the message has been established, the parsha turns to a small but powerful act. Moshe writes down the Torah on 13 scrolls and places them in the Ark of the Covenant, which also contains the Tablets. There are many places you can go to deepen your own spiritual understanding of this segment including Chabad.org, but as I have pondered verse 9 in relation to my theme for this blog, I cannot help but think of the Tablets as the Divine Holy Writ that is Hashem’s part of the covenant and the scrolls, which are written by a human hand with ink, are our part. The thing about ink is that it can fade and I feel as if it’s up to us, “we together who are standing here today”, to strive to make sure that this never happens through ahavas Hashem and ahavas Yisroel. And again our beautiful, holy G-d makes what can seem like a daunting task easier, by placing them both in the Holy of Holies where they meet eternally. I can think of no mightier safe.

Parshas Vayeilech is rich, deep and broad and a blog cannot contain all its riches, so it is my responsibility to pick what to write about and what to leave out. But how can we not talk about the Hakhel year that follows the Shemittah, when we are now in one?

 Our parsha continues with an explanation of this seventh year commandment to come together as one nation before our king and hear him read aloud portions of Devarim/Deuteronomy. But we don’t have a king and we aren’t exactly in our “promised land” are we…? So how might we apply this to our lives today? In his book entitled, Daily Wisdom, The Lubavitcher Rebbe, OBM writes, “The objective of this assembly [Hakhel] was to strengthen the foundations of Jewish education and observance.” So get together with friends and family, in small gatherings or large, even on FB and encourage one and other with Torah values, ahavas Yisroel and the activity of Mitzvot. We can and must do this for one and other. Sukkot is coming, the parsha tells us that this was the time during the Hakhel to hear the king; Sukkot is coming and we have a wonderful time to share our King’s will and wisdom with each other.

There are so many more gems in Parshas Vayeilech and I really wish we could explore how a song, the earth and the heavens are witnesses to the covenant between Hashem and His people; perhaps another time. For now, as we move through the Days of Awe, and come to Yom Kippur, where we will once again stand together and with one voice confess the Al Chet for Am Echad, I hope that your fast is meaningful and light.

Kol Tov

Robin Z

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Nitzavim, September 11, 2015 - Where do we find the mitzvot?

*Author's Note - I am not very skilled at condensing research into my own words.  Instead I try to use readings and study by our Sages to inform my opinions, outlook, and perceptions.  In this post I am merely sharing my interpretations and opinions of this week's Parshah.  So, just keep in mind, this is my opinion only.  :)
A big thank you to Elise for allowing me to share my thoughts (and be a bit vulnerable) with all of you!!

In this week’s Parshah, Nitzavim, we see both a warning and a promise from Hashem.  Hashem both warns us of the dire consequences of turning our hearts away from him, but also promises us long lasting abundance if we do not do so.  We have a great opportunity to provide joy for Hashem.  

Specifically meaningful to me this week is when Hashem explains to us that despite him asking the seemingly impossible, it’s not at all impossible.  The mitzvot and the opportunity for joy is not in heaven, and it is not beyond the sea.  “It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.”

To explain why this portion has special meaning to me, let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I am a 29 year old mother of two small children.  I love my children with all of my heart, but they are exhausting me.  It’s not just me, family has been lovingly chiming in about how much of a handful they really are.  I recently moved from a very rural area to a very big city.  I transferred Universities and I am now in a much more difficult Accounting program than previous, and the sheer amount of homework I have is drowning me.  These are just some of the details about my life, but I tell you them to convey: I’m stressed.  I find myself having to work harder and harder in my prayers and the mitzvot I perform are becoming increasingly more difficult to maintain.

So for me, this reminder couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.  The mitzvot are practical, and Hashem placed them within our reach.  Who knows me and my capabilities better than the Lord our 
G-d?  Who am I to question my abilities in this stressful time?  So if you will allow me, I would like to delve further into this specific part of the Parshah.  

To start with, Devarim 30:11 states “For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not concealed from you, nor is it far away.  It continues on with verse 12 “It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?” and 13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"  All of this is to say, Hashem has not given us anything impossible or unattainable.

We don’t need special abilities to reach to heaven or beyond the sea, and we don’t need x-ray vision to figure out exactly what the covenant means to our relationship with Hashem.  We don’t need special assistance to know or understand the mitzvot and it doesn’t take some great feat to have them in our lives.  But if these are all of the things that the Torah and the mitzvot are not, then where are they?

When I read the next line “it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it”  I actually read it in my mind incorrectly.  It’s probably because I’m not a slow, careful enough reader, but I tend to read it as “in your heart and in your mouth.”  But why do I do this automatic flip?  Is it because it seems more natural to do so?  Is it more human to do so?  I think yes.  We all like to believe that what is in our hearts determines what comes out of our mouths.  However, the “fake it till you make it” philosophy tells us otherwise.  We’ve all heard the mantra that if you do it enough times, you will believe it.

Here it is right in the Torah.  The mitzvot are first and foremost in our mouth.  We say and do the things we are required to do.  Then we are able to find them in our heart.  We haven’t been commanded to perform mitzvot solely for G-d’s pleasure, it’s because he has designed the world in such a way that the performance brings us joy as well.  

So now we know where the key lies, within us.  It’s what we say and do and it’s what we hold in our hearts.  That’s how we perform mitzvot, that’s how we connect to G-d, and that’s how someone like me who is going through a rough patch continues to have faith and persevere.  In Nitzavim G-d promises wonderful and amazing things for all those that choose to follow in His path.  No matter how many times we choose the wrong path, the right path is always open to us and we can always cleave to Hashem.  It’s important to note here that the contract given to the people of Israel was for all past generations and all future generations.  It was given to us as a whole and to each of us individually.

When you understand Hashem gave us the very pieces and the very strength we needed right in our own mouths and our own hearts, we find peace with G-d.  

Ki Tavo 5775, September 2015, Using our Gifts

This week's parsha is best known for the blessings and curses section, yet before that we learn about the mitzvah of bringing bikkurim, first fruits, to the Beis Hamikdash. What is so special that we should learn this so prominently, and what is the point of bringing single items in groups to Jerusalem with such ceremony?

The mitzvah itself is to mark the first growth of any of the special species of the land of Israel on land we own each year (those being barley, wheat, grapes, dates,  pomegranates, figs, and olives); and then to to bring those specific grown products in a basket to the holy Temple together with the rest of one's settlement area all traveling together in procession. Important people of the city of Jerusalem would come greet them as they approached, and then all the residents whom they passed would stand as they approached them personally.

It says in Mishlei, "Honor G-d from your wealth and from the first of all your harvest; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your winepresses will burst with wine." It is our trust in G-d which allows us to receive what we do. Not that one receives in this world directly in proportion to his honoring of G-d, but only through honoring G-d at all does the entire world receive any portion.

One must not think that by giving, his own possessions are diminished, for it is G-d and not we ourselves who determine our own portion. Again in Mishlei it states, "There is he who scatters, and yet increases more."

Only in mitzvahs of giving is one allowed to test G-d, in fact, not in mitzvahs of accumulating or receiving. For it says in Malachi, "Test Me with this. Give tithes and charity and see if I will make you wealthy."

Perhaps your gift is juggling? No, really, my beloved husband
has many gifts and is blessed to have the wisdom to use them
in the name and honor of Ha Kodesh Baruch H-

As B'nai Yisroel are called "the first of G-d's harvest," in Yirmeyahu; and Toldos Yitchak writes that so we are commanded and taught to bring our first fruits in both literal and figurative senses. This means that the mitzvah is valid even today. The chachamim explain this means that anything one has as a gift in character or ability is his gift from G-d and should be treated as bikkurim. This can be material wealth, in which case one has the responsibility to do good to others as the physical representation of G-d's works on Earth in this era without a Beis Hamikdash. One who has no real material wealth though may have other gifts--a beautiful voice, a wise mind, an ability to write coherently, an knack for teaching others, artistic skills, anything. One is thus commanded to use these skills not for personal aggrandizement, but for the honor of G-d, to make one's fear and love of G-d known and publicly shown. This is a mitzvah every single person can do, for we all have gifts even if the gift is not so obvious like a loving heart which makes others feel drawn in; or a quiet nature which allows others to notice the holiness about them in the world. It's important we each keep in mind consciously what our gifts are, that they are G-d given, that they are part of us, and that we can use them in G-d's honor to perform a mitzvah otherwise inaccessible.

Ki Saitzai 5775, August 2015, Wisdom is the Mother of all Good

"Tova chochma mi'gevurah," wisdom is greater than strength (Koheles).

In this week's parsha, we learn the mitzvah of sending off a mother bird before gathering her eggs or fledgelings (this is in the case of a kosher wild bird, please understand). Why do we bother, other than obviously to avoid getting pecked or scratched? Why would this be a distinct commandment in itself?

Rambam says this mitzvah is particularly great; Kli Yakar expands that this mitzvah is equivalent to that of the ten commandments to honor your father and mother. This is our clue of how to understand the mitzvah: G-d is H-mself the mother of all things. G-d gave birth to the universe and to every living being. How can we not honor H-m directly by honoring all mothers directly when we have that opportunity?

Historically, chochma, wisdom, was viewed as the feminine divinity aspect of Ha Kodesh B-ruch Hu. It was in keeping with the early Jewish thought process to view wisdom as equivalent in every way as any masculine idea of "G-d." This was essentially altered after the first dispersion to Babylon, as the Jews encountered there excesses of goddess worship and the leadership among the Jews, both civil and religious, feared that this had tainted Jewish thinking. Therefore G-d was re-conceived (ironically) as purely a father figure in Jewish thought. This in no way though removes the original feminine from reality as G-d clearly is not gendered but rather gender is our own dichotomous distinction.

If one uses strength to gather the eggs, one could risk injuring the mother bird herself as well as the egg gatherer risking injury.  If one uses wisdom, and sends away the mother bird, one shows a great respect to Ha Kadosh B-ruch Hu and shows an ability to synthesize all Jewish thought.

Wisdom likewise comes into play in many areas of halacha in this parsha: how to handle the situation of a non-Jewish woman captured in war and desired by a Jew; not to deprive an oldest son of his inheritance; to bury the dead immediately; to help a Jew load or unload a burden; to fence a roof.  These are all areas best approached using wisdom rather than strength (though strength can certainly help load or unload a pack).

Zohar explains the mitzvah thus:
     Driven from its nest, the mother bird flies restlessly over the hills and valleys. It cries bitterly and despairingly over the separation from its children.
     The angel appointed over that species of bird appears before the Heavenly Throne and reproaches G-d, "Why have you, compassionate in all your ways, ordered this in your Torah?"
     The angels appointed over all other species of birds take up the cry…
     Then G-d turns to all the angels and tells them, "…why …do none of you voice concern about my sons and the Shechina, both of whom are in exile? The Shechina is separated from its nest, the Beis Hamikdash in Jerusalem, and My sons the fledgelings dwell among the nations…"
   This plaintive cry evokes Heavenly mercy for the fate of the Jewish people.