At this point in our cycle of Torah readings, we find ourselves at the beginning of Deuteronomy (D'varim in Hebrew), which is the fifth and final book of our Torah. The word "D'varim" literally translates into "words" or "things." In this case, the portion begins with "These are the words which Moses spoke unto Israel." Moses begins a lengthy oration that will last until the Israelites finally cross into Israel. The portion this week covers some of the many sins the Israelites have made during their 40 years in the wilderness.
I encourage you all to take a look at the Torah Portion this week. If nothing else, it serves as a great "Cliff's Notes" version of the events that have happened during the journey through the wilderness.
D'varim - Deuteronomy (1:1 - 3:22)
But today I would like to talk about the month of Av, which begins today. We are actually in the midst of a time in our calendar called בין המצרים (Bein HaMitzarim) which means, "Between the straits." You may notice that Mitzarim is incredibly close to the Hebrew word for Egypt "Mitzrayim." This is not a coincidence...the root "Tzar" means narrow, or confined.
Bein HaMitzarim lasts for three weeks and concludes in nine days with Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av), which is the commemoration of the destruction of the first and second Temples. Some Jews observe a certain level of mourning during this time period and may refrain from haircuts, music, or anything overly joyous.
The Torah portions continue as normal throughout the period, but the Haftarah portions are adjusted from three weeks prior to Tisha B'Av all the way to the High Holidays. Normally the Haftarah is planned to relate to the Torah portion. But during the three weeks of Bein HaMitzarim, the Haftarah portions are chosen in order to create a certain mindset.
The three Haftarah portions during Bein HaMitzarim are noticeably depressing. They are meant to remind us of the great sins we have committed as a people. They are intended to make us take responsibility for our role in the destruction of the Temples. After reading these three portions, we are supposed to reach Tisha B'Av in the proper frame of mind for repentance.
This week's Haftarah portion is Isaiah 1:1-1:27.
After Tisha B'Av, however, the Haftarah portions get increasingly upbeat and hopefull. When we finally reach the High Holidays, the portions will offer us avenues for repentance so we may begin another year with a clean slate. Overall, a total of 12 Haftarah portions are adjusted during this period leading up to Yom Kippur. Each week I will post a link to the Haftarah portion so we may follow along and experience the progression together.
As we read these portions, I would like you to think of the following questions:
1. Why is Haftarah (and not Torah) used to try to establish certain moods for our observance?
2. Are you surprised that a full 12 weeks of Haftarah are dedicated to the destruction of the Temples?
3. What changes have you experienced in your lives regarding American and/or Reform Judaism's attitude towards Israel and the Temple.
My next Shabbat visit is less than a month away, so we can discuss in person soon. I am looking forward to seeing all of you, and an early Shabbat Shalom!
David
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The Virtues of Miriam
This week's Torah portion, Chukat-Balak is full of great learning opportunities, many of which I will include at the bottom as a link. The part that I would like to focus on is the death or Miriam. For those of you who came to our Torah studies religiously (pun intended), you have probably heard me talk about this before.
As you may remember, in Exodus Chapter 17 God instructs Moses to strike a rock in order to provide water for the people of Israel. Numbers Chapter 20 begins in a similar fashion. There are some variations to the story, one of which is in the first verse. The Torah abruptly and unceremoniously announces the death of Miriam, one of the few women of the Bible to ever be referred to as "prophetess" (not to mention she is Moses' sister).
In contrast, the last verse of Numbers Chapter 20 describes the death of Moses' brother, Aaron, "When all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel."
I was holding a Torah study last summer when some of the women of the group wondered why Aaron's death was explicitly mourned in the Torah while Miriam was just an honorable mention.
If we consult the Rabbis of the Talmud, we learn that we are mistaken...Miriam's death is actually discussed for ten more verses than Aaron's.
The Rabbis teach that the rock from the Numbers story is the same rock from the Exodus story. This miraculous rock that God had provided to sustain the whole Israelite people had been following the Israelites throughout their journey. More specifically, the rock had been following Miriam.
It was only through the virtues of Miriam that God provided this rock. When she dies, the rock no longer gave water. Why does the Torah mention that the people cried for Aaron and not Miriam? To point out that there were no tears at Miriam's death. The people were so dehydrated from the lack of water that they did not have tears to cry.
This is a great example of how to read between the lines of the Torah. Our tradition teaches that the Torah can teach as much in its spaces as it does with its letters.
In addition to the story of Moses and the Rock (part 2), this Torah portion contains:
The laws of the Red Heiffer
The story of Balaam and his talking donkey
The Biblical source for the prayer: Mah Tovu (in verse 5)
I hope everyone is having a very nice Independance Day!
Shabbat Shalom,
David
As you may remember, in Exodus Chapter 17 God instructs Moses to strike a rock in order to provide water for the people of Israel. Numbers Chapter 20 begins in a similar fashion. There are some variations to the story, one of which is in the first verse. The Torah abruptly and unceremoniously announces the death of Miriam, one of the few women of the Bible to ever be referred to as "prophetess" (not to mention she is Moses' sister).
In contrast, the last verse of Numbers Chapter 20 describes the death of Moses' brother, Aaron, "When all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel."
I was holding a Torah study last summer when some of the women of the group wondered why Aaron's death was explicitly mourned in the Torah while Miriam was just an honorable mention.
If we consult the Rabbis of the Talmud, we learn that we are mistaken...Miriam's death is actually discussed for ten more verses than Aaron's.
The Rabbis teach that the rock from the Numbers story is the same rock from the Exodus story. This miraculous rock that God had provided to sustain the whole Israelite people had been following the Israelites throughout their journey. More specifically, the rock had been following Miriam.
It was only through the virtues of Miriam that God provided this rock. When she dies, the rock no longer gave water. Why does the Torah mention that the people cried for Aaron and not Miriam? To point out that there were no tears at Miriam's death. The people were so dehydrated from the lack of water that they did not have tears to cry.
This is a great example of how to read between the lines of the Torah. Our tradition teaches that the Torah can teach as much in its spaces as it does with its letters.
In addition to the story of Moses and the Rock (part 2), this Torah portion contains:
The laws of the Red Heiffer
The story of Balaam and his talking donkey
The Biblical source for the prayer: Mah Tovu (in verse 5)
I hope everyone is having a very nice Independance Day!
Shabbat Shalom,
David
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Korach, Iran, Swine Flu, and Michael Jackson...
I think back to last Saturday. I had just completed the last of four Havdallah services here at camp and I was already excited to write about this week's Torah portion. Often times it can be difficult to connect the weekly Parasha to current events but this week, the connection is very clear. The Torah portion is about the famous Korach rebellion, a struggle between the jealous leader Korach and the righteous Moses and Aaron. Given that the biggest news over the past week or so has been the protest/rebellion in Iran, I thought it would be an easy connection. But a lot has happened since then.
First, my camp had an outbreak of the swine flu (or the Kosher Beef Flu as we Jewish campers call it). Everyone is fine, and the flu is not as bad as the news makes it out to be, but we decided to shut our camp down for a week so we can try to get our kids healthy. It has been a stressfull, logistical nightmare.
But given the free time, I began my analysis of Korach's rebellion and the Iran protests. First, let me say that some of the images we have seen from Iran have been horifying. It should be eye-opening for us to see the lack of basic civil rights that exists in parts of the world. Whenever we are at Passover Seders, or when we recite the Mi Chamocha, we should always remember that these are the people we pray for when we appreciate our freedom, and recognize that there are still others who are not free.
Second, I have say that after many attempts, I am having difficulty finding reflections of the Korach story in the current events in Iran. I have not yet given up completely, but I would like to ask for your help. If you have any ideas of how to relate Korach to the Iran situation...please teach us!
You may be asking yourself, "Why do we have to relate it at all?" Well...by relating current events to the Torah, it can sometimes help us understand the "Jewish" perspective. Furthermore, we have over five thousand years of history behind us and as Ecclesiastes (and Pink Floyd) would say, there is nothing new under the sun. We have the benefit of learning from our history and we should take advantage.
While I may not have much to say on Korach at this time, I do have something I would like to say about the death of Michael Jackson.
As a child of the 80s, Michael Jackson was about as big as it got for me. I remember getting every new album and listening to them on some wierd new device called a "CD Player." I remember the Superbowl, I remember how revolutionary his music videos were. And I remember trying endlessly (and hopelessly) to moonwalk.
It was very sad to hear that he had died. And one I will remember too. There are a few key news stories in my life that I will always remember. The blown call in the 1985 World Series that cost the Cardinals the championship (don't get me started), the Challenger, Princess Di, and September 11th. I remember exactly where I was when I heard about each one of these. And I know I will remember where I was when I heard about Michael Jackson. Here is why...
A news story had broke over the radio that Jackson went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital. I was in a sporting goods store in St. Louis looking at baseball gloves. There were two store employees who immediately began to talk with one another about how "messed up" Michael Jackson was with all the surgeries and trials. They were slandering him throughout the entire time I was in the store and as soon as I got in my car, I heard the news that he had died.
I began to consider how we would all remember Michael Jackson. Like the people at the baseball store? Like we remember Elvis, or Princess Di? And then I started thinking about the Jewish value of Lashon Harah, or the evil tongue. Under this Jewish custom, it is not permissble to speak ill of anyone, nor is it permissble to listen to slander or gossip. In fact, there are only four laws in Judaism that can never be broken under ANY circumstance and gossip is one of them. The other three are murder, idolatry, and incest.
The Rabbis explain that when you gossip, you can murder someone's Nefesh, or soul. We call it character assasination. There is really no way to undo the damage done by gossip. I wonder if the question of how we will remember Michael Jackson would even be an issue if we all observed this law. We can really only make judgements about a person based on the things we KNOW about them from personal experience. Over the past five years or so, can you think of any Michael Jackson news that was either positive or fact-based?
I can imagine that even those people in the baseball store are a little more delicate about the things they say about Michael Jackson now that he has died. Many people in the media probably are as well. We have a tendency to not really appreciate what we have until it is gone. Lets do our best to make sure that those we appreciate in life are always aware of just how appreciated they are.
As Jews always do in times of mourning, I would like to conclude on a lighter note. With the theme of appreciating what we have, I would like to share with you my list of five musicians who are still alive who I greatly appreciate.
1. Paul McCartney
2. Paul Simon
3. Cat Stevens (aka Yusef Islam)
4. Stevie Nicks
5. Brian Wilson
If anyone would like to share their lists of people they appreciate, please comment below. Otherwise...have a great Shabbat!
Sincerely,
David
First, my camp had an outbreak of the swine flu (or the Kosher Beef Flu as we Jewish campers call it). Everyone is fine, and the flu is not as bad as the news makes it out to be, but we decided to shut our camp down for a week so we can try to get our kids healthy. It has been a stressfull, logistical nightmare.
But given the free time, I began my analysis of Korach's rebellion and the Iran protests. First, let me say that some of the images we have seen from Iran have been horifying. It should be eye-opening for us to see the lack of basic civil rights that exists in parts of the world. Whenever we are at Passover Seders, or when we recite the Mi Chamocha, we should always remember that these are the people we pray for when we appreciate our freedom, and recognize that there are still others who are not free.
Second, I have say that after many attempts, I am having difficulty finding reflections of the Korach story in the current events in Iran. I have not yet given up completely, but I would like to ask for your help. If you have any ideas of how to relate Korach to the Iran situation...please teach us!
You may be asking yourself, "Why do we have to relate it at all?" Well...by relating current events to the Torah, it can sometimes help us understand the "Jewish" perspective. Furthermore, we have over five thousand years of history behind us and as Ecclesiastes (and Pink Floyd) would say, there is nothing new under the sun. We have the benefit of learning from our history and we should take advantage.
While I may not have much to say on Korach at this time, I do have something I would like to say about the death of Michael Jackson.
As a child of the 80s, Michael Jackson was about as big as it got for me. I remember getting every new album and listening to them on some wierd new device called a "CD Player." I remember the Superbowl, I remember how revolutionary his music videos were. And I remember trying endlessly (and hopelessly) to moonwalk.
It was very sad to hear that he had died. And one I will remember too. There are a few key news stories in my life that I will always remember. The blown call in the 1985 World Series that cost the Cardinals the championship (don't get me started), the Challenger, Princess Di, and September 11th. I remember exactly where I was when I heard about each one of these. And I know I will remember where I was when I heard about Michael Jackson. Here is why...
A news story had broke over the radio that Jackson went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital. I was in a sporting goods store in St. Louis looking at baseball gloves. There were two store employees who immediately began to talk with one another about how "messed up" Michael Jackson was with all the surgeries and trials. They were slandering him throughout the entire time I was in the store and as soon as I got in my car, I heard the news that he had died.
I began to consider how we would all remember Michael Jackson. Like the people at the baseball store? Like we remember Elvis, or Princess Di? And then I started thinking about the Jewish value of Lashon Harah, or the evil tongue. Under this Jewish custom, it is not permissble to speak ill of anyone, nor is it permissble to listen to slander or gossip. In fact, there are only four laws in Judaism that can never be broken under ANY circumstance and gossip is one of them. The other three are murder, idolatry, and incest.
The Rabbis explain that when you gossip, you can murder someone's Nefesh, or soul. We call it character assasination. There is really no way to undo the damage done by gossip. I wonder if the question of how we will remember Michael Jackson would even be an issue if we all observed this law. We can really only make judgements about a person based on the things we KNOW about them from personal experience. Over the past five years or so, can you think of any Michael Jackson news that was either positive or fact-based?
I can imagine that even those people in the baseball store are a little more delicate about the things they say about Michael Jackson now that he has died. Many people in the media probably are as well. We have a tendency to not really appreciate what we have until it is gone. Lets do our best to make sure that those we appreciate in life are always aware of just how appreciated they are.
As Jews always do in times of mourning, I would like to conclude on a lighter note. With the theme of appreciating what we have, I would like to share with you my list of five musicians who are still alive who I greatly appreciate.
1. Paul McCartney
2. Paul Simon
3. Cat Stevens (aka Yusef Islam)
4. Stevie Nicks
5. Brian Wilson
If anyone would like to share their lists of people they appreciate, please comment below. Otherwise...have a great Shabbat!
Sincerely,
David
Monday, June 15, 2009
Parashat Shelach
Shavua Tov! Before we get into the Torah portion, here are a couple of quick announcements:
1. I have changed the settings to make it easier to comment on the blog. This means that everyone can comment whether they are registered members of the blog or not. This also means that it will be easier for advertisers to sneak comments on to the blog. So...if you see a comment by someone you don't know, do not click on any links!
2. I am at a camp in central Missouri this summer where the internet is not so reliable. I anticipate that there may be times (like last week) when the time I set aside to blog coincides with the times when the internet is out. I will do my best to post every week and now that staff training is over, I should have more flexibility in weeks to come.
On to Torah...
This week's Torah portion is called Shelach (Numbers 13-15). It has been about a year since the Jews received the Torah at Mt. Sinai and they are approaching the Promised Land. Moses sends scouts to survey the land and return with reports. The name of the portion, Shelach, means "to send." You may have heard a version of this root before if you have every been to Israel. Your guide may have been called a "Shaliach." Also, the person who leads a service may be called a "Shaliach Tzibur." On Purim, when it is tradition to send gifts to someone, they are called Mashliach Manot.
When the scouts return, almost all of them come back with the same report. While they agree that the land is flowing with milk and honey, they report that the land is inhabited by great civilizations with well-fortified cities. They would be impossible to conquer and the people begin to suggest that they should return to Egypt.
Two scouts, Caleb and Joshua, return with the same report that the land is flowing with milk and honey, but they recommend that the Jews press on with their plan to enter the land. The people are so infuriated with them that they threaten to stone them. Only by God's intervention do they survive.
God becomes enraged and threatens to wipe out the entire people. Moses then pleads for mercy. While God does not wipe out the people, he does command that the "complaining" generation will not enter the Promised Land. The Jews will have to spend forty years wandering in the dessert before they get to Israel.
Here are some questions to consider:
1. Why do we have so many stories about the Israelite people complaining?
2. Very little time has passed since God's presence retracted from Mt. Sinai...do you think the people have already begun to lose faith? If so, What does that tell us about our faith given that it has been thousands of years since Sinai?
3. Do you think it was God's plan all along to let the Exodus generation die in the wilderness? Is that, by nature, contradict Numbers 15:41? Why? Why not?
Also of note in this week's Torah portion:
Numbers 15:17-21--The commandment for Challah
Numbers 15:38-40--The commandment to wear fringes on your garments
1. I have changed the settings to make it easier to comment on the blog. This means that everyone can comment whether they are registered members of the blog or not. This also means that it will be easier for advertisers to sneak comments on to the blog. So...if you see a comment by someone you don't know, do not click on any links!
2. I am at a camp in central Missouri this summer where the internet is not so reliable. I anticipate that there may be times (like last week) when the time I set aside to blog coincides with the times when the internet is out. I will do my best to post every week and now that staff training is over, I should have more flexibility in weeks to come.
On to Torah...
This week's Torah portion is called Shelach (Numbers 13-15). It has been about a year since the Jews received the Torah at Mt. Sinai and they are approaching the Promised Land. Moses sends scouts to survey the land and return with reports. The name of the portion, Shelach, means "to send." You may have heard a version of this root before if you have every been to Israel. Your guide may have been called a "Shaliach." Also, the person who leads a service may be called a "Shaliach Tzibur." On Purim, when it is tradition to send gifts to someone, they are called Mashliach Manot.
When the scouts return, almost all of them come back with the same report. While they agree that the land is flowing with milk and honey, they report that the land is inhabited by great civilizations with well-fortified cities. They would be impossible to conquer and the people begin to suggest that they should return to Egypt.
Two scouts, Caleb and Joshua, return with the same report that the land is flowing with milk and honey, but they recommend that the Jews press on with their plan to enter the land. The people are so infuriated with them that they threaten to stone them. Only by God's intervention do they survive.
God becomes enraged and threatens to wipe out the entire people. Moses then pleads for mercy. While God does not wipe out the people, he does command that the "complaining" generation will not enter the Promised Land. The Jews will have to spend forty years wandering in the dessert before they get to Israel.
Here are some questions to consider:
1. Why do we have so many stories about the Israelite people complaining?
2. Very little time has passed since God's presence retracted from Mt. Sinai...do you think the people have already begun to lose faith? If so, What does that tell us about our faith given that it has been thousands of years since Sinai?
3. Do you think it was God's plan all along to let the Exodus generation die in the wilderness? Is that, by nature, contradict Numbers 15:41? Why? Why not?
Also of note in this week's Torah portion:
Numbers 15:17-21--The commandment for Challah
Numbers 15:38-40--The commandment to wear fringes on your garments
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Parashat Naso - Follow up
1. Why does God tell Moses to tell Aaron to give this blessing?
In telling Moses to tell Aaron to give the blessing, God is not only commanding the blessing, but also the transmission of the blessing. Since Moses was a one-of-a-kind prophet, one might think that only Moses has the ability to give this blessing. As we can see, the blessing can be passed on from person to person.
2. Why can't Moses recite the blessing? Or Why can't God just tell Aaron directly?
In addition to my comments under the first question, I would also like to point out that Moses was admittedly "slow of speech" and uncomfortable with public speaking. Aaron had frequently spoken on Moses' behalf in the past, so it is not surprising to see that trend continue. Furthermore, it puts emphasis on the fact that this is a spoken blessing. Unlike prayers, blessings are not effective unless they can be heard.
3. What does this teach us about Aaron's nature as opposed to Moses?
As the Torah progresses we begin to see a shift in leadership from Moses to Aaron and ultimately to Joshua. By delegating responsibility, God ensures that each generation subsequent to Moses would not feel leaderless. Though the Torah says that there will never again be another prophet like Moses, it does not say there will be another leader like Moses. While generations can exist without prophesy, they cannot exist without leadership. Aaron was clearly a worthy successor to Moses. As this verse indicates, he possessed qualities that even Moses lacked. This sends us an important message that every one of us has the ability to take on leadership even though we may or may not have spoken to a burning bush!
4. God never commands us that we are supposed to give blessings, yet God tells us how to do it anyway. What does that tell us about the nature of Blessings?
There are many laws in the Torah that are explicit and many more that are implicit--which is the basis for the entire Mishnah. But certain laws are known to us without being revealed to us. For example, in the creation story we learn about some laws of nature. We learn about rivers and wind, land and sky. Or take breathing for an example. We are never commanded that we have to breathe, yet we know we must do it in order to survive. I think that giving a blessing is one of those implicit commandments. We are not told that we have to bless one another, but it should be an unspoken part of our society.
Not only are blessings found in our daily and weekly rituals, they are also found in every day life. I think the most similar modern practice to the blessing is giving a compliment. Much like a blessing, a compliment can improve self esteem, let someone know they are doing a good job, or just let someone know you care about them. Compliments are priceless, and every one of us has the ability to give out an unlimited number of them...despite the economy!
My 6th grade teacher always quoted peace activist Anne Herbert. Whether it was the large poster on the wall, or the bottom of our report cards, we could always count on seeing the phrase:
"Practice random acts of kindness, and senseless acts of beauty."
Such is the nature of blessings.
In telling Moses to tell Aaron to give the blessing, God is not only commanding the blessing, but also the transmission of the blessing. Since Moses was a one-of-a-kind prophet, one might think that only Moses has the ability to give this blessing. As we can see, the blessing can be passed on from person to person.
2. Why can't Moses recite the blessing? Or Why can't God just tell Aaron directly?
In addition to my comments under the first question, I would also like to point out that Moses was admittedly "slow of speech" and uncomfortable with public speaking. Aaron had frequently spoken on Moses' behalf in the past, so it is not surprising to see that trend continue. Furthermore, it puts emphasis on the fact that this is a spoken blessing. Unlike prayers, blessings are not effective unless they can be heard.
3. What does this teach us about Aaron's nature as opposed to Moses?
As the Torah progresses we begin to see a shift in leadership from Moses to Aaron and ultimately to Joshua. By delegating responsibility, God ensures that each generation subsequent to Moses would not feel leaderless. Though the Torah says that there will never again be another prophet like Moses, it does not say there will be another leader like Moses. While generations can exist without prophesy, they cannot exist without leadership. Aaron was clearly a worthy successor to Moses. As this verse indicates, he possessed qualities that even Moses lacked. This sends us an important message that every one of us has the ability to take on leadership even though we may or may not have spoken to a burning bush!
4. God never commands us that we are supposed to give blessings, yet God tells us how to do it anyway. What does that tell us about the nature of Blessings?
There are many laws in the Torah that are explicit and many more that are implicit--which is the basis for the entire Mishnah. But certain laws are known to us without being revealed to us. For example, in the creation story we learn about some laws of nature. We learn about rivers and wind, land and sky. Or take breathing for an example. We are never commanded that we have to breathe, yet we know we must do it in order to survive. I think that giving a blessing is one of those implicit commandments. We are not told that we have to bless one another, but it should be an unspoken part of our society.
Not only are blessings found in our daily and weekly rituals, they are also found in every day life. I think the most similar modern practice to the blessing is giving a compliment. Much like a blessing, a compliment can improve self esteem, let someone know they are doing a good job, or just let someone know you care about them. Compliments are priceless, and every one of us has the ability to give out an unlimited number of them...despite the economy!
My 6th grade teacher always quoted peace activist Anne Herbert. Whether it was the large poster on the wall, or the bottom of our report cards, we could always count on seeing the phrase:
"Practice random acts of kindness, and senseless acts of beauty."
Such is the nature of blessings.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Parashat Naso
Welcome to the first ever post of the B'nai Israel Online Community!
This week's Torah portion is a very appropriate place for us to begin. As you may recall, the last blessing of our Shabbat Service on Friday was the Priestly Benediction or, in Hebrew, the Birkat haCohanim. The Priestly Benediction has found its way into many Jewish occasions. It is often recited for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, at a Baby Naming or Briss Ceremony, and it is a standard concluding blessing at weddings, right before the glass is broken.
In addition to being prevalent in many of our observances, the Priestly Benediction is our oldest
known blessing. In the 1970s, archaeologists in Jerusalem discovered two small sheets of silver that were rolled tightly into small scrolls. They dated the scrolls back to the 6th century BCE. When they unraveled the scrolls, they revealed that the Priestly Benediction was inscribed upon them. It is the oldest archaeological discovery of a biblical blessing. An image of the scroll is on the right side of the screen.
The Biblical origin of this blessing is found in this week's Torah portion, Naso. Numbers 6:22 reads as follows:
God spoke to Moses, saying: Speak unto Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you are to bless the People of Israel. May God protect you and keep you. May God's presence shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God's presence be with you and give you peace."
It is easy to be distracted by the beauty and sentimentality of the blessing. But being the advanced Torah scholars that we are, we are going to analyze this verse. I would like you to take a look at the Torah portion (you can find the chapter and verse by CLICKING HERE). Read the whole chapter for context, and consider the following questions:
1. Why does God tell Moses to tell Aaron to give this blessing?
2. Why can't Moses recite the blessing? Or Why can't God just tell Aaron directly?
3. What does this teach us about Aaron's nature as opposed to Moses?
4. God never commands us that we are supposed to give blessings, yet God tells us how to do it anyway. What does that tell us about the nature of Blessings?
5. How are blessings different today as opposed to in the Bible? What blessings do we say on a daily basis? Are they always religious?
Comment below and share your ideas with one another. I will post again later in the week with some of my thoughts on the questions.
Have a great week!
David
This week's Torah portion is a very appropriate place for us to begin. As you may recall, the last blessing of our Shabbat Service on Friday was the Priestly Benediction or, in Hebrew, the Birkat haCohanim. The Priestly Benediction has found its way into many Jewish occasions. It is often recited for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, at a Baby Naming or Briss Ceremony, and it is a standard concluding blessing at weddings, right before the glass is broken.
In addition to being prevalent in many of our observances, the Priestly Benediction is our oldest
known blessing. In the 1970s, archaeologists in Jerusalem discovered two small sheets of silver that were rolled tightly into small scrolls. They dated the scrolls back to the 6th century BCE. When they unraveled the scrolls, they revealed that the Priestly Benediction was inscribed upon them. It is the oldest archaeological discovery of a biblical blessing. An image of the scroll is on the right side of the screen. The Biblical origin of this blessing is found in this week's Torah portion, Naso. Numbers 6:22 reads as follows:
God spoke to Moses, saying: Speak unto Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you are to bless the People of Israel. May God protect you and keep you. May God's presence shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God's presence be with you and give you peace."
It is easy to be distracted by the beauty and sentimentality of the blessing. But being the advanced Torah scholars that we are, we are going to analyze this verse. I would like you to take a look at the Torah portion (you can find the chapter and verse by CLICKING HERE). Read the whole chapter for context, and consider the following questions:
1. Why does God tell Moses to tell Aaron to give this blessing?
2. Why can't Moses recite the blessing? Or Why can't God just tell Aaron directly?
3. What does this teach us about Aaron's nature as opposed to Moses?
4. God never commands us that we are supposed to give blessings, yet God tells us how to do it anyway. What does that tell us about the nature of Blessings?
5. How are blessings different today as opposed to in the Bible? What blessings do we say on a daily basis? Are they always religious?
Comment below and share your ideas with one another. I will post again later in the week with some of my thoughts on the questions.
Have a great week!
David
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