The Crucial Lesson of Zevachim

                                    

Both Yaakov and Yosef are anxious to be reunited in Egypt. And yet we read that Yaakov makes a stop along the way (46:1): וַיִּסַּ֤ע יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֖א בְּאֵ֣רָה שָּׁ֑בַע וַיִּזְבַּ֣ח זְבָחִ֔ים לֵֽא-לֹהֵ֖י אָבִ֥יו יִצְחָֽק: “And Israel and all that was his set out and came to Beer Sheba, and he slaughtered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.” As eager as Yaakov was to see his son, he makes sure to take a moment to direct his attention and appreciation to Hashem. Upon hearing that Yosef is alive and well in Egypt Yaakov has experienced a “Shehecheyanu” moment. As eager as he might be to reach his destination Yaakov understood the need to turn to Hashem in appreciation for surviving to see the happy ending of this dramatic saga and in recognition that throughout the entire ordeal of Yosef’s disappearance there had in fact been a Divine plan unfolding. One could ask: Granted, we understand why Yaakov feels a need to offer sacrifices. But why does he do so in the middle of his family’s journey down to Egypt? Why not offer the sacrifices immediately upon hearing the good news of Yosef’s wellbeing, before embarking upon the journey? Alternatively, why didn’t Yaakov wait until after his reunion with Yosef, so that he could offer the sacrifices to Hashem with a full measure of joy and gratitude?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch noted that it is here, for the first time in history, that we are introduced to “zevachim” sacrifices. Until this point in time, all other sacrifices to Hashem (offered by Hevel, Avraham, Yitzchak etc) were in the form of an Olah, a burnt offering where the entire sacrifice is dedicated to God. Olot represent the idea of dedicating oneself completely to God. A Zevach is a sacrifice offered in part to Hashem but the rest is then consumed by the person offering the sacrifice along with his/her family. Rav Hirsch explains that zevachim teach us the idea that Hashem can accompany us in all of our activities, even in the mundane activity of eating. Yaakov takes a lunch break with his family along his journey to Egypt. He offers zevachim there for the first time in history to teach his family- and us- that we have the ability to imbue spirituality even into the seemingly mundane activities of daily life. Through this episode we learn for the first time that a Jew’s dining table can be an altar and a Jewish home can serve as a Temple. The idea that a Jew’s religious life must encompass the totality of our existence is an idea emphasized by the Rav, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik. In Halachik Man, the Rav wrote (pg. 33): “The task of the religious individual is bound up with the performance of commandments, and this performance is confined to this world, to physical, concrete reality, to clamorous, tumultuous, life, pulsating with exuberance and strength.”

Perhaps this is why Yaakov chose to offer his zevachim specifically in the middle of his journey. He is teaching us that not only can you serve Hashem through seemingly mundane activities such as eating, but that this service can and should be accomplished anywhere and at any time: even on the side of the road during a long family trip down to Egypt.

Renewal and Inauguration: Two Aspects of Chanukah

 Our Chanukah study and celebration generally focuses on renewal. After the Maccabee victory the Jews purified the Beit Hamikdash and renewed the Temple service and restored Jewish rule over Jerusalem. However Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt’l (in a talk that he delivered in 1999) notes that the word “Chanukah” means to dedicate something for the first time, to inaugurate, to innovate. Chanukah was not only about restoring that which was. Chanukah was also about inaugurating and creating new ideas that would help the Jewish People going forward. Rav Lichtenstein notes that these two motifs of renewal and inauguration are reflected in the Al HaNisim prayer. First we say that Chanukah celebrates restoring that which was: “Afterwards, Your sons entered the Holy of Holies of Your Abode, cleaned Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary.” But restoring that which was is only half the story. Chanukah is also a celebration of dedicating something new, as Al Hanisim goes on to say: “and kindled lights in the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary, and designated these eight days of Chanukah.” The first time the root of “Chanukah” is found in the Torah is in Bereishit 14:14. When Avraham hears that his nephew has been captured, he prepares to go to battle to bring Lot back: וַיָּ֨רֶק אֶת־חֲנִיכָ֜יו. Rashi explains the word “Chanichav”:

it [חֲנִיכָיו] is an expression of the initiation (lit. the beginning of the entrance) of a person or a utensil to the craft with which he [or it] is destined to remain.”

Something new must have been created as a result of Chanukah. Rav Lichtenstein notes that in the aftermath of the Chanukah story, a new formal obligation of Hallel and thanksgiving was instituted to thank Hashem for enabling the Greek defeat at the hands of the Maccabees. While on other holidays we recite Hallel, Chanukah is the only holiday on which Hallel is intrinsic and integral to the definition of the holiday. As we say at the very end of the Al Hanisim prayer for Chanukah, our Rabbis “designated these eight days of Chanukah to thank and praise Your great Name.”

While lighting Chanukah candles in our homes may seem like a reenactment of the restoration of the Menorah service in the Temple, there are major differences between the two. For instance, while the Menorah was a seven branched candelabra, our Chanukiyah has nine branches.  Also, the Menorah was only lit in the Beit Hamikdash, and we light our Chanukah candles at home. Ner Chanukah belongs to an exclusive list of Mitzvot D’Rabbanan, commandments instituted by the Rabbis. We consider these mitzvoth to be binding just like a Torah-sourced mitzvah. We see this from the fact that we recite a bracha over lighting Chanukah candles in which we say “You, God, have sanctified us with mitzvoth and commanded us to light Chanukah candles”. The power and importance of Rabbinic Judaism is a second innovation created by Chanukah.

Third, Rav Lichtensetin notes that after the Chanukah victory, the Jewish People enjoyed Jewish sovereignty over the Jewish homeland for over two centuries. While there may have been problems with that Jewish Commonwealth, it is an accomplishment to be celebrated. It was also a new era for the Jews, one which had not existed in Israel for centuries.

The story of Chanukah as a celebration of both renewal and inauguration, of both continuity and change, resonates with me at this particular juncture in the history of our kehillah. Our mission is to be true to our values while being open to innovation and change. We should celebrate our past and embrace changes that will allow us to shine even brighter in the future.

No Job is Unimportant When It Comes to Doing Our Part

 As a child in New Haven, CT, I was encouraged and called upon to be an active participant and contributor to synagogue life in ways that would probably seem foreign, even bizarre, to our youth today. Some things stay the same, like leading Yigdal/ Adon Olam. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Here are three of my strongest memories related to my childhood shul experience:

1) Setting up the Kiddush after davening and cleaning up afterwards. Not just throwing out my cup and plate (which I encourage everyone to do at our shul as well). I mean taking herring out of the jar in the shul kitchen and sticking a toothpick in it. I mean cutting up Entenmann’s cake and plating it.  I mean schlepping the garbage can out to clean up and then bringing it back into the shul kitchen.

2) Getting ready for the High Holidays and Pesach: helping to hang the white parochet. Cleaning out the pews, not just the pew where I sat (which I encourage all of us to do) but going from seat to seat to remove candy wrappers, tissues (some clean, some unfortunately not) and any other garbage that might have accumulated. Putting out (and then putting back) the Machzorim for Rosh Hashana and then for Yom Kippur.

3) Using a sledge hammer. The Sisterhood decided to refurbish the front lobby and put in new tile. In order to save money a group of youngsters, myself included, was commissioned to rip up the linoleum in preparation for the new floors. We used scrapers and a sledgehammer to get the job done.

In our small town shul, I learned an important lesson through these experiences: You need to appreciate the unique and irreplaceable contributions that you can make for your shul, for your community, for your world. And if you don’t do it, no one else will. It just won’t get done.

Many of the opportunities that I encountered are not available in a congregation like ours. The size of our shul coupled with a commitment from the membership and lay leadership affords us the opportunity to have professional and dedicated administrative and building staff who work very hard to ensure that our logistical needs are taken care of. The size and scope of our operations makes it highly unlikely that our teenagers will be called upon to work on renovations or expansion projects when they occur (may they start speedily in our days).

But absent hands-on experiences, I fear that people begin to think that they are expendable; that it’s Ok if I don’t participate or contribute, because things will get done without me. There is a risk that people start to think: There will be a Minyan for those who need to say kaddish whether or not I come on time (or come at all). The leining will get done – whether I volunteer or not. Jewish communal life in Hollywood will roll on whether I participate and contribute my unique abilities or not.

Rav Moshe Feinstein notes that before we read about Yosef the dreamer and Yosef the man destined for leadership, we read that Yosef was a shepherd alongside his brothers (37:2). Rav Moshe suggests this comes to teach us the humility of Yosef. Before he utilized his unique talents for leadership, he contributed in his unique way to herd sheep alongside everyone else. Yosef teaches us that there is no such thing as an unimportant contribution to our family/ community/ world. Yosef also teaches us that we develop into the people we are destined to become by always looking for ways to participate, no matter the size or prestige of the task at hand.

Self-Fulfillment- Through Connecting with Others

In between when Yaakov takes leave of Eisav and the story of Dina’s abduction, the Torah tells us that Yaakov arrived in Shechem: וַיָּבֹא֩ יַעֲקֹ֨ב שָׁלֵ֜ם עִ֣יר שְׁכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן בְּבֹא֖וֹ מִפַּדַּ֣ן אֲרָ֑ם וַיִּ֖חַן אֶת־פְּנֵ֥י הָעִֽיר׃

“Jacob arrived safe in the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan—having come thus from Paddan-aram—and he encamped before the city.” While the literal translation of “Vayichan” is “and he camped”, the Talmud homiletically interprets it to mean “and he graced” from the Hebrew word “Chein”. The Talmud (Shabbat 33b) explains:

“And Jacob came whole to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and he graced the countenance of the city” (Genesis 33:18). Rav said, the meaning of: And Jacob came whole, is: Whole in his body, whole in his money, whole in his Torah. And what did he do? And he graced the countenance of the city; he performed gracious acts to benefit the city. Rav said: Jacob established a currency for them. And Shmuel said: He established marketplaces for them. And Rabbi Yoḥanan said: He established bathhouses for them.

The Talmud suggests that upon arriving in Shechem Yaakov wanted to contribute to his new surroundings in a positive way. The Rabbis argue over what exactly was that contribution. Rav Kook explained that all three suggestions are ways to help your surroundings and to build community. Bathhouses and marketplaces are public arenas that promote the public good. Coins are necessary to develop a sophisticated economy that is based on more than just bartering. Without coins you are limited in your business dealings to those people whom you know and who possess items that you want or need. The introduction of coins allows you to engage in business beyond your friends and family. Anyone with coins becomes a customer.

Yaakov here is teaching us the importance of building community and of connecting with larger groups. It is no coincidence that the Talmud’s emphasis on connecting and helping others only comes after the Talmudic teaching that Yaakov arrived in Shechem feeling whole and in a good place. Only when we personally feel strong and confident can we extend ourselves to the fullest in order to help others and connect with others.

This year our shul has adopted the theme of “unity and connection”. We are constantly seeking out ways to follow in Yaakov’s footsteps by encouraging each other to contribute to the greater good by expanding our networks and connecting with others in our community that may not currently be in our sphere of acquaintances. After the positive feedback we received after the Kol Nidrei Appeal Appreciation Kiddush, we have decided to host another CommUNITY combined Kiddush in honor of Shabbat Mevorchim. It will take place next Shabbat, December 17^th in the tent after the 9 AM and 9:15 AM minyanim. We hope that it creates another opportunity and another reminder of the importance and value of unity and connections within our shul community. (To become a CommUNITY Kiddush sponsor go to: https://www.yih.org/shabbatmevorchimkiddush . I hope to see you there!

The Power of Grandparents

 

My Oma and Opa lived in Dallas. After my Oma passed away, I went to visit my Opa. On that trip my grandfather made me flat bread pizza for lunch one day. He put crush red pepper on the pizza. I had never had crushed red pepper on my pizza before, and I loved it. My Opa served as a cook in the US Army during World War II, so I was not surprised that he had a knack for seasonings. I don’t always put red pepper flakes on my pizza (and I don’t eat pizza as often as I once did), but whenever I do I think of my Opa. I remember another incident when my grandparents were with us for Yom Tov. I was walking home from shul with my Opa and he was talking to me about saffron, the spice. He mentioned to me how saffron and ginger are spices mentioned in the Gemara. That conversation was well over 30 years ago, and yet I clearly remember that interaction with my grandfather. 

There’s a saying that grandparents and grandchildren get along so well because they have a common enemy: the parents. While that may be a joke, the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is unique, as is the impact that grandparents can have on their grandchildren. In Parshat Vayeitzei, the story shifts focus onto Yaakov. While we generally refer to Jacob as Yaakov Avinu (our father Jacob, ie one of the patriarchs), our tradition also refers to Jacob as Yisrael Saba, (Grandfather Israel). There are two instances in this week’s Parsha that our Rabbis relate to the influence that grandparents can have on grandchildren.

In Vateitzei we read how Yaakov flees his parents’ home to escape Eisav’s rage and to find a wife in Padam Aram. Yaakov meets Rachel and realizes that she is “the one”. At that meeting Yaakov cries (Bereishit 29:11). Rashi quotes a Midrash that explains the backstory. When Yaakov ran away, Eisav sent his son Elifaz to kill Yaakov. Elifaz caught up with Yaakov and was about to kill him, when Yaakov convinced Elifaz that he could rob his uncle instead, because a person without any money is considered to be dead. Rashi notes that Elifaz was reluctant to kill Yaakov, even though he was commanded to do so by his father, because Elifaz grew up in Yitzchak’s home. Elifaz was positively influenced by his grandfather to the extent that he was willing to disobey his father’s immoral demand and save his uncle’s life.

At the end of Vayeitzei we read about the descendants of Eisav. One of Eisav’s grandchildren was Amalek. Amalek’s father was Elifaz. The Midrash explains that Elifaz encouraged his son Amalek to support and befriend the descendants of Yaakov, because Yaakov’s family is blessed. Amalek did not listen to his father. Instead, he harbored a deep hatred for Bnei Yisrael, and Amalek is the symbol of those who hate Jews throughout the ages. Why didn’t Amalek listen to his father? The Midrash explains that Amalek was more influenced by his grandfather Eisav, who held on to a deep hatred for Yaakov and his descendants. Just as Elifaz was most influenced by his grandfather Yitzchak and therefore saved Yaakov, so too Amalek was most influenced by his grandfather Eisav to antagonize Yaakov. Once again we see the power of grandparents to influce their grandchildren and, sometimes, the course of Jewish history.