AIPAC Policy Conference and the Kohanim’s Inauguration Ritual

In Chapter 29 we read about the inauguration ritual that Moshe performed on the Kohanim to install them into their new status. Part of that ritual included a rather peculiar element (29:20):

“You shall slaughter the ram, take [some] of its blood and put it upon the cartilage of Aaron's right ear and upon the cartilage of Aaron's sons' right ears, upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the big toes of their right feet, and you shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar all around.”

Why is blood sprinkled specifically on the Kohen’s ear, thumb and big toe? Perhaps this ritual is meant to teach us three important qualities that a Kohen must have to serve and lead effectively. The ear is singled out because a Kohen must be a good listener. The thumb is highlighted because a Kohen must be willing to act decisively. The big toe is mentioned because a Kohen must stand up and lead.

This week I attended the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington DC along with close to 60 members of the Young Israel of Hollywood – Ft. Lauderdale community. It was great to see a number of our high school and college students in attendance. The theme of this year’s convention was “Today. Tomorrow. Together.” The conference organizers wanted to highlight the strength of the US-Israel relationship in the past, present and future. They also wanted to highlight the bipartisan and broad based support for Israel that exists in the US Congress as well as American society. Though there are individual members of Congress who are against foreign aid to Israel, and others who have expressed anti-Israel sentiment (including support for the Boycott Divest and Sanctions movement), on display at the Policy Conference is the diversity of people who are passionate about the US-Israel alliance.

When it comes to supporting Israel and the US-Israel relationship, we should focus on the qualities that were important for the Kohanim to possess in their leadership role. First we must be willing to listen. One of my favorite aspects of Policy Conference is the opportunity to hear from people that think differently than I do and hold views very different than mine, and yet they are passionate about the work of AIPAC and the US-Israel relationship, just like me. Too often in our lives we live in echo chambers. We listen to the news and read the papers that are slanted to agree with our worldview. Just as the Kohanim had to listen in order to lead, so too we must listen in order to learn and grow the movement of pro-Israel Americans.

Second we must be willing to act. Whether it is lobbying our elected officials on Capitol Hill, calling/ e-mailing our representatives or supporting pro-Israel candidates, we must act in accordance with our beliefs and our ideals.

Third, we must be willing to stand up for what we believe. The big toe provides us with balance. We must be firm in our convictions and willing to stand up and share our views on the importance of the US-Israel relationship; to those who are uninformed as well as to those who currently disagree with us.

Just as the Kohanim were installed into their service through their ears, hands and feet, so too we must listen, act and stand up in our roles as pro-Israel activists.

Lessons from Keruvim

In describing the construction of the Keruvim, the Torah notes that, “el Hakaporet Yiheyu Pnei Hakeruvim.”  The Keruvim were looking down, towards the Kaporet and the Aron. In explaining this position, Rabbeinu Bechaye quotes the Talmud (Baba Batra 89) that this posture is like a student who lowers his eyes before his teacher, as an expression of reverence. When we have questions, comments or complaints concerning Jewish law or Jewish values we need to do so with humility and reverence towards a faith tradition that has been   important to the moral development of humanity and that (hopefully) provides our lives with many outlets for meaning and satisfaction.

But that’s not all the Torah tells us about the position of the Keruvim. The full pasuk reads: (25:20):

1)            Vehayu Hakruvim porsei kenafayim L’maalah: these figures had wings that stretched upward

2)            Upneihem Ish El Achiv: we are also told that the Keruvim were facing each other

3)            Lastly, el Hakaporet Yiheyu Pnei Hakeruvim: they were looking down

Explains the Abravanel so beautifully: The position of the Keruvim teaches us three important lessons: Just as the Keruvim’s wings stretched upward, so too should our thoughts be directed towards Heaven. We must consider our relationship with Hashem and how to enhance it, especially through the ritual Mitzvot Bein Adam L’Makom. And Just as the Keruvim faced each other, so too must we take notice of our fellow Jew and all fellow human beings. We must foster our empathy, our sympathy and our sense of responsibility towards others, especially through the enhancement of our interpersonal Mitzvot Bein Adam L’Chaveiro. And just as the Keruvim were looking downward towards the Aron, so too must we keep our eye on the Torah as a guide for how to fulfill the mitzvot and how to navigate life.

According to the Abravanel, the keruvim looking down don’t teach us to be humble; rather, they teach us to keep our eye on the Torah! When we have questions, comments or issues with our Torah or with Jewish life, our approach should be one of humility and reverence. But humility is not enough. We then need to empower ourselves by looking to our Torah. We must commit to learning and understanding so that we are better equipped to address our questions. Sometimes by keeping our eye on the Aron we may be able to resolve our own questions. Sometimes keeping our eye on the Torah, coupled with a healthy dose of humility, allows us to admit that we can’t figure this out on our own and that we need to seek advice or guidance from someone more knowledgeable.  And sometimes it means having the humility to bear the question without an answer.

The synthesis of Rabbeinu Bachaye and the Abravanel resonates with me. The posture of the Keruvim is both a call for humility and an appeal for Jewish literacy. May Hashem give us the strength to emulate the Keruvim: by being a conduit to bring Hashem’s Presence into our lives and into our world. 

Parshat Mishpatim

The end of Parshat Mishpatim tells the rest of the story of what happened at Mount Sinai. In Chapter 24, we learn that Moshe wrote down the words of Hashem and he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, along with twelve pillars corresponding to the twelve tribes. In the next verses (5-7) we read:

And he sent the youths of the children of Israel, and they offered up burnt offerings, and they slaughtered peace offerings to the Lord, bulls. And Moses took half the blood and put it into the basins, and half the blood he cast onto the altar. And he took the Book of the Covenant and read it within the hearing of the people, and they said, "All that the Lord spoke we will do and we will hear."

Rashi explains that these youth were the firstborn, who served in the role as priests prior to the sin of the golden calf. Ramban explains that these youth were not necessarily firstborn, but rather young Jews who were passionate and excited about the Revelation at Sinai and the Giving of the Torah. Moshe provides them with a special role, because this youthful enthusiasm and idealism was an important ingredient in the Jews’ acceptance of the Torah at this juncture. It is after the youth of Israel come on the scene that the entire nation is inspired to say the famous formula of “We will do and we will hear.”

On Wednesday I returned from a 6 day trip to Israel. During my trip I engaged in a number of learning opportunities with some great institutions such as National Library of Israel, Machon PUAH, Eretz Chemdah Institute and Ateret Kohanim. I look forward to sharing with you more about these experiences. But the highlight of my trip was the opportunity to meet with close to 20 of our Young Israel of Hollywood youth who are currently studying in Yeshivot and Seminaries in Israel. It was inspiring to hear about their studies, their plans and their aspirations. These young adults are passionate and idealistic. They have their whole lives ahead of them and I am excited to see how they develop and find their unique paths.

I am a firm believer that we should embrace the times in which we are living; we should not dwell too much on the past nor on the future.  Yet, the one time that I look back on with great nostalgia, the one stage of life that I would consider doing over again, is my time learning in Israel post-high school. The challenge for us adults is to remember those feelings of idealism and zeal and find ways to incorporate them into our lives today.  This week I had a great reminder of what can be for all of us at every stage of life, by looking at and listening to the optimism, idealism and passion of the young adults of our community.

Yitro’s Important Parenting Lesson

At the beginning of the Parsha we read how Yitro came to Bnei Yisrael along with Moshe’s wife and two children. Not only are we informed of the names of Moshe’s sons, Gershom and Eliezer, but also the meaning behind each of their names. We have already been told about the birth of these boys - back in Parshat Shemot. (Gershom’s birth and name are explained and Eliezer’s birth is alluded to in the episode towards the end of Parshat Shemot when Tziporah circumcises her son in order to save Moshe’s life.) Since we have already been told the reason for Gershom’s name, why is that information repeated again here in Parshat Yitro?

        If Yitro is bringing Moshe’s children with him, then the Torah is telling us that they, like Yitro, only heard about the events and miracles that occurred to Bnei Yisrael but they did not experience them firsthand.  It is not clear from the Torah when exactly Moshe’s family left him and moved in with Yitro in Midyan, or why. We know that they are all together as Moshe makes his way back to Egypt to reunite with his brother Aharon and begin the process of redemption by initially approaching Pharaoh. But at some point Tziporah takes her sons and goes to live with her family.

        Did Tziporah demand that her children not be subjected to the fear and uncertainty of the redemption process, especially since she had a home in Midyan where she could take refuge? Was Moshe, overwhelmed/ busy with the needs of the Jews that had to be in Egypt, amendable to the idea of not having to worry about his wife and sons during the most intense periods of Yetziat Mitzrayim and its aftermath?

        It is only now, after the splitting of the sea, the miracle at Mara and the defeat of Amalek that Moshe’s sons finally come back to their nation. It was Yitro who made sure the reunion occurs at this time. Yitro is teaching Moshe, and all of us, a lesson by bringing the boys back, and this lessons is hinted at by repeating the reason behind Gershom’s name.

        Moshe’s older son is Gershom because “Ger Hayiti B’eretz Nochriya” “I was a stranger in a foreign land”. Yitro is teaching Moshe: it is understandable and even commendable that you want to protect your sons from experiencing trauma and challenge and fear. But at some point you must stop protecting them and let them experience challenges. You named Gershom at a time in your life that you felt alone and distant and confused. Out of that difficult time you were able to persevere and become the greatest Jewish leader.

        Now’s the time to allow your children to experience similar challenges.  You can’t protect them forever, we can’t live in a bubble our whole lives. Sooner or later Moshe’s sons must join the Jewish People- and experience all of the challenges and hardships along with their brethren. Additionally, Yitro recalls Gershom’s name which reminds Moshe that real life entails an amalgam of joy and sadness- ie remembering that he was a stranger, while celebrating the birth of a child. By recalling the reason for Gershom’s name, Yitro is telling Moshe life contains an amalgam of joy and sadness, Hashem is with us through it all, and it was now time for Moshe’s sons to experience this along with the rest of Am Yisrael.

        We want what’s best for our children, and we don’t like to see them experience any negative feelings or situations. And yet Yitro is reminding us that part of raising strong and resilient children is allowing them to be exposed to challenges, and encouraging them to grow from those experiences.

The Challenge of Privilege

Perchik: Money is the world's curse.

Tevye: May the Lord smite me with it! And may I never recover!

Fiddler on the Roof

In Parshat Beshalach we are introduced to the manna from heaven that sustained the Jewish People during their 40 year sojourn in the desert.

The manna is a fascinating topic, full of mystery and intrigue. For example, what did this miraculous substance actually taste like? In this week’s Parsha the taste is described as “like a wafer made with honey.” However elsewhere (Parshat Behaalotcha) the manna’s taste is described as “like bread kneaded with oil.” The rabbis of the Talmud famously solve this apparent contradiction by claiming that the manna tasted like anything you wanted. If you wanted it to taste like cheese- it tasted like cheese. If you wanted it to taste like a hamburger- it tasted like a hamburger. If you wanted it to taste like a cheeseburger….. it tasted like a cheeseburger that was either made with pareve cheese or pareve meat.

Another interesting discussion concerning the manna is: what bracha did one recite over manna? On the one hand, the fact that manna is not identifiable as requiring one of the specialized blessings would lead us to say that the proper blessing is “Sheakol”, the most generic and catch-all blessing. On the other hand, the manna was a miraculous substance, seemingly deserving of a more prominent blessing. According to one opinion, the blessing made before eating manna was unique: “Hamotzi Lechem Min Hashamayim”, Blessing G-d as “He who brings bread from the Heaven” (as opposed to the text of the blessing we recite on normal bread: “He who brings bread from the earth”).

In this week’s Parsha the manna is described by Hashem as a test. The commentators offer different explanations as to what the test was. Ramban explains that the manna was a test in our belief in G-d. There was no natural food in the desert. Each day G-d would provide enough manna for that day alone. Each day the Jews went to sleep at night with their pantries bare, no food in the refrigerator and no natural way of attaining their food the next day- neither for themselves nor for their children. From a natural perspective, it was a pretty hopeless situation. Bnai Yisrael were forced to depend on Divine intervention each and every day. The manna was a means of helping the Jewish People realize that their fate is really in G-d’s hands.

The Seforno offers a different understanding of the test. In a very succinct yet powerful comment he writes:

“The test was in whether the Jews would do G-d’s will when He provides food and clothing without pain, without effort”

           

According to Seforno, the test of the manna was the challenge of privilege. How would the Jews respond to their every need taken care of, without even having to ask? Would it create a greater appreciation for G-d, allowing them to focus on more lofty goals? Or would they begin to develop a sense of entitlement, and become dissatisfied and spoiled?

           

From the story in the Torah it appears that the Jewish people did not pass the test of the manna with flying colors. Instead of appreciating the manna, they began to complain about it and claim that they needed more variety in their diets. The challenge of the manna continues to be a challenge that we face today. Studies have indicated that greater wealth does not correspond to greater levels of happiness. We must recognize that all that we have (and all that we don’t have) comes from G-d. What we have, and what we don’t, can be both a blessing and a challenge. We must utilize all of our experiences to develop a sense of appreciation and a connection with the Divine.

The Most Important Election That You’ve Never Heard Of

The Zionist Congress was established in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the supreme organ of the Zionist Organization (ZO) and its legislative authority. You would think that once the State of Israel was established, the World Zionist Congress would cease to function. However that is not the case. For according to Zionist ideology, the State of Israel is the nation state for all Jews, even those who currently do not live within its borders. Most decisions related to the governance of the state are decided exclusively by Israeli citizens. However there still remain areas in which Zionists from around the world are invited to have a say. That forum is the World Zionist Congress, which continues to meet every 5 years. The Zionist Congress is the supreme ideological and policy-making body of the World Zionist Organization. This gathering represents the entire political and religious spectrum of the Zionist movement.

Those elected from the United States will join delegates from Israel and around the world at the 38th World Zionist Congress in October 2020, the international “parliament of the Jewish people”, to make decisions regarding key institutions which allocate nearly $1 Billion annually to support Israel and World Jewry (including the World Zionist Organization, Keren Kayemet LeYisrael – Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Agency for Israel).

I am proud to have been a delegate to the 37^th Zionist Congress in Jerusalem five years ago from the “Vote Torah” slate. This time I am proud to be an ambassador for the Orthodox Israel Coalition (Slate #4) along with our members Trudy Abramson and Lisa Baratz, who are also slate ambassadors. Our slate brings together the major Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist Organizations in the US including: Religious Zionists of America‒Mizrachi, AMIT, Orthodox Union, Yeshiva University, Touro College, Rabbinical Council of America, National Council of Young Israel, Torah MiTzion, Bnei Akiva.

The “Core Four” principles of the OIC slate are:

1)      Expand security funding and provisions to protect Jewish life at US synagogues, yeshiva day schools and Jewish community centers.

2)      Combat BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) and antisemitism with programs that empower our students on college campuses across the US.

3)      Proliferate continued Jewish growth in the Golan Heights, Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley.

4)      Fight for funding to perpetuate Torah values that enables more of our children to study in gap year yeshiva/seminary programs and expands the global network of shlichim.

Funding priorities within the WZO’s $1 billion budget are determined by the delegates at the World Zionist Congress.  The more votes OIC receives the stronger our voice will be concerning issues related to Israel and our relationship to Israel.

One example of the impact of this election is the MASA subsidy program for American students studying on gap year programs in Israel. Weak voter turnout in the last election resulted in this funding decreasing dramatically from $1000 to $200. By voting for OIC you help us advocate for greater MASA subsidies for our children who study in Israel.

This Shabbat we welcome the “Bnei Akiva Dream Team”, a group of shalichim who have volunteered to travel across the US to inform and educate about these elections, and encourage voting for the OIC slate. Please welcome them to Hollywood and ask them any questions you might have. They will be with us over Shabbat as well as Saturday night at Panoply, Sunday morning at minyanim and Sunday evening at the Super Bowl party.

Voting for the 38^th Zionist Congress is open now through March 11. All American Jews over the age of 18 are eligible to vote. The easiest way to vote is online by using our shul’s personalized link https://www.ou.org/vote/YIHollywood/

I urge you to exercise your right to vote and enable our Religious Zionist voice to be felt in these elections.

Kotzer Ruach Syndrome

Why didn’t the Jews listen to and rejoice in the news of redemption that Moshe was spreading? Didn’t they want to leave Egypt, or at the very least be free from the slavery in which they currently found themselves? The Torah itself gives us the answer (Shemot 6:9):

Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel, but they did not hearken to Moses because of [their] shortness of breath and because of [their] hard labor.

Bnai Yisrael did not listen to Moshe due to two factors: the hard work, and “Kotzer Ruach,” a type of “shortness of breath”. What exactly is Kotzer Ruach?

According to some commentators, Kotzer Ruach refers to a lack of perspective. As much as they may have wanted to, Bnai Yisrael were unable to see beyond their current reality. It is possible to be so entrenched in a situation that one cannot imagine anything different.

In Key West, there is a beautiful building designed over 100 years ago by William Freret of New York, the Supervising Architect of the United States Government at that time. This building has a number of unusual features. For one, the building has a tin roof. The architect felt that a tin roof would be most beneficial in capturing the huge amounts of snow and helping to quickly melt it into drinking water for the use of the building’s employees. The building was also equipped with eleven huge hearth fireplaces, capable of keeping the building warm through the fiercest of winters.

This impressive building with its shiny tin roof and fireplaces sits in Key West, Florida as testimony to the difficulty man has in adapting to new environments and situations.

Bnei Yisrael may have wanted freedom. But this desire was tainted by an inability to truly envision the reality of their freedom. Kotzer Ruach occurs when the comfort of familiarity overpowers any goals for the future. We may want something, and yet be stymied by unwillingness or inability to imagine what that goal would actually look like when realized.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, whose yahrtzeit was Friday, explains that “Kotzer Ruach” refers to impatience. The Jews may have desired to be free, but could not wait for a process to unfold. They wanted immediate gratification. For Bnai Yisrael it was “now or never”- if freedom could not be achieved right now, then it might as well never occur. Impatience was an ongoing problem for Bnai Yisrael during the early stages of their development. For example, no matter how one understands the sin of the Golden Calf, the precipitating cause was the Jewish People’s impatience.

The American poet W.H. Auden wrote, “Perhaps there is only one cardinal sin: impatience. Because of impatience we were driven out of Paradise, because of impatience we cannot return.” Impatience breeds fear, stress and discouragement. Around this time of year many Americans make resolutions for the new secular year. Many of us may follow suit or just review those resolutions we may have made almost four months ago on Rosh Hashana. The greatest impediment to fulfilling resolutions is impatience. When results do not come as quickly as we would like, we give up. This is the attitude of Kotzer Ruach that Bnei Yisrael suffered in Egypt. And this is the Kotzer Ruach that we must be mindful of in our pursuit of success.

Along with hard work and help from Hashem, a desire is crucial for success. But that desire must not be tainted with Kotzer Ruach. When striving for our goals, we have to be able to envision what actual success will look like, while at the same time remaining patient.