Adas Israel - Mason City, IA

Mourning Miriam

This past Shabbat we discussed, in the Midrash, the Torah Portion Chukat (Numbers 19:1 - 21:1). Within this portion we learn of the Red Heifer, the death of Aaron and the death of Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron.

One of the remarkable lessons is what happened when Miriam died.  The Torah tells us, starkly, (Numbers 20:1) "...Miriam died there and she was buried there." What?  That's it? Done? Finished? Move on?

Later we read (Numbers 20:29) about the death of Aaron, "When the entire assembly saw that Aaron had perished, they wept for Aaron thirty days, the entire House of Israel."

Truly, Aaron deserved to be mourned. He was the Kohan Gadol, the peacemaker, the older brother that deferred to his younger sibling, Moses.

But, what of Miriam? The sister of Moses and Aaron? Her greatness is expressed in so many deeds from encouraging the women of Israel to remain alluring to their husbands, even while in slavery, to leading the song and prayer at the Sea.  Yet there was no mention of mourning in the Torah.

If we read the very next verse (Numbers 20:2) we get an idea of how disappointed G-d might have been with the Jewish people and their lack of sympathy. "There was no water for the assembly, and they gathered against Moses and Aaron."

No water...

What does this tell us?  Perhaps that we must, as a people, respond with thoughts and actions that are in sympathy to those who are hurting. That as a community, it is our obligation to reach out in times of despair and in times of joy.  

Today, our people are hurting. There are three innocent young men who were recently kidnapped and are being held by Arabs.  Their crime? They are Jews.  As a people we should respond in sympathy to their families and attempt to shake the Gates of Heaven with acts of kindness, prayer, study and charity. The attempt should be a call to let our children go.

It makes sense to be one with our brothers and sisters.  No?

What Happened to The Guy Who Would be Priest?

This week's Torah Portion we ready about Korach (Numbers 16-18) The the lead character is a very wealthy man by the name of, Korach.  He and his followers take it upon themselves to challenge Moses and Aaron for the opportunity to lead the Jewish People.

Pretty amazing when you consider that Moses had just led the people out of bondage, had been recognized by G-d as the leader and received the commandments.

But, Korach pretended, at first to be a helper.  He started the rebellion by telling Moses that one person could not possibly do all the work and, by appointing him (Korach, who by all accounts was righteous.) Moses would not have to do all the heavy lifting.

In the end, G-d punished Korach and his followers in a most public manner by opening the ground under their feet and the earth swallowed them and sealed back up all without a sign they had ever been here.

There are two great lessons in this portion:

First, just because you have wealth and power doesn't automatically give you the right to be the leader.  It is the person who leads, without regard to his personal wealth and for the people that is the true leader.  And, in this story that was....Moses.

Second, sometimes people with selfish intentions pretend to want to be helpful when the goal really is all for themselves.  We all know people who promise too much but, in the end disappoint. 

Korach is an interesting story that can have meaning even today.

Shabbat Shalom and have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Father's Day!

This weekend we'll be celebrating Father's Day.  It's a big deal being a father.  Of all the things that men get to do or have to do being a father is the most important of all jobs.

So, what does it take to be a good father?

We've got to listen. Listening is one of those great methods of truly connecting with our children.  Taking the time to listen, really listen to what is being said shows we care.  Sure, when the game is on and the kids come through asking a question or making a statement it's sometimes aggravating. But, the father who takes the time to listen is also doing this:

We've got to teach. Being a good father requires us to teach our children so many things.  Sure, when to cross the street and what to wear to a party are all part of it.  But we also teach skills.  How to talk, how to listen, how to interact with others.  The father who takes the time to teach is also doing this:

We've got to coach. Teaching is one thing but coaching is special. Coaching requires us to to encourage our children to grow and to learn. Encouragement is critical which leads us to:

Being a role model. If our young children see us acting out of anger or getting upset at the call of the umpire or using poor language we shouldn't be surprised if our children start to act in the same manner. If we model positive behavior.  If we are respectful of others. Those are ways in which we build character in our kids.

Being a father is pretty cool.  If we try our best and work at being a good father we'll be able to stand back and launch our children into the world confident of their success in life.

We wish each of you a Happy Father's Day! 

Have a wonderful Shabbat!  The Torah Portion this week is Parsha Shlach (Think Spys!) Numbers 13-15.

No, Really, It Is a Big Deal!

It has been called "The Day that Shook the World". What are we talking about? Shavout which begins at sundown on Tuesday evening and extends through Thursday the 5th. So, what is so special?  It is the day, 3,326 years ago, when the People of Israel received the gift of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. That gift transformed the world from how we are governed to how we interact with other people. 

We know you love videos so here is a quick piece from our friends at Aish:

  

So, what's next?  At the Midrash this past week we talked about how to better internalize the experience by starting small.  Doing some simple things like:

• Read a couple of pages of the Torah each day or the Parsha on Shabbat;
• Attend a Torah Class - something that you're already doing with the Midrash;
• Get a kosher Mezuzah and know what it is and why we place it;
• Pick 1 non-kosher food item you'll stop eating;
• Say the Shema in English or Hebrew once a day;
• So something Jewish...light candles, say the ha Motzi, say Kiddish.

Something...and before long that small step will take you closer to the experience.

Have a wonderful Shavout!

The Joy of the Midrash

Each month we gather on a selected Shabbat Morning for a Midrash or learning session about the Torah Portion of the week.  It's not so much a conversation about yesterday as it is a conversation about what the Torah tells us about living today.

Over the past year many people from other faith groups have joined us in our learning session and, that's just fine with us.

We're not out to convert anybody (Did you know that Jews are actually forbidden to do that?) we're here to have the discussion about living and becoming better people.

And, yes you too are invited!