Adas Israel - Mason City, IA

Torah Thoughts the Shavuot Edition

Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel, the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa and based in Mason City, is a weekly look at the faith tradition of Jews here and everywhere.  Today we'll explore the holiday nobody seems to know about...until now?

It's Shavuot!

What? Yes, and it's a big deal. Shavuot, in Hebrew, is the plural of the word for "week". You see, exactly 50 days ago we celebrated Passover and seven weeks later we celebrate the event that changed humanity...the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.

So, if it's such a big deal, how come so many people don't celebrate the holiday? Well, it could be because there are no special things associated with Shavuot. For example on Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar and eat sweets to welcome the new year. On Yom Kippur we fast, pray and end the 26 hour fast with the "Break-Fast" (Now you know how your morning meal got it's name...) On Sukkot we build outdoor huts, shake the lulav and remember the wanderings. On Passover we don't eat bread but eat only matzah. All of those traditions give each holiday a meaning and a marker.

On Shavuot, well, there are really no special foods, or customs other than pulling an all night Torah study session. Odd, no?

One would think that receiving the Torah directly from G-d would have made this holiday a pretty big deal. And, perhaps that is the reason there is nothing other than Torah to mark the days. (Shavuot is celebrated for two days outside of Israel.)

On the day when the Jews learned that they were about to receive the Torah they demanded that they hear directly from G-d. And so, the first thing they heard was, "I am Hashem, your G-d who took you out of Egypt..."

Full stop.

Wait, so G-d has all these people eager to hear directly from Him and starts out talking about taking the Jews out of Egypt? Wouldn't it be more powerful to say something like, "I am Hashem, your G-d who created the world...".  That's kind of a big deal, right?

The reason that G-d introduced Himself as the one who redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and not as the creator of the world is because G-d was not trying to express his power and impressive resume as a reason to follow his law. Rather, He was conveying to the Jewish people that He loves and cares for them and that is why He took them out of Egypt.

It is sort of like a marriage between G-d and man. An agreement all spelled out in the 613 commandments in the gift He gave to humanity...the Torah.

Because this holiday is about celebrating the marriage relationship with the Almighty there are no specific obligations commandments (mitzvot) on this holiday. Shavuot does not commemorate the fact that we became God’s servants and assumed the obligation to observe His commandments. Rather, we celebrate the fact that Hashem chose to establish an even more expansive relationship with us, not only defining us as His servants but elevating us to the status of His betrothed, as it were. This bond transcends ritual laws and observances, and therefore it would not be fitting to celebrate it with a specific ritual.

This is why, my friends, that we study Torah. This is why, when we are together or on the phone or in an email there is always a call to study, to do one more mitzvah. It is all meant to bring us closer in our relationship with not only G-d but our fellow humans.

And, to that end, the Torah Portion we read on Friday is Exodus 19:1 - 20:23 which is the story of the Jews reaching Mt. Sinai. And the Torah Portion we read on Shabbat (Saturday) is Deuteronomy 14:22 - 16:17 which speaks to the Second Tithe and the commandment to be warm-hearted and open-handed to the poor, the laws of a Jewish bondsman, and concludes with the three Pilgrimage Festivals when every Jew was commanded to ascend to Jerusalem for Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot — and that they should come with offerings.

May you have a healthy, peaceful and restful Shavuot and Shabbat!

Finally, it is gut wrenching what has happened in the great city of Minneapolis and now in other cities in America. Violence is not the answer but neither is silence. The call to justice and righteousness is laid out in Deuteronomy 16:19-20: "You shall not pervert judgement, you shall not respect someone's presence, and you shall not accept a bribe for a bribe will blind the eyes of the wise and make just words crooked. "Righteousness, righteousness you shall pursue..."

My friends, where there is no justice there can be no peace. We live in a world full of wrong but we, each of us, can make a difference. G-d gave us the words to live by. Perhaps it is time that we stand up and demand of those in authority that they uphold them. If you want to start take a look at Isaiah 10.

Shabbat Shalom

 

 

 

Torah Thoughts 22 May 2020

Welcome to Torah Thoughts a project of Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa and based in Mason City.  Glad you've found us as we take a look at this week's Torah portion and find some links to our lives today.

This week we start a new "book" of the Torah, Bamidbar. You may know it as "Numbers" but in Hebrew we refer to it as Bamidbar which means "in the wilderness" and is in the opening passage, "Hashem (The Name) spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting..."  I suspect non-Jews decided to call this book "Numbers" because we learn that G-d wants Moses to take a census of the "Children of Israel".

The entire book deals with the many laws and history of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) during  the years spent by Israel in the Wilderness. This week we learn that the Children of Israel are in their second year of wandering. Moses and Aaron are to count all the males between the ages of 20 and 60. Why? To find out how many were available for military service.  

One tribe was exempt.  The Tribe of Levi had special duties as religious leaders and this may be where the custom of offering deferments to clergy and students of religion.

Then the Torah goes into detail about the various "jobs" each tribe had when it came to camping and the Levite families were given speciic jobs when it came to transporting the Mishkan. 

Everybody Counts

What can we learn from this?  How about the thought that "everybody counts" we all have a job to do.  Some of us are talented writers, craftspeople, speakers, teachers, physicians and direct caregivers. What is important is to know what our skill is and then hone that skill in the service to both G-d and our fellow humans. 

And, we all matter...no matter our job. I am reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and this quote:

"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."  Here are those words from a YouTube Video: 

What are you called to do? Whatever that calling, we are commanded to do it and do it well and all the while be mindful of our duty to honor each other and our G-d.

Stay well and have a wonderful Shabbat!

 

 

 

Torah Thoughts 15 May 2020

Torah Thoughts is a weekly look at the Torah Portion of the Week from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa based in Mason City. For those of you that may be new here, each week Jews read a different parsha (portion) of the first five "Books of the Bible" the Torah. We start, just after the holiday of Simchat Torah ("Rejoicing in the Torah) with the first parsha "Bereishis" (Genesis 1:1 - 6:8) and go, each week through the entire Torah...and then we start again. There are 54 weekly parashot and the Jewish calendar is based on lunar rather than solar.  If you've got questions about that...feel free to ask. Our email is [email protected] 

This week we read from from two sections of the Torah: Behar-Bechukosai, Leviticus 25:1 - 27:34. What is it that we learn here?

In the first parsha we read about the laws of Shemitah, the Sabbatical year, where the Jewish people are commanded not to plant their fields or tend to them in the 7^th year. Every 50^th year is the Yovel (Jubilee year) when agricultural activity is also proscribed.

OK, obvious question: "How in the heck, in a culture that is based on agriculture, can a people survive if every seventh year you don't plant a crop?" Good question and the answer is really two-fold:

• Proof That G-d Gave the Torah - Look, it is either a divine commandment or it's just meshugenah (crazy). We believe that is is divine and that the year before the Shemitah the land will produce a crop large enough to last for three years. Now, if a person were to issue such a commandment they would be foolish. Only G-d could make such a statement. And...there is no historical record of a large famine during Shemitah.
• The Work Around - If a family can not afford to go a so long without a commercial crop the land may be "sold" to a non-Jew who will till and harvest. The Jew then buys back the land, at a profit for the non-Jew, and sells the crop making sure the non-Jew gets a portion.  This still exists today among the very observant Jews of Israel.

Also included in this portion: redeeming land which was sold, to strengthen your fellow Jew when his economic means are faltering, not to lend to your fellow Jew with interest, and the laws of indentured servants. The portion ends with the admonition to not make idols, to observe the Shabbat, and to revere the Sanctuary.

The next Parsha is Bechukosai (Lev. 26:3 - 27:34). This portion begins with the multitude of blessings you will receive for keeping the commandments of the Torah (truly worth reading!). It also contains the tochachah, words of admonition: “If you will not listen to Me and will not perform all of these commandments…” There are seven series of seven punishments each. Understand that G-d does not punish for punishment's sake; He wants to get our attention so that we will introspect, recognize our errors, and correct our ways. G-d does not wish to destroy us or annul His covenant with us. He wants us to know that there are consequences for our every action. He also wants to get our attention so that we do not stray so far away that we assimilate and disappear as a nation. I highly recommend reading Lev. 26:14 - 45 and Deut. 28.  I promise you will learn some valuable lessons. 

Look at it this way. As parents we do not punish our children just to punish them. That would be cruel. We punish our children so they will learn the difference between doing what is right and doing what is wrong. G-d simply wants us to do the right thing in every situation. Howe do we know what to do? It's all laid out here...in the Torah.

May you have a meaningful and peaceful Shabbat!

 

Torah Thoughts 8 May 2020

Welcome to Torah Thoughts the weekly look at the Torah Portion from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa and based in Mason City.  This week we're in parsha (portion) Emor (Speak) in Hebrew: "Hashem (the name) said to Moses: Speak to the Kohanim, the sons of Aaron and tell them..."  Parsha Emor is Lev. 21:1 - 24:24.

Last week we ended Parsha Kedoshim with these words, "You shall be holy for Me, For I Hashem am holy..."  This week we turn to the exalted state of how the priests should act and how they should comport themselves.  It sets out the standards of purity and perfection for the Cohen and specifies the physical requirements of sacrifices and what is to be done with blemished offerings; proclaims as holidays Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.

It comes as a surprise to many that there are more holidays than, say, just Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Clearly Shabbat is not a surprise, although many still go about their normal routine.  But what of Shavuot and Sukkot?  Yep there, just seven week following Pesach, we have Shavuot which is a pretty big deal as it marks the date the Torah was given to the people on Mt. Sinai. It has also been celebrated as an important agricultural holiday because of the grain harvest in the Torah.

Sukkot is pretty well known as the time of the year we build temporary dwellings with "thatch roofs" to let the stars in...as well as the rain. While some spend the entire week of Sukkot in their Sukkah (dwelling) many simply eat their meals there. It's all a reminder of the wanderings and the temporary nature of our lives.  Besides, it makes us more grateful for the solid roof over our head.

We also are reminded that the Jewish people must provide pure olive oil for the Menorah and designates the details of the Showbread (two stacks of 6 loaves each, which were placed on the table in the portable sanctuary and later in the Temple once a week upon Shabbat). Today we mimic that ritual by, traditionally, placing two Challahs on the Sabbath Table.  Which, by the way, also symbolizes the two tablets of the Ten Commandments...

The portion ends with the interesting story of a man who blasphemed God's name with a curse.  This passage contains the most misunderstood language of the Torah.   It is the "eye for an eye" language. Some take this literally but in reality the sages determined long ago that it stood for paying monetary restitution. That argument can be found in the Oral Tradition and the Talmud proves, on logical grounds, that the verse can not be understood in any other way.

Shabbat Shalom and Stay WELL! 

 

 

Torah Thoughts 1 May 2020

This is Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa, based in Mason City.  This week we read about some stunning lessons for life found in not one but two Torah readings: Acharei Mot and Kedoshim (Lev. 16:1 – 20:27). Let’s get started.

The parsha Acharei Mot (“after the death”) starts with recounting the sudden death of the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, which happened in last week’s reading. Then the Torah goes right into directions about the Yom Kippur Service.

Clearly there is a link...but what? The rabbis say that the death of the two righteous sons (who in their zeal to serve G-d entered a forbidden place) is linked to Yom Kippur because their death allowed their souls to be taken up to be with other righteous souls. That reality then transfers to the survivors on earth in the spirit of forgiveness and atonement. Hence the link to Yom Kippur.

This portion also gives us the “Scapegoat” story:  Where one goat is sent out of the camp into the wilderness and carries the sins of the people with it. What does this say to us?  That it’s not enough to be sure that we have the forgiveness of G-d but we must take action to cast out our sins.  Today that can take many forms...from what we eat to how we interact with others.  We can always ask and receive the forgiveness from G-d but our actions must also be there.

We are then commanded to observe Yom Kippur...forever. ”This shall remain for you an eternal decree: In the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and you shall not do any work, neither the native nor the proselyte who dwells among you. For on this day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse from all your sins before Hashem (“the name) shall you be cleansed.”

What about “afflict”? What does that mean?

Commonly we consider this to mean that we will abstain from food and drink (fasting) and other “pleasures” we often take for granted.  However there is an interesting passage that we read each Yom Kippur that deals with fasting and it comes in the form of the Haftorah we read after the Torah Service. You may recognize this from Isaiah 58 and it has so much to do with where we find ourselves today. Please take the time to read...

Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.

For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its G-d. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for G-d to come near them.

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’  “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the L-rd? 

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[a] will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the L-rd will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

The L-rd will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land     and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

Powerful...yes?

Today we are being called to care and to share and to treat others well. We are not called to hurl insults and do unkind things.  We are told to be better. We are called to become the “Repairer of Broken Walls”.

It can start with each of us...today.

Finally, and I’m sorry this is so long, we have Kedoshim (Holy).  It is all summed up in the first sentence of Lev. 19 – “Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for holy am I, Hashem, your G-d.”

 How do we become...”holy”?  We can start by emulating the words of Isaiah.

Shabbat Shalom!  Stay safe and well.