Adas Israel - Mason City, IA

Torah Thoughts 25 December 2020

Welcome to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa and based in Mason City. This Shabbat we read Parsha Vayigash (Gen. 44:18 - 47:27). The word "Vayigash" means, "...and he approached".  "Then Judah approached him and said, "If you please, my lord, may your servant speak..."  Judah, at this point is addressing the second most powerful person in Egypt...his brother Joseph. But, clearly Judah does not know this. And Judah says to Joseph, ..."let not your anger flare up". It would seem that Judah is about to speak truth to power and it all has to do with his brother Benjamin.

The sages comment that Judah spoke to Joseph harshly, and actually threatened to wage a war and destroy the city. For this reason, Judah felt compelled to ask Joseph not to get angry. Yet elsewhere in Genesis 18:23 our sages indicate that Judah was approaching Joseph to try to appease him. Well, which was it? Did Judah come to threaten Joseph or to appease him?

It seems that Judah is working to negotiate something with Joseph. Judah was in effect warning Joseph: “I am perfectly capable of going to war with you – I am prepared to inflict heavy damage as well as take some losses myself. But I would prefer to work out some sort of arrangement between us.”

We learn that Judah was not trying to beg Joseph for mercy, hoping that he would get what he wanted through a surrender. He was negotiating from a position of strength, looking for a compromise that would bring an understanding between them and a lasting peace. 

But, Let's Turn Back the Page

If you remember, last week with Joseph's said that he was keeping Benjamin as a slave for stealing his wine cup. Judah (as we see from above) steps forward to challenge the decision and offers himself as a slave instead of Benjamin. Joseph is overcome with emotion, clears the room of all Egyptians and then reveals his identity to his unsuspecting brothers. It is quite the emotional scene.

The brothers are shocked! They suspect Joseph's intentions, but accept his offer to bring the extended family to Egypt. Jacob is initially numb and disbelieving of the news, but becomes very excited to see his son.

The Torah tells us that 70 members of Jacob's family went down to Egypt. Jacob reunites with Joseph, meets Pharaoh and settles with the family in the Goshen district. During the famine, Joseph buys up all of the property and people in Egypt for Pharaoh with the grain stored during the seven good years.

Shul News

We've settled on a date for the scribe to come to Mason City to examine our Torah Scrolls and then speak about repairing them if needed. This is an exciting adventure and we are so looking forward to the meeting.

Shabbat Shalom to you and your family!

 

Torah Thoughts 18 December 2020

Hello again and welcome to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa, based in Mason City.  As I write this on the final day of Chanukah it should not be lost to us the importance of this holiday. That a small band of Jews defeated the largest army of that time is a testimony to the fact that G-d plays a part in every miracle. But, why did they fight?  The answer is because they wanted to follow the commandments. They wanted to perform the mitzvah of observing Shabbat, teaching Torah, blessing the New Month and the bris which joins us to Abraham...and to G-d. That a band of Jews goes to war to protect our faith should be a rallying cry for us...today...as well. Here is to many more celebrations and the hope that we can soon meet together at the Shul.  Happy Chanukah!

This week we read Genesis 41:1 - 44:17 - Parsha Mikeitz (Hebrew for "at the end"), "It happened at the end of two years to the day: Pharaoh was dreaming..." Thus we begin the story of Joseph and how he correctly interpreted the dream and then rises to power in Egypt.

But what of the dream?

We all know the story of Pharaoh "standing over the River" and he dreams of "seven cows of beautiful appearance" and then "seven other cows...ugly and gaunt" who then eat the first seven cows. He has a second dream of seven ears of grain all "healthy and good" and then "seven ears, thin, and scorched by the east wind..."  Those thin ears then swallow up the healthy ears...oh, the dream. 

The great commentator Rashi makes an extraordinary comment on this verse; “these (the seven nice looking cows) represent the seven years of satiety whereupon all creations look kindly at one another, no one begrudging anyone else.”

Stunning.  It is commonly understood that Pharaoh’s dreams represented that there were going to be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Yet Rashi translates the “good years” as years of satiety (think "fullness" or "happiness") not years of plenty or years of abundance. Why does he translate these words in such a novel way?

Rashi identifies the “good” years as years of satiety and not years of abundance for a very simple reason: Having an abundance doesn’t mean that one is happy or even satisfied. In other words, abundance and famine aren’t really antonyms as having a lot doesn’t necessarily mean you have enough. Having enough is usually a matter of perspective as we see in Ethics of our Fathers (4:1) “Ben Zoma says – who is a wealthy man? He who his happy with his lot.”

What can we learn here?

First of all, Rashi shares a brilliant insight and a lasting life lesson for knowing if you’re a happy person. If the years of abundance weren’t measured in quantity but rather in perspective....so if you want to know if you’re really happy, closely examine your reaction when you see other people obtain successes. Are you happy for them or are you a little bitter?

If a friend wins a million dollars in the lottery are we truly happy for them or a bit resentful?  If a co-worker gets a big promotion are we glad for their rise at work or are we jealous and a bit resentful?

To use what Rashi says then if it is the latter of being bitter or resentful then you aren’t happy or satisfied with your own life. This is why Rashi translates the verse not as “handsome” cows, but rather that they looked kindly at one another. They represented years of satiety because they looked at each other in a kindly manner. That happiness for another’s success is the key indicator that you are satisfied with yourself.

The life lesson here is that we should go out of our way to do kindly things for others, focus on being grateful and live in the moment. We should savor our food, and look with love to our family and appreciate what we are blessed with.

Shul News

I am so proud of the leadership of Adas Israel who have now asked me to seek a Sofer (Kosher Scribe) to examine our Torah Scrolls to make sure they are kosher and then to repair them if needed.  This is truly a huge mitzvah. You see, a Torah becomes unfit for use if even a word is missing or a letter is smudged. I remember seeing some of that in the scrolls we do not use and for the leadership to also realize this is a big deal.  In the coming weeks we'll take up that effort and I'll let you know what we learn.  In addition it's a good thing to know exactly what we do have.  I will share this tidbit that I learned following my conversation with the sofer: The scrolls we have are most likely from the late 1800's and the smaller the scroll the more valuable it is. This should be an exciting adventure.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah

 

Torah Thoughts 11 December 2020 Chanukah

Happy Chanukah and welcome to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa, based in Mason City.  Great to have you here again.  And, remember, our Virtual Midrash is tomorrow the 12th at 10:00AM.  Details later in this post.

Today is the First Day of Chanukah and our Torah Portion is Vayeshev (Hebrew for "and he lived") Gen. 37- 40. "Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan." Here we start to learn so much of the story of Joseph and three other interesting Torah stories:

First comes the selling of Joseph as a slave by his brothers, which eventually positioned Joseph to be second in command in Egypt and enabled him to save the known world from famine. Isn't it interesting how G-d can change so much.

Second is, what the rabbis call the "indiscretion" of Judah with Tamar. It is a long story about sin and death and how Judah had relations with his daughter-in-law Tamar who then produced twins from their union. Some spicy stuff here.

Third is the attempted seduction of Joseph by Potifar's wife, which ends with her framing Joseph and having him imprisoned which leads to the fourth story of Joseph interpreting the dreams of his fellow prisoners, the wine steward (who was reinstated and forgot to put in a good word for Joseph) and the baker (who was hanged).

Whew...and we'll deal with all of these stories and their meaning during our Midrash on Shabbat.

Chanukah

I know...I spell it different than most of the Hallmark cards....but all are correct. This eight day holiday is interesting because it does not come from the Torah but, there are still great lessons to be learned. (Image from the Arch of Titus in Rome)

It all starts out when the evil Syrian-Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes, hatches a plan to destroy Judaism. After his army sacked Jerusalem and murdered thousands of Jews and took over the Temple and made it a barn he forbid the practice of some very interesting things:

No longer could the Jews study Torah the bedrock of life. His second command was the outlawing of three mitzvot: No celebrating Shabbat, no sanctifying of the New Month and the prohibition of circumcision. 

Why these three mitzvot? Shabbat signifies that G-d is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe and that His Torah is the blueprint of creation, imbuing the world with meaning and values. Sanctifying the New Month determines the monthly calendar and the exact day of the Jewish holidays. Without a functioning calendar there would be communal chaos. Brit mila (circumcision) is a sign of our special covenant with the Almighty. These three mitzvot form a foundation for the structure of Judaism. Without them our cultural integrity would quickly deteriorate and dissolve, and we would slowly assimilate and submit to the Greek culture. Pretty inventive, yes?

A family of Jewish priests was having none of this.  Matityahu and his 5 sons, known as the Maccabees started a revolt and three years later succeeded in evicting the oppressors. The victory was a true miracle – on the scale of present day Israel being able to defeat the combined forces of all of today's super-powers (this might also explain why the emblem of the State of Israel is a menorah). Once the Jewish people regained control of the Temple in Jerusalem, they wanted to rededicate it immediately. The symbol of this rededication was to be the lighting of the menorah on the newly recaptured Temple Mount.

But they needed ritually pure olive oil to re-light the menorah in the Temple, which was a part of the Temple's nightly service. Only a single cruse of oil was found. This was just enough to burn for one day, however, they needed oil for eight days (the time it would take for new ritually pure olive oil to be produced). A miracle occurred and the single small jar of oil burned for eight days. Thus, the Temple was rededicated; in fact, Chanukah means “dedication” in Hebrew.

To remember this great miracle we, today, light a candle on each night of the celebration. And it is here that we find a remarkable aspect of Chanukah within Jewish law. Anyone even slightly familiar with Jewish practices is aware that one of the most practiced customs is that of reciting blessings. We recite blessings on every commandment that we fulfill, when we eat food and have drink, and when we have certain life experiences even wearing a piece of clothing for the first time or seeing lightening or hearing thunder. There is even a blessing for a successful trip to the bathroom.  No, really.

Then on Chanukah an unusual law: The great medieval codifier of Jewish law known as Maimonides rules that on Chanukah a person lighting candles on the first night of makes three blessings: 1) “lehadlik ner” – for fulfilling the rabbinic commandment to light 2) “she’aso nissim” – thanking the Almighty for the miracles of Hanukah and 3) “shehechayanu” – thanking the Almighty for the opportunity (the third is only recited on the first night).

And, here is something about all of this I think you'll find interesting: Maimonides writes that a person who hasn’t yet lit his own candles can actually recite the second and third blessings upon seeing another person lighting their menorah. In other words, you make a blessing on another person’s act of fulfilling the mitzvah! This is a rather strange law and one that isn’t found anywhere else. What is it about Chanukah that creates this opportunity?

To understand this we must begin to appreciate the very essence of what the holiday of Chanukah is all about. We know it celebrates the victory over the Greeks who tried to eradicate the study of Torah and its values. One of the greatest differences between Greek culture and Jewish culture is how we view our relationships with others.

One of the defining elements of the Hellenistic culture was that of athletic matches. This is very clearly highlighted by the value that the ancient Greeks placed on competition. In fact, perhaps the most enduring legacy that Greek culture has left the world is the Olympics and athletic competitions. In other words, the Greeks defined personal excellence by what they achieved in comparison to others.

This is very different from the Jewish definition of personal excellence. We believe that The only acceptable competition is challenging oneself to strive and achieve ever greater accomplishments. Our focus is not to seek converts to our faith but to better understand our faith and then help to create a more just world.  It is not about me...but...us.

On Chanukah, when we are celebrating the triumph of Judaism over Greek culture, we make a point to make a blessing when we see others fulfilling the mitzvah of lighting candles. We are internalizing the message that we are happy for another person’s achievements.

May each of you have a meaningful, safe and happy Chanukah!

Midrash Link

Thank you Tracy for pulling this together. On Shabbat (tomorrow) we'll meet for our Virtual Midrash. So much to share. Here is the ZOOM LINK for our meeting at 10:00AM on the 12th.  Look forward to seeing you all.

Shabbat Shalom!

 

 

 

 

Torah Thoughts 4 December 2020 - Vayishlach

Welcome to Torah Thoughts the weekly look at the Torah Portion from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa, based in Mason City. Also know that our Virtual Midrash will be next Shabbat the 12th at 10:00AM; details below.  This week we read Parsha Vayishlach (Hebrew for "he sent") Gen. 32:4 - 36:43.  "Then Jacob (he) sent angels ahead of him to Esayu his brother to the land of Seir..."

Thus we begin the well known tale of reconciliation between the brothers Jacob and Esau. But it all begins with a prayer from Jacob, "Rescue me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau..." But the question must be asked why was Jacob frightened? After all he was being escorted by angels so obviously he was still a righteous person. The rabbis say that he was afraid that he had not lived up to his full potential. Perhaps he had failed to grow in his faith as much as he could have. This is why it's not only important to study the Torah but to actually work to attain the knowledge and exhibit the actions G-d demands.

"The struggle is real, we can and must win." That is a familiar saying of my friend Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad and it fits with what is going on in the parsha. Here we come to the "struggle" Jacob had with "a man" (Gen. 25-32). The rabbis tell us that this "man" was really the guardian angel of Esau. The sages tell us that each nation has an angel that guides its destiny. Sort of an intermediary between the nation and G-d. However, Israel has a direct connection with G-d hence there is not intermediary. But it is Easu's guardian angel that is pure evil.

The angel of Esau had to attack Jacob because he was the last and greatest of the Patriarchs. Jacob, my friends, symbolized man's struggle to raise himself and the rest of the world. Thus, the battle between Jacob and "the man" was the eternal struggle between good and evil, between man's capacity to perfect himself and Satan's determination to destroy him...spiritually.

But why Jacob? Why did Evil attack him and not Abraham or Isaac? It is said that the "Evil Inclination" doesn't mind if a Jew fasts, prays and gives charity all day long...provided he does not study Torah. Abraham represented kindness and Isaac represented service. Kindness and service are two of the great pillars of the world but the third pillar is Torah. It is the Torah that the critical pillar for carrying out its mission on earth. Jacob represented Torah and without it, Israel will fail. That is why Satan did not confront Abraham and Isaac...only Jacob.

The Name Game

Now we come to the amazing story of the change in the name of Jacob to Israel. At the end of the struggle and when Jacob prevails the angel says to Jacob, "What is your name? He replied, Jacob. He said, No longer will it be said that your name is Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with the Devine and with man and you have overcome."
(Gen. 32: 28-29). What is going on?

If you remember the name Jacob ("Heel" "Deceit") comes from the story of Jacob grabbing the heel of Esau at birth and it was Jacob who, as Esau said in Gen. 27:36 that he was deceitful in receiving the first-born blessing. Now Jacob would receive the additional name of Israel coming from Hebrew for "prevailing superiority". This verse explains the name Yisrael (Israel) as a combination of "Yisra" , prevailing over "el" the Divine or the angel.

As we read the parsha we learn of that Jacob (Israel) arrives in Shechem. Shechem, the son of Chamor the Hivite, (heir to the town of Shechem) rapes Jacob's daughter, Dina. Dina's brothers, Shimon and Levy, massacre the men of Shechem. Rebecca (Rivka) dies; G-d reaffirms the blessing to Abraham that the land of Canaan (Israel) will be given to his descendants. Rachel dies after giving birth to Benjamin. Jacob's 12 sons are listed. Isaac dies. Esau's lineage is recorded as is that of Seir the Horite. Finally, the succession of the Kings of Edom is chronicled.

One Final Story...

Israel has an archenemy and that is Amalek. It was Amalek that, unlike other tribes, who feared the Jews, attacked. It is said that attack "cooled" the Jews of their belief and, even though they had seen great miracles, they began to doubt. Throughout history it has been Amalek that has attacked and attempted to destroy the Jewish people. And, as the image shows we are to "blot out Amalek".

But where did Amalek come from? We learn that in this parsha: “And Timnah was a concubine of Elifaz, son of Esau, and she bore to Elifaz Amalek”

But who in the world is...Timnah?  Timnah was the daughter of kings, but she rejected her royal position in order to marry into the family of Abraham.

The Talmud goes on to explain that Timnah originally wanted to convert and marry into the house of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but was repeatedly turned away. Undeterred, she declared, “It is preferable to be a handmaiden to this nation than to be a noblewoman in any other nation.”

She therefore became a concubine to Elifaz who was from the house Abraham; he was Isaac’s grandson and Jacob’s nephew. Ultimately, her union with Elifaz led to the birth of Amalek. The Talmud then seems to make a stunning criticism of our forefathers; “Why did she give birth to Amalek who caused such suffering to the Jewish people? Because they should not have rejected her.”

Yet, it is still difficult to fathom how someone who professed such admiration of the Jewish nation could birth a child who would grow up to be the archenemy of the Jewish people. In addition, Elifaz, who was the father of Amalek, was “raised on the lap of Isaac,” which was why he refused to do his father’s bidding and kill Jacob (Gen. 29:11).

How is it possible that a mother who gave up everything to connect with the Jewish people and a father who was the best of Esau’s children could beget a child whose nation would seek the destruction of the Jewish people throughout time?

The most basic element of humanity is the need to connect. Rashi explains that the mistake of the forefathers was that they “pushed her (Timnah) away from the (sheltering embrace) of the Almighty and that they should have converted her.” In other words, even though they didn't want her to marry into the family they should not have rejected her desire to be connected to Hashem.

That our forefathers rejected Timnah in such a way that she was deeply hurt and when she gave birth to her only child, that child was...Amalek.The seemingly minor act of rejecting Timnah is the source of 3500 years of Jewish persecution and suffering perpetuated by the nation of Amalekites.

Powerful...yes?

Midrash is Back!

Join us next Shabbat (Saturday the 12th) at 10:00AM for our next Virtual Midrash. It is also the Shabbat of Chanukah and we'll have much to discuss.  Here is the LINK for the Virtual Midrash and, yes, I'll send it out again next week.

Shabbat Shalom...and I'm sorry this was such a long Torah Thoughts...but so much here.