Adas Israel - Mason City, IA

Torah Thoughts 29 October 2021

Hello Friends! Welcome back to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa that is based in Mason City. This week we read the Torah Portion "Chayei Sarah" - Genesis 23:1 - 25:18. It is called Chayei Sarah, which is Hebrew for the "life of Sarah" as we read in the first line: "And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; [these were] the years of the life of Sarah."

The Reaction

It's interesting that just this past week we concluded the class, Judaism: Faith & Culture at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) studying the topic of death. Because there are no accidents this week we read about the death of Sarah and the reaction to that by Abraham.

Anyone who has served time in the pulpit will tell you he/she has heard many eulogies. Some are profound some are awful...it's really no time to do "stand up".  In this week’s Torah portion we find a remarkable lesson about the obligations of giving a proper eulogy: Sarah died in Kiryat Arbah, which is in Chevron in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to eulogize Sarah and to weep for her (Gen. 23:2).

If you look at the Hebrew text in a written Torah you will note something very remarkable. The word “weep” is written in the Torah scroll with a smaller than usual Hebrew letter “כ – kaf.” This is very significant.

There are 304,805 letters in the Torah and every single one of them is precious. If a letter is missing or if one letter is touching another letter the entire scroll is invalid. Every letter is meticulously written by a highly trained scribe and when the tradition calls for a change to the style or format of any of the letters this variation is loaded with meaning.

Regarding the diminution of the letter “כ”, our sages tell us that this hints to the fact that Abraham curtailed his crying. It’s not unusual for a man to weep at his wife’s funeral, so why did Abraham make a particular effort to lessen his crying?

The Lesson

When someone suffers the devastating loss of a family member there is a natural tendency to focus on one’s personal sorrow. Of course, grieving is a critical element in the ongoing process of healing and recovering from a devastating loss.

However, a funeral is also a time to honor the life of the deceased – it’s not merely a time to express one’s personal loss. As we discussed during the NIACC class one of the main merits that we can bestow on the soul of the deceased is giving honor to them and raising up their exemplary behavior.

When Abraham eulogized Sarah he did not focus on his loss as a husband, but rather on her accomplishments, the loss to the community, and the vacuum created by her passing.

Sarah’s name has its root in the Hebrew word “sar,” meaning “prince.” Initially, her name was Sarai, but G-d changed her name to Sarah when she was ninety. The Talmud explains why the Almighty changed her name from Sarai to Sarah: “Originally, she was a princess only to her own nation (i.e. Aram), and in the end she became a princess for the entire world.” Clearly, Sarah had gone from being a locally respected personality to one whose impact was felt the world over.

What Can We Learn?

Abraham wasn’t there to eulogize his wife but rather articulating a communal loss. He was explaining who “Sarah” was and what she meant to the world. He wanted people to understand what they had lost.

There is an important lesson in this story. Funerals are a meaningful time to reflect on the value of the deceased’s life accomplishments. Yet often eulogies mostly reflect personal memories of the deceased. This causes those in attendance to be saddened not by the loss of the person, but rather by the grief and loss of the bereaved. Ideally, eulogies should extoll the virtues of the deceased, thereby making the loss relevant to all.

This is the lesson that the Torah is conveying to us about what Abraham was trying to achieve. He lessened his own weeping because his personal loss wasn’t the focus. His goal was to highlight Sarah’s achievements and explain the community impact of the death of a princess of the world.

What Else?

If we read on in this portion we learn that Abraham purchases a burial place for her in Hebron in the cave of Ma'arat HaMachpela. Abraham sends his servant, Eliezer, back to the “old country,” his birthplace Charan, to find a wife for Isaac. Eliezer makes what appear to be very strange conditions for the matrimonial candidate to fulfill in order to qualify for Isaac.  Think camels.  Rebecca unknowingly meets the conditions. Eliezer succeeds in getting the family to approve, though they were not too keen about Rebecca leaving her native land.

Abraham marries Keturah and fathers six more sons. He sends them east (with the secrets of mysticism) before he dies at 175. Isaac and Ishmael bury Abraham near Sarah in Ma'arat HaMachpela, the cave Abraham purchased to bury Sarah. The portion ends with the listing of Ishmael's 12 sons and Ishmael dying at age 137.

Shul News!

A reminder that our November services will be on November 19 at 7:00PM and our Midrash (Study) will be on Shabbat (Saturday the 20th) starting at 10:00AM. Hope to see you in shul. 

As always should you have questions or comment...let us know.  My thanks to Rabbi Yitzhack Zweig for his insight into this week's portion.

Shabbat Shalom!

Torah Thoughts 22 October 2021

Welcome back to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel, the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa, based in Mason City. Hang on because there is SO much going on in this weeks Torah Portion. We're reading from Parsha Vayeira (Hebrew for "He appeared") in Gen. 18 -22. "Now the L-rd appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot." And then it gets really good.

Visitors

It's the third day after the circumcision and Abraham is waiting to welcome visitors as was his custom to engage in warm hospitality. But he is also having a conversation with G-d. Suddenly he sees three visitors (actually angels of the Almighty). Abraham interrupts his conversation with the Almighty to invite them to a meal. (Wait, what? You're visiting with G-d and you say..."Excuse me, I gotta go."!) One angel informs him that in a year’s time his wife, Sarah, will give birth to a son, Isaac.  And, yes, Sarah...laughs because she is old and says so but G-d says not to worry...because He is in charge well beyond human understanding.

It is also in this scene where we get the start of not eating milk and meat together. Abraham brings the food that was prepared to his three guests in a specific order, "And he took cream and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and he placed [them] before them, and he was standing over them under the tree, and they ate." (Gen. 18:8) The rabbis tell us this is a message of what can be eaten first (milk products) and then the meat.

The Argument

Now comes an interesting exchange between G-d and Abraham. Sodom has become the wicked capital of the earth and Hashem tells Abraham that he is going to destroy the city. But, Abraham pushes back with, "Will You even destroy the righteous with the wicked?" (Gen. 18:23) And then he begins to bargain with G-d. "How about 50 righteous people? 40?, 20?" At each point G-d says he will not destroy Sodom that is until Abraham gets to ten. Gen. 18:32 - 33: And he said, "Please, let the Lord's wrath not be kindled, and I will speak yet this time, perhaps ten will be found there." And He said, "I will not destroy for the sake of the ten." Then G-d departs.

What do we learn from this? This is where the idea of praying with a minyan comes from. In traditional Jewish worship there needs to be ten men to form a minyan that can offer specific prayers. In Reform and Conservative Judaism men and women count in the minyan. 

Isaac and Ishmael 

Now comes one of the most interesting stories in the Torah.

Abraham’s two children, Isaac and Ishmael, were at first raised in the same household. Abraham and Sarah had been miraculously blessed with Yitzchok (Isaac), their first and only child, while Yishmael (Ishmael) was born to Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, 14 years earlier. The Torah writes that Sarah noticed Yishmael “playing,” (some translations say she say him "making merry") and as a result, Sarah insisted Yishmael and his mother Hagar be sent away from the house.

To explain Sarah’s harsh reaction, the Midrash cites many examples where the term “playing” is employed as a euphemism for a number of severe immoral, and even murderous, activities. This is what Sarah witnessed in Yishmael, and she was motivated by fear that his behavior would be a negative influence on Yitzchak, her son.

Abraham initially disagreed with Sarah’s judgment of his son Yishmael, but ultimately G-d told him, “Listen to whatever Sarah tells you (Genesis 21:9-12).”

What Are We To Think?

As you read this it's difficult to understand the pain Abraham must be feeling. How can this be justified? Let's start with the position Abraham takes. The great sage, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan zt”l  (The “Chofetz Chaim”) (1838 - 1933) explains Abraham’s position: Although Yishmael’s behavior was abhorrent, Abraham felt his son Yitzchak’s noble character would counter his influence, and  perhaps even help Yishmael mend his ways. With this hope, Abraham was unwilling to give up on his son Yishmael. (Photo: a rare image of the Chofetz Chaim taking a walk in 1923.) 

Sarah, on the other hand, believed that it’s too risky to put a young, impressionable child like Yitzchak in that position, even if it might prove positive to Yishmael in the end. Yes, Yitzchak might have helped Yishmael, but his own character was almost sure to be sullied in the process. And it was Sarah’s intuition that prevailed.

The Lesson

Obviously, this lesson is integral to child raising and education, but it’s also acutely relevant to our own well-being. It is noble and praiseworthy to lift up others, but this must be measured against the risk of our own loss. One must constantly be alert, and pray for support. Even adults are not immune; advertisers, Facebook posts, and influencers (that’s a profession today!) have proven that intelligent, college-educated minds are abundantly malleable.

Our children are precious, and so is our own character and thinking. May we be granted the wisdom to protect them both.

Shul News!

We've just finished the fourth week of Judaism: Faith & Culture for the North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) and it's been such a wonderful experience. The students, all adults, have been sharing thoughtful question about the faith and culture of we Jews and I'm truly hopeful that it has been enlightening. We've covered such things as "What is the Torah, HafTorah and Talmud", "The Jewish Holidays", "The Jewish Dietary Laws" and "The Jewish Life Cycle from Birth to Death". Each session is online and 90 minutes in length and they have stayed right in there. It's been wonderful and hope to do this again at some point. 

We've set the dates for our November service and Midrash.  Plan on the 19th at 7PM for services and 10AM on Shabbat (Saturday the 20th) for our Midrash.  

See you in Shul!

 

Torah Thoughts 14 October 2021

Welcome back to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa based in Mason City. Glad you are back. Before we get started a reminder that services at Adas Israel will be on Friday the 15th at 7:00PM and then on Shabbat (Saturday) we'll meet for our monthly Midrash or study session also at the shul and at 10:00AM. Hope to see you there.  Alright, let's go!  This week we read the Torah Portion Lech Lecha (Gen. 12 - 17). Lech Lecha is Hebrew for "go for yourself" found in the opening line, "Hashem said to Abram, Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives and from your father's house to the land I will show you."

The Ten Tests

The rabbis tell us this is the first of "Ten Tests" for Abram. According to the great teacher Maimonides these then are those tests:

    G-d tells him to leave his homeland and become a stranger in foreign land (Canaan).

    Immediately after his arrival in Canaan, he encounters a debilitating famine.

    Because of the famine he travels to Egypt whereupon the Egyptians seize his wife, Sarah, and bring her to Pharaoh.

    His nephew Lot is captured, which causes Abraham to enter into a war against the mighty armies of four international world powers.

    He is unable to have children with Sarah who suggests that he marry her maidservant Hagar to sire a heir.

    G-d tells him to circumcise himself at an advanced age.

    The Philistine King Abimelech kidnaps Sarah, intending to take her for himself.

    G-d tells him to send Hagar away after having a child with her.

    His son with Hagar, Ishmael, becomes estranged.

    G-d tells him to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac upon an altar.

Focusing on the first of the "Ten Tests" it's hard to see it as a "test". Why? Because what G-d  promises if Abram does leave his home. "..I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him, who curses you, I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you."

Pretty sweet deal. What kind of "test" is it where you get fame and fortune if you just pack up and...move?

Go For Yourself

There us a hint in that command. Abram has a choice (as we all do) to either go or stay. If he goes what does he get? Oh, so much more than wealth and fame. Abram gets to have a close and personal relationship with Hashem. Of course he has to decide to do that and so that is the test. Will Abram WANT to have a close personal relationship with the Creator? The answer, of course, is yes.

We too are faced with that choice each day. Do we really want to do what is right and kind and just or do we just want to get by. Abram shows us that what is at stake is...us. What do we get by doing what G-d wants of us.  The answer is a blessing that is far more than wealth and fame.

What Happens Next?

The Almighty then gives Abram an eternal message to the Jewish people and to the nations of the world, “I will bless those who bless you and he who curses you I will curse.” Finding a famine, Abram travels to Egypt asking Sarai (later renamed Sarah) to say she is his sister so they won’t kill him to marry her (the Egyptians were particular not to commit adultery...so they would kill the husband instead).

Pharaoh evicts Abram from Egypt after attempting to take Sarai for a wife. They settle in Hebron (also known as Kiryat Arba) and his nephew, Lot, settles in Sodom. Abram rescues Lot – who was taken captive – in the Battle of the Four Kings against the Five Kings.

Entering the Covenant

Abram gets good news and bad news. He is told that his descendants will be enslaved for 400 years and that his descendants via Isaac not Ishmael, “through Isaac will offspring be considered yours” (Genesis 21:8) will be given the land “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”

Sarai, childless, gives her handmaid Hagar to Abram for a wife so that he will have children. Ishmael (the grandfather of our Arab cousins) is born. The covenant of brit mila, religious circumcision, is made (17:3-8), G-d changes their names to Abraham and Sarah and tells them that Sarah will give birth to Yitzchak (Isaac). Abraham circumcises all the males of his household.

What Does All This Mean?

That is what we'll discuss during our Midrash on Shabbat (16th at 10:00). Thank you for reading and Shabbat Shalom! 

 

Torah Thoughts - 8 October 2021 - Noah

Hello Friends and welcome to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel, the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa and based in Mason City. Before we get into Noah (Gen. 6:9 - 11:32) a reminder that we'll be holding services at the shul on Friday the 15th at 7:00PM and our Midrash (Study Session) will be on Shabbat (Saturday) starting at 10:00AM.  We will be studying Parsha Lech Lecha (Gen. 12 - 17)  Everybody is welcome to come...it's always great to see you in Shul!

Who Was Noah?

One of the most complex people in the Torah is Noah. It is said that G-d made the choice to use him to save the world from total destruction following the flood. (BTW and a side note: Did you know there is also a flood story in the Hindu faith...yep!) We are told that Noah was "a righteous man in his generation". Well...his generation was pretty lousy and the folks were exceedingly evil. It would seem that G-d didn't have many folks to choose from.

And, just like Moses, Noah was conflicted with his mission.  It was like, "Wait, why me?" but G-d prevailed and the task to save humanity, and all the critters fell to Noah.

Let's Dig Deeper

The Almighty told Noah to build the ark on a hill far from the water. He built it over a period of 120 years. If you remember the bit from comedian Bill Cosby, "Cubit? What's a cubit?".  People make fun of Noah and ask him, “Why are you building a boat on a hill?” Noah explains that there will be a flood if people do not correct their ways. (Once again according to the Cosby bit, Noah would ask, “How long can you tread water?”) We see from this the patience of the Almighty for people to correct their ways and the genius of arousing people’s curiosity so that they will ask a question and, hopefully, hear the answer. You would think that in 120 years somebody might alter their way...but the people were so wicked they failed to see the truth.

Sometimes we can be that way too. We are facing the truth or we are facing science or knowledge but we choose not to see it.  That's right...it is a choice.  That too is a gift from G-d...we do get to make choices.  Sometimes the choice we make can have tragic results. We need to always be aware.

Then What? Yes, We Know!

The people do not do teshuva, returning from their evil ways, and G-d brings a flood for 40 days. For all that time Noah had to tend to not only the critters but also his family. Notice something?  There is that number 40 again.  How many years did the Jews "wander" in the wilderness?

Noah and his crew leave the ark 365 days later when the earth has once again become habitable. The Almighty makes a covenant and makes the rainbow the sign of the covenant that He will never destroy all of life again by water (hence, James Baldwin's book, The Fire Next Time).

But what about that rainbow?  The rabbis say that when we see a rainbow it is a sign that we should do teshuva – to recognize the mistakes we are making in life, regret them, correct them/make restitution, and ask for forgiveness from anyone you have wronged as well as from the Almighty.  See, this isn't just for the days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur!

And Then What?

Noah is pretty pleased and one of the first things he does is plant a vineyard. That's a positive step. But then Noah gets drunk, and then occurs the mysterious incident in the tent after which Noah curses his grandson Canaan. Oh, those family matters.

The Torah portion concludes with the story of the Tower of Babel and then a genealogy from Noah's son, Shem, to Abram (Abraham).

The rabbis tell us that Abram actually knew Shem. Long lives were pretty standard it would seem

Shul News

Once again a reminder that we'll hold services on Eve Shabbat the 15th of October at 7:00PM and then our Torah Study on Shabbat (Saturday the 16th) starting at 10:00AM.

A quick note about the Life Long Learning Program at NIACC: We've now had two of the five sessions on Judaism: Faith & Culture with a large group of folks.  I've made sure to invite them to come to Shul should they wish. This week we studied the laws of Kashrut. For 90 minutes we discussed.  I had also planned on talking about the holidays but...food got in the way.  Ya gotta eat I guess...right?

Thanks for reading and See you in Shul!

 

Torah Thoughts 1 October 2021

Welcome back to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa, based in Mason City. We've been through some major holidays: Sukkot (Festival of the Tabernacles) and then Shmini Atzeret (An "extra day" for Sukkot) and Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Gift of the Torah). Whew!  Also, just this week, we started a five week series on Judaism: Faith and Culture for lifelong learning students from North Iowa Area Community College. Yep, been busy.

Reading the Torah

So, why do we do it? The tradition of reading the Torah began when Moses instituted public Torah readings three times every week: Monday, Thursday, and Shabbat. Moses chose those days so that the Jewish people would not go three days without Torah. Ezra the Scribe and the Men of the Great Assembly (4^th century BCE) expanded the weekly reading on Mondays and Thursdays by requiring the reading to be no less than ten verses.

In ancient Israel the tradition was to complete the entire Torah once every three years. The current custom of completing the entire Torah every year originated in Babylon and became the accepted standard of observance. (Interestingly enough, Catholics maintain a three-year completion cycle of their readings – this may be related to the fact that Christianity originated in ancient Israel.)

And We Start Again

Having completed the Torah on Simchat Torah (this year September 29^th) we immediately begin the Torah again starting from Genesis. Thus, this week’s Torah reading starts with Genesis (Bereishis in Hebrew) 1:1, which describes the seven days of creation.

And G-d made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night and the stars. (Gen. 1:16)

But wait! Isn't that a contradiction? G-d made "two great lights" and then we read one is greater and the other lesser! 

Let us turn to what Rabbi Yitzchak Zweig writes:

The great Torah scholar, Rabbi Shimon explains that the moon said unto the Holy One, blessed be He, “Sovereign of the Universe! Is it possible for two kings to wear one crown?” Whereupon G-d commanded: “Go then and make yourself smaller.” “Sovereign of the Universe!” cried the moon, “Because I have suggested that which is proper must I then make myself smaller?”

Replied the Almighty: “Go and you will rule by day and by night.” (This refers to the fact that the moon can be seen during both the day and the night). “But what is the value of this?” cried the moon. “Of what use is a lamp in broad daylight?” He replied: “Go, Israel shall reckon by you the days and the years.”

The Almighty continues to try and placate the moon by extolling the virtues of being smaller and the Talmud gives examples of famous Jewish luminaries who had the appellation “small” attached to them (including our forefather Jacob and also King David). Still the moon was not happy.

On seeing that it would not be consoled, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the Jewish people: “Bring an atonement for Me for making the moon smaller.” This “atonement” is the special sacrifice that is brought on the first day of every month (rosh chodesh in Hebrew).

In Judaism, the holidays are based on the monthly lunar calendar (which gets adjusted to align with the yearly solar calendar, which is 11 days longer). The Hebrew word for year is shana – which has a numerical value of 355 – this corresponds to the fact a lunar year is 354 days 8 hours and 28 minutes.

Now Let's Go Deeper

How are we to understand G-d’s conversation with the moon? If the moon had a valid complaint (i.e. “two kings cannot wear one crown”) then why did the Almighty originally create them equally? If the complaint wasn’t valid, why does G-d try so hard to placate the moon, eventually ending with the Almighty asking the Jewish people to bring a sacrifice for His “transgression”?

What the moon failed to recognize is that Hashem had created a perfect system of time, the sun would control days, weeks, and years, while the moon would control months and all the times of holidays. This wasn’t “two kings sharing one crown.” Hashem had created the perfect union, and the original intent was that the sun and moon would work in unison, much like a marriage.

The modern view of marriage is that it is a partnership. This is a mistake. A partnership is when two individuals team up for synergetic purposes: 1+1=3. In other words, the basis of all partnerships is the presumption that working together the partners can achieve more than what they could manage individually.

But each partner is in the partnership for their own reasons. The main issue with partnerships is that as soon as the partners’ individual needs or visions no longer align the partnership is dissolved. Sadly, this also explains the extraordinarily high divorce rate in Western society.

In truth, marriage is really supposed to be a merger – together man and woman become an indivisible entity. This week’s Torah reading expresses this sentiment beautifully; “A man shall leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24)

In a marriage there are different roles, each person with the responsibility for their part of the whole. Marriage isn’t a partnership between two kings; it’s a union of two individuals for the greater whole. Partnerships are not that hard to dissolve. In fact, a prenup, like any good partnership agreement, outlines the terms and conditions of that dissolution. On the other hand, a merger is almost impossible to unwind.

And The Lesson...

The sun and moon were supposed to represent the ultimate man-woman relationship (“the two great lights”). But the moon didn’t see the union for what it was; the moon felt that it needed its own identity. The Almighty tells the moon that if you don’t see the value of the unified whole then you have to take a smaller role because you are absolutely right “two kings cannot wear one crown.” The moon’s reduced role was really a function of its refusal to join an indivisible union with the sun.

Ultimately, the moon gets the last laugh, so to speak. Much like in a marriage, when the woman feels wronged it doesn’t make a difference if the husband is right or wrong – he’s always wrong. That’s why the Talmud ends as it does; when God saw that the moon would not be consoled he asked the Jewish people to bring a sacrifice as an atonement for Him.

This was a recognition (and a lasting lesson for mankind) that, at the end of the day, being right doesn’t really matter. What really matters in a healthy union is recognizing the other person’s pain and accepting responsibility for their feelings; and of course doing what it takes to rectify it.

Thank you for reading and may you have a Sweet New Year and Shabbat Shalom!