This week’s parasha is called Yitro, Yitro was a Midian Priest and Moses’ father-in-law. The parasha begins with Yitro instructing Moses about the administrative issue of delegation in creating a system of government that would help rule and guide the people. Yet this parasha also establishes the identity of a community that stands together as one people at Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah. The two are related as follows. The Jews who came out of Egypt were beholden to a hierarchical system that subjugated those below them, in particular its slaves, to their power and rule. At Sinai, where we all stand this week, the power system of rule and law is vastly different based on a sense of equality and equity, these Jews were to become partner’s with God as opposed to being slaves to the gods, embracing a new station in life. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks teaches that this new way was distinctive because these people would “receive its laws before its land.” He further says that since Israel “became a nation prior to attaining those elements of statehood,” such as a land or an organized army, even when they “lost their land and sovereignty – Jews did not cease to be a nation.” In the same way Israel, the Jewish people, would receive its identity and purpose not based on location but on an idea of existence. We therefore read in Exodus 19:6 that the Jewish people who stood at Mt. Sinai, and for that matter every generation that followed to include our own, would be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Beginning with the latter, “a holy nation,” what does that mean?
The first time we see the word “holy” is back in Genesis 2:3 when after the final day of creation, the Shabbat, it is “sanctified” by God, or made holy, something that we recite every Erev Shabbat during the Kiddush. In this case the day (noun) is made holy (verb) when God rests after creation. The difference between the Shabbat and the other six days of the week is in its classification (made holy) and activity not its superiority; a day is a day after all, mundane or sacred. Conversely, when Israel is called a “holy nation,” the word holy (adjective) describes what type of nation (noun) Israel would be. It must be understood that this is about a collective identity and not just the individual, which is why the likes of Bernie Madoff, Harvey Weinstein or Jeffery Epstein are a black eye for all Jews, because we are not an Island. Also, being holy is not being perfect, that is not possible to achieve. So for Maimonides it’s about behavior (Guide to the Perplexed 3:8), also alluded to in the Talmud (Yerushalmi, Chagigah) that says, “Would they abandon me, but keep my Torah,” meaning that if Torah is kept the keeper will emulate God's values even if he/she turns their back on God. For R’Sacks being holy is defined as “making space for God,” allowing the ways of Torah to guide this nation, this people, in all areas of life whether worship, legal, social justice, relational, values, business or what have. Israel was to be a people that made room to let the ways of God vis-à-vis the Torah define the nation as opposed to a mere king or ruler, embracing a sense of “Other” at the core of their peoplehood.
What about a “kingdom of priests.” Here we have to look at the priesthood of the nation in a different way than the family of Aaron who were Priests. Aaron and his sons had a job as Priests to oversee the functioning of the Mishkan (later the Temple) in terms of religious activity, the execution of the sacrifices, orderliness and cleanliness of the sacred space itself, not to mention everything in between; although uniquely they made sure the Law was carried out correctly (later replaced by the Rabbis), but most of all they were servants of the people. But the inception of the Aaronic Priesthood (Ex. 28: 1-4) came after the people were called a “kingdom of priests,” so how did it differ? In the Torah, and for that matter the bible, Israel was to stand upon the reality of a monotheistic God and bring that to the nations in a priestly fashion (cf. Ex. 19:6, Dt. 7:6, Is. 2:3 and 61:6), the Sfrono teaching they were to be “a kingdom of priests, by teaching and instructing all of mankind to call out in the name of God and for all to serve together.” Returning to the teaching of R’Sacks he makes the point that the Priests were literate, they had to be able to read and understand the Law for the sake of the people, but also themselves, yet the nation also had to understand the Law or how could they be called “disciples of the LORD” (Is. 54:13; cf. in Ex. 24:7 Moses “read” the Torah to the people). Here, Israel became partners with God not only because of what they would come to know but what they would do, both knowing and doing made them priests regardless of what family they belonged to.
The designation of being “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” is the Jewish mission statement that continues to guide our community as partners with God. As a “holy nation” we are like the Kadosh Kedoshim, the Holy of Holies in the Temple, making space in an empty room were the Presence of the Divine dwells. Thus we too must make space to allow our human goodness rooted in the Divine Image to embrace our priestly functions, hence a “kingdom of priests.” Therefore, if so, can we care for the sick, feed the poor, lobby for the weak and destitute, give finances from cancer research to buying socks for the homeless, help at a soup kitchen or battered women’s’ shelter, let alone find value in our own religious and family traditions when life's demands fill up our inner rooms of capacity; almost like a personal tzizum (contraction) we have to make space for self, family and others. Is this not what we celebrate on Tu’Bishvat in part, connecting to the earth and its creation, in the world of Assiyah, whereas in the world Briyah we help create a better way of life for all. As Jews, and Jewish communities, we are a part of a larger structure of purpose regardless of our diversity which is why we are reminded here of our identity.
Shabbat
Shalom,
Rabbi Adam
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