Parashat Vayeira - Come as you Are (5 min read)

רפואה מן התורה
Healing from the Torah

     Last week we met Abram, who became Abraham, a man who was willing to separate himself from his past to explore a new future.  We also learned that unlike his predecessors Abraham was an active partner with God, both in his behavior and his flawed humanness. Abraham was given the charge והיה ברכה (to be a blessing) by lifting up the torch of Torah in his world, which he did by showing how a normal person (just like us) could traverse his “today” by walking toward a better “tomorrow.”  This week we are in Parashat Vayeira, Genesis 18:1-22:24, where we encounter more of Abraham as he continues his journey that began when he left the place of his birth. 

     Abraham’s world was a lot like ours; there were evil people, unfair rulers, wars, depravity, navigating seeming lose-lose choices, famine, parental decisions, relationship conflicts, family dynamics and personal belief systems (to just name a few). As he lived in his world our tradition says that Abraham taught us הכנסת אורחים (hospitality to strangers) when he attended to the three strangers who came to him while healing from his own circumcision. Likewise, as he intervened for the sake of Lot, his family and other upright folks in Sodom, Abraham teaches us the principle of צדקה (justice) in the affirmation of life.  Following the events in Sodom we finish this parasha with two like stories that we also encountered in Lech Lecha.   First like with Pharaoh, Abraham instructs Sarah to tell King Abimelech that she is his sister instead of his wife.  However, unlike Pharaoh who was fearful, when the king discovered that Abraham and Sarah were actually husband and wife he gave Abraham riches and respect since he was a  prophet of God.  Second, we have yet another story about the birth of a son to Abraham.  In Lech Lecha Abraham has a son (Ishmael with Hagar) who he eventually had to banish from his domain whereas here, when Abraham has another son (Isaac with Sarah), he believed his task was to sacrifice him on top of a mountain.  There are varied story-lines in Vayeira that each deserve time to be explored, but for now we will look at one passage to consider.

     The very first verse says, “And the LORD appeared (Vayeira) unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day” (cf. Genesis 18:1).  Why was Abraham sitting not only in the entrance of his but during the heat of the day?  Not surprisingly our tradition has differing views. The Talmud (Bava Metzia 87b) paints the picture of Abraham as a man who did not let the pain of his circumcision stop him for entertaining his quests.  The sun at the heat of the day was for healing that God sent because he cared about the welfare of Abraham (Rashi).  From Targum Jonathan we learn that Abraham while sitting still is given the opportunity to have the glory of God revealed  to him (just not appear).  With that understanding we then look to another Midrash (Genesis R. 48:7) that teaches Abraham would remain seated as he heals while the Shekinah stands before him and his children (Israel) to follow.  As such, the proof text that the Mishnah quotes to support the idea of the Shekinah standing before Abraham is אלהים נצב בעדת אל, “God stands in the congregation of God” (Psalm 82:1). The conversation ensues that then states, עומד אין כתיב כאן אלא נצב, “it does not say stand (עומד) but rather stand (נצב).”  The answer for this is - אטימוס (eh’tee’mos), which is a Greek word that means “present,” as opposed to just standing erect or a state of being.    In other words, using the Zohar to help understand “present” a bit better, the heat of the day is synonymous with the divine light of God that itself is revealed to Abraham has he sits in the entrance of the tent.  The entrance of the tent furthermore is seen as a portal between the lower and the upper worlds that stand between God and mankind (also see Perkei Avot 4:17).  The mystical tradition furthermore compares the sun to the sefirot of Chokhmah (wisdom) that sits right underneath Keter (Crown) as the essence of the divine light which descends from God into the lower world of mankind where Abraham dwells. 

     What can the mystical tradition teach us?  We learn that Abraham while sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of day was engaged with a God who he considered to be “present” with him.  In Abraham we see a sense of relationship with God on a personal level as opposed to the idea of “other” beyond human connection.  Abraham’s first act of kindness came to his three visitors and his second was the intervening on behalf of the righteous in Sodom; both acts reveal the core of Abraham’s conviction rooted in the values of Torah and therefore God. Abraham was not perfect, we know that, but again a lesson here is that as a normal person Abraham was committed to his own spirituality in both word and deed.   Abraham was a not a religious nut but a man who allowed himself to be in touch with his own spirituality, and Torah, gave him the opportunity to live out his convictions.  As we said, our tradition wants to repair that connection of the spiritual nature of humanity and the Torah that gives flesh to it, thus when we unify that duality we find the foundation of tikkun for self and others.  

Parashat Lech Lecha - the journey from yesterday till tomorrow (5 min read)

רפואה מן התורה

 Healing from the Torah

     This past Shabbat we had a brief discussion during our Torah study about Noah being described as, צדיק תמים היה בדרהיו, “righteous and unblemished he was in his generation.” In particular the word תמים was discussed. In modern Hebrew תמים (tamim) can mean “innocent, blameless or upright.” In Biblical Hebrew תמים can mean “God-fearing, unblemished” and is often translated as “perfect,” yet it can also mean “innocent”  The word for innocent in Biblical Hebrew is זכו (zachu), which can also mean “free or pure,” whereas in modern Hebrew it can mean not only innocent but also to “vindicate or exonerate.”  The words, though similar, are also slightly different.  In Biblical Hebrew the word carries with it more of a tone of spiritual and moral uprightness based on the ways of God, and in modern Hebrew, it’s more so a legal verdict.  That is very simple of course, but to the point. I think this matters as we begin to look at the life of Abraham.  Prior to Abraham we learned that Adam found out that there were consequences to the choices he made. With Noah we learned that he did not allow the higher values of his God-given soul to lead him as he encountered the power of his world.  And now Abram (later to be called Abraham) appears to represent a man, as we shall see, who aspires to live as one who is “righteous and unblemished” while seeking to conquer his own humanity.

     “Righteous and unblemished,” and some translations even say “perfect,” in many ways represent all the stories that we read about the people of God. Regarding Noah that designation has to be held in juxtaposition with “his generation” as opposed to being a man who was mistake free and/or infallible.  This is how the writers of the Torah understood Noah and I say the same is so for Abram.  Perhaps one difference between Noah and Abram is that Noah has no real voice, either with his short comings or emotive reactions, whereas Abram is more interactive and proactive as part of the story itself.  Abram’s story begins in Lech Lecha, Genesis 12:1-17:27, where God tells Abram and his family to leave their homeland.  Abram along the way makes some poor choices and the results are mixed.  In one part of the story Abram tells Pharaoh that his wife was his sister, because he feared that they might kill him so Pharaoh could have her,  although in the end he left Egypt with riches instead. In another part of the story he takes Hagar, his wife’s manservant, and has a son with her because he and Sarai could not conceive.  That however does not turn out so well, and Abram suffers the pain of a father, having to tell Hagar and his son Ishmael to leave. 
     In each case it was how he responded that should be noted.  When Abram and his family left Egypt it says, בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְהֹוָֽה וַיִּקְרָ֥א שָׁ֛ם אַבְרָ֖ם בָּרִֽאשֹׁנָ֑ה, hence it was the first time that "Abram called on the name of the Lord” by building an altar.  Why did this time happen now? Abram realized how fortunate he was to be alive after leaving Egypt with the gain of wealth, and despite his error, he gives thanks to God.  Likewise, after the birth of Ishmael, Abram would learn that his choice not to wait on God resulted in a divided home and the displeasure of his wife.  Abram questions God unlike Noah, or Adam before him, because he wants to know how his offspring can inherit a land if he has no seed?  When God makes him a promise of a seed Abram takes matters into his own hands. Like the riches he took from Egypt he and Sarai would have a son even in their old age.   In both cases, Abram acted, and he realized his error or undeserved good fortune by responding with thanks to God.  What can this teach us?

     This was God’s man, a man who was human but sought the right way even after he fell short.  So when he left his homeland the first thing God says to him in this narrative is, “And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing.”  We read in a Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 39) about a traveler who entered a city and saw a building on fire, only to wonder who would take care of it, with the owner appearing to take responsibility for the flames. Abram asks the same of his world, only to have God say that he is the caregiver of the world, and in Abram the world be cared for.  How is Abram a caregiver for the world?  The mystics teach that Abram was not just physically leaving his past behind him but spiritually was walking into something new.  Maimonides writes that “and [you shall] be a blessing” means that like Abram all the families of the world will be blessed.  It could be that Abram was a blessing by becoming the first Jew, being the first to embrace monotheism, being the forerunner to Israel, teaching us about the acts of hospitality or standing up for justice.  But in another Midrash, Targum Yonathan, we learn that Abram was not just to leave his place of birth but to “separate” from it and never return.   The commonality between Adam, Noah and Abram is that they all made mistakes and had to make a choice how to respond.  The difference is that only Abram responded to a God inspired way by choosing to separate from the ills of his past in order to enter a new future.  That was a voice that we have not encountered before.

     Abram (exalted father) became Abraham (father of many) because his blessing would be for all who will follow.  In Abram we are invited to separate from out past and seek a new tomorrow guided by the ways of Torah in how we connect to our spirituality, values and ethics.   We are human, like Noah and Adam, but what will make us “righteous and unblemished” is when we, like Abraham, choose to live as normal people in progress through our higher values.     

  

Parashat Noach - healing the broken (5 min read)

רפואה מן התורה

 Healing from the Torah

     Last week in Parashat Bereishit we looked at the idea of unified and broken dualities.  We viewed those dualities as both the unified equality of creation but also the nature of its brokenness, touching primarily upon the relationship of the Creator and the creation, and Adam and Eve.  We could have also looked at the broken duality of Cain and Able or the Garden as opposed to the world Adam’s family would inherit.  The fact is, the story of Adam and Eve (and their family) disrupts the equality of creation only to be followed by the tension of redeeming it.  Turning to Parashat Noach, Genesis 6:9-11:32, it begins the redemptive journey to restore that broken duality as part of Noah's story in his own generation.   As such, Prashant Noach begins, אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת נֹ֔חַ נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים הִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹֽחַ, “This is the line of Noah.—Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.”
     We learn that during the days of Noah his world was full of evil, a bad generation, with Noah choosing good.  The Narrator of Torah makes the claim that Noah was the most righteous man of his generation, but that begs the question; was he righteous because he was more faithful and observant than others or was he righteous simply because everyone else around was not?  In truth, Noah was like everyone else, he was human, imperfect, a husband, a father, a man who lived in a world needing repair, so what made him righteous?  The word “righteous” (צַדִּ֛יק) itself means one who is “just in their actions.”  Therefore, looking at Targum Yonathan (an early Midrash), what makes Noah righteous is that he is “complete in good works in his generation.”  While the original biblical text does not say anything about good works, our oral tradition came to understand “righteous” in that very way, hence Noah walking with God meant that he did good deeds of righteousness. We can therefore look at Noah’s willingness to build an Ark as his good-works in the world which he lived, yet we must also note the words of Rabbi Elie Muck that being “righteous,” is not the same as being “perfect.”

     Our tradition also teaches that if Noah lived during the days of Abraham he would not have been considered that righteous. When Abraham was faced with the perverse cites of Sodom and Gomorrah he called on the justice of life and bargained with God about the lives of people.  Noah, on the other hand, seemed more concerned about he and his family as opposed to even the few who like him deserved life.  As such, we read about the totality of such death’s in Genesis 7:22 that says, “All in whose nostrils was the merest breath of life, all that was on dry land, died.”  Eben Ezra in line with tradition comments that such life lost were those of animals and not human life, life after all is precious in God’s eyes.  That is why Rabbi Jonathan Sachs is able to present a Noah that lost his title, the generation's most righteous man, simply on the point of the lost lives themselves (think of Jonah and Nineveh) but also that later Noah fell prey to his own humanity by debasing himself with too much wine (cf. Gen. 9:20-21).  Rabbi Elie Muck again comments that the shortcomings of Noah echo the evil generation of the flood when “man failed to make his soul rule over his entire being.” R’Muck reflects on other verses that paint the picture that the “breath” of the soul was given by God, meaning that the soul is furnished with the values of God.  In other words, Noah failed his quest to repair the word by not allowing his God-given soul to rule over the rest of his behavior.

     Is this a fair way to read the story of Noah?  First, as noted above, being “righteous” is not the same as being “perfect.”  Second, we have to read Noah’s humanity as our own, we too are in process and make mistakes.  Third, comparing Noah to Abraham is about growth not achievement, and while I see the value in making such a comparison, I am not sure it is relevant either since Abraham had his own issues of human failure.  And lastly, R’Sachs raises a question regarding the use of midrash, the same question that we should ask as well,  “what do these words mean, not when they were first spoken or written down, but to us, here, now?”  We can therefore read the story of Noah as one of valued driven struggles in the midst of a society that impacted the ability to do what is right.  The mystics teach that the Ark is like a sanctuary where the light of God can be found, recalling how Noah did not debase himself until after he left the Ark, itself acting as a form of protection.  Today, we live in our world, a world with its share of evil, but also good, anger and hate, yet love and caring as well.  The tension that Noah experienced was between his God-given soul to guide his greater humanity and the inciting (and enticing) power of the world around him that had its own pull in the opposite direction.

     A lesson from Parashat Noach asks us to elevate ourselves over our circumstances, whatever that might look like.  Perhaps Noah fulfilled his role and had no other beyond the Ark, or maybe there was other works that he failed to do, hence we turn to Perkei Avot that teaches, “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it; If you have studied much Torah, you shall be given much reward”  Therefore, first, Torah (like the Ark) is to be embraced as our guide regardless if it is fully learned and/or fulfilled, its teachings are for our better.  Second, the protection of community (also like the Ark) and its support helps us to find the needed strength to persevere and grow, nurturing God given souls that govern our behavior in this world.  And finally, the story of Noah teaches that we cannot escape the impact of a world that needs repair, but we have the innate ability to transcend it and help to restore its broken dualities even if only one step at a time.  It is good to ask how the story of Noah helps to restore the world around us, but looking at Noah in particular is also a reminder that repair begins with self.    

Parashat Bereishit - spirituality and religion (5 min read)

 רפואה מן התורה

 Healing from the Torah

In Parashat Bereishit, from Genesis 1:1-6:8, we begin our Torah reading cycle all over again for the year. The nuggets or wisdom and learning that will lead to our growth and betterment begin in a parasha that can be understood to about unified and broken dualities.
  

The Mystics teach that the first verse is all we need to know, thus בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ, “In the beginning of God created the heavens and the earth.”  What it tells us is that creator and creation were unified, there was no separation even though there was distinction. We read from the start about separation and distinction; day and night, the upper and lower world, dry land and water, various types of plants, land animals and sea animals, animals and people, God and mankind, and even man and woman.  But even with man and woman, tradition teaches us that the human beings were created as androgynous and only later were separated into man and woman; an important poiunt to note as we engage the story of Adam and Eve.  But the bigger picture is this; although they were separate they we unified with no sense of difference even if their purposes were not the same.  This is unified dualities.

Yet, in the world we have good and evil, sad and happiness, positive sand negative, heaven and earth, and yes spirituality and religion, something we will return to in just a moment. Unlike the unified dualities above, these dualities exist in on-going conflict with each other. Take Adam and Eve, they lived in their world of Eden both naked and unafraid.  However, when their eyes were opened to a challenge that threatened their sense of existence, they saw their nakedness and became fearful; their unified duality became a broken one.  Likewise beforehand, in the same way that creator and creation were unified and distinct, so too was Adam and his wife, Eve  Conversely, the dissolution of that unity between Adam and Eve became emblematic of the separation between the creator and the creation.  That type of separateness is perhaps the reason why Adam and Eve were removed from the garden, meaning that it had more to do with their inability to embrace a unity with the Eternal as opposed to just a sin itself.

  

Therefore, in the same way the High Holidays come yearly to look at the past year with a hope for improvement in the next, we have a lifetime to prepare for eternity and that connection to the Eternal. Expanding that thought we look at the teaching of Rav Philip Berg was said that if Adam and Eve partook of the Tree of Life they would have a permanent unbroken connection with God, and their goal of human perfection would have been reached with no further spiritual work to do.  The idea is that that type of connection between the creator and the creation has to be repaired, which is why it takes a lifetime.  It is your choice if that rings true of not, but it offers us some insights on this idea of unified and broken dualities.

What then about the dualities of spirituality and religion?  It can be argued that in the narrowest of meanings spirituality is about a person’s inward existentialist relationship to the sense of “other,” whereas religion is an organized creedal system of deeds, values, ethics, laws, etc.  Today as most of us are aware, perhaps for yourself or another, spirituality and religion are separated and have become a broken duality.  Again looking at Adam, and his sense of being a part of the whole of creation in Eden, it was tied into his personal existentialism, or spirituality.  The sun had a job as did the rain that came from above since both participated in the growth of the garden.  Likewise, Adam had a job, thus the sun provided light, the rain provided water and Adam provided the care.  Adam saw his role as part of the whole, separate indeed, but unified in purpose.  But when Adam broke with that chain of being unified and distinct, given the first law that asked him to refrain from eating the fruit of just one tree, a broken duality that followed led to the removal from Eden, and hos broken existential spirituality.  The law we can see as religion, but it had the purpose to keep Adam upon the path of his spiritual existence since his free-will needed guidance and direction.  Let me suggest that Adam can be an example of a relationship between spirituality and religion that has become a broken duality and needs to be repaired.

Religion is the clothes of our spirits, hence our sense of “other” is dressed up in the garments of practice and tradition.  Religion does not make us spiritual but takes what is spiritual and gives it a face, order and guidance. Religion has been regulated to “organized religion” and its value has been lost to that definition.  Certainly it is man-made, so yeah it is imperfect and mistakes will be made, but that in no way takes away from its purpose and reward.  Existentially, as Jews, we are also connected to a history, family ties and values, and to whatever degree, from none to full observance, from humanistic to Orthodox Judaism, we Jews have a religion.  We have a history and a faith that is about clothing our spirits if we chose to walk on its path.

The unified duality of spirituality and religion has great benefit, the broken duality of spirituality and religion compromises our sense of “other” and larger meaning.  Being regulated and guided is a part of life; laws on the road, rules at work, even right and wrong in personal relationship’s, so why not in the relationship between that creator and creation or with guiding principles and human behavior – especially if it is about the repair of broken dualities for ours and the world’s restoration?

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, reestablishing that perfect sense of existential unity and therefore inward oneness, and hopefully, personal contentment. .  

Holiday Message (3 min read)

רפואה מן התורה
Healing from the Torah

Perhaps you are familiar with the story about the homeless man who was brought to a tailor by a kind town’s person to have a new set of cloths made for Yom Kippur. The tailor told the homeless man to come back later that day to pick up his new cloths.  Upon his return the homeless man tried on his new cloths and was out-ranged at the tailor because they did not fit right. The tailor stood there patiently as the homeless yelled at him, accusing the tailor of shaming him with miss-fitting cloths.  After the homeless man was finished with his rant the tailor said, “Sir, I assure you that the cloths fit, but you have to take the old ones off first.”  While there are a number of applications to that story I suppose, here, it about leaving our “stuff” at the door and letting the message and the meaning of our holidays into our hearts, minds and spirits.

It’s good to reflect on what we just went through.  During this time of the year it also seems that Jews in general are more willing to consider the “nuts and bolts “ of God so to speak.  On Yom Kippur we spent 25 hours looking deep within, pounding our chest’s and confessing things we don’t normally think about.  Okay so maybe we don’t do everything that we read about, but you know we have the potential, and that is just as important to consider and reflect upon.  That is somewhat reminiscent of the two goats from Leviticus 16.   One goat is sacrificed to God for Israel to say thank you for the ritual opportunity to internalize being forgiven.  The second goat called the Azazel was sent off into the wilderness, symbolically carrying the bad and evil out of the Israel’s camp, a ritual where Israel was both grateful and humbled.  Grateful because God was willing to provide a means to banish what was no good from their midst.  Humbled because that was a mirror of self, revealing to each who stood there that their sins have also been cast away.  As that goat ran off into the wilderness and slowly faded out of sight, I think it reasonable to hold that those who watched surely realized in that moment that that could have been them. 

That message of Yom Kippur, although no longer in the image of a goat running away, exists in the words of our prayers - kind of like water that flows under the ice.  We need to remember that “to pray,” להתפלל, is a reflexive verb that just does not mean to pray but “to judge oneself.” (i.e. self-examination/words are a mirror).  The words of our prayers speak to us on a level that surpasses our intellect alone and touches our sense of the spiritual.  But is that not what prayer is supposed do?  If our prayers have such high lofty values that they are beyond our human comprehension is there value in them for us?  Well, sure there is value, but like the story about the homeless man and his new cloths, you have to remove the old that fights against the prayers in order to receive the newness of its meaning.  Every year we are confronted with a new meaning to our prayers, either new lessons that came our way or old ones we are still needing to learn.  There is great value it what we experience with Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur.

This past Sunday night we begin the celebration of Sukkot.  In contrast to the solemn day of Yom Kippur that concluded 40 days of Cheshbone haNefesh that began on Elul 1, Sukkot is joyful, sweets in our sukkah’s, a week of celebration and good food!  We had a season of reflection and growth that brought new energies into our lives. We need to be grateful and joyful for that. That is why Sukkot is Zman Simchateinu, a time of our rejoicing.  But Sukkot, like our prayers and the two goats beforehand, is a mirror for our beings, thus it asks us to embrace its meaning of thanksgiving.  The Mystics believed that the power of Yom Kippur was not confined to the day itself but would act as a guide throughout the following year, asking us always to consider the place of tikkun hamiddot, the repair of our characters to be better than we were before. Yet the Mystics also believed that based on Psalm 121:5 that says יְהוָ֥ה צִ֝לְּךָ֗ עַל־יַ֥ד יְמִינֶֽךָ, “The LORD is your guardian, the LORD is your protection at your right hand,” God would accompany us on our life journeys in the same way that our shadow follows us everywhere we go.

The Holidays are not over and each of us still has the opportunity to allow its voice to make us better people and Jews, raising our values to new and restored heights.  However it is approached, just remember, take off your old clothes first so the new ones can fit perfectly.  I hope you have a great Sukkot and may it indeed be for you Zman Simchateinu, a time of rejoicing.  Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sukkot Sameach.  

 

A Holiday Message (3 min read)

Healing From the Torah

רפואה מן התורה

Perhaps you are familiar with the story about the homeless man who was brought to a tailor by a kind town’s person to have a new set of cloths made for Yom Kippur. The tailor told the homeless man to come back later that day to pick up his new cloths.  Upon his return the homeless man tried on his new cloths and was out-ranged at the tailor because they did not fit right. The tailor stood there patiently as the homeless yelled at him, accusing the tailor of shaming him with miss-fitting cloths.  After the homeless man was finished with his rant the tailor said, “Sir, I assure that the cloths fit, but you have to take the old ones off first.”  While there are a number of applications to that story I suppose, here, it about leaving our “stuff” at the door and letting the message and the meaning of our holidays into our hearts, minds and spirits.

It’s good to reflect on what we just went through.  During this time of the year it also seems that in general people are more willing to consider the “nuts and bolts “ of God so to speak.  On Yom Kippur we spent 25 hours looking deep within, pounding our chest’s and confessing things we don’t normally think about.  Okay so maybe we don’t do everything that we read about, but you know we have the potential, and that is just as important to consider and reflect upon.  That is somewhat reminiscent of what we read about on Yom Kippur from Leviticus 16 that has to do with two goats.   One goat is sacrificed to God for Israel to say thank you that for the ritual opportunity to internalize being forgiven.  The second goat called the Azazel was sent off into the wilderness, symbolically carry the bad and evil out of the Israel’s camp, a ritual where Israel was both grateful and humbled.  Grateful because God was willing to provide a means to banish what was no good from their midst.  Humbled because that was a mirror of self, revealing to each who stood there that their sins have also been cast away.  As that goat ran off into the wilderness and slowly faded out of sight, I think it reasonable to hold that those who watched surely realized in that moment that that could have been them.  That is a meaning of the story to consider. 

That message of Yom Kippur, although no longer in the image of a goat running away, exists in the words of our prayers - kind of like water that flows under the ice.  We need to remember that “to pray,” להתפלל, is a reflexive verb that just does not mean to pray but “to judge oneself.” (i.e. self-examination/words are a mirror).  The words of our prayers speak to us on a level that surpasses our intellect alone and touches our sense of the spiritual.  But is that not what prayer is supposed do?  If our prayers have such high lofty values that they are beyond our human comprehension is there value in them for us?  Well, sure there is value, but like the story about the homeless man and his new cloths, you have to remove the old that fights against the prayers in order to receive the newness of its meaning.  Every year we are confronted with a new meaning to our prayers, either new lessons that came our way or old ones we are still needing to learned.  There is great value it what we experienced from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur.

Now on Sunday night we begin the celebration of Sukkot.  In contrast to the solemn day of Yom Kippur that concluded 40 days of Cheshbone haNefesh that began on Elul 1, Sukkot is joyful, sweets are in our sukkah’s, a week of celebration and good food!  We had a season of reflection and growth that brought new energies into our lives. We need to be grateful and joyful for that. That is why Sukkot is Zman Simchateinu, a time of our rejoicing.  But Sukkot, like our prayers and the two goats beforehand, is a mirror for our beings, thus it asks us and even makes us embrace its meaning of being thankful.  The Mystics believed that the power of Yom Kippur was not confined to the day itself but would act as a guide throughout the following year, asking us always to consider the place of tikkun hamiddot, the repair of our characters to be better than we were before. Yet the Mystics also believed that based on Psalm 121:5 that says יְהוָ֥ה צִ֝לְּךָ֗ עַל־יַ֥ד יְמִינֶֽךָ, “The LORD is your guardian, the LORD is your protection at your right hand,” God would accompany us on our life journeys in the same way that our shadows follow us everywhere we go.

The Holidays are not over and each of us still has the opportunity to allow its voice to make us better people and Jews, raising our values to new and restored heights.  However it is approached, just remember, take your old clothes first so the new ones can fit perfectly.  I hope you have a great Sukkot and may it indeed be for you, Zman Simchateinu, a time of rejoicing.  Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sukkot Sameach.  

Shabbat Shuvah Thoughts (short read)

Below is teaching of Chaplain (Rabbi to be) Adam Ruditsky in conjunction with the book Preparing for the High Holidays

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רפואה מן התורה

The parasha, Vayelech, is the last words of Moses before Israel enters the land.  Here, Moses asks the children of Israel to fear (respect) the ways of God as they enter into their new reality.  It is also a moment of transition, Moses in front of all Israel hands the reign's over to Joshua, and both men in front off the entire community enter the Tent of Meeting where the presence of God reveals itself as a cloud. Both men stand before God as a new moment of time enters into Israel's reality with both the death of Moses and actually entering into the land they have dreamed about for 40 years.  This parasha is always read on Shabbat Shuvah (Shabbat of Return) because we too are about to enter into a moment of time with Yom Kippur, and continuing with the same theme we have been in since the beginning of Elul, we reflect.  But this Shabbat is different because we are in the midst of the 10 days of awe, and more so than any time of year, we seek to partner with God and plead our case to continue to do for the next year.  In order to do so, however, we must return to a right relationship with God and others, hence the shabbat of return.  We also read that Moses "wrote" the Torah and gave it to the Priests. The Hebrew word, ויכתב, is both past and future. In other words, the vav is called a reversing vav and makes it a past event, whereas the yud make it a future one.  Or, what happens in the past continues to guide us in the future, thus the same mindset the children of Israel we asked to embrace as they entered the land of promise is also being asked of us as we enter these days of awe and teshuva; seeking higher and better ways in all things. There is no shame is fixing what is broken, growth is a mixture humility and tenacity, as it takes both.