Monday, November 25, 2013

Miketz

Genesis 41:1-44:17

Rabbi Lewis Eron for Jewish Reconstructionist Communities

Jews-By-Choice: Asenath and Ruth


Throughout our history, and particularly in our times, the Jewish people have been enriched by converts, people who have chosen to cast their lot with ours, to make our history and destiny their own. We benefit from their enthusiasm, their insight and their mature understanding of Judaism. We honor their new commitments by calling them "gerei tzedek" ("those who have chosen to dwell with us through righteousness") and by declaring them to be the direct descendants of our ancestors, Abraham and Sarah. They, in turn, compliment us by accepting our sacred heritage and remind us of the life-changing, life-enhancing power of our traditions.

Our ancient traditions present us with two powerful visions of the conversion process. One, represented by the story of Ruth, focuses on the convert's significant relationships with Jewish people. We all know many people who have chosen to join us because of their involvement with their Jewish spouse, their Jewish friends, and the Jewish community. The other, characterized by ancient legends concerning Joseph's Egyptian born wife, Asenath, stresses the convert's spiritual journey towards Jewish faith.

The story of the Moabite woman, Ruth, who after the deaths of her husband and father-in-law, followed her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Naomi's hometown of Bethlehem in Judah, is found in the biblical Book of Ruth. The story focuses on Jewish values of peoplehood and community, which still play a central role in modern Jewish life.

Ruth's story is a tale of a love and loyalty. Ruth leaves her native land and adopts the traditions and beliefs of the Jewish people because of the depth of her relationship with Naomi and because of her admiration of Naomi's words and deeds, which reflected the guiding principles of Judaism. Ruth's declaration of loving loyalty ("Wherever you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people are my people and your God is my God . . . (Ruth 1:16)") is one of the most profound expressions of love in our tradition. But it is also testimony to the transforming power of the faith we express by the way we live our lives.

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Monday, November 18, 2013

Vayeishev

Genesis 37:1−40:23

Rabbi Steven Pik-Nathan for Jewish Reconstructionist Communities

On Being Ready


This week's parashah, Vayeshev, is the beginning of the story of Joseph. Though Joseph is not considered among the patriarchs (that designation is limited to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) his story encompasses almost the entire remainder of the book of Bereshit and is significantly longer and more detailed than the narratives describing the lives of any of the patriarchs. It is Joseph's story that helps to transition the reader from the Patriarchal/Matriarchal period to the nation-building period that is the core of the remainder of the Torah, beginning with the exodus from Egypt. But the Joseph narrative is also compelling in its own right. The author provides insights into the character of Joseph that are often left to the rabbis to fill in through Midrash when it comes to his immediate ancestors.

Many of us are familiar with this story, whether due to having read the Torah narrative, hearing various retellings or through "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" or the animated feature "Joseph, King of Dreams." I too am quite familiar with the narrative, and yet in rereading it tonight something caught my eye that had never drawn my attention before.

In the beginning of the parashah we learn of Jacob's favoritism towards Joseph and how his brothers hated Joseph because of this. Joseph and Jacob are both aware of this, and yet Joseph does not hesitate to tell his brothers of the dreams that clearly imply that they will some day bow down to him.

Not long after this, in Chapter 37, verse 13, Jacob asks Joseph to go out to the fields where his brothers are pasturing the sheep in order to check on them. This is a strange request, since Jacob knew of the brothers' hatred of Joseph. However, even stranger is Joseph's response to his father. After Jacob says "Come, I will send you to them" Joseph responds "Hineni." This literally means, "Here I am," though it is also translated as "I am ready." What is curious about this response is that it is also associated with two key events in the Torah. When God calls to Abraham and then commands him to sacrifice Isaac and when God calls to Moses from the Burning Bush, both men respond "Hineni."

Continue reading.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Vayishlach

Genesis 32:4−36:43

Reconciliation and Change


Rabbi Howard Cohen for Jewish Reconstructionist Communities

As always, it is helpful to read the weekly Torah portion to understand what the rabbis wished to comment on through the haftorah selection. Not surprising, rich and complex Torah portions evoke many responses. Evidence of this is reflected in the fact that, like this week, more than one tradition has emerged for which reading to use.

In Parshat Vayishlah four significant events occur. Esau encounters Yaacov for the first time since they bitterly parted ways years earlier. The text indicates that for, at least Yaacov, there was much concern about this meeting. Yaacov wrestles with an angel in the middle of the night. As a result of this divine encounter his name was changed to Israel and he was wounded in the thigh. Seemingly unrelated to the flow of events, Israel's daughter from Leah daughter, Dinah, has an experience with Shechem, the son of Hamor, the chief of that country. Her interaction with Hamor, usually described as a rape, agitates her brothers into committing a deviously violent revengeful response. Finally, the deaths of Rachel and Isaac are mentioned.

The selection from Hosea is generally concerned with the idea of reconciliation and change. For example we read "...my heart has changed in me. All my pity stirs" (11:8b). The next verse states "I will not act upon my wrath". Throughout this haftorah there is a strong sense of the potential harm and destruction that could be unleashed out of vengeful anger without reconciliation between Esau and Israel. Or, alternatively, these same verses can be read as an admonishment against the violence Israel's sons perpetuated against Hamor's country. The message then from Hosea is reconciliation is better than revenge.

The haftorah from Ovadiah, on the other hand, promotes the opposite position. In this haftorah the reconciliation between Esau and Israel is the back drop for a bitter tirade against the Edomites for their treatment of their brethren at the time of the destruction of the First Temple. The Edomites are direct descendants of Esau (remember Esau is called Edom for his red appearance). Ovadiah succinctly expresses what he believes is the only appropriate response to the Edomites is "as you have done, so shall it be done to you; your deeds shall come back to haunt your" (Ovadiah 1:15)

The prophets were political commentators and agitators. What makes their insights valuable for us today is that though they were speaking about current events of their day they did so in a way that has eternal and universal appeal. Faced with the aftermath of deeply contested election where phrases such as "velvet coup de 'etat", "stolen office", "illegitimate presidency" are flowing freely we must decide whether Hosea's urging for reconciliation or Ovadiah's cry for revenge will rule. Already we are hearing that there will be "revenge" sought in the next round of elections. I can not end optimistically because historically even Jewish communities have preferred the reading from Ovadiah over Hosea. Perhaps the inclination towards Ovadiah's revengeful response is why even the selection from Hosea ends on a negative note, something unusual for a haftorah.



Monday, November 4, 2013

Vayeitzei

Genesis 28:10−32:3

Rabbi Steven Pik-Nathan for Jewish Reconstructionist Communities

Connecting with the Divine



This week's parashat is Va'yetze includes the well-known story of Jacob's dream. After fleeing from his brother Esau, Jacob finds a place to rest and while sleeping he has a dream. In this dream he sees a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. On this ladder angels are ascending and descending; God is "standing" on the ladder. God promises Jacob that he will indeed become a great nation and that his descendants will be blessed. Upon awakening Jacob proclaims that had he realized the awesomeness of the place he would not have gone to sleep for "God was in this place and I did not know it." He then names the place Bet El, the house of God.

I would imagine that if any of us were to have a similar experience we too would proclaim the awesomeness of the place. We might also have wished we had not gone to sleep. Rabbis and Sages throughout the centuries have commented on this story and on Jacob's reaction to his dream. Rabbi Lawrence Kushner wrote a book a number of years ago entitled "God Was in This Place and I, I Did Not Know" (Jewish Lights Publishing). This book focuses on the many interpretations of this single verse. The repetition of the word "I" that Kushner uses in the title is intentional. In the Hebrew if Jacob had simply said 'lo yadati' it would mean, "I didn't know. "The additional use of the word 'anochi' (I) before 'lo yadati' can therefore seem superfluous and be translated as "I, I did not know." However, tradition teaches that no word in the Torah is superfluous and so the Sages try to deduce the meaning of the additional "I."

The great Hassidic master, the Kotzker Rebbe, interprets the first "I" as representing the ego. To paraphrase him, he states that it is Jacob's ego, Jacob's "I", that was unaware of God's presence. Jacob was too focused on himself and his predicament to notice that the Divine was in the place where he was about to lie down. The Kotzker believes that it is the negation of the ego that allows us to truly sense the Divine Presence in our lives.

I believe that there is a core Truth (capital T intended) in this interpretation. In our lives we often become so focused on ourselves that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to recognize the Divine in the world. For God is present everywhere we stand, sit, or lie down, whether rising up or lying down or walking on the way. That is because God is within each and every one of us. As I often state prior to the recitation of the Shema, we feel God's love and God's presence in the love that we receive from others and the love that we give in return. If we are too caught up in our egos and our own petty needs and desires then we are unable to experience the Divine within us and our fellow human beings. If we do not keep the ego in perspective (I don't know if it's really possible - or desirable - to totally negate it) then we can only see ourselves and nothing more. What is even more dangerous is that we may then confuse our egos and ourselves with the Divine that is within us. That turns our proclivity for self-focus into self-worship - and that is dangerous.

So we must try to find a way to pay attention to what is within and around us. We must notice and identify our ego so we can then push it to the side in order to let the spark of the Divine shine through. We can do this through prayer, through mediation, through other forms of worship or through service to the world. We each must find our own way to put ourselves and our lives in perspective and to connect with the Divine. In doing so we can then allow ourselves to realize and truly know that "God is in this Place. "This way we can make every place a Bet El, a House of God, and honestly proclaim, as did Jacob, "ma nora ha'makom ha'zeh," "How awesome is this place."