Four Sons – Four Stages

Posted on by Lauren Dube

Four Sons - Four Stages

By Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. – Mark Twain

In years past, I have railed against the four questions of the Passover Haggadah. For example, there aren't four questions, rather just one question: Mah nishtana halayla hazeh – Why is this night different from all other nights? Why those questions when there are so many better questions. I mean, do we really care about dipping? My past obsession over the four questions must now take us to another important point of the Seder experience. A companion section, if you will – The Four Sons. It's easy to link the two: they both share the number four; tradition assigns the reading of the four questions to the youngest child which parallels this section speaking about children. Similar to my inquiry about the real number of questions in the four questions, we shouldn't assume that just because there are four children that we are going to be fielding four questions. We know that isn't the case. In truth, the only four in any of this is the four answers that our sages provide to the four different postures that the children display – Wisdom, Wickedness, Simplicity and Silence. This section of the Haggadah is filled with provocations begging us to delve deeper into what it all means.

The Wise Child: The question that the wise child asks comes directly from the Torah: If your child asks you tomorrow, saying: What are the testimonies, and the decrees and the ordinances that God, our God, commanded you? (Deuteronomy 6:20) In responding to this child, our Haggadah deviates from the answer that our Torah commands us to respond, an answer, by the way, which would have been perfect for our Passover experience (see Deuteronomy 6:21- 25). Instead, our Haggadah instructs us to talk about laws and rituals for the Passover Seder experience.

The Wicked Child: This child also asks a question that is proscribed by the Torah: And it shall be when your children say to you, "What is this service to you? (Exodus 12:26). Once again, the answer that the Torah provides would have been a great answer (see Exodus 12:27). However, our sages from the Haggadah ignore that and decide to berate this child because of perceived obstinacy and arrogance. Unlike the wise child who receives an answer which is taken from the rabbinic wisdom, the wicked child receives an answer from the Torah but from a chapter later: It was because of this that God acted on my behalf when I left Egypt (Exodus 13:8). Interestingly, the arrogance that the wicked child is chastised, using a directional pronoun excluded himself from the miracle of the Exodus ('To you' and not 'to him'), is not that different from the wise child's question, as the wise child's question is also phrased with a directional pronoun – 'commanded you,' rather than include himself. To drive the point home further, the answer from Exodus 13 is truly the exclusionary element and not the questions (on 'my' behalf when 'I' left Egypt.).

The Simple Child: This is the only question and answer taken directly from the Torah complete. No edits or commentary. (Exodus 13:14).

The one who doesn't know how to ask: Since there isn't a question here, the Torah doesn't provide the question text akin to the previous three. But the answer is from the Torah: It was because of this that God acted on my behalf when I left Egypt.(Exodus 13:8) Another interesting twist, as the answer for this child is the same as for the wicked child, minus the harsh commentary.

So what's happening here and how does this speak to our life and challenges today. What guidance do these three questions and four answers give us to navigate the modern plague we are all traversing? For me, these questions and answers aren't stemming from four different individuals, but instead, these are stages of questions and answers which we are all cycling through at this time.

With this COVID-19 pandemic, as with any challenging situation, we started with facts, data and analysis. We watch the reports and listen to the 'experts' as we attempt to understand what is actually approaching. We seek wisdom!

Unfortunately, this quickly gives way to cynicism, arrogance, fear and blame. We started hording toilet paper for some unknown reason and pointing fingers at people still working, making assumption and wielding accusation. We think and act wickedly!

Then we were left in our solitude and quiet, we start asking the simple, basic questions. Why is this happening? When is it going to end? How are we going to survive? We are now down to the most basic level. The questions are simple in structure but whose answers are infinitely more difficult to answer.

And this leaves us with the final stage of our questions – We don't have any more questions. The answers we have received from the past three stages have worn us down and been unfulfilling. And now we are left with no more questions. However, there is an answer! Each and every one of us is hearing the answer loudly but we stopped listening because we gave up questioning. The Haggadah teaches us that when there aren't any more questions, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't still be listening for an answer. In our Haggadah, the answer is… that God did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. This is our answer today! More than ever, we need to walk in God's ways and do what we can for others who can't do for themselves. How so? We are all struggling with isolation. Have we called somebody today? The smartest thing about our smart phone is that they have thousands of phones numbers saved inside of them. Pick any letter in your contacts list, start there and make a phone call or send a text. Say anything! The simple fact that you reached out is what ends the isolation.

We are hearing a lot about safety equipment, or lack thereof. There are articles throughout the internet about how to make face masks from household fabrics. In fact, there are a number of articles about how to make face masks out of kippot. And before you ask, let me give you the answer – YES!!!! You can use the 300 kippot in your kitchen drawer, the ones lifted from all the weddings and B'nai Mitzvah attended over the years, to help save lives. Find the article on the internet, make the masks and give them out to those who need them. Especially the neon colored ones.

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." (Mark Twain.) The way we are going to find ourselves out of this dark situation is to stop waiting for a question to come up and start listening to the answers. We are all made in Betzelem Elohim, in God's image. Do for somebody else, what they can't do for themselves. Redemption is at hand… if we could find the courage to lend a hand to somebody in need.

Tzav Shabbat HaGadol 5780

Posted on by Lauren Dube

Tzav Shabbat HaGadol 5780

L'Shana Hab'ah - The Coming Year

Pesach is a holiday of hope. Our enslaved Israelite ancestors despaired of a better life. Even after Moses appeared on the scene with his assurance that God had sent him to liberate them, the message fell upon deaf ears because "their spirits were crushed by cruel bondage." (Exodus 6:9). Following the tenth plague our liberated ancestors began a journey to the Promised Land where they would live in freedom and peace. Yet all did not go well on the march . Time and again there were new dangers and frustrations: at the Red Sea, with the ever present concern about water and the unchanging diet of manna which they regarded as "miserable food" (Numbers 21:5).

Life's ever present cycle of despair and hope is captured in the startling passage, "In every generation enemies rose up to destroy us, but the Holy One Blessed be He saved us from their hands." It's a stark reminder that life be it for nation or individual, is never a constant flow of happiness and joy. Inevitably failures and setbacks darken every life. Yet we humans are endowed with amazing adaptability to find the will and strength to move from darkness to light.

This year of the Coronavirus plague, the night of Passover will be different. Illness, quarantine, isolation and social distancing dictate that the Seder, the wonderful family reunion of three or four generations seated around the table, will be sorely missed. Many will forge virtual togetherness via Zoom or Skype; others will celebrate with spouses or live ins; and far too many are destined to celebrate a solo Seder.

In this dark and difficult period plagued with illness and death, with isolation and loneliness, with devastating economic impact, may Elijah's Cup with its faith and assurance of tomorrow's better day bless us with the strength and forbearance now demanded of us. L'shana haba'ah, next year and in years to come, may we celebrate our Seders as we have in the past.

From the holy city of Jerusalem my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach a Shabbat of peace and blessing, and Chag Pesach Sameach, a meaningful Pesach celebration.

Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
Senior Rabbinic Scholar

*This Shabbat is called Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath. According to tradition it was on the Shabbat prior to the Exodus that the Israelites were instructed to take a lamb, a symbol of deity to Egyptians, into their homes, in preparation for the Pesach sacrifice, thereby demonstrating faith in God. The haftara, chosen from the writings of the prophet Malachi, makes reference to God sending Elijiah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of redemption. Hence the special name and designation of this Shabbat.

Choose Life

Posted on by Lauren Dube

Choose Life

By Rabbi Neil Sandler

It strikes me as a bit ironic. Amidst all of the constraints on us now – we can't congregate in a group, we can't get too close to the person next to us, we can't travel too far from home – the array of choices we have before us is still considerable… and terribly important.

Those choices largely boil down to responding to this question – What's the most important thing I can do now?

How would you answer that question? Is the most important thing protecting yourself, as much as possible, from becoming infected with the Coronavirus? Is it protecting your closest loved ones? Is it keeping your spirits up? Getting enough sleep and protecting your immune system? Eating in a healthy manner, especially because you are spending much more time at home? What is the most important thing you can do now?

Bari Weiss, opinion staff writer and editor at the New York Times and the author of How to Fight Anti-Semitism, responded to that question in a recent American Jewish University webinar with this pithy sentiment, "Choose life." Ms. Weiss was quoting from the Torah (Deuteronomy 30:19). In two simple words, she captured what is probably the best response we can now offer to the question, "What's the most important thing I can do now?"

Bari Weiss' response in which she shared one of the most significant life-directing statements the Torah offers is a sentiment that should inform our lives now. We are in a moment in which we may feel dislocated from our normal lives, when all around us seems surreal. "Choose life" must be our guidepost, directing most, if not all, of our choices today.

"Choose life" – Take care of yourself, perhaps even better than you usually do. Eat right. Exercise as best and regularly as you can. "Choose life" – Make intelligent decisions to remain physically separated from most people before government officials offer "stay at home" declarations. "Choose life" – Be kind to those with whom you still share space and loving relationships. Stress abounds. Don't let it get the better of you. If that stress leads you to snap at a loved one, stop. Take a deep breath. Apologize and change your demeanor. "Choose life" – Support your loved ones in making intelligent decisions now. "Choose life" – Pay attention to your entire well-being, especially to your own mental health. If you are not feeling "like you," seek the support of a helping professional.

What's the most important thing I can do now? "Choose life… that you and your offspring may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Shame Culture in the Wake of a Pandemic

Posted on by Lauren Dube

Shame Culture in the Wake of a Pandemic: A Jewish Response... and Warning

I'm worried about shaming. It is one aspect of any disease or social disturbance that is last to be addressed and by the time we have the strength to focus on the issue of shaming – to deal with ridicule, gross assumptions, and insidious needs to find blame – it's too late. We are often behind the curve and the damage is done. Unfortunately, we have entered this pandemic with a well-established culture of shaming. Our Jewish tradition knows about the evils of gossip and speaks strongly against it. It has been said that you can know a lot about a culture by the number of different names its language utilizes to describe the nuances of something. When it comes to destructive language, the Jewish culture has nuance: L'shone Harah (gossip; lit: evil speech), Rechilut (speech that causes hate), Motzi Shem Ra (unfounded libelous gossip). These three linguistic concepts emphasize the destructive nature of our tongue. The vocabulary is there because we Jews aren't above wicked speech and the tearing down of one another by the things we share and the words we use. This is my concern within our current situation.

Being both Jewish and American makes our mouths a double threat. Although I think that many countries deal with similar situations, I can only speak about my own homeland. There are countless situations where we blame the victim. When women are sexually assaulted it isn't uncommon to ask about her choice of dress or pry into her past behavior. When young black men are shot by the police or experience violence from authorities, we often wonder what he or she was doing in that place and question his or her behavior. And when epidemics have occurred in our country's past, especially those transmitted through sexual encounter, the American public has been quick to isolate, segregate and ostracize those who are the most vulnerable and in dire need of our love and care.

So here we are: We are watching the rise of cases of the COVID-19 virus. Some of us are self-isolating while others might not have that luxury. Not every job in the country is on salary. Some people work hourly or by commission. We are all navigating this situation and the vast majority of us are doing the best we can to stay safe and keep others safe as well. However, many people are going to get sick and the way we respond is going to be either extremely meaningful if done right, or horribly destructive if done wrong.

The Torah speaks about epidemics. In our weekly reading of our Torah, we just began the book of Leviticus, also known as the Holiness Code. Our Torah speaks openly about tamay and tahor (ritual impurity and purity, respectively). Although many commentators have tried to move around the stigmatic description of our text, trying to avoid categorizing people as pure and impure based on biological circumstance, I will admit it is hard to shake off. The fluid nature (pun intended) of our ritual purity and impurity has much to do with our human cycles, our physical contact to bodily emissions and close contact with the dead. The remedy for one who is tamay, according to our sacred text and rabbinic tradition, is isolation and quarantine. How hard does our Torah and our weekly sacred readings need to tap on our shoulders before we realize that God, in some way, is talking to us, offering direction? Our Torah clearly speaks to our life today.

However, if we end the story there, we fall victim to our predilections towards wicked and destructive speech. Throughout our Torah's discussion of the movement in and out of ritual purity and impurity (a state of being that we ALL are constantly flowing in and out) our Torah continues to fall back on two important requirements. Firstly, there is only ONE person who can make any declaration about a person's state, the nature of his or her status and his or her situation – the Priest. The Cohanim were the ritual, and in some sense, the medical professionals of the time who were charged with making assessments and declarations about a person's physical and spiritual state. In our current situation we should take heed of this important point. Only a medical professional, specifically the one who is guiding and advising his or her patient, should be charged with making any pronouncements about those who are struggling with the COVID-19 illness. Our personal views on a person's choices, the way he or she led his or her life prior to any diagnosis has absolutely no place in our discussion of somebody who is sick and struggling. The only thing we must say to them, and to each other about them, are words of hope, kindness, and inspiration.

Secondly, there is an important moment in the Torah during the cycle of ritual impurity. At some point, the Cohanim makes a pronouncement that a person has transitioned from tamay back to tahor. Just like in our Torah, the pronouncement is left to the priest, and in our case, the medical professionals. We have only one response – joy and gladness for his or her return to community. For those of us in spiritual communal leadership, once we are safely able to gather back together as a community, we must utilize the various tools at our disposal to welcome these individuals back from the life-threatening situation he or she experienced, offering a Torah Aliyah and the blessings of gomel, as an example.

My friends, we are in a time of great fear and anxiety. We don't have a great track record of sharing love and kindness during such times. Our Torah warns us about the evils of L'shone Harah, Rechilut, Motzi Shem Ra. Our Torah is riddled with stories of people making bad decisions when confronted with a scary situation. Our American history has too many examples of blaming the victim for it to be ignored. We must elevate our souls, lift our language and find the ways to speak words of kindness and comfort even in the midst of our concerns, fear and anxiety.

Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal

A Message From Rabbi Sandler

Posted on by Lauren Dube

A Message From Rabbi Sandler

Amidst the physical distancing forced upon us by the Coronavirus pandemic, the number of online learning opportunities within the Jewish community has exploded! If you look at our congregation's website, in addition to finding the Zoom links (who knew what Zoom was a couple of weeks ago?!) to the virtual learning opportunities we are offering nearly every day of the week, you will find a growing list of links to webinars offered by Jewish organizations throughout the country and Israel. Pick any day, and I hope you will find a learning opportunity that interests you.
 
Just yesterday, the Forward (yes, that Forward, known to some as the "Forverts") sponsored a session entitled, "The 11th Plague? Passover in a Pandemic." "The 11th Plague…" that part of the title caught my attention. Ironic, isn't it according to a message that people have forwarded to me which says that Passover will be "canceled" this year due to a plague! Catchy… if incorrect.
 
No, Passover will NOT be canceled this year. But as we begin to think about how very different the holiday, and specifically our Sedarim, will feel this year, maybe it does feel a little "plagued." Maybe this year, in a terrible twist of circumstances, many of us will feel enslaved by restrictions on our movement and ability to travel to loved ones or to welcome them at our Seder tables. We're supposed to feel free!! We're supposed to see ourselves leaving the bondage of Egypt and beginning, with the gift of our new freedom, an uplifting journey toward the Land of Israel! But many of us will be right here, possibly celebrating by ourselves or perhaps with very few loved ones this year. Oh, yes, this year Passover will be different. And the truth is Passover is going to be a struggle.
 
That is why Rabbi Rosenthal and I have begun to think about how we might be able to help you celebrate at your Seder during these challenging times. I recognize the possibility that this year's circumstances may serve to curb your celebration of Passover. I hope that won't be the case. The Coronavirus is already restricting our movement. Why would we unnecessarily hand it a spiritual triumph over us? It's time to start planning our Seder experience, and Rabbi Rosenthal and I want to help you!
 
Yes, we do have some thoughts along those lines already, and we will soon share them with you. But right now, we need YOUR help. What resources would you like for your Seder? Do you need an online Haggadah? Do you need help with leading the Seder because this will be the first time you have led it? Would you like some Seder tunes? Some cute songs? Please help us to support you as you plan for Passover. Please send Rabbi Rosenthal ([email protected]) or me ([email protected]) a note and let us know your thoughts, comments and how we can best help you at your Seder.
 
I wish you and your loved ones well–being during these challenging times. Be smart and be safe!
 
Rabbi Neil Sandler

Losing Pace-Time Is as Dangerous as Losing Face-Time

Posted on by Lauren Dube

Losing Pace-Time Is as Dangerous as Losing Face-Time

The buzz word for our new reality is "social distancing". In order to slow the spread of the virus, COVID-19, we need to reduce contact. By doing this, we are told, our healthcare system shouldn't get overloaded so that when (not if) we contract the Coronavirus, our health care provider will have all the tools at their disposal to treat the illness quickly and get us back to health as soon as possible. Although social distancing is difficult to do, let's be honest, we were all practicing a form of social distancing well before COVID-19. Think about the last time you walked into a Starbucks and actually saw any socializing going on. It's a sea of laptop screens up in everybody's face, headphones or earbuds in and that computer glowing face of people staring into the middle distance. In some ways, our new social distancing is the same thing but with a few more feet between us. In some ways it is amazing that the very same devices that have been keeping us apart, might play a very real role in bringing us together. Our smart phones, our computers, our tablets all hold the key. They are our temporary windows into real and meaningful community. My hope, therefore, is that our societal dependence on technology will provide us with the ability to create meaningful connection. I am, however, concerned about another aspect of these shifts in connectivity that are currently taking place. The disturbance to our routine and the change of pace to our life which can lead to some unhealthy habits.
 
Routine is an important part of a spiritual life. Although I like to think that spontaneity is an admired trait, it really only exists once a routine is established. After all, spontaneity is the break from routine. If one doesn't have a routine, then there is no way to break from it. Judaism relies on routine as the stage on which our ritual, spiritual, and communal life dances upon. All prayer is subscribed to a specific time, and, often, a particular place. We have daily, weekly, monthly and annual rituals which act to ground our bodies so that our souls can rise and commune with the cosmos, the ether, the beyond, and with God. The break from routine makes these important rituals and religious obligations difficult. So, I worry. But not just for the observant and religious within our communities but for all of us. No matter where you fall on the observance spectrum, all human begins rely on routine and when those routines are broken, spiritual disruption, emergence of bad habits and destructive behavior can seep in like rancorous, toxic gas that slowly begins to compromise our sense of self, well-being and purpose.
 
So how do we combat this in this time of disorderly schedules and social distancing? Start by making a schedule. If you wore an outfit for work each day, get dressed and ready for the day. Schedule exercise into your routine. Many gyms are offering free web workouts. So many of our spiritual communities have moved to streaming their services, offering Torah classes via zoom and Facebook. Sign up, put it on your calendar and commit yourself to attending. Pull others into your routine to keep you honest. That's one aspect of our new life pace… but what about the developments of bad habits? How are we combating that? Are you finding yourself eating or drinking more than normal? Reach out to a friend and ask him or her to call or text you once a day for a food/drink count. This way maybe we can keep each other accountable.
 
This is a difficult time and the loss of routine can cause a slow drift away from not only the people we care for but also from ourselves, our values, our self-worth and our spiritual identity.
 
Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal

Mishpatim 5780

Posted on by Lauren Dube

Mishpatim 5780

Whose Ox Has Been Gored

Can justice ever be truly blind? Is equality before the law truly achievable? Is it but a pipe dream to expect those in power to refrain from seeking and acquiring privileged treatment? Is it realistic to disregard the capacity of wealth or power to corrupt even in the most idealistic society?

This week's Torah portion Mishpatim (Laws) defines and articulates our responsibilities to one another. Thus, should my ox gore yours, I am responsible for all damages incurred. It's a logical and essential element of fairness that doesn't depend on whose ox is being gored. Yet the Talmud despite its emphasis upon fairness and justice includes the problematic teaching that when the ox of a Jew gores that of a Gentile, he is not responsible, on the other hand, a Gentile is responsible should his ox gore that of a Jew. In this instance it depends on whose ox has been gored.

This disturbing law undoubtedly reflected the era when Jews and Gentiles lived in separate or segregated communities, each with its own legal system that protected its own oxen. Jews were undoubtedly discriminated in Gentile courts, and in an understandable quid pro quo, Gentiles were discriminated in Jewish ones.

Legal systems, obviously, do not exist in a vacuum; they reflect the values and the realities of their communities. We are fortunate that in our day Jews and Gentiles live in a shared democratic society, governed by the Constitution and the principle that all men are equal and thus entitled to equality before the law. In 1776 a "man" was a white male Protestant property owner. They were the full citizens of the newborn country.

Since the 1776 composition of the inspiring preamble to the Declaration of Independence, the definition of "man" in America has slowly been expanded to include citizens of all religions, rich and poor, people of color and, of course, gender. Our judicial system reflects these shifts and continues to uphold the principle of equality with no individual being above the law. At its best our system makes no distinction as to whose ox has been gored. Sadly however, this basic principle is now openly and brazenly challenged by powerful forces determined to protect their friends, relatives and deputies by thwarting and negating judicial decisions.

To quote Winston Churchill, "Democracy is a poor form of government yet is the best yet devised by man." Its strength is in the mutual acceptance of equality before the law and challenging decisions based upon whose ox has been gored. Remaining blasé about the seriousness of this crisis compromises the cherished democratic ideal that no one regardless of wealth, power or station in life is above the law.

These arbitrary resorts to power will not disappear overnight, and the question is the extent to which our concern of this issue will be a significant factor as we cast our ballots this November.

From the holy city of Jerusalem my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.

Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
Senior Rabbinic Scholar

Tetzaveh 5779

Posted on by Lauren Dube

TETZAVEH 5779

HUMAN FAILURE AND DIVINE GRACIOUSNESS

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

9 Adar 1, 5779

God spoke to the Israelites through Moses; the Israelites spoke to God through Aaron.

These propositions are a prism through which to view the relationship between the previous week's Torah reading and this week's. The theme last Shabbat was God's detailed instruction to Moses to build the mishkan (sanctuary) in which He would "reside" among the people. God was very specific regarding the size of the structure, material to be used and its various units: the special candelabrum, the table for the showbread, and the ark in which the tablets of the Ten Commandments were to be placed. God's willingness to vest His presence in the mishkan and hence among the people was clearly dependent upon their fulfilling the commandments that He revealed through Moses. It was a one-way conversation; God spoke and ordained; the Israelites were to hear and to obey.

The clear implication was that there would be consequences if and when the commandments were neglected. Sin would be punished. Yet God, following the great flood, had already despaired that the inclination to sin had been embedded within us at an early age. (Genesis 8: 21)  It is the possibility of repentance and divine forgiveness that transitions us to this week's Torah portion. It is here that we are first introduced to the kohanim (priests) who ministered to the community and were integral to the process of turning to God for forgiveness. Aaron, Moses' older brother, the designated first kohen gadol (high priest) was vested with the capacity and responsibility to be the People's spokesman before God.

The Torah portion describes Aaron's unique vestments, adorned with precious stones  upon which the names of the tribes were engraved. It concludes with instructions regarding the construction of the sacrificial altar upon which the priest could bring the people's offerings to expiate sins, to implore Divine intervention when faced with crises and to give thanks for blessings in their lives. It was through Aaron and his descendents that the people communicated with God, as the Psalmist assured us in a later era: "God is close to all who call upon Him in truth" (Psalm 145: 18).

As a society we are currently grappling with the appropriate response to prior racially insensitive acts. Are we to regard current acceptable behavior as a form of repentance? This complex question is at the heart of the controversy swirling around Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. He insists that he has scrubbed the blackface paint from his face; others insist that there are still traces of it testifying to lingering racist attitudes. It's obvious that despite the great strides to expunge racism from our society, more than traces of it remain in our midst. The existential question with which we must all grapple is whether our own behavior has sufficiently changed and we can honestly claim that we have truly and fully repented?

—

From the holy city of Jerusalem my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat have peace and blessing.

Rabbi Arnold M Goodman

Terumah 5779

Posted on by Lauren Dube

TERUMAH 5779
HE CONSTRICTS – WE EXPAND

February 7, 2019
2 Adar I, 5779

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts … And let them make me a mishkan (sanctuary) that I may dwell in their midst (Exodus 25:1, 2, 8).

This week's Torah portion focuses upon holy space. It opens with God's command that the people are to bring gifts for the creation of the mishkan "that I may dwell in their midst." The Israelites were charged to create this special space where God would reside in their midst. For this to happen it would require God who has neither body nor form but who nevertheless fills the entire universe with His glory, to constrict Himself to fit into this large earthly structure created in His honor.

The people did bring their gifts and God, in return, did constrict himself to reside in the mishkan. Ultimately the mishkan morphed into the majestic Temple constructed by Solomon and with the destruction of holy temples into synagogues where to this day we, the descendants of the Israelites, strive to experience God's presence. God's withdrawal into Himself enables us to become more acutely aware of His presence in our midst.

Three verses cited in a midrashic teaching describes how His focus on the vulnerable and the needy impacts on the divine human relationship.

In the Torah: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords… He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow" (Deuteronomy 10: 17, 18).

In Isaiah, "For thus says God I dwell in the high and holy place but also with the contrite and humble spirit" (Isaiah 57:15).

In the Psalms: "God rides upon the skies but is also Father of the fatherless and Protector of widows" (Psalms 68:6).

The thrust of this teaching is that God makes His presence known when we, through our actions, affect His concern for those in need. God is perceived as descending from on high and by virtue of our good deeds we enable Him to be a positive force in our midst. God is thus at our side whenever we extend ourselves to visit the sick, comfort the mourners, and engage in acts of tzedakah or righteousness.

Partnering with humanity may be viewed as God's way of demonstrating, "It's not all about Me." His plans and hopes for humanity are best realized as He channels within us that modicum of divine energy thereby enabling us to be there for one another. God thus dwells in our midst when we create venues where through various social justice programs we are inspired and enabled to share in this holy work.

Parenthetically, God's willingness to trim the divine ego is an obvious challenge to the human tendency of aggrandizement whether in the political sphere, in our families or in the workplace.

May we continue to build contemporary mishkans where we partner with God and come to truly sense His presence in our midst.

—

From the holy city of Jerusalem my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat have peace and blessing.

Rabbi Arnold M Goodman