BALAK 5776
WORDS IN OUR MOUTHS?
July 21, 2016
15 Tammuz 5776
Balak … king of Moab … sent messengers to Balaam (a well known Gentile seer) …to put a curse upon this people (the Israelites) … for I know that he whom you bless is blessed and he whom you curse is cursed [Numbers 22, 5,6]
Blaam ultimately accepted Balak's mandate to curse the Children of Israel, but he was clear that he could only articulate the words God placed in his mouth. He thus informed Balak that he was but a puppet whose strings were pulled by God. Yet, despite his protestations that his tongue was hostage to God's will, Balaam does set out to curse the Israelites.
Thus despite the clear warning from God, Balaam apparently believed that he somehow could override it and speak his own mind. In this he typified the individual who. if seemingly convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still. We know, however, that he failed in his effort to bypass God's control.
Balaam, however, wisely covered himself in the event that he could not circumvent God's will;. He thus went on record to Balak that at the end of the day, God was the final arbiter as to what would come out of his mouth. It was God who would place in Balaam's mouth the acceptable parables, prayers and blessings. Balaam thus informed his royal patron that his words had to conform to God's standards. He could only "utter the words that God puts in my mouth." (Numbers 22:38)
Balaam's clearly stated caveat is a challenge to each of us as we strive to come before God with our prayers, our petitions, our longings. For our words to be acceptable to God, they must conform to Divine standards. When and if they do, it is as if we are reciting words He has put in our mouths. The words we utter must flow from God.
The Rabbinic tradition was well aware that the gift of speech is more than the capacity to articulate words; the gift is also in our freedom to decide on its content. Not surprisingly the Rabbis developed the models of prayer that they contended were acceptable to God.
Eliezer, one of the great teachers and scholars of his day, asserted that whoever reduces his/her prayer to keva, his prayer is of no value. He chose the word keva (the Hebrew for fixed or standard) to inveigh against limiting prayer to merely reciting the texts in our siddur (prayer book). He demanded that, at the least, we must append our prayers to the set texts, and he commended those who added their own words to the standardized passages.
For others keva was approaching prayer as a burden. The ideal is to regard it as a privilege and a joy to come before God with our praises, thanksgivings and petitions. Attending Services because we are expected to be there for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or on the High holidays just doesn't cut it. At its best, prayer should inspire and uplift us and never be a drag.
For Abraham Joshua Heschel truly heartfelt prayer makes us worthy of being saved. The Rabbis were well aware of the human propensity to engage in prayer that was self serving and immoral. Heschel reminds us that prayer, should – must – sensitize us to the challenge to treat others as we wish to be treated. Prayer should strengthen our resolve to strive to be ethical men and women. Hence prayers that petition for the harm of others are essentially counter to the teachings of our Tradition and make a mockery of our faith in God.
In the concluding verse of this week's Haftarah, the prophet Micah succinctly stated the challenge before us as we come before God. It has been told thee, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee: to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly before the Lord our God. (Micah 6:8) These timeless words are a clear warning that if we fail this test then even the most magnificent words we place before God are simply unacceptable to Him. The prayers we recite must enlarge our souls and strengthen our commitment to live morally.
May the words from our mouths and the meditations of our hearts indeed be acceptable before God, our Rock and Redeemer
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From the holy city of Jerusalem Rae joins me in wishing you a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach– a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
CHUKKAT 5776
TAINTED POSITIVES AND EXTOLLED NEGATIVES
July 14, 2016
8 Tammuz 5776
He (the kohen) who performed the burning of the red heifer) ….shall be impure until the evening … is for purification *of the impure)… (Numbers 19: 8, 9)
The ashes of the red heifer when poured into a vessel of pure water, were the ingredients of the solution that was sprinkled on a person who was tamay (ritually impure) to render him tahor or pure. The kohen (priest, however,) charged with the responsibility of burning the red heifer and preparing the solution was himself rendered impure. The obvious question posed by the commentators is why the process designed to purify the impure, rendered the pure (the kohen) tamay?
Life is dynamic and there are instances when the positive, even if tainted by the negative, yet has merit and value. The Talmud explores this innate tension in its description of the relationship between two Rabbis of that era: Elisha ben Abuya and his pupil, Rabbi Meir.
Elisha Ben Abuyah is one of the most intriguing Talmud personalities. Even as a child, it was apparent that he was blessed with an agile mind and a prodigious memory. At a young age he was ordained as a Rabbi, and for years, was a colleague of the great Rabbi Akiba.
Elisha's speculative mind, however, led him to question God's ways and these heretical views ultimately led him to renounce not only his Rabbinic calling but also any semblance of a traditional life style. He no longer embraced a life of mitzva; in contemporary parlance he can be described as a "lapsed" Jew.
Rabbi Meir, Elisha's favorite and most famous pupil, was also a leading Talmudic scholar, who was held in high esteem by both his colleagues and students. Yet even after Elisha left the fold, Rabbi Meir continued his relationship with his mentor, urging him to repent and to return to his former ways.
One Shabbat afternoon, as R. Meir was teaching his students, he was told that Elisha was riding past the study hall on his donkey. Despite this flagrant violation of the Shabbat, R. Meir left his students, not only to greet his teacher, but to walk at his side while Elisha remained . on his donkey. In their conversation. R. Meir, implored Elisha to repent, but to no avail.
When R. Meir returned to the study hall, he was challenged to justify this ongoing and respectful relationship with the excommunicated heretic. His response was that the Torah Elisha had imparted to him in the past was eternally valid. He likened it to opening a pomegranate to enjoy its luscious seeds while casting aside its thick exterior.
Meir acknowledged the positive aspects of his relationship, even as he was aware that Elisha was at best a tainted medium. The implication is that it is possible to glean great truths of Torah even from a recognized source of heresy Elisha may have become impure but his Torah, nonetheless who sought to live a "pure" life style.
Another Talmudic observation The Talmud reflects this tension between the positive and the negative. A son feeding his father the best of foods may be censured, while a child placing before his parent a meager meal may be exalted, How so? The former, a well to do child may have fallen into the trap of constantly reminding his father of the high cost of the food he is being fed. The latter,ay have very little, but what he does have he graciously shares with his parent.
This brief teaching is a reminder that the positive may be compromised by the negative, and conversely, what seems to be a negative may actually be a plus. Such is the rhythm of life. Our deeds are to be evaluated in the context of our attitude and our sincerity.
The process of creating the red heifer purification solution is no longer a factor in our lives. Yet the insight that positives can flow from negatives is relevant in our day and in our lives.
May we be blessed by uttering words that heal and engaging in acts that strengthen. May we constantly strive for the capacity and the wisdom to learn from and build on our failures, even as we nurture and preserve the successes that hopefully enhance our live – and in the lives of others.
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From the holy city of Jerusalem Rae joins me in wishing you a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach– a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
