B'HALOTCHA 5777A
IT KEEPS GIVING
June 8, 2017
14 Sivan 5777
The Mishkan (Desert Tabernacle) was up and running, and it was consecrated in a twelve day celebration. On each of these days a Nasi (head) of each of the twelve tribes brought his tribe's gift. Immediately following this narrative, the Torah records God's command to Aaron, the High Priest, to kindle the majestic candelabrum that had been fashioned for the Mishkan.
Juxtaposing these two events, the Midrash describes Aaron's depression as he realized that the tribe of Levi had not been assigned a day for gift giving. God is depicted as telling Aaron not to be downcast for "your gift is the daily lighting of the candelabrum." Unlike the others, Aaron's gift was not a onetime gift, but one that keeps giving.
The synagogue is the modern counterpart of the Mishkan. Whereas our ancestors worshipped in a portable sanctuary, we are blessed to be in permanent well built and beautifully furnished facilities. Our contemporary sanctuaries have been made possible by the gifts of the modern Nesi'im (plural of Nasi), the men and women who graciously finance our facilities. These gifts, however, once given and happily accepted, are one time occurrences.
The ongoing gift is from the men and women who light the candelabrum, the light, of worship and Torah study. They are the ones whose gift is making our tradition come alive. Through their commitment to teach Torah, they inspire all who enter the Synagogue's sacred space to engage in the holy work of tikkun olam. Theirs is a gift that keeps giving
This teaching can also be applied to our homes. The home, Judaism teaches, has the potential to be aa Mishkan Me'at – a miniature sanctuary. A place where we sense God's presence in our family relationships, in our Shabbat observance and in our commitment to create the cocoon in which Judaism comes alive every day.
When we accept this challenge and understand the significance of this mandate, we convert the brick and mortar of our houses into the homes that are a sanctuary. To the extent that we carry on the sacred work as families, we are descendents of Aaron who lit the candelabrum in the Mishkan. Making our tradition come alive in our homes, is a gift that keeps giving.
Then with the passing of time as our children and grandchildren mature and are inspired to fashion lives that reflect the values and teachings we have imparted to them, the lives they lead are, in a very real sense, our gift that keeps giving and giving.
We all have the possibility of enriching the world in which we live through these gifts that keep giving. May the works of our hands find favor in God's eyes and may they be a blessed gift that continues to enrich others and gives to generation after generation.
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From Newton, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach– a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
NASO 5777
FROM THE LIP AND FROM THE HIP
June 2, 2017
8 Sivan 5777
The haftara (prophetic selection) this Shabbat foretells the birth of Samson. His mother is "visited by an angel" who informs her that from birth he was to be a nazir, and this forbidden to cut his hair that would be the source of his superhuman strength that would enable him to defend of his people. This all came to pass, and Samson did become the scourge of the Philistines that subjugated his tribe (Dan).
We know the rest of the story. His infatuation with the sultry Delilah led him to reveal to her that the secret of his strength was his long locks, and were they be sheared he would be powerless. Once he fell asleep, Delilah cut his hair thereby enabling the Philistines to subdue and then blind him.
The Midrashic take on this story is that Samson violated the commandment not to go astray after his eyes. By succumbing to the temptation of carnal pleasures, he was thus punished with the loss of his sight.
Yet even before the Delilah affair Samson exhibited one serious character flaw: impulsiveness. He often acted without giving thought to the consequences of his deeds, He lacked the capacity to consider the possible consequences of his actions and more often than he failed to restrain himself. This had grave consequences since his people regarded him as their leader.
Currently there is a widespread concern that President Trump's tendency to impulsiveness could be catastrophic when he is confronted with crises, be they at home or abroad…
We delude ourselves, however, when our concern is limited to the behavior of our leaders or other power brokers. All of us have to be more measured in our behavior and in our responses. There is a Yiddish proverb that cautions us "to think before we speak and not to speak everything we think". It's a caveat that a word once uttered cannot be returned to our mouths.
The familiar saying that if it's too good to be true, it's generally not that good warns us against taking the bait that hucksters dangle before our eyes. The old adage that if angered by someone's words or actions, to count to ten before responding is a strategy to curb an impulsive response that we may well regret once we cool off.
The Talmud is clear that we are responsible for our actions and the excuse "I just lost it" does not excuse our behavior.
We are not Samsons. We are not Presidents. We are, however, social beings who are quite often irritated by the acts or comments of others, but we are accountable for or impulsive responses. We must be leery of "shooting from the lip – or the hip."May we be blessed with the wisdom and the restraint to think before we speak and certainly before taking action
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From Newton, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach – a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
