Shabbat Thoughts - May G-d be close to you

Each of us responds to illness differently. Some may prefer to have family and friends visit; others may prefer privacy and solitude. For some, attention matters greatly and for others being "worried over” is a nuisance.  Sometimes it is difficult to know whether the care we are offering is seen by the patient as interference or as genuine concern. During stressful times in our lives such as hospitalization, our words and our actions might be misinterpreted. It’s hard for both the patient and for loved ones. We Jews have always prioritized the mitzvah of visiting  the ill. One midrasnhic commentary even teaches that God came to visit Abraham when Abraham was recovering from his Milah (circumcision). 

Have you ever considered that God comes to visit you or your loved ones when ill? How would you process such a perspective? Imagine that God Itself is in your own hospital room and deeply concerned over your well-being. As a patient, what would you say to God from your own hospital bed? As a caregiver, what would you say to God?   

We have all been in hospitals; as visitors or patients- sometime briefly and sometimes for painful and extended stays. Prayer may be one element to incorporate into the hospital visit. Prayer may or may not empirically alter the medical condition of our loved ones but prayer can alter our view of the experience of being hospitalized. Prayer can be a method of opening one heart to another, expressing love and concern.  

Perhaps offer a silent prayer or ask if the patient is inclined to pray. I might suggest words to the effect of:  ‘May God be close to you. May you sense God’s presence as you confront your challenges. May God hear your prayers and grant you strength, patience and courage. May you know that God who created you and the entire world is close by and surrounding you with God’s own embrace. May you be healed. Please know I am keeping you in my prayers .Shalom’.

This week’s Parsha, Tazrai- Metzora, opens with a ceremony which hasn’t been practiced for at least 2,000 years. A woman who newly gives birth is to bring animal sacrifices to the Cohen. I wonder if in some way the ritual is attempting to bridge the divide between the fear of being in a potentially hazardous situation and the relief which comes with the sense that health has improved afterwards.

We have all been in situations where health has been restored and health has declined. There are no guarantees-only opportunities for offering support and kindness. Prayer become one more way of connecting us to each other so we can share strength, love and concern. May we so live.    

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Steve Silberman

Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim -Bemidbar

Torah Tidbits and Haftarah Highlights
By Rabbi Steven Silberman
(All page numbers refer to Etz Hayim)

May 6 - Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim Pages 679 - 685

Tragedy befalls Israel as two of Aaron’s adult sons die. Amidst great fanfare and protocol as
the Tabernacle is about to be dedicated, Aaron is instructed to pause before entering the holy
place. Literally, in moments he is to step forward. Now he must wait. Why?

Haftarat Acharei Mot - Kedoshim Pages 706 - 708

This is the shortest  Haftarah we have!  The first verse speaks of God as being connected to all
nations. The last verses refer specifically to David and the nation of Israel. How do you
understand these verses? Do they conflict?

May 13 - Parshat Emor  - Pages 717 - 721

Standing publicly before the LORD is different than standing privately in the presence of God.
Do you agree? Why does this Parshah delineate how people are to enter or not enter Mishkan
(Tabernacle)?

Haftarat Emor – Pages 735 - 737

Wear proper clothing, keep hair neatly trimmed, marry only suitable wives - what does this have
agree? Why does this Parshah delineate how people are to enter or not enter Mishkan (Tabernacle)?

May 20 - Parshat Behar – Pages 738 - 743

This Torah reading teaches the laws of Shemittah (Sabbatical rest). What does letting the
land lie dormant and unfarmed for a season have to do with freeing indentured servants?

Haftarat Behar - Pages 763 - 765.

Jeremiah lived 700 years after Moses. Perhaps in this time some Israelites were not resting their lands. Read verse 4. It chastises people for ignoring the world’s needs for rest and replenishment. In our time of climate change how do you read this prophetic message?

May 27 - Parshat Bemidbar – Pages 769 - 774

(We begin the fourth volume of Torah.)
The first census is recorded - giving Bamidbar its English name (Numbers). Why is such emphasis
given to the equal reportage of every tribe’s population? Why not summarize?

Haftarat Bemidbar – Pages 787 - 790

The first verse in the Haftarah speaks of numbers and connects us to the Torah reading. The Poet Hosea is less concerned with numbers and more concerned with quality of behavior. What concerns him in the main part of the Haftarah?



A MESSAGE FROM OUR RABBI

The month of May is upon us. Spring is in full bloom. Many of us are celebrating graduations;
Mother’s Day is at hand with Father’s Day around the corner. Some families are already planning
summer holidays and vacations. How can we think about the month of May without remembering the
miracle that has occurred within our own lifetimes?

Literally, the land of Israel has grown up alongside us. Our grandparents remember a time when there
was no Israel; our great-grandparents lived in a world without any possibility of a Jewish state.
May 14 is the anniversary of the establishment of modern Israel. For 1,900 years no Israel existed.
May 14, 1948 testifies to the power of transforming a dream into a reality. Theodore Herzl famously
remarked "If you will it, it is no dream.” David ben Gurion is quoted as saying, “In Israel, in order to
be a realist you must believe in miracles.” As much as we Jewish people see Israel as a
miracle and May 14 as a celebration, there are millions of people throughout the world who
view May 14 as a day of catastrophe. The Arabic word referring to the establishment of Israel is naqba.

Over the past 30 years increasing attention has been given in the public sphere by media sources and by college activists to the imagined catastrophe that took place as a result of a small community of Jews which arose to defend itself against the armed forces of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia (Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict,Martin Gilbert).
While much attention has been given to the plight of Palestinian refugees living in the West
Bank, Gaza, other parts of the Arab world and beyond, little attention has been given to the fact that
800,000 Jewish people were forcibly expelled from numerous Arab nations. To see Israel come into
being was not only to reestablish a Jewish footprint on ancient Israelite sands, but it was to see many
nations expel their own Jewish populations. Jews had lived in Yemen for 2,000 years and in Iran and Iraq for 2,600 years. Those communities no longer exist.

While the local Arab Mandate leadership encouraged its own people to flee during the war which they predicted would undoubtedly eradicate the Jews leaving the Arab peasants much wealthier upon their return, Jewish residents were forcibly evicted from their own homes by their long-time neighbors (Gilbert and others).

The history of modern Israel and modern Palestinian Arabs is far too complicated to address in
even one book, let alone one bulletin article. Certainly, the Jewish heart feels the pain and misery
of all who suffer. We just concluded the holiday of Passover and we removed drops of wine from
our goblets to demonstrate our compassion for all who suffer. On the other hand, to be Jewish also means to defend the rights of Jews to live in a Jewish homeland. This upcoming Israel Independence day (Hebrew date coincides with sundown of May 1 this year), we should take a few minutes to learn more of what Israel contends with both internally and externally. Discuss with your family members and friends the challenges of Israel’s being a Jewish and democratic state. Ask yourself what it means to be a Jewish homeland. How shall Israel which is infused with and suffused by a culture of justice and righteousness address the humanitarian needs of Palestinians-many of whom are interested in only living an ordinary and peaceful life but many of whom are pledged to destroy Israel? Develop a personal view as to how Israel should care for the Palestinians who are essentially captive to Hamas.

Read some articles about modern Israel as she continues to be a world leader in pioneering technology of many different forms. Take pause and ask yourself what the world would be without Israel. We have much to consider as we celebrate.

Shalom.

Rabbi Steve Silberman