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

Torah Tidbits/ Word From The Rabbi March 2017

Shabbat Thoughts- Parshat Beshalach -5777

Thousands of railroad crossings dot our nation's landscape. Hundreds of millions of passengers travel billions of miles across our nation every year even as billions of dollars worth of goods are transported by freight train. We take for granted the reliable and safe conveyance of people and cargo. Sadly, due to the lack of gates, flashing lights and whistles at many crossings, we lost 264 Americans in 2014 and 244 Americans in 2015 (Federal Railroad Administration). FRA monitors our national rail system, sets safety protocols and inspects equipment. It employs over 1,500 staff and has a budget of $1.6 Billion. We could say that last year the FRA wasted money or we could say that the FRA saved incalculable American lives through regulations, procedures and inspections. 

      I mention the FRA to underscore the fact that many governmental agencies serve critical purposes of which we are unaware. We entrust Congress with the Herculean task of simultaneously funding and evaluating our federal programs; preserving those which are essential and curtailing those which are no longer necessary. Recently, four Congressmen (Matt Gaetz, Barry Loudermilk, Thomas Massie and Steven Palazzo)  co-sponsored H.R. 861 seeking to eliminate the EPA, which is the primary watchdog agency entrusted with the awesome responsibility of safeguarding our air, water and land, ever since President Nixon established it in 1970.

       It is their contention that the EPA wastes money and that state agencies are equipped to protect our national resources. This train of thought is deeply disconcerting. The very nature of pollution (gaseous waste, effluent, contamination of rivers etc.) transcends state boundaries. By definition, states are concerned with their own prurient interests and would not be inclined, especially in times of limited budgets, to expend money, time and effort to remediate problems which are spilling over into neighboring locales. Only a party which is capable of evaluating issues from a larger perspective would be effective in responding to concerns shared by adjoining states, let alone regions of our nation.

        We can all agree that preserving our essentials for life must be maintained for ourselves and for our future generations. How we safeguard finite clean land, air and water while growing our economy and population is certainly a 'head-shaker ' of a question- all the more reason to keep an agency which focuses on preserving resources. Even as industry and consumers continue to pollute there needs to be some arbiter balancing future needs against current practices.

         This week's Torah reading, Parshat Beshallach, also confronts current versus future needs. The Israelites, having fled Egypt and eluded Pharaoh and his army, cross the Sea of Reeds (not Red Sea- mistake in translation) and find themselves in a wilderness.  How they are to provide food and water for themselves and the next generation even as they prepare to enter the Promised land and encounter hostile tribes while (hopefully) conducting daily life in a respectful manner are weighty ’head-shaker’ questions as compelling as those which confront us. For the first time in Israelite history they are responsible for themselves. Since they are no longer enslaved, Egyptian leaders are no longer establishing policy for them. Instead ,Israel has to make its own path through the wilderness, with God’s help and their own reserves of talent and innovation.  Being in charge bears the huge responsibility of making the right choices.

       Just as they are ‘crossing into a new frontier’ we too are ‘crossing into a new frontier’. May we hear God’s voice, a voice which calls us to live a life of justice and self-respect, humility and strength, compassion and determination and most importantly, menschlichkeit.

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Steve Silberman

Torah Tidbits/ Word From The Rabbi February 2017

Shabbat Thoughts- Guitar Shabbat & Candy -making and Havdalah

 Tomorrow we inaugurate our President. We welcome him as a leader of these United States wherein many sense division and discord. Donald Trump has before him many opportunities and challenges; most importantly the task of unifying a nation which sees itself as divided . First and foremost, the challenge before Mr. Trump is to demonstrate respect for individuals and communities that previously felt disrespected and ignored.

       None of us wishes to be ignored. It violates our sense of self. Regardless of our age or social standing we all expect to be respected. It is a human right and it is a basic Jewish value. Every morning we remind ourselves that each and every one of us is created in the image of the Divine. In short, every person deserves to be appreciated and recognized as incomparably precious.

       This upcoming Shabbat we usher in a new reality as we begin to read the second volume of Torah. Its given English name, Exodus, immediately conveys the major theme of the book, but the significance of its Hebrew name is lost to most readers.  Eleh Sh-mote  opens with “these are the names” and slowly and deliberately reminds us of our origins; painting a picture of the significance of every individual by taking the time to include every descendant of Jacob by name on the march into a new future. Certainly every adult son of Jacob was different from every other son. Each merited inclusion. So, too, does every individual and each cohort deserve to be included in a respectful manner as we march towards our shared future. 

        

      The responsibility to respect others is not relegated to one man, no matter the esteem of his office. All of us are obligated to live our lives in the fullness of self-respect and respect of others. May our own individual names stand for the fulfillment of menschlichkeit.

Shabbat Shalom. Rabbi Steve Silberman

Shabbat Thoughts- Parshat Vayigash, 5777

It's January 5 and echoes of “Happy New Year” remain in our ears. Some of us have taken it easy and remained at home and others have vacationed. Who would not enjoy a ski getaway in picturesque Montana ? We all might contact Sherry Spencer to rent a condo in a charming and upscale development. How many of us would refrain from doing business with her because her son Richard, whose National Policy Institute came to light last month when Spencer shouted “hailed Trump”,  saluted in a manner reminiscent of Hitler ? Since Spencer lives part-time in Whitefish and he publicly called for a “minority free Ethno state” and is  assertive of  white pride, the small town of Whitefish has become home to a vocal anti-Semitism as well as a community-based effort to promote human rights ,diversity and tolerance . A gathering promoting “love, not hate “will be held in downtown Whitefish on Saturday, January 7 with refreshments being served remarks being made by local leaders of diverse backgrounds and music shared by local native American talent. People are stepping forward to claim their homes and community as a place of life and friendship. Tragically, people are stepping forward in support of Spencer and of man named Anglin who has established a website named the Daily Stormer.

     Anglin charges that the “criminal Jews of Whitefish and their racketeering cartel“ are “running the town.” He also calls the Montana Human Rights Network and the organizers of Love Lives Here terrorists. He has publicly identified on his website local Jewish people and supporters of Love Lives Here  as well as supportive merchants and requested that readers of the Daily Stormer call these people and these merchants and boycott them and pressure them. Anglin boasts he has made plans to import skinheads from as far away as San Francisco and is planning a march in two week; a march of 200 people with hunting rifles walking through downtown Whitefish ( Montana has liberal open carry laws).

     Local members of LLH and the MHR Network are claiming harassment by readers of the Daily Stormer. Fear is raising a very real head in Whitefish Montana as racists are preparing to step forward against the Jews and their friends who are devoted to maintaining a presence of humanity, respect and openness. These are very real and frightening times!

     This week’s Parsha, known as Vayigash, begins with the Hebrew word "and he stepped forward". Judah  faces off with a masquerading Joseph, seated upon the  Viceroy’s throne. Not knowing with whom he is speaking, Judah challenges Joseph to allow Benjamin to live in freedom and Judah even offers to accept slavery in Benjamin's stead in order that Ben be repatriated to Canaan. Judah must have been terrified but he stood his ground and ultimately, protected his younger brother. We have brothers, right now in Whitefish, standing with us  and protecting us. We must remain vocal, and vigilant.

 Shabbat Shalom,

 Rabbi Steve Silberman

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