Torah Tidbits and Haftarah Highlights By Rabbi Steven Silberman (All page numbers refer to Etz Hayim)
Nov. 4 - Parshat Vayera - pp. 104 - 112
The famous destruction of Sodom occurs in this Parshah. What happens to Lot’s wife? Why?
Haftarat Vayera - pp. 124 - 126
This Prophetic passage has nothing to do with Sodom. An elderly woman, without children, eventually gives birth to a son. Why do we read this passage on this Shabbat?
Nov. 11 - Parshat Chayei Sarah - pp. 132 - 137
How is Rebekah introduced to us? What demonstrates that she is the right type of person to become a matriarch?
Haftarat Chayei Sarah - pp. 143 - 145
Sarah dies in this Parshah. Why do we read about David and Solomon in the Haftarah?
Nov. 18 - Parshat Toldot - pp. 152 - 158
Old man Isaac requests a special meal from his eldest son, Esau. Do you remember who prepares and serves the meal?
Haftarat Toldot - pp. 163 - 165
“A son should honor his father,” says Malachi in the Haftarah. Malachi is challenging Israel to honor God. Why do you think he mentions Esau and Jacob by name in the opening paragraph?
Nov. 25 - Parshat Vayetzei - pp. 176 - 181
Leah and Rachel are dueling with each other to gain Jacob’s attention and love. Leah has 6 sons and 1 daughter. Rachel has one son (Joseph). What does Joseph’s name mean? Does this meaning add anything to the conflict?
Haftarat Vayetzei - pp.189 - 193
Remember that Jacob flees to Syria in the Parshah. What links the prophecy of Hosea to the Parshah?
Most of you know that my mother is from the Deep South. I was born in North Carolina to a Southern woman married to a New Yorker.Eventually, we moved to Connecticut. There was always a gentle undercurrent of friendly rivalry between the North and the South. Separate from visiting my grandparents though, I never gave any serious thought to southern Jewish history. At an early age, I visited the other Touro synagogue in Rhode Island, saw the famed George Washington letter to the Hebrews with my own eyes and grew up with a bit of a northern bias concerning Jewish heritage. It was not until many years later that my formal studies appropriately broadened my horizons. I learned of the historic Colonial Jewish communities of the South; Charleston,Savannah and Richmond to name a few.
Manette and I moved to Mobile, only to learnthat the Temple was one of the oldest Reform congregations in the USA and the Shul, originated in 1894, has maintained a cemetery, Chevra Kadisha and kosher kitchen for well over a century! Living in Mobile, I have come to understand the importance the Shul plays as a locus of identity for its members. I have learned from you of the storied and multi-layered Jewish history of our community. The South has shaped the life of its Jews even as Jewish life has shaped the life of the South by its many generations, many families, many public servants, communal institutions and devotion to communal, philanthropic and civic affairs. In many ways Jewish people and Southern life are interwoven. We could say that Jewish businesswomen, mayors, legislators, educators, volunteers, professors, merchants, performers, writers, realtors, entrepreneurs, attorneys, judges, parents, children, businessmen, physicians and more have all made Mobile what it is even as Mobile has made us what we are.
In this week’s Parsha, Lech Lecha, our eyes widen with wonder over the beginning of Jewish history. God commands Abram to “Go forth from your land, your birthplace and your father’s household to the land which I will show you.”(Genesis 12:1). Abram is commanded to make his own way in the world as each of us must. To be an adult, we must set out on our own path and differentiate ourselves from our parents. Strikingly, though, God does not nickname or identify the destination which will be suitable for Abram. Abram does that himself as we see from the simple description in the Torah - “ And Abram journeyed towards the South” (Gen.12:9). All of Jewish history, indeed all of Jewish experience, emerge from this migration. Without his leaving Syria and traveling towards the South, we Jewish descendants of Abram would never have collectively heard God’s voice, been in Egypt, stood at Sinai, built two temples, introduced God to the world or originated spoken worship. Thank God for the South! May we all continue upon Abram’s path; each hearing God’s voice personally and moving forward as a result.
Today’s skies were blue. On a day as glorious as this one, it is difficult to remember that two weeks ago we were in the midst of a great storm. Our friends and family throughout the states of Texas and Florida and our neighbors in Puerto Rico suffered greatly from terrifying hurricanes. There is no evidence in our daily Mobile lives of the extremes of water and wind. In fact, we need to actively engage our memories in order to remind ourselves of the exceptional damage done by the storms. We marshaled our prayers and we shared Tzedakah. We all called our loved ones and prayed together, reassuring one another that we are ‘all in this together.’ Today a great storm is threatening the state of Florida and the state of our nation. Richard Spencer, acclaimed as a leader of the ‘alt-right,' spoke on the campus of the University of Florida just a few hours ago. Cloaked in the protective garment of ‘Freedom of speech,' he promotes a message of glorification of people based only upon the happenstance of skin color and the denigration of people because of skin color and place of origin. More frightening than his presence on a college campus is the vocal upswell of support by people affirming the validity of his vulgar and racist chauvinism. Thousands of university students removed themselves from campus today out of fear of potential violence arising from the collapse of social order. Purporting that the broadcast of racist propaganda is one of our most cherished ideals, the expression of free speech, Spencer champions hate and close-mindedness as opposed to openness of thought which majestically arises from the free exchange of constructive ideas. In this week's Parshah we read of a society brought to extinction’s edge by a spread of lawlessness and corruption. Hamas, the Hebrew word for lawlessness, was the the last straw. If murder by a brother, theft of God’s own property ( the fruit from Eden’s tree), lying and shifting of blame did not warrant global destruction then we are left to wonder which types of behavior must have been so wicked that God decided to extinguish the world's population. I can only imagine that the conduct, so reprehensible, must have violated God's expectations of dignity and humanity for all. Despising people merely because of their appearance does come to mind. In this day we, too, are threatened with the most corrupt and vile of all human endeavor;racism and prejudice. Unlike Noah, who was the sole possible lifeline for a beleaguered and threatened humanity, each of us bears the power and responsibility to save humanity by speaking and living properly. We must all passionately reassure each other that we are in this constructive effort together, to build a world and not to tear it apart. Shalom,
We are witnesses to destruction. Theoverwhelming loss from Hurricane Harvey is beyond measure. While the grief is beyond description, already heroes and ordinary people have begun to rescue people in distress and to begin the clean-up, setting in motion the first of the preliminary stages of rebuilding. With flood waters still encroaching upon our friends’homes, individuals are helping to guide the beleaguered communities of Texas, in some way, towards living one more day. Caring action will spread hope throughout the lives of many who are on the edge of despair. Communal support will take root and eventually will counter misery.
How are we to respond to such a catastrophe? Helpless to prevent a monster hurricaneand at a loss for words, I turn to a strange Midrash and find comfort.
An old Jewish commentary on the nature of existence reads as follows:
God created the world and it was beautiful -but it was found wanting. Timeand again God created world after world, each more beautiful than the previous.Yet, still Godfound each world lacking and destroyed it and then resumed creating and ultimately created many worlds { some say 1,000 worlds} and then left off of the destruction and this world is the final in creation. (Genesis Rabbah 3:7 and other sources).
Thiscompelling Midrash does not specify why this world stood out in God's eyes as the pinnacle of all creation but I have an idea. This cryptic text does not elaborate on the contents of the world and I have a sneaking suspicion that there were no people in the prior worlds. This current world, our world, contains peopleand people have the compassion necessary to uplift each other in crisis; thereby making a lasting difference in each other’s lives. Kindness and concern for others differentiated our world to such an extent as toincline God to say “this is the world I shall keep”.
We are the unique ingredient, incomparable amidst all existence, because we can understand each other. True enough, we bear the technical capacity toright a capsized vessel and to rebuild dwellings. More importantly, though, we can empathize with one another and bear the hurt of the heart and the wounds of the spirit of individuals and communities.
And it is this essential component of creation which nothing else in the universe possesses.
May we lend our spirit to all - and our nation will do its part to uplift Texas and each other.
A Message From the Rabbi
Our calendar tells a story. January derives from the
Roman two-headed god Janus, representing the act
of looking forward and backward into time as people
begin a new year. September (7th), October(8th),
November (9th) and December (10th) indicate our
ancient solar calendar contained ten months until
Julius and Augustus Caesar came along and wanted
to be memorialized. Each inserted a month into the
calendar in his own honor and presto – 12 months.
Roman gods (Janus and Mars), practicality in
counting, and human ego underlie our modern
system of record-keeping.
The Hebrew calendar tells a different story.
Torah numbers the months. Passover is so important
that it imbues its month with the stature of being
number one. Because the first month falls in spring
we could read a phrase in Exodus as naming
Passover’s month ‘springtime’. No other months are
named in the Torah. Interestingly, three other
months are mentioned in the Biblical book of Kings
(Etanim, Ziv and Bul). Yet, even though these
names are recorded in Tanakh, they are no longer in
use today.
About 2,600 years ago the Jewish people were
taken captive by Babylonia. After settling in
Babylonia and learning the local language, our
ancestors adopted the names of the Babylonian
months. For them Tishri and Elul were as much part
of their daily experience as February or October are
part of ours.
We are approaching the Jewish year of 5778.
The High Holy days, which usher in a 10-day period
of personal spiritual evaluation, are the pinnacle of
Jewish individual and communal self-scrutiny.
Strikingly, our High Holiday month of Tishri is not
even a Hebrew word. Perhaps the name of the
month does not need to be Jewish. More important
than naming a month a Hebrew word is the
commitment to improve our lives by bringing Jewish
values and principles into our daily experience. May
we so live in the upcoming year.
L’Shanah Tova. May you and your loved ones be
inscribed for a good year.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah. May you be sealed for life
in the coming year.
Torah Tidbits and Haftarah Highlights
Sept. 2 - Parshat Ki Teitzei - pp. 1112- 1123
What does caring for a mother bird have to do with
taking a woman captive during a battle? Torah
demands ethical treatment of all creatures, human
and animal.
Haftarat Ki Teitzei - pp. 1138 - 1139
Why does God promise Israel that God will take
care of Israel using the words ’the waters of Noach’s
flood’ ? Just as there would never be another flood,
so, too, does God reassure Israel that God and Israel
will always be close.
Sept. 9 - Parshat Ki Tavo - pp. 1140 - 1146
If you and I were farmers and we struggled to bring
forth food from the earth, upon a successful harvest
we would probably brag “Look what I did!”
Excitedly we would showcase our produce. Why
does the Torah stipulate that a small portion of the
first fruits be given to the Cohen?
Haftarat Ki Tavo - pp. 1161 - 1163
Imagine naming your neighborhood ‘Success’,
‘Prosperity’ or ‘Achievement’. Imagine a foreign
king or queen volunteers to be your babysitter.
Isaiah proclaims such great light will be glowing
throughout Israel that no home will need
illumination. How would you feel living during this
experience?
Sept. 16 - Parshat Netzavim-Vayelech –
pp. 1165 - 1179
Moses delivers his concluding speech to the
Israelites. If you were Moses what would you
include in your final speech?
Haftarat Netzavim - Vayelech –
pp. 1181 - 1183
To a community beset by war Isaiah promises that
‘you will be wearing clothing of beauty and glory,
splendor and majesty’. He is not speaking of thread
Today I went to the NOLA Jewish Federation website and NY JFNA website both of which have dedicated Harvey funds. Frustratingly, the donate sites have weak encryption as is indicated by the alert triangle which comes up on the URL. The Houston Federation website also has the same vulnerability.
Although the https still reads secure, the alert indicates that due to mixed data being carried over the web, the weakness in the encryption of the images on the site allows for a similar weakness in the transmission of credit card info.
I spoke with an accountant in charge of NY JFNA disbursements on the phone today. I explained my concerns about the website for NY JFNA. She was unaware of the vulnerability.
The St. Louis Federation has a tougher and stronger encryption factor. St. Louis Federation has a dedicated Harvey relief fund. Today I spoke with the Campaign manager and he assured me that 100% of money raised for Harvey would go to Harvey relief. My goal is to send money to Texas. As a donor, I want my donations to be secure and to make a difference.
I am aware that some people would prefer to send money directly to Houston as opposed to other locations. It feels right to send money to the Houston Federation as opposed to some other location. In light of present-day concerns over the hacking of websites I feel it is more important to send money securely to the St. Louis Federation, earmarked for Texas.
I have phone numbers of the St. Louis Federation campaign manager and the accountant at the NY office of JFNA should anyone wish to speak with these people and to ask any additional questions. I would happily discuss the merits of these donations with anyone.
May we all continue to promote Tzedakah and make differences in the lives of people who are suffering.
Shalom.
For a brief moment the shouting, the marching and the melees subsided. For a span of a few hours everyone’s eyes turned heavenwards. Adult and child, teacher and student, professional astronomer and stargazer alike; all that mattered was the exceptional show staged in the heavens above. The rare and breathtaking astronomical event drew our attention away from the narrowness of competing perspectives of people who are incapable of sharing space with others. For two weeks the chaos which erupted throughout and beyond Charlottesville has ignited a controversy- freedom of expression versus Nazism and removal of Confederate memorials versus the elimination of history.
We Americans cherish our most fundamental rights; free speech, free press, free assembly, freedom of faith and freedom to vote. While we enumerate these freedoms as Constitutional rights we can consider them all as one basic right - to freely express ourselves. That too many brave, passionate and dear souls gave their lives in wars too many to count to safeguard our freedoms of expression must never be forgotten or ignored. As many lands, tribes and terror groups hurtle their way towards darkness, I realize daily how blessed we are to live in a land wherein we can freely express our beliefs, opinions and ideas.
Our majestic nation remains the grandest experiment the world has ever known. The test of our republic is the capacity to construct a shared society- in spite of the many vagaries of expressed belief.
Thegreatest question before us is the most complex and challenging of all; how do we foster complete freedom of expression when such expression may contribute to our downfall? Even as fear of immigrants drives some Americans to wall-building, fear of curtailed expression prompts us to ask if our country is open to us ourselves.We have a long road before us; a road upon which we must walk together.
Two good friends, whose opinions I value, respectfully disagreed with part of my comment last week. I decried the march of Neo-Nazis and championed the march by counter-protesters. In my mind’s ear I heard drumbeats of 1938. To witness the hateful expression of obscene racism cloaked in the protections of our flag and Constitution more than deeply offended me. I saw such expressions as threatening the stability of our communal experience. I expressed my opinion that such utter hatred as propounded by Neo-Nazis has no place in America for it would unravel the tapestry of our nation.
Yet, my friends are very right when they point out the precariousness of curtailing any expression. If Madison, Jefferson and Adams had been constrained in their expression there would be no free nation in which we might dwell.
On the other hand, to see counter-protesters pull down a Confederate monument is nearly as frightening as seeing American citizens carrying Nazi banners. Our freedom of expression,which protects the tearing down of historic statues and defames that which is sacred to many Americans, is our very core.
This week, Jews the world over will hear the words of Torah. Parhshat Shofetim calls out to us and proclaims- ‘establish for yourselves judges and officers…justice, justice shall you pursue’. We are instructed to actively pursue justice; bringing it into our world with the inefficient and lofty act of appointing fellow humans to be judges. We must literally run after justice even as we recognize that justice may elude us. Will we be able to walk and run together? Or will we wind up running into each other instead?
Four days ago our nation stopped short, nearly paralyzed, by an act of cosmic beauty which lasted three hours and had no real impact on anyone. Will we ever be able to see the very real acts of beauty, the people who comprise our neighborhoods and occupy our shared earth,who are real enough to have an actual impact in our lives today?
