Many of us remember the wonderful musical "Fiddler On The Roof." One of the very poignant parts of the script was a question towards the end of the play to the village rabbi: "Rabbi, when will the messiah come?" Our troubled world often leaves me thinking that same very same question. At times the world and all of its problems seem overwhelming. We expect the President of the United States to be able to fix everything, and yet truth be told, no one person can fix this broken world. In reading this week's Torah portion, we come across the narrative of Moses sending twelve men to scout out the land of Canaan. According to tradition, Moses chooses these leaders. When they return, ten of the scouts report that though the land is fertile and filled with potential, it is inhabited by Anakim, giants, and the cities are fortified. They report that the Israelites should not attempt to inhabit the land. The two remaining scouts, Caleb and Joshua, say: "The land that we traversed and scouted is … [Read more...]
Keep Cool
Preparing for this coming Shabbat by keeping cool sounds like good advice. Looking at our Torah reading for this week Moses confronts several crises. The Israelites are hot and tired. They have been journeying for over two years since leaving Egypt. The desert is hot and dry. Yes, God has provided the people with Manna to eat, but they are complaining that they miss the "good old days" where meat and fish, fruits and vegetables were plentiful. They have no control over their lives. Often we believe we are in control, but then something happens and we find we are not. As we enter the season of summer travel, perhaps we need to look more carefully at this torah portion. Having recently returned from a trip to Morocco and Spain, I read this sedra with new insight. Karen and I were on a packaged tour. We had no input into our itinerary other than what was published. A five star trip was advertised and indeed our first hotel in Casablanca was lovely. A well-known city, we of course wanted … [Read more...]
Truth, Justice, and Peace
In Pirke Avot, we read that "In a place where no one is acting like a human being, be a human being." My parents of blessed memory taught me that "mentschlikite" is the most important aspect of maturity. Be a mentsch, be honest, do good, have integrity. In our Torah portion this week, we find Moses confronting Pharaoh. But before appearing to Pharaoh, Moses says to God, …"The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech…." Moses doesn't quite understand why he is chosen to lead. A stutterer. He is saying why not pick someone who can sell this idea of freeing the Israelites to Pharaoh? Of course, the Rabbis see the reason Moses is chosen. Moses is a Rodef Tzedek. A pursuer of righteousness. Moses, who kills an Egyptian taskmaster without regard to himself. He sees the evil of slavery before him and takes action. So the question from this weeks Torah portion Va-era which not only tells of Moses confronting Pharaoh but lists the … [Read more...]
