Beginning this evening, Temple Emanu-El is honored to host our Scholar in Residence, Rabbi Eli Herscher. It has been years since we have had a Scholar in Residence, and it is a very big deal that we are able to do this.
For decades, Lee and Arlene Katz sponsored our outside scholars, brought in to teach us at a very high level. This year, Norman and Diane Cohen have taken up the torch, and through their largess, have allowed our entire Temple Emanu-El community to benefit.
This relationship of financially supporting higher Jewish scholarship has its roots all the way back to biblical times. In Torah, when the 12 tribes are listed, they are usually listed and assigned a role (or destiny) separately, in chronological birth order. However, there are two tribes that provide a constant exception to this rule: Zebulon and Issachar.
As sons, both of them came from Jacob and Leah, with Issachar being the fifth born child of Jacob, and Zebulon being the sixth (Genesis 30:18-20). However, after their birth, each time that they are listed, their birth order is reversed with the younger Zebulon immediately preceding the older Issachar. Additionally, they are always listed together.
Why?
Throughout Torah, Zebulon (the tribe of) is described as merchants sailing ships and trading. They toil in the mundane, and are very successful. Issachar (the tribe of) is portrayed as intellectuals dedicated to Torah, and spiritually successful through education and scholarship. According to tradition, when Moses was seeking to delegate his role of judge to the Israelite people, he was only able to find men of ‘ability’ in the tribe of Issachar. Midrash holds that the chiefs of the Sanhedrin (Jewish high court) were from Issachar.
The rabbis observe that Zebulon, the merchants, and Issachar, the scholars, are partners. The former supports the latter, and they both share in the ‘credit’ of Torah that Issachar produces. Mind you, their scholarship is not a selfish one, but rather one that raises up the Jewish consciousness of every Jew who engages with them, and the collective spiritual consciousness of the Jewish people.
So…that is what we are doing here, starting tonight and throughout the weekend at Temple Emanu-El. Our congregation, led by Norm and Diane Cohen, are supporting a great scholar, and the best teacher of Judaism that I know, to come to us from Los Angeles, to share his torah with us all.
His overall topic is: Why Judaism? Making Infinite Meaning of our Finite Time.
I’m so looking forward to seeing you tonight at Friday night at services, where Rabbi Herscher will give the sermon on ‘the challenges of being human’, and Shabbat morning for Torah study around Passover and Israel.
May the Torah shine upon us all.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Spike