Nitzavim/Vayelech

It can't be a coincidence that this parasha is read on the Shabbat before Rosh HaShanah every year.  It could not be more closely tied to the concepts that underlie Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.  Let's look at some of the Big Ideas:

Big Idea #1
     Change is challenging

Questions you might want to think about

• What are the changes that are about to occur in the parasha?
• What are the changes that occur in your life at this time of the year?
• What are the changes in the lives of your students?
• How will the Israelites react to their changes?
• How will you react to your changes?
• What do you expect from your students as a reaction to the changes in their lives?

Big Idea #2

     We are responsible for our actions

Questions you might want to think about

• If Moshe has given the people God's instructions for how they are to behave, how do you explain the fact that they disobey those instructions on a regular basis?
• If God knows the people are going to disobey, why doesn't God stop them?
• What does God expect the people to do when they make mistakes?
• Everyone makes mistakes.  Do we always know they are mistakes when we are making them?  What do you do when you realize you have made a mistake?  What does God have to do with this?

Big Idea #3

     We can be responsible for agreements made by others

Questions you might want to think about

• What does it mean when the Torah says,

ט  אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם:  רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם, כֹּל, אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל.	9 All of you are standing today before Adonai your God: your leaders, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel,
י  טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם--וְגֵרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ:  מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ, עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ.	10 your little ones, your wives, and the stranger who lives in your camp, from the woodcarver to the water-drawer;
יא  לְעָבְרְךָ, בִּבְרִית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ--וּבְאָלָתוֹ:  אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, כֹּרֵת עִמְּךָ הַיּוֹם.	11 in order to enter into the brit, the covenant, of Adonai your God--and into God's oath--which Adonai your God makes with you today;
יב  לְמַעַן הָקִים-אֹתְךָ הַיּוֹם לוֹ לְעָם, וְהוּא יִהְיֶה-לְּךָ לֵאלֹהִים--כַּאֲשֶׁר, דִּבֶּר-לָךְ; וְכַאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ, לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב.	12 that God may establish you today as a people, in order to be your God, as God spoke to you, and as God swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
יג  וְלֹא אִתְּכֶם, לְבַדְּכֶם--אָנֹכִי, כֹּרֵת אֶת-הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת, וְאֶת-הָאָלָה, הַזֹּאת.	13 Not only with you do I make this brit and this oath;
יד  כִּי אֶת-אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה, עִמָּנוּ עֹמֵד הַיּוֹם, לִפְנֵי, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ; וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה, עִמָּנוּ הַיּוֹם.	14 but with the person who stands here with us today before Adonai our God, and also with the person who is not here with us today--

• How can God make a covenant, a brit, with people who are not there?
• What are some other agreements that you have to follow even though you were not part of the group that created them?
• What would it mean if you were only responsible for things that you personally agreed to?  How would the world be different?

Big Idea #4

     It's not over until it's over

Questions you might want to think about:  What (root) word do the following phrases from Chapter 30 have in common?  How is this related to this season of the year?

• וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
• וְשָׁב יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת-שְׁבוּתְךָ
• וְשָׁב, וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל-הָעַמִּים
• וְאַתָּה תָשׁוּב וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹל יְהוָה
• כִּי תָשׁוּב אֶל-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ

And finally, here are two interesting commentaries on these parashot that you may enjoy reading:

1. You may remember Dr. Aaron Demsky who many of us were privileged to study with throughout the years.  His commentary explains how it came to be that the Torah was read aloud to the people on a regular basis.  The Command of Assembly
2. I'm not sure how to categorize this next link, but I think you may find it unusual and thought-provoking.  Please read it to the very end (and feel free to share your thoughts).  Urban Parsha Nitzavim/Vayelech

Ki Tavo

BIG IDEA:  The future depends on understanding and acknowledging the past.  We understand who we are as Jews today by understanding what our history was.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK:

• What is our history as Jews?
• How do we know that history?
• How does that history impact the way we understand our community today?
• How does our history affect the way in which we understand the broader community in which we live?

Near the beginning of this week's parasha there is a passage that probably sounds familiar:

ה  וְעָנִיתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי, וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה, וַיָּגָר שָׁם בִּמְתֵי מְעָט; וַיְהִי-שָׁם, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל עָצוּם וָרָב.	5 And you shall speak and say before the LORD your God: 'A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
ו  וַיָּרֵעוּ אֹתָנוּ הַמִּצְרִים, וַיְעַנּוּנוּ; וַיִּתְּנוּ עָלֵינוּ, עֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה.	6 And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage.
ז  וַנִּצְעַק, אֶל-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ; וַיִּשְׁמַע יְהוָה אֶת-קֹלֵנוּ, וַיַּרְא אֶת-עָנְיֵנוּ וְאֶת-עֲמָלֵנוּ וְאֶת-לַחֲצֵנוּ.	7 And we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression.
ח  וַיּוֹצִאֵנוּ יְהוָה, מִמִּצְרַיִם, בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה, וּבְמֹרָא גָּדֹל--וּבְאֹתוֹת, וּבְמֹפְתִים.	8 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders.

Where have you seen this passage?  (If you are not sure, go to this link at JewishFreeware and read beginning on page 30)

Why do you think reciting this passage is part of this particular event?  (I'm not saying what event - you should have found the answer from the link above)

There is a new children's book, Ruth and The Green Book and a new play, by the same author, entitled The Green Book.

• What is The Green Book?
• What is the connection between the book and the play?
• What is the Jewish connection?
• What do you think a young African-American in America might learn from reading this story?
• What do you think a young person who is not African-American might learn?
• What connection can you make between The Green Book and the Haggadah?

BIG IDEA:  It is often a bigger challenge to behave correctly in secret than in public.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK:

• What are some reasons to behave correctly in public, when there are other people watching and listening?
• Are the reasons the same when you are in private?  Explain your answer.
• Which is more of a challenge - public behavior or private?  Why?

Read the following passage:

טו  אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה פֶסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה תּוֹעֲבַת יְהוָה, מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי חָרָשׁ--וְשָׂם בַּסָּתֶר; וְעָנוּ כָל-הָעָם וְאָמְרוּ, אָמֵן.  {ס}	15 Cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination before ADONAI, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say: Amen. {S}
טז  אָרוּר, מַקְלֶה אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	16 Cursed is the person who dishonours his father or his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
יז  אָרוּר, מַסִּיג גְּבוּל רֵעֵהוּ; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	17 Cursed is the person who moves his neighbor's landmark. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
יח  אָרוּר, מַשְׁגֶּה עִוֵּר בַּדָּרֶךְ; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	18 Cursed is the person who misleads the blind. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
יט  אָרוּר, מַטֶּה מִשְׁפַּט גֵּר-יָתוֹם--וְאַלְמָנָה; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.	19 Cursed is the person who perverts the justice due to the stranger, orphan, and widow. And all the people shall say: Amen.
כ  אָרוּר, שֹׁכֵב עִם-אֵשֶׁת אָבִיו--כִּי גִלָּה, כְּנַף אָבִיו; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	20 Cursed is the person who lies with his father's wife; because he has uncovered his father's skirt. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
כא  אָרוּר, שֹׁכֵב עִם-כָּל-בְּהֵמָה; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	21 Cursed is the person who lies with any animal. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
כב  אָרוּר, שֹׁכֵב עִם-אֲחֹתוֹ--בַּת-אָבִיו, אוֹ בַת-אִמּוֹ; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	22 Cursed is the person who lies with his sister, either the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
כג  אָרוּר, שֹׁכֵב עִם-חֹתַנְתּוֹ; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	23 Cursed is the person who lies with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
כד  אָרוּר, מַכֵּה רֵעֵהוּ בַּסָּתֶר; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	24 Cursed is the person who hits his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
כה  אָרוּר לֹקֵחַ שֹׁחַד, לְהַכּוֹת נֶפֶשׁ דָּם נָקִי; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {ס}	25 Cursed is the person who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say: Amen. {S}
כו  אָרוּר, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָקִים אֶת-דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה-הַזֹּאת--לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָם; וְאָמַר כָּל-הָעָם, אָמֵן.  {פ}	26 Cursed is the person who doesn't accept the words of this law to obey them. And all the people shall say: Amen.' {P}

According to the commentaries, all these things are things done in private.  Therefore, there are no witnesses to report the behavior.

• Why do you think the text specifically mentions these things?
• Are you more likely to behave publicly or privately?  Explain why.
• You might say that what you do in private is nobody else's business.  Besides being done in private, with no witnesses, they have something else in common.  Can you figure out what it is?  If you can, you may want to leave a comment on the blog.

Samson Raphael Hirsch, an important Jewish thinker, believed that this particular passage had another, perhaps deeper meaning:

"All blessing is denied to him who outwardly plays the pious man devoted to God but in secret denies the exclusive existence of One God and His rule; who outwardly is respectful to his parents but inwardly considers himself vastly superior to them; who in the eyes of men preserves the reputation of an honest man but, where it is unobserved, does not hesitate to injure the rights of his neighbor to his own advantage; who is full of enthusiasm for the welfare of his neighbors, in the presence of clever and intelligent people, but pushes short-sighted and blind people into misfortune; who grovels before the powerful but denies the weak and helpless their rights; pretends to be a highly respectable member of society, to wallow in sexual licentiousness in intimate privacy (verses 20-23); who does not dig a dagger into his neighbor but, under the cloak of conversation, murders his happiness, his peace, and his honor; who enjoys the highest confidence in his community but misuses it in secret corruption; finally, also one who, even if he lives correctly and dutifully for himself, still looks with indifference on the abandonment of the duties of the Torah in his immediate and wider circles."  (p 1519, The Torah, A Modern Commentary, W. Gunther Plaut)

• What is Hirsch talking about?
• How is this important? 

Ki Taytzey

The Wall Street Journal had an article in this past weekend's edition entitled The Power Trip, written by Jonah Lehrer, about power and how it affects the ways in which people behave.
Please re-read last year's post about Ki Taytzay and think about what it says concerning power, lack of power, and the restrictions that can and should be placed on power.

Some things to think about:

• Last week we read that a king of Israel, if there is to be one, should have a copy of the Torah in his possession at all times during his reign.  How is this related to this week's parasha?
• Many of the most disturbing passages in this parasha prescribe punishment for certain acts that seem to us to be out of proportion to the acts themselves (like stoning a 'stubborn and rebellious child').  The rabbis of the Talmud and since have explained that such punishments never were used and never will be. (If you want to read a translation of the original text in the tractate Sanhedrin, go to this site and read folios 68 - 71) If this is the case, why was the Torah written as it was?  How do we answer those who say that the God of the Tanach, the God of the Jews, is a vengeful God?
• Some of the mitzvot in this week's parasha are easy to understand - they make sense to us as moral.  Others appear arbitrary and without justification.  Pick one mitzvah which makes sense to you and explain 
• How do you understand this mitzvah?   
• How do you explain it to people who wonder about it?
• What do you think about it in today's world?
• Pick another mitzvah which seems arbitrary - that doesn't seem to have any moral basis.  Try to answer the same three questions as above.  Can you do it?  If you can, fine.  If you can't, what does that mean for how you understand Torah?

Shoftim

Big Idea:  Impartial justice is an important value in the Torah


The first two verses of this parasha explain how judges are to be selected and how they are to judge - they are not to show favoritism, they are to be righteous themselves so they judge justly, they are not to take bribes.  And then, in verse 20, one of the most quoted phrases in the Torah:

Tzedek tzedek tirdof

Justice, justice shall you pursue

According to Rashi, this is a commandment to 'seek out a good court', and, if we read the rest of the verse, this is so "that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you."

Impartial justice is clearly important in the Torah.  We already read in Leviticus 19:15:

'Do not pervert justice; 

do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, 

but judge your neighbor fairly

Elena Kagan was just confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States.  During the hearings which preceded her confirmation she was asked many questions.  A number of articles suggested questions she might have been asked.

• The Heritage Foundation suggested these
• The Christian Science Monitor proposed these
• Ralph Nader had these
• The American Humanist Association asked these questions

At the Learning Blog of the NYTimes there is a list of the questions about her confirmation hearings.  They are based on the related article here which describes some of the things she actually said.

An interesting article in Tablet Magazine by David Sarna examines Kagan's answers from the perspective of Jewish attitudes toward justice, particularly the use of precedent.  

If you were on the committee considering Elena Kagan for Justice of the Supreme Court, what questions would you have asked her based on what you learned in this week's Torah portion?

Big Idea:  We all have an obligation to preserve the natural world.  This concept is known in Hebrew as "Bal Tashchit"

Verse 19 in chapter 20 reads as follows:

When you besiege a city a long time in order to conquer it, don't destroy the trees by cutting them down, You can eat the fruit from them, but don't cut them down, 'ki ha-adam etz hasadeh, lavo mipanecha bamatzor'.

The phrase ki ha-adam etz hasadeh... is usually translated as a question:  Is the tree of the field 'man' who should be beseiged by you?  But some prefer to look at it differently, as you can read here in a lesson from Nechama Leibowitz.

You might also be interested in reading an article about weddings that discusses this issue (well, it doesn't exactly say Bal Tashchit, but you'll see the connection when you read it 

Re'eh

It seems that this week's parasha is focused on making sure that the Israelites behave differently once they enter the land that has been promised to them, giving up some of the autonomy they have had in the desert. One of the most important issues, judging from the emphasis it is given, is the centralization of worship.  In the context of the times, this means sacrifices will have to be limited to the central location yet-to-be-named, under the supervision of the priests in that place, and according to the exact specifications set out in the text.
If this is a correct interpretation, there are some questions I would like to ask:

• Is this centralization of practice only mandatory within the limits of the land of Israel?  Are those living outside still entitled according to this text to have differences of practice among, within and between groups of Jews?
• Does this text support the control of Jewish practice within Israel by a single rabbinic authority?  If the answer is yes, then whose responsibility is it to determine which authority shall be in charge?
• Is there consideration to those who may at one time in their lives be within the land and at other times outside?
• Did the destruction of the two Temples erase this requirement of centralization?
• In the world in which we live today is it possible or desirable to have only one way to be Jewish?
• And the age-old question, which can be asked about anything:  Is it good for the Jews?  Or is it bad for the Jews?

Here are a couple of articles which discuss this issue.  

• From 10 Minutes of Torah, these from Rabbis Perlin and Cohen
• Keep Dreaming, When Chelsea Wed Marc, a post by David Breakstone, compares his own family's experience with that of Chelsea Clinton and her new husband Marc Mezvinsky.  You may also be interested in reading the comments on this article.

Ekev

As is so often the case, there are phrases and passages in this week's parasha that make me smile, and some that make me cringe.  And as always there is the problem of being satisfied with those sentiments that reflect my own attitudes while wanting to 'wish away' the ones that particularly violate my 21st century sensibilities!

This week, it being after Tisha b'Av, leading up to Shabbat Nachamu, I think I'll take the easy way out and focus on what is easy for me to agree with.  So here we go:

The parasha begins with chapter 7, verse 12 in the book of Devarim, and is pretty upbeat.  If you (plural) do what God wants you (singular) to do, all will be good  for you (singular, so I guess it means each and every one of you).  But wait - does that mean that everyone must do the right thing for the individuals in the group to be OK?

And another thing - if God is the only God of the entire world, then I would expect a little compassion for those who do not acknowledge God.  Instead, I read there will be complete destruction of those other people.

Let's continue with chapter 8.  In verse 3 we are reminded that God provided manna, and while we are not positive what that was, there are some chefs these days who believe they know, and who are serving it in their restaurants!  There are also those who believe it was bird poop, but the chefs' opinions are way more appetizing.

Verse 10 makes me smile - because it reminds me of a group of people sitting at the table after a meal and singing together as they thank God for their food.  This time of year I particularly imagine the dining hall at a Jewish camp where this singing is loud and enthusiastic.  Hooray for Jewish camping!  I also like this commentary by Rabbi Ranon Teller which splits the three verbs (eat, be satisfied, and bless God) into three separate mitzvot - I like to think that God is actually commanding me to eat until I am full.

Moshe certainly takes the time to remind the people of everything he has done for them - particularly when God was angry with them.  

And in chapter 11, verses 13 - 21, we have the text that has become the second paragraph of the Shma prayer as it has always appeared in traditional siddurim and which has been added in the newest Reform prayerbook.  I have heard some people say this is their favorite prayer, because it makes it clear what they must do in order to be rewarded by God.  Others are troubled by what they consider the simplistic lesson of the section, since it is obvious that not everyone who does what God wants has good outcomes.  This is the fundamental challenge known as theodicy - the existence of evil in a world ruled by a God who is all-powerful and good.  Rachel Barenblat, known as the Velveteen Rabbi, has a good treatment of this problem here at her blog.

The text mentions listening and hearing a number of times.  I'm reading a book now, The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein, in which the narrator is a dog - and the dog makes the comment that he is good at listening - in contrast to humans who hear every story as an opportunity to tell their own tales rather than really listening to what is being said.  Perhaps there is some relationship to the passage "va-y'he im shamoa tish-m-u".  Here is a commentary about listening from Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner.

Finally, (and even though I'm trying hard to make a connection it seems totally unrelated to anything in this parasha,) I would like to share an article by Rabbi Levi Cooper about cucumbers.  It's that time of year, and cucumbers are very much on my mind (as they ripen incessantly in my garden).

Ve'Etchanan

There are some really familiar passages in this week's parasha.
Here are some verses you may recognize, possibly in English, possibly in Hebrew.  Find them and read them:

• 4:44
• 5:6 - 18
• 6:4 - 9
• 6:20 - 21

Where have you heard them before?

How does seeing them in the context of the Torah affect the way in which you understand them?

Think about the fact that this parasha comes right after Tisha b'Av every year.

• Do you think this is merely a coincidence?  Explain your answer.
• If you read the parasha with Tisha b'Av in mind, does anything change for you?  Explain why or why not.
• What do you think was in the minds of Jews reading this parasha in the time of the Second Temple?  ...right after the expulsion from Spain?  ...in Europe during the Middle Ages?  ...during the Shoah?  ...in Israel in 1948, after the War of Independence?  ...in 1967, right after the Six Day War?
• What are you thinking about this parasha this week?  Why?

Devarim, the Book and the Parasha

If your students don't attend a Jewish summer camp that includes study, will they ever encounter the book of Devarim?  It may be that they will study certain portions that include well-known prayers, like the Shma in next week's parasha.  Or it may be that this book will remain unread and unstudied.  Too bad, because there's some good stuff in it.

Let's start with an overview of the book, and then use the close-up lens to focus on this week's parasha.

A helpful way to begin to think about the book as a whole is with this article from URJ, Destination: Devarim.  You may also want to look at the G-dcast video on Devarim.

• What are the lenses through which you can look at the book of Devarim?
• Which perspective is most comfortable for you?  Explain why.
• Is it important to use more than one point of view when studying something?  Explain your answer.

Now let's use the magnifying lens and focus only on this week's parasha.

• Moshe doesn't repeat the stories in this parasha exactly as they were related earlier.  Why do you think this is so?
• Using the principles of Backward Design, we would imagine that Moshe had a Big Idea, an Enduring Understanding, something the people would remember long after they had forgotten the details of the story he is retelling.  What do you think his Big Idea was?
• If you were introducing this book of the Torah, what would your big ideas be
• If you were living in the time of Moshe?
• If you were living in the land of Israel before the Babylonian exile?
• If you were living in Israel today?
• If you were living outside of the land of Israel?

Matott-Massey

One of the issues in this week's double parasha concerns the decision of two and a half tribes of Israel to live outside the borders of Eretz Yisrael - the Land of Israel.  The relationship between those Jews who choose to live inside and those who choose to live outside has been a complicated one.
David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of the newly-created country of Israel believed that once Israel became independent all the Jews from all over the world would enthusiastically come to live there.  That has not happened, although there certainly has been significant aliyah over the past 62 years.

In fact, the Jewish Agency, originally focused almost exclusively on encouraging aliyah, as you can read at this section of their website has recently refocused its energy, as you can read here, toward building Jewish identity and peoplehood among the Jews of the world.

• Is the decision the two and a half tribes made to live outside the borders of Israel a problem for those who settled inside?  Why or why not?
• How does living outside Israel affect Jewish identity?
• How does living inside Israel affect Jewish identity?
• Is Jewish identity the same as Israeli identity?
• What is your answer when people ask your identity?
• How is your answer important?
• In today's world, would you rather be known as "Jewish" or "Israeli"?  Explain your answer.
• What would you expect to hear if you asked an Israeli Jew about his/her identity?
• What if you asked an Israeli Arab?  Would you hear the same thing?  Different?  Why?
• Why do you think the Jewish Agency has changed its mission?  You can read the entire strategic plan here or read an article about it that highlights its main points here

Finally, I challenge you to think about what Jewish identity means in the world today - in your world, in the world of your children, your parents, your teachers, your students, your particular Jewish community, in the Jewish community as a whole.  

My friends know I believe that in today's world Every Jew is a Jew By Choice, since identity - at least in a free society such as we have in the United States - is largely self-defined.  What are we doing to encourage the Jews we know to identify as such in our world?

Pinchas

Three years ago in our study group we constructed a number of big ideas for Parshat Pinchas, as we did for every other parasha we studied together.  One of the big ideas was:

You can find support for almost anything in the Torah if you are looking for it.

What are some of the ideas we can find this parasha?

1. Extreme action can be warranted in extreme circumstances (Pinchas is rewarded for killing a couple engaged in illicit relations)
2. Women have the same rights as men (the daughters of Tzelophehad are permitted to inherit their father's land)
3. Leadership is an earned position, and can be withdrawn if the leader does something sufficiently wrong (Moshe will not lead the people into the land of Israel because of his actions at Meribah)

Yet each of these ideas presents challenges to us

1. Is zealotry a positive attribute?
2. Are the laws of inheritance as described in this parasha really as non-sexist as we would like to believe?
3. If a leader is doing a good job on the whole, should a mistake cause him or her to lose his/her position?

Questions to think about:

1. What do we say to the terrorist who believes s/he is acting on God's behalf?
2. Is it intellectually honest to interpret Torah through the lens of modern thought?
3. What kind of mistakes justify/necessitate removing a leader from office?

Issues that challenge us today:

1. How do we respond to violent extremism?
2. How can we reconcile differences between liberal and conservative religious thinking?
3. How does the media change the way in which we view leaders?

Finally, here are the current issues that this parasha made me think of:

1. 'Inglorious Basterds', the Quentin Tarantino movie about revenge against the Nazis has been discussed widely in the Jewish community.  Here is one article about a showing at the Museum of Jewish Heritage
2. This article - Jew vs. Jew - is on an interesting site called Kehillah, Jewish Outreach Media Campaign.  I don't know if the site is active, but it has some interesting articles.
3. David Brooks' article on June 24 about the media effect on the world is as usual provocative and articulate.   He speaks specifically about the Generals McChrystal and Petraeus in Afghanistan, but his thoughts concern broader issues of exposure and accountability.

How about you?  What do YOU think?

Balak

... otherwise known as "The Talking Donkey and What She Saw"

This really seems out of place - more Disney than Torah, not to say that Disney doesn't sometimes have important ideas to present (just saw Toy Story 3 with my grandson, and was it ever a powerful story about what is really important, loyalty, growing up, and other good stuff)
So this fellow and his donkey are on their way to curse the Israelites, having been paid for doing so by a local king.  Only it doesn't happen the way the king thought it would.  And it's not that he didn't try - he offered money, sacrifices, changes of location - nothing worked.  Instead of cursing the Israelites, Balaam blesses them.  And he does so with words that are familiar to many of us - "Mah tovu ohalecha Ya'akov"
There are many lenses through which to read these words:

1. In what way is your 'tent' good?  Here is a commentary that may provide some perspective
2. In what way is your 'tent' welcoming?  Here is what Rabbi Karen Citron understands the words to mean
3. Does it matter who is admiring your 'tent'?  Rabbi Mindy Avra Portnoy points out the hesitancy some have when words of support come from the 'other'.
4. Eizehu asheer?  Hasameach b'chelko.  This quotation from Pirkei Avot teaches that the rich person is the one who is happy with what he or she has.  Another way of saying the same thing:  The successful person gets what s/he wants.  The happy person wants what s/he has.  What's the difference?

Some Questions to Think About:

• How can we decide what we should be proudest of in our lives?  Is it possible in today's world to continue to value the 'good' over the 'plenty'?
• How inclusive do we want our community to be?  How exclusive?  How can we balance our separate identity within a society that seems to want us to all be similar?
• What is the appropriate reaction when someone we might consider an 'enemy' speaks words of praise?

Korach

As Yogi Berra is reputed to have said,  "This is like deja vu all over again!"

People complain, God gets angry, people are punished.

But this feels a little different - and in light of the current situation please allow me to suggest some alternative perspectives on this parasha:

• Korach is absolutely wrong.  He is questioning God's choice of Moshe as the leader of the people and of Aharon as the high priest.  In questioning their authority he and his supporters are questioning God.  This is expressed in most of the writings of the ancient commentators, and appears to be the mainstream way of understanding this rebellion.  You can read some articles supporting this view here at Kolel.org, 5760 and here at UTJ, the Union for Traditional Judaism

• Korach is reflecting a popular movement in questioning the authority of Moshe and Aharon.  After all, he is from the tribe of Levi, as they are, and believes that he has as much a right as his cousins do to serve God in the tabernacle.  In fact, Korach may be more like us today, living in a democracy, than the other players in the story.  Please read this commentary by Rabbi Mark Greenspan, of the Oceanside Jewish Center which examines this thought

• Korach may have believed he was justified in his complaint to Moshe and Aharon, but should have understood why he was really wrong.  This commentary from a student rabbi explains why

Today there are many ways of questioning authority - with differing motivations and multiple outcomes. If we use the story of Korach as a trigger for discussing this issue, here are a few questions we might want to think about:

1. How is it possible to know the motives of political and religious leaders?
2. How can we try to understand the motives of those who question these leaders?
3. What if we agree the question should be asked but disagree with what we believe is the motivation for asking it?
4. How do these questions relate to the way in which we understand the world around us?
5. How can we learn to use critical thinking skills to look at multiple viewpoints when we hold strong personal opinions?

Shelach Lecha

Having just returned from two weeks in Israel, it feels like a wonderful coincidence that this week's parasha tells the story of the 12 spies sent to survey the land.  Here are two of the places we "spied out" on this recent visit.


Ir David, the City of David, is the site of the original city of Jerusalem in the days King David conquered it from the Jebusites.  Over the past 20+ years it has been excavated and examined quite thoroughly.  One can imagine what it was like in the time of King David.  To take a virtual tour, go to the website here.


Gush Etzion is an area near Jerusalem, on the way to Beit-Lechem.  Modern Jewish settlement here dates from the 1920's, when land was purchased from local Arabs and settled by Jews from Yemen.  Destroyed more than once, as you can read at this site, this area is considered by most people to be a permanent part of the modern country of Israel.


Efrat, one of the towns in Gush Etzion, is a beautiful place.  You can read about it here at the website of Ohr Torah Stone, the educational institution founded by Rav Shlomo Riskin, formerly of New York City's Lincoln Square Synagogue and since 1983 the inspirational chief rabbi of Efrat.  During our recent visit one could imagine it had always been there - and yet we were told by our host that until the early 1980's the land on the top of its hills was filled with rocks rather than with homes, trees and flowers.  In fact, he related, it was a full two years after the current resettlement began that birds began to appear, realizing that the formerly barren earth was now welcoming.

Reading the Torah portion this week can be a reminder that Jews coming to live in the land of Israel have always faced obstacles, both real and perceived.  Whether to live there or not may be an individual choice, but no matter our personal decision we all have the privilege and obligation to support Israel.

Today's media are filled with discussions of the weakening connection of American Jews - particularly young American Jews - to Israel.

• Is Israel perfect?
• Is any country perfect?
• Is Israel a target of criticism far out of proportion to its actions?
• Is there diversity of political opinion within Israel?
• Can one criticize Israel's actions while still supporting her?
• As Jewish educators what should we be teaching about Israel?
• How can what we teach encourage emotional engagement with Israel?  

Here is the article by Peter Beinart about the loss of liberal support for Israel.
Here is a response by Benjamin Kerstein
I suggest you read both articles.

B'Midbar

The first portion of the fourth book of the Torah begins with a census.  Every tribe except the tribe of Levi is counted - men only, from age 20 and up - apparently to find out how many potential soldiers were available to fight against enemies.
Later on in the parasha the men in the tribe of Levi are counted - not as potential soldiers, but for serving God.

1. This year we are participating in a census in the United States.  Do your students know about this?  Who is being counted?
2. What is the purpose of our census?  Compare and contrast to the purpose of the census in B'Midbar.
3. What is your reaction to the fact that only men were counted in the B'Midbar census?

We learned a while ago that since God saved all the first-born of the Jews in Egypt, from then on all first-born are supposed to be dedicated to working directly for God.  Now we hear that the Levites will replace the first-born sons, but there's a problem:  there are more first-born sons than there are Levites.

1. What solutions can you think of?
2. What solution is in the Torah?
3. How is this related to the ceremony we know as Pidyon HaBen?
4. When you read the Torah with today's eyes and minds it is often troubling.  Only men count?  Fathers are important but not mothers?  Here is a commentary from The Torah:  A Women's Commentary that helps us understand from a more contemporary perspective what the portion is about.

There is a very precise description of the way in which the tribes set camp in the desert.  You can see a picture here as well as an interesting commentary on why each tribe was in a particular place.

You might also enjoy reading this blogpost which questions the numbers of people in the Israelite camp in the desert.  One explanation in Torah, A Modern Commentary, by Gunther Plaut, suggests that the Hebrew word 'elef' which we understand to mean 'thousand' may have had a different meaning when used in the Torah.

B'Har/B'Hukotai

This Shabbat we read together the last two parshiyot of the book of VaYikrah - Leviticus.  This book has been filled with laws - laws about sacrifices, about agriculture, about kashrut, about interpersonal behaviors, and in general about what God will expect from the people of Israel as they go forward as free people to settle in the land of Israel.

The first of the two parshiyot - B'Har - describes the laws of shmitah and yovel - each one a time when Jews in the land of Israel were not to work the land.  Shmitah, which occurs each seventh year, is still observed today.  Every seven years Jews are to allow the land to rest - a shabbat for the land, just as every seven days we have a shabbat for people.

Question to think about:

• You may have heard about sabbatical leave in some professions - particularly teaching.  How do you think this is related to the law of shmitah - letting the land go unworked every seven years?

Another important issue in this parasha is the mitzvah not to charge interest when lending money (to another Jewish person).

Questions to think about:

• Jewish law about interest worked when we lived in an agricultural world.  It doesn't work so well in a society in which money is used more widely.  The rabbis created a document called a "heter iska" to help solve this problem.  You can read about it here.  What do you think about it?
• The law in the Torah is specific to relationships among Jews.  In his article Economic Justice for Insiders and Outsiders Rabbi Joshua Heller examines some of the challenges this law has created over the years.  How does this feel to you?
• One of the reasons many people believe the Jewish people has survived is the ability and willingness of the leaders to adapt to changing situations.  So we have created a framework for living according to Jewish law and at the same time living within the modern world.  Some people feel this is a positive thing, others that it is negative.  What do you think?
• The past two years have highlighted major issues with lenders and borrowers, and there is a great deal of attention being paid to how loans were made, by whom, to whom, and so on.  Does Jewish thought have anything to add to the conversation?  Read this article on Predatory Lending from the Jewish Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem.  Do you agree with this interpretation?  Why or why not?

The second parasha, B'Hukotai, sets out the blessings that will come if the Jewish people obey the mitzvot and the curses that will ensue if we do not.  Reward and Punishment.

• What if bad things happen to good people?
• What if good things happen to bad people?
• What are the advantages of using reward to motivate behavior?  What are the disadvantages?
• What are the advantages of using punishment?  What are the disadvantages?
• How is our thinking today the same as the thinking in Biblical times?
• How is our thinking different?