Parshat Acharei Mot Kedoshim

Here are a few words I wrote for the Liberal Judaism website for their Thought for the Week page

Greetings from Modena!

Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim

Thoughts of the world outside our current Lockdown bubbles turn first to those stricken by Covid-19 – may they be healed in body and spirit.  We also think of those who do their best in myriad ways throughout the system to care for the sick. There are no words to describe the magnitude of their service. We thank them with all our hearts. 

To protect ourselves, and each other, we have remained physically within our homes. Hopefully they are places of safety, even if we feel constrained. We reach out into the ether via unstable internet connections to continue work, if we still have a job; to contact loved ones far and near, and to occupy our minds and hearts. Much time has been spent in alien worlds, ranging from a Borg cube to the imagined centre of ultra-orthodox communities in Brooklyn & Bnei Brak. And people have come to synagogue! Zoom[1] has brought us together to pray, to celebrate our festivals, and to study Torah.

Acharei Mot-Kedoshim is one of the double Torah portions that can be split when there is a leap year in the Hebrew calendar and extra portions are needed for the extra leap month. 5780 may not be a leap year, but 2020 is. And in 2020, I see a split between the portions.

Acharei Mot is set in the period after the death of Nadav and Avihu, the sudden, inexplicable and devastating death of Aaron’s sons. In the wake of this shocking event, Moses is given instructions for Yom Kippur, followed by a list of sexual prohibitions that define the Biblical boundaries of family relationships. God says that following these mitzvot will protect the Israelites from spiritual corruption, and keep them safe in their land. While now we have a different interpretation of some of these ancient laws, we can certainly empathise with tough measures as an initial response to a severe threat to the entire community.

Kedoshim takes us into Phase 2. Having turned our faces from the yetser ra, our evil inclinations, God teaches us what we should be doing, pointing us towards the yetser tov. The topic sentence of the portion is:  “Be holy, because I, Adonai your God, am holy.”[2] But what does it mean to be holy? This is a question that we don’t often discuss. We might talk about being separate, but what does that mean? Different? Special? Each word leads to a further examination of its own meaning, and even further from the original question. What does it mean to be holy? Rabbi Joe Black reminds us that we are created b’tselem elohim, in the image of God, which means that we have holiness naturally within us.[3] We don’t have to define it. We just need to learn how to find it.

Could this be the purpose of the mitzvot? When we are in lockdown, there’s not much we can do but think about things, turning them this way and that. As the windows and doors open, and we are able to interact with each other again, what are we going to do? How shall we behave? Will we do anything differently? Kedoshim commands us to leave the corners of our fields and the gleanings for the poor and the stranger.[4] We must not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another.[5] We must not stand idly by while the blood of our neighbour is shed.[6] There are a lot of marvellous mitzvot in Kedoshim, but if I could choose one with which to start it is, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”[7] It all begins with compassion.

This week, I see my neighbours in the UK in Acharei Mot, in the valley of the shadow of death. Your phase of the journey still has some way to go. But it will end, hopefully very soon. Here in Italy, we are a couple of weeks ahead of you, and about to enter Phase 2, Kedoshim. Our nerves are terribly frayed, and it is so easy to take offence at words said or typed by others. As we move towards more social interaction, we should recognize how sensitive we are. We should begin with compassion, being kind to others, and gentle with ourselves. And, as we regain our strength, we can return to the holy work of reconnecting with our loved ones, and rebuilding our communities. We will be holy, because it is an essential part of our nature. Learn from what we do well, and from where we falter. Meanwhile, we look forward to the time when we can continue that work together with all of you.

Shabbat shalom.

---

[1] and, of course, other platforms, e.g., Google Hangouts, Skype & FaceBook. But mostly Zoom.

[2] Leviticus 19:2

[3] CCAR RavBlog 28.04.20

[4] Lev. 19:9

[5] Lev. 19:11

[6] Lev. 19:16

[7] Lev. 19:18

For (Older) Doctor Who Fans Only!

Would you like a Jelly Baby?

Noticing that Tom Baker was one of the Doctors who took part in The Big Night In thank-you to the NHS, and thinking he looked a bit frail, I gave it a bit of a google. Read that he was born in 1934, so actually he looked rather good. Then I read on his wiki page the following story, which made me giggle, so I'm saving it here for when I need another giggle one day:

During a guest appearance on the quiz show Have I Got News For You, he told a story about how, while entering a recording studio in Wales, he was accosted by a member of the public who said to him, "I will never forgive you, nor will my wife, for what you did to our grammar schools!" He replied, "What are you talking about, you daft bugger?" to which the stranger replied, " I'm so sorry. I thought you were Shirley Williams."

Who is Wise?

Along with so many others, I was one of those who joined in starting the new cycle of Daf Yomi, the daily reading of a page of Talmud. I made it all the way through Berachot, but have fallen away during the tractate Shabbat. I haven't completely let go - the fine thread that still connects me is the daily e-mail from My Jewish Learning, a distillation of the teachings made by colleagues in the Jewish world. In today's e-mail on Shabbat 48, Rabbi Avi Strausberg, director of national learning initiatives at Hadar, writes:

In "Tamid 32a, Alexander the Great asks the rabbis, "Who is wise?" And, they answer:  "One who anticipates the outcome of an action." ... "Wisdom includes the ability to look at a situation, to see a few steps down the line, and to anticipate the outcome. When I see my two children ecstatically roughhousing, I know that they are happy in that moment, but experience has taught me that inevitably, in just a few moments, one of them will be in tears."

For me, understanding that each choice we make has a consequence, is at the heart of Judaism. Torah makes us aware of what the choices are, and we demonstrate our commitment to the Covenantal relationship first by studying the tradition and finding the best way to apply it to our lives. Then we act upon what we have learned. That is something that can and should be within reach of every single person.

Can we all also be wise? Why not? Ability is something that can be achieved through practice. We learn through experience, as Rabbi Strausberg did with his children. We know at the start that there will be consequences of some kind - we just need to consider the possibilities, and factor that information into what we decide to do. R. Strausberg ends his message wishing for us all:

"...the ability to look at any situation and have the wisdom to see where it might lead us, and the insight to adjust our actions accordingly."

Wise words.

Stay safe and well!

Living under Lockdown Day 40something: Saturday Afternoons

There are many of us who feel bereft on a Saturday afternoon (and, since the takeover by the TV companies; Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and all the other days of the week as well as the nights) because the pandemic necessitated the closing down of our favourite sports. Although I'm now an Ex-Pat, I still follow my beloved R's religiously. Last weekend, however, I found myself strangely captivated by what RAI Sport had offered up to fill the aching hole in my supporting schedule. Instead of tracking the Luton v QPR match, I watched Italian billiards. Long enough to have to go and look up some rules. After I got over the fact that there were no pockets on the table, and that points seemed to be scored by knocking over some upended Q-Tips balancing precariously in the middle, I found the blue of the cloth quite calming, and soon managed to fall asleep. It was truly a Shabbat of Shalom.

Here today ...

Yesterday afternoon, the sun shone briefly through the living-room window (our street is narrow and the buildings are tall) and I took this picture of the cyclamen on the windowsill. This morning, the flower, and the plant were dead. It is a different experience from being together as two living things, yet something of this lovely flower continues to exist when I look at the picture, and it reminds me of the moment yesterday and how I felt.

Living under Lockdown Day 38: Farmacia

Had to go and refill my monthly prescriptions last week. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and I was just a bit anxious to be anywhere near anyone at all. Par for the course, I suppose. And a great pity that I couldn't enjoy even that brief walk.

NB I'm saying, "I'm a little afraid to go outdoors". The pharmacist's reply is, "You're not the only one."

Cousin Heinrich

My late father had a great love for the work of Heinrich Heine. He would joke that one of the reasons that he married my mother was because she had an ancestor in the Von Geldern family, and since Heine was also in that family, this marriage made him a relative of Heine.

Thanks to my new Geni.com friend, I had a look at the Heine family tree today and I have news for my father:

Albert Hoschander F

son of Sali Hoschander

daughter of Samuel Hoschander

son of Anna Wertheimer

daughter of Emanuel Wertheimer

son of Shimshon Wertheimer

son of Sara Wertheimer

daughter of Behrend Lehmann, R' Yissacher HaLevi Bermann

father of Moses Kossmann Lehmann (Sara's brother - now we go down the tree)

husband of Recha Heine

mother of Herman Heine

father of Sigmund Heine

father of Heinrich Heine

technically that is his 5th great aunt's great grandson. Thus it would seem that R' Yissacher HaLevi Bermann is a direct ancestor of both men.

I may have misread the information. I hope not! Meanwhile, for my father who dragged my mother to the cemetery every time they went to Paris so they could put stones on Heine's grave, 

ef in Paris c. 1962

I do hope this is correct. That he has a direct connection of his own, rather than by marriage. I also hope that somewhere, somehow, he finds out about it and it makes him as happy as I am imagining it would!

ahf in Paris c. 1968

The Belper Moo

Of all the different ways so far that people have gathered together despite the lockdown in order to express their feelings and share a moment, my favourite has to be the story I just read on the BBC website about the Belper Moo!

This is a link for you to enjoy.

Living under Lockdown Day 32: A Thought About Bitter Herbs

I've come across various versions of this thought over the last couple of days as I've been working on our online Haggadah for tomorrow night. The first was this animated film by Hanan Harchol. It's one of those lessons about which we need a regular reminder. Bitterness itself is part of life, and things that taste bitter can still have value for us. That value is the sweetness that we taste when we eat the charoset with the maror on our Seder plate. The problem comes if we let ourselves be consumed by bitterness. So I had a go at a drawing!

In fact, I thought I'd add this drawing to our Haggadah for the Or 'Ammim Seder. Lior helped me with an appropriate Italian translation. Italian-speakers, che cosa ne pensate?

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Before we who are preparing and all who are celebrating disappear in the direction of the Sea of Reeds, just wanted to wish everyone a safe and healthy and happy Passover. 

This Pesach may be very different from those we have known in the past, but it gives us the opportunity to experience the story of our ancestors' journey from oppression to freedom in a more visceral way. 

Here's a drawing I did back in 2017. Chag sameach!

Parshat Tsav from Modena

Here is another in the weekly series of notes on the Torah portion for Or 'Ammim, our chavurah in Emilia Romagna. For the Italian version, click here.

Parshat Tsav

04.04.2019

This Shabbat has a special name. It is called Shabbat Ha-Gadol, the Great Sabbath. It is one of the two Shabbatot in the year when the rabbi is required to give a sermon*. Your rabbi is supposed to remind you about all the Jewish laws of Pesach, so that you may spend the following week preparing everything properly.  Traditionally it was quite a long sermon, because there is a lot to do. This year, we are sending Or Ammim-niks an e-mail with information (and charoset recipes) for those who will join us for our virtual Seder on Zoom next Wednesday night at 19:00.

This week’s Torah reading is Parshat Tsav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36). Following on from last week, God gives Moses further information about the korbanot (sacrifices) to be offered by the priests on behalf of the people. God tells Moses to command (“tsav”) Aaron and his sons to follow God’s instructions. 

“Tsav” is a hard word for Progressive Jews. According to tradition, when God commands us to do something, we must obey. We should trust that it is the right thing to do, even if we do not like it or understand why. After all, as the Sages teach us, God’s commandments were given to protect us, and to help us to live good lives. Yet it is hard to submit just because God told us to. We are intelligent beings, designed to ask questions, and learn from our experience. We like to go through a linear process, and base our belief on some kind of rational argument. What do Progressive Jews do with the mitzvot? We do not steal, but we may not keep kosher. Or maybe we do. We may light Shabbat candles when 3 stars are visible in the sky, but we will drive to the synagogue service. We help the stranger, the orphan and the widow. And we include our LGBTQ family and friends. We make Jewish choices, based on our learning from Torah, and the world around us. We are privileged to have that freedom.

That is exactly what Pesach is all about, but we are not there yet. We will talk about it together next week. We will look at what God did as well as what God said. For now we are still in Mitzrayim, literally narrow places (& the Biblical name for the land of Egypt). Our mitzrayim today may be more physically comfortable than the slave quarters of our ancestors, but the loss of our freedom of movement brings our community closer to the tale told in the Torah, closer than we may ever have been before.

This week the Torah returns to the korbanot we studied in the previous portion, and looks at them from the perspective of the priests. Once again we might say: but the Temple is destroyed, and the priests are gone, and the sacrifices are no longer possible. How is the work of Aaron and the priests relevant to our lives? 

The words that stand out for me this week are in chapter 8, verses 23-4. They describe the ordination of Aaron and his sons, as they become the priests who will translate the offerings of the people into the fulfilment of God’s commandments. A ram is slaughtered:

“and Moses took some of its blood, and placed it on the cartilage of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. And he brought Aaron’s sons forward, and Moses placed some of the blood on the cartilage of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet."

What is the significance of these particular parts of the body? They highlight the skills that were most important in the work of the priests. That they should listen, should really pay attention to what is being said to them. That they should be aware of what they do with their hands. And that they should watch where their feet are going. 

Once again, the world of the priests is gone. However now, under lockdown, surely these words, words that describe holy work, speak directly to us:  

What should we do when the world that we know, to which we are accustomed, is gone?  When the places we went and the things that we did are no longer viable?  

Our feet should stay home, unless we need food or medicine, or it is an emergency.

Before we touch any thing or anybody, have we washed our hands?

And we must listen to the instructions we are given, in order to stay as safe and well as possible.

Do we accept the words of God as orders, as mitzvot? It is a difficult question. And I’m not sure it is the correct question at this moment in time. Will these actions protect us, and help us to live good lives? That is a more pertinent question. I believe so, and thus I will follow them to the best of my ability. 

Wishing that we shall all stay safe and well.

Shabbat shalom.

* the other is Shabbat Shuva, between Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur, when the rabbi should remind everyone to make teshuvah (to apologise and make restitution for the damage we have done) before the end of the 10 Days of Penitence.