Parashat B'haalotcha 5769--Saying Goodbye

It has been a true honor to write a weekly D’var Torah for the Temple Beth Sholom community these past years. Each week, I look forward to diving into Torah anew and to engaging in conversation about sacred text with you. This has been both a spiritual and learning practice for me. While I will be moving on from TBS on June 15, Torah will remain very much central to this community.

In the weeks to come, April Akiva, the incoming Director of Education, will begin writing a weekly D’var Torah for TBS. April’s keen mind and love of study is sure to enrich this community.

If you would like to continue following my weekly D’vrei Torah, you can always find me online at my Torah Blog.

If you have not already done so, I encourage you to sign up for the following insightful and meaningful D’vrei Torah:

The Union for Reform Judaism distributes a weekly Torah commentary, featuring the words of a variety of prominent scholars and rabbis from our community.

American Jewish World Service sends out a weekly Torah commentary, which highlights the connections between the weekly parashah and our own commitments to justice.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of England, writes an insightful weekly Torah commentary called “Covenant and Conversation.” You can sign up to receive it.

In this week’s Torah Portion, Parashat B’haaltocha, the Israelites take down their tents and travel on from their encampment at Mount Sinai. The Israelites camped at Mount Sinai from Exodus 19:1-Numbers 10:11. The Israelites were taught to watch the Divine Pillar of Cloud and Fire that rested over the Tabernacle or the mishkan. If the pillar stayed, they stayed. If the pillar lifted, they traveled. When the pillar lifted in Numbers 10:11, the Israelites knew it was time to travel onward.

I read these words anew this week. I think of our ancestors and the profound experiences they had while camped at Mount Sinai. Life changing experiences. Even though they journeyed onward, their hearts and souls were always inextricably connected to the community they created and all that they lived through at the base of the mountain.

And so I think of my own life. My time at TBS has rooted me in this community forever. Temple Beth Sholom will always be a home to me. And while I may journey onward, I remain forever connected with and grateful to this all of you. I leave deeply blessed from knowing you and honored for having had the opportunity to serve you.

Thank you for all you have given me. May your lives forever be blessed with the light of Torah and the joy of learning.

Parashat Nasso 5769--Adult B'nei Mitzvah

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Nasso, we read the ancient words of blessing, the Priestly Benediction, creatively translated as:

The Eternal One spoke to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, ‘Thus shall you bless the people of Israel. Say to them,

May God bless you and keep you!

May God’s countenance shine up you and be gracious with you!

May God’s light shine upon you and grant you peace!'

Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them" (Numbers 6:22-27).

These words, which we utter at moments of celebration and on special holy days, provide us with a deep mystery of meaning. And while ancient commentators, like Rashi, read into this blessing promise of material wealth, spiritual fulfillment, and Divine favor, I see no such grand promises in the words. In my humble estimation, these ancient words of blessing do not speak of great rewards, enlightenment, or grandiose plans. They speak of something much more foundational, that of presence.

Any parent, pet owner, friend, child, gardener, employee, or spouse knows that presence is one of the most important and foundational gifts we can give to another person, and one of the most important gifts we can receive. Individuals thrive when they are given the blessing of another’s care, compassion, and availability. We know this to be true: No matter what life brings us what we need most is someone there with us. We need companions on our journeys.

In this week’s parashah, we are promised nothing more and nothing less than Divine Presence. Come what may, we are told, Adonai will be with us. In moments of joy and celebration, we can’t make false promises—promises of wealth, enlightenment, contentment, or good luck. Life hands us unexpected and unwelcome presents sometimes. What we can promise is presence. As God’s partners in the ongoing work of creation, we can understand that this Divine Promise is manifest in our own ability to be present for one another.

This coming Shabbat, sixteen extraordinary TBS congregants will be called to the Torah for the first time as adult b’nei mitzvah. This group and I have been studying together for the past two years. Beyond their growing competency in Hebrew and their joys of Jewish learning, they have come to understand the gift of being present. They have, in the past two years, formed a learning community, they have celebrated with one another, and they have supported one another. How fitting that they will read these words aloud to our community this Shabbat. I invite you to join us for this sacred occasion.

Beyond that, I invite you hear Torah anew this Shabbat. I invite you to consider where your presence is needed in this world, and then to offer it up. May you be blessed with divine light shining in your life, and may you bless others with your light in their.

Shavuot 5769--Standing at Mount Sinai

On Shavuot, which this year begins on Thursday night, May 28, we read the book of Ruth. The book orbits around the stories of two women, Naomi and Ruth, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and the relationship they create. Ruth, a Moabite, marries Naomi’s son, an Israelite. After the untimely death of her husband, Ruth pledges her loyalty to Naomi and chooses to journey with her away from Moab and back to the land of Naomi’s people.

The story of Ruth is an ancient story and the soul bearing line she delivers to her mother-in-law is one that has been remembered for generations. Ruth says, “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). With these famous words, Ruth pledges herself to her mother-in-law and to Naomi’s people. Ruth, we are taught, is the first convert to Judaism.

What is most striking about Ruth’s pledge of loyalty is the order of the verse:

• I am with you
• I will journey with you
• I will live with you
• Your people will become my own
• Your God will become my own

There are many roads into Jewish life. Our Jewish identities are often based on the choices we make along the way: The families and places from which we come, the schools and camps we attend, the places we travel to and settle in, the people we know, and the beliefs we hold central. The story of Ruth emphasizes what we all know to be true: At different stages in our lives these components hold different weight. Being Jewish does not always center around belief, ideology, or location. But, sometimes it does. Being Jewish does not always center around community, family, and friends. But sometimes it does.

Ruth understands the complexity of creating a Jewish life She understands that sometimes a close relationship with another person allows us to open our hearts to those things that person holds dear. Sometimes a move to a place brings us unexpectedly into a new Jewish community. Sometimes an existential yearning develops into a course of study, or a search for meaning leads us to a prayer practice. Life is full of doors. It is up to us which doors we choose to see, to open, and to walk through.

On this Shavuot, I invite you to consider Ruth’s pledge to Naomi anew. Ruth speaks of deep relationships, personal growth, created community, articulated meaning, and spiritual curiosity.

Which aspects of this pledge resonate closest to your current life experiences? What fills your life?

Which aspects of this pledge feel far from where you are right now? What is missing from your life?

On Shavuot, we stand again at Mount Sinai and receive Torah anew. We have the ability to articulate the Torah of our lives. We have the ability to choose what we will value and what will shape our existence. On this Shavuot, as you stand at Sinai once again, open your heart to choosing your life anew. Who knows where it might take you!