Cantor Rachels-I can’t believe we are finally here at your final Shabbat. You have been a light and an inspiration to so many in our congregation and a partner in the fullest and truest sense to me. You have demonstrated that you are a mentsch from your first day when you got down on your hands and knees to soak up water from our flood rather than running in the opposite direction. Your work ethic is second to none as is your musical talent. You have brought in so many new Torah readers through your patience, dedication and persistence. You started Yom Aharei, a group for those who are grieving, and with your calm, compassionate presence have been a comfort to so many. Your quickness on your feet through humor has enlivened numerous conversations. You ware naturally comfortable talking to people of all ages and at all stages of life, which is rare to find. It has been a treat working with you these past two years.

In our first conversation before your visit to Mosaic Law we were going through the service. You said strongly, “I don’t believe you need to have 2 repetitions of the Amidah.” I admired your ability to strongly express your opinion. You also spoke with me about facing the congregation rather than the ark. When you came to MLC you seemed to want to please others, listening carefully without offering your opinion. I want you to know that people want to hear from you and they will respect your opinion even when they disagree with you. You have so many years of knowledge, wisdom and cantorial voice will shine forth in every situation you are in-not only when you sing.

Today’s Parshat Korach features beauty after tragedy. After the failed rebellion of Korach, Datan, Aviram and the priests, Gd tells Moses to put the staffs of all of the leaders forward and “the staff of the candidate who I choose shall sprout.”[1] Sure enough, Aaron’s staff “brought forth sprouts, produced blossoms and bore almonds.”[2]  The medieval commentator Ibn Ezra asserts, “the words shekadim, almonds, has midrashically been related to the word shoked-watch-in I watch over my word to perform it.[3] By having almonds blossom forth, Gd demonstrated that Gd is always watching over the Israelites and their leader, Aaron.

Cantor Rachels-Gd is watching over you, knowing how special you are as a sweet singer of Israel. Your voice blew us away from your senior cantorial recital and from Day 1, and your kindness, gentleness and thoughtfulness are qualities we will always hold near and dear to our hearts. You will bring your light and joy to Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda in Toronto and as your mentor Jackie Mendelson said at your ordination, “They’re going to love you.” Thank you for all the joy you, Amy and Maya have brought to our congregation in the short but meaningful time you’ve been here. 

As a gift I have a special item. Cantor has been a lifelong Mets fan and while this is great, he hasn’t had an American League team to root for. I will remedy that with this special Toronto Blue Jays Noah Rachels bobblehead engraved with the words Cantorial All-Star. May it bring your new hometown team much luck and good fortune in the years ahead-and may you get on the mound, either to sing the Canadian National Anthem or to throw out the first pitch. Tzetchem l’shalom-may you go in peace, knowing that you always have a home here at Mosaic Law Congregation. 

[1] Numbers 17:20

[2] Numbers 18:23

[3] Ibn Ezra on Numbers 18:23 ד”ה ויגמל שקדים

Noah-I can’t believe we are finally here at your final Shabbat. You have been a light and an inspiration to so many in our congregation and a partner in the fullest and truest sense to me. You have demonstrated that you are a mentsch from your first day when you got down on your hands and knees to soak up water from our flood rather than running in the opposite direction. Your work ethic is second to none as is your musical talent. You have brought in so many new Torah readers through your patience, dedication and persistence. You started Yom Aharei, a group for those who are grieving, and with your calm, compassionate presence have been a comfort to so many. Your quickness on your feet through humor has enlivened numerous conversations. You ware naturally comfortable talking to people of all ages and at all stages of life, which is rare to find. It has been a treat working with you these past two years.

In our first conversation before your visit to Mosaic Law we were going through the service. You said strongly, “I don’t believe you need to have 2 repetitions of the Amidah.” I admired your ability to strongly express your opinion. You also spoke with me about facing the congregation rather than the ark. When you came to MLC you seemed to want to please others, listening carefully without offering your opinion. I want you to know that people want to hear from you and they will respect your opinion even when they disagree with you. You have so many years of knowledge and wisdom which shine forth in every situation you are in.

Today’s Parshat Korach features beauty after tragedy. After the failed rebellion of Korach, Datan, Aviram and the priests, Gd tells Moses to put the staffs of all of the leaders forward and “the staff of the candidate who I choose shall sprout.”[1] Sure enough, Aaron’s staff “brought forth sprouts, produced blossoms and bore almonds.”[2]  The medieval commentator Ibn Ezra asserts, “the words shekadim, almonds, has midrashically been related to the word shoked-watch-in I watch over my word to perform it.[3] By having almonds blossom forth, Gd demonstrated that Gd is always watching over the Israelites and their leader, Aaron.

Cantor Rachels-Gd is watching over you, knowing how special you are as a sweet singer of Israel. Your voice blew us away from your senior cantorial recital and from Day 1, and your kindness, gentleness and thoughtfulness are qualities we will always hold near and dear to our hearts. You will bring your light and joy to Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda in Toronto and as your mentor Jackie Mendelson said at your ordination, “They’re going to love you.” Thank you for all the joy you, Amy and Maya have brought to our congregation in the short but meaningful time you’ve been here. 

As a gift I have a special item. Noah has been a lifelong Mets fan and while this is great, he hasn’t had an American League team to root for. I will remedy that with this special Toronto Blue Jays Noah Rachels bobblehead engraved with the words Cantorial All-Star. May it bring your new hometown team much luck and good fortune in the years ahead-and may you get on the mound, either to sing the Canadian National Anthem or to throw out the first pitch. Tzetchem l’shalom-may you go in peace, knowing that you always have a home here at Mosaic Law Congregation. 

[1] Numbers 17:20

[2] Numbers 18:23

[3] Ibn Ezra on Numbers 18:23 ד”ה ויגמל שקדים

          In Parshat Naso, there is a woman who is accused of an illicit sexual affair. The women needs to drink bitter water with God’s name broken up into it. If her thigh doesn’t sag and her belly doesn’t distend she is innocent; if not she is guilty (Numbers 5:11). All that needed to be done is for the husband to have a רוח קנאה, a jealous spirit, for this procedure to occur.

          What is sad is that a husband can be jealous and accuse his wife of an illicit relationship but not vice versa. A woman who has evidence that her husband has cheated has no recourse, whereas a man is able to force his wife to perform this ritual. The rabbis were uncomfortable with this practice.  In Mishnah Sotah the rabbis made it much less likely for this to occur, saying that the woman needed to be warned about her behavior by two witnesses who then see her in seclusion with another man (Sotah 1:1). Later on in Mishnah Sotah it states that Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai discontinued the ritual of the sotah because the number of men who were adulterers proliferated (Sotah 9:9). It is evidence of shinui haitim, the changing nature of the times. What made sense in one time period did not in another.

          Still the Sotah leaves us feeling very uncomfortable. Three twentieth century commentators, Rabbis Herbert Chanan Brichto, Emanuel Rackman and Yaakov Kamenetsky, said the sotah was used specifically to prove women innocent. Kamenetsky said that if a man suspected his wife, “the doubt will never leave him unless God, so to speak, Himself promises that she is actually pure.”[1] This is further supported by Jacob Milgrom, who asserts that by bringing this to a Kohen, it is taken out of the people’s hands and placed in God’s hands.[2]

          Why focus so much on this Sotah ritual? In truth the entire body of rabbinic literature cites only one example of its implementation: Shemayah and Avtalyon making the freed slave woman Karkemith.[3] Even there there is disagreement as to whether she drank the real waters or a placebo. Regardless of whether that happened, by reading about the Sotah we can learn how our ancestors thought and how that changed over time. I would no longer read it as being about “the wayward women” but rather about an ancient, magical ritual that was used to show that God proclaims innocence and a clean slate.

          As we read the passage on the Sotah as well as the Nazir in my Torah study, who according to the rabbis should be criticized for making an excessive vow, let us recognize that not every biblical passage needs to correspond to our lives today; however that does not mean that there are not lessons that we can derive from them. We have moved from a world of the Sotah to a world of #MeToo, where women’s testimonies are believed and valued. Let us recognize that the Sotah is a vestige of our past that teaches us how society used to function and let us praise God that our society has moved on from there.

[1] In Yosef Lindell Was the Sotah Meant to be Innocent? | The Lehrhaus

[2] Ibid

[3] Mishnah Eduyot 5:6

With Appreciation to Rabbi Mitch Chefitz[1]

          Is there a doctor in the house? This is what I think of when I read Parshat Tazria-Metzora. Who among us loves learning about rashes, discolorations, pus, and scabs besides the dermatologist? However, there is something spiritually moving going on here. It is like when the Israelites complain about the lack of water three days after witnessing the miracle of the Sea of Reeds! God’s reply is כׇּֽל־הַמַּחֲלָ֞ה אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֤מְתִּי בְמִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לֹא־אָשִׂ֣ים עָלֶ֔יךָ כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה רֹפְאֶֽךָ׃-“If you will heed your God יהוה diligently, doing what is upright in God’s sight, giving ear to God’s commandments and keeping all God’s laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I יהוה am your healer.”[2] God is not a רופא in the physical sense of directly treating afflictions but rather a רופא in the spiritual sense.

          This is the lesson from the Sfat Emet, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Alter of Ger. Whereas other rabbis use Tazria-Metzora to talk about lashon hara, the “disease” of evil speech, as I have done previously, the Sfat Emet goes in a different direction. He bases his comment on the following verse:

אָדָם כִּי־יִהְיֶה בְעוֹר־בְּשָׂרוֹ שְׂאֵת אוֹ־סַפַּחַת אוֹ בַהֶרֶת וְהָיָה בְעוֹר־בְּשָׂרוֹ לְנֶגַע צָרָעַת וְהוּבָא אֶל־אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן אוֹ אֶל־אַחַד מִבָּנָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים׃

When a person has on the skin of the body a swelling, a rash, or a discoloration, and it develops into a scaly affection on the skin of the body, it shall be reported to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests.[3]

          On this verse the Sfat Emet comments:

This verse concerns itself with plagues (afflictions) of the skin. It relates back to when the Holy One commanded Adam to make for himself a garment of skin (עור /o’r). In the Midrash you find it written as a garment of light (since the word for light (אור /o’r) is like the Hebrew word for skin-עור). As is known, it was because of the transgression (of eating the forbidden fruit) that it was necessary that Adam be clothed in such a coarse garment. This is the source of all base corporeality. [4]

            There is a pun here between the word אור, or light, and the word עור, or skin. When God finds out about Adam and Eve’s transgression, the first thing God does is dress them in כתנות עור,[5] garments of skin, as opposed to the כתנות אור, garments of light that they naturally have. Sfat Emet understands Adam and Eve as being creatures of light. He continues:

That’s why Moshe, our teacher was described (as descending from Sinai) with his skin radiant. He had refined the very nature of skin until it shone like a resplendent mirror. But we did not remain at that level (because of the sin of the golden calf). Therefore, the plague (of coarse skin) returned. It is written in the midrash, because of that sin, defects returned.

          Moses descended from Mount Sinai with great light which was covered over upon approaching the golden calf. Sfat Emet concludes, however,

It is also known that there are holes and holes (pores) in the skin. This is so you

should know it is possible for the light to shine through these imperfections. It is

only because of our sins that these pores are clogged, and that darkness covers

the earth. That’s why it says of the plague of tzaraat that it clogs things up.

Therefore, Aaron the priest and his sons were given the power of purification to

atone for the sin of the golden calf.

          Each of us is a creature of light able to bring more light into the world. The pores might be clogged by tzaraat because of our transgressions but we have the opportunity through teshuvah to restore some of the light that was there in the first place.  When we go off track, we can return to our original intention-to bring light into the world and emit light in whatever we touch. We always have the opportunity to do so-no one is too far gone.

One person who did so over the course of his life is David Flax z”l, father of our member Dana Kurzrock, whose first yahrzeit is this week. As I learned at Shloshim, David had a zest for life. One of the words he added in to Kaddish, which Dana added in his memory, is חיים טובים that we should have goodness in life. In striving to do so in his Long Beach Jewish community, David brought much light into the world, and we remember him fondly on this auspicious occasion. My prayer is that in David’s memory, we shake off the course garments of transgression so that, like David, our natural light will brightly shine through. Ken Yhi Ratzon, may it be our will to do so.

[1] https://mitchellchefitz.substack.com/p/my-rosetta-stone?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2146687&post_id=162257184&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1npmze&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

[2] Exodus 15:26

[3] Leviticus 13:2

[4] Sfat Emet Tazria 1881

[5] Genesis 3:1

          Parshat Tetzaveh has a couple of strange features. One is that it is the only Torah portion in Exodus through Deuteronomy not to mention Moses’ name. Another is that its beginning, the lighting of the Menorah, towards, but not at the end, of a chapter (Exodus 27:20).

          Rabbi Elliott Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue gave a D’var Torah about this to the Executive Council of the Rabbinical Assembly, for which I am privileged to begin my second year of service. He pointed out that chapter divisions come from the 13^th century, from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton. Langton connected the נר תמיד, the eternal light, with the accoutrements of the משכן, the tabernacle, as found in Terumah. In contrast, the rabbis had viewed it as connected to the obligations of the High Priest, so it goes in Tetzaveh.

          As Rabbi Cosgrove argued, the communal obligation of the משכן meets the priestly obligation of lighting the נר תמיד. In other words, the community needs to work together with the leadership, with the two meeting halfway.

          I think about how the rabbi meets with the congregational leadership. In a breakout session, Rabbinical Assembly and United Synagogue CEO Jacob Blumenthal shared that the two things that make for thriving congregations, more than demographics, are a visionary rabbi and a collaborative lay and staff culture. This makes sense: synagogues need to have their Board and staff working in concert with one another and must have a vision of where they’re going. Without these two aspects, there is confusion and tension. A rabbi without a vision is a functionary; a congregation not in harmony with its staff can breed toxicity.

          How does one achieve this? The sermon Rabbi Cosgrove said he is giving this Shabbat is the leadership of Vashti versus that of Esther: when do we need to stand on our principles versus when do we need to compromise/adapt? That is a false dichotomy-at times one certainly needs to do both. With that being said, to adapt Israel Salanter, a rabbi who never takes a stand is no rabbi; a rabbi who refuses to compromise is a fool.

          Our challenge as a congregation is to light the eternal light steadfastly holding to tradition, while recognizing that like the משכן we must move and adapt to new circumstances and new situations. Finding the balance between the two can be tricky; however, we need to put in the work to make it so. We also must remember not to fear כי אהיה עמך, for God is with us in this holy work.