Sanctifying our vessels

We've spent the past few weeks worth of Torah portions learning about the Mishkan (the sacred sanctuary in the desert): how to build it, with what materials, the particular colors and specifications, and who should be responsible for the actual building. The detail with which God describes this beauty is minute and may even seem trivial. Yet, with the surrounding narrative telling the story of the Hebrews receiving the Ten Commandments and the ordeal with the Golden Calf, the reader must recognize the significance of these details. There must be something profound in the detailed directions painstakingly described for us over and over.

Of course there is. We pray to God, we sanctify God and we are reminded more than once in the Torah that we shall have no other Gods (I.e. don't pray to idols and whole variety of other things). God is this powerful entity to whom we give our thanks and receive atonement, so the necessity of remembering how sacred God is shouldn't be surprising. Even more specific, the vessel through which we approach God must also be constructed with the utmost care and particularity. Hence, the multifaceted instructions.

If we consider that another vessel through which we approach God is through our bodies, we must also remember to protect and guard our bodies, maintaining their purity so we can commune with God when the time comes. In the 21st century, for most reform Jews, that the time is Shabbat. Therefore, we see that Shabbat can be our modern day Mishkan, making the mention of Shabbat in this weeks Torah portion very reasonable.

In this week's torah portion, vayekehal, in Shemot 35:2 we read ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה להם קדש שבת שבתון, for six days you will do work and on the seventh day you will have for yourselves a holy day, a Shabbat of solemn rest. Shabbat is our chance to remind ourselves of our own holiness and experience the shabbaton, the cessation of work and constant movement. We must demonstrate the respect we have for our bodies. Not only that, but before we are able to pray using the Mishkan, we must sanctify ourselves and ensure our own purity. Therefore, the Torah first mentions Shabbat and then mentions the construction of the Mishkan.

May we take this Shabbat to sanctify our own vessels, ourselves, and truly feel ready and able to continue with the week to come

Tetzvah: purity and perfection

This week, in parshat tetzvah, we read about the priests and the very specific clothing and accoutrements which they are intended to have. Not only that, but we are informed as to how to make appropriate sacrifices and with what kind of animals. The specifications are exact and demand attention to detail.

Aaron's clothing;  a breastplate, an ephod, tunic, mitre and girdle. All this for the priest, where he must stay seven days in the holy chamber, and must only enter when he himself is pure. Each aspect of his outfit must be made delicately and specifically. More importantly, the elements brought for sacrifice must also be pure, without blemish. Everything entering the ארון הקודש, the holy ark, must be pure, including the animals of sacrifice. Shemot 29:1 reminds us to bring ואלים שנים תמימים, two rams without blemish and Shemot 30:9 informs לא-תעלו עליו קטרת זר, don't bring to the alter strange incense. Basically, anything that is not perfect cannot enter or be used in the holy ark.

Yet what about sons of Aaron who were not so perfect, who were born with blemishes, with speech impediments, with special needs? Were they to absolve their duties and simply live, be banished from what seems to have been their birthright?

On a daily basis, I see children full of love and joy, bursting with small tidbits to share, made mute by a disorder or birth defect; from any number of things. These children constantly warm my heart, showing me that it is possible to connect no matter how 'not there' a person may be. These hearts, they are the most pure, the most perfect. My kids only know how to love with a full heart. However, they are often unaware of their surrounding, of what impedes their daily activities. Whether or not they can articulate it, they seem to know they are different. They drool, put their hands in their mouths, are incontinent. Simply put, they can seem unfortunate.

So how do we corroborate the two images; the need for perfection on one hand and the God-given perfection I see on a daily basis? One perfect necessitates an image which society as a whole attempts to raise on a pedestal, the other being oftentimes denigrated to the fringes of society. The Torah, however, is specific: nothing or no one with blemishes. In order to commune with Elohim, we must be in an elevated state, one of physical perfection. Therefore, my children, my students, will never qualify.

Fortunately for the world, we don't do sacrifice anymore, meaning this descrepency no longer has such a strong pull on one's conscience. Instead, we must actively see how society as a whole treats individuals who are different. We must not send our sin offerings and impure people outside of the camp, as sometimes the purity being sought does not exist. Rather, we must welcome these sinners and impurities into our community and demonstrate to them that they too have a place, that they too are part of the greater whole. That is the beauty of this weeks parsha. We are able to recognize the demand for perfection and purity, but look past it towards acceptance and an understanding that purity comes in many forms, sometimes we just may not see it on a shallow, external level.

Modern plagues and pharaoh.

This week's parsha, parshat va'eira, includes the first seven of the ten plagues intended as proof to Pharaoh that God and therefore the children of Israel are determined to escape the despicable conditions they face in Egypt. Moses approaches Pharaoh again and again requesting that he let the Israelites leave for a brief sojourn to sacrifice to their God in the desert. Each time, the request is denied (or permitted but then recanted once the plague subsides).

Moses sometimes makes entreaties to Pharaoh, but almost as often simply casts the plague onto the Egyptians and waits for the response Pharaoh will give. Each time, the response is the same: ויחזק ה׳ את-לב פרעה ולא שמע אלכם, and God hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did not hear them (Shemot 9:12). Even when pharaoh agrees out of fear to let the Israelites escape, he again becomes stubborn and another plague falls upon Egypt. 

Take in our 21st century world, one is easily reminded of the current situation with the refugees from Africa. After a recent court decision, the anti-migration bill, claimed that holding refugees in closed detention centers was illegal, the refugees were sent to an open detention center in Holot. They were faced with thrice daily check-ins and distinct curfews, meaning little to no opportunity to work. When the completely absurdity of the situation was brought to light in op-eds and other media, comments were made that at least they people had better living conditions; food, water, health care, shelter. My response: that isn't a life, it's being held in transit without a chance to progress. 

When a group of refugees left the prison to march to Jerusalem to get their case heard, many came out to support them. However, 48 hours later they were buses back to the detention center. The next time they tried to leave, they were stopped within hours.

Pharoah didn't just live thousands of years ago. It seems that the Israeli government is forgetting the plagues that still impacted us, and acting as a modern day pharoah, demanding the movement of bricks from point a to point b without purpose and inflicting on these refugees terror after terror. We must remember that although we were not inflicted with the plagues, they still exist. And that the plagues started from somewhere. They began with Pharaoh's despicable behavior. That in and of itself is a plague, even if it is not included in the ten we hear of so often.

We must not stand by and simply allow these modern day plagues to continue destroying the lives of innocent individuals, simply come to Israel for freedom from persecution. We, as concerned human beings must take a stand and support human rights, holding humanity to a universal standard, as demonstrated with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We cannot wait for Israel to come around. We must not enslave people and be the incarnation of pharaoh we worked so hard to escape!

The games we play

I started playing a new game this week. It's called Yukon and looks a lot like solitaire, but about seven times more complicated. As in solitaire, you can only put black on red or vice verse and you the only card you can move to an open space is a king. However, on each pile is six cards that you have to sort through in order to win. You can move more than one card at a time, as long as the card at the bottom of the pile you're moving is usable.

The game requires more skill, attention, and brain dexterity than solitaire, and I must always stay a step ahead. If I try to play half-heartedly, I lose quickly. By letting my eyes scan the board and giving each move time, I simply feel my way through the card game. Not every game concludes in a win (in fact, I've only won twice in the 22 games I've played-although it feels like more), but there is a sense of puzzle unscrambling that leaves me content when I press the symbol for a new game.

This week, something else new occurred; not just in my life, but in that of the Jewish people. This week marks the beginning of reading the next book of the Torah, Shemot. We have finally gotten to the content and have begun to meet the characters who will lead us through the next four books. Consequently, we are faced with both their flaws and positive characteristics and must make our own decisions as to their true character.

Just like in a game, we must acquaint ourselves with the rules of this new game, this new story, the new pace at which the Torah tells the tale. We must know that Moses has a speech problem, as he tells God, בי אדוני לא איש דברים (Shemot 4:10), I am not a man of things/words and notice the trouble God goes to in order to convince Moses that he is indeed God (the burning bush, turning Moses's hand leperous and back, turning the man's staff into a snake and back (ibid 3:2, 4:2-4, 6-7).

The foundation that must be laid in order to ensure the story makes sense and that the right people are included is immense. In fact, the parsha doesn't even really begin until the eight verse, where Moses himself is finally mentioned. Before that, we are given a listing of all the family of Jacob who remained alive in Egypt after his passing. This naming is an example of not following the rules, or simply making them up as one goes along. A commentary from the Lubavitcher Rabbi, used by chabad of California, suggests that names have such an important meaning because they are our identity. Especially in the Torah, where a person's name often describes some aspect of his character, this list represents the unflappability of the Jewish people. They don't make their names more Egyptian, nor are they boastful of them. Rather, they demonstrate their steadfast loyalty to their Jewish identity.

We too are living within a game, but one that may seem mundane on a daily basis. Take for example my lack of feeling in general for this coming Shabbat. It didn't hold much excitement and I was feeling down. Yet, as life threw many curveballs at me as I attempted to navigate the trip (forgetting shoes and food at school), I realized that in the end, this simply allowed me to prepare to welcome Shabbat. Now, I am looking forward to the quiet that Shabbat offers and the reflection that usually accompanies it.

Moses was lacking noise in his life and God definitely brought in color. Slowly, Moses gets used to his role in power, as I got used to my experience of figuring out the details of both my trip to Jerusalem and this card game. My prayer for this coming week is that you accept the game in your life and ensure that you have set a sturdy foundation, that you understand the rules (or are at least willing to adapt to them as necessary).