Weekly Shabbat Parsha Thoughts - Chaya Sarah - 10.29.2010

Chaya Sarah – 10.29.2010

This week’s portion is about the tensions and juxtapositions in life.

- Rebecca’s birth (at the end of last week) and Sarah’s death

- The disturbing otherworldly nature of the binding of Isaac and the real world transactional nature of finding a burial for Sarah

- Dealing with the loss of a life’s love in Sarah and committing to the future generations in finding a wife for Isaac.

These stories pattern Judaism and life’s tensions very well.

1) Birth and death is our inherent juxtaposition. Our lives are spent trying to create something immortal in an inherently mortal world. Covenant is by its nature a generational challenge.

2) Faith and practicality often seem at odds. Our ethical code focuses on everyday living as a way to reflect light onto the higher power that we are in partnership. Faith and practicality in their absolutes are dangerous, and frankly useless. It is easy to dismiss a higher power in our lives, and easy to remove ourselves from the world – the challenge, power and opportunity lies when we try to be Jewish (as Hillel says) “ in the marketplace”.

3) Just as the work of the covenant is generational as people – we have a similar struggle. We must be both ancestor and descendant at the same time. Honoring and building both, while making sure we do not forget ourselves.

If we recognize these tensions, we can embrace them. Each of these items can be source of constant consternation; they also add the context to life that is the source of eternal inspiration.

So take a moment notice these themes. Ask yourself is there a challenge that I am not putting in the right light? How does a problem or challenge, fit into a larger theme and possibly a larger source of inspiration because of it?

Our everyday routine causes us to forget these larger patterns sometimes. This week’s Torah portion gives us a moment to reflect on them – and in doing so, draw renewed strength and inspiration. The challenge and the hope – it is the juxtaposition of life. It is not easy, and as we learn constantly in the Torah and life, that is the point.

Shabbat Shalom

General Overview: In this week's Torah reading, Chayei Sarah, Sarah dies and Abraham purchases the Cave of Machpela as a burial plot for his wife. Abraham's servant travels to Aram to find a wife for Isaac. Isaac marries Rebecca. Abraham dies.

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First Aliyah: Sarah died at the age of 127, and her grieving husband Abraham identified a plot in the city of Hebron that he wished to procure for use as a family burial ground. This plot, a cave situated in the Machpela field, belonged to Ephron the Hittite, so Abraham approached the Hittite tribe and asked for permission to purchase the parcel of land. Originally Ephron wished to give the plot to Abraham as a gift, but after Abraham insisted on paying full price the acquisition was concluded with Abraham paying 400 premium silver coins.

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Second Aliyah: Having acquired the land, Abraham buried Sarah in the Cave of Machpela. At this point, Abraham summoned his servant and charged him with the mission of finding a suitable wife for his son Isaac. Abraham had his servant swear that he would not take a wife for Isaac from the local Canaanite women. Instead, he asked him to travel to Aram, his native land, and find a wife for Isaac there.

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Third Aliyah: The servant set out for his master's homeland and evening time found him beside the city well. He prayed for success in his mission, and asked for a heavenly sign to confirm his choice of a girl for Isaac. He would ask a maiden for a drink of water, and the one who would answer: "Certainly, and I'll also give your camels to drink as well," would be the proper choice for Isaac. Immediately a young lady approached and in response to the servant's request for a drink, she offered to give his camels to drink too. Upon questioning her, he discovered that she was Abraham's great-niece, Rebecca.

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Fourth Aliyah: Rebecca ran to tell her family about the man at the well, and her brother, Laban, went out, greeted the servant, and invited him to spend the night. The servant told Rebecca's family the purpose of his mission to the city, and recounted the heavenly sign that designated Rebecca as his master's son's wife. Rebecca's family agreed that the match was divinely ordained, and consented to the proposed match.

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Fifth Aliyah: Rebecca's family celebrates the engagement together with Abraham's servant. Next morning, the servant insisted on immediately returning to his master with the maiden in hand, and after Rebecca agreed, the two set out for Canaan. Isaac married Rebecca, loved her, and finally found consolation for the loss of his mother.

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Sixth Aliyah: Abraham remarried and fathered several more children. Before his death, however, Abraham gave gifts to his other children and sent them all away, and bequeathed all the rest of his possessions to Isaac. Abraham died at the age of 175, and was buried by Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpela beside his wife, Sarah.

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Seventh Aliyah: Ishmael's progeny are detailed in this section. Ishmael passed away at the age of 137.

Weekly Shabbat Parsha Thoughts – Vayeira – 10.22.2010

This week’s parsha is always a bit uncomfortable to read. This week is the story of the “binding of Isaac”. Each year we all struggle with this difficult story and question; what are the positives we can take this year from this troubling story?

1) We do see something about Abraham in that he was willing to give up the promise of the covenant to live up to the commitment he made to G-d. This same idea shows us that we must be willing to allow for the reality that our future, our plans, and all that we thought was happening to us is up in the air. And through that uncertainty we must be anchored to our covenant.

2) With this powerful commitment in mind – we are shown the need (and power) of having a practical, applicable ethical code that gives us direction in the day to day living of our lives. This week reminds us of the power, risks and danger in having too much reliance on faith alone; therefore our covenant must have a powerful code of everyday action. The power and impact of faith require us to have a code that is focused on everyday living.

3) And if we have a living code, and real world challenges, than it is appropriate that we have key stories with which we must struggle. Part of the value of the story of this sacrifice is our inherent discomfort and struggle with every aspect of the story. The uneasiness of the story is a part of the purpose.

Our Torah gives us a lot, and in the same vein it should present challenges that are almost impossible to digest. This week’s parsha is the ultimate expression of the power of commitment, the need for an everyday code, and the need to fight with our story and narrative to find our way to redemption.
General Overview: In this week's Torah reading, Vayeira, angels visitAbraham and Sarah, informing them that Sarah would give birth to a child despite her advanced age. The angels whisk Lot and his daughters out of Sodom, and overturn and destroy the entire region. Abimelech, king of the Philistines, attempts to make Sarah part of his harem, but through divine intervention she is released unharmed. Isaac is born and Ishmael is expelled from Abraham's household. Abraham makes a peace treaty with Abimelech. The story of the "Binding of Isaac" is recounted – Isaac's "near-sacrifice" experience.

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First Aliyah: G‑d paid Abraham a visit, as he sat at the entrance of his tent. Abraham suddenly noticed three travelers passing by, and ran to invite them into his home. These passersby, who were actually angels in human disguise, accepted the invitation, and Abraham and Sarah prepared a sumptuous feast for them. The angels informed Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a child exactly one year later. Eighty-nine-year-old, post-menopausal Sarah, who was standing nearby, heard this assurance, and laughed. G‑d was displeased with Sarah's lack of faith.

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Second Aliyah: The angels departed, with Abraham escorting them on their journey. Their destination: the Sodom region; their mission: to destroy the five cities of the region, and rescue Lot (Abraham's nephew) and his family, who resided there. G‑d informed Abraham of His intention to destroy Sodom because of the great evil of its inhabitants. Abraham attempted to save the region, asking that it be spared if it contains fifty righteous people. When it was apparent that this was not the case, Abraham "bargains" with G‑d – eventually asking Him to spare Sodom even if there are only ten righteous individuals there, but even ten were not to be found.

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Third Aliyah: The angels arrived in Sodom, and Lot invited them to his home to eat and rest. Word of Lot's guests spread throughout the city – a city that abhorred all acts of kindness – and the incensed residents of Sodom surrounded Lot' house, with intent to assault the guests. Lot refused the demands that he surrender his guests, and – as the Sodomites prepared to break down the door – the angels struck all those surrounding the house with blindness. The angels informed Lot of their mission, and encouraged him to flee. Lot, his wife, and two of his daughters were escorted out of the city to safety, and were warned not to look back as the city was being destroyed.

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Fourth Aliyah: G‑d rained fire and sulfur on Sodom, and then overturned the entire region. Lot's wife looked back, and was transformed into a pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters took shelter in a cave. Assuming that the entire world was destroyed, Lot's daughter's intoxicated their father with wine, and seduced him – in order to repopulate the world. They each gave birth to a son – the antecedents of the Ammonite and Moabite nations. Abraham relocated to the Philistine city of Gerar. Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, took Sarah – who was presented as Abraham's sister – to his palace. G‑d afflicted the members of Abimelech's palace with a disease, and appeared to Abimelech in a dream warning him to return Sarah to her husband, Abraham. Abimelech obeyed, and also showered Abraham and Sarah with gifts, and he and his household were healed. Sarah conceived, and at the age of ninety gave birth to a son, who was named Isaac. Abraham circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old.

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Fifth Aliyah: Isaac grew, and Sarah noticed that Ishmael, Isaac's older half-brother, was a potentially negative influence on her young child. She demanded of Abraham to expel Ishmael, along with his mother Hagar, from the household. Despite Abraham's initial misgivings, G‑d tells him: "Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice!" Hagar and Ishmael wandered in the desert and eventually ran out of water. Ishmael was about to perish from thirst when an angel "opened Hagar's eyes" and showed her a well of water. Ishmael grew up in the desert and became a skilled archer.

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Sixth Aliyah: At that point, Abimelech approached Abraham and requested to enter into a treaty with him, whereby neither party will harm the other for three generations. Abraham agreed, but reprimanded Abimelech concerning a well of water which he had dug which was stolen by Abimelech's subjects. Abraham set apart seven ewes, telling Abimelech to take them as a testimony that he, Abraham, dug the well. Abraham planted an orchard and established an inn in Beer Sheba and proclaimed the name of G‑d to all passersby.

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Seventh Aliyah: G‑d commanded Abraham to take Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice on a mountain. Abraham took along Isaac and necessary provisions, and set out for the mountain. They arrived and Abraham built the altar and bound Isaac. As Abraham stretched out his hand to take the slaughtering knife, an angel ordered him to desist. Abraham offered a ram, which was caught in a nearby thicket, in lieu of his son. G‑d promised Abraham great blessings as a reward for passing this difficult test. After these events, Abraham was notified that his sister-in-law had given birth to children. One of these children, Bethuel, was the father of Rebecca, Isaac's future wife.

Weekly Shabbat Parsha Thoughts – Lech Lecha - 10.15.2010

This week’s portion begins with “The Lord Said to Abram ‘Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless those who bless you, and curse him that curses you; And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.’”

And with these words, a covenant and partnership is launched. We get no back story, no motivation or background and no framing in the narrative as to how or we got here. The focus is on the actions taken by Abram (Abraham) AFTER he was committed to the covenant. The lesson to learn here is the same for us as a people. Whether by birth or choice, our merit is based on what we do after we are committed to the partnership with Hashem.

This is a very basic lesson that we need to remember. In the Torah, the key of the story is our actions after the commitment. We all come to our Judaism with a blank slate. Our legacy is how we fill it. Our history directs and teaches us, but our actions based on those lessons define us.

By giving us Abram at the point that we meet him, we learn this key lesson. We learn our power, legacy and focus is on our actions. In these actions we can honor the model and lesson of our ancestors, and set up the foundation for our descendants. But our time here is not a pass through; our actions define the merits that are passed along.

The Torah, in a very simple and subtle way, shows us this week this amazing lesson. Let us remember our actions that happen after our commitment define our merits and values for the future. When the rubber meets the road, our story is defined by our actions, our ancestors’ lessons and stories can amplify our actions and impact – not replace them.

Shabbat Shalom

General Overview: Abram and Sarai travel to Canaan. Due to a famine in the land they temporarily relocate to Egypt, where Pharaoh unsuccessfully attempts to add Sarai to his harem. They return to Canaan with great wealth and Abram parts with his nephew Lot. Abram defeats the armies of the four kings who had taken his nephew Lot hostage. G‑dseals a pact with Abram, bequeathing the lands of Canaan to his descendants. Childless Abram marries Hagar and she gives birth toIshmael. G‑d changes Abram's name to Abraham, and Sarai becomesSarah. Abraham is circumcised at the age of 99.

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First Aliyah: G‑d commanded Abram to leave his father's house and homeland, and travel to the land that He will show him. As reward for doing so, G‑d promised to make Abram the patriarch of a great nation. Abram obeyed, taking along his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. Once Abram arrived in Canaan, G‑d informed him that He will eventually give that land to his descendents. Abram traverses the length of the land until a famine forces him to travel to Egypt. Fearing that the Egyptians would kill him in order to take Sarai, Abram asked her to allege that he was her brother.

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Second Aliyah: And indeed because of her beauty, Sarai was taken captive and brought to Pharaoh. G‑d struck the members of Pharaoh's palace with a plague, causing Pharaoh to hastily release Sarai. Pharaoh loaded Abram and Sarai with gifts and riches, and had them escorted out of his land. Abram returned triumphantly to Canaan.

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Third Aliyah: Lot, who had accompanied Abram and Sarai, was independently wealthy. When Lot's shepherds quarreled with Abram's shepherds, the two parted ways, with Lot settling in the province of Sodom, which was renowned for its evil inhabitants. After Lot departed, G‑d spoke to Abram again, reiterating His promise to bequeath the land to his descendents, and promising to make his descendents numerous as the soil of the earth.

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Fourth Aliyah: The southern region of Canaan was embroiled in a major war involving many kings. When the dust settled, the victorious kings took captive all the inhabitants of the Sodom region -- Lot included. When Abram was informed of Lot's plight he rushed to the rescue along with a handful of men, engaged the victorious kings in battle, soundly defeated them, released all the captives and returned all the spoils.

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Fifth Aliyah: Abram rebuffed the king of Sodom's wish to award him with all the war's spoils. When G‑d reassured Abram that he would be greatly rewarded for his righteousness, Abram broaches his childlessness. "What is the point of all the reward and wealth," Abram cried, "if I have no heir to inherit it?!" G‑d assured Abram that he will indeed have a child, and promised that Abram's descendents will be as numerous as the stars of the heaven.

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Sixth Aliyah: Abram requested a sign from G‑d that his descendents would inherit the land of Canaan. G‑d responded in the famous "Covenant Between the Parts." Abram and the Divine Presence passed between an assortment of halved animals, and G‑d told Abram that his descendants would be exiled and in bondage for four hundred years. At the conclusion of this period, Abram's descendents would leave with great wealth, G‑d would punish the nations which enslaved them, and Abram's children would inherit the lands of Canaan. Following this pact, Sarai -- seeing that she and Abram were still childless -- suggested that Abram father a child with her Egyptian maid, Hagar. Hagar conceived and began to mistreat her mistress Sarai, who responded with a heavy hand, prompting Hagar to flee. Hagar encountered an angel who encouraged her to return to Sarai, promising her that the child she will bear will become a great nation. She obeyed, and gave birth to Ishmael. At the very end of this section, G‑d added the letter hey to Abram's name, making it "Abraham."

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Seventh Aliyah: G‑d sealed a covenant with Abraham and his descendants; the sign of the covenant is the circumcision of all males when they are eight days old. Sarai's name is changed to Sarah, and G‑d promises a delighted Abraham that he will father another son, this time from Sarah. At the age of 99, Abraham circumcised himself, his son Ishmael, and all the members of his household.

Weekly Shabbat Parsha Thoughts – Noah - 10.8.2010

The story of the flood and the Tower of Babel act as a transition point between the creation story and the beginning of the Jewish story. So what is important to understand the transition?

a) The story of Noah is about the consequences of when humanity stops treating each other like they're individuals, as not unique, valuable creations made in the image of God. The Noah story starts with talking about how corruption and death and murder have over taken the world. God wants to start over.

b) The Tower of Babel, which is the second part of the story, talks about humanity’s occupation of trying to make a name for itself and comparing itself to the heavens. Their primary focus becomes this prideful achievement. God punishes them again. Not as severely but directly.

So what are the two things to learn from that?

Well, the first is that our purpose and focus in creation is to work, respect and value each other. It's much less about honoring Hashem directly, and more about honoring him through our actions to one another. Killing something made in the spirit and image of God - it's like trying to kill God. He had to respond. The Tower of Babel tells us a similar message, that when our focus is not on each other and perfecting the world by working with each other, we are not being good partners and our focus must be redirected.

So, the key point here is that the Torah teaches us that our preoccupation, focus, energy, and work should be focused on God's creation. Before we can focus on what our relation is to the divine, we must focus it on each other.

Our focus cannot be destruction. Our focus cannot be trying to equal the divine. We can't even really frankly be focused in a daily way on the divine, as day to day our world has to be focused on each other. But when we remember these daily interactions are between creations with the divine spark and image within them, and act accordingly, we can then honor the divine in all of us and the world.

The week’s portion says that mankind's purpose needs to be focusing on working with each other. It also shows us that there is a challenge in this, when you have an innately imperfect world. And this is why we need a covenant to help guide us in our partnership. We need to be to understand why we have to have a covenant, and that is why we must have a tool and structure to keep our focus and immense talents on each other as God's creations and partners in creating a perfect world. And it must be based in this world in real acts that make a difference - a nice lesson to remember this week.

Shabbat Shalom
General Overview: In this week's reading, Noach, Noah and his family, along with at least one pair of each living creature, survive the Flood by taking refuge in an Ark. The erection of the Tower of Babel angers G‑d, and leads to the dispersal of Noah's descendants. Abraham and Sarah are born.

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First Aliyah: While society as a whole descended into a state of anarchy and utter corruption, only Noah remained righteous and faithful to G‑d's ways. Noah was informed by G‑d that a mabul ("flood") will soon destroy all of civilization, and only Noah and his immediate family would survive in a teivah ("ark," boat) that he was to build. G‑d gave Noah the exact dimensions of the teivah he was to build, and commanded Noah to bring along into the teivah specimens of every species of animal and bird to repopulate the world after the mabul, and to stock the boat with food to feed all its inhabitants.

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Second Aliyah: Of kosher animals and birds, Noah was commanded to take seven pairs of each species (as opposed to one pair of all other species). Noah, his family, and the required animals boarded the teivahand the mabul began: "The springs of the great depths burst forth and the windows of the heavens opened."

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Third Aliyah: The torrential rains lasted for forty days and nights. The waters rose to great heights and covered even the highest mountains, killing all humans and animals; everything died aside for Noah and the other occupants of the teivah. After the waters raged on the earth another 150 days, G‑d caused the waters to subside. The teivah eventually rested on the Ararat Mountains, and shortly thereafter the mountain peaks came into view. Noah opened the window of the teivah and dispatched birds to see whether it was time to leave the teivah. First he sent a raven, which refused to execute its mission and just circled the ark. He then sent out a dove. On its second attempt the dove went and did not return, signaling that the earth was once again habitable. After one full year in the teivah, the earth had dried.

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Fourth Aliyah: G‑d commanded Noah to leave the teivah, along with all his fellow teivah-mates. Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices. This pleased G‑d, who then promised to never again curse the earth as He had just done. Instead, the regular seasons (which had not functioned during the year of the mabul) would continue perpetually. G‑d then blessed Noah and his sons: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." G‑d allowed mankind to eat meat, but prohibited murder, suicide, and the consumption of a limb ripped from a living animal.

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Fifth Aliyah: G‑d told Noah that he is establishing a covenant to never again bring a flood to destroy the world. G‑d designated the rainbow as the sign of this covenant: "And it shall come to pass, when I cause clouds to come upon the earth, that the rainbow will appear in the cloud. And I will remember My covenant..."

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Sixth Aliyah: Noah planted a vineyard, made wine, became drunk and fell into a deep drunken slumber -- while naked. Noah's son, Ham, saw his father naked, assaulted him, and informed his two brothers of their father's state. The brothers, Shem and Japeth, modestly approached their father and covered him. When Noah awakened, he cursed Cham's son, Canaan, and blessed Shem and Japeth. This section then names Noah's seventy grandsons and great-grandsons, the antecedents of the "seventy nations," and their adopted homelands.

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Seventh Aliyah: This section recounts the story of the Tower of Babel. Noah's descendents gathered in the Babylonian valley and started building a tower, in an attempt to reach the heavens and battle G‑d. G‑d disrupted their "plan" by causing them each to speak a different language, thus destroying their communications. This caused them to disperse and settle in different lands. The Torah then lists the ten generations of Shem's descendents. The tenth generation is Abram (later to be known as Abraham), who married Sarai (later to be known as Sarah).