Give or Take. It’s Not the Same.

I am confident. If our great-grandparents did it, then there is no reason we can’t either. With no experience in organizing a building campaign or constructing a Synagogue,  our ancestors   built the first Jewish Temple. Their holy facility was to be the paradigm of all sanctuaries to follow. All we need to do, it seems to me, is follow their lead.

With that in mind, let’s turn to the Bible for a copy of their instructions. It begins with these words, “Speak to the children of Israel and have them take for Me a gift offering.”

An interesting choice of words. Especially considering the term, “Take a gift,”  when the word ‘give’ would have been more appropriate.

Eveyone is familiar…

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A Lifesaver

This week’s portion begins with a mainstay of Jewish life, the appeal. “Speak to the Israelites and have them take to me an offering. From every man whose heart impels him, you shall take…” All the commentaries explore the peculiar expression, “take to me,”  rather than the expected, “give to me.” 
On a simple level, we can say that since G-d owns everything,  it is impossible to give Him anything. Giving implies ownership. Therefore, we don’t use the expression “giving” to the Master of all, but “taking.” That is to say, since G-d already owns everything, we ‘generously allow’ Him to ‘take’ that which is already His.
No surprise, but the first time that an act of chessed (kindness) in…

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The Building Campaign

Peace had finally arrived in the Promised Land. In its wake, the expected hopes and fears everyone came to fruition. The Israeli mother breathed a sigh of relief. The American fundraiser stifled an anxious moan. For the soldier, it was a moment of triumph.  For the donor, a time of trial.
Indeed, with no crisis on the horizon, the entire army of Jewish bureaucrats, directors, consultants, fundraisers, and executives found themselves with nothing left to organize. A campaign was needed, some mission with a sense of urgency to rally the troops. And so was born the Beit Hamikdosh (Holy Temple) Campaign.

From all across the “fruited plain” community leaders from every UJA (now called the UJC, United Jewish Communities) were…

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His Name Was Moishe

In this week’s Biblical reading we are introduced to one of the most revolutionary people ever to live, Moses, the Lawgiver and Redeemer. If anyone, it is he that should be credited with the widespread acknowledgment of monotheism, the nature of contemporary judicial law and the legislation of morality. Even the world’s major religions that opposed his word as final, are based on the Torah he brought down from Sinai. 

So while we know what became of Moses, we have to wonder, what made him Moses? Who inspired this shepherd of sheep to evolve into a master of men and a deliverer from despots? Which individual imparted to Moses his ethics, his compassion, his sense of absolute right and wrong?...

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"name and Number, Please\

“Ever call the phone company to report a problem? Or maybe you wanted to order something using your credit card? Anyway, we all know the routine.”

First the line is busy. Eventually you get through to a recording that transfers you to another line. There you are directed by a second set of instructions until you finally reach a live human being whose first words are, “Name and number, please.” Number in these instances, of course, referring to phone or credit card.

  How impersonal! How cold! Obviously the art of conversation has gone the way of the abacus.
But are names and numbers trivial? Let’s note Rashi’s commentary on the opening line in the Book of Exodus, where it states,...

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A Burning Bush on I-95

Regardless of how limited one’s Jewish education may have been, there are a number of Biblical episodes that most literate people are aware of. A painting depicting the Splitting of the Sea would be easily identified. A sculpture of the Ten Commandments is another recognizable artifact. How about   Moses at the Burning Bush? Could you correctly guess the scene or would you slap your forehead after you were told the answer and mutter, “I should have gotten it!”

In Jewish history, there is a hardly an object more expounded upon than the burning bush. Its symbolism has been analyzed and debated for generations. But rather than discuss the actual bush and its meaning, let’s view the event from a totally…

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Look Who's in G-d's Orchestra

The Sages are in agreement over this issue; the greatness of G-d can be found in the Midrash. Let me concur and add; the humility of Moshe Rabbeinu is found in the same place.
The debut of Moses’ career highlights his concern for others less fortunate. Growing up as a prince of Egypt, surrounded by luxury, Moshe could have easily forgotten his Jewish roots. Instead the Bible informs us, “He went out among his own people and saw their hard labor.” Once, upon observing an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Jew, he killed the slave driver, thus endangering his privileged status. Shortly thereafter, Moshe’s interference became known and he had to flee the country.
Arriving in Midian, he allowed himself to…

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Moses + One = ?

On one hand, people shy away from challenge. There is a danger of failure. Were it not - it would not be a challenge - and no one likes to fail. On the other hand, we seek challenge, for confronting new opportunities lifts us out of the doldrums of ordinary existence.
In this week’s Biblical reading, the first in the Book of Exodus, G-d commissions Moses to return to Egypt and lead the Jewish people out of bondage. After repeated attempts to enlist the faithful shepherd, Moses replies, “Send, I pray You, by the hand of whom You will send.” If this sounds like acquiescence, the Midrash interprets this verse in the following manner. “Master of the Universe,” Moses pleads,...

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Help - We’re Drowning!

The subjugation had begun in earnest. The guidance of Joseph, and the blessing of Jacob which had saved Egypt from famine and starvation, were memories conveniently forgotten. The new Pharaoh had turned the proud children of Israel into wretched slaves. Yet their spirit was not completely crushed. They continued having children, waiting and hoping for the redeemer to be born who would liberate them from bondage.
Pharaoh and his court were well aware of his subjects’ hopes. First they tried enlisting the Hebrew midwives to kill the male newborn. When it became apparent that they were not going to cooperate, Pharaoh conscripted the entire population.  Each man, woman, and child was suddenly charged with the vile decree of wholesale infanticide….

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Snake Leaders

I admit it, I love a good story. It should contain heroes and villians, conflict and a happy ending. In fact, even more than, “They all lived happily ever after”  I personally enjoy a smart conclusion whereby the hero upstages or outsmarts his antagonist. A classic example of this can be found in this week’s Biblical rendition of Moses at the Burning Bush.

At that juncture Moses is exhorted by Hashem to free the Jews from bondage. The humble shepherd responds, “They (the Jews) will not believe me,” to which G-d retorts, “Cast your staff on the ground.” When the staff miraculously metamorphoses into a snake, for some strange reason Moses runs away in fear. Bear in mind, that Moses…

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I’m Going to Get into Trouble for This One

Once again the specter of a Jewish army flexing its considerable muscle against fellow Jews is front page news. However, this time it’s not Gush Katif, it’s Chevron; and it’s not a settlement at the edge of the country, it’s the City of the Patriarchs in the heartland itself. According to the Israeli papers some 4,000 security personnel will be mobilized to evacuate 8 Jewish families who are living on Jewishly owned land.
With no intent to offend, I simply raise this question: Is there a red line that a government (even a democratically elected one) can cross in the Holy land that renders the decisions of that administration unholy? Is there ever a situation that allows, perhaps even demands,...

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Jewish Blood Is Vital

All around the world, Jewish communities in Europe, South America, Australia and in our very own Sunshine State will be heading to their synagogues this Shabbat ... and shake their heads in puzzlement about the situation in Israel. Questions such as, “What can we do” to “What should we do” are heard in between the Aliyot….

Working together is not only pragmatic in order to accomplish a monumental task, it is a necessary state of mind if we are to achieve the purpose of why G-d placed us on this world…  Responsibility is a basic human need, just like food or oxygen.

We may choose to ignore our inner call….Three or four generations ago, our grandparents could not be blamed…

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Central Man

I have long been fascinated by the parallel axioms that traverse the spiritual and physical realms. The strict discipline that governs the physical sciences is of particular interest to me, as it demonstrates a simple truth: G-d’s perfection is paramount everywhere, since He cannot be limited to any one dimension.
If I am sounding oblique, let me clarify with a specific example. In this week’s Biblical reading, we are told that the ancient Israelites constructed and worshipped a Golden Calf. What surprises many of the commentaries, and indeed most laymen, is the incongruous behavior of the Jews. A mere three months earlier, they had witnessed the greatest of wonders when the Almighty had redeemed them from the bondage of Egypt….

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Wash Your Face

One didn’t just walk into the Temple unprepared. Even the priests who were trained from an early age for this sacred calling, made final preparations before actually serving. In the words of this week’s Biblical reading, “Make a basin of copper for washing…. And Aaron and his sons should wash their hands and feet from it, when they enter the Tent of Meeting.”

More than nineteen hundred years have passed since the destruction of the Holy Temple. Some things however never change, including this law. To quote the Halachic codifier Maimonedes, “Every morning, a person should wash his face, hands and feet before praying.”   
                  .   
While there may no longer be a true House of G-d or kohanim who offer…

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Newer Isn't Improved

Although G-d said to Moshe, “Carve out two tablets for yourself, just like the first ones,“ they weren’t actually exact duplicates. There were several differences. The first set of Ten Commandments had not only been inscribed by G-d, but the Tablets themselves had been carved out by His hand as well. The replacement tablets, while written by Hashem, were carved by Moshe.

How much of a difference did this make? The contrast was as great as that which existed between the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In other words, all the difference in the world!
This is because G-d’s making of the First Tablets represented their having emanated from a source outside the…

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Wash Your Face!

And G-d spoke to Moses saying, “Make a basin of copper for washing, and place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar…. And Aaron and his sons should wash their hands and feet from it, when they enter the Tent or when they approach the altar to serve…” Exodus 30:17

“Every morning, a person should wash his face, hands and feet before praying.” Rambam, Laws of Prayer.

Since the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem G-d does not commune with man in a “Tent of Meeting,” nor do priests offer sacrifices upon the altar. Yet the Temple and its service remain, to this very day, the vehicle for our relationship with G-d, albeit in another form. In…

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Take the Plunge

I’ve been in the Rabbi business for over a decade. There are many accomplishments our synagogue is justly proud of, and many faux-pas whose memories still make us blush deep red. On a personal level, our organization’s greatest achievement is the religious impact we have had on many individuals and families. There are hundreds of children now attending day schools and yeshivahs, dozens of families that keep kosher and Shabbat, countless businesses that learn Torah via the Fax of Life or other classes and the list goes on and on.

A question often asked is, “What influences one person to take the religious plunge and the other to have cold feet?” I must confess this query is never posed by…

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Deadly Compromise

Insurrection can take on many forms. In this week’s Biblical portion it’s the Golden Calf debacle while in the Haftorah reading it is the false idol Baal that has captured the hearts of the wayward Israelites.  What dramatically separates the two incidents is the response. In the Torah, Moses pleads with G-d to spare His stiff-necked people vs.  the prophet Elijah who argues not with the Almighty for clemency, but rather with the mutinous Hebrews themselves.

The reason why the leadership in these two instances employed different tactics is because the nation’s defiance was dissimilar in each case. In the story of the Golden Calf it was outright rebellion preaching idolatry. In the episode of Elijah it was nothing more…

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Tying the Knot

Forgetfulness has been the bane of humanity since creation. How often do we find ourselves using the excuse, “I forgot.” No wonder then, that for centuries man has devised methods to help him jog his memory.

One of the earliest, and without question the most common tactic employed is that of tying a knot. Even the Kabballistic work, the Zohar, commenting on this week’s Biblical portion, relates how the two sages, Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Yossi, would tie knots in order to remember their Torah study.

Remembering who you are and your relationship with G-d should be easy. Surely every Jew realizes that his continued existence and well-being is dependent upon G-d. With this in mind, it seems incredible that…

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The Eternal Sign

The immediate prelude to the Sin of the Golden Calf is, “To make the Shabbos throughout their generations…It is an eternal sign between Me and the Children of Israel.”  The discerning reader must wonder what is the connection between Shabbos and the Golden Calf, that renders the former the introduction to the latter? 

Reconciling a Jewish People involved with idolatry only forty days after the Revelation at Sinai, is always troublesome. How did the impact of, “You shall have no other gods,” evaporate so quickly?
One explanation (of many) is that the prophetic encounter the nation experienced at the giving of the Ten Commandments was akin to a gift. We all recognize that attainments earned after years of hard work…

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When the Lights of the Urim Are Not Enough

Without a doubt, the Urim V’Tumim, was the most mysterious item that made up the priestly garments. Handwritten by Moses and never duplicated, it contained G-d’s Explicit Name. This ‘oracle’ while secreted in the High Priest’s Breastplate functioned as a communicator of Divine messages. Thus the Breastplate (Choshen in Hebrew), served an invaluable role. If the Jewish nation was faced with a critical issue affecting their national welfare, such as going to war, the answer would come straight from Heaven via the Choshen.
I remember thinking as a child, “If only I had my own Urim V’Tumim, I wouldn’t have to study for any tests.” But of course, the Urim V’Tumim was not used for frivolous matters, only for issues…

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