Parshat Lech Lecha 2:1 - 17:27

Parshat Lech Lecha
2:1 - 17:27
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This week I am writing to you sitting at a computer in the Holy City of Jerusalem. I have come on a trip to Israel sponsored by our Los Angeles Consul General Yaakov Dayan and 18 of Los Angeles' most prominent rabbis. This group of rabbis represent Reform, Conservative and Orthodox congregations and communities in L.A. But we are here in Israel for a very short time -58 hours on the ground. The group includes myself and Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Rabbi David Wolpe of Temple Sinai, Rabbi Laura Geller of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, Rabbi Eli Herscher, Sr. Rabbi of Stephen S. Wise Temple, and Rabbi Elazar Mushkin of Young Israel of Century City and several others. Diverse indeed! But we came to Israel with one thing in mind--Unity. We came in solidarity to show the Los Angeles Jewish community our commitment to Israel. We came in solidarity to show Israel that it is possible for rabbinic leaders of all stripes to join in dialogue and in spite of our differences our commitment to the notion of Klal Yisrael- the peoplehood of the state of Israel is a sacred tenet that we all share.

We have had the privilege of visiting with President Shimon Peres at the Presidential Residence for a private session. We were able to discuss with him his vision of peace. Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, rabbi of the Sephardic Temple asked President Peres what defined this late period in Israel's life. Peres responded the pursuit of peace. Israel has been since the Oslo Accords trying to be a rodef shalom-a pursuer of peace even when there is no peace partner on the other side.
We went as soon as we got off the plane to Tel Aviv to visit the remarkable Bialik-Rogozin school. This is a school that serves children k-12. It is supported in part by funds from the Los Angeles Jewish Federation. There are children and teens from all kinds of families. And in particular a number of children of foreign workers whose parents had been invited to Israel by the government. The only home they have known is Israel. There are children of Sudanese and Darfur refugees. There are Israeli Arab children Christian and Muslim. We met the principal and several of the children who spoke to us about how they love the diversity of their school because it looks like the world. But sadly the Shas controlled Minister of the Interior has proposed a policy that would deport the children of foreign workers even if the children were born in Israel and know no other country as home or speak any other language in Hebrew. And the ministry of Defense has proposed legislation that would make it crime for refugees who seek asylum even if they are running from genocide like in Darfur to come to Israel. They propose imprisonment for a minimum of seven years and propose to make it a crime for organizations who might provide humanitarian aid to any refugee including food and shelter.
Our Board of Rabbis of Southern California which I have the honor of being the president sent a letter of concern and protest over the possible deportation of the children at this school. Where are the values that our ancestor Abraham taught us so well of hospitality? And where are the values that our Torah teaches to welcome the stranger because you were once strangers in the land of Egypt and to treat the citizen and stranger in your midst with one law?
We were privileged to meet the head of military intelligence and he brought us up to date on the situation with Iran and its proxies Hamas and Hizbollah and we met Dr. Ruth Gavison eminant jurist and academic who raised the issue of Jewish identity in Israel and how do you maintain the connection to heritage in our world. She also spoke about her role in the Winograd commission that examined closely the ethics of the IDF.
We heard from Daniel Taub who is the Sr. Legal Advisor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs analyze why the UN's Goldstone report unfairly attacks Israel and the findings of Israel's own internal investigations --over 100 of them --about the conduct of the IDF in the Gaza operation of December '08 -January '09
And we met with young people who are living out David Ben Gurion's dream of greening the Negev and experts on water scarcity in the Middle East and water management and creation!
We worked in a soup kitchen in Jerusalem feeding the hungry including impoverished Holocaust survivors at Hazon Yeshaya. Yours truly along with Rabbi Don Goor of Temple Judea peeled potatoes, scooped out spaghetti from giant pots and drained it, while Rabbi Isaac Jeret of Rancho Palace Verdes' Temple Ner Tamid mixed in the tomato sauce for the lunch time service.
What we are seeing is a vibrant country with challenges like any nation-state in this global reality. And Israel's challenges are made starker by the threats that surround it with Hamas and Hizbollah and Iran committed to Israel's destruction and an international questioning by Arab and Muslim countries of Israel's right to exist.
Israel as a country is not going anywhere. And the beauty, history and creativity of this wonderful place is real in her people, in society, in the land itself.
This week's portion Lech Lecha in Genesis is the beginning of this story of the sacred land of Israel. God calls out to Abraham to "Go forth from your father's house and homeland to a land that I will show you." Abraham starts his journey toward this place-Eretz Yisrael and this land of Israel becomes the fulfillment of the covenantal promise. Being here this week for me brings this covenantal promise more real. I encourage you to invest your time by living out this promise. Come to Israel. It isn't just a vacation. This is a pilgrimage to the land of our ancestors and you too will Go forth to the land God promised Abraham and each of us.

Parshat Noah Genesis 6:9 -11:32

Parshat Noah
Genesis 6:9 -11:32
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

In this fast moving world that we live in, we all know that communication is paramount. With all the social networking sites that demand our attention, texting, tweeting, cell phone calls keep us constantly in touch and constantly communicating with work, family and friends. There are so many avenues to make ourselves heard it can be dizzying. Each mode of communication has its unique shorthand and its unique signatures. Twitter keeps it short -140 characters. Facebook asks you for your status update. Texting has its own shorthand and the phone too has its own unique signatures with specialized ringtones for different people.

But nothing perhaps is more frustrating that the dropped call. Even as we speed about talking on our Bluetooth headsets, midsentence our call can fade away. It interrupts the flow of conversation and might even create serious problems in our relationships. It necessitates call backs and everyone is frustrated when signal strength and communication towers are few and far between. It sometimes feels like the message is interrupted on purpose.

I imagine this is how the people felt during the building of the Tower of Babel which is a story in this week’s Torah portion, Noah. It is a mythic tale of the beginning of various languages. The story of the tower of Babel which is found in chapter 11 of the book of Genesis tells us that the people banded together to build a city and a tower to the heavens. Human ingenuity is at the core of this story. But God looks upon their cooperative work with suspicion worrying that their creations will empower humans and nothing will be beyond their reach. The people of Babel did not according to the implication by God put their creation in the proper perspective. And it seems that God fears that they will see themselves as gods. This is why God interrupts their communication by creating many different languages and spreading the people about the earth.

And that is in part the lesson we learn from this week’s portion that God and Divinity are not to be discounted or ignored when we human beings create and build. As part of our covenant with God that Abraham will make next week in Parshat Lech-Lecha, the Jewish people put God at the center. Our creations and experiments are placed in the context of our relationship with the Divine. We understand that when we create or build or farm that God is part of the equation. And that is part of the communication that we need to express.

We give thanks for the ability to speak and learn. We give thanks to God for the ability to use our human ingenuity to build and discover. We give thanks for making us in the Divine image.

Parshat Bereshit Genesis1:1 – 4:25

Parshat Bereshit
Genesis1:1 – 4:25
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Praised are You Adonai who creates light and darkness. These are the opening words of the Yotzeir Or prayer that comes from Isaiah 45:7. God is the creator of light and darkness and this is exactly what we read about in the opening words of this week’s Torah portion Bereshit. The opening portion of the Torah begins with acts of creation. God said, “Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light was good and God separated the light from the darkness.” (Gen. 1:3-4). The universe is bathed in light and dark, brilliance and shadows. The light illumines our world in the day time and with the evening shadows, darkness covers us over as we sleep. But there is a difference between the two for light is good!

This past Sunday, on October 11, 2009 the light of the sun cast a brilliant glow over Washington, D.C. and 250, 000 people gathered to march for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Rights. Responding to a call from activists Cleve Jones and David Mixner, people came from all over the United States to renew and reinvigorate the call to service and engagement for full civil rights at the federal level for GLBT people. I was happy to be a part of it all.

It was a day where the light of the heavens helped to brighten dark corners of our country. Young people everywhere marched with an enthusiasm to bring about change. Their energy illumined the many places where our glbt movement has yet to make progress. Even though there were many old curmudgeonly gay activists who derided this gathering they were the shadow and the darkness. They couldn’t see what I did from that stage on Sunday.

As I stood with my fellow clergy people for the invocation on the stage of the National Equality March, I watched a new generation willing to take action and take their place in this movement for inclusion and equality for gay folks. I watched waves and waves of people of all generations marching proudly down Pennsylvania Avenue to the West Capitol Park filling it way beyond the reflecting pool with their signs. I saw rainbow flags fluttering in the slight breeze as the Washington, D.C. Gay Men’s chorus sang, “Over the Rainbow” and “The National Anthem”. I heard the inspirational words of Judy Shepherd, mother of martyred Matthew Shepherd who had been murdered simply for being gay. I heard the inspirational words of Lt. Dan Choi, one of America’s finest military officers who is being dismissed from our armed services simply for being gay even though he possesses much needed skills as an Arabic translator during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the war on terror. Their words were light illuminating the dark corners of our country.

I heard the inspirational words of young people who in the face of defeats in their states, whether California or Florida or Arkansas commit to reshaping the face of America. And I heard from both gay and straight people who together will make a difference in darkened corners of ignorance as they committed to return home and work for real change.

As for the curmudgeonly ones and the politicians who did nothing but criticize they ought to get out of their own way and let the warmth of these young people have a place. For years many of us have said where are they? Where are the ones who will take over? A generation died of HIV/AIDS who were are best and brightest. But now thank God, a new generation of young people gay and straight who are our new best and brightest are ready to rumble. And on Sunday they did!

Yes God created a lot of light as we read about in this week’s portion. And I was glad to be a part of such enlightenment this past Sunday.

Simchat Torah

Simchat Torah
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This week of Sukkot is filled with an opportunity to celebrate family and friends. Each day we are to welcome them to our Sukkah along with the ancestors of our people, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel and Leah, Joseph, Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, Hulda the prophetess, King David, Queen Esther and Deborah the Judge. We call this welcoming of the ancestors along with welcoming of our family and friends, Ushpezin. Each ancestor invoked brings their own special qualities to our sukkah and our lives with their special insights and unique heavenly energies.
They bring to our Sukkah values of leadership, hospitality, wisdom, and music. They bring to our Sukkah family caring and reminders of our ongoing covenant with the Holy One of Blessing.

The week culminates of course in the ultimate reminder of our covenantal relationship-Simchat Torah, the celebration of the annual cycle of reading Torah. This weekend we shall celebrate the Torah and its centrality in our lives by lifting it high on our shoulders and dancing and yes, reading from its passages. We begin the night with the last chapter of Deuteronomy and move immediately to the opening words of Genesis. In one moment we assert the never ending history and never ending covenantal promise we made a Sinai. In one moment we renew our people’s story. In one moment we end and begin the Torah reading cycle again to learn from its stories, morals, and ethics to guide us in the New Year. In one moment Moses looks out upon the Promised Land and the next God recreates the universe. Just as the Jewish people will recreate their world as the cross over the Jordan in a new way and the New Year has recreated and purified our souls.
The holiday of Sukkot with its emphasis on the celebration of the Fall Harvest and the abundance of joy and goodness brought to us by the Divine Holy One is emphasized in a different way on the last day of the week with Simchat Torah. We add to our bounty with the bounty we reap from Torah. This is the bounty of guidance and direction and mitzvot that help direct us to live lives of holiness as God intended for us to live.
On Yom Kippur we read, I am holy, so you be holy, I am Adonai Your God (Lev. 19:1). The holiday of Simchat Torah, of Rejoicing in the Torah emphasizes that the scroll of our people’s life and history and law helps us live holy lives.
I look forward to celebrating with all of you.
Rabbi Denise L. Eger