Parshat Emor Leviticus 21:1 -24:23

Parshat Emor
Leviticus 21:1 -24:23
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

In the midst of this week’s Torah portion, Emor, is the calendar of the Jewish people. The holy days and festivals are outlined beginning with the most important, the weekly observance of Shabbat. We might not often think of this as a holy day related to Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot or Shavuot. But the Sabbath is the pinnacle of our week. It is the great re-set button. Allowing each of us to reset our clocks, reset our thoughts and through prayer, meditation and time with friends and family reset our anxiety quotient to zero by not focusing on that which gives us so many worries.
The yearly calendar mentions the three big festivals starting with Pesach. Biblically Pesach is the beginning of the year. It wasn’t until much later that our year began at Rosh Hashanah. We even find the Biblical names of some of the months different than we know them now. There have been several developments through Jewish history including a bitter dispute in the Tenth Century of the Common Era between the leaders of the Jewish community in Babylonia and the remnant left in what was then called Palestine. Eventually the Babylonian methods won out.

The portion goes on to describe a bit about each holiday. Rosh Hashanah is not how we know it biblically-it is only Yom Teruah in the Torah- the day of Sounding of the Shofar. Of course Yom Kippur follows it but again these holy days come in the seventh month rather than the first. Today Yom Teruah-(known also as Rosh Hashanah) is the first of the year. One theory holds that when Israel was divided following the death of Solomon into the Northern Kingdom (eventually carried off by the Assyrians including the 10 lost Tribes) and the Southern Kingdom had vastly different ways to reckon. Some believe the differences in the calendar are reflected by the various practices of the two kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom counted the years of a king’s reign from Spring to Spring. While the Southern kingdom counted the king’s reign from fall to fall. And because we are heirs of the Southern Kingdom brought into exile in Babylonia we now reckon our calendar from fall to fall.

More of these differences seem to be reflected in the controversy about how to calculate the Festival of Shavuot also known as the feast of Weeks. We count the omer (sheaverhars of barley) from the second night of Passover until the 50th day. This is seven full weeks from beginning of the grain harvest until the later barley harvest! These might be reflected of later traditions in the Torah.
Despite these controversies the basic calendar of the Jewish people remains intact. We still observe, Shabbat, Pesach, counting of the omer, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah –Yom Terurah, the Day of Atonement, Sukkot and Shemini Azeret.

Noticeably missing from this list are the celebrations of the New Moon which we read about in a different section of the Torah and Tisha B’av which marks the destruction of both Temples in 596 BCE and the year 70 C.E. Also missing are the later additions to the holidays Simchat Torah, Chanukah and Purim. And of course the more contemporary holy days of Yom Hashoa –Holocaust memorial day and Yom Haatzmaut-Israel Independence Day.

The rhythm of our cycle of holy days and festivals are important and core parts of Jewish life. These holy days and festivals help us mark the passage of the seasons not only winter, spring, summer and fall but the seasons of our lives. Many liberal Jews only observe a handful of these holy days robbing themselves of the opportunities to weave deeper meaning into their daily existence. At a time of such turmoil and chaos in the world –the regular cycle of holidays help us center our lives and our spirits. Hopefully as we read this week’s portion we can be reminded to celebrate, commemorate and deepen our connection through observance of these special times in the life of the Jewish people.

Achrei Mot/Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1 -20:27

Achrei Mot/Kedoshim
Leviticus 16:1 -20:27
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Again this week we have another double portion- Achrei Mot/Kedoshim. In the section of Kedoshim in chapter 19 we read from verse 9-10 the instructions about how to help sustain the poor in our midst.

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I Adonai am your God.”

These instructions apply to large farms and small gardens. The four corners are reserved property. Just when you think you own all of the land, just when you think the harvest is all yours- the Torah comes to teach you that it isn’t. The message loud and clear is that God owns the land and the produce as well. You may think you own it but there is a higher authority. And that higher authority, God, demands that you share your bounty. Yes, this is wealth redistribution. And free marketers and capitalists won’t like it. But the Torah is very clear what we have belongs first to God and is but lent to us.

We are taught in this section of Torah that the path to holiness (for Kedoshim means holiness and this is the holiness code) is expressed in how we care for the least of society and how we treat one another. You might think that if you don’t own fields or produce or vineyards that somehow this doesn’t apply to you. But the message is loud and clear that we have an obligation to bring some balance to the economic disparity that surrounds us. Though today many of us are not farmers or vintners, we are commanded here to pay attention to the poor and the stranger in our midst and care for them.

This instruction, if we are at all faithful, should also inform our policies. How might we apply this kind of helping hand and moral responsibility as described in the Torah in other ways? With all the talk now of shutting out undocumented workers from access to health care and education is this the way we are commanded to treat the stranger in our midst? Or does this verse call to us to care compassionately for the stranger.

This is further emphasized in this section by the words: When a stranger abides in your land you shall not wrong him, the stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Lev. 19:33-34). The message is clear the stranger, the non-native requires a compassionate and equal response from us.

Today we are divided as a nation over what is the way to deal with immigrants. How many legal immigrants should there be? How do we keep our borders secure? What do we do with the many undocumented and illegal immigrants already here? How do we provide in a time of economic distress and shrinking resources for all those who don’t already pay for services? Should we shut them out of being able to use the hospital? Attend public schools and universities? Getting the job skills that drive the engines of our society? Do we merely deport the stranger in our midst?

These are complex questions of national security, economics and public policy. But our faith values still guide us in our decision making. And this is clear-that we have an obligation to care for those who are non-natives. Thus when I hear conservatives tell me that “illegal immigrants should be barred from emergency rooms and arrested if they appear in the hospital for any reason,” I am concerned about public health and safety. I am concerned for the individuals and their well being. I am concerned when I hear the drumbeat of xenophobia rearing its ugly head.

This portion also teaches us “Love Your Neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). Perhaps that is the bottom line as we struggle with how to handle Immigration Reform in this country. E must remember that many of our own immediate family members came to this country from many different places around the world. We can and should provide a methodology for helping undocumented immigrants become documented –even if it means paying the fines for entering illegally. But we should not deny access to health care and schools that is cruel and will open us all up to health epidemics like Tuberculosis and H1N1 virus and further create greater opportunities for crime to flourish. Let’s be smart in dealing with Immigration Reform and be guided by the words of Torah. Indeed let’s begin with the premise: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Tazria/Metzora Leviticus 12:1-15:33

Tazria/Metzora
Leviticus 12:1-15:33
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This week’s double Torah portion Tazria/Metzora describes spiritual defilement by means of child birth, physical ailment, and discharges of both semen and blood by men and women. A small section of this week’s portion describes a kind of tzarat or affliction that attacks houses and fabrics.

This week we enter an ancient mindset that seemed to revile some of the natural functions of the body along with physical ailments that were poorly understood. It made everything from menstrual blood to semen as something to revile rather than as natural and normal functions of the body. Both blood and semen in these Torah portions with the potential for life are treated in a special category that can cause spiritual impurity.

The opening of the portion describes the conditions of childbirth that bring the mother spiritual impurity or uncleanliness. When a woman gives birth there is a lot of blood. It is part of the process of the body. And so according to this portion she must purify herself following the ordeal of giving birth and coming into contact with blood that holds life. Depending upon whether she has a male child or a female child there is a different ritual for restoring her spiritual purity. For a male child she is unclean for 33 days. For a female child it is double the time for 66 days. According to tradition she has to account for both her own and her daughter’s potential to bear children later on.

In the ancient mind and certainly the Biblical mind blood and semen were the sources of life. When blood or semen was spilled or oozed from the body they understood that the potentiality of life was being leaked. Thus ancient mindset called for a spiritual and holy state of being that needed to be restored in the individual. Balance needed to be restored, the balance of life and life giving forces. And this week’s portions describes ancient methods of restoring that spiritual balance put out of whack by contact with blood, semen and whatever the affliction of tzarat may be.

There is an intertwining of the physical disease of tzarat which is some kind of scaly skin affliction and a notion of spiritual impurity. This idea gets further reinforced because the priest acts as diagnostician and also has a role in figuring out when the person is no longer impure but clean. The priest is in part doctor and shaman.

But the tzarat mentioned in this week’s portions is not only in human beings but can also be a condition in houses or fabrics. Scholars believe it is some kind of fungus or mildew that brings impurity to the household. This week’s portions also describe ways of cleansing the house and fabrics of this “ailment”.

Today for us moderns these two chapters of Torah give us much consternation. It is hard to relate to the ancient attitude that holds these very normal conditions as something unholy. But this ancient mindset continues to inform our own attitudes about sicknesses. We continue in our own day and time to sometimes see certain disease as punishment rather than as the random acts of contagion or functions of the body. We are sometimes reviled by skin conditions and turn our heads when someone is afflicted or looks different. We sometimes don’t affirm a person humanity who is ill. We isolate and ostracize those who are sick and the “ick” factor is high! Indeed a ritual of re-entry to the community might be exactly something that would help.
The Torah portion has within it ways for all these people with these various afflictions to re-enter the community and to be cleansed. No one stays outside the camp forever.

And perhaps that is the message for today. There are times when our own health issues take precedence and we need to attend to them. We need our doctors and nurses and health care professionals to diagnose and help us on the road to recovery and healing. But healing doesn’t just happen physically. We can understand that there is a spiritual dimension to our physical realities. And this spiritual reality also needs attending to. Whether through prayer like a healing Mishabeyrach or going to the ritual bath to celebrate recovery, these acts help us reintegrate our spiritual and the physical realms. And that is exactly the point of these two portions. We have to recognize how the spiritual can express itself physically and how the physical expresses itself spiritual. And when we do so we can rebalance our lives. Perhaps that is the message of this week’s parasha.

Parshat Shemini Leviticus 9:1-11:47

Parshat Shemini
Leviticus 9:1-11:47

Rabbi Denise L. Eger
After bringing the sacrifices to the altar for Aaron and his sons and next for the people of Israel, in this week’s portion, Shemini, Aaron blesses the people Israel. “Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them; and he stepped down after offering the sin offering, the burnt offering and the offering of well-being” (Lev. 9: 22).
The High Priest offers a special blessing to the people. Although in this section of the Torah we are not told the words that the Aaron used, we assume that the verses from the book of Numbers known as the priestly benediction were the words of this blessing. Those ancient words of blessing, “May God bless you and keep you. May God’s face be turned toward you and be gracious to you. May God lift up your face and grant you peace” have been how Cohanim, have blessed the people throughout our history. Interestingly the offerings brought to the altar are not enough for the people’s purification. The blessing caps the offering and completes the process needed for the people. This blessing is clearly made on high at the altar because then Aaron has to step down when finished. His position matters. The blessing that comes from the altar isn’t just coming from him but through him to the people, because the real blessing and purification comes from God. Aaron is the conduit that makes it happen.

Immediately following this scenario, Moses and Aaron enter the Ohel Moed, the Tent of Meeting. As they emerge from this encounter they bless the people again and the miraculous occurs, the Holy Divine Presence appears now not just to the leaders but to the whole people. Although the rabbinic Sages say that order is different. The blessing only comes once according to Torat Kohanim, Megillah 18a. The rabbinic sages say that the blessing of the High Priests comes only after all the service in the Tabernacle is completed.
As Moses and Aaron exit the Ohel Moed, fire comes and consumes the offering from this Divine Presence. The people saw it and they fell on their face. Together Moses and Aaron are able to bring God’s Presence visible before the people. Imagine the moment-the altar had been dedicated and now this ceremony when the people are witness to the Presence of God literally taking their sacrifices. Aaron’s blessing of the people before he enters the tent and as he emerges is important. Both components are necessary. The blessings are part of a process of that brings the holy Divine Presence nearer to the people. That is the point of the sacrifice itself. A korban, a sacrifice comes from the root krv which means draw near. Thus the sacrifice and the blessings given by Aaron does this exactly-brings the people near to God and God nearer to the people to accept the sacrifices they have brought.
This year we read this section just as Passover has ended. For Jews the Passover offering is represented by the shank bones on our Seder plate. It is also represented through the festival offering which is the roasted egg on our Seder plates. We ate the Hillel Sandwich of Maror and Charoset between pieces of Matzah in the custom of Rabbi Hillel to remind us of the paschal offering. We were still reminded through the symbols of this holiday about the ancient sacrifices and the importance of drawing near to God.
We look now towards Shavuot, the next festival. As we count the fifty days of the Omer period, think about the ultimate moment of closeness between God and the Jewish people. The moment that drew us together was the moment of Sinai. Shavuot is the celebration of that moment. May you in the coming weeks draw closer with God and be ready to be purified and receive the blessing of our covenant.