Parshat Ekev Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25

Rabbi Denise L. Eger

In this week’s portion, Ekev, in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is addressing the Children of Israel and repeats and repeats and repeats the core message, “Be faithful to God and the Covenant. Don’t engage in idol worship!” Moses says this over and over again in many different ways: “And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, your God Adonai will maintain faithfully for you the covenant...”;(7:12); “You shall faithfully observe all the instructions that I enjoin upon you today that you may thrive and increase and be able to possess the land that Adonai promised on oath to your fathers. (8:1); “Take care lest you forget your God and fail to keep the divine commandments, rules and laws which I enjoin upon you this day” (8:11); “You must revere Adonai.”(10:20); “Love therefore, your God Adonai, and always keep God’s charge, God’s law, God’s rules, and God’s commandments.” (11:1).

Wow! Moses must think they are not listening. He says the same thing so many times and so many different ways. But I think with good reason. His experience with the Children of Israel on the journey through the years is proof. They don’t listen and their faith in God and the covenant waxes and wanes. Moses must recount the journey to this group because this is the generation born in the desert. He recalls the failings of their parents including the incident of the Golden Calf as well as other moments when the children of Israel doubted God and rebelled.

Parshat Vetchanan Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11

Rabbi Denise L. Eger

The Shema prayer is one of the highlight of this week’s Torah portion. Listen Israel Adonai is Your God, Adonai is One (Deut. 6:4). These words are words that are emblazoned on the doorposts of our house in the mezuzah that protects our comings and goings. These words fill the tefillin boxes that we wrap around our head and near our heart. These words are also to be emblazoned in our very being.

We are to say them as we begin our day and as we end it with night time prayers. We say it in the Shachrit service and in the Maariv service. We say it throughout the prayer service when the Torah is taken out on Shabbat and holidays and in the musaf Amidah. We end the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur with the recitation of the Shema. The obligation to say the Shema is in addition to the mitzvah to pray daily.

Parshat Devarim Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22

Rabbi Denise L. Eger

We begin the last book of the Torah this week, Devarim also known as Deuteronomy. In scholarly circles there has always been a lot of discussion about this book of the Bible including a reference in the book of 2 Kings about its discovery during the reign of King Josiah by Hilkiah the High Priest. Some scholars see this book of the Torah and the covenantal outline detailed by Moses as documents used to justify King Josiah’s reformation and centralization. But other scholars see this book of the Bible as a way to elevate Moses to the realm of a prophet.

The Book of Deuteronomy is at its core a law book. Even though it is dressed as Moses’ last oration to the Children of Israel before his death on Mt. Nebo and before the Children of Israel cross over the Jordan River to the Promised Land, Deuteronomy is filled with the laws of the covenant and some of which are restated from other sections of the Torah, such as a second version of the Ten Commandments.

Parshat Matot/Masei Numbers 30:2 - 36:13

Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Our double portion is the end of the book of Numbers. The children of Israel are poised to enter the Promised Land. Preparations are being made on the steppes of Moab to cross over and begin a new phase-occupying and settling the land and building a home for the Israelite nation. Last week the daughters of Zelophechad made history by changing the way the land was apportioned and inherited. When a male member of the tribe had no male heirs their portion of the land could now be passed on to his daughters. This was the ruling by God and created a new precedent for the Twelve Tribes.

But in this week’s portion the practical application of the law creates a new problem. The heads of the tribe of Manaseh come to Moses and the chieftains and the heads of the Israelites. They worry about their holdings being reduced if the five daughters of Zelophechad marry outside of their tribe. One of the unique parts of God’s ruling in their favor was that the daughters had the right not only to inherit from their father but to pass on that inheritance to their descendants. The tribal holdings of land were in perpetuity. The tribal leaders don’t object to the women having the claim and the stake hold but worry that if they marry outside the tribe then that portion of Manasseh’s land holding could be diminished.

Parshat Pinchas Numbers 25:10 - 30:1

Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Our Parsha this week details the story of the daughters of Zelophechad. Much of the Torah portion has to do with the allotment and division of the Promised Land. Soon the Children of Israel will cross over the Jordan and begin the process of settling it. The Israelite families and tribes and clans will stake out their claims based upon the male head of the family and his heirs.

But Zelophechad dies in the wilderness without a male heir. He only has daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. These five women are champions of justice because they bring their case before Moses and the High Priest Eleazar and chieftains and the whole community. The challenged the prevailing wisdom saying, “Our father died in the wilderness...and he has left no sons. Let not our father’s name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father’s kinsman. (Numbers 27:3)”

Parshat Balak Numbers 22:2 - 25:9

Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Clarity in communication matters. In our world when we are so plugged in the pace of our communications can trip us up at times. Our words fly by. We tweet in 140 characters or less. We post our status on Facebook with pithy and quick wit. We text in shorthand saving effort and money. And our emails must be clear because we can convey the wrong tone with just the wrong size font or capital letters! Since we can’t hear the tone on the screen we have to be sure from other cues and clues.

There is so much to pay attention to and so many nuances. It is true when we communicate face to face as well. We look into each others eyes and examine them for truth telling. We look to the face and body language to help us understand the conversation. It is not just the words we use but the context too. And if we want to convey a positive message and a message that is trusted our words and facial expressions should match.

Parshat Chukat Numbers 19:1 - 22:1

Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This week’s Torah portion, Chukat, is an important turning point in the narrative of our people. We jump 38 years ahead in the story of the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land. And the only people who will enter the Promised Land will be those born during the time of the desert wanderings and Joshua and Caleb who were two of the twelve spies who did not spread lies about the land flowing with milk and honey, the Land of Israel. And so this week in preparation for the crossing of the Jordan into the Holy Land, two of the three leaders die. Miriam and her brother Aaron are “gathered to their kin”. And Moses receives the news that he too will not cross over because of the incident at the Rock that unfolds in this week’s portion.

Moses and Aaron are told following Miriam’s death that they will not enter the Land because “you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them.” (Num. 20:12). The great Moses and the High Priest Aaron not affirm God’s sanctity? How is that possible? They served God all these years from the exodus until now. Could it possibly be that they didn’t affirm God’s holiness?

Parshat Korach Numbers 16:1-16:32

Rabbi Denise L. Eger

There is nothing worse perhaps in a family than sibling rivalry. When brothers and sisters fight and claw at each other verbally or physically or jockey for position the whole dynamic of the family can be set off kilter. We see this often when children are seeking attention from the adults in the family. Parents have to do their best to keep on an even keel and not play into this situation

In a study published in 2005 in the journal Child Maltreatment, and written about in the New York Times in 2006, a group of sociologists found that 35 percent of children had been "hit or attacked" by a sibling in the previous year. The study was based on phone interviews with a representative national sample of 2,030 children or those who take care of them.

Parshat Shelach Numbers 13:1-15:41

Parshat Shelach
Numbers 13:1-15:41
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

They have reached the Promised Land. Okay. The Children of Israel not only reach the Promised Land this week, Moses sends out 12 men to scout out the land in advance of the Children of Israel crossing over the Jordan River to begin the fulfillment of God’s covenant made to Abraham so long ago.

And it is a beautiful land indeed!

The 12 scouts see the bounty of the land. For forty days they travelled throughout the land of Israel and return to Moses and Aaron and the whole community and they bring the bounty of the land back with them. Yes, God’s promise of the land flowing with milk and honey is real. And it is right before them; within their reach.

And yet for 10 of the scouts it seems too good to be true. They get nervous and scared and begin to tell the community of Israel that there is no way to conquer the land. They say, “The people who inhabit the country are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the Anakites there” (Num. 13:28). Their negativity becomes infectious despite the fact that Caleb counters their words; “Let us by all means go up and we shall gain possession of it for we shall surely overcome it” (Num. 13:30).

The ten let their fears overcome them and they whip the Israelites into a frenzy of fear and longings to return to Egypt. How quickly a group can be influenced! How quickly lack of faith spreads! How quickly we can doubt our own strengths!
Even when countered by Caleb by Joshua (who is Moses’ assistant) the fears and lies seem to win the day. It was this moment and lack of faith in God’s ability to aid the Israelites in their tasks to settle the Promised Land that irritated God so much that Israelites had to dwell for 38 more years in the desert before attempting to settle the Land. God had enough of their doubts.
From the Golden Calf incident to now these former slaves can’t accept the gifts of abundance that keep coming their way.

Parshat Beha’alotcha Numbers 8:1-12:16

Parshat Beha’alotcha
Numbers 8:1-12:16
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This past week U.S. Senate Candidate Rand Paul from Kentucky made headlines because he criticized the Civil Rights act of 1964. Paul, the son of libertarian darling, Ron Paul, said that the government should not enforce civil rights. Backed by the Tea Party, he won a primary race for a Kentucky Senate seat and immediately came under fire. He hastened to state that if he had been there at the time he would have voted for it. But his contradictions hung out in the media like a shooting flare. He spent the weekend trying to distance himself from the tinge of racism. In his libertarian glee and enjoying the spotlight Rand Paul doesn’t understand the symbolic nature of his words and the damage he inflicts with his words.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped to build a basis for equality in this country and began to smash the blatant and overt second class status of blacks in this country. Racism still exists as is evident in so many corners but without the Civil Rights Act of 1964 it would have been impossible to image an African American President less than 50 years later!
I cite this most recent headline because this week’s Torah contains a story where the words of a leader create hurt and pain. Miriam one of the leaders of the people makes an accusatory comment about the color of the skin of Moses’ wife. She spoke against Moses because of the “Cushite woman he had married” (12:1). Cush was the name of then Ethiopia. She was joined by Aaron in this moment, in part challenging Moses’ leadership of the people but doing so through hurtful and hateful remarks. Moses’ wife (Tzipporah) skin color was dark. But she was faithful to the covenant at Sinai and made sure the sons of Moses’ were circumcised. Moses our portion tells us was a very humble man.
And so God calls Moses and Aaron and Miriam to the Tent of Meeting and speaks to the three of them. God praises Moses. “I make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. (Num. 12:6). God affirms Moses’ leadership and that Moses is the chosen of God. This is a rebuke of Miriam and Aaron. But God doesn’t stop there-as God’s Divine Presence withdraws from them in a cloud, Miriam turns scaly white. Her words, dripping with racism has turned upon her as God sends a message loud and clear that this kind of slander and hatred is not permitted.

Parshat Naso Numbers 4:21-7:89

Parshat Naso
Numbers 4:21-7:89
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

At the end of this week’s Torah portion, Naso, in the book of Numbers, Moses finishes assembling the Tabernacle. The tribes have been given their station around the Tabernacle. At the beginning of the portion the three different classifications of Levites, the Merarites, the Kohathites and the Gershonites each are given their tasks in relationship to setting up and taking down the Tabernacle. And then the Tabernacle, the altar, and all of the utensils used in the sacrificial worship are dedicated and consecrated by Moses. “On the day that Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle; he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, as well as the altar and its utensils” (Numbers 7:1

With great ceremony this was conducted. But having Moses put the finishing touches and dedicating the altar and Tabernacle is not enough. Then each of the tribal leaders who were named in last week’s portion and who helped take the census of the Israelite men over the age of twenty, brought dedication offerings for the altar. Each leader is named again and each on behalf of their tribes brings exactly the same offering. It is spread out over the period of the next 12 days, one tribe a day. And it is a huge offering: a silver bowl and silver basin, a gold ladle filled with incense; on bull one ram and one lamb in its first year; one goat; two oxen; five rams, five goats and five yearling lambs. It took the whole tribe to gather this kind of offering. Not just the leader who presented it.

Why is it important to have the tribal leaders participate in the dedication of the altar? Isn’t it enough to have Moses dedicate the altar and consecrate it and then say open for business?

Parshat Bemidbar Numbers 1:1 – 4:20

Parshat Bemidbar
Numbers 1:1 – 4:20
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

We begin a new book of the Torah with this week’s portion, Bemidbar. We begin the book of Numbers which is how this book gets its English name. The Hebrew name means in the Wilderness and the narrative of this book tells of the years of wandering from Sinai to the Promised Land. But the English name of the book, Numbers, comes from the accounting in this week’s portion. This week God tells Moses to count the Children of Israel and take a census. This is exactly what is happening in the U.S. right now. We are in the midst of the every decade census. Forms were sent to each household to be returned to the Census Bureau. But for those households that did not return their Census2010 form, home visits are now taking place trying to collect the necessary and very basic information about the size of each household and number of people in a household.
The every decade census is important because it determines the shape of our government and captures very important information about our people. I sat this past year on the California Complete Count Committee which was a statewide, governor appointed committee that tried to ensure that every resident of California was counted. We devised strategies and did outreach in all kinds of communities to make sure that California would not have an undercount. This happened in the 2000 Census. Estimates are that California was undercounted by more than 8 million people! Ouch! This impacts everything from Congressional representation to federal funds for schools and roads.

Parshat Behar-Behukotai Leviticus 25:1 –Leviticus 27:34

Parshat Behar-Behukotai
Leviticus 25:1 –Leviticus 27:34
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This double portion ends the book of Leviticus. With 36 blessings and 49 curses contained in this portion, the third book of the Torah ends. The double portion takes place at Mt. Sinai—behar—at the mountain. And the closing verse of Behukotai tells us (Lev. 27:34) “These are the commandments that Adonai gave Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai.” These blessings and curses are wrapped in the knowledge that we heard them from on high at the covenantal moment.
The number of the blessings and curses are interesting. There are 36 blessings in this portion. Thirty six is of course double chai-2 times life. The blessings in this portion are indeed about the promises of life and security in the land when one observes the covenant. The perspective of the Torah portion is the promise of God’s goodness and reward when the Torah commandments are observed. This brings overflowing blessing and grants a double portion of life.
The curses or rebukes that are in this week’s portion number 49. This is also a significant number because of the cycle of the years that is outlined at the beginning of the portion; seven times seven years leading to the 50th year of Jubilee. The 49 curses or rebukes are directed at the children of Israel if they stray from the commandments and their responsibilities as a holy nation. The further Children of Israel move from God-God hides from them. In many communities these rebukes are read by the rabbi of the community because no one wants the “aliyah” the honor of this section.