Parasha Terumah - Esodo 25:1−27:19: -February 4, 2022

Summary:

In our portion, God asks the Children of Israel to donate gifts (t'rumah) for the building of the Tabernacle so that God may "dwell among them." Instructions for the construction of the Ark, table, and menorah are provided. Detailed directions are given on how to build the Tabernacle.

Lessons from our Haftarah – 1 Kings 5:26-6:13

Our Torah and haftarah portions deal with the theme of construction of holy space.  The parasha focuses on the building of the Tabernacle in the desert while our haftarah details the legal preconditions that must be fulfilled before the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem is constructed. 

When I was a little boy, the synagogue my father served in San Diego was building a new synagogue home. In my own experience as rabbi in Tarzana, we also built a new synagogue building. In both cases I learned that the architectural plans taught a lot about the holiness of the building and of the community. 

When we read our Torah portion, we learn that the people bring free will offerings for the construction of the tabernacle.  We learn that their ultimate goal is to create a spiritual place – a place where God could dwell amongst the people. In contrast, in our haftarah portion the goal of the project is transformed. There is a legal precondition for Solomon before he can build the Temple.  God will dwell among the people “if you follow My law and observe My rules and faithfully keep my commandments.”  Only then will God fulfill the promise made to David, Solomon’s father, that God will abide among the people of Israel.  In our Torah portion the architectural blueprints come with no strings attached.  In the text we read this Shabbat, the architectural blueprints will only be delivered if the people observe the covenant. 

Both the Torah and the haftarah portions tell us about the importance of sacred space.  In the Torah the space is portable. It is a space where God can dwell, when God chooses.  In 1 Kings, the space is stable an earthly dwelling for God in which God will dwell depending on the actions of the people. 

The architectural blueprints for the two are quite different. The tabernacle is a place of the heart, a spiritual place in which God and the people have the opportunity to meet.  The Temple in Jerusalem is less mystical and more permanent. It is a place where God and the people meet when the people are deserving based upon their actions.

These two structures seem like opposites. Yet when we read the parasha and the haftarah together we learn that we are not required to choose between the two models, between the spiritual and the permanent.  Instead, we can search for God in both aspects of our lives.  We can find God in our hearts at spiritual moments, and we also find God in more permanent places, in our actions, in our lives.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Mishpatim - Esodo 21:1−24:18:-January 28, 2022

Summary:

Following the giving of the 10 Commandments, our portion begins with interpersonal laws ranging from the treatment of slaves to the exhibition of kindness to strangers are listed. Cultic laws follow, including the commandment to observe the Sabbatical Year, a repetition of the Sabbath injunction, the first mention of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, rules of sacrificial offerings, and the prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother's milk.  Finally, the people assent to the covenant. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel ascend the mountain and see God. Moses goes on alone and spends forty days on the mountain.

Lessons from our Haftarah – Jeremiah 34:8-22 and 33:25-26:

Can we bargain with God?  We all have probably done it. If I get a good grade on this exam I promise to study in the future! If my loved one recovers from their illness, I’ll be a better person.  How often when our condition is fulfilled, do we go back on our promise?

This is precisely what happens in our haftarah this week.  In a moment of mortal danger to the people, as the Babylonians besieged the city of Jerusalem, the wealthy people of Israelite society promised to free their slaves.  When the siege was actually lifted, when they sensed the danger had passed, they reverted to their former habits and enslaved their servants once again.  Eventually, the Babylonians return and conquer the city and destroy the Temple.

For Jeremiah, when society silenced the voice of morality the future of the nation was clearly in danger.  Jeremiah believed deeply that God and Israel play a joint role in history.  Israel prospers not when she makes empty promises but instead when she follows divine law.  Moses at Mt. Sinai gave the people a choice. Follow divine law and succeed.  Contravene the divine will and suffer. 

Rather than focus on the hollow promise of the people in our haftarah – a promise that led to an ultimate act of destruction, the haftarah ends with a hopeful promise.  God pledges that the allegiance with the people of Israel will endure and that God will restore the fortunes of the nation, taking them back in love.   

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Ietro - Esodo 18:1–20:23 - January 21, 2022

Summary:

In our portion this week, Yitro brings his daughter Zipporah and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, to his son-in-law Moses. Moses follows Yitro's advice and appoints judges to help him lead the people. Later, the Children of Israel camp in front of Mount Sinai. Upon hearing the covenant, the Israelites respond, "All that God has spoken we will do." After three days of preparation, the Israelites encounter God at Mount Sinai. God gives the Ten Commandments aloud directly to the people. Frightened, the Children of Israel ask Moses to serve as an intermediary between God and them. Moses tells the people not to be afraid.

Lessons from our Haftarah – Isaiah 6:1-7:6 and 9:5-6:

Just as the Torah portion focuses on the revelation to Moses at Sinai, so too does our haftarah focus on revelation – this time from God to the prophet Isaiah.  As part of the prophetic revelation, aware of how difficult it is to speak God’s word to those who often refuse to hear it, God promises to support Isaiah and tells him not to be afraid. 

In our Torah portion this week, along with the revelation of laws and commandments, the people are presented with a blueprint for justice.  The haftarah echoes these themes.  God reveals to Isaiah instructions for living.  We are presented with two ends of a spectrum.  First, we hear of the past when the covenant itself is revealed.  Then the future vision of a messianic kingdom is revealed.  What begins with Moses in the past, Isaiah then envisions unfolding in the future. 

As prophet, Isaiah’s role is to remind that people who have been called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, are failing in their task  They are not living up to the covenant.  They are actions are impure.  However, the promise for the future still remains. 

Isaiah is the inheritor of Moses’ message.  His words remind the people of the historical covenant, of their failure to live its ancient words, and their ongoing obligation to bring it to life.  Isaiah’s question challenges us as well.  Do we have the ability to become the holy nation about which Moses spoke at Mt Sinai?  Can we be the people who bring about the messianic age?

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha B’shalach - Exodus 13:17−17:16: -January 14, 2022

Summary:

In our Torah portion this week the Children of Israel escape across the Sea of Reeds from Pharaoh and his army, who drown when God drives back the sea.

Moses and the Israelites sing a song praising Adonai. In the wilderness, God provides the grumbling Israelites with quails and manna. God then instructs the Israelites to gather and prepare on the sixth day food needed for Shabbat. The people continue to complain, this time about the lack of water. Moses hits a rock with his rod and brings forth water. Finally, srael defeats Amalek, Israel's eternal enemy. God vows to blot out the memory of Amalek from the world.

Lessons from our Haftarah: Judges 4:4-5:31:

Both our Torah and haftarah portions tell a very similar narrative.  They both focus upon a battle between the Israelites and an enemy.  In our Torah portion the Israelites battle the Egyptians.  In our haftarah portion, the Israelites enter into the Promised land and engage in battle with the Canaanites. Both stories, end in a victory which the people of Israel celebrate with a song that includes thanks and praise to God for their success.

The poem in our haftarah this week celebrates Judith, who is elected to be the military-judicial head of the people and is one of five women in the Bible referred to as “prophet”.

The story told in our haftarah is not pretty!  It is a narrative of blood and gore, military battles and great achievements.  In our haftarah Deborah is exulted for deceiving her victims through feigned kindness and then proceeding to kill them in cold blood. Through her actions Israel was saved (at least for the time being). 

As we read the poetry, we are reminded that war is quite brutal.  In ancient times – as well as unfortunately in modern times – the defeated were often killed, both soldiers and civilians alike.  Those who were allowed to live ended up serving the victors, usually as slaves.

This ancient story teaches us that hind-sight morality is often arrogant - it is easy to teach morals from an historical distance.  The Bible doesn’t hide the brutal realities of control and power, of everyday life.  Instead, it portrays these realities with great honesty and in great detail, challenging us not only to criticize the morals of those times but also to evaluate our own actions and ask if we have improved, if we do better in our own times. 

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Bo – Esodo 10:1−13:16 -January 7, 2022

Summary:

In our Torah portion the narrative of the Exodus from Egypt continues. God sends the plagues of locusts and darkness upon Egypt and forewarns Moses about the final plague, the death of every Egyptian firstborn. Pharaoh still does not let the Israelites leave Egypt. God then commands Moses and Aaron regarding the Passover festival. God enacts the final plague, striking down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt except those of the House of Israel. Pharaoh now allows the Israelites to leave. Speaking to Moses and Aaron, God repeats the commandments about Passover.

Lessons from our Haftarah – Jeremiah 46:13-28

In our Haftarah last week, against an historical background of a Babylonian attack, the prophet Jeremiah predicts doom and desolation for Egypt. That message continues this week in a series of prophecies against Egypt. Just as Pharaoh suffers defeat in our Torah portion, so too in our Haftarah Pharoah is defeated once again. In this chapter, as in all future chapters, Jeremiah denounces foreign nations. 

It is human to compare ourselves with others. Often, we better know who we are when we look at others. To encourage their own children, parents are fond of pointing out other children, drawing attention to how well behaved they are, how quiet they are, how clean they are! And children like to compare with others as well…why do my friends have more toys, more clothes, a nicer car?

So too in our Haftarah is the fate of Egypt compared with the fate of Israel. The Israelites must have looked around and wondered why the evil Egyptians fared so well. Why was their empire so strong, so successful, so wealthy? In comparing themselves to other nations, the Israelites might have wondered why the others had it so good.

Jeremiah answers that question by providing God’s view of history, presenting Egyptian doom as compared with Israelite salvation. Their failure and our success is the theme presented in our text.

 Our Haftarah begins with an Egyptian call to arms. However, that moment of strength leads only to fear and failure for the Egyptian soldiers. Harkening back to the exodus story, just as there was a plague of locusts in our Torah portion, so too in our Haftarah will a multitude of foreign armies descend on Egypt and devour her. In our Torah portion God promises to “mete out punishment on the gods of Egypt.”  Jeremiah echoes those words when he states, “God will wreak judgment on the gods of Egypt.” 

Jeremiah’s prophecy reminds us that God has a longer view of history. While the current situation of the Israel nation might not have been one of glowing success, God, through Jeremiah, reminds the people not to lose hope. The Haftarah text ends in a message of hope and encouragement for the people of Israel. God encourages the people to overcome their fear and loss by assuring them that just as in the Torah, God will be with them, promising to deliver them from their captivity.

When the people of Israel compared themselves to the surrounding empires, they felt that they came up short. However, Jeremiah calls out to them to be confident, to know they will no longer experience trouble and instead will enjoy strength and calm. 

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Shemot - Esodo 1:1−6:1 -December 24, 2021

Summary:

This Shabbat we begin a new book of the Torah. Our narrative shifts from a focus on the stories of our ancestors to the development of the people of Israel. Our portion begins as the new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh's house. Having grown up, Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian's priest. God calls Moses from a burning bush and charges him to free the Israelites from Egypt. Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites.

Lesson from our Haftarah – Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23

Just as our Torah portion focuses on the people of Israel’s enslavement in Egypt and God’s eventual deliverance of the people from slavery, so too does our Haftarah this week focus on the misery that the people of Israel suffers and the promise freedom that is yet to come.

At our Shabbat service a few weeks ago, we examined how the authors of the Torah used similes as a writing tool. They compared the people of Israel to dust. In our Haftarah this week the prophet Isaiah makes liberal use of metaphor and simile in his writing as he describes a hopeful future for the people in which they will enjoy freedom and prosperity. He continues to warn the people that exactly the opposite might happen – the people will suffer decline and dispersion. This is a Haftarah that paints a picture of both hope and doom.

He begins with a hopeful message utilizing the image of botany. The people will strike roots in the ground, sprouting and blossoming with abundant growth. And yet, according to Isaiah, the opposite might also occur. The faithless people will be punished like a bough stripped of all its growth. Israel returning from exile is either grain collected together or instead likened to wilted flowers trampled underfoot.

Later in the Haftarah Isaiah utilizes a completely different image. Describing the misbehavior of the people as they bring down evil upon themselves, he utilizes the vivid imagery of drunken addicts to alcohol. The people are gluttonous when it comes to drinking. Food was not readily available, and people did not overeat. Wine however was abundant and easily abused. The image of excess and extravagance are metaphors for the corruption of the upper classes as well as the priests and prophets. Rather than take their roles of leadership seriously they were rich and able to indulge their whims. They enjoyed wine and fine drink rather than focusing on God and ethics. Pleasure and power were their religion, rather than Torah and Judaism.

Writers like to use simile and metaphor in order to create images that ring for the reader.  So too does Isaiah use imagery that each of us can understand.  Through bright imagery of flowers and plants, and of gluttony and drink, Isaiah reminds us that we too often focus on our own pleasure rather than how our actions effect our world. Isaiah’s beautifully written message to us is that we are at fault for our own downfall. And yet, when we believe in God and follow God’s word, we learn that the hope for our redemption is in our own hands.  

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Vayechi - Genesi 47:28–50:26 December 17, 2021

Summary:

Our portion this week begins as Jacob blesses his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob's twelve sons then gather around his deathbed, and each receives an evaluation and a prediction of his future. Joseph mourns his father's death and has Jacob embalmed. Jacob is buried in Hebron in the cave of the Machpelah. Joseph assures his concerned brothers that he has forgiven them and promises to care for them and their families. Just before he dies, Joseph tells his brothers that God will return them to the Land that God promised to the patriarchs. The Children of Israel promise Joseph that they will take his bones with them when they leave Egypt.

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion – First Kings 2:1-13

An ethical will is a statement we make about what we hope to leave behind.  Not in terms of possessions but instead, in terms of values.  In our Torah portion Jacob delivers a final charge to his children. In our haftarah this week, David instructs his son Solomon, who will succeed him on the throne.

David, known as a God-fearing man and a composer of Psalms leaves departs from our world after delivering a bitter and mean-spirited message to his son which focuses on both religious and spiritual pursuits. David final speech portrays him as a pious believer in the law and as a shrewd politician who knows that Solomon must act ruthlessly to secure the throne.  David speaks of the need to take revenge and orders Solomon to do away with two rivals.

Jacob’s final request to his sons in the Torah portion is a personal account requesting a final kindness on his behalf, that he be buried in his homeland, in Canaan, David, on the other hand, makes a more complicated request, passing his own personal grievances on to his son.

Our tradition attempts to recast David’s final words, understanding them in a more generous way. Commentators over the generations attempt to recast David’s words not as a command but rather as a warning. Its not that Solomon must kill his rivals, but rather that he should be wary of them and deal with them as needed.  Its interesting to note that when the story of David’s death is retold later in the Bible, in the book of Chronicles, David’s deathbed wish is completely omitted. 

Josephus, the Roman historian retells the story of our Haftarah.  He writes that David said, “My son, I am about to depart from this world and join my ancestors. I am on the way that all humans have to travel, those who are now living or those yet to come. No one returns from there to find out how things are going here.  But seeing I am still alive, yet with death near at hand, do remember what I have told you earlier:  be just to your subjects and loyal to God…” 

Josephus, like our commentators and like the book of Chronicles, attempts to create an ethical will by portraying David’s final words as uplifting and inspirational. 

What ethical values will we leave behind for our loved ones.  Will our final words be ones of spite and anger, or rather will they be personal, uplifting and inspirational?  Both Jacob and David serve as models for us.  May we learn from their examples, both good and bad, and act so that we craft an ethical will that, like our lives, inspires others to make our world a better place.  

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Vayigash - Genesi 44:18−47:27 -December 10, 2021

Summary:

In our portion this week, Judah pleads with Joseph to free Benjamin and offers himself as a replacement. At that point, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and forgives them for selling him into slavery. Although the famine still rages, Pharaoh invites Joseph's family to "live off the fat of the land." Jacob learns that Joseph is still alive and, with God's blessing, goes to Egypt.  Pharaoh permits Joseph's family to settle in Goshen. With the famine increasing, Joseph designs a plan for the Egyptians to trade their livestock and land for food. The Israelites thrive in Egypt 

 Lesson from our Haftarah Portion – Ezekiel 37:15-28

As if quite common with the prophets of the bible, themes from the Torah are enlarged upon and transformed.  In our Torah portion we read of the reunion between Joseph and his brothers. Ezekiel transforms this narrative from a family story to a national one in which the 10 tribes of the north are brought back together and unified with the two tribes in the south.

Just as a good teacher uses visual aids to demonstrate a lesson, so too with Ezekiel.  In our haftarah, Ezekiel tells an allegory about two sticks.  He holds them up as two separate entities and then holds them together as one.  He declares that just as the sticks are united so too will God bring together our people into one strong and united nation. The message must have resonated deeply for the people during a time when they were separated and ruled over by the Babylonians. 

Ezekiel’s themes of unity and permanence may not have come true in his time.   He may have envisioned an immediate ingathering of the people to the land, and a return of the 12 tribes to one kingdom – neither of which came true.   Yet within his narrative echoes a messianic vision and hope. God’s promise to unify our people and create an everlasting kingdom was “spiritualized” into a message of an everlasting unity between God and the Jewish people. Through beautiful imagery and dramatic words, our haftarah implants within us the hope for a better future in which we are restored to our land and our God.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Mikeitz: Genesi 41:1−44:17 - December 3, 2021

Summary:

Our Torah portion begins as Joseph interprets Pharaoh's two dreams and predicts seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine.

Pharaoh places Joseph in charge of food collection and distribution.

Joseph marries Asenath, and they have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

When Joseph's brothers come to Egypt to buy food during the famine, Joseph accuses them of spying. He holds Simeon hostage while the rest of the brothers return to Canaan to retrieve Benjamin for him. The brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin and for more food. Joseph continues the test, this time falsely accusing Benjamin of stealing and declaring that Benjamin must remain his slave.

 Lesson from our Haftarah Portion – First Kings 3:14-4:1

Dreams are the connection between our Torah portion and our haftarah portion.  In the first verse of our haftarah, King Solomon awoke from a dream. So too, in our Torah portion, we read that Pharoah awoke from a dream.  And just as Joseph attributes to God his ability to interpret dreams, so too is Solomon’s wisdom understood to derive from God. 

Solomon is the epitome of a wise and compassionate ruler.  When God appears to him in a dream and asks what gift Solomon desires, he doesn’t ask for material things but instead he requests an understanding heart. 

We read in our haftarah a very famous allegory.  There is a dispute between two women over a child. Both women claim the child is rightfully hers. Without any way to prove to whom the child belongs; they turn to King Solomon for a judgement. In a wise and provocative way Solomon arrives at the truth.  He asks that a sword be brought to him so that he might cut the child in half, giving one half to one mother and one half to the other. The real mother “churns with compassion for her son” and pleads with Solomon to give the baby to the other woman. From this Solomon determines that the real mother is the one who won’t allow any harm be done to her child.  By the end of the portion, all of Israel hears of this tale and marvels at Solomon’s wisdom.

While Solomon’s father, King David, is known as the warrior king who expands the kingdom through aggressive battles, Solomon is known as a wise and reflective leader who preserves the kingdom peaceably. Although he is praised for his wisdom, he never gained the affection of the people. They resented him for the many wives he married, and for his ostentatious opulence.

Wise and compassionate, opulent and resented.  Clearly Solomon was a complex character. Three books attributed to him are eventually entered into the canon of the Bible (Song of Songs, Proverbs, and Kohelet). Despite the many aspects of his character, our haftarah today reminds us that he is known for and rewarded for his wisdom. His greatest legacy is the Temple in Jerusalem. Afterall, it is not David, but rather Solomon who is honored by God and allowed to build the first temple in Jerusalem.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Vayeshev: Genesi 37:1−40:23 - November 26, 2021 (Copy)

Summary:

In our portion, the famous narrative of Joseph begins.  Jacob is shown to favor his son Joseph, whom the other brothers resent. Joseph has dreams of grandeur. After Joseph's brothers had gone to tend the flocks in Shechem, Jacob sends Joseph to report on them. The brothers decide against murdering Joseph but instead sell him into slavery. After he is shown Joseph's coat of many colors, which had been dipped in the blood of a kid, Jacob is led to believe that Joseph has been killed by a beast.  God is with Joseph in Egypt until the wife of his master, Potiphar, accuses him of rape, whereupon Joseph is imprisoned.

 Lesson from our Haftarah Portion – Amos 2:6-3:8

Our haftarah was chosen because just as in our Torah portion where Joseph, known as a righteous person in the Talmud, is sold into slavery by his brothers, so too in our haftarah portion a righteous person is sold into slavery for silver. The rabbis make the connection and assume that Amos must have been thinking of Joseph.

In our haftarah Amos lashes out at the people for their transgressions. He was appalled at their behavior.  Amos felt responsible, as a prophet, to denounce the immorality that surrounded him.

The people of Israel at the time were wealthy and comfortable. The rich had both summer and winter houses adorned with gorgeous furniture and fabrics.   They enjoyed wine and abundant food and anointed themselves with precious oils. Yet at the same time, there was an absence of justice in the land.  The poor were exploited and even sold into slavery.  The judges were corrupt.  Amos was furious with what he saw.

There are those who say that for Amos, religion was social justice.  Clearly, for Amos religious observance is a sham when it does not lead to right living.  Social justice played a large part in Amos’ worldview.  However, his emphasis on social justice was not at the expense of religiosity.  He believed that God stands behind all of existence. It is God who gives us the commandments and demands that we live by them. We remember God with ritual and prayer and at the same time, we must live by the ethical guidelines given to us.  Religion included ritual and prayer however religion without ethics is empty. 

Following in the footsteps of the prophet Amos, Reform Judaism often emphasizes the ethical commandments. However, also like Amos, Reform Judaism has not forgotten that these commandments are holy. Along with social justice, we remember that spirituality is intrinsic to our Judaism.  It is God’s desire that we care for the unfortunate and the needy. 

Amos’ final message is one of hope.  Despite the depth and variety of our transgressions, God will not abandon God’s people.  Amos’ message resonates for us today.  In a world of abundance, we cannot forget God’s message of concern for those in need.  Amos reminds us that we can change.  And Amos also reminds us that when we do, God will forgive.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Vayishlach: Genesi 32:4−36:43 - November 19, 2021

Summary:

Our Torah portion begins as Jacob prepares to meet Esau. He wrestles with a "man," who changes Jacob's name to Israel. Jacob and Esau meet and part peacefully, each going his separate way. Later, Dinah is raped by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of the country. Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi take revenge by murdering all the males of Shechem, and Jacob's other sons join them in plundering the city.  Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin and is buried in Ephrah, which is present-day Bethlehem. Isaac dies and is buried in Hebron.

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion – Hosea 11:7-12:12

Our Torah portion this week focuses on the story of Jacob.  In our portion Jacob’s name is changed to Israel – because he struggles with God.  In our Haftarah portion the prophet Hosea connects Jacob’s story with the story of the people of Israel, to whom he is speaking.

Our Haftarah takes us on a journey through highlights of Jacob’s life.  First, we are reminded that while in his mother, Rivka’s, womb, Jacob holds onto his twin brother, Esau’s, heel, trying to prevent him from being born first.  Jacob is therefore known as a “heel-grabber.”  Second, after Jacob grows up, as we read in our Torah portion this week, he wrestles with an angel and is thus known as Israel – God-wrestler.  Finally, in a third narrative from Jacob’s life, we read of Jacob’s vision of God, that occurs when he is fleeing from his brother Esau.  This leads him to dispose of all the idols and gods from his home. After the vision Jacob builds an altar to God at Beth El.

Reading of these three highlight moments from Jacob’s life, we are reminded that he grows from a scheming youth to a struggling young man and then finally into a mature person who merits the blessing of his father.  He wrestles with his base inclinations and overcomes them. He disposes of idols and devotes the rest of his life to the service of God. 

In our Haftarah, Hosea reminds of this narrative, something that is familiar to readers of Torah.  His goal in retelling the story is to remind his listeners that they too are Israel.  Their name connects them to the past and challenges them to create a better future.  If, like Jacob, they grow and return to God, their past sins will be forgiven.  And if they don’t, then divine punishment is sure to follow.

The people of Israel did not heed Hosea’s words.  The Assyrians conquered the country in 721 BCE, exiled its leaders and settled the land with strangers.  The ten tribes disappeared, never to be heard of again.  In our time we have chosen to name our modern state, Israel. May we heed Hosea’s message of growth and maturity so that we don’t face the fate of our ancestors.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Vayetzei: Genesis 28:10−32:3 - November 12, 2021

Summary:

Our potion begins with the beautiful story when Jacob dreams of angels going up and down a ladder. God blesses him. Jacob names the place Bethel. Then Jacob works seven years in order to marry Rachel, but Laban tricks Jacob into marrying Leah, Rachel's older sister.  Jacob marries Rachel but only after having to commit himself to seven more years of working for Laban. Leah, Rachel, and their maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah, give birth to eleven sons and one daughter. Jacob and his family leave Laban's household with great wealth.

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion – Hosea 12:13-14:10

Sometimes the link between the Torah portion and the Haftarah portion is quite weak.  That is the case this week.  The Torah portion speaks about the time Jacob dwelt in Aram.   The first two verses of our Haftarah also speak of that event.  Otherwise, the Haftarah is a prophecy that has little to do with the story of Jacob.

The prophecy of Hosea is familiar to us, because it makes up the bulk of the Haftarah we read on Shabbat Shuvah – the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  The theme of the prophecy is quite predictable.  It begins with the sins of the people of Israel, and how those sins challenge our relationship with God.  It continues with a dire warning from God that because of the weight of these sins and due to the unrepentant nature of the people, destruction lies ahead.  Finally, in a note of hope and compassion, God reminds the people that a repentant nation will find favor with God. 

When we read this Haftarah on Shabbat Shuva, we emphasize the lesson that each of us has the power to repent.  The word Teshuvah/Shuva at its core means to turn, or to return.  Each of us has the power to turn from evil to goodness.  We have the power to return to the path of goodness, to the best we can be. 

However, for the prophet Hosea in our Haftarah, the concept of individual teshuvah – repentance, was unknown. Hosea lived in the 8th century BCE.  It was the rabbis, after the year 250 CE (over a 1,000 years later) who assigned to the word Teshuvah the meaning of individual change.

When Hosea and the other prophets spoke, they directed their message to the entire people of Israel as a collective, as a nation.  They exhorted Israel as a people to turn back to God so that the nation itself could live.  For Hosea, teshuvah was a collective process.  For the rabbis, who lived in an historical period when the nation state no longer existed, Teshuva transformed into a personal process. 

Hosea’s message was directed at the leadership of the people.  It was they who were responsible for mending their ways, as well as the behavior of the people as a whole.  It was only when the entire nation returned to the path of goodness would the people be saved from destruction.  The prophet was concerned with the well-being of all, because the evil actions of the nation would surely lead to doom for all.  

This ancient communal concept resonates well with us today.  In our democratic societies, where each of us as citizens have responsibility for the decision making of the larger community, the biblical setting which the prophet faced is recreated.  In a democracy, we all have the power and are all responsible for turning the nation state toward the path of goodness.  As individuals, each of us has an influence on the entirety of the nation.  It is our responsibility to turn society away from evil and toward good.  We have the power to shape the fate of the whole nation.

In this way, Hosea’s ancient words speak to us.  They remind us of the shortcomings of our society and spell out the consequences that await us if we fall short.  While in our time teshuvah - repentance remains a personal, spiritual act, Hosea reminds us that as active citizens, teshuvah plays out on a national scope as well. 

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Toldot: Genesis 25:19−28:9 - November 5, 2021

Summary:

In our portion this week, Rebekah has twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau gives Jacob his birthright in exchange for some stew. In an image that repeats itself throughout the Torah, King Abimelech is led to think that Rebekah is Isaac's sister and later finds out that she is really his wife. At the end of his life, Isaac plans to bless Esau, his firstborn. Rebekah and Jacob deceive Isaac so that Jacob receives the blessing. Esau threatens to kill Jacob, who then flees to Haran.

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion:

In our Torah portion we learn of the competitive and destructive relationship between Jacob and Esau, who battle even in their mother’s womb. Our Haftarah begins with a retelling of the hatred between Jacob and Esau. In Jewish history and writing, Jacob often refers to the people of Israel while Esau refers to non-Jewish peoples, pagans, and even eventually Romans.

The prophet Malachi, about whom we know very little, in this harangue against the Jewish people and their priests, makes an alarming statement. He claims that God is great among the non-Jewish nations that all pagan sacrifices are offered to the God of Israel. With this statement he adds a new dimension of pluralism to religion, one upon which we depend mightily today.

By insinuating that God accepts the sacrifices of all people who worship in sincerity, even if they are pagans, he expands the understanding of religion. Rather than stating that “my god is better than your god” Malachi teaches that Adonai hears the sincere prayers of all peoples, even if they don’t pray directly to Adonai.

His hopeful vision was of pagans who had a pantheon of gods, among whom the Eternal is now added. He understood that when pagans pray with sincerity, they acknowledge a power beyond themselves. Their worship is actually a search for God. Malachi envisioned a time when the pagans would forsake their own gods and recognize that the Eternal is the one and only God. His statement ascribes respect and deference rather than hatred and contempt to those who worship other gods.

Jacob and Esau – Israel and Rome – need not be forever in contention. The rabbis in the Talmud, centuries later, take this lesson to heart when they write: The righteous of all nations have a share in the world to come.” Malachi is a resounding voice for what we moderns would call pluralism – an understanding that Judaism is not the only way to salvation.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Chayei Sara: Genesis 23:1−25:18 - October 29, 2021

Summary:

In our Torah portion, Abraham purchases the cave of Machpelah in order to bury his wife, Sarah. He then sends his servant to find a bride for Isaac. The servant meets Rebekah who shows him kindness by offering to draw water for the servant's camels at the well. The servant meets Rebekah's family and then takes Rebekah to Isaac, who marries her.  Abraham takes another wife, named Keturah. At the age of one hundred and seventy-five, Abraham dies, and Isaac and Ishmael bury him in the cave of Machpelah. (25:1-11)

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion:

In a text that resounds like a Shakespearean tale, our Haftarah is filled with plotting and with intrigue.  King David is old, and his blood is turning cold.  The future of his throne is at stake. David is having a hard time escaping the scheming of his advisers and his sons.  His son Adonijah wants to be king.  David’s advisers back Solomon. 

In our Torah portion, Abraham is also “old and advanced in years.”  Both our Torah and Haftarah portion deal with a leader who is rapidly aging and is concerned with his legacy, worried about the future. 

Yet the stories couldn’t be more different! 

Abraham enters old age with the religious and moral integrity of his life intact.  After he purchases a family tomb and buries Sarah, he asks his servants to swear that they will find a wife for Isaac from Abraham’s own tribe.  By making this request, Abraham points to his concern for the moral future and direction of his tribe.  Abraham was actively involved in creating a future that would continue the past.  Just as Abraham was blessed with “all things”, so too does he pass on to Isaac the blessing of a future rooted in the past.  By making his wishes clear, he eliminates contention over the future and even in his death, allows the new generation to focus on what they can create.  Thus, Abraham dies at “a good ripe age”, “old and contented”.  As he dies, Abraham teaches us that it is possible to balance our physical and spiritual selves. 

David’s story is quite different.  His death is a catastrophe rooted in his lack of vision.  The story of David focuses on his physical infirmity and not on his moral vision.  Due to a lack of strong leadership from David, his descendants scheme in order to secure their own claim, caring more about themselves than about the kingdom and its people.  While his descendants plot, David’s involvement is minor at best.  He seems to resent that his power is beginning to wane.  A master manipulator for most of his life, he is manipulated as he dies.

Before he dies, he is finally able to transmit to Solomon a moral lesson that concerns the future of the people rather than focusing on his own power.  David instructs Solomon to observe the Torah, so that God’s promises will be fulfilled.  At the same time, he charges Solomon with the task of killing the renegade soldier Joab, in order to secure the realm.  As David dies his moral voice is tempered by a political sensibility.  Even as he dies, David’s concern with power does not ebb. 

David’s political nature in our Haftarah is contrasted with Abraham’s noble nature in our Torah portion.  We all have choices.  Is our legacy, like David's, tied up in our concern for our own power ?  Or can we, like Abraham, focus instead on the moral lessons that we teach with how we live and how we die?

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Vayeira - Genesis 18:1–22:24 - October 22, 2021

Summary:

In our Torah portion, Abraham welcomes three visitors, who announce that Sarah will soon have a son. Later, Abraham argues with God about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's home is attacked by the people of Sodom. Lot and his two daughters escape as the cities are being destroyed. Lot's wife is warned not to turn back and yet she does and as a result is turned into a pillar of salt. The narrative continues as Abimelech, king of Gerar, takes Sarah as his wife after Abraham claims that she is his sister. Finally, Isaac is born, circumcised, and weaned. Hagar and her son, Ishmael, are sent away; an angel saves their lives. In a section of the portion that we read on Rosh Hashanah, God tests Abraham, instructing him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah.

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion:

In our Haftarah this week, we read of a number of miracles.  Elisha, the prophet, brings about two miracles.  First, we hear the story of a poor woman who has nothing to feed herself or her two children, who are about to be sold as slaves.  Elisha creates a miracle when he fills many empty containers with oil.  Later in the Haftarah we hear the story of a young child who suddenly dies.  Again the prophet Elisha steps in and creates a miracle, bringing the young boy back to life. 

Miracles play a large role in our texts.  They appear often in early texts.  Generally, miracles are understood as events created by God that defy the laws of nature.  The miracle we know of best and read of most often is the splitting of the Red Sea as the Jews leave slavery in Egypt.  Clearly, the authors of the Bible, together with their contemporaries in ancient days, had no problem believing in extraordinary events.  They saw God’s power as unlimited.

In modern days, miracles are no longer viewed as possible.  Faith in a God whose power is unlimited and who controls all has diminished as science explains much of what occurs in our world.  In fact, many scholars would explain away the miracles of the Bible with scientific explanations. The Red Sea retreated due to tides. The 10 plagues may have been unusual events; however, they should be understood as simply natural phenomena.  By doing so they miss the point. It is not what occurred that should be the focus, but rather what the people who experienced the event perceived. 

There is no way to truly understand what happened at the moment these ancient events occurred.  What we read in our texts is the report of authors retelling what was experienced at the time, or what was relayed over the generations.  We know this to be true in our own day.  Reporters tell the story of what they observed.  However, their reports are often based upon limited information or preconceived bias. 

The miracle of the oil and of the resurrection of the young boy in our Haftarah, glorify the actions of the prophet Elisha and his concern for the downtrodden.  We may not believe they happened exactly as told.  However, the radical amazement reflected in the text speaks loudly to us, in our modern day.  Just as the text expresses wonder at the presence of the divine in the world, so too can we express wonder at things we experience and yet cannot explain.  In our daily, Shabbat, and Holy Day prayer we give thanks for God’s “wondrous gifts at all times, morning, noon and night.”

In our Torah portion this week, Sarah, at the age of 90, is told she will give birth to a son.  Truly a miracle!  What was her reaction?  She laughed!  When we experience extraordinary events in our lives, I pray that our first reaction won’t be to laugh!  Instead, with prayer and with awe, let us acknowledge the beautiful, the mystical, the holy that we experience in our lives every day.  

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Lech L’cha: Genesis 12:1−17:27 - October 15, 2021

Summary:

In our portion, we read that Abram, Sarai, and Lot go to Canaan. Later, famine takes them to Egypt, where Abram identifies Sarai as his sister in order to save his life. Eventually, Abram and Lot separate. Lot is taken captive, and Abram rescues him. Abram has a son, Ishmael, with his Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. Then God establishes a covenant with Abram. The sign of this covenant is circumcision on the eighth day following a male baby's birth.

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion:

In Isaiah, 40:27-41:16 we find a deep connection between the Haftarah and the Torah portion.  Just as God calls Abram from among the nations, so too will the people of Israel be called from their exile and redeemed in love. 

Lech L’cha – go on a journey…with these words God speaks to Abram and tells him to leave his father’s home, the land of his birth, and go on a holy journey toward becoming a people, toward the Promised Land.  Throughout much of our history, since that moment, our people has been in exile, not only from the Promised Land but also from the best that they can be.  Being in exile is a dark and scary place.

Our Haftarah begins with the words “My way is hidden from the Eternal”.  With these words Isaiah describes the situation in which the people find themselves.  They are in exile in Babylonia, feeling far from God, far from Israel.  This distance has led to a sense of depression that God has forsaken them.  The people feel “faint and weary,” they “stumble and fall.”  

Throughout our history, during periods of suffering our people has felt forsaken by God.  It’s as if our people have been forsaken in exile.  The text we read this shabbat begins with lament and despair as it describes the emotions of the people in exile. 

However, Isaiah is a prophet of vision and hope.  Even though the Haftarah begins with the words “My way is hidden from the Eternal”, it ends with the words “But you shall rejoice in the Eternal.”  The text of the Haftarah is like the historical journey of our people.  It moves from lament to exhilaration, acknowledging that God’s promise to redeem the people is eternal.  Israel, “the seed of Abraham” can always anticipate that it will be restored to its homeland, to its rightful place.  The people of Israel is God’s “servant whom God has chosen.” 

Our text this Shabbat, while expressing the despair of exile, is hopeful.  God remembers and cares for us.  God “never grows faint, never weary.”  Just as God took Abraham and set him on his journey, so too will God accompany us on ours. 

 Abram began a journey into the unknown. That journey has not been without its challenges, disappointments and tragedies. However, our Haftarah offers us an eternal sense of hope that our journey has a divine purpose, that we are not alone nor forgotten. Isaiah exhorts us to have strength along the way.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parasha Noach - October 9, 2021

Summary:

In this well-known story, God decides to cause a flood that will destroy the world, sparing only Noah's family and the animals that Noah gathers together on the ark.  Life starts over again after the 40 days and 40 nights of the flood. The Noahide Commandments are listed, and God famously uses a rainbow to make a symbol of the first covenant.  People start to build a city and the Tower of Babel in order to reach the heavens. As a result, God scatters the people and gives them different languages to speak. Finally, the ten generations from Noah to Abram are listed.

Note:  Each Torah portion of the week has a Haftarah, a section from the prophets, attached to it. Unlike the Torah, which is read in its entirety over the year, only selected sections of the prophets are read each week. These portions are read publicly after the Torah portion is read. Often the connection between the Torah portion and the Haftarah is quite clear.  Sometimes the only connection is a single shared word.  However, the Haftarah portion has much to say to us today.  As Professor Michael Fishbane teaches, “this public reading reflected three sources of authority: the Torah, which is the ultimate source of law; the haftarah, which presents the words of the Prophets, who provided moral instruction and uplift; and the sermon or homily, which drew on the authority of the Rabbis to interpret and legislate.” 

In order to expose us to new texts, I’ve chosen to focus on the Haftarah this week.  

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion:

Our haftarah this week is from the book of Isaiah 54:1-55:5. While the Torah portion focuses on the flood God brings upon the world as a result of the sins of humanity, the Haftarah focuses on Israel’s sins against God and the fact that Israel has broken the Covenant agreed upon at Sinai.  After the covenant of the rainbow God makes a new start with humanity, so too in our Haftarah is divine mercy extended to Israel, through redemption from exile.  

There is an enormous difference in the focus of our Torah portion and our Haftarah.  Noah is chosen by God to save humanity as well as the animals because he is a Tzadik – he is righteous.  The covenant of the rainbow is made because God finds one righteous person.  In our Torah portion, the focus is on the individual and his personal sense of righteousness.  The world is saved because of the moral character of one man.  Noah is a model for us of personal piety and virtuous living.  He is a truly religious man.

In our Haftarah, Isaiah writes about the “disciples of the Eternal” who establish the city “through righteousness – tz’dakah.”  Isaiah focuses on the community and its ability, as a collective, to live a virtuous life. While Noah is challenged as an individual to build the ark, in Isaiah, the challenges posed are communal and public. 

Maimonides, in the 12th century, when he organized and listed the 613 commandments, bases the obligation to give Tzedakah, charity, on a verse from our Haftarah which teaches that we are only established as a people when we do Tzedakah, again focusing on the communal obligation to be righteous.

Genesis is a narrative of individual and personal relationships with God.  By the time Isaiah writes his text, in the 6th century, BCE, the relationship with God has transformed to be communal and public.  The obligation that Noah takes on in our Torah portion is quite personal.  By the time of Isaiah, the prophet challenges us to go further.  Individual piety is no longer enough.  The covenant between God and the Jewish people requires that together as a people our obligation is to build a righteous society for all.  We learn from our Torah portion that Noah was a righteous individual in his generation.  Our Haftarah challenges us to be a righteous people in our generation.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor

Parashat Bereshit – Genesis 1:1-6:8 October 1, 2021 (Copy)

Summary:

In our portion this week, God creates the world and everything in it in six days and rests on the seventh. Then, Adam and Eve are placed in the Garden of Eden, where they eat the forbidden fruit and are subsequently exiled.  We read that Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain later kills his brother, Abel. Adam and Eve have another child named Seth. The Torah lists the ten generations from Adam to Noah. Because they’ve become evil God regrets having created human beings and decides to destroy everything on earth, but Noah finds favor with God.

Note:  Each Torah portion of the week has a Haftarah, a section from the prophets, attached to it. Unlike the Torah, which is read in its entirety over the year, only selected sections of the prophets are read each week. These portions are read publicly after the Torah portion is read. Often the connection between the Torah portion and the Haftarah is quite clear.  Sometimes the only connection is a single shared word.  However, the Haftarah portion have much to say to us today.  As Professor Michael Fishbane teaches, “this public reading reflected three sources of authority: the Torah, which is the ultimate source of law; the haftarah, which presents the words of the Prophets, who provided moral instruction and uplift; and the sermon or homily, which drew on the authority of the Rabbis to interpret and legislate.” 

In order to expose us to new texts, I’ve chosen to focus on the Haftarah this week. 

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion 

Our Haftarah this week is taken from the book of Isaiah, 42:5-43:11 and shares the theme of creation with our Torah portion.  However, Isaiah adds a new message to the ancient creation story.  He teaches that the same God who created  heaven and earth is also the One who created the people of Israel.  Connecting the story of creation with the covenant between God and the people of Israel teaches us an important and transformative lesson. 

In our Haftarah is an important verse that has been the subject of much commentary over the generations.  In the beginning of the Haftarah, the people of Israel are called to be a “light unto the nations.”  In the early centuries of the Common Era, this was understood to challenge Jews to bring our religion to the pagan nations.  During this period Jews proselytized with the goal of converting non-Jews to Judaism.  Eventually, as the Romans took on Christianity, they forbade Jews from conducting any missionary activities.  Only in modern days, and especially in Reform Judaism, without actively pursuing missionary goals, have we again opened the doors to Judaism and encouraged non-Jews to convert.

Once the phrase “a light unto the nations” no longer referred to converting non-Jews, it began to be reinterpreted and understood in new ways.  Reform Judaism, beginning in the 19th century, elevated the message to one of its central teachings.  We began to understand the phrase to mean that we Jews have been chosen by God to bring the divine light into the world, and to have this light shine upon all the nations.  Reform Judaism based this understanding on earlier rabbinic texts and especially on the challenges that Isaiah sets forth to bring justice and righteousness into the world. 

To be a “light unto the nations” is a challenge to each of us today.  We, the people of Israel, were created to be a light to humanity, a messenger to lead the world to acknowledge the one God, and to act upon God’s challenge to us to bring unity, peace and justice to the world. 

In our Haftarah the universal story of creation becomes a particular story of the Jewish people.  When the people live up to the covenant between them and God, acting for justice and peace, they are promised a future liberation in which their light will radiate to all the nations.  In our Torah portion God says, “let there be light.”  In our Haftarah portion we are commanded to bring that light to the world.  

Parashat Bereshit – Genesis 1:1-6:8 October 1, 2021 (Copy)

Summary:

In our portion this week, God creates the world and everything in it in six days and rests on the seventh. Then, Adam and Eve are placed in the Garden of Eden, where they eat the forbidden fruit and are subsequently exiled.  We read that Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain later kills his brother, Abel. Adam and Eve have another child named Seth. The Torah lists the ten generations from Adam to Noah. Because they’ve become evil God regrets having created human beings and decides to destroy everything on earth, but Noah finds favor with God.

Note:  Each Torah portion of the week has a Haftarah, a section from the prophets, attached to it. Unlike the Torah, which is read in its entirety over the year, only selected sections of the prophets are read each week. These portions are read publicly after the Torah portion is read. Often the connection between the Torah portion and the Haftarah is quite clear.  Sometimes the only connection is a single shared word.  However, the Haftarah portion have much to say to us today.  As Professor Michael Fishbane teaches, “this public reading reflected three sources of authority: the Torah, which is the ultimate source of law; the haftarah, which presents the words of the Prophets, who provided moral instruction and uplift; and the sermon or homily, which drew on the authority of the Rabbis to interpret and legislate.” 

In order to expose us to new texts, I’ve chosen to focus on the Haftarah this week. 

Lesson from our Haftarah Portion 

Our Haftarah this week is taken from the book of Isaiah, 42:5-43:11 and shares the theme of creation with our Torah portion.  However, Isaiah adds a new message to the ancient creation story.  He teaches that the same God who created  heaven and earth is also the One who created the people of Israel.  Connecting the story of creation with the covenant between God and the people of Israel teaches us an important and transformative lesson. 

In our Haftarah is an important verse that has been the subject of much commentary over the generations.  In the beginning of the Haftarah, the people of Israel are called to be a “light unto the nations.”  In the early centuries of the Common Era, this was understood to challenge Jews to bring our religion to the pagan nations.  During this period Jews proselytized with the goal of converting non-Jews to Judaism.  Eventually, as the Romans took on Christianity, they forbade Jews from conducting any missionary activities.  Only in modern days, and especially in Reform Judaism, without actively pursuing missionary goals, have we again opened the doors to Judaism and encouraged non-Jews to convert.

Once the phrase “a light unto the nations” no longer referred to converting non-Jews, it began to be reinterpreted and understood in new ways.  Reform Judaism, beginning in the 19th century, elevated the message to one of its central teachings.  We began to understand the phrase to mean that we Jews have been chosen by God to bring the divine light into the world, and to have this light shine upon all the nations.  Reform Judaism based this understanding on earlier rabbinic texts and especially on the challenges that Isaiah sets forth to bring justice and righteousness into the world. 

To be a “light unto the nations” is a challenge to each of us today.  We, the people of Israel, were created to be a light to humanity, a messenger to lead the world to acknowledge the one God, and to act upon God’s challenge to us to bring unity, peace and justice to the world. 

In our Haftarah the universal story of creation becomes a particular story of the Jewish people.  When the people live up to the covenant between them and God, acting for justice and peace, they are promised a future liberation in which their light will radiate to all the nations.  In our Torah portion God says, “let there be light.”  In our Haftarah portion we are commanded to bring that light to the world.  

The Awe of Torah StudyV’zot HaB’racha (Deuteronomy 31:1-34:12)

This week’s Torah portion, V’zot HaB’racha, recounts the final minutes of Moses’ life. Moses has led the people from slavery to freedom and now, in his last moments, he will offer blessings to the assembled Israelite nation. After these blessings, Moses ascends Mount Nebo and the Almighty shows him all of Israel, the land he will not enter. God tells him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…” (Deuteronomy 34:4). And Moses takes one last glimpse of the land before dying on the summit of Pisgah. God buries him in an unknown place.

The Torah recounts this episode in a somewhat detached, matter-of-fact way, and this makes Moses’ death even more painful. After 40 years of wandering and shepherding the nation, Moses is replaced by Joshua, who  leads the people into the Promised Land.

A few years ago, my husband, Rabbi Donald Goor, and I drove from Jerusalem to Jordan. After a tour of Amman, we  visited the ancient Roman city of Jerash. Then we went to Madaba and Mount Nebo, recognized as the traditional spot where Moses died. Standing on Mount Nebo, we viewed the landscape  the Torah tells us  Moses beheld -- and it is glorious. It was a warm, clear day, and I could see the sweeping vistas from the heights of Mount Nebo across the plain to the ocean. Beyond  the green, lush  Rift Valley, I could see  the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv glistening  in the distance.  Having the privilege to see and be a part of a modern Israel Moses could hardly have imagined made me weep with awe. 

When we come to the end of this Torah portion, we once again encounter that white space, that liminal place between the Torah portions of which I wrote when we began our journey through Deuteronomy. Before we arrive at this wordless  place, we read the final verses of the Torah: 

Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses—whom God singled out, face to face, for the various signs and portents that God sent him to display in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his courtiers and his whole country, and for all the great might and awesome power that Moses displayed before all Israel (Deuteronomy 34: 10-12).

After reading these final verses, we begin our annual reading of the Torah again, with the Book of Genesis, which begins with the story of creation. But before we turn back to the beginning, I encourage you to take a breath and contemplate that final white space. 

We are no longer in the Book of Deuteronomy, and we have not yet returned to the Book of Genesis. This is the place of “perhaps,” a moment of questioning. We, like the ancient Israelites, stand on the boundary between the known past and the unknown future. This small white space is a small place of uncertainty and transition. For me, this moment of ending and beginning is a time of joy mixed with apprehension, celebration intermingled with the ambiguity of what I will discover as we start again. And as much as we try to understand the words, verses, mysteries, lessons, and midrashim of Torah, the sea of knowledge is deep and daunting. I am grateful to my teachers who have always  encouraged me to throw caution aside and dive into the waters of learning. It is wonderful and frightening at the same time to discover what you do not know and relearn what you thought you know. For me, this is the essence of Torah study, the essence of a religious life.

Theologian and philosopher John Caputo refers to this as the “impossibly possible” future in his book, On Religion: 

We look towards some imagined or real horizon, but we will never get there…. 

The religious sense of life has to do with exposing oneself to the radical uncertainty and the open-endedness of life, with what we are calling the absolute future, which is meaning-giving, salt-giving, risk-taking. The absolute future is a risky business, which is why faith, hope, and love have to kick in. Our hearts are restless… astir with the possibility of renewal and rebirth… 

Thank you for joining me in this journey through the final book of the Torah, and may we all walk towards our horizons filled with joy, learning, and a bit of uncertainty, as we all say:

               Chazak chazak v’nitchazek!

               Be strong, be strong and we will be strengthened.

Shabbat Shalom

Cantor Kent