Vaera 5774

Vaera 5774

The Passover custom of drinking four cups of wine is based on the four expressions of redemption that are found at the beginning of Parshat Vaera (Shemot/Exodus 6:6-8):

(6) Say therefore to the children of Israel: I am the Lord. And I will take you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will save you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements. (7) And I will take you to me as a people (this refers to the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai) and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God who takes you out from under the burdens of Egypt.
(8) And I will bring you to the land, concerning which I swore with an uplifted hand to give to Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov…

The late Biblical scholar Nechama  Leibowitz noted that a gradual change takes place from the first expression to the second, then to the third, and to the fourth reflecting the changing relationship between our ancestors and both the Egyptians and God, as follows:

1) “And I will take you out from under the burdens of Egypt” – Bnai Yisrael are at this point in total subjugation to the Egyptians.
2) “And I will save you from their bondage” – Here the Egyptian bondage is still a factor, but the Egyptians are not mentioned by name. This reflects a lessening of the subjugation.
3) “And I will redeem you” – Here the Egyptians and the bondage are not referred to at all, reflecting a liberation from Egyptian subjugation.
4) “And I will take you to me as a people” – After being completely liberated from the Egyptians, Bnai Yisrael can forge a new relationship with God.

Her interpretation is intended to show the wisdom underlying God’s not attempting to bond by immediately and decisively liberating our ancestors, but rather by slowly building God’s relationship with them until the moment was ripe for them to connect in a meaningful way.  Although God could have granted our ancestors their freedom one fell swoop they probably could not have handled it – for they had been slaves far too long and viewed the world through the prism of slaves.  Freedom was granted slowly – in stages – as they became accustomed to their new status and privileges.  Only when they became response-able did they became responsible.

Had they attempted to forge that new relationship with God while still under Egyptian subjugation they would surely have failed.  They same may be said for all of us. Building a relationship with God is a process.  It takes time and energy.  Only after we have prepared the ground, planted the seeds and continue to care for them can we hope to see a relationship blossom and grow.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Matt Futterman

Senior Educator

Shemot 5774

Shemot 5774

In this week’s parasha, Shemot, we read the dramatic scene of Moses, when he leaves the palace to explore what is happening in Egypt. The narrator (Exodus 2:11-12) tells us that Moses observes and Egyptian beating an ivri, a Hebrew: “And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian...” Moses looks around, and seeing no one, he kills the Egyptian. There are two main ways of understanding this passage.

The first is that Moses looked around to see if there would be any witnesses to what he was about to do. He was checking to ensure that no one could trace this back to him.

But another way of reading this narrative is that which is mentioned in the rabbinic midrash (Vayikra Rabba 32:4): that no one was ready to champion the cause of the Holy One, the just ways of God.

Some of our rabbis, picking up on the fact that the verse says that Moses did not see an ish, another person stepping up, immediately ascribe to Moses the devout observance of the rabbinic maxim: Where there is no person, strive to be one (Pirkay Avot 2:5).

In this first trial, and the two that follow, Moses proves that he will fight for justice for those whose lives are threatened. Whether for his brothers and sisters, for friends, or for neighbors, Moses risks his life to protect the weak. Moses, when seeing that no one else is stepping up, takes actions into his own hands.

This shabbat, we commemorate the yahrzeit of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the great rabbis and social activists of the 20th century. Rabbi Heschel’s yahrzeit, the 18th of Tevet, typically falls during the week of this week’s parasha. There could not be a more appropriate parasha to commemorate Rabbi Heschel’s memory than the one when we remember the origins of Moses fighting on behalf of those who are most vulnerable. After all, Rabbi Heschel marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, walking arm in arm to bring about civil rights in our nation.

It is this legacy that we commemorate this week as we remember Rabbi Heschel’s yahrzeit, and as we prepare to commemorate the legacy of Dr. King. On Monday, January 20th, from 2:00-4:30 p.m., we at Anshe Emet will be hosting an interfaith Day of Study and Action in Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. The theme of the day is entitled: “CIVIL RIGHTS: People of Multiple Faiths Continuing in MLK’s Struggle.” We are very excited to host over a hundred people (middle school and older) of multiple faiths residing in the Lakeview area here in our synagogue, as we come together for a day of learning and service in honor of Dr. King. We will begin by reflecting on the legacy of MLK from faith leaders from various traditions, followed by learning about problems of civil rights in our communities. Then we will begin acting on solving these problems through tangible action.

As we commemorate Rabbi Heschel’s memory, and as we think about Moses’ legacy as a man who fought for injustice, I hope that you will join us in that conversation one month from now, as we follow in the footsteps of Dr. King and his dream for a more just society here in America.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Vayechi 5774

Two Burials, One Path Through Jewish History

In Vayechi, the final Torah portion in the book of Genesis, we lose Jacob – the last surviving Patriarch – and his favored son, Joseph. These two deaths – and in particular, the instructions each man gives for his burial – illustrate the two central values that have kept the Jewish people intact for thousands of years.

After giving each of his children a final blessing, Jacob – having spent his final years in Egypt, far from home – instructs his sons to bury me with my fathers in the cave… which Abraham bought (Gen. 49:29-30). Jacob asks to be buried with his ancestors, and moreover he explicitly invokes his family’s connection to that land – the Land of Israel – in explaining his choice of burial site. In doing so, Jacob sets the paradigm for every generation to follow: no matter where in the world Jews have roamed, we have always kept one eye toward Zion.

Not long after Jacob’s burial, Joseph too prepares to die, and he too gives directions for his burial. Joseph, however, makes a very different choice: in the final verses of Genesis, Joseph makes his brothers take an oath that when God eventually brings them out of Egypt and back to their homeland, you shall carry up my bones from here (Gen. 50:25). While his father was taken home to be buried in the company of generations past, Joseph’s body will remain in Egypt indefinitely, until every last Israelite returns home. Joseph, too, establishes a pattern for later generations to follow: throughout our history, the Jewish People have thrived when our various sub-groups have stood in solidarity with one another.

Two recent books examining Jewish history in the last half-century highlight the importance of these values. Joseph’s model – standing in solidarity with other Jews and working together to improve the overall Jewish outlook – comes to life in Gal Beckerman’s thrilling history of the Soviet Jewry movement, When They Come For Us, We’ll Be Gone. Equal parts adventure story and modern history, When They Come For Us shows how Jewish solidarity – whether in Latvia or Cleveland – gave otherwise unremarkable Jews the power to defy both of the world’s Superpowers and write their own chapter in the Jewish Saga.

Jacob’s ultimate commitment to the Land of Israel comes to life in Like Dreamers, the latest book by Yossi Klein Halevi, who visited Anshe Emet a few weeks ago. As many of us had the privilege of hearing directly from Yossi, the book tells the story of the Israeli paratroopers who fought to reunite Jerusalem in 1967 and the courses their lives took in the years that followed. One striking theme in the book is how both camps that developed after the Six Day War – the settlement movement and the peace movement – place Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel at the center of their arguments. Despite taking diametrically opposed viewpoints, these two groups still share a deep and almost overwhelming love for Israel.

I highly recommend both of these books, each of which offers a revolutionary new perspective on recent events in Jewish history. As you read them, I hope you will also take time to reflect on how you engage with each of the two Jewish values we learn from this week’s parshah – our connection to the Land of Israel and our solidarity with the collective Jewish People.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Abe Friedman

Vayigash: Joseph's Moment of Truth

Joseph's Moment of Truth
Revealing his true identity, the viceroy cannot control his emotions.

By Rabbi Charles Savenor

The moment of truth has arrived. With Benjamin framed for stealing and sentenced to enslavement, Joseph waits to see how Jacob's other sons will respond. Joseph believes that his well-orchestrated ruse will finally expose his brothers' true colors.

Judah's Appeal

This week's parsahah opens with Judah appealing to his brother Joseph, the Egyptian viceroy, to free Benjamin and to enslave Judah in his place. Judah's eloquent petition recounts his brothers' interaction with this Egyptian official as well as the familial circumstances of Jacob's household. Benjamin, the youngest son in the family, occupies a valued place in their father's eyes, Judah says, because he is the last living remnant of Jacob's deceased wife, Rachel. In conclusion, Judah asserts that if he were to return home to Canaan without Benjamin, he could not bear to see his father's immediate and long-term pain and suffering.
Judah's words arouse Joseph's soul, as the Torah tells us that "V'lo yachol Yosef lehitapek. . ."--"and Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, 'Have everyone withdraw from me!' So there was no one else about when Joseph made himself known to his brothers" (Etz Hayim, Genesis 45:1).

Witnessing Joseph's intense reaction to Judah's appeal, we wonder what exactly pushes Joseph to his emotional limit? What does Judah say or do that compels Joseph to reveal himself at this moment?
Our most trusted biblical commentator, Rashi, surmises that since Joseph's emotional outburst is juxtaposed with evacuating his Egyptian servants, Judah's self-incrimination embarrasses Joseph. The viceroy of Egypt fears that when these alleged spies are introduced as his brothers, the family's reputation, and his by association, will already be tarnished in Egypt and in Pharaoh's court.
Rashi's analysis helps us to understand the momentary reality, yet other interpretations exist, which incorporate the larger context of Joseph's dreams and the patriarchal covenant. As soon as Joseph "unmasks" himself, he urges his brothers not to be upset about their having sold him into slavery many years before: "Kee lemeheeyah shelahani Elohim lefnayhem"--"(for) it was to save life that God sent me here ahead of you" (Etz Hayim, Genesis 45:5). Joseph believes fervently that God's preordained plan for him involves maintaining life for his entire family and the civilized world. Thus, Joseph stores food for Egypt for times of feast and famine, and secures safe passage to a new land for his family.

Actualizing the Covenant

The outcome of Joseph's story not only affirms his childhood dreams, but also actualizes the first part of God's covenant with the patriarchs and matriarchs. As Jacob's family settles in Egypt, Act I of the epic of the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob comes to a close. With such an immense epiphany--that his dreams are realized and the future of his people secured--how could we expect Joseph to contain his emotions?
Additionally, sustaining brotherhood, one could argue, is humanity's first ongoing challenge, upon being escorted from Eden. After slaughtering his brother, Cain utters the timeless question, "Hashomer ahi anohi"--"Am I my brother's keeper" (Etz Hayim, Genesis 4:9)? Nahum Sarna asserts in the JPS Torah Commentary of Genesis that "the sevenfold stress in this chapter on the obvious fraternal relationship of Cain and Abel emphatically teaches that man is indeed his brother's keeper."
By repeating the Hebrew word for brother, "ah," in Genesis 45, Joseph responds as much to Judah's words and actions as to the first disastrous confrontation between the first siblings in the Torah. In other words, Joseph's emotional outburst stems from hearing Judah's passionate plea beyond their own family's story, in a larger context that affects all of the children of Adam and Eve.

The overarching challenge of being one's brother's keeper, however, continues throughout Genesis. Sadly, the partnership efforts of generation after generation become impeded and frustrated by jealousy, competition, and greed.

At the beginning of his amazing odyssey, for example, Joseph ventures to talk to his brothers on his father's behalf. Having lost his way, Joseph speaks to a stranger, who asks Joseph what he wants. "I am seeking my brothers" (Etz Hayim, Genesis 37:16), he says, which sounds like a straightforward request for his brothers' physical location, but constitutes, in actuality, a deep-seated desire to be in concert and live in harmony with his brothers. Furthermore, Joseph's words can be understood as his personal response, in the affirmative, to the question Cain posed generations before him--this is how he perceives one should be his brother's keeper.
In our story this week, Joseph is overwhelmed by Judah's compassion for his father, and for his brother, Benjamin. It is not only that Judah is willing to take the place of his brother, but that he does not want to contribute to his father's pain. Judah has learned from the loss of his own two sons what loss can do to one's soul. Aviva Zornberg expounds in Genesis: The Beginning of Desire: "Initiated into the fellowship of pain, Judah becomes capable of investing the whole force of his personhood into preventing its recurrence." With his compassion and courage, Judah demonstrates before Joseph's very eyes what it means to be a brother.
In the end, the significance of what Joseph learns surpasses even his wildest dreams. He loses control of his emotions because not only will his brothers be reunited, but also humanity has finally proven that it can shoulder the responsibility of brotherhood.

May our generation be blessed with compassion, mutual respect, and patience so that we can actualize the prophetic dream of mending our world into a global community replete with peace, love, prosperity, understanding, and most importantly, sisterhood and brotherhood.

Rabbi Charles E. Savenor is the Director of Kehella (Congregational) Enrichment for United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Miketz 5774

Miketz 5774

This week’s parasha ends with possibly the greatest cliffhanger in the entire Torah. At the end of Miketz, Joseph orders his silver goblet to be planted in Benjamin's sack. As the brothers leave Egypt, Joseph has them all arrested and returned to his palace. Joseph declares that he will put Benjamin in jail, and the rest of them may go home. And it is at this point that we are left with the ultimate question, the ultimate test:

Will the brothers stick up for Benjamin?
Will they stick their neck out for their youngest brother, their father’s favorite, second only to Joseph?
Or will they leave Benjamin, the new favorite, with a strange man, in Egypt?
The parashah leaves us with the cliffhanger, unsure of what will happen with Joseph and the brothers.

I asked some of our Religious School students this past week about their thoughts. First, they all said that they would try and help out their siblings, despite a possible assumption that they maybe would not care and leave their sibling in Egypt.

So I posed another question that also lay before the biblical brothers: if your sibling were to be wrongfully imprisoned, and you wanted to help, what would you say to defend them, to get them out of trouble?

Their answers included:
There must be evidence that can get them out of trouble.
Everyone makes mistakes, and even if they did it, they should get a second chance.
My sibling must be innocent!
I like my sibling a lot, and I would say that you can take me in my sibling’s stead.

These students articulated exactly how the brothers, and specifically Judah, defends Benjamin. It is only in next week’s parasha (spoiler alert!) that we read the eloquent speech of Judah – one that Dr. Nahum Sarna lauds as “deferential yet dignified, spirited but not provocative, full of pathos and passion, yet restrained and transparently sincere.” It is in this speech that he utters the key phrases, all shared by our religious school students:

1)    He apologizes,
2)    He tells the family’s story,
3)    He describes how this will be damaging to Jacob, their father,
4)    And possibly the most important piece: that he, Judah, will take Binyamin’s place.

As we spend time with our families during this week of Thanksgiving and Chanuka, I hope that we all have time to recognize what a gift the children in our community are – that so many of them identify with this later character trait of Judah, a person who stands up for his brother in need. And I hope that we can learn from them, so that whenever we see our literal or figurative siblings in trouble, that we can stand in the breach to protect them, as Judah did for Benjamin so many years ago.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Vayeshev 5774

How ironic that after the great journey taken by our patriarch Yaakov, Jacob, he whose name is changed to Israel, that when he at last returns home safe and sound after all these years – he who had sworn to God when he was running away from home that should God protect him and feed him and clothe him that God would in fact be God for him – that there is no mention of God when he returns him.  In the first chapter of Parashat Vayeshev (Bereisheet 37). The Parasha begins:

וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן

Va-yesehev Yaakov b’eretz megurei aviv b’ereetz C’naan

And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

No mention of God here and there is no mention of God throughout the rest of the chapter either.

However, God does appear several times when we get to Chapter 39 when we are already well into the saga of Yosef (Joseph), Yaakov’s son who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, when we need to be reassured that Yosef is fine and are told that God is not only with Yosef but made Yosef “matzliah” (successful or prosperous) as it says:

וַיְהִי יְהוָה אֶת-יוֹסֵף וַיְהִי אִישׁ מַצְלִיח

Vayehi A-donai et Yosef va-yehi ish matzliah

We are told this both when Yosef arrives at the home of Potiphar and again when Potiphar has him thrown into prison after Yosef is falsely accused of trying to seduce Potiphar’s wife.

Surely this is how Yosef survives prison – God is with him.  It is a message repeated in Natan Sharansky’s autobiography Fear No Evil in which he describes his nine long years in a Soviet prison before his liberation and aliyah to Israel. During that time Sharansky kept his spirits raised by reading from the book of Psalms and clinging to his faith in God. “It was the only Jewish book that I was able to keep throughout the entire period. I often went on hunger strikes for days and weeks at a time to maintain the right to have sefer Tehillim,the book of Psalms with me,” Sharansky has recalled.

But Rabbi Bardley Shavit Artson of the American Jewish University, who will be spending the Shabbat of December 13-14 with us at Anshe Emet has noted that the sages of Rabbinic tradition taught in Midrash Beresheet Rabbah, in the name of Rabbi Huna that since God must have been with Yosef as God is with all of us, the phrase must have meant that, "Yosef whispered God's name whenever he came in and whenever he went out." In other words it is not that Yosef received the special attention of God, but that he, like Scharansky, cultivated his own consciousness of God's presence. By continually repeating God's name to himself, by regularly invoking God's love and involvement, Joseph trained himself to perceive the miraculous in the ordinary, to experience wonder in the mundane.

Rabbi Artson also notes that according to Rabbi Huna, Yosef whispered God's name. “He kept quiet about his own religiosity. Not one to preach incessantly to others, Joseph taught the love and power of God not through words but through deeds. By performing 'mitzvot' and acts of love, Joseph testified to God's love with his own example.”

May talk about God, but education is most effective when we can point to role models who walk the talk rather than preach and teach words that ring hollow.  Perhaps if the text had stated that God was still with Yaakov when he returned home and then Yaakov would have done right by God and declared that after all this years God was unconditionally his God.  If only he had walked his talk just a bit better he might have been a bit more “matzliah”.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Matt Futterman

Senior Educator

Vayetzei 5774

Stones and Strife

In this week’s parashah, Vayetzei, Jacob travels from the Land of Israel to his mother’s hometown in search of a wife and a safe distance from his angry brother. Along the way, he stops for the night and the Torah tells us וַיִּקַּח מֵֽאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָיו, he took from among the stones of the place and placed beneath his head (Gen. 28:11). From the way this verse is written, it is hard to know how many of the stones Jacob took. Some commentators look to verse 18, in which Jacob awakens and removes the stone from beneath his head, and conclude that Jacob took only a single stone from among the stones of the place. Others give greater weight to the verse here, suggesting that he gathered multiple stones and arranged them into a kind of shelter; the later verse, they argue, is to be understood as a generalization.

But there is a third approach, found in a midrash (Hullin 91b): according to this midrash, Jacob gathered twelves stones — representing the twelve tribes that would issue from his descendants —  to make his resting place for the night. Immediately, each stone began vying with one another for the privilege of being the stone upon which Jacob would rest his head; a miracle occurred, and the twelve stones fused into a single stone, ending the conflict between the tribes.

And yet, throughout the story of our people, the tribes continue to jockey with one another, using their unique skills and abilities to set themselves apart from their fellow tribes! So what is this midrash trying to teach us?

No matter where we turn — whether family, workplace, Jewish community, or American society — we encounter diverse perspectives, conflicting interests, and competition for the “best” place within the group. We lament this difficult state of affairs, longing for a situation in which conflict would disappear and harmony would reign.

But the Torah does not actually advocate a complete elimination of conflict; instead, our tradition asks us to work through — not avoid — our disagreements. As Roger Fisher and Scott Brown of the Harvard Negotiation Project write, “It would be a mistake to define a good relationship as one in which we agree easily... the working relationship... is one that produces a solution that satisfies the competing interests as well as possible... in a way that appears legitimate in the eyes of each of the parties” (Getting Together, 5, 8-9). In other words, we must become like the stones, like the tribes: uniting as one, while still retaining our individual perspectives. Fisher and Brown challenge us to stop seeing people with different perspectives as adversaries to be conquered, and instead to see ourselves as “two partners facing the future, side by side” (6). Theirs is an approach that the Torah would heartily endorse, a vision our ancestral tribes attempted to live by, and the challenge parashat Vayetzei sets before us.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Abe Friedman

Toldot 5774

Rebecca’s Origin Story

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz wrote a wonderful book entitled “Biblical Images.” In this book, Rabbi Steinsaltz takes our biblical heroes, and writes an easily readable narrative to explain the person’s life and story. Just like we have many movies that speak to a superhero’s origin story – Superman, Batman, Captain Kirk in Star Trek, and the like – Steinsaltz similarly tells us about the origin stories of our biblical heroes, based on the Torah and later rabbinic understandings and interpretations.

One of the most fascinating characters is the character of Rivka, or Rebecca. Steinsaltz picks up on the fact that Rebecca is the exact opposite of her husband, Yitzchak, Isaac, and that she is complementary to him (Biblical Images, pg. 43). Isaac appears outstandingly as a person who does not make decisions, as a person to whom things happen. In his first great test, the binding on the altar, Isaac did not act but was acted upon. He did not go to seek a wife; a wife was brought to him. And when Rebecca arrives on the scene, it is Rebecca who makes decisions, who acts, confidently.

Steinsaltz, picking up on rabbinic midrashim, explores Rebecca’s origin story. He explains that while Abraham and his family is described as great and powerful; Abraham’s brother and his descendants, that of Nahor, declined, lost its property, and engaged in petty trade. Rebecca, Nahor’s granddaughter, was the opposite of Isaac who grew up surrounded by trustworthy folk. According to Steinsaltz, Isaac’s world was supportive, secure; he could hesitate or even err because there were always others, loving and concerned to back him up. Isaac knew little of the world of evil and deceit, because his immediate world was harmonious and whole. Rebecca , on the other hand, grew up in a world whose failings she knew all too well. She had learned the meaning of cheating, of hypocrisy.

This narrative shapes the image of Rebecca that we read about in the Torah. Rebecca is assertive, confident; and yet she also brings with her a deceptive side, one that manipulates her husband, Isaac, to do what she knows is right – to give her son, Yaakov, Jacob, the birthright in place of Esav, his older brother.

In the coming weeks, as we read these fascinating stories about our ancestors, I hope that you will take time to explore who they were, how they grew up, and how their origin stories affected who they became as people. For by learning about where we and our ancestors come from, we can learn more about ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Hayyei Sarah 5774

Hayyei Sarah

This week’s parasha, Hayyei Sarah, opens with the death of our matriarch Sarah. In the first part of the story, Abraham personally attends to all the details of her burial and the preparations beforehand. Granted, at this point in the story the sum total of the Jewish community is Abraham, his son Isaac, and the servant Eliezer. Nevertheless, based on this story Jewish communities throughout time have understood we are responsible for tending to the burial needs of the people of our community. 

In our own time that responsibility has been taken on by what's called a Chevre Kadisha, a "holy society:" group of volunteers who, each time we have a loss in our community prepare the deceased for burial according to the traditional Jewish rites. While this is not a particularly well know aspect of Jewish communal life, next week we have a unique opportunity to learn about the rituals of Jewish burial and in particular, the liturgy that the Chevre Kadisha uses in preparing for the deceased burial.

Rabbi Stuart Kelman, the Dean on the Gamliel Institute, will be speaking at a think tank devoted to educating Jews about Jewish traditions around the end of life will be with us at Anshe Emet Synagogue at 7:00 p.m. on Monday October 28 for a program entitled, “Tahara Liturgy: Unravelling the Secrets.” We hope that you’ll join us for what is sure to be a fascinating night of insights into the end of life from a Jewish perspective.

Rabbi Kelman’s presentation is sponsored by Anshe Emet’s Chevre Kadisha, the Progressive Chevre Kadisha, the West Suburban Chevre Kadisha, and the Chevre Kadisha of Congregation Hakafa, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to join with the wider community in considering the ways in which we too fulfill the ancient responsibilities that Abraham taught us in the way he cared for Sarah.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Abe Friedman

Vayera 5773

Vayera 5774

This week’s Torah portion, Vayera tells the story of the three angels who come to visit the tent of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah exemplify the mitzvah, the commandment of hachnasat orchim; rushing out to greet the stranger, to welcome them into their tent, to show them hospitality and caring. This stranger relates to this elderly couple that they will have a child together.

The story continues that these angels have another mission. They are enroute to Sodom and Gomorrah and they will destroy these cities. God shares this plan with Abraham and Abraham’s response is well known “will not the judge of the whole world, judge justly?” Abraham has the temerity to challenge God and to question God’s judgment. 

We begin with 50, 40, 30, 20 then 10 souls; if found to be righteous can save Sodom and Gomorrah. The question that one might ask is, why not one? Wouldn’t it be worth saving Sodom and Gomorrah if there was one righteous person that lived there? Why should that one person be destroyed with the entire city? Didn’t God ever hear the famous rabbinic dictum, “if you saved one life, it’s as if you saved the whole world?”   Why wouldn’t that apply here? 

Our tradition weighs this question, and the answer is constructive. Ten people can save the world, one person can not. Ten people can go out and affect other lives, but one person can not save an entire world.  
This is where we have the idea of a minyan, a prayer community. Ten people can bring God into the world; ten people can affect the world and even save it. That is the lesson. Leaders can inspire others, but ten people can save the world.

This is what a synagogue does, I believe. A synagogue is in the business of changing the world for the better.  We invite people in, people are involved, [and] they are affected by what happens here. They are inspired by our tradition that is taught here. But the real test is how people go from here and make a difference outside the doors. And I know of the work of this community.

This past week, I had the privilege of attending The Conversation of the Century. It is the 100th [year] anniversary of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; the Synagogue Arm of our Movement. And rather than having a convention, they had a conclave of conversations. From morning until night, small sessions took place on a whole variety of topics. All in an effort to energize congregations through out the country to take these conversations back, turn them into action and to change the world for the better. What was especially powerful for me at this gathering was to watch Rabbi David Ackerman, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Rabbi Daniel Burg, and Rabbi Charles Savenor, who was one of the principals of the event.  Each one of these rabbis who all began their rabbinate here at Anshe Emet, are leading communities. Each one is making a difference. Each one is inspiring more than ten people to be sure to change the world.
What a remarkable lesson our Torah reading offers each of us. We can not do it alone. And so we need to be in a relationship with each other, we need to join together to make a difference in the world that needs our help, needs our caring, needs our voices and our hands. Let us take the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah, let us join together with others, let us make a difference and perhaps we will do our part to save the world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Michael Siegel

Lekh L'kha 5774: Satan Avram and the Pew Study

Satan, Avram and the Pew Study

The day that God spoke to Avram and Sarai and told them: to go forth from their land, from their father’s house to the land that I will show you,

The day that Avram and Sarai were told that God would make a great nation of them and curse those who curse them and bless those that bless them

Avram and Sarai did what any Jewish couple would do at such a breathtaking, historical moment... they went home and packed, packed, and packed some more. They had a lot to do if they were to be ready by morning.

Meanwhile, in Heaven the angels were thrilled. Finally, Jewish history was to begin in earnest and humanity would be offered a new path on which to walk side with God. A special people were in the process of being born and with it the ultimate promise of the world’s redemption. The ministering angels had not celebrated like this since God declared the very first Shabbat.

Truth be told, not everyone was so happy. There was one angel who was sulking amidst all the angelic joy. His name was Satan. You see, he had not been in favor of human beings being created from the very start. "They’ll ruin everything, you’ll see," Satan would often say. He delighted in proving his point. It was Satan who convinced the serpent into having a talk with Eve. Oy, was he happy when the first couple was sent out of the Garden. Satan took pride in the fact that he had personally counseled Cain as to how to deal with his brother Abel. However, Satan’s happiest day by far was when God destroyed the world with a flood. Such Nachas!

But now, God had chosen Avram, the child prodigy, the one who believed long before he heard the Divine voice calling to him. In Avram God saw more than one who listened to His voice, God saw something that was missing in both Adam and Noah: a true partner. Satan was not happy at all that a new age was beginning, not at all happy that the history of humankind was going to take a positive turn, that a people would grow from Avram and Sarai whose destiny was to be an or l’goyim, a light to the nations.

But what could be done now? 

Satan looked forward in history and contemplated telling Avram the terrible things that were going to happen to his descendants in the future. Perhaps if the old man saw how difficult things were going to be for the generations to come that he would choose to sleep in and forget this whole Lekh L'kha, this Go Forth enterprise. But then Satan imagined that Avram would also see how in the face of every catastrophe the people of Israel recreated itself and had the faith and courage to walk forward. Even after something as unimaginable as the Holocaust, his descendants went back to the very country that Avram had been promised and fought to build a remarkable Jewish State.

Just as he was about to give up a thought came to him, well, like a lightening bolt!

Satan thought of a plan that was so diabolical that he smiled from ear to ear. This will stop these senior citizens in their tracks guaranteed, Satan thought as he rubbed his hands together. That same night Satan came down from heaven dressed as a wanderer, and under his arm was the Pew Research Study of the American Jewish Community, published October 13th, 2013. For Satan believed that once Avram and Sarai understood what their descendants in America were going to do to themselves, the self inflicted damage they would do because of the choices that they were going to make for them and their children; [that] for sure Avram and Sarai would stop it before it started.

Satan came to Avram and Sarai’s tent dressed as a poor man. He was immediately welcomed in and fed. Avram apologized saying, We have a big day tomorrow and went back to packing." The stranger said to Avram, "I hear that God promised to make your descendants into a great and mighty people."

"Yup," Avraham said he continued packing.

"Well," Satan continued, "i thought that you would want to know that in about 3,700 years, in a place called America, a country more wealthy then you can imagine, 6.8 million of your descendants are going to live." 

Avram, smiled and with a tear falling from his eye said, "So God did make them as numerous as the stars in the heavens."

"Yes, Yes," Satan said impatiently, "But you should also know that they are choosing not to live in the land of Israel where the majority of your descendants live."

Avram’s face changed, "Let me get this straight, Sarai and I are leaving everything that we ever knew to go forth and my descendants are going to choose to live not in the land of Israel?"  His voice sounded concerned.

"That’s right," said Satan.

"Well," Avram said, "The people of the land will not accept them or their ways and will undoubtedly mistreat them." 

"Not exactly," said Satan. "In fact, it turns out these Americans really like them. No your descendants are succeeding everywhere in this America."

"I see," said Avram; "Well, as long as they don’t marry the people of this land then they will be okay."

Satan replies, "Well if you look inside this study you will see that Intermarriage is at 58%...
And in the homes where there is only one Jewish parent only 20% are raising their child as a Jew…"

"Get out of Haran!?" said Avram.

"No, I am telling you," Satan said. "And nearly one in four say that they have no religion."

Now Avram began turning white. "Are you saying that they are rejecting the God that told me and Sarah to go forth, the God whose promises are being fulfilled all around them?"

"Yup," said Satan, feeling that his plan was working.

"By the way Avram: Only half of the Jews in America can read Hebrew and only around 10% know what they are reading…"

Avram sat down for a minute and began stroking his beard. "Well to tell you the truth, I can’t read Hebrew either."

Satan grew angry, "That’s because Hebrew has not been invented yet! But in this time all of the religious books, prayer books, and the holiest books are written in Hebrew. What is more, Israelis speak Hebrew. Don’t you see how bad things have gotten? Perhaps you want to rethink this whole leaving thing. Let’s just you and I nip this thing in the bud…."

Avram thought for a few minutes and said, "Not so fast; tell me, do these people believe in leading ethical lives?"

Satan replies, "Yes, well over 50% made that a priority of their Judaism.

Avram then asks, "What about feeding the hungry, what about working to make the world better, do my descendants feel compelled to make the world better, do they share their bread with the hungry, do they give Tzedaka?"

"Yes!" Satan was forced to say; "In fact they give Tzedaka in far greater numbers than other people in America."

"OKAY," one last question; "Do my descendants in this place called America take pride in being Jewish, in their heritage and people-hood?"

Satan looked in the study and then breathed a deep sigh and said nothing.

"Well? What does it say," said Avram.

"94% say that they are proud to be Jewish!"

"75% say that they have a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people."

"70% say they feel either strongly attached somewhat attached to Israel"

"So let me get this straight," Avram said, "My descendants have had a long and difficult history, they have suffered and continued to be Jews. They have done great things for the world as Jews. They have spawned other religions that believe in the oneness of God."

"Well, that’s true," said Satan, "But don’t forget that some have also chosen to leave. Don’t you see the direction this is going in? This year 22% identify as not having Judaism as a religion, some have left Jewish places of worship and are creating independent places to pray to God... What will happen next year or the year after?"

Avram then began to laugh, "Now I understand... Every generation that will follow Sarai and me will have a Lekh L'kha. A moment when they need to separate from what they once knew, they once believed, they once depended on and go forth into uncharted land. And follow the call Lekh L'kha. Each generation will find different ways to challenge their relationship with God, just as I did, only eventually to find God walking right next to them. That is what I think is happening in this strange place you call America. Just as I am going out in the morning not knowing what my future is going to look like, so are they. Just as I have faith in the future, I have faith in theirs.
If the old structures don’t work, I believe that they will build new ones."

At this point, Avram put his arm around Satan and said, "I know that it is going to be difficult. It is going to take bold and creative leadership. I also know that we will lose some Jews along the way. Change is painful, but they can only go forward, backwards is not an option. Avram looked into Satan’s eyes and said, you know, if my children made it for nearly 4,000 years despite everything, I am not giving up on them just yet, and I don’t think you should either."

"That’s it," Satan said. "Enough!" 

At that moment Satan knew that he had more than met his match. And off he flew back to heaven. He got there just in time to see the sun rise and look down to see an old man and an an old woman take their servants and livestock and begin a journey, to the unheard cheers of the heavenly angels.

Surveying the scene he said something that would serve as prophesy for the Jewish people.

"Maaseh Avot, Siman L’vanim: The actions of the Patriarchs and Matrirachs will be signs for their descendants. Your children’s children will follow their example."

Just then, Satan heard the voice of God crying out:  "Eheyh bracha, be a blessing, be a blessing." 

To this Satan muttered to himself, "Yes they will, and despite my best efforts it looks like their descendants will be a blessing as well."

And so we will.  And so we will!