Parashat Naso 5776 Value Judgments

Echoes of Eden

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Parashat Naso 5776

Value Judgments

The gift of holiness creates a challenge. Holiness has, if not by definition then at least by connotation, an element of “separateness;” what makes something holy is its “differentness,” its uniqueness, its separateness. The new Mishkan, therefore, creates a challenge, and perhaps the most appropriate time to address this challenge is the moment when the nation is about to embark on its much-anticipated march to the Promised Land. While encamped, demarcations and boundaries are clear, yet even then we are warned against overstepping boundaries between holy and profane - more precisely, the Torah specifically forbids us to make personal use of something that has been dedicated to the holy Temple. It is not hard to imagine that this problem may become more acute when the camp is “broken down” and travel begins. Anticipating this problem, the Torah introduces the idea of me’ilah, misappropriation of holy things.

And then, in a deft segue, the Torah turns to marriage - specifically, a dysfunctional relationship riddled with suspicion, secretive trysts and possible infidelity. The shift seems sudden and strange; there seems to be only a single, tenuous thread of connection between these subjects: The same word, me’ilah, is used to describe a man’s crime if he is guilty of sleeping with another man’s spouse. Apparently, the message is much deeper, and this slim linguistic thread contains a much larger idea: Marriage, like the Temple, is sacred. A person who tramples the boundaries and sleeps with someone else’s wife is guilty of more than taking something that does not belong to him; he is guilty of misappropriating something that is holy.

This is an unabashed value judgment – and it is sorely lacking in modern life. In so many areas of our lives, we have banished the Divine, and chased away holiness. We have a created a mundane world. It is subtle, often imperceptible, but we find this that this tendency in full bloom in literature, film, theater, popular music, and all forms of “entertainment.” The plot is all too familiar: A forlorn wife, underappreciated and perhaps even the victim of abuse; temptation is introduced, most often in the form of a kind stranger (who is almost always good looking) gives her a glimmer of hope. Perhaps he offers her a means of escape from her miserable marriage, either in the form of some fleeting happiness or in the longer term. And as we reading or watch the plot unfold, we are lured into the premise that personal happiness trumps all other values. Our decency dissolves as we root for the protagonist to break the Seventh Commandment.

We begin to suspect that modern values consider the Seventh Commandment more “negotiable” than the Sixth or Eighth (yes, you will have to look these up – it’s worthwhile knowing what they are). To be sure, there are times that divorce is the best option; some couples are better apart than together, and the best way forward leads in two separate directions. But this is not the issue at hand. The real question posed by this parashah is, how have we become a society that does not respect boundaries? Why do we not see marriage as sacred?

When introducing the concept of me’ilah, the Torah quickly qualifies the concept as one which is not exclusive to the realm of Mishkan or Temple. Each and every home is holy. Anyone who violates that holiness, who shatters that sanctity, is guilty of me’ilah.

The extension of this idea is that each of us must treat our own spouse with respect and reverence, and realize that he or she is special, and that the bond of marriage is holy. In a world without a Temple, we must recognize the points of holiness in our personal lives: Holiness is with us at all times, under the same roof. It is a part of our personal lives, and all we need do to connect to it is to appreciate it and cherish it, to sanctify our relationship and treat our spouses with the reverence and care appropriate for something holy. Perhaps this is why the rabbis taught that whoever brings joy to bride and groom is considered to have rebuilt one of the ruins of Jerusalem: Helping people rejoice in the knowledge that they have entered into a holy relationship is truly another brick in the wall of the third Temple.

For a more in-depth analysis see:

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2016/06/audio-and-essays-parashat-naso-for.html

 Echoes of Eden

Audio and Essays Parashat Naso

Audio and Essays Parashat Naso

For Bamidbar and Shavuot:

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2016/05/audio-and-essays-parashat-bmidbar-and.html

New  
Echoes of Eden Project:
Value Judgments

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2016/06/parashat-naso-5776-value-judgments.html

Audio:

Parashat Naso "Unraveling the Confusion" 

http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/836848/Rabbi_Ari_Kahn/Unraveling_the_Confusion

Misappropriations

http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/813925/Rabbi_Ari_Kahn/Misappropriations

Birchat Kohanim

http://archive.rabbiarikahn.com/audio?id=96

From Sotah to Bircat Kohanim (via Nazir)

http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/776326/Rabbi_Ari_Kahn/From_Sotah_to_Bircat_Kohanim_(via_Nazir)

Holy Speech

http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/793815/Rabbi_Ari_Kahn/Holy_Speech

Essays:

Sin of Asceticism

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2015/05/parashat-naso-5775-sin-of-asceticism.html

Tresspass

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2010/05/parshat-naso-5770-trespass.html

A Head Full of Holiness

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2009/05/parshat-naso-5769-head-full-of-holiness.html

Divine Abundance

http://archive.rabbiarikahn.com/writing?id=163

Avoiding Embezzlement

http://echoesofeden.rabbiarikahn.com/pdf/parashat_naso_5774_avoiding_embezzlement

Parashat Bamidbar 5776 A Leap of Love

Echoes of Eden

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Parashat Bamidbar 5776

A Leap of Love

All new beginnings are charged with hope; the beginning of a new book of the Torah is no exception. As the book of Bamidbar opens, there is hope that the journey upon which the Jews embarked as they left Egypt would finally bring them to the Promised Land. The book of Vayikra did not document any movement toward their destination: Throughout the entire book, the nation seemed rooted to one spot; their location remained unchanged. Now, we begin again. The journey resumes.

From this perspective, though, the name of the book  - “Bamidbar” – ‘in the desert’ - is ominous. The desert is a foreboding, even frightening place; might not the name itself give us reason to suspect that the events this book describes will be less than successful? Those of us who know how the book ends are aware that there is progress, and a great deal of movement: At the book’s conclusion, we are poised at the cusp of the Promised Land, yet the trip is far longer and more difficult than we had anticipated. The path is circuitous, and the people stumble and fall many times along the way. The Land of Israel, while much closer, remains out of reach.

Is there something about the desert itself that makes this so? The desert is mentioned many times in the early books of the Torah, in many different contexts, but time and again, the desert imparts a sense of fear, dread and danger. The desert is not a forgiving environment; the basic resources required for human existence are severely limited. Certainly in antiquity the desert was associated - if not synonymous with - death. An en masse journey through the desert would have been considered an absurdity. Perhaps the name of the book is a foreshadowing, a premonition that this endeavor will not work out well.

Why, then, did God choose this route? Moshe explained the plan and purpose of the journey through the desert:

Remember the entire path along which God your Lord led you these forty years in the desert. He sent hardships to test (or uplift) you, to determine what is in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not…But your heart may then grow haughty, and you may forget God your Lord, the One who brought you out of the slave house that was Egypt. It was He who led you through the great, terrifying desert, where there were snakes, vipers, scorpions and thirst. When there was no water, it was He who provided you water from a solid rock. In the desert He fed you Manna, which was something that your ancestors never knew. He may have been sending hardships to test you, but it was so He would eventually do [all the more] good for you.  [When you later have prosperity, be careful that you not] say to yourself, 'It was my own strength and personal power that brought me all this prosperity.' You must remember that it is God your Lord who gives you the power to become prosperous. He does this so as to keep the covenant and the oath that He made with your fathers, even as [He is keeping it] today. (Dvarim 8:2-18)

The difficulties of the desert are not whitewashed, but a rationale is provided: The trek through the desert is a necessary stage of development, designed to put the people’s commitment to the test, and, as a result, to uplift them, to make them stronger and help them create a new type of relationship with God, a relationship based on trust.

The prophet describes the desert experience in the most romantic terms:

Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus said the Almighty: I remember you, the devotion of your youth, your love like a bride, when you went after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. (Yirmiyahu 2:2)

The Midrash[1] apparently picks up on this theme and explains the deeper significance of the opening verse of the book of Bamidbar:

God spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert, in the Communion Tent on the first [day] of the second month in the second year of the Exodus, saying: (Bamidbar 1:1)

While this verse seems prosaic, it should strike us as somewhat unusual in that it provides the precise date of an event – the month, the day of the month, and the year. Precise dates such as these were totally absent in the book of Vayikra; in fact, no such markers were provided in the Torah as far back as the middle of the book of Shmot. The Midrash takes note of this very this particular form, and draws a parallel with the laws of writing a ketubah: Marriage contracts, more than any other type of document, must specify the place and precise date on which they are written. Thus, the opening sentences of the book of Bamidbar, according to the Midrash, are an expression of the blossoming relationship between God and the Jewish People. This relationship is precious to God; He values it, and by writing a “ketubah” He expresses the seriousness of the relationship. This “ketubah” honors the Children of Israel, by proclaiming that this is no passing infatuation. The “groom,” God Himself, aware as He is of the “bride’s” lineage, cognizant that she is the descendant of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, creates an eternal bond of commitment.

This formalization of their mutual commitment comes on the heels of a whirlwind romance: The Exodus is described as eloping to the desert. The groom, a knight in shining armor, swooped in to save the damsel in distress, who had been enslaved and abused. Would the bride take the enormous leap – of faith, but more importantly, of love, and follow her rescuer out into the unknown, to a place with no resources and no other options? Yes, she responds: I will follow you to the ends of the earth, even to the foreboding desert. God responds; he writes a formal ketubah between Himself and His loving bride, the People of Israel.

Mystical tradition[2] teaches that in the future, when all other merit is exhausted, it will be this “leap of love” that God will recall. Our willingness to follow Him through the desert is the foundation stone of our relationship, and it is what compels God to forgive our lapses and to maintain our special relationship throughout history.

For a more in-depth analysis see:

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2016/05/audio-and-essays-parashat-bmidbar-and.html

Echoes of Eden

---

[1] Bamidbar Rabbah 1:5.

[2] Tomer Devorah, chapter 1.

Audio and Essays Parashat B’midbar and Shavuot

 Audio and Essays Parashat B’midbar and Shavuot

YouTube

Parashat Bamidbar Complexity of Levi

A Holy Formation

Being Counted

Audio:

Guardians of the Palace

The Complexity of Levi (5min)

A Holy Encampment

A Holy Formation (5min)

The 600,00

A Holy Census

Being Counted (5min)

Encampments

A Leap of Love

Of Levites Cohanim and Firstborn

Parshat Bamidbar / Lost in the Desert

Parshat Bamidbar / Counting and Uplifting

Essays:

The Theory of Conservation of Holiness

An Un-necessary Book

A Divine Encampment

The Danger of Holiness

The Twenty Eighth of Iyar

The Desert

The Nation of Israel

A Leap of Love

 Shavuot

  After Shabbat

 Sinai; "Bait and Switch"?

Speaker: 

 "Serve Me on This Mountain"

Speaker: 

 Na'ase V'nishma 3 Approaches

Speaker:

  Chametz and Matzah - The Korban Pesach and Korban Todah

Speaker:  

  What went wrong at Mattan Torah

Speaker:

 The Dual Aspects of Sefirat Haomer

Speaker:

 Revealing the Revelation

Speaker:

 Bamidbar - Counting and Uplifting

Speaker:

 Flowers and trees in Shul on Shavuot - Chukat Akum?

Speaker: 

 Kitavo -bikurim and history

Speaker:

 Waiting From Milk To Meat

Speaker:

 The Idea of Counting

Speaker:

 Shemita and Sinai

Speaker:

 Extension of Holiness

 The Omer - Linking Pesach and Shavuot

Shavuot

Holiday of Giving the Torah

Essays:

Shavuot

Reliving Revelation

Audio and Essays Parashat Naso & Shavuot

Parashat B’chukotai 5776 Irreplaceable Theology

Echoes of Eden

   Rabbi Ari Kahn

Parashat B’chukotai 5776

Irreplaceable Theology

As the book of Vayikra moves towards its finale, several outstanding issues are clarified. A retrospective overview shows us that although it began as a book focused on Temple and ritual, it gradually turned to a discussion of other, more general types of holiness, emphasizing kosher food, “kosher” sexual relationships and, finally, other types of interpersonal relationships. The message seems clear: Ritual and Temple service are not replacements for decency. In order to create a holy society, we must concern ourselves both with the ritual and the interpersonal spheres. These two spheres must work in tandem, in harmony, if we are to create and sustain the society that it is our mandate to create.

Despite our superficial impressions, then, Vayikra – “Leviticus” – has a few surprises: The discussion of the holidays in Parashat Emor was not what we might have expected: We might have anticipated that the aspect given most attention in the context of Vayikra would be the sacrifices associated with each festival – but, as we have seen, this is not the case. Instead, the focus is the aspect of holiness, coupled with emphasis of the agricultural identity of each holiday. The transition from this aspect of the holidays to a discussion of shmittah and Yovel becomes far more natural when considered in this light: The structure and flow of the book teaches us that any discussion of holiness must necessarily include the Land of Israel. Just as the holidays are points of holiness in one dimension, the Land of Israel is a point of holiness in another.

Very subtly, then, the focus of Vayikra shifts to the Land of Israel – which is only natural, being that the Israelites were about to leave Mount Sinai and march to their homeland. Very soon, they would inherit the land - and as soon as the message of our ownership began to sink in, we were quickly reminded that God is the true owner; the laws of shmittah and Yovel force us to remember that our ownership is conditional. We are therefore commanded to relinquish our claims to the land one year out of every seven, to share God’s gifts with one and all, and to return the land to its ancestral custodians every 50 years. Slowly the message will sink in: Our ownership is limited. The land ultimately belongs to God, and, as a result, the land is holy. Parashat B’chukotai then goes on to teach us that if we are underserving of this holy land, we will be expelled; such are the consequences of holiness.

Chapter 26 ends in what seems like a grand finale:

I will therefore remember the covenant with their ancestors … These are the decrees, laws and codes that God set between Himself and the Israelites at Mount Sinai through the hand of Moses. (Vayikra 26:45-46)

And yet, despite the seeming finality, another chapter is tacked on, a chapter that seems anti-climactic, even “disappointing”. It contains discussions of vows, dedications and donations to the Temple… in short, details that somehow take the wind out of our sails after the resounding final notes at the end of the previous chapter. But then, among the details, one law catches our eye:

If [the endowment] is an animal that can be offered as a sacrifice to God, then anything donated to God [automatically] becomes consecrated. One may neither exchange it nor offer a substitute for it, whether it be a better [animal] for a worse one, or a worse [animal] for a better one. If he replaces one animal with another, both [the original animal] and its replacement shall be consecrated. (27:9-10)

These verses outline what may be regarded as a strange ‘theory of conservation of holiness:’ Once an object is dedicated to God, it cannot be replaced or “swapped out;” holiness, it seems, “sticks” to it – permanently. Any attempt to replace the consecrated object will only cause an additional object to be consecrated as well; more holiness can enter the world, but the original holiness can never disappear.

The section that immediately follows discusses ancestral property (27:16). Seen in context, we begin to realize that this chapter is far from a random compilation of commandments: The laws enumerated in Chapter 27, the seemingly “anti-climactic” chapter that follows what we first thought was the closing chord of the book, reflect a deeper theological message: In the course of time, the Jewish People might sin, and thereby forfeit the privilege of living in the Promised Land – but the People, and the Land, once consecrated, are holy forever. They cannot be replaced. God will eventually allow us to return to the Land.

The final section of the book of Vayikra focuses on the power of vows: Words, even human words, are imbued with power, perhaps beyond what we might have imagined. This power is reflection of the Divine Image: The power of speech defines us and sets us apart from the rest of creation, but it comes with tremendous responsibility. God’s speech creates reality, and human speech is its reflection. God keeps His vows, even though we may violate our part of the agreement, and we must do the same. The laws in this final chapter, then, contain an uplifting message: Once something is dedicated for holiness, it cannot be replaced. Even when we have sinned, God will honor His vow; He will return us to our land. Moreover, despite the claims made by newer religions, the Jewish People will never be exchanged for any other “chosen people.” “Replacement theology” is expressly rejected in the final verses of Vayikra. The people who stood at Sinai, despite their having subsequently strayed from a life of holiness, remain dedicated to God, and retain their holiness forever. With this message made clear, Vayikra can come to its completion, and now that we understand the message contained in the seemingly dry, anticlimactic laws of Chapter 27, the final verses of Vayikra are theologically breathtaking:

No distinction may be made between better and worse animals, and no substitutions may be made. If a substitution is made, then both [the original animal] and its replacement shall be consecrated and not redeemable. These are the commandments that God gave Moses for the Israelites at Mount Sinai. (Vayikra 27:33,34)

Vayikra, the “book of holiness,” ends with a clear message: The holiness of the Land of Israel, and the holiness of the Jewish People, are eternal.

For more in depth study see:

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2016/05/audio-and-essays-parashat-bchukotai.html

 Echoes of Eden

Audio and Essays Parashat B’chukotai

Audio and Essays Parshiot Behar  & Bechukotai 

Faith

YouTube:

Bhar - Bechokotai Holiness Diffused

Law and Consequences

Parashat Bhar - The Senior Partner

Bhar we are one

Audio:

New- God Consciousness; Rejoicing in the Good - Interpreting the Bad

A New Covenant 

Why Two Rebukes?

Speaker:  

Eliyahu's Missing "Vav"

Speaker:  

Shemitah Shabbat and Exile

Speaker:  

Shemitah Shabbat and Exile (long version)

Speaker: 

An Awakening from Below

Speaker: 

Guard my Sabbaths

Speaker: 

Creating God Consciousness

Speaker: 

Shemitah Torah and Har Sinai

Speaker: 

Were the Details Given at Sinai?

Speaker: 

Shemita and Sinai

Speaker: 

Standing Tall

Speaker: 

Shemita Sinai and Gan Eden

Speaker: 

Age of the Universe

Speaker: 

Walking with God

Laws and Consequences

Speaker: 

We Are One

Speaker: 

The Metamorphosis of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

Speaker: 

Cosmic Harmony 

Speaker: 

Speaker: 

Living and Loving

Speaker: 

Speaker: 

Holiness is Forever

Speaker:  

Behar

·       Seasons in the Sun (5776)

·       Dayenu! (5775)

·       Living and Loving (5774)

·       A Time to Trust (5760)

Bechukotai

·       Irreplaceable Theology (5776)

·       There's No Place Like Home (5775)

·       You Can Get Satisfaction (5774)

·       Coming Home (5770)

·       Standing Tall (5769)

·       The Omer (5761)

·       The Great Rebuke (5760)