Torah for now

Archive for January, 2026

Bo – come to Pharoah’s house

Puzzlingly, Moshe was asked, not to go to Pharoah, but to come. I did not go to my mother’s funeral/ levaya rathercame home full circle and accompanied my mother home: the Hebrew word levaya means to accompany. I come home to love, to music, to childhood, the four year old within me that loves mommy with all her heart. Bo, the name of the Torah reading for this week Begin’s with the eighth plague, that of locusts who are carried in by the east wind and take away all the nourishment that the hail did not destroy. Bo is spelled Bet, Aleph, the first two letters of the Aleph bet arranged backwards. I always wondered why this reading begins with the eight plague. Perhaps this: seven is completion, and represents the the seven lower sephirot, or aspects, of the Holy One of Blessing. The number Eight, as I’ve discussed before is extraordinary nature of what lies beyond this completion. The final sephirot are the upper ones, beyond understanding, mysterious, which began creation according to Zohar,* our book of Mysticism. Consider that each plague undoes creation in one aspect, until order is undone piece by piece. The eighth sephirah is Bina, understanding Let me digress, I will come back to the undoing of wisdom. Another thought, According to Meyor Einayim, it was Torah that was in exile (Sources here) Pehaps the linking of the aspects of G8d, the sephirot is to bring back (to come) G8d, into that land, undoing Egypt, replacing the Powers that be with those of G8d -“great kindness, truth, compassion…” (from the 13 attributes of G8d) which were in exile.

The “hardening” of the heart of the tyrant is described with three different verbs, and begins with Pharaoh hardening his own heart. In Exodus 10:1, getting into the rut of abuse happens. On an episode of Hidden Brain, Shankar Vidantam interviewed a doctor who helped athletes obtain steroids illegally. The first time was so hard, but it was easier to break the law each time. By now, the tyrant must know that his people were suffering, half of their grain and most of their animals were gone from disease and hail. This time, Exodus 10:1 tells, explicitly, and in the first person, G8d tells, “I will make Pharaoh’s heart and those of his advisors heavy (stubborn). Pharaoh must overcome fear and common sense to not let the Israelites free, and to accept the consequences of the rest of their food being destroyed. The locusts, which I’ve discussed before here, darken the land . The verb in this verse does not mean harden, rather Kaf, vet, Dalet, which means to “Make heavy” but also shares a root with “to honor” The tyrant was able to ignore his compassion and his fear and to choose instead to follow only the desires of his own heart, his pride, his ego.  “The beginning of wisdom is “yirat HaShem” the awe/fear of G8d.(Proverbs 9:10) This means fear of doing wrong, or of taking the consequences of your foolish headstrong actions. This “making heavy of the heart” is an undoing of wisdom- the only way Pharaoh would behave in such an unreasonable and dis-compassionate manner had to be a Divine act in Biblical eyes. (Wisdom is the 8th of the sefirot, Locusts are the 8th plague!)

Why does G8d strengthen and honor and harden the hearts of Pharaoh and his advisors, but not those who are suffering, the Egyptian populace? Don’t their hearts need protection- don’t our hearts need help when we are frightened? Instead the Holy One inclines the hearts of the populace toward the slaves in compassion, and many join them in escaping Egypt. When the Israelites ask for reparations, and gifts, the hearts of the Egyptians, which had felt such trauma were softened enough to be generous, and start this beginning nation with resources.

*IT emanated from the most concealed of all concealed things (Keter/crown)- from the secret of the Endlessness Light – took a shapeless form. THE SPARK (Chochmah/wisdom) was then inserted into THE CENTER OF a circle (Bina/understanding) ~Zohar 1:1

Bo – come. Today I came home, approaching that tyrant, “Death” by thanking the Holy One of Blessing for life. Death’s heart is truly hard, but only when my heart is softened can I find the riches of music, love and blessing.

Eulogy to my mother, Gloria, child of Charley and Bertie

Midrash explains there are three souls present at each conception, the father, the mother and Shechinah the indwelling presence of G8d. A personal prayer, O Holy One of blessing thank you, Modah ani, for bringing me into the world through my Mom. She was Gevuradich a strong woman, a woman of valor. The gifts she gave me were priceless – my own strength and resilience, and the ability to be who I am.

Thank you for accepting me as I was, and my kids. You never tried to mold me in your image or force me to be anything but myself, with one exception, Music. I had to sneak listening to the Beatles with a transistor radio under the covers Instead you immersed me in the rich and beautiful worlds of jazz and classical music, thank you!

Thank you for showing me how to pursue something you loved passionately- with all your heart and soul, and all! You weren’t just a baseball fan, you were dubbed the Queen of Queens, by Steve Overmyer, and honored by the Mets, by throwing out the first pitch. You didn’t just love mystery novels, you reviewed a thousand of them in a published blog and got to meet the authors.

And when the crucible of time and disease melted you down to your essence it was pure love and music. We had a language we could communicate with beyond any words: For you I leanred the lyrics to many songs in the great American song book When I sang with you we could access joy together. The last words my mother spoke to me were written by Irving Berlin 101 years ago, I share them with you now, one last time. Song: Always

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Journeys, Joy and “Smichah”

A few days ago, I became a Rabbi and a Hazzan, (Cantor). It was an incredibly joyful experience, surrounded by family and kindred spirits. Here is the recording. (the first 15 minutes is music). I had few expectations of what it would feel like, however, because my outlook is and has been: “it’s the journey which is the destination”. This ceremony, these titles were never destinations in my heart, it was the learning, the elevating of self, which enables elevating of others. These experiences in the 9.5 years since I began learning through the Aleph Ordination program, and the internships to become who I am now has been profoundly, surprising and life changing. I never want to stop learning, and yearning toward G8d, toward justice, toward self improvement, and being an enabler of healing, joy, comfort and uplift for others. The ordination ceremony is meant to be a moment of transformation, from a layperson to a clergy person. It involves the laying on of hands, “Smichah” in Hebrew, from teacher to students, while proclaiming the ancient formula. (It reminded me a bit of the Vulcan mind meld: “now your thoughts are my thoughts” but in reverse!) Now this unbroken lineage included me – I was a part of a chain going back through time, that included all of my former study partners who had already passed through the portal, and our ancestors. I was also bonded to this group of 17 candidates who had studied together or sang together over the years, crafted this service. We had even written a prayer together, been nervous, and received blessings together. And to the incredible teachers and mentors who had paved my way and encouraged me. THAT was the transformation, not individually who I was, but what I had become a part of beyond myself.

For those who asked, this is the source of Shabbat Minchah drash, on this week’s Torah reading “Va’era” and the 65 words that I spoke during the Rabbi’s comments were drawn from.

I am a now Rabbi and a Hazzan, and hope, like Esther to know that I’ve been put in this position to influence things for the good.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Joy is required: Who are these?

The setting is Ancient Egypt. Father Yaakov (Jacob) has come to Egypt and spent the past 17 years finally “settling” down. He was denied this peace for the prior 20 years while he was in mourning for his beloved son, Yoseph (Joseph) Midrash says that G8d’s presence left him, and he had no power of prophecy during this time. Only when father and son are reunited does the presence return: in other words when joy returns, so does G8d’s presence. How important is joy? Psalm 100 describes the joy of gratitude, as Yaakov must have felt

“A psalm of gratitude; Rejoice for G8D, all the earth;(2) serve the Holy in gladness;come into the Divine presence with shouts of joy!”

This week’s reading happens on Yaakov’s death bed. Joseph is coming to see him. Joseph his favorite son, now looks and acts Egyptian. One Midrash tells that it is Yoseph’s Egyptian wife, Poti Phera, that sends him to his father to bless the sons. Yaakov is told his sons and grandsons are visiting, and the elderly prophet sits up in his bed. He recaps some of his inspirations (G8d speaks to him) and heartbreaks (Rachel died on me!). Then the surprising question when his grandsons are brought close: “Who are these?” Tradition is that Yaakov’s been hanging out with his grandsons studying Torah for the past 17 years. Is it possible he doesn’t recognize them?

Rashi says he’s balking due to evil kings that will come from their descendants,

Or haChayim adds that he asks to arouse feelings of love in his son before the blessing.

I recognize the heartache of Dementia in conversations with my Mom who hasn’t knows her grandchildren in awhile. The text does say that Yaakov was ill. Midrash says it was the first time an illness preceeded death in the Torah, and that Yaakov actually asks for this to prime his death bed speech.

In last week’s reading both Yehudah (Judah) and Yoseph define who they were.”Anochi E’er’venu “I will be his pledge” says Yehuda, Ani Yoseph “I am Yoseph!” exclaims the Egyptian vizeir! and (See Vayigash) and everything changes. In Genesis G8d asks Adam “Where are you?” Ayecha in Hebrew. G8d asks Kayin, “Where is your Brother?” Perhaps Yaakov is asking to see how his son will define his grandsons. The prelude to blessing the grandsons mentions G8d, and a homeland now abandoned, not just by Yoseph, but by the entire family saying: (Gen 48:3) God Shaddai was seen by me in Luz, in the land of Canaan; he blessed me” Perhaps this is a test of the bond between Father, son and G8d. If it’s a test, Joseph passes, because grandfather does bestow the blessing, gifting them his angels of protection, and a sense of family rootedness (Gen 48:16) What is Yoseph’s response? In Genesis 48:9 “Yosef said to his father: They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” In this land there is G8d too. In this land the blessing of children.

“Then Yaakov called his sons and said:
Gather round, that I may tell you
what will befall you in the aftertime of days.”

Rashi: He wanted to reveal the end of days and the Divine Presence left him, so he began saying other matters

Thirteen very different sons. How can they make a unity, a family? Mi Eileh? Who are these – plural, this is not one-ness? Do I recognize the people my children have grown up to be? Can family unity be restored? It must be hard, when Yaakov looks at his sons and sees the violence and betrayal of his older sons, he can no longer be joyful. There is a happy ending (even though Yaakov dies in this week’s reading) As we move from genesis 49: 7-8, curses become blessings. and by verse

28: All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve,
and this is what their father spoke to them;
he blessed them,
according to what belonged to each as blessing, he blessed them.

Yaakov’s sons are mythical, they have animal logos, they are the 12 signs of the zodiac in many ancient synagogues. Together the 12 zodiac signs make a complete year, as together the 12 tribes make a nation. Out of many One? E pluribus unim “out of many one” Where is it written? On the capital rotunda .. Opposite George Washington is the banner E Pluribus Unum, Latin for “out of many, one”… Where else? Never has the American or Jewish world been so fractured in my lifetime. Parents and children are at odds: conflicts over Israel are tearing families apart. I pray we can look beyond theses obstacles to the good heart and soul of our family. May joy and blessing return. They are what will get us through to difficult times, to the future.

Source page on Sefaria

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with: