Miryam's Space

I had the most startling answer from a student Monday. In answer to the question What exemplifies “freedom” to you? Dawn answered (name changed): the Hurricane! Woah! I do get it: freedom from the demands and the routines. This kid sheltered  in the synagogue’s social hall during Sandy for power, heat, company and internet, playing and doing volunteer work for a couple of weeks. Here’s a thought: could we be overscheduling and overpressuring our kids? Passover’s so enriched by our children at the table, asking questions, searching for the hidden, maybe acting out dramas, singing “dayenu” (it would have been enough!). And here’s a child reminding us to give them back the freedom of childhood. Children are magic. This week’s haftarah contains some of the most beautiful verses from the prophet Malachi (3:23-24): Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet… to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. No wonder these verses are always read on the Shabbat before Passover! Not only is Elijah redemption man on Passover, our redemption story, but redeeming will come with the uniting of parents and children! Children: keeping our eyes tuned to wonder and idealism, to where we come from and the future we are headed to. And there is always that child in us, a part of us. My favorite musical setting of Bayom hahu (the Day will Come) is by Lisa Silverstein and Pete Tobias, and it includes these lyrics:

A day will dawn in the time to come,

a day when God’s name shall be One,

all war and suffering shall be through,

when that day comes Bayom hahu;

Bayom hahu, and on that day, I will wipe all tears away;

Sorrow and pain will all be through,

when that day comes Bayom hahu;

Let justice and righteousness flow like a stream,

the old and the young will see visions and dreams,

and what we dream shall yet come true,

when that day comes: Baym hahu;…..

The spear will break and the chariot burn,

the hearts of the parents to children will turn,

children and parents will all turn to You,

when that day comes, Bayom hahu..
So in a way, it is in our relationship with our children that Elijah visits our seder and holds the promise of redemption of the world. They are the SEEDS of redemption and a bright future – teach them well and love them, and make a safe place for them, and they will teach and love their children and perhaps this broken world can be fixed.  And we can taste this promise at the seder.
At the seder we taste slavery (bitter herbs) and perhaps the charoset is a taste of love and redemption, rather than of bricks:under the apple trees the women of exodus seduced their husbands into having children, like Moses and Miriam who would redeem us. And speaking of seduction under the apple tree, we read song of songs on Pesach! I would like to offer that Matzah is not so much the taste of slavery as the taste of seeds, and an guarding of their magical properties of sprouting feeding us. The technology of fermentation has been around at least from ancient Egypt, (they brewed beer). This technology, like fire, is a double edged sword: fermentation flavors, rises bread and preserves, but fermentation also rots, causes disease and wasting. At springtime we must carefully guard our new seeds – if they rot they cannot sprout and feed us. We must use up all our old seed, and begin to guard the new, keeping it dry. This bread of pure seed, guarded from water, and therefore rotting is what we make our bread/matzah of at the start of spring. In seed is the promise of spring and of our nourishment. As we refrain from eating risen, fermented foods = we can remember that we are fed from the magic of seeds. And loved under apple trees, planted from seeds. An in our souls, the magic of children. Zissen Pesach: a sweet Passover to all.

Why are we made of the same ingredients as our food? This is a favorite classroom question of mine, with a follow-up hint/question: Where does every morsel of food we eat come from? I am answered with silence at first, and then a voice offers: The Store?  Finally someone gets it: Everything we eat was alive, like us.  That‘s why we have the same ingredients as our food. Albert Einstein, that fabulous advocate for a sense of wonder, knew that there are only two ways to live your life: one as though nothing is a miracle, the other as though everything is a miracle. Nothing is more miraculous than the act of eating. You become what you eat – our ancestors knew this. They raised herd animals, but didn’t eat meat often.  Three times a year they placed their hands on an animal’s head and knew it was a sacrifice, a life for theirs, intense. This act of sacrifice drew them closer to the Creator- the word for sacrifice korban means to draw close. Why? Perhaps a profound appreciation for the miracle of working bodies and food, I don’t know. Maybe it reveals that acts of sacrifice help make our lives holy.

This week begins the reading of a new book in Torah, Leviticus, which many modern folks feel very uncomfortable with. Many sections deal with the details of the animal sacrifices of the ancient Tabernacle, and Temple.There’s a yuck factor for us, who don’t want to deal with, or think of the realities of where our meat comes from: we call them primitive. But it’s not primitive to fully understand the life that’s been sacrificed whenever we eat a morsel of meat. That creature’s very substance becomes our energy and materials – it’s a profound transfer.  In a world of connections we often dismiss the connections we have to other creatures – and the animal, the physical in us.   The truth is what many pet owners and nature lovers know in their hearts, we are deeply connected.  I am a pet lover, and a nature lover too. Feeling that connection strongly becomes a challenge to anyone that eats meat thought-fully.

This system of sacrifices is also a brilliant way of making amends for wrongs, celebrating thanksgivings.  All in a package deal of eating and sharing meat with the Levites and others on special occasions.  We dismiss ancient ways and instead employ mechanized meat raising, cruel treatment of animals and slaughter house employees. We encourage disconnect, discourage spirituality, and the chanting of blessings. These modern ways are what’s truly primitive!

I am reading an amazing book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, about a child named Lia of the Hmong community of California. These  loving, land-connected, live-free-or-die folks still practice animal sacrifice today.  When the family gets Lia back at one point in the story they are beyond grateful. They drive out to a cattle ranch, buy an animal, sacrifice it, tote the meat back at great expense to host a huge celebration which feeds the community. Being so very poor, this was a sacrifice on every level.

After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, we found other pathways to spirituality and connections: prayer, tzedakah, mitzvah. But in order to lead to holiness these acts have to be real:  intense. Yet how many of us mumble prayer by rote, write checks to charity without feeling the connections, sacrifice for our loved ones or do righteous acts without knowing it’s healing the world! Our challenge is to make our lives holy: pay attention! find connections! say a blessing and really mean it! Choose to live your life knowing everything is a miracle. oh, and you might consider eating a little less meat, it has enormous implications for climate change and feeding the hungry of the world. Eating and our choices: more profound than you ever guessed. You are what you eat.

A song for this week, by Todd Herzog: Tov L’Hodot which means: it’s good to give thanks, song 11 in the jukebox at toodherzog.com

The chorus: Tov L’hodot, I won’t taken these things for granted; Tov L’hodot now I see the world anew;

Tov L’hodot, friends and family bring laughter to my soul, and my life would have no meaning without You.

I knew Sam since he was a little kid. By the time he was in high school he was getting up by five so he could get in a couple of more hours practice on the flute. He breathed music through his pores as though they were tiny flute holes. Like a few other artists I know, I suspect, if a tissue sample were placed in the microscope, instead of cells, eighth notes, clef signs, sharps and flats would come into view, of a person entirely made of music. Sam has talent and we are in love with the arts, and talent has always been one of those deep mysteries. Where does come from? Is it inspiration from on high, or just the passion that makes someone work till art oozes out of them? Gould and Prokofiev claimed not to  have practiced, though! So mystery it remains!
A story from our tradition is tells of a king who built a new palace. Not knowing how to decorate it, he announced a contest. Artists and sculptors came from far and wide displaying their work, and the king chose the two whose work spoke most to him. “I give you each a wall of my palace, materials and craftsmen to do with as you wish. The one whose work is best in one year’s time will be well rewarded. The first artist’s name was Tuvia, and he went to work immediately, drawing plans, hiring craftsmen, buying materials. He decided that the way the sun shone on the wall in the afternoon would be perfect for a scene of nature and flowing water, and he followed this insight. He worked many days each hour perfecting texture, color, perspective. The work in progress filled him with joy. The second artist, Golde, was stumped. She would sit and stare at her empty wall day after day, just hoping that the inspiration would come, but it never did. As the contest time neared its conclusion, Tuvia began to dismantle his scaffold, clean up paint and fabric. He proudly signed and veiled his work, while Golde’s wall was just as empty as ever. But, as the day of the judging dawns, surprisingly, Golde had some work to present. The King eagerly approached two contest walls and commanded them to be unveiled. As Tuvia saw his finished work, his heart swelled with pride. But as his eyes turn toward the other wall, his mouth fell open, and blood of anger rushed to his face. There on Golde’s wall is an exact replica of his own, line for line, exactly the same colors, down to the brushstroke. Every leaf, every dewdrop, the same! The King was surprised indeed, but as he felt the cold, smooth texture of Golde’s wall, insight dawned on him.”Who has won?” they asked the King. “I have declared this contest a draw,” he proclaimed. “You shall each return tomorrow to receive the reward you deserve.” Golde breathed a sign of relief. “But your majesty, this is unjust!”, began Tuvia. “Silence! It shall be as I have decreed!” bellowed the King, “return tomorrow!”
When the artists returned to the palace the next day, Tuvia, who had been downhearted, was delighted to see a pile of gold beyond his imaginings near the king. “Your dedication and inspiration honors my home, and I have gifted you enough gold for you to work to your heart’s content all your life!” declared the King. Deeply honored, Tuvia bowed and thanked the King. “But your majesty, what of my reward?”, protested Golde. “I have promised you the reward you deserve, and here is yours,” boomed the king. Golde looked where the king was pointing, and there shone a reflection of the mountain of gold in  a mirror. “Take it and leave my kingdom, never to return.” Spoke the king. Golde looked sadly at the King, and slowly left the palace.

This week in the Torah, the portion is named “Vayakhel” – which can translate “and he made them into a community” The portion later names the artisans that God has chosen to create the portable Mishkan, a sanctuary and dwelling for God in the Israelite’s midst.  The first is B’tzalel, who is gifted with “Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding, knowledge in all his work”  I love this! B’tzalel is an artist, but artistry is not defined as an ability to make “pretty pictures”, but rather as true insight and wisdom and  truth -turned to the works of art. And B’tzalel’s name means in God’s shadow! But for me the best is yet to come, because B’tzalel’s assistant is Oholiav, and his God-given,  gift of the heart is the ability to teach!  Teaching, visual arts, music -all are precious communications, one heart to another, about the beauty and truth we see in the world. An ability to connect, both to the universe and to other souls is the talent we may receive.  It is also how we can create community. Perhaps our life’s work is  our painting on the palace wall of God’s universe.  IF we create an original works, never just reflections.  Sam paints gorgeous pictures of sunlight and water and more with his inspiration, his talent and of course, his flute. I can learn from him, be inspired by artists, and also recognize the art and the gift which is my own life’s work: teaching.

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Teaching Hebrew school is a second pathway for me. I never would have guessed (in a hundred years!) I’d do this, nor that I would be flying so high after a day with these kids as I did this week. Now I admit, not every day’s this rewarding, and supplimentary Hebrew school’s got it’s problems, but these days make it so worthwhile. The kids’ names have been changed.

The afternoon began with the sixth grade reviewing the morning version of the Mi Chamocha – the giddy song of triumph sung at the crossing of the sea. I sang this Michael Walzer poem for them to figure out, (used as an intro to the prayer by the reform siddur): Standing on the parted shores of history; we still believe what we were taught before ever we stood at Sinai’s foot; that wherever we go, it is eternally Egypt; that there is a better place, a promised land; that the winding way to that promise passes through the wilderness; that there is no way to get from here to there, except by joining hands, marching together.

What does slavery mean today? I asked, is it just ancient history? Did you know people were bought and sold still today? Yes, they knew. What else could enslave folks? Adam told me people today were slaves to money! That so many parents in his town don’t see their kids so much, in the pursuit of this master. Brett knew what the poem meant by “marching together”: that none of us can do it alone – we need one another. Dave knew why music was the choice of response at the sea because “music’s inspiring”. Seriously, wow! After telling this group how much they rocked, I welcomed in fourth graders. We were beginning blessings, b’rachot. by telling of gifts they’ve given others. Most had been thanked for their gifts, but Jaden shared how her little brother had just run off with a gift she’d given him without thanking – made her feel pretty low. Can you think of gifts you’ve gotten today? How about a hundred gifts a day? “I didn’t get a hundred gifts!” shouted Jake. Well, the other kids argued with him – I didn’t have to do it, that he DID get those gifts: family, friends, food, love, puppies. But how can you remember to pay attention to these gifts? I told them about Aldous Huxley’s parrots from Island: “pay attention!” they squawked. How annoying! my fourth graders called out. Maybe saying blessings would be a better way to go!

This session was followed by Youth choir, one of only three twenty minute rehearsals we get per month. Sometimes these rehearsals are just a high point of my week – their youthful idealism just comes out in their voices and shines in their eyes. We are singing this Shabbat, and in a new program we call Kehilah Kedoshah (holy community) students are matching various arts to the Torah portion for that week – students choose their group, and ours is music. Well, this week’s Torah portion, called Ki Tisa, includes the saga of the golden calf and its aftermath. Moses, after receiving the gift of the tablets, God-inscribed,  sees the Israelites dancing, worshiping a sculpture of gold, and smashes the tablets. Talk about wrong moves: both the Israelites and Moses could have done a lot better. But it’s not the end of the story for either the Israelites or their temperamental leader. Instead it’s time for second chances. Moses argues for the Israelites, takes a second trip up that mountain, and is told to carve another set of tablets like the first, this time to inscribe them himself. This second try far outstrips the first. Troubled, or inspired, Moses asks to see God’s honor/presence. God explains that it could be deadly, but placed in that cleft of the rock, all God’s goodness will pass before Moses as God’s “back” (afterglow?) passes by. Inspired, Moses exclaims the thirteen attributes of God which have become a part of the Holy day Torah service liturgy. In a beautiful symmetry of how God calls “Moshe, Moshe” at the burning bush, Moses calls God’s name: Adonai, Adonai, merciful and kind, slow to anger, with great loving-kindness and truth… Moses is so transformed by the experience that he glows like he’s radioactive, so much that he must be veiled ever after.
The songs sung and chosen by the youth choir this month are about fixing mistakes, about making things better.  The first  is called “if Not Now” by Carrie Newcomer, (and credit to R. Hillel!) . If not now, tell me when? is about fixing the world. Check it out here, sung by Dan Nichols and Danielle Rudnisky http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3RUKmvD0bc.

I swear the sound of these 30 or so kids singing their hearts out to these words was just inspiring. As was their rendition of Todd Herzog’s Be the Change (toddherzog.com) Talk about blessings, I’ve got ’em.  No more to say!

Except my night was just half over. Hebrew High was coming, ninth grade. First up was “Expression of our Jewish Soul in Song” – a survey of mostly contemporary Jewish music arranged around themes, and this week’s theme was Torah. I’ve encouraged the kids to bring instruments if they’ve got ’em, and two brought their ukeleles and were playing Stairway to Heaven  -how perfect! (Led Zeppelin). So I joined in on the chords and we discussed the chords, and those of songs in general, and how to write songs…and class hadn’t even begun! This class is a taste of lots of songs, and we did some fun ones. My favorite moment: I was teaching them a two part arrangement of Leon Sher’s Adonai, Adonai which beautifully sets to music the words from this week’s portion (see above). We’d only gotten through half of it when Lizzy said something like “wait, I’m taking out my iphone to record this, we sound freakin’ amazing”, so we sang it again for her recording! After this someone shouted, “Hey can we sing Shalom Alechem again?” Ok, after we do Sweet as Honey, I replied, we just have to do that first. So we sang a bit of Todd Herzog’s Calling all Angels/ Shalom Alechem which we’d learned a couple of weeks ago, and they can’t get enough of. Be still my heart.

My last session for the night, after putting away the music, keyboard and guitar, was one on Science and Torah. OK,  cue the DVD player, take out the props (tarps, marbles, slinkies…) enter the all-boy class. The topic was on unity in physics and Torah. The last fifteen minutes featured a discussion of the Shema and a reading on Unity. The reading was an excerpt from Arthur Waskow’s Freedom Journey and I asked them what part of the reading spoke to them, and Bob selected this part: I am part of everything and less than nothing; I Anokhi a cell of the great Anokhi of the world come conscious.  I stand inside God’s skull, behind the face, I look out through God’s eyes, my face in Face, I see myself, ourself, Anokhi. Bob said that sometimes when he awoke in the morning he felt like this, and looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize who he was, and wondered what was real.  Wow! End the session.

Ki Tisa, second chances is about my life this week, I realize. I have gone up the mountain a second time with this second vocation teaching Hebrew school, and I have come down with my face radiantly aglow, and I am blessed.

Light. The universe vibrates in particles which are also waves, traveling at amazing LIGHT speeds!  The part of the energy  spectrum we can see is light. Our flame, our passion and inspiration are also light. The awareness of our soul is light. When we remember a loved one we light a candle, and at Chanukah we sing: Don’t let the light go out! We leave the light on for our teen when they come home late, and light candles for Shabbat and Havdalah. We seek enlightenment and hope for a new light to dawn with each day. This week (portion Tetzaveh) the Torah speaks of the flame that is continuously lit, the ner tamid. Perhaps a symbol that God’s always there, and that our awareness can rise and rekindle like that flame.

One of my favorite songs of light is Dan Nichols’ Or Zarua. Or Zarua latzadik means light is sown for the righteous. The lyric continues: We must keep our hopes alive, we must raise our voices high , we must hold each other tight, we must stand up in the night and BE light! Listen here, and keep it light! http://www.myspace.com/dannicholseighteenmusic/music/songs/or-zarua-71716268

So how can a person BE light? Well one more thing about Light: it is the symbol of inspiration, of learning, of Torah.

I had an opportunity to find out about being light because I got to learn this week at Limmud, the NY/ London Jewish learning connection.  There I met teachers who WERE light! One of the teachers who touched me most was Arthur Kurzweil, author, publisher, musician and ….magician? Yes, I saw some of his illusions in a magic show that night. For Arthur magic is symbolic of some of life’s mysteries. The illusion is all we see, for we don’t know the whole story. In just this way we are too limited to understand all of the forces and effects of the bits of life we witness, just a small part. We miss too much due to our small slice of time and space and limits to our awareness.

Anyway, Arthur presented (in too brief a time) his twenty most important lessons from Kaballah to teach his children. He often referenced a book by Adin Steinsaltz, The Thirteen Petal Rose.  I’ll share some of his list here.

1. The key to wisdom is this paraodox:  knowing we can never understand is the first step to some measure of wisdom and understanding
2. We are not a body with a soul, we ARE a soul that happens to have a body.
3. God is constantly creating the world at each moment, (rather than a past, distant creator)
4. Perspective is not what you think: God knows each soul in the same quantity as the largest galaxy, because each is proportionally the same in relation to infinity!
5. Only imagining the infinite makes understanding the finite possible, like Desargue’s Theorem in geometry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desargues%27_:theorem
6. All actions are the same size relative to God: the movement of a finger, or the largest catastrophe, both are miracles, important in the life of the universe
7. Every descent is for the sake of ascension. Reb Nachman teaches that the greatest sin is pessimism, and R. Akiva teaches Gam zu l’tovah – “This too is for the good”
8. Every detail of the human body is for the sake of divine revelation. Job exclaimed  In my flesh I see God. Arthur then added that our bodies are the pinnacle of creation. (My own opinion: in all nature there is divine revelation, not in our bodies alone. And remember, we are a soul, not a body!)
9. The voice within you when you’re lost, that cries Ayekha? Where are you? is not your voice, but God’s, it’s a holy thing
10. I love this one: If you think you’ve arrived….., that’s when you’re lost!
11. The answer to the question Who am I? cannot be answered in relation to any other person: you are not defined as the child of… the spouse of… the parent of … any other. You are defined only in your relationship to the Infinite Eternal One. And the best in human relationships, helps you to better this ultimate relationship, to be more truly yourself
12. The sin of knowing, of eating from the Tree of Knowledge is the sin of a bad education! This type of education doesn’t answer a person’s real questions, does not respond to who they really are, is a barrier rather than an enabler. As an educator, this one’s an eye opener!
13. There is great benefit from instability: only through this risk can you be open to growth. Similarly to how your foot must be at the unstable place between rungs to climb that ladder.
14. In studying Talmud, which Arthur described as 63 volumes of doubt, studies are interrupted for to pray from the siddur, a tiny volume of faith. To be stuck in either place is to be lost. The trick is to balance, to go back and forth.

I studied with another wonderful teacher Alicia Jo Rabins http://www.aliciajo.com/  who has composed songs in a  soulful  bluegrass style about the lives of biblical women. After an inspiring chevruta (partner) study on the life of Miriam, the text where Miriam gets “leprosy” after she and Aaron criticize Moses for marrying a Cushite woman, I wrote this song:

I Am Your Sister

What has happened to my hands, my face?

So white, like death, like rice.

I only want to live, finally free

Why not Aaron, Why just me?

Help me now please, I am your sister

I guarded you in those primal waters

Guiding you to flow to life so new

Now we need to see this through, to  renew.

Moses, she’s your wife, your forgotten one,

Mother of your two sons

I meant to remind you of her needs

She’s a woman scorned, like me.

Help me now please, I am your sister

I guarded you in those primal waters

Guiding you to flow to life so new

Now we need to see this through, to renew

Bridge: Miriam, bitter waters, falling like snowflakes on my skin

   Miriam, bitter waters, like my tears, there’s no place here for me, heal for me!

Help me now please, I am your sister

I guarded you in those primal waters

Guiding you to flow to life so new

Now we need to see this through, to renew

Finally, I studied with an amazing Brit named Clive Lawton who is the executive director of Limmud, chair of development charity Tzedek and a former head teacher of King David high school in Liverpool. He has become the accidental world expert on intercultural calendars after organizing an 18 culture calendar for the Brittish public schools. His presentation It’s about time was on the impact on our lives. Just a couple of points – the Jewish calendar is the only one which marks the start of time with the beginning of the universe, not our particular people. The Muslim calendar is the only one not tied to the solar year, because it’s not tied to any one place or to the seasons: it’s just as valid in Argentina as Alaska.  The Chinese New Year is impossible to predict more than a year in advance, most calendars are luni-solar, and that calendars organize how we think about time. One favorite quote: what were you doing on this day two years ago? Nothing, this day has never existed before, and never will again.

These teachers were a light in my life, as I pray I can bring some light to others’ lives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limmud

I’ve just made a batch of hamentashen, thanks, Grandma!
This is a dairy recipe, and kids like it a lot.
Cream two sticks of butter with a cup of sugar and a tsp of vanilla.
Beat in three eggs.
In a separate bowl mix four cups of flour with four tsps. baking powder.
Add the flour mix a bit at a time until it’s all mixed in to the butter mixture.
Beat until smooth. Refrigerate dough for two hours.
Flour a board, and dip a glass into flour.
Roll to 1/8 inch thickness and cut out circles with the flour.
I use plum prune filling for half of my hamentashen, and mix strawberry jam with lots of chocolate chips for the rest.
Fill each circle with about half a tsp of filling, and pinch three corners to make the triangle.
I bake at 350 for about 18 (chai!) minutes.

The Torah portion this Shabbat is Terumah: Gifts. It is among my favorites, and was the subject of my first drash (1994!).

We have just come down from Sinai, and are still trembling from the encounter. We have fallen in love and now need to feel God’s presence in the wilderness. But we have to come down off that mountain and go to work, and deal with the nitty gritty details of life.  What to do with that transformative inspiration? The answer given here: We give gifts of our heart, and take gather pure materials, and make something of beauty: a portable sanctuary for God to dwell in our midst, the Mishkan. So our help can come in these material details, but be careful, herein lies a trap too! (more later)

In the Hebrew translation, God commands us to build a place for God to dwell “within us”. And that box, built for our pact with God is to be plated with gold within and on the outside, and guarded with “k’ruvim” Golden creatures. What’s up with that? How can God dwell in that Miskkan? What’s with all the gold? and aren’t those golden K’ruvim some of the gravenst images you’ve seen? And what does that have to do with God dwelling within us? Maybe a story can help explain!
Many years ago, in a shtetl in Eastern Europe lived a son, the eldest in his family named Dovid. Now Dovid was tired of mundane chores, he was hungry for ultimate truths, and so wanted to find God.  So he packed his few belongings, and explained to his tearful parents, and said he’d return one day.  Dovid had heard of a wonderful wise Rebbe in a town further down the road and thought,  surely he can show me where to find God.  And so he walked many days until he came to Reb Yitzhak’s home. He explained to the Rebbe his quest: Please Rebbe, help me to find God, can you teach me the secret? The Rebbe replied, Of course, but first, do you have a place to live. You must not be a stranger here. Acquire for yourself a home, and then return to me!
Well, Dovid had little money, so he went to the clearing and gathered some wood, and sought a carpenter to borrow tools. The carpenter lent him tools, and advice, and in a short time they became friends. He hammered and sawed and soon had a frame. Several townspeople came to help him raise it, and soon Dovid not only had a crude shelter, but several friends as well. So he returned to the Rebbe.  I have done as you asked and built my home, said Dovid.Please, Rebbe, tell me the secret, where can I find God. The Rebbi smiled: Wonderful, he said,  but you still are not ready. Go out and find a job, earn your keep, and then return to me and I will tell you this secret. Well, Dovid was frustrated, but what could he do?  He went into town, where he’d seen a sign for a baker’s assistant, and asked for the job. Another worker in the shop recognized him from the roof raising, and vouching for him, the baker hired Dovid. He worked hard, long hours, but became adept at making all kinds of breads and confections that he was very proud of. He also came to know many of the customers in the shop and was able to save a few coins. At this point, Dovid returned to Reb YItzhak. I have done as you asked and earned my keep. Now, Rebbe, can you tell me where to find God? The Rebbe smiled, You have done well, my son. Still, you are not quite ready. Dovid grew flustered: What more must I do to be ready, he exclaimed! Ah!, said the Rebbe, you must get married.  What!? cried the young man. Where am I going to find a wife?  But Dovid, not knowing what else to do, told the Rebbe he would try.

Well, he had noticed a lovely young lady shopping in the bakery each Thursday, and so he bought her flowers, and asked if they could walk in the park together one day. She blushed and said she would like that very much. And so they began to see one another, and tell each other of their hopes and dreams. They fell in love. Dovid did not know such happiness was possible, that another soul could touch his so deeply. So after awhile they married, and lived in happiness in the little home he had built. Dovid lived each day as if it had been created just for the two of them, and after awhile returned to the Rebbe.   Rebbe, I have done as you asked and found a wife, now can you tell me the secret? he pleaded. The Rebbe replied with a smile and shake of his head that Dovid was still not ready. This time Dovid also smiled, and sighed as he asked what more he had to do. You must have children! Replied the Rebbe. So Dovid returned to his home and wife, and very soon the Rebbe’s request would, of itself, become reality.  Dovid’s wife gave birth to twins – a boy and a girl! And as he held these tiny souls in his arms, he felt depths of love rise that he didn’t know he had inside. He vowed to care for them and protect them, and soon his life became filled with the details of that care. Before he knew it they were toddling around his happy home, and another child was born. You’d think there was no more love to share, but magically it simply multiplied.

And so Dovid returned to the Rebbe. He was still surprised when the Rebbe said he wasn’t ready, because he didn’t know what else he could do. Go home and wait, there is yet one more thing you must do. You will know it when it comes. So Dovid went home to his family and his work. After some months a messenger arrived in town with difficult words for Dovid. His father was very ill, and requested his son to be near. With tears in his eyes, he made the journey back and found his parents. As he sat by his father’s side and told him of his life, his home and job and family – grandchildren!, his father smiled deep in his eyes.  I can be gathered to my kin in peace and happiness, now. sighed the old man. And when his father passed away, Dovid did not know the depths his sorrow could find. And yet after time, what remained were the lessons, and the memories, and some peace replaced the sorrow.

After this he again returned to the Rebbe.  Yes, my son, now you are ready. You have already found the secret along your way. You find God in the connections you make to other people that fill your life. In their love and support, in the depths of your soul, in caring, there is God!  Dovid at first was annoyed at this answer, but slowly he began to understand the Rebbe’s words. He smiled as he remembered his wife and children, his friends and his father, and he knew the Rebbe was right!   And now, said the Rebbe, I grow old and tired. I wish to travel to be with my grandchildren, and will leave this town. Dovid was appalled! No, Rebbe, you can’t leave! Who will help people? Who will show them where to find God? The Rebbe smiled again, I was hoping you’d ask! Dovid you now know the secret. You have lived your life building loving connections to people in this town. It is you who can now take my place.  Dovid did not know if he could, but he pledged to the Rebbe that he would try. And now when young men and women wander into town and find Dovid and ask him for help to find God, he asks them Tell me, do you have a place to live?           (I first read this wonderful story of our tradition in a telling by R. Ed Feinstein.)

So back in the wilderness, following Sinai, the children of Israel need to hold on to inspiration. So they build a home. It takes a community to do that and gifts of their heart, and purifying metals and colors from the wilderness around them. In those connections between them, God can dwell within them. The pure gold lines the aron, the ark of the pact, inside and out, just as purity can line our hearts inside and out. And it is in our hearts that our pacts to one another and to God can live. It is a good thing to long for God and spiritual connections, but watch out. In purifying gold and other metals, and in building to make the Mishkan, we can forget what we were after. It’s the connections between us, not the material things. The gold of the k’ruvim becomes the gold of the calf that iat so is the trap of the golden calf. And the only way to fix it is to have our heart golden inside and out, to BE the mishkan, the dwellingplace of God! A few words from Debbie Friedman’s “It’s You”  My Heart has opened, since there’s You.

Mel Brooks in the 2000 year old man was asked by Carl Reiner if he remembers a time before religion. And he replies that before religion there was Phil. Phil was the biggest and strongest guy, everyone was afraid of Phil, until one day Phil was struck by lightening, and we realized there was something more powerful than Phil! listen here http://www.amazon.com/Phil/dp/B002WUOI9A  . Is God just a power bigger than Phil? Perhaps just the opposite, God is what happens when we reject the search for power!

It may be in our human nature to use our power to control others, and this leads to terrible abuses, including the worst that humanity has to offer. From the bully in the playground to the Holocaust to the Janjaweed, a torturous military group in Sudan that puts guns in the hands of boys and turns them into destroyers. Both the abused and the abusers are degraded. Humans have been gifted tremendous power, never more than today, and famously power corrupts. The Torah portion for this week, Mishpatim, which means Laws, has a ton of rules dealing with abuses of power, from slaves that are beaten, to pregnant women (who are beaten) to kidnappers, to elder abuse (the adult child that curses his parent)  And in the midst of all of these rules reigning in power abuses is a startling scene, seemingly misplaced: Moses,  Aaron, 2 of Aaron’s sons and 70 elders climb a mountain and behold God and eat and drink!  Ex. 24:9  Seeing the Eternal, Creative force of the universe? Beautiful, otherworldly but not very Jewish, and how is that even possible?  Perhaps its placement here is meant to give insights into rejecting the power race of the world: rejecting war, and slavery and abuse of women, children, elders, even animals. And that if we reject power, our reward is spiritual fulfillment.

A story which begins with a kidnapping, moves to more violence and ends with liberation is told of a Rabbi and a Gladiator (retold from R. Ed Feinstein’s Capturing the Moon)  On a Bridge in Northern Israel, a long time ago, around the second century, two very different men met. One man, named Simon, was a gladiator. Born of a Jewish family, orphaned, and then kidnapped by Rome to be a fighter in the arena, he was the strongest, fiercest and most feared of all the gladiators. As he hurried across the bridge in full armor on his way to another contest, he met the second man, a very different kind of champion. Rabbi Yochanan was a slight man with kind eyes, a leader in his community renowned for the depth of his learning and love of Torah. He carried no weapons, just his scrolls. As the men met, Simon demanded that the rabbi move to let him pass, but Yochanan would not budge. Simon shouted, and threatened him: I’ll cut you into little pieces and feed you to the fish!, but still the rabbi would not move. Simon raised his sword, poised to strike the rabbi down, but then something amazing happened. Simon’s eyes met the calm eyes of his victim. Accustomed to seeing fear in the eyes of his rivals, and using terror as his weapon, he saw in the rabbi’s eyes only the calm strength of a man fully at peace with God and his place in the world. Simon had never seen this in anyone’s eyes, let alone one threatened by violence, and the power  and kindness in Yochanan’s face shook him to the core!  He stood there for several minutes staring, and then dropped his sword, fully captured by the gentle face of the great rabbi.

And Rabbi Yochanan saw something remarkable in Simon’s face. Beyond all the fury, the violence and arrogance, the rabbi saw a passionate desire to love and be loved. Beyond the armor of a gladiator was a soft heart, and a soul waiting to be touched. My brother, where are you going in such a hurry, began the rabbi, to kill or be killed in the service of the Empire? Replied the Gladiator: There is no greater service than the glory of Rome! I have sworn allegiance to Caesar!   Rabbi Yochanan slowly replied: One day Rome will be gone, her arenas reduced to Rubble, Caesar long gone and forgotten. Only God’s glory is eternal. You are created in this Eternal image, and carry God’s light within you. This is Torah: only this power should you put above yourself and serve, not Caesar’s! Come join me in this greater quest, my friend – the quest to master God’s teachings.
But Simon shook his head I know only how to fight and kill, I don’t even know how to read or write, how can I study?  The Rabbi replied Your heart is stronger than your sward, and that is all God requires of you. Come, my brother.  Perhaps it was the Rabbi’s kind voice or eyes, or perhaps the fact that no person had yet called him brother, but Simon began to cry. Tears streamed down his face, and his cries echoed across the bridge. He dropped his sword, and unbuckled his armor, wiped his face and followed the Rabbi. Simon became Rabbi Yochanan’s best student, and in time became a Rabbi himself, the great Reish Lakish. He also became Yochanan’s brother in law when he married the Rabbi’s sister. They wrestled over Torah for rest of their days, bringing the love of learning to all.

And of course the musical link to all this, Debbie Friedman’s Not by Might here at three minutes in to the video

I share an office with two other teachers. The young woman in my office the other day was trying to stay calm, but urgently looking for her prof. to see if he’d picked up the phone she had left behind. It’s got a ton of important stuff on it, she explained. So I lent her my desk phone and then my cell phone, and she called her own number. At first it went to message, and then it didn’t.  She sighed, and explained: they turned it off. Why would they do that? It’s not just that her life would be turned a bit upside down, it’s the disillusionment, lack of empathy showed by them.

Don’t steal. It’s the eighth of the Ten Utterances that are the revealed in this week’s Torah portion.  Yes, stealing is mean,  but what about that piece of bubble gum when I stole was 6?  And what about Jean Valjean who stole bread to feed a starving nephew? What about Robin Hood?  Why does the Creator care if we steal anyway, isn’t it our own business? And what happens if we break the rules?

Our tradition teaches There is no person who doesn’t have his moment Pirke Avot 4:3  A story about a thief and his moment:

Now, in Jewish tradition, Satan (Sah-tan accent on second syllable) is not a devil, but an angel who is God’s adversary, arguing against humanity like a prosecuting attorney.  A story, adapted from Capture the Moon by R. Ed Feinstein. In a Jewish Village of Eastern Europe there lived a notorious thief named Yonni. Though the villagers were very poor, Yonni managed to steal from them. Sometimes a purse of coins left on the store counter, sometimes a pair of boots left to dry on the porch. On a rare occasion even something valuable, a pair of candlesticks or a horse went missing. And every Friday he stole challah and a bottle of wine so his family could enjoy a Shabbat meal.  Yonni was reviled. But somehow, in their loving tradition, Yonni was grudgingly accepted in the Jewish community. Thievery was simply his way of making a living, perhaps not much more sinful than other occupations. For example the town butcher was known to have scales that were not that accurate. The thief was skilled, but worked according to a strict ethic: he never stole from the very poor, and never stole items essential to the owner’s livelihood. He never took anyone’s last coin, and only took enough to support his family.  When the Yonni’s days were done, his soul rose to heaven to stand in Judgement. Heaven was reluctant to take him, not because his crimes were so awful, but because the residents were worried about having their pockets pinched. So he was sent to Hell, where the thief was welcomed as a celebrity.

No mere clerk, but the Adversary himself, Master of hell would handle his case. And so the thief was shown to the Adversary’s office, where he had to wait. Running hell is a big task, and there was pressing business. When the Satan was finished, he turned and warmly greeted his new guest. We have followed your exploits on earth and are honored to have you among us! he said. During their conversation, the Adversary revealed to the thief his pride and joy: a giant book, which sat upon his desk. For generations I have been carefully building a case against the children of Israel. I have carefully recorded every sin committed by every Jew. Every broken promise, betrayal, curses uttered, every Shabbat desecrated, charity coin pocketed has been meticulously inscribed in my book. I have an airtight case! he bragged. With the Jews gone, Hell would have much less opposition on earth, it will be so much easier to fill the earth with evil! My dream is about to be realized, he revealed with glee. The evidence is ready for presentation!  But, just as the Adversary was finishing his speech, a messenger interrupted with pressing business.  The Master was distracted for just a moment as he turned to the messenger. Yonni looked at the huge volume on the master”s desk. It would soon be presented, and misery would rain down on the people of the earth. The thief realized it was for this moment he was created. With sudden insight he realized what he must do. With fingers trained by a lifetime of pickpocketing, he lifted the book silently and in one smooth motion carried it to the window overlooking the raging fires of Hell. In a split second he opened the window and cast the book down. The book was consumed instantly!

With the sudden gust of heat, the master turned to see what was happening: No! he screamed, but it was too late. You have robbed me of my victory! he cried in anguish. The master reached his hands around the thief”s neck to snuff his life out. You fool, do you know whom you have robbed tonight? he screamed to the fading soul of the thief.

Suddenly the office filled with light. Two messengers from Heaven appeared. Cease! they commanded. We have a warrant for the thief, his soul is ours. Give him up!  For a moment the Master hesitated, then sighed Very well, I will just have to begin my book again.  Soon enough I will find sins to fill another book. The messengers carried the surprised thief to Heaven where he was granted eternal rest there as reward for saving Israel and the world from the clutches of the Adversary.  But every once in awhile, just to stay in practice, the thief sneaks out of Heaven, stealing a soul or two from the master and bringing them back to Heaven with him.

Do not steal is revealed at Sinai. The scene: it’s the third day of preparation at the foot of that mountain, and we are all gathered ’round. The mountain is smoking and trembling, there is thunder and the blast of the shofar. Boundaries have been set up (don’t get too close!), expectations are soaring, fear is thick. The Creator is about to reveal an essence here, God will take a chance on making a connection to us all. It starts with an introduction, a “you know Me already, we met at freedom’s shore, that was Me!” Then the revelations, in a world that worships power, God cares most how we treat one another: that we must set boundaries of honor around one another as God set boundaries ’round that mountain! That’s fascinating: the only way for us or God to make serious connections is to set boundaries of awe.  Only treating each other with honor and love creates a holy community – connections that make us more than the sum of individuals. It’s so inspiring that for a brief moment we can even see the sound of the thunder (how cool is that?) before the fear makes us pull back, sending Moses up alone.  We need to take the inspiration of the encounter, of Sinai with us. It’s not in the two pieces  of stone engraved, it’s in each other. Here’s a crazy thought: we can be a piece of Sinai: made of earth, with boundaries of awe, a potential place of connection to the divine.

I chose Yonni for my thief’s name because Yonatan means gift from God. We are  gifts from God, the Giver, in partnership with our parents. Stealing is taking, somehow tipping the scale the other way.  God cares if we steal. To give, is to be God’s partner, to make the world more full and rich. We are sometimes takers too, but there is always the chance for redemption, by GIVING. Yonni takes to give to his family and ultimately uses his nature to give so much back, as does Robin Hood and Jean Valjean.  Bernie Madoff stole for sport and aggrandizement. I don’t know the rest of the story behind the cell phone thief, but I know there will be chances for redemption

We should not steal, but give, because we ARE gifts! Lead in to: L’dor Vador by Josh Nelson  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzV0Y4MkIBQ

I give you these fifteen, oops, Ten…

I love trees, freedom and music, and they’re all coming together this week!

This coming Saturday, Jan 26th is Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of Song. It’s named after the song chanted in Torah this week. After plagues and terrible fear, the Israelites flee to the sea of Reeds.  They turn to look behind them only to find Pharoah’s army and his best charioteers in hot pursuit, their hearts strengthened by God just for this chase. Miraculously a cloud of darkness stops the pursuers, and all night an east wind blows the water off the sand, you know the story. Egyptians die, we are born into freedom. What would be your first reaction to the release of your fear into freedom? Well, Miriam and Moses lead singing and dancing and playing musical instruments, and the Torah records this raw, emotion rich song. Midrash credits the first man with faith enough to jump into the waves as Nachshon, son of Aminadav (Aaron’s son in law), and says that because of his faith the sea is able to split. My favorite Nachshon song is by R. Joe Black, here’s a taste of the song: When Nachshon cried out from the depths of his soul, the Red Sea Started to Rock and roll! Well it split down the middle like it was shifting gears, and the children of Israel started to cheer!

Last year I had the privilege of singing Peri Smilow’s Nachshon with the Freedom Music Project, which celebrates the Jewish/ African American shared connection to freedom from slavery in music http://freedommusicproject.com/ Our synagogue in sang with the fine folks of New Light Baptist Church as we do to honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King each year. This year we celebrate Martin Luther King weekend on the same week we read of freedom at the Sea in the Bible: coincidence? I think not! Freedom and Music are natural companions! This year I also part of a huge unity choir singing amazing music, songs of Freedom and peace from both traditions, in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center.

It is  also Tub’shevat on Jan 26th, our celebration of trees. So it got me thinking, how many connections must there be between music and trees? First thing that comes to mind is the whistling of the breeze through the leaves, that beautiful song, with the birdsong as a descant above. I love the movie “August Rush”, and in the beginning, August is conducting a field of grain rustling in the wind, and if you just LISTEN nature sings! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNStHL3g6cg

Another of my favorite connections is Benjie Ellen Schiller’s Go Out in Joy (available at oysongs.com) a musical rendition of Isaiah 55,

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace,

the mountains and hills shall break forth into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands!

Perhaps this is where Rogers and Hammerstein got their idea for Sound of Music! As Grover (Sesame Street) said: the hills are alive, and it’s very frightening A-a-a-ah!
Still another musical/tree connection, is Reb Nachman’s Prayer, set to song by Debbie Friedman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eqGWvSu58g
You are the One, for this I pray, that I may have the strength to be alone, and stand among the trees, and all the living things, ..and I’ll sing my soul to You and give you all that’s in my heart. May all the foliage of the field, all grasses, trees and plants, awaken at my coming this I pray, and send their lives into my words of prayer..so that my speech, my thoughts and my prayer will be made whole, through the spirit of all growing things…
A cool nickname for Torah is Tree of LIfe, with the image of a Tree reaching with its roots through Time, its fruits being beautiful acts, or perhaps each new child born to perform these acts of loving kindness. Dan NIchols Roots, is my favorite Eitz Chayim Hi http://www.myspace.com/dannicholsandeighteen/music/songs/eitz-chayim-hi-74163715
And the roots of that tree reach deep into the ground, cradling the truths our ancestors found, and the tree is connected to every living soul, and that peace is made real when we are made whole: SHALOM!
Trees are in serious trouble in this world, which means that we are too. Perhaps music and tub’shevat can be an way to reach folks, to connect trees to their souls.

I love music, trees and freedom, and they’re all coming together this week.