Elizabeth Mandel

Lo tikom v’lo titur
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge…
(Leviticus 19:18)

In this week’s Torah reading, we read that the community was without water and they complained bitterly to Moses. God instructed Moses to take his rod and speak to a certain rock, ordering it to produce water. Instead of following God’s command, Moses struck the rock with his rod, not once but twice, provoking God’s anger. (Meghan will tell you more in her dvar Torah – words of Torah – at her bat mitzvah this Shabbat morning!)

In Judaism, anger is considered a negative trait and restraining oneself from anger is a mitzvah. In Ethics of the Ancestors, Ben Zoma said, “Who is strong? One who subdues one’s evil inclination…” In its section dealing with ethical traits a person should adopt, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (summary guide to Jewish law) states: “Anger is also a very evil trait and it should be avoided at all costs. You should train yourself not to become angry even if you have a good reason to be angry.”

What pushes you to extreme anger? What are your trigger points and what are your coping mechanisms? Being conscious of both your triggers and your coping skills help you to manage your anger. Your mitzvah of the week is to discover those internal traits and begin working on improving yourself in this regard.

“May God bless you and protect you.
May God deal kindly with you and be gracious unto you.
May God grant you favor and grant you with peace.”
(Numbers 6:22-26)

In this week’s Torah reading, we read one of the most familiar passages in the Bible, the Priestly Blessing. God instructed the priests to offer this blessing to the Israelites in 1446 BCE.
This blessing was found on silver amulets dating from the late 7th century BCE, southeast of the City of David. According to Chumash Etz Hayim, it is the only known inscription with a biblical text that predates the Babylonian exile.

You hear these words – first recited 3461 years ago! – often in temple rituals. I place my hands on the head of each bar/bat mitzvah and recite them in front of the open ark; the blessing is said on behalf of every new baby and every bride and groom.

There is a tradition for parents to say these blessings for their children every Friday night, after lighting the Shabbat candles. At Emeth, near the beginning of Short N Sweet Services, we have the custom of asking all children to stand under a large tallit while we as a congregation bless all of them together.

For your mitzvah of this week, think about the ancient words of the 3-fold blessing and what it means to you. Put the blessings in your own words – or create three statements that reflect the prayers of your heart for your loved ones, of any age. Find times during this week, especially on Shabbat, to say the words out loud to the person or people for whom you are offering the blessings. Even if they live far away, share these words with them – by letter, email, phone call. And in return, you will be a blessing to them.

Ometz Lev – Courage
Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek” — Be strong, be strong, and of good courage (literally: may we strengthen one another)

Remember the childhood book, The Little Engine that Could? “I think I can, I think I can…” This book teaches the value of ometz lev – courage, perseverance, and positive thinking.
In this week’s Torah reading, Moses sends twelve spies to scout out the Promised Land and report what they find there. Ten report that while the land is flowing with milk and honey, the people were stronger than the Israelites and would “devour its settlers.” Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, nonetheless encouraged the people, realizing that they would be protected by God. They told the Israelites, “Have no fear…” But the people lacked the courage to listen to Joshua and Caleb and instead railed against Moses and Aaron.

This week’s mitzvah is ometz lev, literally courage of the heart. Ometz lev requires us to find within ourselves the courage to face our fears. This week’s Torah portion teaches us that God is our Divine partner in getting us through those difficult times we all face in life. Some choices require us to summon the courage to do what we know we should: making that doctor’s appointment we’ve been putting off, because we fear the report; making amends with an old friend or relative; sometimes simply doing the right or moral thing, even though it would be easier or safer to make a different choice.

What risks will you take this week? What will require courage on your part – in your communal responsibilities, hope and optimism at home, or your interpersonal relationships? Look for opportunities to make the courageous choice.

Bal Tashchit
Do not destroy (Deuteronomy 20:19, Genesis 2:15)

The mitzvah (commandment) of protecting nature is central to ecological concern for the environment. We are commanded to protect the environment, protect all life, and conserve resources. This Mitzvah of the Week has been presented before, but I am offering it again for a specific reason:

This coming Thursday, June 18, Pope Francis will send forth to the world an encyclical he is naming “Laudato Sii: Sulla Cura Della Casa Comune – Praised Be the ONE: Concerning the Care of our Common Home.” The first two words are a quotation from a famous prayer created by St. Francis of Assisi – – the prayer in which he praises the Creator for Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and all the other beings on Earth and in the universe…
In that light, The Shalom Center created a Jewish analogue to the encyclical, a Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis. As we prepare to receive the encyclical at noon Roman time on Thursday (6 AM EDT), more than 340 rabbis from every stream of Judaism have signed. The full text of the Rabbinic Letter and a list of signers is at https://theshalomcenter.org/torah-pope-crisis-inspire-300-r…. (Edited from the message from the Shalom Center, Rabbi Arthur Waskow.)

I signed this letter, and urge you to read its contents and consider what action you can take to fulfill the mitzvah of the week. One consideration: when our outgoing President, Susan Meyers, introduced our Capital Campaign, she explained that part of the money raised would go toward the “greening” of Emeth, including a new roof of “green” energy efficient material and solar voltaic panels. Contributing generously to our campaign will definitely be a positive action toward preserving the environment.

Shavuot, The Feast of Weeks, Exodus 34:22
Chag Matan Torah, Exodus 20:1-5
Chag ha-Katzir, Festival of Reaping (the first harvest), Exodus 23:16
Chag HaBikkurim, Festival of the First Fruits, Numbers 28:26

Congregation Emeth will observe the Festival of Shavuot this Shabbat morning, May 23. The Festival actually begins at sundown and continues until sundown May 24 on the Israeli and Reform calendar.
This festival is a harvest festival as well as a celebration of receiving the Torah, specifically the Ten Commandments. Unique to this holiday is that there are no specific mitzvot (commandments) associated with it, other than the Temple sacrifices which of course ceased with the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. But there are customs:

• We decorate our temple and homes with bright greens and flowers, recognizing the springtime harvest aspects of the festival.
• We abstain from eating meat, and many people traditionally eat blintzes and other dairy products. Among the reasons for this tradition is the comparison made by King Solomon, writing in Song of Songs, “Like honey and milk, it (Torah) lies under your tongue.”
• We study Jewish texts. Many participate in an all night study program. The origins for this practice seem to be a midrash found in the Talmud, stating that the Israelites overslept in the morning they were to receive Torah, and Moses had to awaken them because God was waiting to give them the Ten Commandments. So we stay awake, studying, to be ready to receive Torah early in the morning.
• We read the Book of Ruth, which takes place during the harvest time. Ruth converted to Judaism, and Shavuot is a remembrance of all Jews entering the covenant.

For the Mitzvah of the Week, observe Shavuot in one, some, or all of these ways: Attend services this Shabbat morning (and have the double mitzvah of celebrating Jason’s bar mitzvah with the Valentine family), where you will hear the Ten Commandments read from the Torah; decorate your homes with lots of flowers and greenery; eat a dairy or vegetarian meal in recognition of the holiday, and study the Ten Commandments (http://www.myjewishlearning.com/artic…/the-ten-commandments/).

Chag Shavuot Sameach (Happy Shavuot)!

“You shall eat your fill and dwell securely on your land.”
(Leviticus 26:5)

This week’s Torah reading includes a series of blessings and curses. The blessings are the rewards for following God’s commandments. The curses are the punishments for disobeying.
What are we “moderns” to make of this pronouncement of reward and punishment? We surely see that bad things happen to good people, and that the reverse is also true. We must read the blessings and curses as an ideal vision of the future. Looking at ourselves as part of a group, part of the greater society, all of us benefit when we live a righteous life.
“You shall eat your fill and dwell securely on your land.” What brings us security? The Torah is not talking about soldiers or police or TSA agents at the airplane gate. Interestingly, food insecurity is the term used in our country to describe those who lack “consistent access to adequate food, limited by a lack of money and other resources…” Therefore, by this definition, security is the result of people having enough to support themselves and their families…so that no one lacks for food.

Therefore, our Mitzvah of the Week is to share our food with those who are in need. Bring generous supplies of food to our food barrels, located in the temple Social Hall. Help the poor on the street with their hands out with gifts of food or money to purchase food. I used to keep lunch size paper bags of food to give to those with signs begging for help on the streets. In each bag I placed a small easy-open can of tuna, an individual fruit cup, a box of fruit drink, some crackers, and a fork. Almost every time, the person receiving the bag stops at that moment to sit on the curb and eat. A friend regularly buys a giant container of toasty crackers with peanut butter and gives several packages to each homeless person she encounters. These are especially appreciated because they stay good in their individually wrapped packages for long periods of time.
However you choose to fulfill this week’s mitzvah, may you find yourself blessed for your lev tov, your good heart. May you have a week of blessings and a Shabbat of peace.

Last week’s Mitzvah of the Week was Shema – Listen. Prayer books sometime translate Shema as “listen” and other times as “hear”, as if the words are interchangeable, at least in the context in this mantra.
In our culture listening and hearing can be passive. Hebrew is different. In English, listen or hear can be passive words. In Hebrew, shema is an action word, an imperative word. Shema not only includes hearing but also perceiving and taking heed of what one is hearing, doing what is asked. Perhaps a better translation would be “active listening.”

Last week our Mitzvah was to listen to the still small voice of our own souls. This week’s Mitzvah is to hear the voices of others crying out to us. Some of those voices cry silently and it is easy for us to pretend we don’t hear. Others shout and yet we still find a way to ignore them. The voices I have been hearing lately are the voices of more than 9000 people who were injured in the recent earthquake in Nepal, which left nearly 5000 people dead (at this time). I am hearing the voices of eight million souls affected by the destruction. I am hearing the voices of one million children urgently needing our help.

Who else are you hearing, crying out to you? Some, like the people of Nepal, are needing urgent financial aid. Others, perhaps closer to home, are needing words of comfort or other kinds of assistance for less devastating reasons – a sickness, a loss of a loved one, a dissolving marriage, a lost job. This week, hear those voices and be moved to make the Shema in your life an action verb rather than a passive noun.

Mitzvah of the Week
Shmirat Ha’Guf (Care of the Body)
(sh’mee-RAHT ha’GOOF)

“For in God’s image – b’tzelem Elohim – did God make humankind.” (Genesis 9:6)

To be conscious that the Holy One created humanity in God’s own image adds a special sanctity to our lives. The Talmud describes God using a mold to create each of us, and therefore we should all be “stamped” the same. Yet each of us is quite different and unique, one from the other.

Being made in the image of God places on us a special responsibility to treat oneself with kindness and care. We must eat right, exercise (yes, I am listening to myself and am committed to doing better!), get enough rest, nurture our souls, and create loving relationships with others. We must check our homes to be sure they are safe (when’s the last time you checked the batteries in your fire alarms?). Are you prepared for a natural emergency – have you made a plan? Do you text and drive?

This week, pay close attention to how you are taking care of yourself, and resolve to make changes to improve your health and welfare. This is not a New Year’s goal; this is a mitzvah!

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, an important Jewish sage and a disciple of the great Rabbi Hillel, was a leader of the Jewish people after the destruction of the Second Temple. He had five primary disciples. He told them to go out and see “what is the proper way to which a person should cling.” The students answered:

Rabbi Eliezer said, “A good eye.” Rabbi Yehoshua said, “A good friend.” Rabbi Yose said, “A good neighbor.” Rabbi Shimon, “One who considers the outcome of a deed.” Rabbi Elazar said, “A good heart.”

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said, “I prefer the words of Rabbi Elazar because your words are included in his.” Rabbi Elazar’s answer, a good heart, includes a good eye, friend, and neighbor, and someone mindful of the future.

How do we get a good heart, a lev tov? You have to make it yourself. You have to train yourself to look for opportunities. You can’t get it all overnight. It takes a little work every day. Just a little. Every day. It’s why I started our Year of Living Jewishly, so each of us can add another new mitzvah each week, little by little building for ourselves a good heart. Your mitzvah of the week is to consider what it means to have a lev tov, a good heart. You might think of your role models – what have they done to make you think they possess a lev tov? What can you emulate from their behavior or learn from them? A starting place to consider (from an article in a past issue of Reform Judaism magazine), complete the following: “I am demonstrating a lev tov when I…”

(This message was inspired by a message written by Jordan Block.)

Make you have a week of blessings and a Shabbat of Peace,

Shema – Listen  – Deuteronomy 6:4-9

A few years ago, the famous Jewish director Steven Spielberg taught a lesson about the Shema, to an “Inside Actors Studio” audience. Here’s his lesson: “I was taught by my mom and dad that in Judaism the most important prayer is Shema Yisrael, ‘Hear Oh Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is One.’ And it was taught to me in childhood that the most important thing I could do is to listen. And that wasn’t a way for a parent to say, ‘I know more than you; I’m the boss; I’ll do all the talking…’ It wasn’t that way at all. They meant, listen to yourself, listen to the little whispers that we don’t want to hear because they’re too soft. We somehow tend to listen to the shout, not the whisper. And so listening – carefully – is what I was taught all my life. It’s just that when people don’t listen, it’s not that they don’t learn. They just deny themselves tremendous opportunities and glorious choices…”