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Parashat Bereishit “In the Beginning”
12 October 2023 | 27 Tishrei 5784
Title: Reentering the Beginning
By Rav Ezra Balser, Base Loop
It can be difficult to come down from the high of the holiday season. We reached a peak, came together as a community, committed to self-improvement, and danced and cried around the Torah. After all the thoughts we had and feelings we shared, now we must start the day-to-day work. We have to actually begin again.
We are in an interesting liminal time. We said we would restart. And most likely we have not started yet. The beginning of our Torah reading cycle gives us an additional push to not let that positive energy fizzle out, to not feel the adrenal dump coming down from the Highest of days while trying to move toward some of the darkest days that coincide. Before creation happens in the Torah, it is said that there was nothing but welter and waste (tohu va’vohu תוהו ובוהו). Our question might be, how do we create order and bring holiness to the chaos and material world around us?
The Chernobyler Rebbe teaches that a when a person focuses on the external and material reality in search of wisdom or wealth, on onlooker would be astonished (toheh תוהא) that they did not realize that God was in them (bohu בו הוא) the whole time.
After hearing the news of what was happening in Israel and struggling to process and get in touch with my emotions this past Shabbat morning, I took the time to pray with my family, as we always do tefillot together, the four of us on Shabbat and holiday mornings. I was about to get to the private prayer, my personal amidah when, as the liturgy prescribes, I asked God to stand up and help Israel— kumah b’ezrat Yisrael קומה בעזרת ישראל. I fell silent, crying. Laura, my wife, had to finish the paragraph for me.
I pray that God comes to our aid. And if Zionism has taught me anything, it’s that we do not wait for God to show up. We stand up ourselves and force God to join us in partnership. We rise up together, and we help each other. And that’s where God is. God is within us and among us, bringing holiness and strength into this world alongside us.
I hope that all of us will summon the courage to come together. To come together, amidst the known and unknown, and share our fears. There’s a great strength in sharing our vulnerabilities with each other. If we can truly see each other, then when we get up, we won’t be getting up alone. We will get up as a people united. We will help each other stand up. And we will help each other straighten our backs and heal.
Reentry can be very hard. And the Torah encourages us to remember, that even though it is hard, the source of holiness is never too far away. It is right inside you all the time. You never have to do the work alone.
Parashat Noaḥ
19 October 2023 | 4 Cheshvan 5784
Title: The Ark Window
By Jessica Herrmann, Director of Jewish Service Learning
Noaḥ was always the fun parashah, the one filled with trips to the zoo to see the animals that were saved, building model arks, and rainbow crafts. So when I recently learned that my Grandpa was told by his Rabbi to say the Mourner's Kaddish on Shabbat Noaḥ for our family members who perished during the Holocaust, I couldn’t figure out why. It is often taught that G-d punished the wickedness in the world by destroying all life except for Noaḥ, because he was a righteous man. My Grandpa’s Rabbi couldn’t have been saying the Holocaust was like the flood and those who perished were wicked in the eyes of G-d, right? The symbol of the rainbow is the other Noaḥ message that is often taught; maybe that was the connection to the Mourner’s Kaddish? After the flood, G-d places a rainbow in the sky as a covenant with humanity that “never again will I doom the Earth because of humans; nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done,” (Genesis 8:21). That wasn’t the answer, so again I asked myself why say Kaddish on Shabbat Noaḥ? The window!
After 40 days of the flood, Noaḥ opens the window on the Ark, and sends out a raven to check if the earth is suitable for inhabiting. Then Noaḥ sends out a dove from the same window. Once the dove returns with an olive branch, Noaḥ knows the waters have decreased. Rabbi Sara and Dr. Michael Paasche-Orlow explain that “the window is about hope and connection. The window is an escape from the crushing waves of the endless news cycle of fear and violence. The window symbolizes the possibility of change – of redemption.”
What is your “ark window,” the place you look to for hope?
Who are your “ark window,” the people you go to for connection?
When do you seek an “ark window,” a glimspe of change and redemption?
26 October 2023 | 11 Cheshvan 5784
Parashat Lech Lecha “You Shall Go” (Part One)
Title: Well, Well, Well...
By Caleb Brommer, Jewish Life Specialist
Throughout Parashat Lech Lecha, we hear the tale of two of the most compelling and misunderstood characters in the whole Torah: Hagar and Ishmael. Hagar is the handmaid of Sarah (still called Sarai until the end of this parashah) and Ishmael is the son of Hagar and Avraham (still called Avram until the end of this parashah). An intense family drama surrounding children, jealousy, inheritance, complicated family structures, and class/caste politics results in Hagar (pregnant with Ishmael) being driven from their home and fending for her life in the wilderness.
In the wilderness, on the brink of death, Hagar has a divine encounter; not only will Ishmael live, but he will be the progenitor of a great nation in his own right (a poetic reflection of a similar promise made in this parashah to Avraham as well). Hagar lifts her eyes and espies a miraculous well of water, a ubiquitous symbol in of life, divine intervention, and reconciliation.
Hagar names this well Be’er L’chai Ro’i, Well of the Living One Who Sees Me. “[Hagar] called out the name of God who had spoken to her: ‘You are El-Ro'i [God of Seeing],’ by which she meant “[look] how I have gone on seeing after being Seen!” To my mind, this is one of the most strikingly beautiful descriptions of a divine encounter in the entire Tanakh, and it is spoken by Hagar, someone that our tradition often sees as an outsider (her name literally means ‘stranger’).
May we challenge our perceptions of who is a ‘stranger.’
May we feel held by our ancestors and descendants.
May we understand ourselves as part of an ongoing fabric of care, promise, and enigma.
May we see each other, and know that we are Seen.
26 October 2023 | 11 Cheshvan 5784
Parashat Lech Lecha “You Shall Go” (Part Two)
Title: Jewish Duality of Emotions
By Rabbi Ari Perten, VP of the Jewish Learning Department
In a post-October 7th world, while over 200 Israeli citizens, including non-combatants ranging from children to seniors, are held hostage by Hamas, I keep struggling with the question of how to navigate my daily existence. While separated from Israel physically by over 5000 miles (9000 KM) but connected by relationships and social media, I feel so proximally close. Each day has been a seesaw of emotions. This reality especially hit home just two weeks ago as my family prepared to mark the Bar Mitzvah of our middle child on Shabbat Bereishit (October 14). As my wife and I considered how to honor the year-long preparation our son had made towards this moment of ceremonial Jewish adulthood, we kept asking how can we celebrate amidst the raw and continuing memory and reality of so much pain and suffering?
In our weekly Torah portion of Lech Lecha, we read the story of Avram and Sarai’s journey into an unknown new world. Their shift is marked not just by geographical relocation, but by adjusted names. Avram becomes Avraham and Sarai becomes Sarah. And yet, this change seems like no change at all. Comparatively, when our forefather Jacob receives the new name of Israel, his previous name is fully lost (יַעֲקֹב - יִשְׂרָאֵל). In Parashat Lech Lecha, while Avram and Sarai have their names adjusted, the shift is by only a single letter (אַבְרָם - אַבְרָהָם +שָׂרִי - שָׁרָה). Abraham and Sarah enter their new reality fully carrying with them a lasting memory of their past.
Jewish history is replete with experiences and ritual designed to acknowledge that progress forward (even towards joy) must be held jointly with memory (even of pain). This duality of emotions is evoked in many traditional Jewish rituals ranging from the breaking of a glass at a Jewish wedding, to the removal of drops of wine during a Passover seder, to leaving a small portion of a house unpainted. Powerfully, in our rituals surrounding mourning, Jews don’t “end” shiva but rather “get up” from shiva, emerging from their homes, to re-enter society by ritually taking a walk around the block. These first steps are traversed carrying the pain and sadness of loss while simultaneously acknowledging our need to continue towards life.
In our post-October 7th world, we in the Diaspora are now tasked with crafting our own rituals of memory as a needed tool allowing us to pursue life. Like Abraham and Sarah, our journeys must continue forward, not escaping from, but rather carrying our past. As a people of memory, we cannot forget the captives being held by Hamas. How can we mark this moment? Some ideas: building on the outdoor installation in Tel Aviv leave an open space at your shabbat table for a hostage, consider joining the Blue Ribbon campaign, take a moment to acknowledge those who continue to be forcibly held before immersing in an activity.
How will you remember those in bondage while asserting our protest l’ḥayim (to life)?
2 November 2023 | 18 Cheshvan 5784
Parashat Vayera “And God Appeared”
Title: Seeing and Not Seeing
By Dimitry Ekshtut, Rabbinic Educator, Based in Harlem
The Akeidah, or the Binding of Isaac, is for me one of the most powerful and haunting narratives in all of Tanakh (Jewish scripture). Faced with a seemingly impossible choice - sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac, or disobey God’s command - Abraham sets out with alacrity to perform the will of the Almighty. Parashat Vayera is all about seeing, and not seeing. After three days of travel, “Abraham raised his eyes and perceived the place” - the site where he would perform the sacrifice - “from afar” (Genesis 22:4). Though I can only speculate regarding the tension, fear, and perhaps doubt that must have entered Abraham’s mind during that trek, I know that I would feel distant from God, even betrayed, if I was asked to willfully harm my own child for a “greater purpose”.
The Chassidic masters pick up on this emotional turmoil in the language of the verse. Reb Elazar HaCohen of Pultusk (1791–1881) explains that “Vayar et ha’makom me’rachok” (“[Abraham] saw the place from afar”) can be understood as referring to God (haMakom, literally “The Place”, a Divine name denoting God’s omnipresence) as being distant (rachok) from Abraham. The Sfas Emes, Reb Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (1847-1905), phrases it in even more stark terms: “The Holy One hid from him”.
What do we do when despite our best efforts and resolve, God feels distant or absent? How do we proceed with conviction when the divide seems so great? Perhaps the answer is in the very act of becoming aware of the distance itself.
In the grand game of hide-and-seek with the Divine that we call life, sometimes we hide, and God seeks us out, and sometimes God hides, and it becomes our responsibility to then seek God out. And when we perceive that now it is our turn to seek, perhaps we too, like Abraham and Isaac, can arrive at the Place - veyavo’u el ha’makom (Genesis 22:9) - to greet the Divine Presence.
9 November 2023 | 25 Cheshvan 5784
Parashat Chayei Sarah “The Span of Sarah’s Life”
Title: Emphasizing Life’s Moments
By Rabbi Shari Shamah, Jewish Life Specialist
The Torah portion Chayei Sarah begins, “Sarah’s lifetime – the span of Sarah’s life came to one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, these were the years of Sarah’s life. And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba…” (Genesis 23:1-2)
The way that this verse was written gives us clues about Sarah’s life. In the first words, the Torah doesn’t say that Sarah was 127 years old, rather, it stresses one hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years. Why? The Midrash* teaches that when Sarah was 20, she was as innocent as a seven-year-old, and when she was 100, she was as beautiful as a twenty-year-old (Genesis Rabbah 58:1). Clue number one, Sarah is exceptional inside and out. Also in this verse, the phrase, “Sarah’s life” is repeated twice. Rashi teaches that it is repeated to indicate that they were all equally good (Rashi Genesis 23:1). Clue number two, Sarah made the most of each year of her life.
This Torah portion has been my favorite for quite a long time. I look up to the Biblical Matriarch Sarah for reminding me that life is uncertain, and therefore we must make the most of each moment. No matter how many years go by, every time I read this portion something in the world underscores this message. One year it was a loved one facing a cancer diagnosis, another, the murder of a friend’s father. This year it’s Israel; the horrific tragedy of October 7th has taken both our innocence, as well as the lives of so many of our siblings and cousins. And yet, we don’t stop. We go on, we fight, we love, we cry, we celebrate, we do good, and we make the most of each and every precious moment we have.
What is around you right now that reminds you of the goodness in life, even amidst darkness?
What beauty will you add to this world in memory of those who have fallen?
How will you carry on Sarah’s legacy and make the most of your days?
* “Midrash is a form of literature that interprets and elaborates upon biblical texts, mostly compiled from the 5th century CE through the medieval period. Books in this category generally share common methods of interpretation, like filling in gaps in biblical stories.” (sefaria.org)
16 November 2023 | 3 Kislev 5784
Parashat Toldot “These are the Generations”
Title: Rupture & Healing
By Rabbi Dave Yedid, Base Denver
Parashat Toldot is the tale of two brothers; we have Esau: the first-born, the hairy man of the field, the hunter, and we have his younger brother Jacob: the mild-mannered one, raising livestock, the mama’s boy. Their mother, Rebecka, received prophecy from God as she struggled in her pregnancy that the older would serve the younger. So, when Isaac sent Esau to hunt before giving him the birthright blessing, Rebecka steps in, disguising Jacob as hairy Esau with goat skins. In drag, Jacob steals his brother’s birthright and, threatened to be killed by Esau, is forced to run away from all he has known to save his life.
This tale of family estrangement, rupture, and fleeing feels so resonant at this moment as the situation in Israel and Gaza evolves in such painful ways.
Political disagreements around what this war means and what a just future for Israelis and Palestinians might look like are tearing friendships and communities apart. Jews’ sense of safety in North America and the entire world has shifted. A sense of normalcy feels gone. Some are turning away from the Jewish community, while others are turning towards.
Still, there are moments of unity even after rupture. This is true for Jacob and Esau, when they reunite several chapters later:
וַיָּרץ עֵשָׂו לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיְחַבְּקֵהוּ וַיִּפֹּל עַל־צַוָּארָו וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ׃
Esau ran to greet [Jacob]. He embraced him and, falling on his neck, he kissed him;
and they wept. (Genesis 33:4)
My hope is that we can internalize a deep lesson from these two brothers: the ability to be supple enough to heal ruptures with vulnerability, hugs, and tears.
23 November 2023 | 10 Kislev 5784
Parashat Vayetzei “And [Jacob] Left”
Title: Departures: Challenges and Opportunities
By Rabbi Loren Berman, Jewish Life Specialist
How will you leave your mark on your community? If you find yourself shifting from community builder back to Moishe House community member, how will you set your house or pod up for success? Rashi, our favorite French commentator from the 11th century (no offense to those of the 12th and 13th centuries!), reminds us of the challenge and opportunity our communities face when a leader phases out:
The parshah opens with, “And Jacob left from Beer Sheva and went to Charan.” Rashi asks: Why not just say “And Jacob went to Charan”? What is the Torah adding by telling us about Jacob’s departure, rather than just where he is heading?
Rashi answers: “it intends to tell us that the departure of a righteous person from the city makes an impression. As long as a righteous person is in the city, so is their glory and splendor and beauty; when they leave it, their glory, splendor and beauty depart.”
Rashi reminds us of a challenge we know too well – that when amazing community builders leave, they sometimes take with them approaches to innovative programming, relationships with active community members, and more. It’s really important for departing community builders to do their best to empower their fellow residents to keep the ship sailing – to really leave their mark and set the others up for success!
At the same time, Rashi subtly hints to us that there is a hidden opportunity for those who remain or who will replace the one leaving: the community builder may be departing with their gifts and talents and passions, yes, but their departure creates space for the next community builder to shine and build something new in their own image as well.
1 December 2023 | 19 Kislev 5784
Parashat Vayishlach “And He Sent”
Title: Stretching Our Imaginations
By R’ Frankie Sandmel, Base Bay
This week, the long-rivaled brothers, Jacob and Esau, reunite for the first time since Jacob stole Esau’s birthright and fled into the wilderness. Fearing for his family’s safety, Jacob has divided them into two camps so that if the worst happens, at least half of his people will be spared Esau’s wrath. Despite Jacob’s trepidation, here’s what happens when they finally meet:
וְהוּא עָבַר לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים עַד־גִּשְׁתּוֹ עַד־אָחִיו׃
וַיָּרׇץ עֵשָׂו לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיְחַבְּקֵהוּ וַיִּפֹּל עַל־צַוָּארָו וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ׃
[Jacob] went on ahead and bowed low to the ground seven times until he was near his brother. Esau ran to greet him. He embraced him and, falling on his neck, he kissed him; and they wept. (Bereishit 33:3-4)
At the simplest reading, their reunion is a happy one; in this moment of high tension and fear, both Jacob and Esau choose to embrace and weep, rather than attack.
The early rabbis offer a very different read of this moment, picking up on a nuance in the way the word “and he kissed him” is written (Bereishit Rabba 78):
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says… it teaches that at that moment he was overcome with mercy and he kissed him with all his heart.
Rabbi Yanai says, it teaches that Esau did not come to kiss Jacob, but rather to bite him, and Jacob’s neck was transformed into marble and the teeth of that wicked one were blunted. Why does the verse state: “And they wept”? Jacob wept over his neck, and Esau wept over his teeth.
These Rabbis saw reading Torah as an opportunity to creatively play with words and ideas; by building their own imagined world around the Torah, they could dream big about how the world they lived in could and should be. One Rabbi chooses to dream of a world where Jacob and Esau’s reunion is even more merciful than the text tells, and one chooses to dream of a world where it is vengeful, but Jacob magically prevails. By sharing their answers, Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar and Rabbi Yanai invite us to ask:
What type of encounter would we have wanted Jacob and Esau to have?
Why might we be drawn towards one kind of reunion over another?
Does the story I tell reflect my greatest dreams about the world I want to live in?
7 December 2023 | 24 Kislev 5784
Parashat Vayeshev "And He Settled"
Title: Favoritism, Dreams, and Divine Design
By Jason Druyan, Southwest Community Manager
In Parashat Vayeshev, we dive deeper into the complex narrative of Joseph and his brothers, a tale rich with themes of family dynamics, dreams, and divine intervention. Joseph's coat of many colors, a vivid symbol of Jacob's favoritism, serves as a cautionary reminder about the delicate balance required in nurturing familial bonds. As we explore the dynamics within Jacob's family, we are prompted to reflect on our own relationships, recognizing the potential consequences of favoritism and the importance of fostering a harmonious environment.
Joseph's dreams, initially met with scorn and resentment, unveil the concept of divine communication through dreams. They underscore the idea that our ambitions and aspirations are woven into a larger, divine design. Parashat Vayeshev encourages us to embrace our dreams with purpose, understanding that they are part of a plan orchestrated by God. This theme challenges us to approach life's journey with humility and faith, recognizing that even in the face of challenges, there is a divine order at play.
The later chapters of Joseph's story introduce the transformative power of forgiveness and reconciliation. Despite betrayal and hardship, Joseph exemplifies compassion by forgiving his brothers and reuniting with his family. This narrative reflects the enduring Jewish values of reconciliation and redemption, emphasizing the potential for healing even in the most fractured relationships.
Parashat Vayeshev encourages us to weave these Jewish values into the fabric of our own lives, fostering an environment of understanding, humility, and forgiveness.
14 December 2023 | 3 Tevet 5784
Parashat Miketz “From [the] end”
Title: Growth and Change
By Michele Schulman, Greater New York Senior Community Manager
This week’s parashah, Miketz, was my bat mitzvah portion in 2005. At 13 years old, I felt that the biggest lesson in this parashah as the importance of forgiveness. At 31 years old, this lesson still feels very relevant, and dare I say timely - but I also know that forgiveness isn’t always easy.
Our portion starts thirteen years after Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. It is the first time he sees them again, though this time they are in Egypt and he is in the power position. When he sees ten of his brothers in front of him asking for food, he immediately recognizes them but chooses to maintain his anonymity and in anger accuses them of lying. I initially assumed that Joseph taunts and tests his brothers to seek revenge, however Joseph feels deeply emotional by these confrontations. With every decision he makes, he is actually testing his brothers to see if they’re the same people as they were 13 years ago. And through each trial Joseph puts them through, his brothers prove they have changed and are ready to make teshuvah (repentance).
We are in the darkest time of the year, where days feel shorter than ever. It is easy to feel weighed down in the darkness by mistakes we’ve made or hold onto how others have hurt us. It’s also easy to feel that time is not on our side to make it better. We learn from Joseph’s brothers that it’s never too late to grow, change, and make amends; and from Joseph, that we can be brave to allow others show up differently and forgive them when they do.
21 December 2023 | 9 Tevet 5784
Parashat Vayigash "He Approached"
Title: Looking For The Light
By Rachel Dubowe, Jewish Life Specialist
In this parashah, Vayigash, the saga of Joseph continues. At this point, Joseph’s brother Benjamin is about to be enslaved by, Pharaoh and no one knows Joseph’s true identity. Seeing Benjamin almost succumb to Pharaoh's will is enough to cause Joseph to tell his brothers who he really is, and his brothers are stunned into silence. We can only imagine the guilt they are feeling at this moment as the brother they sold into slavery is alive and standing right in front of them. Joseph absolves them of blame and suggests that God was the one who sent him to Egypt and it was part of a divine plan. “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold to Egypt; and now, don’t be troubled, don’t be chagrined because you sold me here, for it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” (Gen. 45: 4-5)
Rabbi Dan Moskovitz says “this is a Jewish response to suffering. It’s the biblical version of ‘everything happens for a reason.’ But it is more complex than that. The Jewish response is that something good can come from, or be made from, every challenge or disappointment or heartache life throws at us. It’s making lemonade out of lemons.” I know sometimes this saying feels trite especially with how much we might have heard it in recent years. And I do think there is something divine here, as we are a people of struggle, and as Joseph reminds us, a people of resiliency.
Rabbi Moskovitz goes on to say “Joseph speaks to his brothers with wisdom and comfort. He tells them that the past is the past, beyond their control, but that they can endeavor to shape the future. He finds meaning in the trauma that changed the arc and trajectory of his life.” There is so much to unpack here, and it does give me hope for our Jewish future. As we look for light in this month of Kislev after many days of darkness, I know we are doing our best to see the good, and to be the good.
28 December 2023 | 16 Tevet 5784
Parashat Vayeḥi “He lived”
Title: May You Be Blessed
By Rachel Dubowe, Jewish Life Specialist
In this week’s parashah, Vayehi, we read about Jacob’s death and how Jacob asks Joseph to bring his two grandsons (Joseph’s sons), Menashe and Ephraim to be blessed before he dies. There is much conversation among our scholars and rabbis about why Joseph’s sons were blessed but not Jacob’s daughters. It is also often wondered why Ephriam and Menashe were specifically called to Jacob’s deathbed as we really don’t know much about these young men. We meet them when they are first born (Genesis 41:51-53) and then again here at the site of this blessing.
Rabbi Laura Geller notes that in the Middle Ages, the customary blessing of the children took place on Kol Nidre (the night before Yom Kippur) and this tradition expanded to Shabbat evenings as well. The blessing in this week’s parashah is “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh” (48:18-20) and the blessing we say on Kol Nidre and Shabbat is the same, except it has, “May God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.” So why are these blessings different? Rabbi Richard Levy offers the modern interpretation that Ephraim and Menashe received Jacob’s blessing simply because they were descendants of Jacob and beloved because above all they were Jewish children. Rabbi Levy goes on to say “For Jewish girls, however, who might be inclined by society’s prejudices to think that because they are girls they need not set their sights very high, the blessing holds them up to the highest models: May God make you like the greatest women the Torah knows — Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.” (“Parashat Vayehi,” in Learn Torah With…, 1996, Vol. 2, No. 12). Rabbi Levy’s interpretation isn’t the easiest to sit with, especially in a time where equality is at the forefront of our minds. As our community and literature continues to evolve, I know we can agree that everyone should be valued and blessed because they are worthy. I like to think how far we’ve come since Jacob’s omission of his granddaughters, to Rabbi Levy’s interpretation to where we are now even if we are in a world that is still fighting for justice and equality. Rabbi Geller reminds of the words of the modern Jewish poet, Marcia Falk, “Be who you are… and may you be blessed in all that you are” (The Book of Blessings, 1996). It’s on us to take Jacob’s blessing, and to reimagine what it looks like today–this is the beauty of our Torah. We all deserve to be blessed and to offer other blessings as well.
What does being blessed mean to you? Who would you like to bless today?