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The high rollers, and the rest of us

Friday, February 24, 2012 - 1:30 AM

In the shtetl of yesteryear (and possibly, in some Synagogues today, too) there used to be an expression about those who sit by the “Mizrach Vant”. The phrase "Mizarach Vant" is Yiddish for the East wall, and as a colloquialism it refers to the “Machers” -- high and mighty of society, who, due to their material wealth were honored with a seat close to the holy ark -- generally located at the east wall, as a reflection of their self-styled importance.

(If this sounds familiar, it's probably more of a reflection of the current state of our politics, with super PACS who get to wine and dine with whichever politician is running for a particular office, then anything else...)

So it should come as no surprise the 11th commandment is “And the Lord said; let only the rich, famous and holy, donate their resources, time and energy toward my newest building project”..

If you’re looking for the source of this quote - don’t bother. It doesn’t quite say this. What it does say is: “They shall make for Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them”. Every man and woman, from all walks of life and of every social standing; rich, poor, famous, wise or wicked, was required to be part of this monumental undertaking.

But, wait a minute! Why on earth would an omnipotent, omniscient G-d want a sanctuary to dwell “among them”? Here, take a look at what the prophet Isaiah asks in the name of G-d, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?”

The answer to this lies in the very detailed instruction manual that accompanied this command. There are ninety six verses in this week’s Parsha that deal exclusively with the weights, measurements, sizes and materials to be used in the construction of the tabernacle.

From the gold and silver used in such implements such as the menorah, altar and vessels used in the day-to-day service of the soon-to-be-completed temple, to the copper pegs in order to keep the courtyard curtains from flapping in the wind, each and every one of these materials represented the combined effort, treasure and wealth of all of the people.

So what difference could it make whether there were copper pegs to secure the curtains or not? The purpose of these pegs, was to keep holy sanctuary tethered to the physical ground it occupied. This represented a fusion of sorts of the physical with the spiritual. And it is the Torah's way of informing us that, as the common expression goes, "Not all that glitters is gold". It's not all about the material glamour and glitz that will make the difference. It is the shine and glow of the “commoner” (represented by the simple copper peg) who makes the supreme effort to change himself, that will make a world of difference in seeing G-d's dwelling place completed or not.

I spoke with a guy not long ago and, as often happens, the discussion turned to the state of religion and especially for those of the “99 per cent of us” – his words – who are not important “Machers” or power brokers of the community. I tried reasoning with him that there really is no caste system in our religion, and that it is really the case that G-d values the effort of all of us. It was only when I pointed out to him the important role played by the seemingly insignificant copper pegs, that I was able to get across the importance and self-esteem of this individual.

It is left to lowly copper -- a less refined material, relative to the glitz and glamour of gold and silver -- to teach us this lesson: It's up to us to elevate the mundane (think: "coarse") by fusing it to the holy (think: "glamorous").

Swallow the Pill

Friday, February 17, 2012 - 11:45 AM

During the course of this week, I had the opportunity of conversing with a young man that had lapsed somewhat in his religious observance for – in his words – some negative experiences with “organized” religion.

Of course he appreciated and very much understood that the actions of one or two should not reflect negatively on the entire community, and indeed, he took great pains in informing me, that there were many of the Mitzvohs of the Torah that he and his family thoroughly enjoy, and observe! It was just that there were a “few” Mitzvohs that -- for whatever reason -- did not resonate with him, and he didn't understand (very well), just what difference it would make, if he did or did not observe those.

What a good point I thought. Why would we expect of someone to observe what they do not understand. Is there really any value in an perfunctory performance of Mitzvohs? Yes, and here's why:

If a doctor were to instruct a patient to take penicillin to fight an infection G-d forbid, would the patient refuse to take the medicine if he could not understand just how the medicine works, or would he take the medicine regardless, and then learn just how the medicine worked. One would expect that most people, would swallow the pill so to speak, and then learn how the pill works.

The truth of the matter is that this tension and struggle plays itself out in this week’s Torah portion. Following the great excitement of last week’s Torah portion; Sinai; the grandeur and splendor of the revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai - which remains unmatched and unparalleled in human history – one would have expected some deep spiritual discussion in the following pages, and yet, as we turn the proverbial page this week, we discover in the very first verses of this week’s Parsha such seemingly obvious laws, that govern and are the basis of any civilized society -- laws that we would surely have enacted (even if only by osmosis!) even if the Torah had not mandated them.

Yet therein lies the secret of Torah’s enduring relevance both to one's personal psyche, and to our national psyche as well. The uniqueness of Torah is that in the seemingly obvious Mitzvohs, one finds the deep spiritual expression of our creator. Our approach to Torah and the Mitzvoth must never be governed by the limits of our own knowledge and the subjectivity of our opinions and experiences; for that would at best, rob one of the fulsome experience the Torah has to offer; and, at worst, it would cause a person to deny him - or herself the connection and spiritual healing the Torah has to offer.

By juxtaposing the excitement of Sinai and the laws governing interpersonal relationships, the Torah is teaching us that both the experience of Sinai, and the laws governing the punitive damages assessed to the owner of a “goring Ox”, share a common theme of reflecting the total submission in our efforts of observing the Torah, independent of our level of understanding, or -- better yet -- despite our personal definitions of what makes sense or does not make sense.

Election 2012

Thursday, February 9, 2012 - 4:41 PM

It’s hard to miss the rancor and divisiveness that seems to be de rigueur for the current state of the US election cycle. The daily dose of mudslinging by those that are engaged in vying for the top spot as candidate for president during this primary season, is likely to get worse as we head into the real showdown , come late summer and early fall.

In keeping with the time honored stance of religious organizations not involving themselves with political matters (and I’m sure the IRS would be much happier if we maintained our impartiality), I will not comment one way or another as to which candidate or political party to vote for.

I could not help noticing, however, in the course of my studies this week, a fascinating verse in this week’s Torah portion. In describing the events that led to the Jewish people receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Torah describes their arrival at Mount Sinai and their encampment there, and says that it included a complete unity – of mind and heart – of all the people of Israel!

Now, I certainly don’t have to remind you of the popular adage that where you have two Jews you will have three opinions; we know, too, that the Jewish people that departed from Egypt was not a homogeneous group of people; rather it included a mixed multitude -- an amalgam of nations, and it represented a cross section of Jews of all shapes, sizes, colors, political opinions, religious observance and beliefs. It belies the imagination; nay, it would almost seem an improbability or certainly a miracle of true biblical proportions to behold!

Ah, but they were at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. Torah doesn’t seek to pigeonhole everyone into one mold; rather Torah teaches us that true unity is where there is diversity and difference of opinion – and yet, where our focus is on the common good, maintaining our uniqueness, of course, but nonetheless uniting as one people with one heart.

So who should one vote for? The most trusted politician of course! Then again, just what is the definition of an oxymoron?

Facebook's IPO

Friday, February 3, 2012 - 12:06 PM

So Facebook is going public, and a nice Jewish boy is poised to make a boatload of money. The price of the proposed market valuation, is $100,000,000,000 (that's $100 Billion).

With approximately 845,000,000 users, this amounts to a sum of approximately $118 and change per user!

It's worth remembering though, that the true value of "friends" is greater than any monetary amount. We can all appreciate the value of a supportive word from a dear friend at the right moment, the concern and love we receive and in turn give to those that are closest to us.

The story is told of a group of fellows that were returning home late one night from a Chasidic gathering, when they chanced upon two somewhat inebriated peasants leaving the village tavern engaged in an animated discussion about the nature of their friendship.

Ivan, turns to his friend Stefan and asks if Stefan is a true friend of his. Stefan responds, of course! we've been friends for years! So Ivan asks Stefan; Would you give me whatever I need right now? And Stefan says, I don't know until you tell me just what it is that you really require. So Ivan says to Stefan, just what kind of friend are you, that you do not know just what I am truly lacking right now!