Temple Shalom’s Blog

Parasha Korah

Numbers 16:1 – 18:32

 Werner Heim – June 26, 2009

From the time they left Egypt until they arrived in the Promised Land, the Israelites were a revolting bunch.  They revolted, rebelled, quarreled and disputed so much that, on several occasions, GOD was ready to simply wipe them out.  However, each time Moses filed an appeal and GOD stayed the execution of the sentence.  No doubt, if Moses were alive today he would be a lawyer and possibly even a Supreme Court candidate.

 This week’s parasha, Korah, deals with such rebellions.  It divides naturally into two sections.  The first tells of rebellion –indeed of three rebellions – one led by Korah, a second led by Abiram and Dathan (otherwise known as Edward G. Robinson), and a third by the people in general.  We’ll come back to these in a moment.  The second part concerns various ordinances dealing largely with the roles of the Levites and Cohanim in the priesthood.  It includes the story of Aaron’s staff that blossomed miraculously, thereby affirming his status as the High Priest.  Then it details various ordinances about sacrifices, and ends with the rite of the redemption of the first born, the pidyon ha-ben.

Now let us look at the two main rebellions.  That the Torah here interweaves two separate stories is made clear through several sources of information.  First, there is the evidence from the so-called school of higher criticism.  This school of textual analysis, which arose during the 18^th and 19^th centuries, assigns authorship of the text using the style and grammar of the text, as well as by an analysis of particular words, especially words referring to GOD.  According to these scholars, the Korah story belongs to the Priestly or P tradition while the story of Dathan and Abiram came from Jawist and Elohist sources.  Second, there are references in scripture itself that separate the two incidents. For example Numbers 27:3 refers only to the Korah rebellion while Deuteronomy 11:6 and Psalms 106:17 refer only to Dathan and Abiram.  Third, the punishment of the rebel leaders was different as we shall shortly see.

Korah and 250 prominent men rebelled on what might be called ecclesiastical grounds.  Although he was himself a Levite, he did not accept the arrangement whereby Aaron and his sons were to be the high priests or Cohanim while the Levites took the lesser role as assistants to the Cohanim and as the guards of the Tent of Meeting.  We are told (Num. 16:3) “They combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them ‘You have gone too far!  For all the community are holy, all of them, and the LORD is in their midst.  Why do you then raise yourselves above the LORD’s congregation?’”  So Moses sets up a test whereby the LORD is to indicate who is chosen to be the high priest.  He has Korah and his fellow dissidents as well as Aaron bring their fire pans and put them before the Tent of Meeting.  Then, in the morning, he has them put fire into the fire pans so that (7) “… the man whom the LORD chooses, he shall be the holy one.” Moses then adds a very human sentence, well in line with his usual short temper (7) “You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”  And he is quite explicit about Korah’s ambition (10) “…He has advanced you and all your fellow Levites with you; yet you seek the priesthood too!” 

Next morning, with fire in the fire pans, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron (21) “Stand back from this community that I may annihilate them in an instant!”  But they pleaded with GOD that He should not destroy the whole community because only a few had sinned.  (35) “And a fire went forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering incense.”  That settled the issue of who was to be the high priest.  And we still have descendants of that high priest among us as recently confirmed by genetic studies.  Finally, the fire pans, having been used by GOD, became holy objects and ended up as plating for the altar.

Now we turn to the other rebellion, the one led by Dathan and Abiram.  The motive here was quite different; we might even call it a civil rebellion.  When Moses sent for them they would not come but sent a message: (13-15) “Is it not enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey to have us die in the wilderness, that you shall lord over us?  Even if you had brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, and had given us possession of fields and vineyards, you gouge out those men’s eyes?  We will not come!”  I should add that the expression “gouge out those men’s eyes” is equivalent to our “Throw dust in their eyes” or simply “fool us.”  This passage makes it plain that Dathan and Abiram where rebelling against the political leadership of Moses.

So, what happened to Dathan and Abiram?  Well, they stood outside their tents and Moses said that the LORD had sent him (28) “to do all these things” and he proposed a test: If these men were to die in the ordinary way, then Moses was wrong.  (36) “But if the LORD brings about something unheard-of, so that the ground opens its mouth wide and swallows them up with all that belongs to them and they go down alive into Sheol, you shall know that these men have spurned the LORD.”  And that is just what happened; the earth opened up and swallowed them whole!

That, however, is not quite the end of the story because we read  (6) “The next day the whole Israelite community railed against Moses and Aaron saying ‘You have brought death upon the LORD’s people!’”  And a plague promptly began to kill the people.  But Moses and Aaron stopped the plague. Upon Moses’ instructions, Aaron put fire and incense into a fire pan, then ran into the midst of the people and made expiation.  As the Torah puts it (13) “he stood between the dead and the living until the plague was shed.”  14,700 persons are said to have died, about twice as many as have died from the recent H1N1 flu outbreak.

Well, what can we learn from these stories of rebellion?  Is it wrong to question authority?  Certainly not.  Jews, perhaps more than most other people, do question authority.  Indeed, a large part of our religious tradition is a questioning of authority as exemplified in much of the Talmud.  Even in the very part of the Torah we are considering tonight, Moses and Aaron repeatedly question GOD’s authority when they ask GOD not to punish the whole people because of the actions of a few. 

The lesson, I think, is a different one.  It is that authority can and often should be questioned but in the right manner and for the right reason.  First, only when all other means, such as dialogue, discussion, elections, and so on, are not available, might rebellion be justified.  And second, the questioning should be, as our sages put it, “for the sake of heaven.”  Rebellion for personal power, be it religious power or civil power is wrong.  But always questioning and sometimes perhaps even rebellion “for the sake of heaven” is justified.  The real difficulty is deciding when that is the case.  In general, though, we should follow the famous advice of Rabbi Chanina in the Pirke Avoth (III:2) “Pray for the welfare of the government, since but for the fear thereof men would swallow each other alive.”

After reading the Religious Practices article in the February 2009 Temple Bulletin about some members’ favorite prayers and services, several people asked whether they could also talk about their favorite prayers or services, ones that hold a special meaning for them. I know that I find myself re-thinking my own favorites, as well as re-thinking what the various prayers and services mean to me.

Please feel free to send me the prayers, services, and/or holidays that are most meaningful to you.  We’ll include them in future Temple Bulletins and/or Blogs.  Please let me know if you’d like your comments shared with your name or as an anonymous contribution.  My guess is that even if we don’t use contributors’ names, it will be of interest to others when they read them. Before reading any further, stop and think of which prayer or which service is most meaningful for you, and why?

Following are the comments published in the February Bulletin:

Debby Patz-Clarke said, “For me the shehechiyanu, in which we thank God for keeping us healthy and enabling us to reach the present moment, has always had special meaning. I first remember singing it at Camp Harlam, a Reform summer camp in Pennsylvania and sister camp to Shwayder, where my children now go. We sang the shehechiyanu a lot at camp and, aside from loving the melody, it awakened in me the realization of how many moments in our lives are special if we take the time to recognize them. I sing the shehechiyanu a lot now. Sometimes I sing it out loud with my family to mark officially special occasions like a holiday or birthday. More often I sing it in my head to acknowledge the simple moments in life for which I am grateful, such as running through Ute Valley Park on a beautiful morning, listening to my breath, and knowing that I am healthy, alive and blessed.” Bob Fineberg’s favorite is Psalm 31 because it was his wife Rosalie’s favorite, and saying it reminds him of her. Manny Weiss finds the Neilah service especially meaningful because it is the “most direct spiritual connection with God,” coming after hours of prayer and repentance, just before the Gates close. Rhoda Finkelstein’s most meaningful prayer is the Kaddish. “It gives me the chance to honor my relatives, friends, and all those who are no longer with us. It makes me feel close to them.” Sharon Kushner finds the weekly Shabbat services the most meaningful. “It’s the same service each week and provides grounding.” Don Kraft finds several of them special because of their melodies and when they occur – “Magen Avot because of its central role in the Friday evening service, Bei anah racheitz when we take the Sefer Torah out of the Ark, Aleinu because it means the service is nearing its end, and Adon Olam because of the many melodies we use.”

Rabbi Glazer said, “Whenever I drive past the mountains on my way to Shul, I say the bracha ‘Baruch Oseh Maaseh Bereshit’ (Blessed is God Who continually engages in the work of Creation). Sometimes that keeps me going the entire day!” Ed Alyn finds Psalm 121 (“I turn my eyes to the mountains…”) especially meaningful. Perry Bach likes Psalm 114 (B’tseit Yisrael mi Mitzrayim), sung during Hallel, “because of its imagery, and I still remember when I first learned it as a teenager, with the congregation responding by echoing the Hazzan’s singing.” Mic Robertson finds the second bracha following the Sh’ma, “Spread over us Your shelter of peace,” particularly meaningful. “It’s a very Earthy and peaceful protective statement. It sets the mood for the standing, silent Amidah during which I meditate in a peaceful state, aware of being within the community and am comforted by the silence in which we are all united.”

Todah rabah!

Perry

Perry B. Bach, MD, Chair, Religious Practices Committee

Do you stand firmly on your upbringing and dismiss what others have learned if it differs from yours?  A seventeenth century philosopher defined “selfish people” as “[those who] judge of things according to their own private appetites and selfish passions.”

I have to ask, “Do you believe in the Constitution of the United States and that all men are created equal?”  Do you believe in the Supreme Court and that, in accord with the Constitution, the justices have been appointed to interpret our laws?  Hopefully, you answered yes to the last two questions.  If you consider Halacha (Jewish Law) as being based on Torah, can you consider that there are many interpretations of this Law and that one is not necessarily more correct than another?  Your interpretation may be right for you and your family, but it may not necessarily be right for another.  If you insist that your way is the only way for everyone, you create a dictatorship; and if you aren’t the dictator, it means you would have to live with someone else’s decision as to “the only way.”  Such an event would create a major splintering of our small community.

How do we learn to coexist within our community?  I think the answer is “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” (read on as soon as you’ve finished singing the song).  Actually singing is one way we form a kinship.  It’s one of the easiest ways to teach another about your background.  If you have questions, don’t just ask them.  It can be hard to find the right source to ask.  Keep trying ‘til you find them.  You don’t understand what’s being taught in our schools?  Then ask a teacher and sit in on a class.  Do you have other questions?  Attend the various committee meetings.  This is an opportunity to develop and earn mutual respect.  If you have already tried, please continue and go a little further.

Do you feel like we are a divided community?  Why not take the first step to cross that divide?  Observe the entire package that forms our community.  Drop in on the Preschool or the Seniors Program at least once a year.  Talk to people intimately to learn how and why they feel and act as they do, and perhaps the mutual respect will grow.  Take one or two friends and sit at a different table at a Friday evening Oneg Shabbat or at a Shabbat Kiddush lunch.  Do your darndest to attend the Rabbi’s classes, day and/or night.  I promise you that you don’t have to agree with everything.  You just have to keep an open mind.  Accept what you will, and respect others who accept differently.

Understand that our goal is to be an inclusive community.  We strive to observe Kashruth so that no one is excluded.  We try to keep our educational standards high because there is no such thing as “too much education.”  School attendance is not necessarily mandatory but the standards are.  We must strive to achieve the “highest common denominator” so that everyone can find his or her personal niche in our community.

Respectfully,

CPT Mic Robertson, Member
Religious Practices Committee

In last Sunday’s New York Times, there was an extensive article/interview with Ed Koch, former Mayor of New York City, and “provocateur extarordinaire” in NYC. He writes that he is now ailing, has stenosis which often does not allow him to stand up straight, he is 84 years old, and is preparing for the final chapter in his life.

He has made peace with nearly all of his former enemies, he makes a conscious effort not to offend anyone new, and he realizes that most of those arguments he had with other politicians were not worth the importance he gave to them.

He has already planned his funeral, complete with location–a non-denominational cemetery in upper Manhattan, which, he says, he chose because he wants lots of visitors and the site is easilly accessible on the subway–a list those he wants to invite to eulogize him, and even the wording on his gravestone.

His gravestone quotes the words of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was beheaded in 2002 by Islamic terrorists: “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish.” Then, the Shema, in Hebrew and in English, and finally, an epitaph: ”He was fiercely proud of his Jewish faith. he fiercely defended the City of New York, and he fiercely loved its people. Above all, he loved his country, the United States of America, in whose armed forces he served in WW II.”

A powerful statement from the good Mayor, don’t you think?

And have you thought about what you will want to be written on your own gravestone? You think you have more time to think about it?

Perhaps you do.

But what if you don’t…

Anyone who has seen this timeless cinematic classic will remember these equally timeless lines…

Ilsa: Play it once, Sam. For old times’ sake.
Sam: [lying] I don’t know what you mean, Miss Ilsa.
Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play “As Time Goes By.”
Sam: [lying] Oh, I can’t remember it, Miss Ilsa. I’m a little rusty on it.
Ilsa: I’ll hum it for you. Da-dy-da-dy-da-dum, da-dy-da-dee-da-dum…
[Sam begins playing]
Ilsa: Sing it, Sam.
Sam: [singing] You must remember this / A kiss is still a kiss / A sigh is just a sigh / The fundamental things apply / As time goes by. / And when two lovers woo, / They still say, “I love you” / On that you can rely / No matter what the future brings-…
Rick: [rushing up] Sam, I thought I told you never to play-…

This classic moment, pivotal in the love story that played out between Rick and Ilsa, in a faraway place in a faraway time. 

Last evening, Temple Shalom was transported back in time to that faraway place.  We played and we socialized; we ate and we drank.  We danced and we laughed.  What an evening.  What a wonderful, magical evening.

Sheila and I will take many memories away from Casablanca.  Dancing to Mac the Knife, just as we did 12 years ago at our wedding.  Winning so many chips at Roulette that the house ran short.  Spending time, long after ‘Rick’s’ closed for the evening, surrounded by our best friends.

What are your memories?  What will you take with you?  Share them with one another.  And by our memories of this incredible evening, we’ll keep Casablanca alive.  For old times’ sake…

Welcome to Temple Shalom’s Strategic Planning blog.  Please share your thoughts to inspire the congregation.  Every recommendation will be carefully considered.  The committee and I look forward to your participation.

Michael Freeman

How should we respond when the Israeli army makes mistakes?

Here is the latest news story:

Last week, IDF bombed another UNRWA facility in the northern Strip, the Fakhura girls school in Jabalya, killing dozens of people. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon expressed “outrage” over the incident. Israel’s defense minister reportedly described it as a “grave mistake.” The UNRWA is now demanding an objective investigation into whether the school shelling constituted a violation of international humanitarian law, and if so, that those responsible stand trial. In a separate incident last Thursday, a Palestinian working for the UNRWA was killed by an IDF tank shell while driving an aid truck at the Erez border crossing. The organization claims the UN truck was well-marked and the incident took place during the humanitarian hiatus slated to allow Gaza residents to acquire supplies . 
 

Here is how we should respond:

We mustn’t allow “them” to frame the conversation. The response must always be: The difference is that in times of war Israel, just like America and every other country, will accidentally kill civilians. It will happen more frequently in Gaza because Israel’s enemies attack from either inside civilian locations such as houses, school, hospitals and mosques or right next to them hoping for civilian casualites so they rally the world against Israel.  Accidents happen- Israel accidentally killed four of their own soldiers. America has killed numerous of our own soldiers in Afghanistan by accident. But Hamas kills Israeli civilians on purpose. They target civilians by launching rockets into cities. They suicide bomb in restaurants, in hotels, in buses and in the streets. They purposely murder citizens and that is a war crime by every standard. Bottom line – when Hamas stops launching missiles and sending suicide bombers, there can be peace. They can build their state without any interference from Israel and they can get all the non-military support they need from America. 
That is our conversation. We don’t have to deny that civilians are killed. We just have to remind anyone who asks that it is not on purpose and would happen far less often and maybe not at all if Hamas didn’t attack from within or right next to civilian populations.

Don’t give them an inch in the conversation. Frame it the way supporters of Israel need to. It is not Israel who has to be more careful - even though she is - it is Hamas that must stop its violation of international law by using civilian population as human shields. 
 
 
 
 
 

Yasher koach to Rabbi Glazer for taking an appropriately public and strong stance in suport of Israel in his recent OpEd.  But, it’s not enough.  We need to do more.

A friend approached me in the parking lot this morning, just as Sunday School was letting out.  He said, “Why are we not doing more to support Israel?”  I said then and continue to believe it to be an excellent question.  Why indeed.

Did any of us know that there was a pro-Israel rally this afternoon in Denver?  Where we might have stood with our brothers and sisters here in support of our brothers and sisters there?  Would we have gone?  Or would we have cited the litany of errands that tend to keep us from doing the things we might have otherwise done?

My intent is to challenge us.  My goal is to get us up and get us going.  Most simply put, we have to.  Israel needs us, as much as ever.

So, what’s it gonna be?  Can I interest us in a candlelight vigil some evening this or next week?  Perhaps we would prefer, in keeping with Rabbi’s Bulletin article, a peaceful march, say from Temple Shalom to a spot downtown?  What other ideas are there in the community?  How do we make our small but mighty community heard halfway across the world?  And, more importantly, how do we show our solidarity with Eretz Israel so there is no mistaking in our local community our support for Israel?

We can and must do more.  “Why are we not doing more to support Israel?”  Excellent question.  To which it is up to us and us alone to provide an equally excellent response.

Hanukkah is almost upon us–1st candle Sunday night Dec. 21st–and so now is the time when we must begin to think of the gifts we will give to those we love. If you are like me, you do not like thinking about these issues at all. And here are some reasons why…

First, you have to think about “family stuff.” For example–Do you give each one of your kids a separate present on each of the eight nights? And do “clothes” that they need, count as a “present” or not? I would give my own kids one present each–a big present, something they really wanted–only on the first night, and light the menorah and sing Maoz Tzur and eat latkas AND jelly doughnuts on the remaining nights and call it a day (or a night). Otherwise, who could afford it?

Another example–Does the aunt you never ever talk to, need to get the same gift as the aunt you talk to all the time? And if she doesn’t, will you hear about it from your mother?

Second, who exactly do you give gifts to? Do you extend your gift-giving to your paper carrier, who, like mine, already was kind enough to send me a Happy Holidays note in last week’s paper so I”ll know the proper address to send her the check? Or the lady who does your hair, your manicure and your pedicure? I don’t, by the way, give anything to any of them, you can call me the Hanukkah Grinch if you like, but that’s where I draw the line.

But this year we have even another variable to consider. We are officially in a recession, so there is less money than there used to be, and that gives us a wonderful opportunity to do something different. Radical, even, if we are daring enough. This year, we can give gifts of time instead of money. This year, we can spend more time with those we love, instead of wondering what it is that they want and spending hours at the malls trying to find it and price it out and compare it online and stand for hours paying for it. This year, we can do better, by actually giving those we love the gift of ourselves, our time, our attention, our personal care. This year can be a different kind of Hanukkah, if we want it to be. Think about it…

I invite you to consider giving the gift of yourself and your time this Hanukkah. It is a gift whose good feelings will continue giving throughout the year. And, unlike real estate, the value will never ever go down…

Happy Hanukkah!

PS. David and I want you to respond to our blogs with your own, so feel free to comment, agree, argue (what, Jews argue???) or raise any issue you like, this is your blog too!

Thanks to Larry the WebGuy for all his hard work…

Shalom, chaverim!

Thanks to our very good friend and IT guru, Larry Rothzeid, Temple Shalom has a blog!  A blog is a great way to share ideas, to engage in a friendly dialogue about issues that are important to all of us.  As for me, I’m thrilled with the prospect of–at any time of the day, thanks to the marvel of modern technology–reaching out to the community I love with announcements, or ideas, or anything that may be of interest.  I hope you’ll all join me as often as you wish.  Just remember:  A blog is only as alive as the people who post something to it.  That is, you gotta engage if the blog is going to be fun and of value. 

So, to begin this adventure, to seed the brand-spankin’ new blog, I offer the following for our collective debate:

Senator Hillary Clinton has been nominated by President-elect Obama for Secretary of State.  Israel PM Ehud Olmert is quoted in today’s Ha’aretz as saying, “Sen. Clinton is a friend of the State of Israel and the Jewish People and I am sure that in her new position she will continue to advance the special Israel-U.S. relationship.” Others are not so sure, suggesting that a Secretary of State Clinton “might advance the demise of Israel if she furthers the Saudi plan.”  

What do you think?  Share your thoughts, and let’s have some fun!

David