Sh'mini

Shabbat Shalom! After a lengthy time away I am back and ready to get into Leviticus! This week (and apparently last week too, explanation here) we get to learn about the do's and don'ts of Kosher food and why it's bad to pray to God while drunk.

So Aaron made an offering to God to repent for his sins and everything was great, but then two of Aaron's sons (Nadab and Abihu) came along to give their offering and everything went downhill very quickly. Nadab and Abihu had been drinking before they went to give their offerings and God did not appreciate the fact that they were totally wasted. So God zapped them, in front of their father. The worst part is that Moses said that Aaron shouldn't mourn because God could zap him too if he was sad. Kinda messed up in my opinion but the lesson here is not to be a wino.

Anyways, God is finally satisfied with everyone else's behavior so the list of Kosher animals is given to the people. Here's what we can eat according to God: (Drumroll please!)

Cows and Chickens

Fish with fins and scales

Goats 

... and many more. Here's a song that explains the whole list!

Ok let's talk about this Kosher thing for a second. I myself am not Kosher, but I have considered it. Here are the pros and cons of being Kosher:

Pros

• following Jewish law yay!
• The point of these laws are to keep you holy since some animals are considered 'unclean'
• A good reminder that you are different
• If you ever have to dine with hillbillies you can politely decline when they ask if you want squirrel for dinner
• If you go to a French restaurant you don't have to eat the Pâté or the escargot

Cons

• Cheeseburgers are really good 
• Calamari is also really good... and so is shrimp cocktail
• ... and also lobster and crab cakes...

Yeah, you get the point, life is such a struggle. But seriously, even though being Kosher is tough in a non-Kosher world it's a choice that we all have to make. Standing out in public is hard too. Saying "oh sorry I can't eat this because God says it's unclean" can feel weird. I'm still not sure how I feel about this because I don't understand why some animals are 'better' than others in terms of cleanliness. 

So this week I leave you to decide how you want to live your life. A rabbi from my camp once said "Reform Jews don't take the Torah literally, but we take it seriously" so I encourage you to follow that quote and blaze your own Jewish trail. Eat what is right for you!

Vayikra

Shabbat shalom! This week we start the book of Leviticus (aka the book with no stories). BUT even though there aren't stories the Torah still has something to say! Vayikra gives us the details about sacrificing animals...ew. But what was the point of sacrificing animals anyways? The word for sacrifice comes from the same root as the word 'close'. So giving a sacrifice was supposed to bring the people closer to God. Think of it this way, when it's nice outside what do you do? You have a barbecue! And God likes a good BBQ.

There were even different types of sacrifices for when you alone sinned, the community as a whole sinned or if you might have sinned but aren't sure. And for the vegetarians out there, most sacrifices had a veggie option! Not because some Israelites were vegans but because meat is hella expensive. Seriously, back then buying an ox was like buying a motorcycle!

Today, instead of sacrificing animals three times a day we (are supposed to) pray three times a day. Also, many younger people feel like they are sacrificing their Friday nights and/or Saturday mornings and go to services. Yes, that sounds like a terrible way to put it but, we live in a country where everything does not come to a standstill every Friday. On the 4th of July, I was in Jerusalem for Shabbat and as I looked out the windows of the bus I could see all the people scurrying around so they could get ready in time for Shabbat. Many people even start saying "Shabbat Shalom" on Wednesday! It's like a holy countdown for everything to freeze when the sun goes down on Friday night.

Anyways, the whole point of sacrificing animals was not just burning it but the feeling it gives you. It's the same thing with sacrificing  your Friday night. So maybe I would rather watch Netflix or go out with my friends but when I do go to services I try to remember why I'm there. I look up at the gold words on the ceiling or listen to my mom singing in the choir and I think about how lucky I am to be on this planet, living this life. Try to take the "veggie option" this week and sacrifice some of your time to pray and be thankful that you are here. (This is the one time that I will advise you not to be like Ron Swanson, metaphorical veggies are good for you!)

Vayak'heil and P'kudei

Vayak'heil & P'kudei

Starring:

and

In parashat Vayak'heil the Israelites gather all the pieces mentioned before and start building a home for God, not just a house. All the Israelites come together and build something beautiful for the one that created and freed them. The Godcast to go along with this is a song and I suggest you listen because it's very good! Finally, in parashat P'kudei, all the pieces come together. The tabernacle is built, the priestly garments are finished and every priest has been anointed by Moses. The cloud that had followed the Israelites since they first came to the desert settled into the Tabernacle. God was finally home.

From parashat Vayak'heil we see this quote:

"Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have sanctity, a day of complete rest to the Lord; whoever performs work thereon [on this day] shall be put to death” (Exodus 35: 1-2).

In this article from the Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the chief rabbi of Efrat, discusses why we should not use cell phones on Shabbat. It apparently has nothing to do with the kindling fire law but more to do with something Maimonides said:

"And this point is clearly made by Maimonides, in his biblical commentary...that in addition to the negative prohibition of work (melacha) on Shabbat there must be also a positive biblical commandment for a positive and recognizable expression of Shabbat menuha (spiritual activity which can be accomplished on the one day in which the individual is freed from his usual necessary weekday toil), a day dedicated to God."

So basically this means that we shouldn't do work on Shabbat but we also shouldn't lie in bed all day! Rabbi Riskin suggests that instead of going on our phones and 'talking' with our friends we should go out and be with them. How are we supposed to have holy moments if we're on our phones all the time? It's hard, trust me I know.

However, on Friday night I watched a movie called The Darjeeling Limited and it made me realize that we all need to get away from our distractions every once in a while. The movie is about three brothers who haven't spoken in a year after their father died. The eldest decides that they need to take a spiritual journey together through India by train in order to reconnect. At one point, their train gets lost.

Their travel assistant says to the impatient brothers that "we haven't located us yet". Again, the eldest brother has a revelation! He interprets this to mean that the brothers hadn't found themselves yet. For the duration of the trip, the three of them had either been visiting temples and distractedly 'praying' or smoking, drinking and abusing prescription drugs.

After getting kicked off their train (for the above mentioned illegal activities), it takes a journey into the wilderness for them to finally find themselves. While walking along, they passed a river where three boys were on a raft. The raft tipped but only two of the three could be saved. When the brothers arrived at the boys' village, all of their distractions disappeared. They finally saw the fragility and beauty of life.

At the funeral for the boy, everyone wore white (the traditional color of respect in India). The three brothers were finally given the opportunity to start over and let the pain in their lives go.

At the end of their trip, the brothers know that they are not entirely healed or free from grief, but they know that they have each other.

It doesn't take a trip to India to have a meaningful Jewish experience, it takes time. Holy moments come along when you least expect it so don't try to force it like the brothers! This week, take time to step back and reassess. Throw out the itinerary, put down your phone and find your own path. 

Namaste.

Ki Tisa

Shabbat Shalom! This week's portion is a Hebrew School Classic: The Golden Calf story. So you guys know the deal, Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai and the people get lonely so they get Moses' brother Aaron to make a golden calf out of their earrings, God and Moses get mad yada yada. There are two major things you can take from this portion:

1. Taking responsibility can be hard
2. Believing without seeing is also hard

Starting with responsibility, HSTY went to Rutgers Hillel for Shabbat last night and their rabbi gave us this situation:

"Say you really want to go to Wawa in the middle of the night and you beg your friend to drive you. She agrees as long as you give her directions. You get near the Wawa and you tell her to make a sudden turn but she can't see it- and she hits another car. Who's responsible for the crash?" 

I personally thought it was my own fault for making my friend drive me in the first place but there's room for debate. This debate thing is where it gets tricky in regards to the creation of this golden calf. Is it Moses' fault for leaving the Israelites, Aaron's fault for suggesting the idea without thinking it would actually happen, the Israelites fault for not staying true to God or God's fault for making the Israelites in the first place? Aaron tried to escape blame by saying that when he put the gold in the fire a calf randomly came out *legit Torah right there*. No matter what angle you take, each group shares a little bit of the blame.

Next, believing without seeing. When Moses left for Mt. Sinai, the Israelites were without their leader and didn't know what to do with their lives. They built an idol, not to replace God but to fill the void that Moses left. God saw what was going on and was PISSED. God threatened to kill all the Israelites and start a new nation from Moses but Moses had hope that this was just a mistake. Also, what was the point of killing the Israelites if God made all that effort to get them out of Egypt? Anyways, Moses came down the mountain with the 10 Commandments but finally saw what his people had created and were worshipping. He was horrified as well! In his anger, Moses threw the 10 Commandments on the ground and they shattered into pieces. DUN DUN DUNNNN

So that's where the Torah leaves us this week, in quite a pickle. The only way to fix this mess is if everyone owns up to their mistakes and trusts each other so this week try to take responsibility for your actions and have a little faith!

       

Tetzaveh

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Purim! This week's portion is about... priests?

nope not that guy.

I'm talking about Jewish priests (aka those guys who were in charge of the Tabernacle) 

Aaron and his sons were chosen to be the priests. The torah turns into a fashion manual by giving detailed instructions to the priests to weave gold into their clothing and *GASP* wear wool and linen together etc. This whole wool and linen thing comes from an obscure law saying that we can't wear the two fabrics together... but no one knows why. So if these priests were so fashionable, does that mean they were in charge of the Fabernacle? Or maybe the Swaggernacle? Hmm I'll have to consult Rabbi and get back to you on that...

Now that the Tabernacle was set up, it needed something to make it special. It already had the material beauty of gold, silver and bronze but the spiritual element was missing. The Israelites are commanded to bring pure olive oil and light a Ner Tamid. We still have one on our sanctuary (yes it uses a lightbulb but the times have obviously changed)

The lesson I'm taking from all of this is that beautiful things are holy things. Sure, gold and silver are pretty but when you give them a spiritual meaning they become holy. I'm not telling you to worship gold (we'll talk about that next week), I'm telling you to make yourself feel beautiful. This weekend, treat your body like a temple and adorn yourself with what ever makes you feel good. Sparkles, your favorite outfit, a perfume you save for special occasions, whatever! And make sure you share your holy beauty with others :)

Mishpatim

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Valentine's Day! I am currently in sunny Atlanta, Georgia for NFTY Convention 2015! It's going to be a weekend filled with amazing speakers, new friends and exploring Atlanta :)

This week's portion is about laws. I'm no Jewish law expert and I'm also not home so here is a video from Godcast explaining everything. My favorite part is the description of God's sapphire pedestal, I had no idea that was a thing! I also find it interesting that Moses wrote down the laws that God gave him on a scroll, as if he was writing a big post-it note so he wouldn't forget! I need post-its for just about everything so thinking of God's laws as one big, holy post-it is pretty cool. Holy post-it note, Batman! Over this long weekend, write yourself a note reminding yourself of something important and put it where you can see it every day. That's one small thing you can do to make your life a little brighter until Spring.

Yitro

Shabbat Shalom! This week's portion is all about a dude named Yitro (Jethro), Moses' father-in-law (No, not Jethro Tull aka that band with the flute).

Fun fact, Yitro is actually not a Jew! Say what now? Yeah Moses married a Midianite named Tzipporah, a perfect example of an interfaith marriage right there. So anyways, Moses is the leader of the Israelites at this point but he's a bit frazzled by the job he has to undertake. Moses is the lone judge of the people basically. He has to decide who gets possession of what, who is responsible if there is an accident and how crops are divided. Moses is seriously stressed and his father-in-law wants him to spend more time with the family. What's a guy to do? Here's where Yitro comes in.

Instead of complaining to Moses about their lack of family bonding, Yitro comes of with a plan to help. He tells Moses that a system of judges can be set up to alleviate the stress of his job and give him the balance he needs in his life. This is the perfect solution! You go, Yitro :)

Next, the Israelites go to Mount Sinai where they are prepared for 3 days and then get the Ten Commandments directly from God. The Israelites say that "All that God has spoken we will do."

The Israelites are scared of God's power so they ask Moses to to be their messenger to God.

^^^wait hold up Maia, you just wrote a whole thing on some random goy that you've never even heard of and practically skipped over the 10 Commandments? What the heck! 

I know, self, it's crazy right? Here's the deal: 1. This entire portion is named after one guy, so he must be pretty important. 2. These are not the real 10 commandments. The final tablets come into play in a few weeks so stay tuned!

Since Yitro is so important, the lesson we get from him is this: look for a solution first instead of complaining to someone that they are not doing enough. Instead of whining about what you hate, go and fix it! Trust me, you'll feel good that you helped you friend and your friend will appreciate the help!

B'shalach

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Superbowl! This week's portion is where we finally get to the part of our story where the Israelites escape. Yay! After Pharaoh's firstborn son dies, he changes his mind and lets our people go *ugh FINALLY*. They packed up their matzah and went on their way to cross the Red Sea. We all know the story, they cross and everyone is happy and the Egyptian soldiers chasing them drown yada yada yada. 

BUT there's a little midrash that makes this story a little interesting. Moses didn't really know what to do when he got to the Red Sea but this guy Nachshon jumped right in. I think that's a commentary on how we should treat life: jump right in to the stormy waves (nachshol) of life and trust that it can all work out. In the words of Nike, just do it!

Another story we get is from the desert itself. I've spent some time in the Negev specifically and I gotta be honest, it's pretty magical. Yes, it's hot, dangerous and sandy but going there causes you to bond with the people around you. Sending the Israelites to the desert was God's way of trying to make a scattered people into a community. The only problem was that the former slaves would rather go back to slavery than find their homeland in the desert. Oy, what a conundrum! To quiet the complaints, God gives the Israelites manna (magical bread stuff from the magical desert). That doesn't last for long since the Israelites start to get thirsty. And this is where good ol' Moses starts to show his true colors. Moses is really fed up with all this complaining and the fact that Nachshon led his people to freedom. When God tells him that if he talks to a rock it will give him water, Moses finally loses it. He smashes the rock with his staff instead but he still gets the water. God is pretty mad though and says that Moses can't come into Israel when they finally get there :(

Here are the main lessons for this week:

Like I said above^ just do it!

Don't complain so much, the road to hell is paved with good intentions (and magic bread)

Control your anger or God just might condemn you

Bo

(Probably the coolest name for a torah portion ever, just saying)
A belated Shabbat Shalom! I apologize for the lateness of this post! I was a bit distracted by HSTY's Comedy Night in Chelsea on Saturday :)

Here's the basics of Bo:

God dishes out the last 3 plagues:

8. Locusts

9. Darkness

10. Death of the Firstborn Children

And Pharaoh finally changes his mind! Unfortunately, it took the murder of his eldest for him to decide but hey God works in mysterious ways I guess. We all have our own plagues (from this snow of biblical proportions to midterm exams) but don't let them get to you. Everyone has their own metaphorical Red Sea that parts, freeing them from their troubles. Have a good rest of your week!

Va'eira

Shabbat Shalom! So the story of Moses continues. Moses tries to tell the Israelites that God is going to free them... but no one believes him since after all those years of slavery they feel that God has forgotten about them. Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh to say those famous words, "Let my people go!"

Pharaoh is skeptical obviously since he's never heard of this 'Jewish God' so Aaron challenges Pharaoh's magicians to a throw down... a throw down of staffs that is. Aaron throws his staff on the ground and it turns into a snake... but the magicians can do the same thing! 

Pharaoh still isn't convinced so Aaron says that God is going to bring plagues to Egypt and man does God bring it! When each plague came, Pharaoh would promise to let the Israelites go but after the plague ended he would change his mind back. The first 7 are in this portion:

1. Water to blood

2. Frogs

3. Lice

4. Flies

5. Diseased Livestock

6. Boils

7. Flaming Hail

So there you have it, the first 7 plagues! So not only do we get fantastic gifs out of this portion but we get to see God's awesome powers. I once saw a show on TV explaining that there is a scientific explanation of the plagues since it happened in Cameroon in the 80's. Whatever you believe, the plagues are still pretty crazy feats of nature. However, on Passover we don't celebrate the fact that these plagues harmed and killed many people. Going into this week, remember that we should never wish ill on our enemies. Just because extreme acts of terror have been committed by Muslims in Paris doesn't mean we should want all Muslims to be harmed! We need to realize that revenge isn't as sweet as Passover wine.

Shemot

Shabbat Shalom! This week we start the book of Exodus. The story of Moses is an oldie but a goodie. In fact, my oldest memory of our buddy Moses is of me watching Prince of Egypt on VHS in my cousins' basement (#90sKid).

Moses is another classically complicated dude as told in Shemot. Pharaoh felt threatened by the thought of a Jew taking the throne and becoming his successor so he commanded that all Jewish babies be drowned in the Nile. Yikes! Moses' mother, Jochebed, found a loophole and put her baby in a basket so he (hopefully) wouldn't die. Cute lil' Moses floated past the crocodiles and hippos until Pharaoh's daughter found him. She is actually the one who named him Moses (which comes from the root for son in Egyptian). Moses grew up thinking that he was an Egyptian prince, but there was a moment when he stood up for his own people. Moses saw an overseer mistreating a Jew and he lost it. Moses saved the Jew, but also killed the overseer. Moses was so ashamed that he fled to a place called Midian and became a shepherd. He marries a Midianite woman named Zipporah and I guess his life seems pretty normal for a while. One day, Moses was with his sheep on Mount Sinai (aka Mount Horeb) and sees a burning bush (as shown in the video above). The only problem is that the bush isn't actually burning. It's on fire ... but it's not being "consumed"... what? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, once again God has done something totally cool! God reveals his true name to Moses and then she tells Moses that he is the one who has to free the Jewish people.

"Wait a minute, God. You want me to free ALL of them? How?"
"I need you to speak with Pharaoh. He seems like a scary dude, but he used to be like a father to you so you know how he really is."
"Can't you talk to him? You are God after all. And I have a hard time speaking in front of people."
"I know you have a hard time speaking to people, I made you that way. Even though I think you're full capable, ask your brother Aaron for help."

Points to God for being totally awesome and making Moses different and then helping him overcome his challenge. God gave us all challenges: big or small, physical or mental, whatever. The reassurance we get from this portion is that God made us each different and that we can overcome whatever challenge is in our way, just like Moses.