Our parasha ends with the commandment to remember. We are asked to remember what Amalek did to us. Amalek is in Jewish tradition the sworn enemy who attacked the Israelites in their weakest moment, right after the liberation from slavery, before Israel had a chance to form an Army or anything comparable. Only God’s protection saved the Israelites from being annihilated.Interesting is that the Rabbis of our tradition gave this story an important twist, making it relevant for every generation, and not only a narrative about us and the others. Amalek, the sages teach is not an external enemy, but our internal evil inclination. The one who attacks us in our weakest moments and moves us to transgress our own values, ideals, beliefs and the commandments of God. So if we have to remember Amalek, we are commanded to look into our heart, reviewing past deeds and misdeeds, and asking ourselves where we lost a battle to Amalek and how we can compensate the loss through repentance, teshuvah.In two weeks’ time is the beginning of 5777. The weeks before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are considered as the weeks where we should do this soul search. It is the time of year when we look inwardly, reviewing our past deeds and misdeeds. We come, searching for solace and for peace, for answers to, often, unanswerable questions or perhaps to even hear what the questions might be. Maybe we are seeking to be challenged by God, to find new reasons to continue our struggle with God, or perhaps just to say ‘thank you’ to God. Whatever our reasons, whatever our questions, spoken and unspoken, known and unknown, they are valid, and the presence of every one of you, shows how important they are.The high holy days are a very appropriate time to be honest with ourselves and our god, by asking basic and fundamental life questions: what is it that makes me tick? What is it that I really value, not monetarily, but spiritually? Who am I and what does God, not my boss, my spouse, my children or friends, but God want of me? What if we were confronted by God right now, what would we say?A priest frantically phones the rabbi down the street and whispers into the phone:“Rabbi, I think Jesus just walked into my church. What should I do?” And the rabbi replies: “Look busy!”At this time of the year it’s time for all of us to ‘get busy,’ – it is time for us to look within and search for our true selves. Now is the time to remember our Amalek. To stand against the evil inclination within us. And to remember one second thing: As God stood at the side of the Israelites and protected them in their battle with Amalek, so is God standing on your side in your encounter with your internal Amalek.Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: dordorim.org)
| Torah Reading for Shabbat Ki TeitzeiDeuteronomy 21:10-25:19Reading: Dtn 21:10-22:11 (P 1322 / H 840)Haftarah Isaiah 54:1-10 (P 1345/ H 857)In our parasha Moses reviews a wide variety of laws regarding family, animals, and property. Various civil and criminal laws are outlined, including those regarding sexual relationships, interaction with non-Israelites, loans, vows, and divorce. Also Laws of commerce concerning to loans, fair wages, and proper weights and measures are given. The parashah concludes with the commandment to remember for all time the most heinous act committed against the Israelites—Amalek’s killing of the old, weak, and infirm after the Israelites left Egypt. Podcast of Rabbi Schell’s weekly Sermons Tuesdays on Radio Today (10h30) or: http://goo.gl/LsHQrY. |
The Haftarah readings on Shabbat between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashana are referred to as the 7 haftarot of comfort. But, comfort is often hard to come by. This week’s haftarah begins with the statement that Zion, despite being comforted, still says “God has abandoned me”; which I understand to mean that even though the Israelites have been given words of comfort, the people are not convinced. I think that real comfort takes more than words.Let me explain:It has been a difficult winter for the whole world with the constant rise of terror but we have seen the impact that words and, even more importantly, acts of comfort can have. The love and respect shown after terror attacks to the victims have been remarkable. Victims have been comforted by all that everyone has said and done.What defines us is how we respond to irresponsible, violent, unspeakably evil acts such as the Orlando (USA) Shooting, the terror attacks in Europe or Israel. We gather in prayer services, we send contributions, we say the right words, and we increase our observance against terror. All of these efforts are critical, yes, but I have to ask, that even after listening to many eloquent, uplifting eulogies by politicians, have we really committed ourselves to solving the important issues of racism, the availability of guns and other issues that will, with real progress, bring real comfort to more people?Words of anger at attacks, words of grieving for victims and rituals of mourning, are not enough. While these acts will always be the exception, they are fueled by attitudes and policies that need to be changed. I have no doubt that the absolute majority of Muslims clearly reject acts of this kind committed in the name of Islam, as any religious human being does towards any fanatic act in the name of any religion. But, words and opinions are not enough. There must be real change and that real change will not come until there is a sincere and continued attempt to root out brutal, racist extremists and punish them for what they write and teach. Change won’t come until there is real respect and equality for all within any country of the world, and change will not come until we start with ourselves.This Shabbat, we read the second paragraph of the Shema during the Torah reading, a reading which speaks of reward and punishment. We are confused by this paragraph because we don’t see reward and punishment in our lives. It is critical to note, however, that whenever the idea of reward and punishment is mentioned in the Torah, it does so in the plural. Societies do reap what they sow. And that is why real change comes not just from words, but from honest introspection and determination to reflect in actions our loftiest statements.May the weeks to come usher in a new year of hope for all; a hope underlined by real change where it is needed most.Shabbat ShalomRabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: bethisrael-aa.org)
Our Torah Portion for this week, Parashat Va’et-chanan, is for sure the most cited section of the Torah in Jewish tradition, as it contains the Sh’ma Israel, the fundamental declaration of our Jewish faith: the unity of God; and our parasha includes the Decalogue, the ten commandments, what underlines its special place in our tradition.The first passage we read after the words of the Sh’ma lays out the blueprint for how we are supposed to teach Torah to the next generations: “when you sit in your house, when you walk on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up“, in other words: “talk Torah, God, and Mitzvot.”Torah has never been something I expect children to learn solely in religious school. Torah and God should be part of every dinner table discussion, every moment of family life, every act of tzedakah (charitable giving and doing), and also every fun activity. The Jewish way of life invites God into our homes and our lives. Having everyone and our children make Jewish choices, and live a Jewish life when they left the Synagogue, has been my goal as a rabbi and friend, because only a way of observance of kashrut, Shabbat dinner and weekly worship, Torah study, and community service that is based on your and their own interpretation and commitment will insure Jewish continuity for next generations to come, not what “a rabbi says”.If you asked me to tell you which the most important words of our Torah portion are, they would be these four words from Deuteronomy 6:7 ” V’shinantam l’vaneycha v’dibarta bam,” which our siddur (Prayer book) translates as “Impress them upon your children. Recite them . . .”Most English prayer books, for over a century, used the translation “teach” for v’shinantam instead of impress, but I like the word “impress” because it is not enough for us to love God and keep God’s words upon our hearts; we are commanded to pass God’s words on to our children – our own and other people’s children in a way that make a lasting impression in word and deed.The Torah tells us to share our sacred stories with our children, for the Torah contains the stories of our relationship with God and our history as a people. Talking Torah teaches us to remember and inspires us to find our own way of observance. If we do more than recite the Sh’ma every morning and every night, if we walking the walk of Torah, I am confident that we continue to have a vibrant, pluralistic and fullfilling Judaism.Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: Amy R Perlin)
During my vacation in Berlin I was having a conversation with a friend where we were reminiscing about some events from our past. While we, broadly speaking, remembered the event in the same way, there were certain elements and details which we both remembered differently. Possibly because of perspective, possibly because I don’t have the best memory. Or, maybe for some other reason, our memory of the event, while similar, was in some way different. And, this led to a different emphasis in our retelling.In this week’s Torah portion, we begin the book of Devarim and with it we begin the process of Moses sharing his memories with the Israelites as he prepares them to go into the Promised Land without him. At the beginning of this Torah portion, Moses shared two facts with the Israelites which can be troubling to those of us who’ve been paying attention to the Torah up to this point.In the first instance, Moses says to them that because he felt he couldn’t bear the burden of the people on his own that was the reason that he set up magistrates and judges over thousands, over hundreds, over fifties, and over tens. And then in the second instance as Moses remembers the incident of the spies who went out to scout the Land of Israel, he says to the children of Israel that it was because of you at this time that God decreed that, I, Moses, should not enter into the Promised Land. For those of us following along, we know that in the first instance, with the magistrates, it was actually Yitro, Moses father-in-law who came to him and told him that the thing he was doing was not good. And in the second instance it was after Moses struck the rock at Meribah that God decreed that Moses and Aaron should not enter into the Promised Land.In approaching these discrepancies, we have three choices. Perhaps Moses forgot, he lost track of the details, and so on the spot when telling the Israelites about what had happened, he changed the facts slightly, unintentionally. As a second option maybe Moses simply remembered it differently from the way that we have it written down in the text. He remembered the events as he told the people in Devarim. Or the third option is that Moses was trying to teach the people a lesson, and so changed history to serve the purpose of the lesson he was trying to teach. In this way in telling the people about the introduction of magistrates he was teaching them that they themselves need to know their own limits because there might not be a Yitro there to tell them when they’re taking on too much.And in remembering the story of the spies, perhaps it was his way of reminding the people that they were all in this together, and that their actions would impact the leader and the people equally and so he wanted to place himself amongst the people in the verdict God issued upon them after this incident. We might never know the reason for the discrepancy in the text, but I like to think that Moses took the opportunity of teaching a lesson. Recognising every opportunity to teach is a good opportunity, and with the hope that we too will hear this lesson and learn from it.Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Idea: Rabbi Burkeman)
In Parashat Mas’ei, we read a review of the Israelite’s journeys through their forty years in the desert. It is important to understand that the journey was not orchestrated by the human mind, but was designed by God. The point of the journey was not fun or entertainment, but to find a way home. Throughout history, Jews have constantly been on the move. Yet the traveling has always been purposeful, with starting points and final destinations clearly defined. Abraham began the journey from Haran to the Promised Land, with the mission of spreading monotheism. In the next stage Moses led the people from slavery to freedom, traveling the road of redemption.In enumerating the forty-two encampments of the Israelite wanderings, Moses exclusively uses the same expression: vayisu, “and they set out,” which can also be read as “and they journeyed.” This refrain, heard again and again, emphasizes their moving toward their goal. The forty years in the desert were by no means purposeless meanderings. They were years of fear and uncertainty, but also of struggling to find faith, as evidenced by God’s presence throughout. The time spent en route to the Promised Land was filled with experiences of learning and growth, enabling our people to become a community. As memories of Egypt faded into the background, the people continually moved forward, both physically and spiritually, to reach their objective.In our lifetime, most of us have embarked on a road trip with our families, youth groups, or friends. While our destination may have been the beach, the mountains, or a big city, often the time spent getting there is when the memories are made and when the greatest transformations occur. Spending hours on a bus with thirty-five other people—sharing sights, new experiences, meals, and even getting stuck in traffic—can often turn assorted individuals into a community. Or the spontaneous, off-the-Trip-Tik stop can give rise to a story that becomes part of family lore, in addition to an unforgettable vacation moment. Given the gifts of time and shared transportation, individuals have the opportunity to learn from one another, find mutual interests, and grow from communal experiences.Journeys are not limited to physical movements and sightseeing. Countless individuals have been transformed by spiritual travel as well. Some are motivated by the loss of a loved one, a change in family situation, or a deep-seated soul searching. Journeys like these can be fraught with challenges, such as living alone for the first time, missing the warm presence and reassuring voice of a deceased relative or friend, or feeling lost in a worship service where the words and melodies are foreign.But we shouldn’t condemn those experiences. All those ups and downs make us what we are and help us to find or define our goal(s) in life. The road trip, we call life, isn’t always pleasant, but always worth living.Shabbat ShalomRabbi Adrian M Schell (Source Rabbi J.R.Beiner)
This Friday we begin a new month of Av, it means that Days of Awe are approaching us. Traditionally during the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we see many congregants that not always come during the year to the synagogue. My dear friend and teacher Rabbi Stephen Fuchs shared his views on this topic :It is a humbling and daunting task to attempt to craft messages that will resonate with those who come to worship.Our hopes are high. We spend hours preparing what we hope might be life changing messages. And yet, realistically, we know that the meaning the season of repentance will have for individual Jews depends more on what each of us is willing to do than on what even the most eloquent rabbi will say. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (and the entire month that precedes them) call on us to engage in serious reflection. If we take the season seriously it is an intense process of self-analysis and acknowledgment of our shortcomings and failures fueled by an earnest desire to change our actions for the better.But it was not always that way.In biblical times (Leviticus 23:24-25) Rosh Hashanah was simply a time to sound the shofar on the first day of the seventh month. Some scholars, notably the Norwegian Protestant theologian Sigmund Mowinckel (1884-1965), plausibly suggest that it was the beginning of a Festival of Enthronement. The Festival culminated on Sukkot with God triumphing over pretender gods and establishing the Divine reign for the coming year. In the midst of this month long festival, Yom Kippur featured the ritual of the “scapegoat.” (Leviticus 16) The high priest selected two goats, one for a sacrifice on the altar and the other to symbolically carry the sins of the Children of Israel away into the wilderness. As the Torah says: ‘And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the people of Israel … putting them on the head of the goat … and he shall send the goat off into the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:21-22)’ Rabbinic literature attests that the person led the goat to a mountain peak and pushed the goat down. “Before it reached halfway down the hill it was dashed to pieces (B. Yoma 67a).” Our modern sensibilities recoil at the notion that our wrongdoings can—even symbolically—transfer themselves onto an innocent goat whose death in the wilderness atones for our transgressions.Today we are responsible for our own atonement.We observe Yom Kippur by—if and only if our health permits—abstaining from food and drink. We then spend the day in serious contemplation of our wrongdoings and in prayer asking God to forgive our sins. Our tradition (Mishnah Yoma 8:9) insists that before we can expect God to answer our prayers for forgiveness we must first go to those we have wronged in the past year and try to appease them. My Hebrew teacher in Israel, the late Sarah Rothbard, whom I revered, said: “It is not just a credit to the Jewish people that we invented a day like Yom Kippur. It is a credit to all humanity.” What a wonderful concept for all of us to embrace! We humans can examine our actions, repent our wrongdoings and change for the better!I am grateful for Rabbi’s knowledge that he is sharing with us! Wishing you a warm, peaceful Shabbat.Rabbi Julia Margolis 
SACRED and our co-applicants reached an out of court settlement in the Equality Court case, against the Board of Deputies. The Board of Deputies gave assurance that it would end its ban on “women’s voices” and as such restructure future ceremonies so as not to exclude a woman signing solo. They will no longer silence women’s voices on the grounds that; a woman’s voice is sexually provocative and akin to nakedness.I feel as a Progressive thinking community (being a minority in so called Orthodox environment) we should be glad to know that all future Board of Deputies ceremonies and events will be infused with human rights, where all are equal and none of our participants are treated as second class Jews. Our agreement has eradicated the atrocious and embarrassing situation of there being discrimination at official Holocaust memorials.It is our hope that due to this revival of the traditional, pre-2005 Yom HaShoah format; our youth, women and others who were alienated from the Memorial between 2005-2016, will once again feel able to participate in a Memorial which reflects their values and the lessons of the Shoah.As a negotiated agreement SACRED has had to compromise. We are aware that this will mean there are supporters of ours who will not be entirely satisfied with the agreement. These reservations also weighed on our minds. We find comfort in the fact that SACRED has consistently advocated for a negotiated settlement and sincerely believe that our excellent negotiators have achieved the best possible negotiated outcome. The only way in which it could possibly be bettered, was by going to court, an option almost universally opposed.On behalf of SACRED I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to fellow applicants, and to all of those who have so generously given their time and support to us in this struggle. There were some difficult times on the way to achieving this settlement but your rock solid support and encouragement ensured that we were never alone.Wishing you all a peaceful and warm weekend.Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Julia Margolis 
The South African Association of Progressive Rabbis (SAAPR) welcomes the resolution of the Board to restore women singing to the Yom Hashoa ceremony. We are gratified that our proposal of separating the ceremony into two parts has been accepted by the broader community. This puts behind us the past decade of exclusion and we look forward to hearing that the same compromise will be accepted at the Johannesburg ceremony. We commend our colleague, Rabbi Julia Margolis for leading SACRED’s battle to have women reinstated on to the program, and will continue to support all efforts to recognize the equivalent role of men and women in leading the South African Jewish community.
How many times have we meant to call our legislator, wanted to sign that petition but let it fall to the bottom of our e-mail inbox, planned to sign up for a shift at the soup kitchen or intended to bring extra food to the Kehillah’s food collection box?We have the best of intentions, but what about our actions? We say we want to volunteer more, give more charity be more active, but we don’t do it. We put it off, we get busy with other things. When it comes to world repair, actions matter. Nothing will change if we don’t act. But our lethargy and our routine are more powerful. We all have made resolutions and not fulfilled them. We put things off because we don’t have time. So it is not a resolution we need to make in order to change, but something more.In our reading for this week, the Torah talks about a serious type of commitment we can make: a vow or an oath. It says: “If you make a vow to the Eternal or take an oath imposing an obligation on yourself, you shall not break your pledge; you must carry out all that has crossed your lips” (Num 30:3). Jewish tradition gives us the way to make serious change. We don’t just plan to do something; we can vow to do it.I know change is hard. We are habitual beings with full lives and responsibilities. But we have a greater responsibility beyond our little world. We have the responsibility to make changes in the world around us, to better it. We have the power and capacity to do so if we just begin to act. Start small. Pick something that you can integrate into your life, and do that. Tell a friend or family member that you are taking an oath to begin doing whatever it is and you need them to hold you to it. Your kids or parents would like nothing better than to remind you if you are not following through. Make doing justice part of your routine. Pick up a few extra things at the grocery store to bring to the synagogue food collection bin.Sign up for action alerts from different organizations, and call your Members of Parliament when an important piece of legislation is being voted on. Sign up for a regular volunteer opportunity. Register for regular charitable contributions by monthly credit card payment. Start small and work up from there. Vow to do it. Commit to yourself, your family, your community. Make a commitment to repair your world in some small way. You will find that social action will become habitual for you, and you will serve as an inspiration to others around you to act. Please vote this coming Wednesday, 03 August in the Local Government Elections. It is probably the most important election since 1994. Make your vote count and let your opinion be heardStart now. Make an oath—and once it crosses your lips, you shall not break your pledge, but must carry it out.Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Adrian M Schell
