Parashat Tetzaveh continues with the theme that defines most of the rest of the Book of Exodus: the construction and institution of the Mishkan, the tabernacle. This week’s reading specifically focuses on the Kohanim, the Priests who perform the rituals and sacrifices on behalf of the people. Great detailed descriptions (more than forty verses, an unusually high number for any single topic) are given of the complex ritual garments of the Kohen Gadol (the High Priest) who was to be majestically dressed in gold and adornments of precious stones.“Clothes make the man,” the old saying goes. Well, clothes certainly do seem to impress us human beings. Nothing tells you more about a person, or makes a greater first impression, than how one is dressed. It’s quite remarkable, often a person’s entire character can be summed up by someone who does not know them simply by how they are dressed. For example, the whole point of putting people into uniforms is to minimise their differences; to make individualisation impossible, and to reduce independence. When we dress the same as others, it is because we don’t want to be seen as different. When we do want to stand out, we can do so through what we wear.
The Torah certainly understands this as well. In this week’s parashah, Moses is told to, “Make Bigdei Kodesh–holy garments–for Aaron your brother, for dignity and splendour.” So what is so important about the garments of the High Priest? Does not Judaism, particularly in a ritual sense, usually focus on the inner qualities, frowning on such outward materialism as clothing? How then can these garments be holy? How can they alone bring dignity and splendour?It seems that the Torah is indeed telling us that clothes do make the man, or at least the role in which the man is serving. Meaning, when Aaron engages in work that is holy, he is to be suitably dressed in holy garments; clothes that add dignity and splendour to the work. This is Hiddur Mitzvah–the enhancement of the fulfilment of a mitzvah, through the adornment of the act. This is why we say Kiddush over fine wine in a beautiful cup rather than over juice in a paper cup. Both will fulfil the minimum requirement of the mitzvah–but by adding beauty we add to the holiness of the act.Through dressing in special garments, the priest is constantly reminded of his special role, and the sanctity of his calling. I like this interpretation, because it conveys a very important message for us. Not “Clothes make the man”, but the things we do. A garment is as much a “tool” as any other ritual object (e.g. a Mezuzah or a Tallit) we use to focus our thoughts on serving God. Being precisely, only our acts, our intentions, and our interaction with others are the relevant parts in doing something holy.Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Adrian M Schell(Source: Rabbi Jordan D. Cohen on Tetzaveh, Graphic: Wikipedia)
Category: Rabbinic Thoughts
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Parashat Tetzaveh: “Clothes make the man”
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COULD A “PROGRESSIVE JEW” BECOME THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD – BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR?
It has been a tough past week, as once again we (Progressive Jews) have been at it again with our so called “orthodox” counterparts in South Africa, see this week’s Jewish Report for more on this.While I am not from SA it is rather obvious that my (Progressive) community constantly feels put down or made to feel “less than” by our fellow Jews in this country. I think as such that it is important for us to take a step back and think deeply about this from a broader or higher vantage point.Today progressively thinking or “Progressive Jews” (to me there is no material difference) have become a force to be reckoned with on the international stage. In the US and the world over we now number in the millions. It is not just the number, but the sheer influence that we wheeled the world over. Not only this, but the state of Israel is (as it has no choice) moving in a progressive direction – note my Column last week, on the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision re: “women of the wall.”There is naturally resistance to this, but to those who have any depth of thought and or observation – The world (& Israel hauled along with it) is unequivocally moving in this direction. It is high time that the so-called “Orthodox mentality,” come to realise that there is indeed more than one way, to (be) express one’s self as a Jew, or Christian for that matter.This “holier than thou” attitude or mentality (we know better than you/ or any other community, for that matter) so prevalent amongst our orthodox brothers and sisters – MUST FALL – it is this PRECISE thinking, “one communities G-d given superiority” over another’s, that lead DIRECTLY to our very own holocaust! – Indeed a wake-up call to many within the orthodox community, if they have the depth or wherewithal to see this (kind of thinking) plainly, for what it is.This brings me to my point, how many of you are aware that the next president of the United States – which is beginning to look more likely every day – may VERY well be, not just a progressive thinker, but a “progressive Jew!” WE are a force to be reckoned with, we (as a community) are becoming more powerful, and wheedling more influence by the day – The next time an “Orthodox individual” looks or talks down to you – I SAY TO YOU – WALK WITH YOUR HEAD HELD HIGH.Love and Blessings – Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Julia MargolisPS: Senator Bernie Sanders was born 74 years ago, and raised in Brooklyn New York. On the (very rare) occasions that he has mentioned that he is Jewish, he has done so with great pride. It is clear from his life story that while being a proud Jew, he has aspired to be much more than just this, this being one of the fundamental tenants (differences) between orthodox and Progressive thinking. We are proud to call ourselves Jews, but our entire existence does not revolve around this, there is more to us.If we as Jews wish to make a difference on the world stage – to our own lives, our safety, our well-being and generational future – we need to move away from a dark and antiquated way of thinking, and into the light of a progressive mind set. If we can do this, we both individually and collectively, will be able to accomplish things “as S. Sanders is,” literally unthinkable (to ANY member in our Jewish community) just a single generation ago – such is the power of the progressive mind! -
Our responses to the article in the Jewish Report
Please click on the thumbnails below to read our Rabbis’ responses to the latest articles in the Jewish Report, defaming Progressive Jews.
Letter from Rabbi Margolis to the JR 11-2-2016Letter from Rabbi Schell to the JR 11-2-2016 -
Reform Jews are not the problem
Just a week ago I wrote to you about the horrible remarks from deputy Minister of Education Porush, about Women of the Wall. This week I received an article from Rabbi Michael Boyden where he writes about another “phenome”; “Israel’s Interior Minister, Aryeh Deri, will be in Paris this week. He is not visiting France as a private citizen, but will no doubt be using his diplomatic passport, and the cost of his visit, including that of his entourage, will be met by the Israeli taxpayer. Nevertheless, this has not prevented Deri, according to the charedi newspaper Kikar Ha-Shabbat, from refusing to meet leaders of France’s Liberal Jewish community.Deri’s behavior is hardly surprising given his reaction to the recent agreement reached by Israel’s government with the Women of the Wall over the issue of their demand to be able to worship as they wish at the Kotel. He is quoted as having said: “The problem of Reform and Conservative Jews did not exist until now in the State of Israel and I do not intend to let it happen now. There should be no compromise on this issue.Deri’s insulting behavior follows that of deputy Minister of Education, Meir Porush, who said that the Women of the Wall should be “thrown to the dogs” and if that were not enough, Israel’s Minister of Tourism, Yariv Levin, wrote that “Reform Jews are a dying world” and chairman of the government’s Finance Committee, Moshe Gafni, described them as “clowns who stab the holy Torah”. His remarks simply endorsed those of the Minister for Religious Affairs, David Azoulai, who is quoted as having said that he could not allow himself to refer to Reform Jews as Jews.Now all of this could be brushed aside if one were talking about fanatical rabbis, but these are government ministers. As we all remember only last November prime minister Netanyahu told American Jewish community leaders, that he would ensure that all Jews feel at home in Israel. However, this is not what’s happening, in reality this bodes for an unwelcoming and possibly dangerous situation. (Article based on timesofisrael.org)Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Julia Margolis -
Parashat Terumah: “If you bring Me gifts, I will dwell among you”
Imagine the scene. Moses calls to the entire Israelite community, not long after leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, to offer gifts for the construction of God’s first sanctuary, the mishkan. The people bring a remarkable array of precious metals, fabrics, animal skins, and precious stones—all from a group of people who had just fled after four hundred years of slavery!Strikingly, Moses frames these gifts as gifts of the heart “kol ish asher yidvenu libo,” “everyone whose heart is moved” (Exodus 25:2), and ends with the striking statement that the desert tabernacle is to be a sanctuary which will allow the divine presence to. The sequence of the verses suggests a causal relationship, as if God had intentionally said, “If you bring Me gifts, I will dwell among you.” In our community, too, the presence of the divine is a function of the gifts that we bring to the community to help make it sacred.Our synagogue exists because members step forward every day with acts of generosity. Some make monetary donations to assure the continuity and well-being of the community. Some contribute gifts of time—visiting the sick and the bereaved, welcoming newcomers, serving on congregational boards and committees, helping the office staff with routine and essential tasks, serving food after services on Shabbat, and so many more.I am all in favor of financial contributions to our synagogue, and building our new campus will need those contributions from you without any doubt, but at the same time, it is the gifts of self – the offering of our own generous hearts “yidvenu libo”– that are the most precious resources on which the life of the synagogue depends. The Sefat Emet (the Rebbe of Ger, late 19th Century) finds in the Torah’s description of the mishkan a beautiful piece of wisdom about community life. The rebbe suggests that each person brought a unique gift to the collective effort of building the mishkan. Everyone contributed what they had, and the result was a miraculously beautiful and sacred whole. May our congregation, and our new synagogue be a modern reflection of this first sanctuary.Shabbat ShalomRabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: Elmad.Pardes.Org) -
Parashat Mishpatim and the two men in one boat
The story is told of 2 men in a boat when one suddenly decides to start drilling a hole underneath his seat, the other man protests – “what are you doing, we’re all going to drown”. But the man drilling his hole says “it’s none of your business, I want to drill a hole, I like drilling holes and so I’m drilling a hole on my side of the boat, under my seat, what’s it got to do with you.”When we hear the story we all know that if the man continues drilling his hole both of them will suffer. And it’s the same in our lives, we live in relationship with other people and our actions don’t just impact us, but they impact those around us.In this week’s Torah portion, we receive a whole selection of laws to govern our society. And amongst them we’re given many laws that deal with our relations with other people. At one point, it says in the Torah, when a person opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it and an ox or an ass falls into it, the one responsible for the pit, must recompense the owner by paying the price for the animal. And, it says, when a person’s ox injures a neighbour’s ox and it dies they shall sell the live ox and divide its price. If, however, it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring and its owner has failed to guard it, that person must restore ox for ox. In this way, the Torah insures that we have to be aware of how our actions can impact others. If I dig a pit, I’m responsible for insuring that it is covered up and similarly if I have an ox that is known to attack others, I have to be responsible for taking care of it.The Torah is very aware of the fact that it’s easy to be absorbed in our own world, to ignore those around us and to forget that our actions have an impact on other people. And, in this way, these laws in Mishpatim come as a reminder that we do not live in a bubble. And, that our actions have an impact on the people around me. We can never ignore that. And, more than this, we have to be responsible for our actions and recognise the potential within them for good, and bad.Mishpatim tells us that we should never be the one drilling the hole in the boat, because everyone is going to suffer as a result of our actions. And it reminds us that when we do cause suffering or damage, we are the ones who have to make amends. We are the ones who have to make the restitution to the person who has lost and suffered. We do not live in a bubble. We have to be responsible for taking care of each other.Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: Rabbi Danny Burkeman, Mishpatim)
Torah Reading for Shabbat MishpatimExodus 21:1-24:18 (Reading Ex 21:1-28; Plaut p.513; Hertz p.306);Haftarah: Jeremiah 34:8-34:22, 33:25-33:26 (Plaut p.539; Hertz p.323)Torah Study with Rabbi Schell every Shabbat at 08h45Podcast of Rabbi Schell’s weekly Sermons Tuesdays on Radio Today (10h30) or: http://goo.gl/LsHQrY.
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Wow! What a week it has been.
You may know by now about my great excitement, and our celebration with the “Women of the Wall at their victory” this past Sunday,Rabbi Denise Eger, the current president of the Reform movement’s Central Conference of American Rabbis (the oldest and largest rabbinical organization in North America). Recently wrote a very interesting article in the Jewish world magazine “The Kotel compromise: A time for rejoicing”. She wrote that the negotiations are a victory even in compromise.“For the first time, the Israeli government recognized the authentic ritual and religious needs of those of us who believe in egalitarian prayer and women’s equality. This is historic because the combined voices of interfaith cooperation from the U.S. and Israeli liberal communities, demanded the Israeli government acknowledge that the Jewish world in Israel and outside of Israel is diverse. There are many ways to be authentically Jewish. “I strongly agree that there is more than one way to be a Jew, from personal experience I am very proud to be part of our movement, all it stands for, and am proud of being a second generation Reform Rabbi, following my Mothers footsteps in this movement. It would still be naive of me to say there aren’t many challenges, there are still many for us to deal with. The building of this new egalitarian space has not really begun yet, and in many senses it’s a long way off. Unfortunately with all the exciting news we received out of this week from Israel, there was a less happy event that you may or may not have taken note of.Deputy Israeli Education Minister Meir Porush, stepped up the tone of recent attacks in Israel against the feminist prayer group Women of the Wall, saying “The woman of the wall should be “thrown to the dogs. The Reform are responsible for the terrible intermarriage that we’ve been witnessing in the United States.” Let me just remind you that Meir Porush – the deputy education minister, is no less than expressing himself like a typical anti-Semite,” he is quoted by the NRG news site as saying: “Only in Israel can a deputy minister give voice to invective against other Jews and remain in office. My sincere hope, is that something will be done urgently and this kind of minister will not be representing Jewish people in the Knesset.With all the bitterness this kind of rhetoric sends out, lets us celebrate and rejoice with gratitude the wonderful work of Anat Hoffman and many others who have worked so hard to bring this victory to our movement and our faith. May we all be able to pray in the near future in an egalitarian prayer space in the Kotel.Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Julia Margolis -
Parashat Yitro: Progressive Jews are not second class Jews
As Moses is about to climb Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the Israelites gather at the base of the mountain, and affirm their commitment to fulfilling God’s commandments. Interestingly enough, they have not yet heard what those commandments will be! Nevertheless, they make a commitment to obey God’s word: “All that the Eternal has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8).I like to think of the Ten Commandments as Ancient Israel’s mission statement. God and Moses both knew the Children of Israel needed a document that stated the purpose of the people, and pointed them towards their destiny. It had to be a statement broad enough to encompass a variety of interpretations, yet compelling enough to be shared by everyone.The variety of opinions concerning the Ten Commandments today testifies to the sheer power and success of this most influential document. The Ten Commandments formed the Israelite people: a disparate people with competing agendas, into a unified nation with a shared purpose.Having a shared purpose defines community. For us at Bet David, it is our bond with the Jewish tradition and all Jews, and our understanding that all humans are equal, regardless of race, gender identity, age, disability, national origin, and sexual orientation. Our goal is to make this world a better place – step by step, and we share this with many Jews all over the world.But reality proves that not everyone is sharing those values with us, and too often these others are fellow Jews. Last week’s Jewish Report (http://goo.gl/x69hI6) contains one of those hurtful examples in which the respect we offer to others, is rudely rejected. Vilifying progressive rabbis as “uneducated”, and not worthy of being addressed as rabbis is outrageous, because it destroys the idea of Klal Israel, one Jewish people. It uses the same methods anti-Semites use in their approach to de-legitimise Israel as an unworthy state. But as much as the anti-Semites are wrong, the author of this statement in the JR is wrong in his approach to make us second class Jews. With his hate-speech, he is leaving behind the common ground our ancestors once created by accepting the Torah.We have reached out to the Jewish Report, and some of us have sent letters to the editor. Hopefully, this will have an impact. Whatever the outcome may be, we will continue to strive for equal rights and opportunities for all Jews regardless of their background. As progressive Jews we can be proud of what I call our mission statement, our modern interpretation of the Ten Commandments.Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Adrian M Schell -
Don’t Stand By – International Holocaust Remembrance Day
This week marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In 2005 the United Nations General Assembly designated the 27 January as a day of commemoration for six million Jews brutally killed by Nazis. Many of us know and participate in the Holocaust Remembrance day at the West Park Cemetery, so what’s the significance about January 27?January 27, 1945 is the day the Auschwitz concentration camp in modern-day Poland was liberated by the Soviets, nearly eight months before the war officially ended. Unfortunately by the time they arrived though, many of the people that were in camp had been sent out on a death march. When the Soviets arrived at the camp, around 7,000 sick and dying people remained. In the five years it was open, an estimated 1.1 million people were killed at the concentration camp.This Remembrance Day was designated by the United Nations resolution 60/7 on 1 November 2005. This resolution and the International Holocaust Day was an initiative of the State of Israel. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, Silvan Shalom, was the head of the delegation of Israel to the United Nations.Each year has a theme, including ‘remembering genocides: lessons for the future’ and ‘one person can make a different’.The 2016 theme is ‘Don’t Stand By’, the idea being that everyone takes personal responsibility for the world we live in.AFTER AUSCHWITZby Yehuda Amichai translated by Chana Bloch and Chana KronfeldAfter Auschwitz, no theology:From the chimneys of the Vatican, white smoke rises –a sign the cardinals have chosen themselves a Pope.From the crematoria of Auschwitz, black smoke rises –a sign the conclave of Gods hasn’t yet chosenthe Chosen People.After Auschwitz, no theology:the inmates of extermination bear on their forearmsthe telephone numbers of God,numbers that do not answerand now are disconnected, one by one.After Auschwitz, a new theology:the Jews who died in the Shoahhave now come to be like their God,who has no likeness of a body and has no body.They have no likeness of a body and they have no body.Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat.Rabbi Julia Margolis Impressions from the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust with a special presentation by Professor Dina Porat, that took place in Johannesburg, yesterday, 27.1.16. 
